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Since summer is in full blast here and my parents have got the pool and the paving round it fixed, we remembered how much of a pain our 6 year old border terrier is. The problem is he doesn't like us being in the pool and wont even get in himself. He runs around the outside edge, barking and growling and generally being a nuisance. He's done so many laps of the pool in the past that hes mad his pads bleed. We've tried locking him inside, but he just finds a window to look out and keeps barking and whining. The same thing happens when we tie him up outside. He really seems to only go mental when you start splashing. One of the interesting things that we've observed is that you can splash or squirt water at him he'll try and bite it. But if you ignore him just generally splash around in the pool he gets angry. It should be noted that a lot of the time while he is going mental his tail is wagging, so we are unsure if he is having fun or is trying to protect us. He also doesn't like to swim himself. I mean you can pick him up and with a bit of effort he'll sit half submerged in the pool on the top step, but wont go any deeper. Basically we don't know what to do anymore. Any websites or info about how to break his habit would be greatly appreciated.
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Jan 9, 2009 01:00
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Anphear posted:Since summer is in full blast here and my parents have got the pool and the paving round it fixed, we remembered how much of a pain our 6 year old border terrier is.
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Jan 9, 2009 01:39
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He's never been crated, ever. We live semi rurally and he basically has free roam around the property. We could start crate training him. but we'd much rather have a dog that we can have chilling next to or in the pool with us.
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Jan 9, 2009 09:04
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Are there any natural remedies for a urinary tract infection in cats? My 4-year old tabby seems to have all the signs (inappropriate urination outside the box, a little bit excessive licking of his "area") but is in no otherwise obvious discomfort. If it's a mild irritation, is there a way to help him out from home?
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Jan 9, 2009 10:43
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PipeRifle posted:Are there any natural remedies for a urinary tract infection in cats? If it's an infection, you really need antibiotics. It's not expensive to get a UTI treated anyway 
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Jan 9, 2009 13:35
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Helanna posted:If it's an infection, you really need antibiotics. It's not expensive to get a UTI treated anyway I'm hoping a vet can give him something based on his symptoms after a consultation; this cat REALLY does not travel well and a vet visit would stress him out enough to have him pissing all over the house anyway. One of my other cats had a UTI a while back and I remember the meds not being too bad, but the blood work/urinalysis/multiple visits were what killed me. That cat also went super-crazy, trying to pee every five minutes, yowling from the litter box, the whole nine. This little guy is perfectly fine until he pees somewhere he shouldn't, so I'm hoping it's not too bad. Also, as a note, I'm not normally callous about vet visits when it's an emergency, but my fiancee and I were both laid off on Monday and we couldn't be in a WORSE situation to spend a lot at the vet. PipeRifle fucked around with this message at 14:19 on Jan 9, 2009 |
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Jan 9, 2009 14:16
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Anphear posted:He's never been crated, ever. We live semi rurally and he basically has free roam around the property. Well I'd much rather have three dogs that would never get into trouble or the garbage or the birds or chew anything besides their toys but poo poo happens, dogs are dogs, and there are a lot of good reasons for crates. It doesn't sound to me like he's going to stop completely spazzing every time you swim, especially since he's making his pads bleed. Crating him inside with a stuffed kong for some quiet time sounds like a much more relaxing time for him.
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Jan 9, 2009 14:45
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PipeRifle posted:I'm hoping a vet can give him something based on his symptoms after a consultation; this cat REALLY does not travel well and a vet visit would stress him out enough to have him pissing all over the house anyway. Well for the first UTI that my nervous cat got, I DID have to bring him to the vet for examination, so I paid for the appointment, but the vet was happy to prescribe him antibiotics based on the symptoms and fever he presented. His symptoms were very mild; he seemed a bit hot when I touched his ears, and he occasionally pissed where he shouldnt. It was only when he started getting repeat incidents that we went down the urine/blood test and ultrasound route. I'm glad I did all though though, because the urine test revealed he had crystals as well as an infection, which could have caused more serious problems if left untreated, particularly in a male cat. He ended up on prescription food for a month, which has to be said WAS expensive, but the antibiotics aren't. He's on anti-anxiety meds now as well since he just about has a heart attack every time anyone new comes to my flat, or everytime I take him to the vet.
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Jan 9, 2009 16:10
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Anphear posted:He's never been crated, ever. We live semi rurally and he basically has free roam around the property. Is there a particular kind of treat he likes? You could start giving him treats when you get into the pool, and he'll associate you going swimming with good things. Of course, you'd only want to give him treats when he's behaving, not freaking out. You could also try playing ball or some other kind of strenuous exercise before swimtime so he's more tired and less likely to spaz out, then use the treat option.
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Jan 9, 2009 17:23
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Anphear posted:He's never been crated, ever. We live semi rurally and he basically has free roam around the property. I'm sure you'd also like his paw pads to stop bleeding, so I'd look up on crate training or some positive reinforcement confining techniques. It's great for the dog to be chilling with you, but as soon as its obvious that he's not 'chill' then he needs to be allowed his own space to calm down, and that's exactly what a crate does. It's not in any way abusive or 'mean'.
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Jan 9, 2009 18:14
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tiny little baby posted:My dog (Rott/Shepard) walks fine but only after he's done his business. Up until that point he pulls, bites at the leash, and just plain doesn't obey. Is there anything I can do to calm him down before he goes one or two or will I just have to put up with it? This fell on the bottom, quoting for new page.
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Jan 9, 2009 20:05
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I used some Nature's Miracle on a cat urine stain on my couch that I had previously used some other commercial stain remover on. The first stuff made it smell fine, but I wanted to make sure the CAT couldn't smell it. After the first pass of Nature's Miracle, the urine smell has returned and seems worse. Is this normal while the product is "working"?
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Jan 10, 2009 01:25
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Do we have a thread going about the proper way of training dogs of different ages?
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Jan 10, 2009 02:39
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Another "cat peeing" issue: I bought some Cat Attract and I'm wondering if I can use a thin layer over top of other litter. I currently have them using Tidy Cat Multiple which has very little perfume, but I'm worried the magic of Cat Attract might not work in conjunction with other smells. Also: I'm thinking of getting a Drinkwell or some other sort of water fountain for the cats, but I'm curious as to how much noise they make, as the cats can be skittish around machinery.
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Jan 10, 2009 08:22
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sucks to ur assmar posted:Well I'd much rather have three dogs that would never get into trouble or the garbage or the birds or chew anything besides their toys but poo poo happens, dogs are dogs, and there are a lot of good reasons for crates. It doesn't sound to me like he's going to stop completely spazzing every time you swim, especially since he's making his pads bleed. Crating him inside with a stuffed kong for some quiet time sounds like a much more relaxing time for him. He's well behaved besides the pool problems. He doesn't roam and comes when we call him, sits and waits for his dinner, stays out of the rubbish and only chews his toys and bones we give him. What I cant figure out is when he stops running around the pool his tails still wagging, so is he thinking that the barking and chasing is some sort of game? We've tied him to tables and shut him in back rooms in the past with toys, but if he can still hear the splash then he still tries to get out. So I'm imagining that he'd end up doing the same thing in a crate.
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Jan 10, 2009 22:48
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Anphear posted:What I cant figure out is when he stops running around the pool his tails still wagging, so is he thinking that the barking and chasing is some sort of game? Animal behaviorists have said that dogs wag their tails when their conflicted, not just when they're happy. From the sound of it he's not playing.
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Jan 10, 2009 23:09
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Anphear posted:He's well behaved besides the pool problems. He doesn't roam and comes when we call him, sits and waits for his dinner, stays out of the rubbish and only chews his toys and bones we give him. Why are you so opposed to this? Crating isn't for badly behaved dogs.
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Jan 10, 2009 23:28
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Hi, I don't come around these parts a lot but there was a minor emergency in my pet life about an hour ago and because the family veterinarian isn't returning our calls I figured this might be a good place to get some food for thought. My family's oldest pet is a Yellow-Red Labrador whose age we don't officially know, we rescued her from an abusive breeder. She's 13 at the absolute youngest, but judging by her physiology and veterinary diagnosis she's probably closer to 16. Anyway her health has been deteriorating steadily and our family has been waiting for the day when she starts to pass on, and an hour ago she started seizing. I was in the bathroom at the onset. I heard a strange yelp and odd noises, and saw her convulsing; arching her back; her tongue hanging out the side of her foaming mouth; painful diaphragm contractions; yelping noises; stiff leg spasms; and open confused eyes. The seizure lasted about three minutes and less than a minute afterwards she tried to stand up and walk around. During this time her tongue hung out the side of her mouth and she showed trouble using her back legs. They have been weak for a few years but now they were giving out under her. She also showed signs of blindness and was constantly pacing and bumping into furniture. During this period we called the vet's office and were told he would be contacted and return our call. After about half an hour of this she started to drink water from a 'clean' toilet bowl and began to show more solid cognitive function. I have been monitoring her carefully in a low-light environment. She is currently laying on a warm blanket and drooling into a large patch with shallow and wheezy but constant breathing. Her vision seems to have returned and though her back legs are weak she's managing basic locomotion. She responds to our voices without signs of confusion, and if it weren't for the seizure appears to be like a tired version of herself. My question is whether or not it is a good idea to think about putting her down very soon or if a 'wait and see' approach might benefit her. I imagine another episode isn't improbable and she seemed to be in sizable pain. I've spent the past five years used to the idea of her dropping away unexpectedly, so I don't hold any complexes regarding the natural process of death, and really don't want to see her suffer, even if it'll hurt like hell to make her go. Do any pet owners have experience with old, seizing dogs and if so what was the most humane, prudent course of action in seeing them off peacefully?
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Jan 11, 2009 01:24
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PipeRifle posted:Another "cat peeing" issue: I bought some Cat Attract and I'm wondering if I can use a thin layer over top of other litter. I currently have them using Tidy Cat Multiple which has very little perfume, but I'm worried the magic of Cat Attract might not work in conjunction with other smells. You may as well try the layer of Cat Attract thing; it can't hurt. If it doesn't work, just switch to using only Cat Attract. My Drinkwell only makes noise when the water gets low. Since I have the reservoir thing on the back of it, that only happens when I am lazy and forget to refill the reservoir. So, if you're not lazy, it should, in theory, be virtually silent.
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Jan 11, 2009 04:43
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Fire In The Disco posted:You may as well try the layer of Cat Attract thing; it can't hurt. If it doesn't work, just switch to using only Cat Attract. Thanks, I'm definitely looking into a drinkwell; I'm currently trying to find a used one (maybe someone whose cat never used it?) because they're a little pricey for me right now. As for the Cat Attract, I can't really tell. He actually still uses the litterbox (caught him coming out of it last night), but he's also peeing randomly (I had let him on the bed while I was watching a movie figuring nothing would happen while I was there, and he peed on my hand while I was scooting his butt off my leg.)  His problems probably go deeper than the litterbox itself, which is why he has a vet appointment on Monday.
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Jan 11, 2009 08:34
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Yeah, I was going to say... I am glad you're getting him into the vet. It sounds less like "cat hates litter box" than "cat has something wrong" to me, so getting him checked out is a good idea. Amazon has used fountains from $25 and used reservoirs from $10. I didn't look for it, but I highly recommend that you get the set of 3 cleaning brushes for it as well; they're not very much, and I've found them to be invaluable.
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Jan 11, 2009 08:59
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Question: I know that dog food is entirely inappropriate for a cat. However, how about dog treats? The high quality ones that are 90+% named meats? The cat seems to prefer them to the cat treats. Again, mind you, not as food. Just as treats. Also, is it really necessary to follow all PI advice if there is no obvious need? Like, does one really need a water fountain is the cat drinks 1 DL plus from a regular bowl, and never misses the litterbox nor complains, even when there is only one?
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Jan 12, 2009 02:40
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Shmee! posted:Question: You certainly don't have to follow all PI advice and no one here is going to stone you to death if you don't get your cat a fountain. Who told you that?  My cats all drink from bowls unless I have to go on vacation, because refilling them doesn't phase me; people who get fountains usually get them so they can be assured their pet will always have water, even if they happen to forget about it. Please, by all means, use your own judgment. Dog treats and cat treats have basically the same ingredients, just check the bag. Dog treats will be more rich in fats and proteins, so use sparingly. Also, be aware that not all dog-safe foods are appropriate for cats, so be sure to look up any non-meat ingredients before feeding them. I buy the same treats for my dog as I do for my cats but I cut the dog treats up and am mindful of how many they eat. Captain Foxy fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Jan 12, 2009 |
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Jan 12, 2009 02:51
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My cat really likes one particular dog treat that's just a chunk of freeze dried meat. Yum yum. (also, she doesn't have a water fountain and only has one litterbox)
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Jan 12, 2009 03:16
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I have a big glass tank, its like 18in deep, 24in high, and at least 60in long, I want to use it as an aquarium but I think it might be a terrarium, can it still hold water?The paynes are sealed with silicone, im gonna try and fill it inside a room with a big drain to see what happens. I think you could say its a 65 gallon
Smoogle fucked around with this message at 05:13 on Jan 12, 2009 |
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Jan 12, 2009 04:51
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What's the best way to get cat puke stains out of carpet? Professor had himself a time this weekend and I'm STILL finding spots of puke that I missed. It's leaving these yellowy brown stains everywhere that are crazy gross, but I've tried scrubbing them with vinegar/baking soda and the spots remain.
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Jan 12, 2009 17:08
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My kittens figured out yesterday how to pull their safety collars off of each other -- they take turns yanking at the breakaway snaps, and then triumphantly deposit the collar into my lap :[ They are microchipped and I live in an apartment, but I always kept collars on them with an ID slider just in case they get out. The collars don't cause them any irritation, and they're not too tight/too loose. They've never tried to remove them in the past, so I think they're just being normal destructive teenage kittens. I tried rubbing Bitter Yuck into the snap, but it didn't have any real effect. Is there another type of safety collar that a pair of cats can't pull off of each other? Should I just leave the collars off them altogether? Bonus pic of Roly with his collar on: 
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Jan 12, 2009 17:36
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Women's Rights? posted:What's the best way to get cat puke stains out of carpet? Professor had himself a time this weekend and I'm STILL finding spots of puke that I missed. It's leaving these yellowy brown stains everywhere that are crazy gross, but I've tried scrubbing them with vinegar/baking soda and the spots remain. Nature's Miracle works great for puke, too. Soak and then blot.
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Jan 12, 2009 17:38
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100 Years in Iraq posted:Nature's Miracle works great for puke, too. Soak and then blot. Thanks, I've got about half a bottle of that. I'll give it a shot.
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Jan 12, 2009 18:08
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My girlfriend's cat has recently started scratching at her bedroom door and meowing incessantly in the wee hours of the morning. The only way she can get him to stop is locking him in another room. Does anybody have any idea how she might be able to train him to stop doing it?
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Jan 12, 2009 19:44
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The Screaming Chair posted:My girlfriend's cat has recently started scratching at her bedroom door and meowing incessantly in the wee hours of the morning. The only way she can get him to stop is locking him in another room. Does anybody have any idea how she might be able to train him to stop doing it? I saw mentioned in another thread: leave the vacuum parked outside the door, with the cord running into the room. Have it set to "On" and when you hear the cat going nuts, plug it in for a second. Cat gets a blast of spooky vacuum noise without associating it with people or being punished. Just straight-up cause and effect: "when I do this, bad noise, ack" should work after a while.
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Jan 12, 2009 20:20
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Do cat's care if you change their names? I finally got my new kitty yesterday, a longhair lilac point female and she came with the name "Maxine". I don't -loathe- it but I want to call her Quartz (she looks just like a piece of clouded quartz.) She's 1 year 6 months old.
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Jan 12, 2009 22:01
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mistaya posted:Do cat's care if you change their names? I finally got my new kitty yesterday, a longhair lilac point female and she came with the name "Maxine". I don't -loathe- it but I want to call her Quartz (she looks just like a piece of clouded quartz.) I renamed my kittens when I got them; I don't think it's going to cause any sort of psychological trauma. I don't know if cats recognize their own names so much as they recognize words/tones that mean "hay dude, I want your attention".
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Jan 12, 2009 22:07
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mistaya posted:Do cat's care if you change their names?
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Jan 12, 2009 22:08
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sucks to ur assmar posted:Be prepared to pay for the years of therapy that your cat will need to cope with its world being turned upside down like that. It's doable, I'm just saying be prepared for the deep emotional damage and the baggage that comes with it. You might also want to pay for it to make a trip to find its real parents and find itself again. I guess I deserved that. I was more curious how long it takes to get them to respond to the new one. Also, I'm a first time cat owner so I'm a little overexcited.
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Jan 12, 2009 22:15
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mistaya posted:I was more curious how long it takes to get them to respond to the new one. Also, I'm a first time cat owner so I'm a little overexcited. My cats don't care what I call them so long as I say it in a cutesy voice and look at them when I say it. If I call out "Hey stupid!" 9 times out of 10 I get a cat come running up to me like "Yes? Do I get treats now? Tummy rubs?"
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Jan 12, 2009 22:27
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mistaya posted:I guess I deserved that. My husband told me he heard somewhere that you should name your cat a one syllable name, because they would respond to it better. I don't know if its true, but we have one name for our cat and a couple nicknames that she responds to. Fiona is her "given" name, she was named that at the shelter, and Fi or Fi-Fi is her nickname... and she knows/responds to her names. She knew Fiona when she came home with us too, so a variation on Fiona didn't bother her any. (when I'm screaming over something she's gotten in to, I can't seem to talk well enough to speak more than a few syllables at a time, so Fi works for my small exploding mind. And it seems to give her a bug up her butt, ie zoomies, when I'm so frustrated and only manage Fi.) Now my old cat, that I lost last year, I named Tiger Kitty or Tiger when I first decided to adopt her (she was a stray). She didn't respond to Tiger, or Tiger Kitty.. or even Kitty. SO along came me trying to call her with anything I could think of.. and her responding to Kishka and Meekey, she responded every time... so they became her names. (She also responded to butthead.. but that isn't practical to use in polite company- haha) I personally go with whatever name a pet will respond to. Dogs seem to be better about learning their names, cat's seem to decide for themselves what they will, and will not respond to. So if you want to change your pet's name, take that under consideration... if your cat responds to its name right now, don't mess with a good thing, cause your cat may never respond to the new name you pick. But try it, the cat might respond better.... who knows! Good luck! C.TheRaven fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Jan 12, 2009 |
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Jan 12, 2009 22:50
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C.TheRaven posted:My husband told me he heard somewhere that you should name your cat a one syllable name, because they would respond to it better. Huh. When my vet met Maneki for the first time, she made a comment that it was a good name, because she'll respond to the "ki" part. Made me think that long ee sounds (like in kitty!), or maybe the harsh k (like in kitty!) are somehow easier for cats to respond too. Personally, I'm pretty sure it's all bunk.
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Jan 12, 2009 23:02
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Charlie refuses to respond to anything BUT his name. Not "Kitty" or "Hey" or any of the other things I've called to cats in the past. He won't give you the time of day. But if you say "Charlie," even quietly and not in the come-here-cat voice, he will look at you, and nine out of ten times he'll meow. Weirdest thing.
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Jan 12, 2009 23:43
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We just adopted a dog from the local humane society, and she loves the rope/tug toy. Her obedience class starts in a week, but I forgot to ask her new trainer about the tug toy. People seem pretty divided on the subject. What are the general thoughts on playing tug o war with your dog? Should I work on release commands with her while playing? We need to work on release commands either way (she never wants to give up the frisbee), but I was just curious about the opinions around here...
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Jan 13, 2009 00:04
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