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RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Betty Coltrane posted:

My question is, is there any consensus on how cats should be fed? All dry? All wet? Alternating? Mixing the two together?

I think for the most part vets and owners have decided that a mixture of dry and wet works really well. We free-feed dry food and put wet down once a day (mixed with canned pumpkin, since Charlie has a history of constipation). If we don't give the wet food, Charlie has a tendency to have more trouble with his digestion, but feeding all wet is likely to give him nasty teeth.

It's my understanding that as long as you're making sure he gets enough liquid (some cats don't really like to drink water, and prefer wet foods to get their water), and that his teeth are in good condition, there's no reason you couldn't be able to exclusively feed one or the other. But a lot of cats really like free-feeding, and you can't exactly do that with wet. And on the other side, they really enjoy the wet food, so feeding all dry is kind of boring for them.

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Meow Cadet
May 2, 2007


friendship is magic
in a pony paradise
don't you judge me

Betty Coltrane posted:

I skimmed the nutrition megathread but didn't see this addressed - apologies if it has been.

So, cat food. When I was growing up, I was always under the impression that dry food was healthy and wet food was "junk food." Now I know a lot of what I thought was healthy food is actually corn- and byproduct-filled crap, and that a good canned food is nutritionally complete. So I'm guessing the benefit of dry food (besides cost) is...fiber? Dental workout? Nothing at all?

My question is, is there any consensus on how cats should be fed? All dry? All wet? Alternating? Mixing the two together?

AFAIK there's no real consensus. Wet is good if your cat is prone to dehydration. Dry is good if your cat is a nibbler, and not a gorger. We use a mix if prescription dry, free-fed, and a small can of crappy wet food for treats.

ExtraFox
May 22, 2003

~all of these candy~
My cat Bees is about eight months old, and does normal kitten/teen cat type things. She can't stand small objects being on tables and must knock them onto the floor. She loves bags and boxes of all types. She's a licker. All normal.

What I don't understand is why she feels the need to attack posters/art on the walls of my apartment. They don't move, they're flat against the wall. She's torn two posters and knocked down a piece of a paper collage I made, all with great exuberance. We're talking going through the motions of stalking the posters, swishing her tail, hunkering down, and leaping up the wall at them. I punish her in the only way the she'll respond to (loud noises), but she keeps at it. Seriously, attacking posters? Why on earth does she do this? It's not a big deal, but it bugs me because I can't figure out what the appeal is.

maplecheese
Oct 31, 2006
Disturbingly delicious.

Betty Coltrane posted:

My question is, is there any consensus on how cats should be fed? All dry? All wet? Alternating? Mixing the two together?

Dry food with no corn, no byproducts, no meat-of-unspecified-species and no weird preservatives is generally cheaper than equivalent wet food, and it stays fresh longer. Wet food has more moisture and doesn't NEED the binders and carbohydrates that are present in dry food. Most crappy wet food does not have corn and doesn't have much wheat (wheat gluten :argh: ) but most crappy dry food does. Even with good foods... Innova EVO doesn't have potato because your cat needs potato. Nature's Variety Raw Instinct doesn't have tapioca because your cat needs tapioca. They need those ingredients in order for the kibbles to hold together, and the best those ingredients can be for an obligate carnivore is "not harmful".

If you are very rich and don't go anywhere ever, you should probably feed your cats wet food.
If you are rolling pennies to buy cat food and only come home once every three days, you should feed your cats dry food.
If your cat has weird problems, you should do what your vet says.

Otherwise, wet food once or twice a day and an appropriate, measured amount of dry food available to snack on in between is probably good.

maplecheese fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Apr 16, 2008

Damn Bananas
Jul 1, 2007

You humans bore me

Betty Coltrane posted:

I skimmed the nutrition megathread but didn't see this addressed - apologies if it has been.

So, cat food. When I was growing up, I was always under the impression that dry food was healthy and wet food was "junk food." Now I know a lot of what I thought was healthy food is actually corn- and byproduct-filled crap, and that a good canned food is nutritionally complete. So I'm guessing the benefit of dry food (besides cost) is...fiber? Dental workout? Nothing at all?

My question is, is there any consensus on how cats should be fed? All dry? All wet? Alternating? Mixing the two together?
I remember hearing that wet food was worse for their teeth, but it helps with keeping them hydrated. Entirely not sure though. But I think dry/wet/mixture doesn't matter so long as the ingredients are good. :)


I have a stupid question. I was talking to someone today who said that the reason we can't have hamsters in the dorms is because they escape and breed with mice. To be polite, I said "Are you sure?" and someone else said "Yeah, she's an animal science major so I'd go with her on this one." I still call bullshit, but really don't know what makes closely related animals able to breed or not (mules etc). :confused:


EFB like 10 times.

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.

drat Bananas posted:

I remember hearing that wet food was worse for their teeth, but it helps with keeping them hydrated. Entirely not sure though. But I think dry/wet/mixture doesn't matter so long as the ingredients are good. :)

I interviewed at a vet clinic specializing in dental work. They promoted dry food to help with maintaining tooth health. Other vets have told me dry food doesn't do poo poo as far as keeping teeth clean. This leads me to firmly believe that they just don't know. I do question the concept that cats are chronically dehydrated when fed solely dry food. My cats are all on dry food and most have had bloodwork at least before their desexing, and none showed signs of dehydration like an elevated PCV or similar, and none show skin tenting that would point to dehydration. Is there something I'm missing?

MoCookies
Apr 22, 2005

drat Bananas posted:

I remember hearing that wet food was worse for their teeth, but it helps with keeping them hydrated. Entirely not sure though. But I think dry/wet/mixture doesn't matter so long as the ingredients are good. :)


I have a stupid question. I was talking to someone today who said that the reason we can't have hamsters in the dorms is because they escape and breed with mice. To be polite, I said "Are you sure?" and someone else said "Yeah, she's an animal science major so I'd go with her on this one." I still call bullshit, but really don't know what makes closely related animals able to breed or not (mules etc). :confused:


EFB like 10 times.

Hamsters and mice are different species. Don't be afraid to call bullshit next time, or at least place a bet on the subject.

Yoga
Jul 2, 2007

Dr. Housecat MD posted:

I interviewed at a vet clinic specializing in dental work. They promoted dry food to help with maintaining tooth health. Other vets have told me dry food doesn't do poo poo as far as keeping teeth clean. This leads me to firmly believe that they just don't know. I do question the concept that cats are chronically dehydrated when fed solely dry food. My cats are all on dry food and most have had bloodwork at least before their desexing, and none showed signs of dehydration like an elevated PCV or similar, and none show skin tenting that would point to dehydration. Is there something I'm missing?

I think it just depends on the cat. My family always dry-fed exclusively, maybe a can of wet now and then for a treat. That worked great for several cats, but they now have one who will get severely dehydrated if he isn't given wet food. I guess he just doesn't like water.

spe
Aug 28, 2007

All Stocked Up
I got two kittens both from the same litter, he is gonna get his nuts chopped off in a month but she hasn't been done yet, they're six months old and i'm wondering if theres any chance he might gently caress her in the meantime and get her knocked up? I'm assuming that her plumbing doesn't work yet because the vets don't seem to be in any hurry to get her neutered but its better safe than sorry and I don't want kittens to have kittens.

Betty Coltrane
Oct 2, 2007
Sorry, Mr. Barman.

spe posted:

I got two kittens both from the same litter, he is gonna get his nuts chopped off in a month but she hasn't been done yet, they're six months old and i'm wondering if theres any chance he might gently caress her in the meantime and get her knocked up? I'm assuming that her plumbing doesn't work yet because the vets don't seem to be in any hurry to get her neutered but its better safe than sorry and I don't want kittens to have kittens.

It could be an issue if she goes into heat - at the first sign of it, you need to separate them immediately. I was in the same situation and our female went into heat when she was barely five months old. Luckily our male was a late bloomer (or possibly just stupid) and couldn't figure out what the heck she wanted from him. Because the neutering is the quicker and less invasive procedure compared to the spaying, you might see if you can get it bumped up if it's a concern.

Regnevelc
Jan 12, 2003

I'M A GROWN ASS MAN!

spe posted:

i'm wondering if theres any chance he might gently caress her in the meantime and get her knocked up?

I laughed at this, haha.

When my dog eats his food, Science Diet Natures Best Lamb and Brown Rice, he starts sneezing and coughing a bit. He quits after a few minutes, but could be be mildly allergic to something in there?

I am changing his food regardless, but just wondering.

Thanks.

MoCookies
Apr 22, 2005

spe posted:

I got two kittens both from the same litter, he is gonna get his nuts chopped off in a month but she hasn't been done yet, they're six months old and i'm wondering if theres any chance he might gently caress her in the meantime and get her knocked up? I'm assuming that her plumbing doesn't work yet because the vets don't seem to be in any hurry to get her neutered but its better safe than sorry and I don't want kittens to have kittens.

She could come into heat any day now, when exactly varies with the cat. Personally, I'd call the vet and see if they can move the spay/neuter appointment up to sometime in the next week or so. There's really no medical reason to wait, and it will be better (and cheaper) to avoid having to get an emergency spay.

Eifert Posting
Apr 1, 2007

Most of the time he catches it every time.
Grimey Drawer
What breed is this?

SubponticatePoster
Aug 9, 2004

Every day takes figurin' out all over again how to fuckin' live.
Slippery Tilde

ExtraFox posted:

My cat Bees is about eight months old, and does normal kitten/teen cat type things. She can't stand small objects being on tables and must knock them onto the floor. She loves bags and boxes of all types. She's a licker. All normal.

What I don't understand is why she feels the need to attack posters/art on the walls of my apartment. They don't move, they're flat against the wall. She's torn two posters and knocked down a piece of a paper collage I made, all with great exuberance. We're talking going through the motions of stalking the posters, swishing her tail, hunkering down, and leaping up the wall at them. I punish her in the only way the she'll respond to (loud noises), but she keeps at it. Seriously, attacking posters? Why on earth does she do this? It's not a big deal, but it bugs me because I can't figure out what the appeal is.


She's an 8 month old kitten. In other words, a complete rear end in a top hat. Maybe try putting out some toys that will attract her attention instead of the posters, or work in some interactive time with a laser pointer or the like to satisfy her stalking and killing urges.

Sekhmet
Nov 16, 2001


Aimbot posted:

What breed is this?



yellow dog

AKA mutt from your local shelter. Go look for yourself!

MoCookies
Apr 22, 2005

Lioness posted:

yellow dog

AKA mutt from your local shelter. Go look for yourself!

Yup. That's the All-American Shelter dog. I've got one, too. I think that's what mutts end up looking like if you've got a mishmash of at least a few different breeds.

maso
Jul 6, 2004

fuck bitches get stud fees

Aimbot posted:

What breed is this?



A fat mutt that needs its nails trimmed.

SubponticatePoster
Aug 9, 2004

Every day takes figurin' out all over again how to fuckin' live.
Slippery Tilde

MoCookies posted:

Yup. That's the All-American Shelter dog. I've got one, too. I think that's what mutts end up looking like if you've got a mishmash of at least a few different breeds.

Pariah dogs all end up looking similar, no matter what area of the world you find them in, and that's pretty close. They have semi-erect ears, a slightly curly tail, and that head shape. Kind of neat that they all end up looking the same no matter what weird breeds went into making them.

Endor
Aug 15, 2001

kat named lola posted:

He'll cry and scratch on the door until I let him in, then cry to be let back out an hour later. Any idea what's going on here, or how to curb this behavior?

You could try opening the door and squirting him with some water from a spray bottle or a little squirt gun whenever he does this. Usually that makes them run away from the door and quiet down. It may take quite a while before the behavior stops (maybe never), but this can be effective. Maybe he needs more toys or things to keep him occupied while you're not around -- non-noisy balls or mouse toys to chase around, scratching posts, etc.

Citizen Insane
Oct 7, 2004

We come in to the world and we have to go, but we do not go merely to serve the turn of one enemy or another.
Okay, so:

Housemate's cat got sick and had explosive diarrhea across other housemate's room the other night. A trip to the vet was had. She did fecal floats and the lot of tests and couldn't see much of anything wrong. Fair enough. She gave us a couple of cans of bland Iams diet and some meds and instructed us to feed him the canned stuff for the next few days, just to be on the safe side.

Here's the problem: Roland hates the Iams, won't touch it. We usually feed them Innova Evo dried, and he gobbles that stuff up like gangbusters (granted, this is the same cat that tried to eat a cork once), but he turns his nose up at the 'Iams Low-Residue Adult' like it's made of sawdust.

I know it's not good for cats to go without eating, and he didn't get anything yesterday, per the vet's instructions. How can I get the little bastard to chow down without accidentally stirring up another poo poo-fit?

ExtraFox
May 22, 2003

~all of these candy~

100 Years in Iraq posted:

She's an 8 month old kitten. In other words, a complete rear end in a top hat. Maybe try putting out some toys that will attract her attention instead of the posters, or work in some interactive time with a laser pointer or the like to satisfy her stalking and killing urges.

I spend a lot of time playing with her, when she and my other cat Margot aren't chasing each other around the place. She's got jingly things, things that crinkle, a ring on a string, a scratching post, and I play with her with the laser pointer every few days. The flat things on the walls that don't move I guess are just her thing. Oh well.

maplecheese
Oct 31, 2006
Disturbingly delicious.

Citizen Insane posted:

We usually feed them Innova Evo dried, and he gobbles that stuff up like gangbusters (granted, this is the same cat that tried to eat a cork once), but he turns his nose up at the 'Iams Low-Residue Adult' like it's made of sawdust.

Hah, somebody likes his fancy expensive food. :colbert:

You would be best off calling your vet, if they're still open this evening, and getting their advice. But if they're closed... hmm. If it were me, I would give him a little bit of his normal food, soaked in no-salt-added chicken or beef broth for extra flavour and moisture. And then call them when they open in the morning.

Carebear
Apr 16, 2003

If you stay here too long, you'll end up frying your brain. Yes, you will. No, you will...not. Yesno you will won't.
One of our cats, George, has been missing for three weeks. He finally showed up today (cue me jumping up and down with excitement when I got the phone call)... I'm currently not home (in college) but should I tell the people at home to take him to the vet? We have other cats and I'm worried he could have picked something up.

Damn Bananas
Jul 1, 2007

You humans bore me

Carebear posted:

One of our cats, George, has been missing for three weeks. He finally showed up today (cue me jumping up and down with excitement when I got the phone call)... I'm currently not home (in college) but should I tell the people at home to take him to the vet? We have other cats and I'm worried he could have picked something up.
It's entirely possible that he picked up something so I'd quarantine him from the others and go get him tested ASAP. Happy you found your kitty. :)

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.

Citizen Insane posted:

I know it's not good for cats to go without eating, and he didn't get anything yesterday, per the vet's instructions. How can I get the little bastard to chow down without accidentally stirring up another poo poo-fit?

I would try to find a human baby food that is chicken and rice, with no garlic or onion added to it. If that's not available, then just plain chicken baby food with no garlic or onion. It is still bland food, but maybe more palatable than what the vet gave you. If he goes for that, you could try mixing it with the low residue and see if you can trick him. If he won't eat, you need to contact the vet on Monday.

Supercondescending
Jul 4, 2007

ok frankies now lets get in formation
Okay, so. We currently have three barn cats. They were here when we moved in; the former owners neglected to alert us to their presence. They were pretty wild, and it pissed us off to have do it since they weren't even our cats, but we trapped them and had them spayed/neutered shortly after we moved in. They went back to being wild, and they couldn't populate the area with a whole bunch of feral kittens.

So like, around a month ago I guess, I saw the female acting like she was very much in heat (rolling, yowling, etc) and some strange feral males I'd never seen before taking turns grabbing her and mounting her. I thought it was odd, since, y'know, she's fixed. I just wrote it off as her being weird and forgot about it.


Well, earlier today, I saw her after she'd been missing for about a week. She's pretty wild (I've gotten her tame enough that she'll let me pet her if I have food, but she's still really skittish) and she tends to disappear for days at a time, so I didn't really miss her. I was surprised when I saw her, because she'd gotten FAT. I lured her over with food, managed to scruff her(she protested violently), and felt her belly.

There are kittens in there. I'm not imagining it, I know how to palpate, and I distinctly felt what have to be at least two separate kittens. Squirming and kicking. There's no way she's not pregnant. gently caress.

So, how the gently caress does that work? The only way to gently caress up a spay is not to do it. I took her to a cheap low cost clinic when I had her spayed. I didn't handle her at all; she was REALLY wild at the time so I just trapped her, dropped her off, picked her up, brought her home, and freed her again. I never saw whether she did in fact have an incision, or anything. The best I can figure is that they somehow hosed up and she didn't get spayed. It's a really busy kinda crappy clinic that does probably a hundred+ animals a day...I bet it's possible.

I've been looking all day, and I CAN'T find the freaking paperwork that proves that she's spayed, so I'm not sure what good contacting the clinic will do. I guess they have it on file, so maybe that'll work. If they won't admit their screw up though and spay her for free, there's honestly nothing I can do right now. We're in a tight financial position at the moment and I can't afford to pay for a spay at even a low cost clinic at the moment- I genuinely can't, or I would. I'm really, really hoping the clinic will admit their mistake and do it for free, but I'm not counting on it.

If they don't, what are my options? The best I can think of, is to lure her into my tack room and keep her in there until she has her kittens, socialize the poo poo out of them, find them homes, and keep her locked up for a couple of months until I can afford to pay for another spay.

What do you guys think? How common is it for low cost clinics to screw up like that? Is there a possibility that something else happened?

Ugly, snotty, feral kittens! gently caress! :(

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.

Superconductor posted:


What do you guys think? How common is it for low cost clinics to screw up like that? Is there a possibility that something else happened?

Ugly, snotty, feral kittens! gently caress! :(

I bought a Maine Coon kitten from a breeder under the agreement that she would have him neutered before I picked him up. I had a neuter certificate from the breeder's vet...and two very obvious testicles in the kitten's scrotum. So, it is definitely possible that she wasn't spayed. Mistakes happen...though I've never worked in the kind of clinic that would let something like that happen, and I'm a little foggy on how someone could gently caress up that badly. The scary part is that the breeder told me it had happened to her before. I have no idea why she'd use that clinic again if they managed to totally not perform a surgery she asked for and paid for.

If I were in your place, I'd call them and politely ask them about it. I wouldn't hesitate to insist that they take care of their mistake, though, particularly if they were snotty about it. It may turn out that they are genuinely sorry about it and will do the surgery for you. If they're focused on taking care of feral populations, I would think they'd be happy to do the spay.

TunaSpleen
Jan 27, 2007

How do I say, "You're the grossest thing ever" without offending you?
Grimey Drawer
Here's a silly question, why does my fishtank get tons of tiny little bubbles every time I clean it? Water is obviously heavier than air and displaces it, so shouldn't it all rise to the top, instead of making bubbles that cling to all the decorations and the fish? Of course, they all dissipate after a few hours or so, but I've had that tank since I was a little kid and I always wondered why the bubbles hang around.

At first glance you'd think the fish have ick until they peck at each other and the bubbles pop. It's funny.

His Divine Shadow
Aug 7, 2000

I'm not a fascist. I'm a priest. Fascists dress up in black and tell people what to do.
What a horrible story, this guy and his wife got a cat at what he thought was age one and that he should be around 3 now, but after a visit to the vet because he was acting strange and had problems eating they found out he's more like 8 or 9 and the cat has rotted teeth and needs all his teeth pulled, and the guy can't afford it so he thinks he's going to have to put the cat down. The vet wanted $700 to pull all his teeth, is that an acceptable fee for such a procedure? Maybe we could find them a cheaper vet or someone willing to adopt the cat and take care of his teeth?

MoCookies
Apr 22, 2005

His Divine Shadow posted:

What a horrible story, this guy and his wife got a cat at what he thought was age one and that he should be around 3 now, but after a visit to the vet because he was acting strange and had problems eating they found out he's more like 8 or 9 and the cat has rotted teeth and needs all his teeth pulled, and the guy can't afford it so he thinks he's going to have to put the cat down. The vet wanted $700 to pull all his teeth, is that an acceptable fee for such a procedure? Maybe we could find them a cheaper vet or someone willing to adopt the cat and take care of his teeth?

Anesthesia is expensive, and you'll also have to pay for the vet's time (not cheap either). I'd be surprised if you find an office who will be significantly cheaper for that type of procedure. Sadly, there are millions of healthy animals that are put down each year, so an elderly cat with who needs hundreds of dollars of dental work is not going to get adopted. It would be kinder to put the cat down now instead of hoping that someone else will get its teeth fixed.

In the big scheme of things, a $700 vet bill isn't that unusual, and its too bad your friends didn't plan for it before getting a pet. poo poo happens, and sometimes its poo poo that needs surgery or intensive vet care.

TunaSpleen posted:

Here's a silly question, why does my fishtank get tons of tiny little bubbles every time I clean it? Water is obviously heavier than air and displaces it, so shouldn't it all rise to the top, instead of making bubbles that cling to all the decorations and the fish? Of course, they all dissipate after a few hours or so, but I've had that tank since I was a little kid and I always wondered why the bubbles hang around.

At first glance you'd think the fish have ick until they peck at each other and the bubbles pop. It's funny.

I suspect that your water conditioner is the problem, people in other threads have had problems with certain products. I can personally recommend Seachem Prime as a high-quality product, though.

MoCookies fucked around with this message at 14:21 on Apr 24, 2008

Endor
Aug 15, 2001



Well, I followed all the recommended procedures for introducing a new cat into a home with another older cat, but it's still managed to go to hell. We kept the new 3-year old female Tori in a sequestered area where she could get used to us and the house (which happened in about 5 minutes, she's really sweet and friendly to people and will lay down and nap anywhere). We then moved her to an area where she could hear and smell the other cat through a door (and vice versa), we switched their beddings so they could get used to each others' smells, and spread this out over the course of a week. All standard stuff. Then we gave Tori free reign of the house, and everything seemed fine for a little while.

The older male cat (Sammy) is 10, and while he's not cuddly, he's nice and laid back. Sammy doesn't care much about Tori either way, he shows no aggression (just acting defensive with a little occasional growling, nothing unusual), but Tori will occasionally launch an all-out attack on Sammy. These aren't the usual "puff up & hiss with an occasional slap" fights, Tori will launch herself through the air, hissing and screeching and with claws flying. They've had probably half a dozen minor confrontations where I was around to separate them, but yesterday it resulted in Sammy peeing in a corner because he felt he couldn't safely get to the litter box, and when I tried to carry him to the litter box area, Tori flew at him, taking a chunk out of his ear.

I've got them sequestered again, Sammy has his usual reign over the majority of the house and is acting relaxed, and Tori is in a large bathroom, also relaxed. It's just so strange, she's the sweetest lap cat when she's hanging around people, but as soon as Sammy gets within 5 feet of her (whether walking by or just coming up to sniff her, or she walks near him) she gets evil. She'll crouch down into an attack position and just stare at him for 5-10 minutes. If it's still bad in another week, I think I may have to take Tori back to the clinic I got her from. The adoption person did mention she has issues with getting along with other cats. With her previous family, it took Tori a while to get used to a new kitten house-mate (she was the only cat with another family for about two years, and then she eventually adjusted to their new kitten in a week or two but it wasn't easy). That family moved to a no-pet apartment, which is why she was up for adoption.

I'm thinking it might be the most fair to Tori if we can find another family where she can be the only cat... She's cute, young, and friendly enough that she'll probably find another family before too long, and it's a no-kill clinic.

But is there anything else I can do to improve the situation besides just giving them more time and supervision? Sammy's completely fine as long as he's not being stalked or attacked, but I don't know what else I can do with Tori...

Endor fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Apr 24, 2008

ThirstyGirl
Oct 18, 2005

You are the memory that lives on forever, the shadow that stands by our side.
Why does my dog shoot clear liquid out of his butthole when he barks? It's so gross.

MoCookies
Apr 22, 2005

ThirstyGirl posted:

Why does my dog shoot clear liquid out of his butthole when he barks? It's so gross.

If it smells super-awful, then that's the goo from his anal glands. On one hand, its good that he's expressing it naturally, on the other, well, its one of the vilest substances on the planet.

Citizen Insane
Oct 7, 2004

We come in to the world and we have to go, but we do not go merely to serve the turn of one enemy or another.
Cat problem fixed! That said:

We have a recently rescued Border Collie in the house, a neutered male around 2 years old. Oddly enough, his activity level isn't the problem - he gets taken out for walks several times a day, gets to partake in his favourite activity at the park (ball-chasing!), and is a damned good dog all-around - it's his peeing in one spot that has me perplexed.

Now, it said on his Humane Society sheet that 'Murphy' was an unneutered, un-housebroken, previously outside-only dog, and an owner release to boot. We took him to the vet and whoops! His balls are already gone! He loves being in the house, has mostly perfect manners, and doesn't pee or defecate in his crate at night. However, when I let him run around in the house during the day - I'm home most of the time and don't have the heart to keep him crated several hours at a stretch - he has taken to urinating in one spot and one spot only, in a corner of the kitchen.

It's not because he doesn't get to go out enough. He doesn't go anywhere else in the house, as far as I can tell. It's this one spot he keeps marking. I suppose this mean I'm just going to have to keep crating him even when we're around, but like I said, he's a young Border Collie, and his activity levels are appropriately through the roof. He had a kennel cough when he was adopted that morphed into a bad case of pneumonia, went through the expensive (goodbye tax refund) nebulization treatment, and is on a regiment of antibiotics right now, could that have anything to do with this?

I'd like to be able to let him have the run of the house when I'm home, but if this keeps up, I'm afraid it's back to the crate drawing board for poor old Murphy. :(

Olive Bar
Mar 30, 2005

Take me to the moon

ThirstyGirl posted:

Why does my dog shoot clear liquid out of his butthole when he barks? It's so gross.

Ew, good question, um... could he be shooting anal gland fluid by any chance. That's my best guess.

Edit: drat, I need to reload pages before I respond to them.

Citizen Insane
Oct 7, 2004

We come in to the world and we have to go, but we do not go merely to serve the turn of one enemy or another.

MoCookies posted:

If it smells super-awful, then that's the goo from his anal glands. On one hand, its good that he's expressing it naturally, on the other, well, its one of the vilest substances on the planet.

It was always more of a greyish colour when I had the ever-fun job of expressing the dogs as a kennel tech at the local vet's. Getting an eyeful of that poo poo by accident is something you will not soon forget. :gonk:

Droog
Jun 1, 2004

Does anyone have any experience with having a cat as well as a pet snake in the same apartment/house?

I have wanted to buy a pet snake for years, and now I want to act on it. I've done my research and there is actually a reptile breeders association show this Saturday in the town next over. I'm sure they will have a large selection and all the food and habitat supplies I would need at some good prices. I would certainly want of of the more docile types of snakes, either King, corn, or ball python.

The problem is that my roommate has a cat. She is about 9 months old and a typical cat: she gets hyper sometimes, is curious about random things, attacks small objects around the place, likes to get into a little trouble etc etc. She is starting to come out of the always hyper phase and is starting to lounge about a little more though.

So I would imagine that the natural instincts of both cats and snakes would put them at immediate odds with each other. Now, the snake will obviously spend most of its time in its habitat in my room, but I will want to take it out and I'm worried about the kind of interest the cat would have in it...and vice versa. The cat walks about where ever she wants usually and I'd be worried to have the snake chilling around my neck in the living room and the cat coming out of no where and attacking it leading to either one of the animals being injured.

Is this a recipe for disaster? Should I wait to purchase a pet snake until I don't live with my roommate anymore (I have no idea how long this will be at this point in time)?

Or, on the other hand, are our concerns unfounded? Will a young cat and snake just take casual interest in each other with out the chance of violence? This doesn't sounds likely, but that is why I am asking.

Thanks

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.
I have six cats and four snakes. At one time it was as much as 11 cats and 5 snakes (don't say it. Just don't.) My cats range in age from 7 months to 10 years. I've never had a problem with them and the snakes, though I've tried to keep the snakes in very secure bins somewhere the cats don't usually hang out. My ball python even managed to get loose for several days and the cats and snake never interacted so far as I know.

If the cat in your house is very wild or persistent, you might have to put the snake's enclosure somewhere she can't get to it, such as on a shelf she can't reach or behind a door she's not allowed past, but that was never necessary for my cats. The only problem in your case that I can think of is that the cat doesn't have other cats to distract her, so she might be more inclined to bother the snake. If the snake is pretty boring, as most generally are, she might not be interested at all.

Shouganai
May 16, 2004

Clever girl.
A huge thing with snakes and cats is to make sure you avoid a mesh (nylon or aluminum- like a window screen) lid if you use an aquarium. Cats can and will fall right through these for a tasty reptile snack. Metal wire lids work better.

My only other suggestion is to simply limit the handling of your snake to minimize risk from the cat. Snakes do not really like to be handled all that much anyways. The only way to really prevent injury when the snake is out is to ensure the two animals cannot be in the same room at the same time, so lock the cat away or only bring the snake out in your room with the door closed.

It really depends on the cat itself; one of mine could give a poo poo but the other two think the snakes are probably a nice prey item. However, no matter what the attitude of the cat, its important not to get too careless to prevent a potentially really lovely situation.

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Antifederalist
Jan 16, 2006
Hardcore like Charles Bronson
I scanned the last couple pages and couldn't find anything, and I figure with flea and tick season coming up it's good to bring the information up anyways.

My dog Ukiah and I are outside a lot, and she's already gotten 2 ticks this year. She's not on any tick meds right now, but I'm going to get her some in the next couple days. So what's the consensus on flea and tick meds?

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