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Citizen Insane posted:Also, does anyone still have the link to that great pet tags site where you could engrave one side with the name and the other with what essentially amounted to the animal's custom title? I know it was in a thread awhile back, but I don't have Archives, so if anyone knows what I'm talking about ... I think you got skipped over. The site is http://www.boomerangtags.com/
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Jun 25, 2008 13:01
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I have a simple question regarding my cat: How do I make her use her scratching posts? We bought a cardboard thing that hangs on door handles, because she liked to scratch at the bottoms of the doors to the rooms we were in, but she just scratched around it instead. We did get some tinfoil and that stopped her scratching the doors. Now she is scratching the couch, so we bought a scratching post (one of the basic carpet ones) and put it in front of her usual scratching place. She scratches around that as well. I've read with kittens that to get them to learn what is appropriate for scratching, you physically take their paws and have them scratch the post. I tried that with Khitomer and it doesn't seem like it works (she's also two years old, so that might be part of it). Should we get a squirt bottle if the post doesn't work? I think I might get some catnip spray and use it on the post. Would that get her to actually scratch it, or just huff it?
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Jun 25, 2008 14:37
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Skutter posted:I have a simple question regarding my cat: Cats are finicky creatures, and you can't make them like something. It seems pretty clear that your cat doesn't like vertical cardboard scratchers. Try a sisal rope one instead. Or maybe it needs to be horizontal on the ground. Or maybe it's not tall enough, or maybe its the wrong color, or maybe... Aren't cats a joy? Catnip may help, but "real" catnip tends to work better (but messier) than a spray.
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Jun 25, 2008 19:57
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GoreJess posted:I think you got skipped over. The site is http://www.boomerangtags.com/ Actually it wasn't Boomerang Tags, believe it or not. These looked more like the old-school dangly ones, but they were very nicely made, either pewter or silver, I believe. I guess I need to just suck it up and get Archives so I can re-locate the damned things. The custom title-esque thing amused me.
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Jun 25, 2008 20:00
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TheGreatFezini posted:
snapping turtles will happily eat ducklings and make a try at larger birds if they feel like it. There's a one-legged canadian goose at the local pond who will attest to that.
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Jun 25, 2008 20:04
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Meow Cadet posted:Cats are finicky creatures, and you can't make them like something. It seems pretty clear that your cat doesn't like vertical cardboard scratchers. Try a sisal rope one instead. Or maybe it needs to be horizontal on the ground. Or maybe it's not tall enough, or maybe its the wrong color, or maybe... Aren't cats a joy? She will use it once in a great while, either while it's on the door or on the floor. I don't think she's touched the vertical carpet one yet. I was thinking about getting a sisal rope one, but there's only so many places her scratching posts can go. I forgot that we tried putting real catnip in the catbed we bought for her. I think she ate the catnip and ignored the bed.
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Jun 25, 2008 20:21
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Pineapple posted:snapping turtles will happily eat ducklings and make a try at larger birds if they feel like it. There's a one-legged canadian goose at the local pond who will attest to that. How does that goose do anything out of water? You have boggled my mind!
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Jun 25, 2008 20:38
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Pineapple posted:snapping turtles will happily eat ducklings and make a try at larger birds if they feel like it. There's a one-legged canadian goose at the local pond who will attest to that. That sucks. I assume if they'll go after a goose they might try to bite my dog too. And I was really happy I finally found a place for Wrigley to swim. 
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Jun 25, 2008 21:10
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Nellie (1.5 yo Border Collie mix) went lame seemingly overnight (Tuesday night). Its her front right leg, but its still not clear where exactly its hurting her. She'll put a little bit of weight on it if she's standing still, and she's using it as a weapon to whack the other dogs in the face  when she gets rowdy. I've been trying to get her to lay down and rest it as much as possible, but she's a loving force of nature. She's even starting poo poo with the other dogs while she's gimping around tripod style. Apparently only having 3 useful legs is no big deal to her, and she's getting pretty good at running with 3 legs. As its really not slowing her down, I've been crating her most of the day in an attempt to get her to rest more. I haven't noticed any improvement since yesterday morning. She's stoic when I touch that leg, and there's nothing visibly wrong with it. On a normal day, she's constantly doing stuff that I worry that would hurt her (leaping across the living room furniture, acrobatics to get to a tennis ball, serious wrestling with the other dogs), but she's never actually hurt herself like this before. Honestly, I didn't see her do anything that I can connect to the lameness, and I'm stumped. What signs am I looking for that this needs to be seen by a vet ASAP? I was thinking that if she's not improving by the end of the day that I'll get her seen tomorrow, get some x-rays, etc. I'm worried that she's so stoic that if there's nothing on the x-rays, then we'll still have no idea what's wrong. I'm terrified that she's torn a ligament and that she'll need surgery to fix it. What should I do?
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Jun 26, 2008 16:11
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MoCookies posted:What signs am I looking for that this needs to be seen by a vet ASAP? I was thinking that if she's not improving by the end of the day that I'll get her seen tomorrow, get some x-rays, etc. I'm worried that she's so stoic that if there's nothing on the x-rays, then we'll still have no idea what's wrong. I'm terrified that she's torn a ligament and that she'll need surgery to fix it. What should I do? You'll want to get it checked, just in case. You know how BCs are; mine was nearly dead of pneumonia and he still wouldn't stop chasing the loving tennis ball. If his lungs really are permanently damaged it'll be my fault for not recognizing that work trumps discomfort in a Border Collie's world. Good luck, either way. I hope she's alright.
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Jun 26, 2008 16:22
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RazorBunny posted:How does that goose do anything out of water? You have boggled my mind! The whole leg isn't gone, he can hobble on the stump but prefers to spend most of his waking time swimming for obvious reasons. A lot of messed up geese and decks live at that pond year round, there are several with busted wings that can't fly anymore and a few others with crippled feet. There's a playground right there and the kids love to feed them so the gimpy geese seem to like it fine, even if bread isn't good for them.
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Jun 27, 2008 04:57
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We just got a new kitten (3 months old) as a companion to our other (1 year old) cat. They have been wrestling a bit today, and it looks like it is getting really rough, with fur flying everywhere. Neither cat has growled at the other (though the older one has if I sit down with both of them near each other.) At what point should I be worried that they are fighting and not playing? I haven't seen any blood or heard hissing, but it seems to be getting pretty rough, and I really don't want the older cat to hurt the kitten.
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Jun 27, 2008 16:25
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Asnorban posted:We just got a new kitten (3 months old) as a companion to our other (1 year old) cat. They have been wrestling a bit today, and it looks like it is getting really rough, with fur flying everywhere. Neither cat has growled at the other (though the older one has if I sit down with both of them near each other.) At what point should I be worried that they are fighting and not playing? I haven't seen any blood or heard hissing, but it seems to be getting pretty rough, and I really don't want the older cat to hurt the kitten. Sometimes it's hard to tell, but unless there's a lot of hissing/growling/puffy tails they're probably playing. If there is blood, or one is obviously trying to escape but the other will not leave it alone, then I'd intervene. Remember though that 1 year is still kittenish, so they both prolly have tons of play-energy still. Maybe google for more cat body language?
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Jun 27, 2008 21:54
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What breed of cat is this? It's my friend's cat, and normally I am intensely allergic to cats but around his I seem to have no reaction unless I rub my nose in her belly. That could never happen though.
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Jun 28, 2008 04:08
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I have a question! My kitten (almost 4 months) smells AWFUL. She is farting like every 15 minutes or so, and it could seriously clear a room full of municipal sewage workers. Her poop is normal consistency, but also smells terrible. I feed her Iams, dry kitten food, no treats. She's been on this food for about two weeks (the shelter was feeding her royal canin, but we gradually switched her off it). Anyone have any advice (hopefully fast acting, instant advice. god I have a 3 year old who bathes once a week and and this is way way way worse). She, the kitten not the kid, will occasionally ransack a melon rind on top of the compost pail, but that's the only people food I've ever seen her eat.
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Jun 28, 2008 07:46
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talk show ghost posted:What breed of cat is this?
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Jun 28, 2008 09:26
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What are some good sites I can link people to with pit bull statistics? Another forum I frequent has a pit bull thread atleast once a month where someone links a news story about a dog "identified" as a pit attacking someone/someone's pet and all the idiots froth at the mouth saying all pit bulls should be exterminated. I'm trying to educate them that the breed isn't the problem but I am ill equipped to do so. Most hits on google are just some random Joe Schmoe saying pits aren't bad, I need/want resources from experts with credentials. Any help is appreciated. (I should probably just ignore the rabid anti pit crusaders but I feel I need to educate them!)
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Jun 28, 2008 13:13
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Druz posted:What are some good sites I can link people to with pit bull statistics? Another forum I frequent has a pit bull thread atleast once a month where someone links a news story about a dog "identified" as a pit attacking someone/someone's pet and all the idiots froth at the mouth saying all pit bulls should be exterminated. I'm trying to educate them that the breed isn't the problem but I am ill equipped to do so. Most hits on google are just some random Joe Schmoe saying pits aren't bad, I need/want resources from experts with credentials. Any help is appreciated. (I should probably just ignore the rabid anti pit crusaders but I feel I need to educate them!) Try the BADRAP website. Those people do great work.
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Jun 28, 2008 14:51
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talk show ghost posted:What breed of cat is this? It's my friend's cat, and normally I am intensely allergic to cats but around his I seem to have no reaction unless I rub my nose in her belly. That could never happen though. Kinda hard to tell from the angle, but with that face and coat I'd say Abyssinian.
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Jun 28, 2008 16:33
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sucks to ur assmar posted:Orange. Actually that's a pretty distinct color/pattern of red not really seen in DSH cats from what I can make out, but I'd need a picture with better lighting and such to be able to tell. As it is I'd also make the guess of Abyssinian if you know it's a purebred cat.
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Jun 28, 2008 18:20
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corporatewh0re posted:I have a question! My kitten (almost 4 months) smells AWFUL. She is farting like every 15 minutes or so, and it could seriously clear a room full of municipal sewage workers. Her poop is normal consistency, but also smells terrible. I feed her Iams, dry kitten food, no treats. She's been on this food for about two weeks (the shelter was feeding her royal canin, but we gradually switched her off it). Anyone have any advice (hopefully fast acting, instant advice. god I have a 3 year old who bathes once a week and and this is way way way worse). She, the kitten not the kid, will occasionally ransack a melon rind on top of the compost pail, but that's the only people food I've ever seen her eat. Iams is pretty cruddy cat food, and could be a factor. I have no idea about the melon rinds. Read the nutrition megathread and maybe get some better food?
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Jun 28, 2008 22:31
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Question for fish people.... I have a freshwater tank with 3 fish in it; 2 Mollies and a Red Tail shark. the 2 mollies chase each other and are playful with each other but when the Red Tail goes after one of the mollies i'm concerned he may be too rough? They're all about the same size (i think one of the mollies may be a bit larger than the Red Tail) too. Should I be worried about the Red Tail hurting the Mollies? Should I move him to a different tank? Or are they just being playful?
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Jun 29, 2008 01:00
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Lioness posted:Actually that's a pretty distinct color/pattern of red not really seen in DSH cats from what I can make out, but I'd need a picture with better lighting and such to be able to tell. As it is I'd also make the guess of Abyssinian if you know it's a purebred cat. I'll try to take a better picture, she really has short brown hair with specks of black.
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Jun 29, 2008 07:26
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talk show ghost posted:I'll try to take a better picture, she really has short brown hair with specks of black. Yeah, definitely Aby or Aby mix. They have what's called "ticking" on their fur, and it's pretty much exclusive to the breed. Do a GIS for Abyssinian and see if anything matches.
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Jun 29, 2008 16:29
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Skutter posted:I have a simple question regarding my cat: I've found that height is really important to my cats in their scratching posts because they want that full stretch when they're using it. Try getting something that's at least 24" tall; a lot of the posts you get at stores are closer to 18". I have three vertical posts that I bought from this ebay store a few years ago and they've worked very well for me. Something as tall or taller than the area on the couch she's scratching might entice her a bit more. In conjunction with a tall scratching post I'd also try double sided tape on the couch and other places you don't want her scratching. I can't recall the name of the tape I use but it's marketed towards keeping pets from scratching furniture and it's a few inches thick. I'd also suggest playing with your cat around the scratching post. My cats can't resist when I put one of their favorite toy mice on the top of the post, or run one of their strings around it when I'm playing with them. If you have a laser pointer you can point that at the post too while you're playing. It might increase her interest in the post over time.
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Jun 29, 2008 19:36
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100 Years in Iraq posted:Yeah, definitely Aby or Aby mix. They have what's called "ticking" on their fur, and it's pretty much exclusive to the breed. Do a GIS for Abyssinian and see if anything matches. Thanks for the name, she's definitely an Aby.
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Jun 30, 2008 01:48
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My apologies if this question has been asked and answered already. I scanned the different thread names in PI and didn't see any that talked about this. I have two female cats, Dori and Lydi, who are litter mates. They are both wonderful and very docile cats. The only problem there seems to be is that Lydi doesn't chew her food, she scarfs it down and then throws up sometimes. They weren't taken from their mother too early so I don't see that as being an explanation for this. They are not underfed either as they never empty their bowls at feeding time. Also, Dori chews her food just fine. Does anyone have have idea as to how I can get Lydi to chew her food or is this something that will always happen?
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Jun 30, 2008 09:24
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I would have her teeth looked at to make sure she's not experiencing any pain from them, that could be a cause for not chewing. Do you feed at set times? She might be panicking because you're going to take the food away, even if she's not emptying the bowl. You might try free-feeding, though that has its own issues depending on the cat. You might try larger kibble, though I'd be careful because if she doesn't decide to start chewing it she could choke on it. Softening the food slightly might encourage her to chew it (especially if her teeth are bothering her), and you could wean her off the softened food gradually. If all else fails, you could try feeding it to her a piece at a time, like giving a treat, until she gets the idea. But I'd definitely make sure there's no underlying dental issue before trying anything else.
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Jun 30, 2008 13:42
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RazorBunny posted:I would have her teeth looked at to make sure she's not experiencing any pain from them, that could be a cause for not chewing. I will definitely give the vet a call. I have tried the larger kibble and she looks like she is trying to chew it but ends up just swallowing it whole. If the vet says there is nothing wrong with her teeth I will try the free-feeding like you suggested.
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Jun 30, 2008 17:47
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Not really a question, but Gilbert had blood in his poop today . Vet tomorrow morning for him.
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Jun 30, 2008 22:15
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here is a question: is it legal/possible to keep goldfinches as pets
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Jun 30, 2008 22:24
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violet joy posted:here is a question: is it legal/possible to keep goldfinches as pets I know where I live it is illegal to keep any native species as a pet without a wildlife license. Even if it's not illegal where you live, I doubt there are many people breeding and selling them as pets, and keeping a wild-caught bird has both practical and ethical complications. They are somewhat larger than the finch species that are kept as pets, which I'm sure would amplify the issues with mess and noise. I cannot imagine they would make good pets. They're social birds, so you'd want to have quite a few of them, and it would require a VERY large cage. Plus, why would you want to keep a non-domestic songbird as a pet? They're so much nicer outside in the yard 
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Jun 30, 2008 23:28
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RazorBunny posted:I know where I live it is illegal to keep any native species as a pet without a wildlife license. Even if it's not illegal where you live, I doubt there are many people breeding and selling them as pets, and keeping a wild-caught bird has both practical and ethical complications.
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Jul 1, 2008 02:24
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Yes, it's me again with another inane cat question that's probably been answered somewhere else several times but I can't for the life of me find. Was just watching my cat use the litterbox out of the corner of my eye and was slightly concerned to see her get back in after producing the usual firm nuggets and deposit a foul smelling soft sticky mess. Her diet hasn't been changed at all, the only thing I can think of that's been out of the norm is the handful of outdoor grass from the park I brought in for her to munch on. Could this be the cause? Is it something I should be immediately concerned about? I'll take her to the vet first thing but for the moment i'm just wondering if i should be concerned beyond keeping an eye on her and praying she doesn't poo poo all over my bed in the middle of the night. EDIT: She's just deposited a lake of liquid poo poo in the litter box, not happy. Crazedscot fucked around with this message at 23:01 on Jul 2, 2008 |
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Jul 2, 2008 22:46
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Crazedscot posted:Yes, it's me again with another inane cat question that's probably been answered somewhere else several times but I can't for the life of me find. Was just watching my cat use the litterbox out of the corner of my eye and was slightly concerned to see her get back in after producing the usual firm nuggets and deposit a foul smelling soft sticky mess. Her diet hasn't been changed at all, the only thing I can think of that's been out of the norm is the handful of outdoor grass from the park I brought in for her to munch on. Could this be the cause? Is it something I should be immediately concerned about? I'll take her to the vet first thing but for the moment i'm just wondering if i should be concerned beyond keeping an eye on her and praying she doesn't poo poo all over my bed in the middle of the night. I'd chalk it up to either the grass itself, or possibly something that rode in on the grass, or possibly just a bad poo day. Grass at parks can be pretty filthy; I just read a disturbing fact sheet that reported the amount of bacteria found at one of the local dog parks. As far as your cat goes, it could be any number of things, including stress, but I wouldn't rush to the vet over one day of loose stools. Keep an eye on her for sure, though, and contact your vet if it keeps up or you start seeing other weird symptoms.
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Jul 2, 2008 23:17
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MoCookies posted:I'd chalk it up to either the grass itself, or possibly something that rode in on the grass, or possibly just a bad poo day. Grass at parks can be pretty filthy; I just read a disturbing fact sheet that reported the amount of bacteria found at one of the local dog parks. As far as your cat goes, it could be any number of things, including stress, but I wouldn't rush to the vet over one day of loose stools. Keep an eye on her for sure, though, and contact your vet if it keeps up or you start seeing other weird symptoms. Well gently caress, I actually just fed her some more grass from the same source, so I hope it's not that. I was reluctant to, but she seemed pretty desperate to get to it and I know cats eat grass to help with digestive issues, not that she ate that much of it in the end. She shows absolutely no interest whatsoever in "proper" cat grass, hence me feeding her regular stuff. Any idea if those cat grass pills some pet shops seem to stock are any good? EDIT: Was just thinking about the possible stress factor - I was out pretty much all day and I get the impression she doesn't like being left alone too long, abandonment issues I think having been given up by her original owner. She used her litter box shortly after I got home. Coincidence or indicative of some psychological issue? Christ, i'm too neurotic to be owning a cat, I love her to bits, but worrying about her constantly's making me ill myself. Crazedscot fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Jul 3, 2008 |
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Jul 3, 2008 00:05
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Crazedscot posted:Well gently caress, I actually just fed her some more grass from the same source, so I hope it's not that. I was reluctant to, but she seemed pretty desperate to get to it and I know cats eat grass to help with digestive issues, not that she ate that much of it in the end. She shows absolutely no interest whatsoever in "proper" cat grass, hence me feeding her regular stuff. Any idea if those cat grass pills some pet shops seem to stock are any good? I wouldn't be worried about trying to give her grass to eat. She doesn't actually need it and it doesn't really help anything.
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Jul 3, 2008 02:02
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Ok, so I am thinking about adopting a kitten and I have a question about de-clawing. I grew up with cats and my parents always had their cats de-clawed, but now that I am reading, there are a lot of people against it citing it is cruel, cats arent the same after it, etc. I read you can clip their nails instead and get a scratching post. My question is, is this an effective alternative to de-clawing? Will it really prevent the cats from ripping up carpeting/furniture? How often would I have to trim the nails? If I can save the kitten some pain and suffering, I am all for it, I just want to make sure 1) my family is free from the nice cat scratches and 2) my stuff doesn't get destroyed.
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Jul 3, 2008 16:11
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Shath Hole posted:If I can save the kitten some pain and suffering, I am all for it, I just want to make sure 1) my family is free from the nice cat scratches and 2) my stuff doesn't get destroyed. Good for you, first of all, for being open to other suggestions. Kittens are jerks, especially when they're very young. If you're going to get a wee kitten, less than a year old, I'd say get two, or your lone cat will destroy everything you own. Okay, maybe that's exaggerating, but still. If you want a kitten but don't mind an older one, go for an adolescent. They're less destructive, less prone to gross stuff like kitten diarrhea, less fragile overall and much calmer. But if you get a younger kitten(s), just realize that a little bit of scratching and property damage can be expected while it learns. It's totally possible to teach a cat not to use its claws except on acceptable materials. I've never used SoftPaws, but I've heard glowing reviews for the owners of stubborn kitties who won't redirect their scratching onto appropriate furniture (cat tree, scratching post, etc). Trimming can be a little bit of a hassle, but it will make both you and kitty more comfortable. Even a total sweetheart cat will sometimes get to makin' biscuits on your leg, and a trimmed, blunt claw will make that less painful. Charlie gets his claws caught in things a lot when they're long, and he's not much of a scratcher, so I've clipped them from time to time. I'm sure others will chime in here. I have absolutely zero experience with declawing or declawed cats, and I have only anecdotal knowledge of the negatives of the procedure, so I won't opine to heavily on it. None of our cats have ever needed to be declawed, not even the ones who were incredibly scratch-happy. And be aware that there's a difference between "I'm a little kitty and I don't know how to control my claws and teeth yet" and "I'm going to kill you" scratches and bites. With patience and understanding, you can teach a kitten how to not do the former, and it's not a good enough reason to declaw a cat. The latter is a serious behavior issue, and in extreme cases I think it's better to declaw the cat than to have it put to sleep.
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Jul 3, 2008 16:23
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My boyfriend wants to get a small dog - a hypoallergenic one due to his roommates having allergies, so I recommended a havanese, shih tzu, or chinese crested to him. I'm mostly familiar with shih tzus, but I was wondering which one of these breeds would be easiest to housebreak? He would really prefer a smarter, non-yappy, but small dog. Any suggestions?
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Jul 4, 2008 01:35
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