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RFX posted:I have two dogs that we picked up from a shelter about a year and a half ago. We know they are part Cairn Terrier (or at least thats what the shelter told us), but we have no clue on the other; they are siblings, though they look pretty different. I noticed that one of them (the male) can not perk his ears up. He can slide them a bit forward/backward, but thats it. His sister meanwhile can do the normal dog ear stuff, raising them up and whatnot. Different terriers have different ear types, so it may just be a result of being a mixed breed dog. I raised a litter of mixed breed pups, and they all ended up with very different looking ears.
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Jul 21, 2008 15:51
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My girlfriend took the cat to the vet today for a checkup. She also got the cat a vaccination for... well I dunno what it's called in english, cat plauge would be the literal translation. Anyway she came walking on my desktop as usual and I was going to lift her into my lap, as usual, and she screamed in pain and I dropped her at once in panic. Now she's just sitting in a chair, really still and not looking happy. She even growled a few times when I tried to pet her. What the gently caress happened to my incredibly social and sweet cat? Is she in pain from the vaccination? EDIT: After some googling I think it's called Feline panleukopenia. His Divine Shadow fucked around with this message at 18:58 on Jul 21, 2008 |
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Jul 21, 2008 18:52
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Doc Faustus posted:I realize this is something of a vague question, but can someone give me a good idea/breakdown of the costs of having a cat? Month-to-month costs as well as "startup" costs, if it's not too much trouble. Our 2 cats run us about $50 a month, for prescription food and litter. Yearly exam with shots/booster, $100 per cat. It's a good idea to put $10-30 monthly in a bank account/shoebox for emergencies. No one likes "my pet got hurt but I can't afford a vet" threads. Initial costs will vary widely. Expect $100 adoption fee, this will include up-to-date shots, spay/neuter, flea/ear mite free. Retail cost for that would be probably $300+, so you aren't saving any money by getting a "free kitten." A purebred cat from a reputable breeder can run hundreds to a thousand or more. No reason to do this unless you want to participate in cat shows. Toys & scratching posts can run ya $20-200+, depending on what you want. http://www.armarkat.com/ is like the Ikea of cat furniture. Food bowl, water dish, litter box, and you're set.
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Jul 21, 2008 21:45
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His Divine Shadow posted:My girlfriend took the cat to the vet today for a checkup. She also got the cat a vaccination for... well I dunno what it's called in english, cat plauge would be the literal translation. Anyway she came walking on my desktop as usual and I was going to lift her into my lap, as usual, and she screamed in pain and I dropped her at once in panic. Now she's just sitting in a chair, really still and not looking happy. She even growled a few times when I tried to pet her. What the gently caress happened to my incredibly social and sweet cat? Is she in pain from the vaccination? Cats can get very dopey and icky feeling after vaccines, and the area of the injection can be very sore. If she doesn't feel better in 24 hours, call the vet, as some cats can have very severe reactions. If you are comfortable doing so, take your cats temperature, to see if she's running a fever, and let the Vet know. The very first time I got my cat shots, I thought she was gonna die because she was so lethargic after wards, and limping badly on her hind leg that got an injection. It was very scary, but she was fine the next day. I go to a different vet now, and have had no problems with her booster shots.
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Jul 21, 2008 21:50
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Does anyone know how to clean 4 week old kittens? Im fostering a litter of them and the mom doesn't seem to be very attentive to cleaning them. They've just learned to poop, but haven't learned the cleaning necessary afterwards. The one long-haired kitten is especially bad. I've tried cutting off the worst of the bits, but he's so tiny and won't stay still. Baby wipes don't seem to really work either. Any ideas for cleaning them up?
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Jul 21, 2008 23:10
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Daefea posted:Does anyone know how to clean 4 week old kittens? Im fostering a litter of them and the mom doesn't seem to be very attentive to cleaning them. They've just learned to poop, but haven't learned the cleaning necessary afterwards. The one long-haired kitten is especially bad. I've tried cutting off the worst of the bits, but he's so tiny and won't stay still. Baby wipes don't seem to really work either. Any ideas for cleaning them up? Maybe a warm, wet washcloth? It would have more "grip" to get out any gunk left behind.
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Jul 21, 2008 23:39
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My mother started letting our cats outside a while ago and now if we do not allow them out they get...rude. Or tear out a screen. Is there any way at all to make them stop wanting to go out? May be a dumb question, but I would rather see if there is an answer more than I would like to see my cat lying in the road.
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Jul 22, 2008 00:11
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Electric Pez posted:My mother started letting our cats outside a while ago and now if we do not allow them out they get...rude. Or tear out a screen. Is there any way at all to make them stop wanting to go out? Play with them a lot more inside, take them for regular walks on a leash and harness (there will be a lot of pulling and trying to drag you under bushes as they get used to this, and they WILL beg for it so you'll have to keep doing it), or get some sort of outdoor enclosure. Or get better screens and ignore them until they give up.
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Jul 22, 2008 01:49
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Meow Cadet posted:Cats can get very dopey and icky feeling after vaccines, and the area of the injection can be very sore. If she doesn't feel better in 24 hours, call the vet, as some cats can have very severe reactions. If you are comfortable doing so, take your cats temperature, to see if she's running a fever, and let the Vet know. Yeah she hasn't moved from her chair where she sat herself down last night around 22:00, when I woke up at 07:00 she was still there in the same chair sleeping. Tried to lift her a little and she growled at me.
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Jul 22, 2008 11:25
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I have had a dog about 8 months however it is still very badly behaved sometimes, especially if i open the front door and she manages to slip out. If this happens she will then run up and down streets going into peoples gardens etc, and i then find it very difficult to get her back (usualyl the only way is to walk down to the nearby field where i take her for a walk) however wen i take her for a walk she always come back at the end of the walk and lets me put the lead on her. my question is how can i stop her running around if she manages to escape?
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Jul 22, 2008 20:21
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My husband and I adopted two female litter mate kittens in February. They are 10 months old now. When we first brought them home they would snuggle together, take naps together, groom each other. But now they mostly ignore each other and get very jealous of each other if one is sitting in my lap. They wrestle and I think they are play fighting. They don't cry cry when they wrestle. I guess the question is: why are they less friendly with each other? My only theory is that when we first brought them home they were scared and so they comforted each other and now they are over it. Any thoughts? I've never had cats before and my husband never had young cats.
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Jul 22, 2008 22:00
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Bengi66 posted:I have had a dog about 8 months however it is still very badly behaved sometimes, especially if i open the front door and she manages to slip out. If this happens she will then run up and down streets going into peoples gardens etc, and i then find it very difficult to get her back (usualyl the only way is to walk down to the nearby field where i take her for a walk) Work on a recall command with her. Get a very long lead and let her run around a bit, then call her to you. Don't pull on it, just let her come in her own time. When she does come, praise her and give her a treat. Do this until she'll immediately come to you when called. If you can find a fenced area practice with her off lead until she will stop whatever she is doing and come to you when called, even in the face of distractions.
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Jul 22, 2008 22:08
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Silly Hippie posted:This is going to sound terribly stupid, but... From what I've read, bettas can be (humanely) kept in a bare minimum of 1 gallon. 2-2.5 is comfortable, and 5 or more is ideal. I have a little rectangular aquarium not being used for anything, thinking "this can't possibly be more than a gallon" but tried filling it with water measured from an empty milkjug anyway. Lo and behold, it was about 2, or 2.5 if filled to the very brim. So, yours being a bowl, if you have a spare jug it wouldn't be too hard to see about how much it holds, without weird measurements and geometry calculations.  Additionally, bettas don't really need filtration (the current can tear their fins) if the water is changed every 5-7 days, and tend to do well in room temperature and warmer. They can be pretty hardy fish, judging by the popularity among dorm dwellers who generally manage not to kill them.
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Jul 22, 2008 23:51
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drat Bananas posted:So, yours being a bowl, if you have a spare jug it wouldn't be too hard to see about how much it holds, without weird measurements and geometry calculations. Huh, it never occurred to me to try that  I will do that.Yeah, I figured they were pretty hardy since I had one in a 3 gallon tank as a little kid and managed not to kill it. I'd really like to have a pretty fish to watch again. Thanks!
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Jul 22, 2008 23:57
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We recently (a few days ago) got a Brittany puppy. She's pretty well behaved, a bit hyper and likes to wrestle and play rough, but what puppy doesn't? However our older dog, a five year old pug, is NOT interested in rough play with her. He loves to play rough with us, but when she tries to play, he runs away from her. Of course, she chases him, because it's such great fun, and he jumps onto furniture to avoid her. It seems he might be afraid of her (tail down and all these encounters end in him hiding), but he's happy to sit around her when she's sleepy. The real problem is it seems like she's becoming less playful and more aggressive about chasing him -nipping his heels and even at his face. Obviously they need to get used to each other and figure out who's going to be dominant, but I'm worried she's going to seriously injure him and his giant bug eyes. Should I be trying to keep her from chasing him? Try to keep him from running? Put her in crate to let her take out her aggression on toys instead (I've done this once or twice, but whenever he runs again...)? What should one do if a new puppy is starting to behave aggressively towards an older established dog?
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Jul 23, 2008 02:43
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Oh god, the smell! Our puppy got sprayed by a skunk last night. Now he smells like rear end. I've heard home remedies like tomato sauce or lemon juice but I was wondering if anyone has their own solution. Bonus pic of the smelly pup in question 
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Jul 23, 2008 14:27
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Oh man, I've totally been there, its sucks. Weak acid solution is the way to go, tomato sauce is usually recomended becuase its gentle to the skin. You can use straight vinegar, as long as you are careful not to get any in the eyes. If the dog/cat was sprayed directly into the face, make sure you scrub the face (dilute the acid for use on face). The skunk spray is very irritating to the skin, and it hurts when they get it in thier eyes. Good luck.
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Jul 23, 2008 15:20
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When I got home from work this evening, one of my cats (2 year old female) seemed to be skirting around the litter trays hesitantly while I made dinner. I ignored it at the time, since she's always been a bit funny about peeing with people watching, so I figured she might just be waiting for me to leave the room. An hour or two later, I heard a cat cry from the kitchen, and both my bf and I ran straight through to have a look (our cats are talkative, but it sounded like a pain cry). Three cats were in the vicinity of the litter trays, so it wasn't possible to tell which had cried. We pinned down the most likely culprit (my fat 20lb male) and poked and prodded at him to see if we could find anything causing him pain (checked feet for cuts etc.). I didn't find anything, so I went about my evening as usual. All 5 cats have been playing quite happily all evening. While getting ready for bed, my female kitty followed me into the bathroom and paced around while I brushed my teeth. A minute or two later I turn around to find her digging on a pile of clothes waiting to go in the wachine machine... She'd just peed on them! It's really unlike her (all cats are good with the litter trays, and litter trays were only cleaned this evening) and she ran off really quickly. I checked while cleaning up, there wasn't any blood in her urine or anything like that. I'm assuming from the symptoms (avoiding litter tray, potentially her crying from pain near litter tray, and then peeing on my clothes) that this is likely a urinary tract infection, though most stuff I'm reading online seems to indicate that it isn't worth seeing a vet unless there's blood/signs of serious straining? I dunno, my cats have always been pretty drat healthy, so this is a first. I'm inclined to book her a vet appointment for tomorrow afternoon anyway, because I'd rather be safe than sorry, but this isn't something that needs an emergency vet trip right now is it? She's both eating and drinking fine (caught her doing both, after she peed), and acting normal for the most part. TLDR: Possible UTI, emergency vets or good to wait til tomorrow?
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Jul 23, 2008 22:50
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Helanna posted:Possible UTI, emergency vets or good to wait til tomorrow? Doesn't sound like an emergency to me. If both of you can stand it, put her in an 'easy to clean up' room with a litter tray and food/water overnight till vet appt, so she can't leave you any more surprises on your clothes or bedsheets. edit: to be clear, get her to the vet, infections require antibiotics or whatever other treatments a vet would prescribe, just doesn't have to be OMG RIGHT NOW
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Jul 23, 2008 23:23
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Great, that's what I thought, I just wanted a second opinion  She's acting content enough, purring and coming over to be petted as usual so she doesn't seem to be in great distress. Strange that she should get a UTI out of all of the cats though; she's the one who pigs on wet food and hardly touches dried, and there's been no stressful changes in the household lately (I already have a feliway plug in anyway). Bah, hopefully the vet can shed some light on it tomorrow, in a way that doesn't involve really expensive diagnosis and treatments (stuff I'm seeing online is saying Xrays, Ultrasounds and all sorts, to check for bladder stones) I hope she's not that sick  Irony of it is, I was just saying to my bf this evening that we ought to set up an emergency vet fund for the cats (in case of really huge bills that enter triple figures), and that we've been remarkably lucky with little to no health issues in the last few years!
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Jul 23, 2008 23:28
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If possible, collect urine and take it to the vet tomorrow
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Jul 23, 2008 23:28
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LastCaress posted:If possible, collect urine and take it to the vet tomorrow If I don't manage this how will the vet check her? Needle to the bladder?  The cat in question is a shy pisser, and will (usually) literally try and stop mid stream if I enter the room.
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Jul 23, 2008 23:31
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The vet will sell you some plastic "litter" that can be used to capture a pee sample. Its better to have a sample in hand when you go, so try and get her to pee into an empty litter box (clean it well first). My kitty got a UTI a fews month back (she also had one before I got her), and I believe that the cause was that she hardly ever drank any water. So I bought her one of those kitty fountains; she loves it, drinks a lot of water, and she hasn't had a UTI since.
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Jul 23, 2008 23:33
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They can do 3 things to collect urine (if they feel like they need it): -Ask you to collect it -Put a foley catheter -Needle the bladder
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Jul 24, 2008 00:13
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I'm due to give birth to my daughter in September, and I have a very active orange shorthair. I keep on hearing those wives' tales about crazy cats and how much they hate infants, and I'm confident that most of them are bullshit. But I'm wondering, have any of you/your partners given birth while you had a young cat? What can I do to prepare him for the baby? My husband and I are each planning on putting aside special playtime with him to help take away some jealousy, but I feel like it might be inevitable. Do any of you have advice for keeping him from going crazy? This is going to be a huge adjustment for him.
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Jul 24, 2008 06:42
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Hey Goons, thanks a lot for answering my previous qeustions! I've got another one: is it OK to let a dog go swimming in a pool? Is there anything that's potentially dangerous like water going into the ears or chlorine/pool chemicals or other things I have to be aware of? I sense the dog feels left out when all the humans get to go for a swim and he doesn't
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Jul 24, 2008 07:36
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cramps posted:I'm due to give birth to my daughter in September, and I have a very active orange shorthair. I keep on hearing those wives' tales about crazy cats and how much they hate infants, and I'm confident that most of them are bullshit. I can only speak from my experience but my 4 year old cat did fine when we had our son 3 months ago. He was a bit curious at first but overall he left him alone. The being said he has recently slowed his eating and cleaning himself and the vet says he's stressed because he's had a ton of huge cat life events in the last year. (New puppy, losing his brother, new baby, etc.) I think that if you give him the playtime he should be fine, just be careful to keep him out of the crib! He may want to cuddle just a little to closely to your new little one! PS- Congrats and best of luck with the delivery!
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Jul 24, 2008 14:29
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Happy Bear Suit posted:Hey Goons, thanks a lot for answering my previous questions! Swimming in a pool can be a great way for a dog to exercise, especially older dogs with joint issues. Pools can be dangerous though, especially when the dog isn't 100% supervised. I'd make sure that you specifically take the time to teach the dog where the exits are in the pool, as well as making sure there is a clear visual marker at eye-level for the dog. There are pool ramps designed for dogs, which would be a good step towards making the pool as safe as possible. I'd urge you to get and use a doggy life-jacket, too (not all breeds are buoyant) Even good swimmers have gotten confused, then exhausted, and drowned in a pool. You should learn how to do CPR on your dog, just in case. As far as the chlorine and other pool chemicals go, this probably depends on your dog's coat. I've seen it recommended that you rinse your dog with fresh water before and after swimming. Wipe out your dog's ears after swimming. Remember that dogs get sunburned too. Have fun, but be safe. 
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Jul 24, 2008 17:39
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I am moving next week to a different part of city where the tap water is noticeably different quality than where I am living now. How should I go about water changes for my betta tank?
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Jul 24, 2008 17:56
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Just a quick update on the sick kitty front. I took her to the vet straight after work this evening, and as expected she was diagnosed with her first UTI. Vet thinks it's just because the weather got really hot really quickly here lately and she's probably not drinking enough (although she does eat wet food). She particularly disliked the temperature taking process, bless. One injection later, and she's been prescribed 4 (!) pills per day, antibiotics and painkillers/antispasmodics. Really not looking forward to this, since I have enough trouble giving the little swine 1 worming pill every so often. 4 pills a day for a week is going to be traumatic, particularly as she's not dumb enough to eat a butter covered pill or any trick like that. The vet gave me a little pill-injector thing for her, which is long and shoots the pill into the back of her throat, so hopefully that'll help! Anyone else had success with this sorta thing? Anyway, thanks for the advice guys
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Jul 24, 2008 20:34
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Helanna posted:The vet gave me a little pill-injector thing for her, which is long and shoots the pill into the back of her throat, so hopefully that'll help! Anyone else had success with this sorta thing? Cats can't articulate their cheeks like we can, so they can't really "spit" in the conventional sense. Therefore, as long as the head is tilted upwards, anything you can hit the back of the mouth with goes down the hole. I like to do it sitting on the floor with the cat in my lap.
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Jul 24, 2008 20:43
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I have rarely had to pill my cats, but one is pretty skittish, so pilling her is always an ordeal. I pin her between my knees, open her jaw with one hand, throw the pill back with the other, and close her jaw. Then, with the hand that had thrown the pill, I stroke down on her throat from chin to chest, to stimulate swallowing. Never had it not work.
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Jul 24, 2008 20:47
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poser posted:I am moving next week to a different part of city where the tap water is noticeably different quality than where I am living now. How should I go about water changes for my betta tank? I don't know how big your betta tank is, but maybe you could bring 5-10 gallons of your old tap water to the new place with you, and mix it with the new tap water for a gradual change. Or you could use bottled spring water (not distilled) if the new water is really that bad. But, since you are adding a dechlorinator to the water anyway (you are right?) what is it about the new water that concerns you? If you talk to your LFS they can probably tell you about the water in your area. Helanna posted:The vet gave me a little pill-injector thing for her, which is long and shoots the pill into the back of her throat, so hopefully that'll help! Anyone else had success with this sorta thing? Many have had great success with Pill Pockets. If the shooter doesn't work out well, try them. Course, if she's so sick she has no appetite, I guess you gotta stick to the pill shooter.
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Jul 24, 2008 20:56
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Yeah I can manage it eventually, but even turning her into a burrito usually results in a wrestling match. Thankfully she's very forgiving. I've never seen this pill injector thing, but the vet explained that because the cat will try keep her mouth shut and its hard to get the pill to the back of the throat (and hence almost impossible to spit out) this little gadget will make it easier. I've yet to try it this evening, because I thought I'd let her have a couple of hours to recover from the ordeal of a vet trip. This is the contraption in question though:  Click here for the full 1536x2048 image.  Click here for the full 1536x2048 image. As you can see, the end of the thing grabs the pill, then once positioned in kitty's mouth you press the plunger and the green bit propells the pill out. He gave it to me for free when I made faces about 4 pills/day, and then gave me a 10% discount on the bill, simply because I bring way too many animals their way For the record she's still eating like a horse, but she's way too clever for her own good, and she HATES every cat treat in creation (or at least every one I've ever bought). Seriously, she will only eat wet cat food or real cooked meat (like roast beef or chicken). Fussiest cat ever All my others will sell their souls for cat treats.Update on this: the pill injector is a godsend. I got that butter covered pill injected straight down her throat in about 2 seconds, without any injury (I usually come away a bit scratched up). She got roast chicken afterwards to encourage her not to hate me for doing this to her 4 times a day for a week
Helanna fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Jul 24, 2008 |
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Jul 24, 2008 20:59
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Well, he did it again. Two months of trying to crate-train our two-year old Border Collie rescue have proven to be futile. He understands that we want him to pee outside, he does it on command when I tell him, he doesn't pee in his crate. This does not stop Murphy from taking huge pisses on things when our backs are finally turned after a month or two of good behaviour. I had this problem before. A month of barely letting him out of the crate when he wasn't going to be in my direct sight had me thinking he was cured, then he pissed on things twice in the space of two days. Cue another month of excessive crate training. He goes almost a MONTH without peeing inside. We celebrate. Then he goes and leaves the biggest puddle of piss I've ever seen on an entertainment centre in the extra bedroom. I didn't catch him in the act. I'm not even sure WHEN he could have done it, but somehow he did. He has no clue why we're so angry. I'm at my wit's end in tears here. I don't want my house to smell like dog piss, I'm doing everything you're supposed to do, and it's not working. Someone please help me out here. Please.
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Jul 27, 2008 16:32
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I found a 20g aquarium with screened covering that locks(!) on ebay for $10. The seller bought it new and only used it for 6 months. Great news for my mice that I like to spoil The only problem was that he kept his red eared slider in it. I know they can have salmonella and decided against it. The auction ended (with no bids  ), but just to satisfy my own curiosity were my fears rational? Are mice affected by salmonella, and if I were to buy it is there a guaranteed method of getting rid of it? If there is I might just have to send the guy a message and ask if he still has it...
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Jul 27, 2008 17:03
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Citizen Insane posted:Well, he did it again. Look into belly bands. You may not have o do it forever, but it works. My standard poodle marked for over a year and needed belly bands. Then all of the sudden for whatever reason his bands were dry for like two months, we took them off, and he's never had a problem since.
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Jul 27, 2008 17:43
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sucks to ur assmar posted:How often is he outside of the crate and not under your direct supervision? How much exercise is he getting? We go out about once every hour for a good ball-chasing session, which is all he can really handle since his lungs are royally hosed. As for how often he's out of the crate while not being supervised, I'd say 'never' but I got too trusting and started letting him wander out of my sight once he seemed to learn that going outside + 'go pee' = go pee. I'm an idiot. What exactly are belly bands?
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Jul 27, 2008 17:51
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Citizen Insane posted:What exactly are belly bands? http://www.bellybands.net/
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Jul 27, 2008 18:34
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So we've been taking care of my cousin's cat for the summer. Coming on 3 months now we've had her and she's overall been a dear. However, we noticed there was a lot of feces in the litter box but always very little pee. One day when I was cleaning it out I noticed the pungent cat pee smell still lingering. We have a shoe pile/rack near the litter box and it seems she had peed on several pairs of our shoes. We noticed awhile ago that she had peed on a wet towel that was left in the floor of the bathroom but didn't think much of it. Now it seems she pees on any clothing that is on the floor. Last night I picked up the clothes (my boyfriend has a bad habit of leaving them around when I have a hamper in the room) and went to bed. Then, I wake up this morning and she had peed on a pillow that had fallen onto the floor. I don't understand what her problem is. We keep the litter box clean and she always has access to it. How do we get her to just stay in the litter box? She's now peed on shoes, towels, clothes and pillows. We have about another month with her and I don't want a cat pee smelling house left in her wake.
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Jul 27, 2008 19:41
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