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Seconding what nonanone said about torties not being a breed. That can't possibly make a difference in allergies.Nicol Bolas posted:1. Is it a good idea to get a companion? (Petfinder seems to have plenty torties around, since it's kitten season.) 1. Always  unless you know she has a history of not getting along with other cats. 2. It might be easier to introduce a younger cat to her so she does not feel threatened. I say this based on my personal experiences, which have always been that queens are pains in the butt about other cats. This is only based on four though. Your tortie might be nice. 3. We definitely need an introduction post. I will do my best, but I have less experience than most so I'll be mostly parroting stuff I've learned from PI. Please add/edit as necessary. Introducing a new cat to your other cats When you bring a new cat into your household, both it and your other cats will probably be upset. You would be too if someone thrust a roommate on you. You can minimize the stress by making the introduction gradually. Stage 0: Acceptance of terms There will be lots of hissing. This does not mean you are doomed. Stage 1: Seclusion Keep the new cat separate from the other cat(s). Make sure it has all the necessities- food, water, litter, attention. Choose somewhere you can hang out with new cat and get to know it, but not your other cat's favorite hangout, either. The cats will all know the others are there, but this stage allows them to get comfortable with there being other scents around. Try switching out each cat's bedding so they can sniff at it. You might also try giving them their meals on either side of a closed door, so they associate food with the new cat's smell. You can switch the cats out to explore each other's areas and get used to scents & places that way, too. This stage can last a couple of hours to a week or so. You will have to use your judgment on when to advance. If both cats seem comfortable and curious, rather than totally anxious, continue on. Stage 2: Supervised introductions Pretty much what it says. Let the cats meet. There will almost certainly be hissing and maybe even some swatting. It's okay to laugh when their tails puff up. You can let these introductions last as long as you like, depending on how the cats interact. The rule of thumb is not to separate them unless (a) you can't be present to supervise anymore or (b) violence erupts. Violence is not swatting and hissing and puffing up, or even growling and yowling, necessarily. If blood is drawn or the yowls seem to indicate pain rather than aggression, then it's absolutely time to separate them and return to stage 1 for a while. This stage might last as little as one or two meetings, or it could go on for weeks. If it drags beyond a week please ask and see if we can make some suggestions to make things go more smoothly. Stage 3: Kitten piles  As the introductions go better and last longer without incident, you will feel comfortable leaving the cats alone, and from there they'll probably soon reach a level of toleration, if not immediate kitten piles. Kitten piles may never happen, honestly, and that's not your fault. If they do, great!
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Jul 22, 2009 15:13
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Bloodie posted:Is it normal for a cat to shun all food and water after coming into your house? I brought my cat home yesterday, she is somewhere between 4-10 years old (bad estimation on the part of the shelter and the uncertainty of the vet without blood work), and somewhere between the time I met her and the time I got her two days later she had picked up an upper respiratory infection that makes her sneeze and sniffle a lot, and her right eyelid is kind of stuck (so, as a result, is her eye; the vet thinks this is a result of the infection). She used the litterbox fine when she got home, but she hasn't been eating or drinking anything and she's severely underweight and dehydrated. The vet gave her an IV and I mixed some lysine they gave me into her food - she ate about half a teaspoon when I fed her, but then didn't touch either the wet or the dry food. Is this normal for a cat who has just been brought home? I imagine being sick while being introduced to a new environment must be pretty traumatizing, but is there anything I can do to encourage her to chill out and at least eat a little bit of something and stop hiding in tiny nooks? I left her sleeping in the laundry room with water, litterbox, wet food and dry food (I don't know which one she prefers) for the night, so hopefully she will start to relax into being at home soon. Yes, it's normal for a cat to be a little picky for a while after moving into a new place, but since you have an illness in the case and already have had to treat her for dehydration, you'll want to do whatever you can to get her to eat (cats can get life-threatening liver problems if they don't eat for a few days, tons of fun). There are some tips here, but I will quote as well for posterity: exactduckwoman posted:You need to get him to eat, so try stinky foods like tuna. You might also try heating up his wet food because it smells to high heaven. It will help with his congestion for him to be in a small space with a humidifier, or with the shower running. Getting him uncongested will help him want to eat, too. And CatDoc adds: CatDoc posted:Antibiotics are only going to affect susceptible bacteria. Viruses are just to be waited out. Food and liquids are critical. Make sure other cat is up on RCP and wash hands. You DO have them quarantined from each other... Hepatic lipidosis is the aforementioned liver problem, and yes, keep your cat separate from your non-sick pets if you have any, and be really careful about hand washing.
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Aug 2, 2009 19:04
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HondaCivet posted:I need litter box advice! They don't need very much light; they're cats. I wouldn't think it'd be necessary to keep the bathroom light on for them all the time, even during the day, but perhaps a night light would give them something to work with. If they share a box now I'd say they'll be fine keeping one. And yes, cats can hold it for 5-10 minutes. Sometimes I even shower for 20 and they're fine!  Better to leave it there as well so they know where it is without confusion. edit: ok, since apparently I'm sniping, I'll repeat a question I asked in the stupid questions thread. We have two boxes, one a normal covered one, and one a Booda Dome with stairs. The (3) cats used both of these successfully for several months, but recently one cat (don't know which) has taken to peeing/pooping on the stairs part of the Booda Dome. What can I do to discourage this? Would Cat Attract in the litter part help?
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Aug 6, 2009 16:21
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HondaCivet posted:I have a question on claw trimming. As I said, I have two 4-month old kittens. Should I be getting them into the habit of getting their claws trimmed now or should I let them have their little death daggers? I am afraid that if I trim their claws, they will learn to play with each other harder than they should. For your own sake, do it now. At least start getting them used to having their paws touched and the little pressure you need to extend the claws.
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Aug 11, 2009 16:02
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HondaCivet posted:Maybe try Swheat Scoop? It's wheat junk instead of corn junk and I'm pretty sure it's flushable. They have a multi-cat formula that is supposed to be better at odor control so maybe give that a shot. I know a girl who uses Swheat Scoop, scoops daily and has a covered, filtered litterbox. Her room still reeks of cat pee. Use Arm & Hammer or Tidy Cat I guess and get used to hauling a little bag of poops out to the trash bin every day. The lack of smell is worth it.
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Aug 13, 2009 14:44
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The best thing you can do for that cat right now is trap him if you have to and take him to the vet. Get him neutered (or spayed, as it may happen), so he/she doesn't cause any more stray cats, and get him tested for FIV/FeLV. He probably also has worms and could have fleas and mites. That is if you're interested in having it as a pet. If you just want him to chill with you, then keep feeding him and making him associate you thereby with good things.
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Aug 17, 2009 14:13
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HondaCivet posted:2) I have two kittens, they are brothers and they obviously are crazy about each other most of the time. However, when I set down food, the bolder one bats the other cat away so he can eat first. He can't eat ALL the food so the other cat gets some when the jerk is done but still . . . Should I give them food in separate dishes or is this normal? Separate dishes would be much kinder to the beta cat. I'm sure if my cats only had one dish they'd do that, but when you can just put out another plate, why endure the strife? How long have you been keeping the feral kittens secluded for? If they're meowing for attention you might as well give them a little more run of the house (I assume you have other cats and you're concerned about infections, but hopefully they've been vetted by now). You are right that you shouldn't encourage the meowing by coming as soon as he starts, but perhaps it's a sign that they need more attention in general.
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Aug 19, 2009 15:24
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I think Meow Cadet was giving you the worst case scenario to make sure you're ready to own a cat. All the things she (? sorry) said COULD happen. Several of them will. Shelter cats do tend to come with colds and/or mites, though I'd hope fleas are less common. Mites & colds are easy to treat though. Re: vomit & hairballs. Not all cats are pukers or hairballers, but you'll encounter something sometime, inevitably in bare feet or immediately after you've vacuumed/mopped. It is the way it is. Feeding a good food will help minimize barfing, and if it seems to be bad you can try different formulas in case one agrees better with the cat. If you get a hairballer (protip: get a short hair, not a medium or long hair, if you want the least chance of this), you can give them laxatives to help get the hair through their system. You can also probably ask the shelter if a cat has a hairball habit, too. Litter: yes, you can minimize litter tracking. There are a lot of different ways to deal with it: put a highly textured mat around the litterbox, use a top-entry litterbox, put the whole shebang in a rubbermaid lid with edges to keep it from rolling out, use a covered litterbox (in case the cat likes to kick its litter out), or even try a Booda Dome with steps (google it, they work quite well for tracking but they're a bitch to clean and some rear end in a top hat cats decide to pee down the goddamn stairs anyway moving on). In my house we keep a little brush & dustpan by the litter box so we can sweep around it every day, too.
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Aug 19, 2009 17:51
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Redshirt 3 posted:I have kind of the same question, my cat has been puking a few times over the last couple weeks and I wondered if there could be a problem, or he's just eating too fast or something. I heard here once that some cats are just 'pukey', so is this vet-worthy? He seems perfectly normal apart from that. Some cats are pukier than others, but not usually out of the blue. My pukiest cat was always pukey. Puke. Did the puking start recently? Have you changed food or living situation? If it is a new development it might be worth having him checked out at the vet.
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Aug 31, 2009 20:40
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DONT CARE BUTTON posted:I've been thinking about adopting an older cat as a companion to my cat who is about 8 years old. I think she would be jealous and hate me if I brought a kitten home, but that's my human brain thinking so I don't know. I just feel bad because I'm working more now and she is alone most of the day. Anyone else have experience introducing a new (not younger) cat into a house with an older cat who is used to living in a 1 cat household? Does your cat act clingy or desperate for attention when you get home? If so it is a good sign she might appreciate someone to play with during the day. Since she's never lived with other cats before (right?) you don't know how she'll react though... I have experiences of cat intros that have gone both well and hate-forever badly, so I can't really advise you on what to do: the most important factor is your cat's personality. It's always worth a try  It will go slower with two adult cats than with a kitten because they're a little more concerned about dominance (kittens are mostly concerned with running around and playing)
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Sep 9, 2009 22:20
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BIOJECT posted:So I plan on buying a cat in three weeks once I've settled into my new place. I live in a small apartment with a roommate. Anyway I've been reading about the benefits of purchasing two cats so that they can be buddies. I'm kind of worried about getting two only because I've never owned a cat before. Any advice for me on this? Yep, petting will work, or treats. You will want to kitten-proof your room a bit: cover cords, hide any paper you don't want chewed up, barricade houseplants, make sure the windows have good screens on them, etc. One thing- do get your cats from a shelter, not a pet store. With a shelter, you're supporting an establishment that works in the cats' best interests, instead of a pet store, which is in it for money. Getting a cat from a shelter is called "adopting" rather than "buying/purchasing" and if you use the latter you may confuse and upset us catladies in here Many shelters have adoption days AT pet stores, but it's different- call around your local Petcos and see if there are any soon. Try putting your zipcode into petfinder.com and see what shelters come up.
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Sep 16, 2009 14:40
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Hady posted:Not sure about Petco, but at Petsmarts they have cats from local shelters all week. They don't sell cats and dogs. Pet Adoption days At Petsmart are only for dogs and are every Saturday. Petco is the same way, but it's quite clear that the cats there are from a shelter agency (lots of signs and the word ADOPT everywhere). I wasn't sure if Petsmart had it too so thanks
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Sep 17, 2009 13:50
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HondaCivet posted:There ARE real, legitimate breeders of American Shorthair cats (wraithgar has one named Trophy, who owns).  American Shorthair is a breed, and that is what Trophy is. Domestic Shorthair is a mutt cat, same for domestic longhair. So the idea of a DSH breeder is kind of lol.
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Sep 18, 2009 13:36
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DreadCthulhu posted:Not sure if this is the most appropriate place for this kind of question, but I'll give it a try nonetheless. Does anybody have a guess for what the breed of this calico colored cat could be? I tried to ask the owner but she never answered me. Looks like a normal domestic short hair to me (read: mix of everything, muttcat). I could be wrong though. Calico is a color pattern that presents in many (all?) breeds if that's the thing you're interested in.
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Sep 28, 2009 02:22
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IDemandSatisfaction posted:Has anyone ever adopted a cat that they found on the street? What Hady said. If he has a little collar and is clean, he's got a home. Put around fliers and call local vets & shelters and see if anyone has reported a similar cat missing. I hope you find his people, but if you want a kitty, there are probably plenty of lovely cats in your local shelters.
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Oct 1, 2009 17:56
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I'm kind of conflicted. Today I met a kitten on the street, maybe 12 weeks old or a little older. He was pretty soft and clean, and not dangerously skinny. Skittish but not feralcrazy. There was a little food and milk set on the sidewalk near him. I was extremely tempted to try to get him to a shelter, but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do. He's being taken care of, basically at least, though probably not vetting. It is cool here but not freezing yet. He was hanging out on a busy street. Should I knock on the door of the church he was near and see if they know anything about him? Pick him up and get him neutered & vaccinated at the very least, and hopefully fostered/adopted? Should I just leave him alone? Advise me, goons 
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Oct 5, 2009 23:28
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Victor Nightingale posted:My cat is 6 months old and I feed him twice a day: once in the morning he gets some dry food and then in the evening he gets half a can of tiki cat. At first he would eat all the dry food in the morning and freak out when I got home from work since he hadn't eaten in hours, but now he seems to have learned to pace himself; there's usually some food in the bowl all day. Twice a day is fine, and if he's not being obnoxious when you get home it's probably a good sign. If you're concerned that he's not getting enough food, start measuring how much you give him in the morning according to the instructions on the dry food bag.
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Oct 7, 2009 13:34
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CagedLiberty posted:Kittens are hard work! At my house we brush around the litter boxes every day when we scoop them. It's less hassle than bringing out a vacuum, and doing it every morning makes it pretty effective in keeping the apartment from looking like one big litter desert.
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Oct 15, 2009 17:52
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King Chicken posted:has anxiety problems, ie, she hates everyone but me. This is sometimes just what having a calico is like, too... Seconding try a proper introduction. Kitten introductions cause fewer problems in general because they're less actively threatening, but on the other hand 1) they can be annoying little bitches and 2) your first cat make take a new kitten's presence as a threat to her dominance anyway, since it'll be a grown up cat soon enough. Your vet wasn't LYING, exactly, since kittens ARE easier to deal with than two adults, but less optimism is generally more realistic when it comes to cat intros. A bitchy cat can go two ways that I've seen, when they meet a new cat: first, they can continue to be bitchy and either attack or hide from the new one. Second, it turns out they just hate people, and they love having a new friend their own size to beat the poo poo out of (ahem, but in a friendly manner). The first situation really sucks so I hope yours is the latter, and with a kitten, it is more likely.
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Oct 27, 2009 14:28
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HondaCivet posted:Two basic questions: 1) Depends on the cat, yeah. Even if they don't get much bigger, they might sort of grow into their faces & ears and look less like kittens. They tend to look sort of wirier and sleeker when they're young, even if they're adult sized. My Toby still has ginormous eyes though and he is about 3  2) Being a whiny wannabe fatty can be normal. Why not just feed them twice a day then? If they're going to whine anyway you may as well make the schedule easier on yourself.
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Oct 28, 2009 20:07
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If another cat is not an option, probably not. Does she actually seem lonely? Maybe she'd like to have the radio on so she can hear people talking (I think this is more to make us humans feel better though, honestly). Otherwise, does she have a cat tree and a good, exciting window to look out of? Those will go a long way for making her life interesting even when her people aren't home. She'll still probably be very in need of attention when you get home, but at least you won't need to worry that she's bored.
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Oct 29, 2009 15:01
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"Running around like an insane thing" is normal, especially for cats who don't have anyone to play with so they have to let off energy on their own. My cat used to do that all the time; now he still does, but it's because there's another cat chasing him. The meowing isn't that weird either, though the leading you to her litterbox is not something I've heard of. Do you scoop it every day? Could you maybe dedicate a half hour or hour to playing with her every day? Not even necessarily all at once, just spend 15 minutes here and there helping her use up that extra energy.
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Oct 30, 2009 01:47
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That is good of you. You have forgotten one vitally important element of cat ownership though. pics plz
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Oct 30, 2009 03:59
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BLOG KING posted:Here's another goofy cat question, this time about laser pointers. This one? Also available at petco.
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Nov 6, 2009 03:16
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Dr. Needleman posted:Took a weekly trip to the cat shelter with my kids this past weekend and.. got roped into a kitten. It all happened so fast, like my children and the shelter workers had it out for my wallet. We don’t have a name yet, although my 9 year old has dubbed her “Smash-face” for the time being. She doesn’t do any tricks. What a beautiful little faaaaace  How about Sapphire? She can be a Bombay Sapphire.
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Nov 18, 2009 15:47
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I'm thinking I might get my cat(s) a drinkwell. Is it worth it to get the ~platinum~ or whatever, instead of the basic model, besides capacity (16 cups vs. 6 cups)?
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Nov 21, 2009 05:04
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Thanks guys. Maybe I'll take the middle road and get the basic with a 50oz tank...
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Nov 21, 2009 15:57
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chippy posted:I've got a 3 month and 1 week old kitty and I'd like to know if anyone has any tips for introducing him to the great outdoors? I didn't really see much of this in the OP. He's tagged and vaccinated, I've let him have a few supervised visits to the garden. The house has a catflap and I'm just wondering what the appropriate age is to let him have access to it (it's covered currently). In general in PI we advocate keeping cats indoors if it's at all an option, and since this is a new cat, it's definitely an option. Being indoors keeps them safe from getting into fights, illnesses, getting lost, getting "adopted" by a well meaning neighbor, parasites, wild animals, dogs, psychopathic humans, and especially cars. Plus, you're keeping HIM away from birds and small animals-- do you want them on your pillow in the morning? A cat can be perfectly happy indoors, especially if it has vertical space (check out Armarkat.com for cat trees), some good windows to look out of, and/or a buddy to play with. There's just no reason to let a kitten outside when there's so much danger out there, and yours hasn't been used to being let out, so you're not even depriving him of anything.
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Dec 9, 2009 03:31
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Reposting this from the general questions thread in hopes of getting an answer: My roommate's cat has been making hairball-hacking noises fairly frequently for the past few days. She never coughs anything up, and seems otherwise okay. What do kitty coughs sound like? What other signs would there be if she'd gotten a cold? She's indoor-only and neither of the other cats has been hacking/coughing so I don't know if it's a cold or just time to go buy her some Petromalt (? hairball laxative?).
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Dec 12, 2009 19:55
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Ceridwen posted:If it keeps up, I'd be worried about asthma. It could just be a hairball she's having trouble with though (especially if she's prone to them). Hmm. I'd say it's lower, and she hasn't been prone to hairballs, but I'll watch her more carefully for the next few days and see what happens. She's 3 years old and hasn't done this before; is it usual for asthma to turn up like that? What could cause it, and what does having asthma mean for a cat?
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Dec 13, 2009 16:16
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Eggplant Wizard posted:My roommate's cat has been making hairball-hacking noises fairly frequently for the past few days. She never coughs anything up, and seems otherwise okay. What do kitty coughs sound like? What other signs would there be if she'd gotten a cold? Update! We took Samantha to the vet yesterday because my roommate was worried. They listened to her lungs and took x-rays, and apparently everything turned up normal.* We're going to keep an eye on it. She coughed some more this morning  Sort of phlegmy sounding but still low to the ground.* Except she has a "big heart" which is weird because she's kinda a grinch some times... edit: bonus cat in carrier pic. She was hiding under the blanket. 
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Dec 15, 2009 16:00
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Ceridwen posted:Did they say anything specific about the big heart? Big heart can mean some bad stuff... I know No, they didn't mention anything specific as far as I know. At least they know it's there now.demozthenes posted:I'm meeting with THIS KITTY on Saturday; hopefully she jives well with my allergies because god drat is that one cute cat. The rescue claims that their cat-allergic employee does very well with her and that she'd do well as an apartment cat, too. Good luck dude!
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Dec 16, 2009 15:51
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Okay so it's been less than 24 hours and you've already let the cats meet multiple times, yes? Scale it back. A lot. Conan will be fine in the bathroom, just give him lots of attention when you can. Read the stuff in the first page of this thread about doing a proper introduction between cats. Even though Conan has lived with others before, it will still take him and Marie time to adjust to one another. It really should be a slow process, especially if the first meeting goes badly. Honestly, aside from the peeing, it doesn't sound like they're doing too bad for less than 24 hours. The peeing could absolutely be a sign of Conan's stress from dealing with a new house & a new cat. I assume he's neutered?
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Jan 4, 2010 23:42
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tsuki posted:They have been on the same food (evo), same litter (tidy cats), no recent vet trips to make either smell weird. The only difference between this week and the last is unusually cold weather. It's been between 71 and 74 in the house instead of a steady 78. Lenk is probably right, but do they usually have access to the outdoors? Sometimes when it's cold and they can't play outside, cats get a little stir crazy. Since you give the indoor temperatures it probably isn't this, however.
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Jan 5, 2010 16:56
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A Spider Covets posted:I got my cat from a local cat rescue shelter. Right now I'm really interested in getting a ragdoll, as well as a cat that's guaranteed to do well and be a safe presence in my home (particularly since I want children someday). The tip about fostered animals is good though, and I'll definitely keep it in mind next time I adopt. Can you tell us what area you're in? There might be a breed rescue near you that might have adult ragdolls whose temperaments are already known.
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Jan 20, 2010 04:34
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A Spider Covets posted:Sure! I am in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. Someone else might know more about this than I do, but here's a start: Purebred Cat Rescue - seems to be sort of Wisconsin based. Purebred Cat Breed Rescue - a resource site for breed rescues, where you can contact different rescue groups Ragdoll Rescue USA - Based in Illinois, I think. You may be able to get better information by contacting a shelter/rescue directly. There are a good number of hits for "ragdoll" breed cats near Minneapolis & St. Paul on petfinder, too.
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Jan 20, 2010 15:26
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They might just not be that hungry (believe it or not, it can happen). How much of each are you giving them at a time?
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Jan 23, 2010 20:53
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Fire In The Disco posted:Done! Thanks for the write-up, Eggplant Wizard! If there's anything you want to add to it or if you want to revise it, let me know! Woah. I only vaguely remember writing that. I've only done an introduction like once so if anyone reads that and thinks I've forgotten/understated something, please correct me.
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Jan 26, 2010 03:29
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His sack will stay there, just fine. I forget the science of it but I gather the balls are small enough or something that they can get them out pretty easily without serious damage to the outside
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Jan 29, 2010 06:35
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My dad called me the other day and said his cat seemed constipated and was going to the litter box a lot without making any poop and less pee than usual. I said to feed her some pumpkin and/or plain yogurt, and to make a vet appointment in case it was crystals. Here's the followup. Could use more advice. Eggplant Wizard's Dad posted:Well the pumkin seemed to help a little, but she was still straining, so I took her to the vet, who did an ultrasound, no crystals, and gave me science diet cat food spiel and something to counteract inflammation. This morning right after feeding with the new food she went to the litter box and did much more normal poop and pee (I don't know if I believe that it worked that quickly). There is also the possibilty that with no roommates around and my working too much, she wanted some attention, and a nice trip out to the vets (she didn't complain and behaved really well). Lily, the cat in question, is seriously small-- maybe 5-7 pounds? Right now I'm going to suggest continuing according to the vet's advice and probably calling around other vets to see if they feel OK about Metacam. Does anyone have any experience with it? tldr: What's Metacam, could it have made her constipation better in 1 day, and is it dangerous?
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Jan 30, 2010 16:38
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