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Cat went for eight hour drive yesterday and quickly hid under the bed. Within the next four hours she was out, ate, drank and used the litter, and was fairly playful. Today she's just hiding under the bed, and hasn't eaten the treats I put out for her. To be honest that is what I expected, but without the random period of just acting normal last night. Is this anything to be worried about?
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Dec 22, 2015 04:48
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No that's pretty normal. When I first got my cat he hid for a little bit, wandered around meowing for a bit (he never meows) and then hid some more. Cats.
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Dec 22, 2015 05:05
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Dixie Cretin Seaman posted:How the hell do you get a cat to let you clip their nails? I've been gently holding my cat's paw to try and get her used to it and she always pulls away immediately. Today she batted her paw at me in annoyance. I see these nail-trimming videos online where the cat sits totally still and compliant... Is it just a matter of gentle persistence until the cat gives up and lets the crazy food-giving monkey creature fondle its hands? How does a groomer do it with cats that don't even know them? Question about this (and I don't mean to start a war if it's a controversial subject) but why do so many US cat owners trim their pet's claws and also bathe them? I live in rural UK so all cats around here go outside and no one trims or bathes them. I've always grown up with the idea that doing so is stressful and rather futile - all the cats I've grown up with keep themselves extremely clean and cutting their claws would mean they can't hunt or walk properly. It's really easy to train them not to scratch you/the furniture anyway. So is this sort of cat care a cultural thing?
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Dec 22, 2015 11:32
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RhomboidSphinx posted:Question about this (and I don't mean to start a war if it's a controversial subject) but why do so many US cat owners trim their pet's claws and also bathe them? People who trim their cat's claws are mostly owners of indoor cats, I would guess. Or if the cats are going outdoors, it's just into the backyard. And sometimes a cat's claws will keep growing until they curl completely around and start piercing the paw, at which point it definitely needs to be trimmed. Though in my experience most people don't bathe their cats (or stopped after trying it once and getting viciously mauled), unless the cat got extra filthy somehow, or never learned to groom itself.
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Dec 22, 2015 12:01
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RhomboidSphinx posted:Question about this (and I don't mean to start a war if it's a controversial subject) but why do so many US cat owners trim their pet's claws and also bathe them? I never heard of regularly bathing cats, but indoor cats don't need razor sharp claws for hunting and even with scratching posts there is going to be occasional damage to furniture and human flesh. You just trim the tip so it isn't as pointy. As far as I know it doesn't affect their walk at all; you might be thinking of surgical declawing, which is now generally discouraged as bad for cats.
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Dec 22, 2015 14:41
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Plus, with the cat being fed by its owners every day (I hope!), it shouldn't need to " hunt properly, " unless you just hate the local bird population that much (because they'll kill birds even if they aren't hungry).
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Dec 22, 2015 14:48
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Huntersoninski posted:Plus, with the cat being fed by its owners every day (I hope!), it shouldn't need to " hunt properly, " unless you just hate the local bird population that much (because they'll kill birds even if they aren't hungry). To be fair, if you live in rural UK (or rural anywhere) then you are probably expecting your cats to earn their keep by hunting farm vermin-- the original use case for pet cats.
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Dec 22, 2015 14:58
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The US has farm cats too, but I've only rarely heard a farm cat called a "pet cat" by anyone who kept one. Just farm or barn cat. If the question was about farm cats, the answer is, i'd be surprised if anyone in the US washed or trimmed their barn cat's claws, or could even hold one down to try without getting hurt.
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Dec 22, 2015 15:05
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RhomboidSphinx posted:Question about this (and I don't mean to start a war if it's a controversial subject) but why do so many US cat owners trim their pet's claws and also bathe them? Anyone who regularly bathes their cat is a crazy person IMO. As far as nail trimming, I don't know a lot of people in real life who do this. I don't myself because my cat's a big jerk. But in general people will do it because most cats in the US are like this: http://www.theonion.com/graphic/cat-that-spends-life-on-one-of-two-couch-cushions--37324
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Dec 22, 2015 15:26
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My cats are indoor-only fat pampered assholes who still try to scratch up my couch despite my efforts. Seriously, the drat thing has a minefield of scratching posts of all shapes and consistencies around it, and slipcovers on the arms, and we've sprayed it with every sort of anti-scratch deterrent on the market- my one cat will actually make the effort to climb under the slipcovers to scratch the arms of the couch. Hence, they get regular claw trims which is just the very tips of the claws, to blunt them. Much like human fingernails, where there's a "pink" and a "white" part to the nail, you only trim the white and not the pink. It doesn't stress them out at all, because I make it as stress-free a process as can be (easier on me that way too). Also, having from time to time had a poor hapless not-very-bright mouse wander into our house by accident, I can attest to the fact that trimming the claws in no way impedes the cat's ability to hunt. Cats usually kill their prey by snapping their neck with their teeth. The only time I've ever bathed cats was if they had fleas, and those are usually the kittens we've fostered for the SPCA that were too young for flea treatments. A daily bath with Dawn dish soap is the Rx for that. Luckily those guys are small enough that they can't do much squirming, and you'd be surprised what cats can get used to. They may not like it, mind you, but they learn to tolerate it quite well.
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Dec 22, 2015 15:37
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I've only ever bathed my cat when he got diarrhea and it was all stuck in his butt fur. And even then, it was just his back end that I washed while he stood in water barely above his paws. When he feels the water he just goes limp and gives up, like, "welp this is how I die." My other cat can only be wiped with a wet rag, because the one time I tried to clean her gross fur with water in the tub she started screaming and it sounded like I was trying to drown a toddler. Had to quit before the neighbors called 911 on me. I take the sharp tips off their nails like once every 10-15 days because I'm a lazy piece of poo poo. Although only one of them scratches my couch, the other diligently uses his scratchers, I feel like I have to do both sets of claws in the spirit of fairness. 
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Dec 22, 2015 20:33
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One of the rescues I'm talking to is adamant about not using 'clay clumping' litter as it can, they say, cause issues if the cats ingests it. Is this a real issue? Is there any other 'clumping' alternatives. A quick peak in the pet shop showed some grass based ones.
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Dec 22, 2015 20:47
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Marchegiana posted:My cats are indoor-only fat pampered assholes who still try to scratch up my couch despite my efforts. Seriously, the drat thing has a minefield of scratching posts of all shapes and consistencies around it, and slipcovers on the arms, and we've sprayed it with every sort of anti-scratch deterrent on the market- my one cat will actually make the effort to climb under the slipcovers to scratch the arms of the couch. Just a thought: have you got horizontal scratch pads? Some cats just like scratching horizontally rather than vertically.
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Dec 22, 2015 22:56
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I have a horizontal, two vertical, one at an angle, and two curvy things in a variety of options from cardboard to sisal. Each cat has their own preference, but Persephone's preference is apparently the couch.
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Dec 22, 2015 23:35
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ImplicitAssembler posted:One of the rescues I'm talking to is adamant about not using 'clay clumping' litter as it can, they say, cause issues if the cats ingests it. Usually people only worry about that with kittens. I guess because they're less coordinated and could end up with litter stuck all over themselves which they'd then try to wash off. I suppose it's a risk for adult cats too, but a minimal one.
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Dec 22, 2015 23:47
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Marchegiana posted:I have a horizontal, two vertical, one at an angle, and two curvy things in a variety of options from cardboard to sisal. Each cat has their own preference, but Persephone's preference is apparently the couch. Dayum. Kitty knows what she wants, I guess...
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Dec 22, 2015 23:47
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Somehow, my cat managed to dislodge her feeding tube. Now I have to take her back to the vet to have it reinserted. Merry Christmas wallet!
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Dec 22, 2015 23:55
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So yesterday night I found a scorpion on the wall of our upstairs bathroom. I have no idea how it got there but I live in Vegas so I guess that seeing a scorpion at some point was inevitable. I know that North American scorpions aren't super dangerous to humans, but can they harm cats? We've never had a problem with scorpions before, not even in the summer when they're supposedly more common. Still, I'm kind of paranoid because we keep the cat litter in the garage where we also keep a lot of boxes that'd be perfect for a scorpion hideout, and we're about to leave the cats alone for several days to visit family for Christmas. Also, my boyfriend didn't want to kill a ~*living soul*~ but rather threw it off the balcony so it's still wandering around somewhere by our home. The internet so kindly that seeing as it could climb walls, it might be an Arizona bark scorpion which can supposedly be dangerous to cats although a lot of websites are giving me contradictory information. Basically, someone please tell me I'm freaking out over nothing.
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Dec 23, 2015 00:04
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Wish for Rain posted:So yesterday night I found a scorpion on the wall of our upstairs bathroom. I have no idea how it got there but I live in Vegas so I guess that seeing a scorpion at some point was inevitable. I know that North American scorpions aren't super dangerous to humans, but can they harm cats? We've never had a problem with scorpions before, not even in the summer when they're supposedly more common. Still, I'm kind of paranoid because we keep the cat litter in the garage where we also keep a lot of boxes that'd be perfect for a scorpion hideout, and we're about to leave the cats alone for several days to visit family for Christmas. Also, my boyfriend didn't want to kill a ~*living soul*~ but rather threw it off the balcony so it's still wandering around somewhere by our home. The internet so kindly that seeing as it could climb walls, it might be an Arizona bark scorpion which can supposedly be dangerous to cats although a lot of websites are giving me contradictory information. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure tiny creatures like scorpions are the exact kind of thing that cats evolved to easily murder the poo poo out of. Search youtube for "cat vs. scorpion" and it looks like the cats tend to win. Grown cats have good enough reflexes and good enough small-animal-torture skills, that i think it would likely be rare for them to get stung. But yeah, no scorpions at all sounds more relaxing.
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Dec 23, 2015 00:11
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OH MY GOD. So the saga of Ned continues. Because we felt bad about keeping him from his owners (and because my wife is incapable of doing anything at less than 120%), we offered to fly Ned back to Montreal and return him. My wife confirmed everything with them, booked a same-day round trip flight, and took the cat. They never showed up. They were supposed to meet her at the airport at 2. At 3 o'clock they said they'd be there in 20 minutes. At 3:30 they said they'd be there at 6. When my wife told them her return flight left at 5:30 they said "just leave the cat at lost and found, we'll pick him up." So yeah. Cat's coming back to Florida, because gently caress leaving a 4 month old kitten with a broken hip at the AIRPORT LOST AND FOUND. Christ.
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Dec 23, 2015 00:43
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ImplicitAssembler posted:One of the rescues I'm talking to is adamant about not using 'clay clumping' litter as it can, they say, cause issues if the cats ingests it. I have no idea about ingesting causing harm, but a friend of mine is adamant that clay litter is bad for the environment because it comes from strip mining. She suggested the corn-based "World's Best Cat Litter" and I've been using it, and it works well. Good odor control, good clumping, and flushable. A bit more expensive than clay litter, but Amazon has it for reasonable prices.
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Dec 23, 2015 02:18
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GimpInBlack posted:OH MY GOD.  Congratulations on your new cat though!
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Dec 23, 2015 02:24
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Dixie Cretin Seaman posted:I have no idea about ingesting causing harm, but a friend of mine is adamant that clay litter is bad for the environment because it comes from strip mining. She suggested the corn-based "World's Best Cat Litter" and I've been using it, and it works well. Good odor control, good clumping, and flushable. A bit more expensive than clay litter, but Amazon has it for reasonable prices. Is "World's Best" dusty at all? I moved away from clumping litters because my cats use covered litter boxes and I didn't want them breathing (bentonite, in the case of the clay litters) dust every time they used the boxes (plus, the dust gets everywhere). I'm currently using wood fuel pellets, which work kind of opposite from clumping: While solid waste is scooped out normally (my cats refuse to bury their turds, so this is easy  ), the pellets absorb wet waste and subsequently break down into sawdust - you scoop and sift this sawdust into the trash, and pour the remaining non-sawdust pellets back into the litter.
Alehkhs fucked around with this message at 02:38 on Dec 23, 2015 |
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Dec 23, 2015 02:31
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Alehkhs posted:Is "World's Best" dusty at all? I moved away from clumping litters because my cats use covered litter boxes and I didn't want them breathing (bentonite, in the case of the clay litters) dust every time they used the boxes (plus, the dust gets everywhere). I'm currently using wood fuel pellets, which work kind of opposite from clumping: While solid waste is scooped out normally (my cats refuse to bury their turds, so this is easy No, it's not at all dusty-- it pours like a bag of course-grained spherical pellets and absorbs into a pasty clump. I've found it very easy to clean and my cat has no problems with it. I don't know if it really matters, but I got the "multiple cat" formula even though I only have one cat-- it's slightly more expensive, but according to some reviews it clumps better. Amazon is cheaper, but it is carried at PetSmart, too.
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Dec 23, 2015 05:34
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Rah! posted:People who trim their cat's claws are mostly owners of indoor cats, I would guess. Or if the cats are going outdoors, it's just into the backyard. And sometimes a cat's claws will keep growing until they curl completely around and start piercing the paw, at which point it definitely needs to be trimmed. Though in my experience most people don't bathe their cats (or stopped after trying it once and getting viciously mauled), unless the cat got extra filthy somehow, or never learned to groom itself. Thanks for all this. I dunno, I just got the idea from somewhere that regular bathing was a thing  And our current isn't a farm cat. We feed her whenever she asks for it, but she loves hunting and it does keep the rodent population significantly down. If she does catch birds (I don't think she does), she's learned not to show them to us as my mum always kicks up a fuss. GimpInBlack posted:The saga of Ned continues! In all honesty, they sound like twatwads. You've done more than enough to accommodate the original owners but I suspect you'll provide a better home than they could ever have. It sounds like you're doing Ned a favour.
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Dec 23, 2015 10:55
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My cat has a hair that's completely stuck to his eyeball. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it but it's pretty visible and him blinking just seems to move the hair around on his eyeball. Is this something I should bring him to the vet ($100-ish D: ) or will it eventually work it's way out?
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Dec 23, 2015 19:36
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My cats basically always have a hair in their eye. Just don't touch it, it'll come out on its own (and a new one will get stuck there)
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Dec 23, 2015 20:16
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Need a help, accidentally caught my cat in our sofa and shouted at her for being so silly. I feel incredibly guilty but outwardly she seems fine (Walks, plays, eats and drinks) but her behaviour has changed somewhat. She is going outside a lot more than usual. No blood, no bits she complains about when we have examined her to check for breaks bones, walks fine and meows as normal. Gums are fine and pinky. I am absolutely worried sick and I feel stupid for shouting at her sillyness for getting caught in the mechanism thing. Can you guys offer some help/guidance as to what do? Should we leave her until her next vet appointment in a couple of weeks?
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Dec 23, 2015 23:13
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brightbluu posted:One of my cats does this. She will grab our (mainly my boyfriend's) arms and bite down a little bit. Sometimes she accidentally bites a little too hard and we just tell her no. Most of the time though she will stop biting to groom us or just let go of your arm if you are still long enough. I think either fake crying from a firmer bite or just saying no when it's too hard is totally fine. I find it super cute when she tries to trap us and then starts licking. My cat does this, especially if you pet him while he's playing King of the House on his cat tree. He'll just sort of grab you, give you a chomp then go to sleep with your hand still in his mouth, purring happily so you feel like a jerk for waking him when you wake him up to take your slobbered on hand away. captain poopfister posted:Need a help, accidentally caught my cat in our sofa and shouted at her for being so silly. I feel incredibly guilty but outwardly she seems fine (Walks, plays, eats and drinks) but her behaviour has changed somewhat. She is going outside a lot more than usual. No blood, no bits she complains about when we have examined her to check for breaks bones, walks fine and meows as normal. Gums are fine and pinky. I'm not catologist but maybe she's just going out more because she's afraid the sofa will try to eat her again. Someone brought a stupid little drone they got for christmas over to my place to show it off and it scared the hell out of my cat, unintentionally he just heard it and took the gently caress off, and he refused to come back downstairs for the rest of the day and was super skittish until just a few minutes ago when I guess the temptation to crawl inside a box smaller then him overpowered the fear of a machine from nearly twelve hours ago. Someone else probably knows better though, I don't know poo poo about cats.
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Dec 25, 2015 14:52
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A day on, catte is fine.
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Dec 25, 2015 15:57
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Cat showed up last night meowing at my door. Healthy looking and fixed male with... no collar, no collar marks, no tattoo, no ear clip, and if there's a chip in his neck i can't feel it. I took him in this afternoon when he showed up again since it's raining and the poor thing is loving starving. i bought some cheap cat amenities for the weekend since lord knows if this cat is someone's and they forgothim when they left for christmas or if it's just a cat that's been neutered and released. He's a total sweetheart so i feel like he's someone's cat but especially since he's clean and healthy. I put up a flyer on the laundry room door and i'll call the apartment office when they open on monday to see if he's been reported missing otherwise i might have a cat now i guess
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Dec 26, 2015 23:32
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So ever since I've had my cat Smokie (it's been like four or five years now, she was a rescue) she hasn't wanted to poop on her own. When we come home she usually yells at us and makes us follow her into the bathroom where she forces us to watch her take a poo poo. I do it because if she doesn't poop regularly she gets constipated and then I have to make with the laxatives, which nobody enjoys. If we're out of the house doing something else (or on vacation), and nobody is around to watch her, she won't poo poo. I don't know if she feels unsafe in the bathroom or has a past trauma or what and I'm like a toilet bodyguard. I've tried putting in an additional litterbox, cleaning both litterboxes like crazy, getting another cat and (in a fit of desperation) building a small temporary wall out of boxes in front of the bathroom that will allow her to slow down approaching enemies. We've also moved a few times, so I don't think it's the house. Nothing has helped. I hit up Google for advice and nobody else has posted about having this problem, which either means other cats don't have the problem or I exist in some sort of bizarre hell. I think maybe the next step might be a covered litter box or a Litter Robot or something, so she feels more protected when she's taking a dump. Any other advice? Feliway?
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Dec 27, 2015 03:17
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Scarecrow? Mannequin?
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Dec 27, 2015 03:27
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Seat Safety Switch posted:So ever since I've had my cat Smokie (it's been like four or five years now, she was a rescue) she hasn't wanted to poop on her own. I think she just likes making you watch and smell her poo poo! I wish my cat had that problem, Isaacs guts are so tempramental that I often have to chase him around after hes taken a poo poo just to wipe his arse before a big blob of squity bum makes a break for the floor...
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Dec 27, 2015 10:24
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nigga crab pollock posted:Cat showed up last night meowing at my door. Healthy looking and fixed male with... no collar, no collar marks, no tattoo, no ear clip, and if there's a chip in his neck i can't feel it. I took him in this afternoon when he showed up again since it's raining and the poor thing is loving starving. i bought some cheap cat amenities for the weekend since lord knows if this cat is someone's and they forgothim when they left for christmas or if it's just a cat that's been neutered and released. He's a total sweetheart so i feel like he's someone's cat but especially since he's clean and healthy. Post a photo of your new roommate.
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Dec 27, 2015 20:06
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Seat Safety Switch posted:So ever since I've had my cat Smokie (it's been like four or five years now, she was a rescue) she hasn't wanted to poop on her own. Could you possibly make a 'scarecrow' that Smokie thinks is watching her poop? I'm not sure how elaborate it would need to be, or if cats are too smart for it. I just thought it would be funny for you to put a lifesize cardboard cutout of yourself near the litter, but maybe it could actually work?? Put an ipod on repeat with your voice saying "Good job smokie. Wow, that's a big one!" or whatever you typically say.
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Dec 27, 2015 20:10
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nigga crab pollock posted:Cat showed up last night meowing at my door. Healthy looking and fixed male with... no collar, no collar marks, no tattoo, no ear clip, and if there's a chip in his neck i can't feel it. I took him in this afternoon when he showed up again since it's raining and the poor thing is loving starving. i bought some cheap cat amenities for the weekend since lord knows if this cat is someone's and they forgothim when they left for christmas or if it's just a cat that's been neutered and released. He's a total sweetheart so i feel like he's someone's cat but especially since he's clean and healthy. Take him to a vet to scan for a chip. I don't know if it's possible to feel a chip implant, and even if you can, sometimes a vet might put it in a different place, or it might slip or migrate on its own (happened with one of my sister's cats). A lost cat can wander for a while, so the flyers may not be as effective if he's come from a distance away: check for lost pet ads on your local pet sites/Craigslist too.
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Dec 27, 2015 20:16
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My parents have been asking me for help with their cat, a rescued Persian mix who is now 5 years old and we think maaaaaay be inbred as hell, but they love her despite how retarded she is. She's kind of a genetic mishap though and has problems with her breathing and her kidneys, but she has regular vet checkups to keep that under control. Unfortunately this retarded cat has a more recent problem that the vets can't seem to solve; she's a loving idiot who is now pulling her own fur out. I'm talking to the point where she has bleeding holes in her arms and a massive bald spot with a quarter sized scab; every time we turn around she is pulling out more hair on her arms and chest. Our first thought was food allergies, but she's already on a special kidney diet and will turn her nose up at other food to the point of semi-starvation and just holy hell every time I type this out it hits home how loving retarded this cat is. I've tried offering her fresh turkey and chicken and fish but she just isn't having it. For now I've bathed her in warm water (she's horrible at grooming herself too, did I mention?), swabbed some antibiotic cream onto her chest wound, and stuck her in an embarrassing cat sweater so she can't pick at it more. This started about Julyish, and she is eating the Hills special kidney crunchies, with her occasionally stealing wet Friskie's food from the other cat. I don't think there's anything unduly stressing her out. She's on flea/tick medication so I doubt it's parasites. The vets she's been to haven't been at all helpful, just 'It might be food allergies' with no real suggestions. Help me help this retarded cat? Hometown Slime Queen fucked around with this message at 04:51 on Dec 28, 2015 |
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Dec 28, 2015 04:49
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My parents' cats all have fleas, so please talk us down off the ledge. They have three, two long-hairs and a short-hair. All are inside cats, inside 100% of the time, no patios or balconies or anything like that. They're all up-to-date on shots. Current theory is that a flea jumped onto someone's cuff outside and jumped off inside to find a feast. They're calling the vet first thing tomorrow. We're assuming they'll give all the cats flea baths, even the little cranky senior citizen? Followed by Advantage? And what will they need to do for the house? The cats go everywhere and sleep on everything. Nobody's ever had fleas before, but my mom thinks it's one step below bedbugs and she's freaking everyone out.
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Dec 28, 2015 05:25
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i like nice words
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It's definitely not as bad as bedbugs because they don't live for 6 months without food like bedbugs too. I don't know how long they live but it's not any abnormal amount of time. A flea bath plus a flea treatment will get rid of them no trouble, don't worry.
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Dec 28, 2015 06:00
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