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Masey posted:Our kitten Luigi refuses to take his medicine Owing to recent health issues with one of my cats, I've finally perfected the art of giving her pills. I tried the much-recommended "kitty burrito" but I failed miserably at that; she's such a terrible little squirmer. The best method I've found is to take her into the bathroom and shut the door (there's no escape mwhaaha), then sit on her. Like, not squish her, but kneel on the floor with her between my knees, and my ankles crossed behind me to stop her backing up to escape. I then use my left hand to tilt up her head and prise open her jaws, and shove in the pill-syringe (that contraption is just the best way of propelling a pill into the back of the throat). After a couple of weeks of it, she's actually pretty good; still cries a bit, but doesnt try wound me anymore. The same method should work with a syringe for liquid medicine 
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Aug 22, 2008 16:03
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Helanna posted:Owing to recent health issues with one of my cats, I've finally perfected the art of giving her pills. I tried the much-recommended "kitty burrito" but I failed miserably at that; she's such a terrible little squirmer. I do the exact same thing as you, with one addition-- after squirting/shooting the meds into the cat's mouth, I keep holding the head with my right hand (I shoot the meds in with the left 'cause I'm left handed...) and drop the syringe so that I can use my left hand to stroke down from chin to chest a few times. This stimulates the cat to swallow.
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Aug 22, 2008 16:29
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Masey posted:Our kitten Luigi refuses to take his medicine, we've tried the good old catch him by surprise and stick it down his throat (it's liquid), we've tried mixing it in with his wet food as well as his kitty ice cream. Helanna has a good method. I do the same thing...only differently. I put my cat on the counter, this way she's already a little uncomfortable because she knows not to be up there, and since it's slick if she tries to get away her feet slide. I put an arm around her so her butt is in the bend of my elbow and my hand us under her neck tilting her head up. I use that hand also to try to pry her kitty jaws of death open. The I put the syringe in from the corner of her mouth back and stick it in as far back as I can. I found it's best to squirt it in in one shot if I can. Getting it as far back as I can helps because when the liquid hits the back of her throat and she's surprised the involuntary reaction is to swallow. I also rub her throat as I squirt it to help aid the swallowing. Entering from the side of her mouth helps so that she can't pull away, or if she does it's to the other side where my hand is instead of back, I also have more control on her head this way. If you can't do it all in one shot, do as much as you can per squirt. Sometimes it helps to life up a little on the front so her front paws aren't on the counter. Even still, every once in awhile she manages to spit it back at me. Something else I do that my boyfriend thinks I'm stupid for. I taste the medicine. There are some medications that my old cats have been prescribed that were so loving foul and wretched I could not give it to him as I understood why he kept spitting it back at me or puking it up. There was one antibiotic that literally tasted like battery acid and burned my tongue. I can only imagine what a mouthful of it going all the way down would have done. I went back to the vet and he gave me a different kind and I had less trouble getting the cat to take it. If *I* wouldn't take the medication myself, I can't expect my cat to. I can rationalize why I'd have to take it as it's to make me better, but my cat can't. So check it to make sure it's not too horrible. Also, good kitties that take their meds get nummies. When my old cat got to old, lost his teeth and refused to eat the vet said to go and get Gerber babyfood to feed him. We got the small jars for two year olds. He loved that poo poo more than tuna. Every time I give my cat her meds, I'll feed her a little bit of it off the spoon immediately after her meds are swallowed, not just for the treat aspect but to help get the nasty taste out of her mouth with something good. Not only does it tasted like kitty heaven but she feels special I'd sit there and spoon feed her. Eventually giving her the meds weren't such a struggle because she knew what was coming and would stay sitting there after administering the dose and wait for her nummy. This is another thing my boyfriend thought was stupid and refused to do, it was funny to watch him give her the meds and then her sitting there staring at him afterwards expectantly. When he'd try to walk away without doing it she'd hiss and bat at his arm. Jerk.
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Aug 22, 2008 16:44
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Fire In The Disco posted:I do the exact same thing as you, with one addition-- after squirting/shooting the meds into the cat's mouth, I keep holding the head with my right hand (I shoot the meds in with the left 'cause I'm left handed...) and drop the syringe so that I can use my left hand to stroke down from chin to chest a few times. This stimulates the cat to swallow. I just keep her head tilted back for a moment and let her choke it down >.< Provided it hits the back of the throat it's almost impossible for a cat to spit it out anyway. When you miss and hit the front of the tongue though, that pill is spat out *so* fast  KilGrey posted:Also, good kitties that take their meds get nummies. Indeed, following the pill routine, I take my cat out of the bathroom (perched on my shoulder) and walk straight to kitchen where she jumps on top of the fridge, turns around and headbutts and nuzzles me a few times. This being her sign for "I still love you, now give me fooood". At which point she gets some ham/chicken/whatever meat I have in the fridge. Helanna fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Aug 22, 2008 |
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Aug 22, 2008 16:45
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Cuddlebottom posted:1) How are you supposed to keep humidity up in the tank? I know you wet your substrate, but after that, what do you use, sponges? I've never kept hermit crabs, but I've become really fond of gel humidifiers (I use them for my cigar humidor). They come with two piecs: a metal plate that sticks on the side or lid, and the plastic "basket" with a magnet on the back to stick to the plate. The basket has little crystals that absorb and then release moisture. I wouldn't use propylene glycol (which is the recommend liquid for "charging" the humidifiers) with a living creature, but distilled water works just fine. They're fairly inexpensive, and come in different sizes. My 30-count humidor is about 10"x6"x3.5" and a single 50-count humidifier will keep the internal humidity at 65-70% for two weeks. A humidor is a somewhat sealed environment, though, so you'd probably need to refill more often and possibly have more of them, but they should work. They're totally non-toxic and safe (otherwise cigar buffs wouldn't use them!), and not terribly expensive, plus they last a long time as long as you're not refilling them with tap water (which can cause them to mildew). They're less likely to rot or build up bacteria or mildew than a sponge or a foam humidifier.
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Aug 22, 2008 17:36
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Alright quick question. My Tarquin got a URI from the new kitten and after a round of antibiotics, it seems to have returned. His right eye is now swollen and weepy. I think he may be irritating it by pawing at it and I'm trying to keep it clean, but I don't want him to be miserable until Monday's vet appointment (Tomorrow they're booked and Sunday they're closed. :/) My question is: Is there anything I can do to reduce the swelling? Like an over the counter antihistamine or something? I know not to give him tylenol or ibuprofin or anything like that but I've never heard not giving cats benadryl or something like that and I know a lot of medications vets prescribe are similar to the ones humans take. I figure I might get lucky and an antihistamine will just make the swelling go away but not cause his kidneys to fail or something. Probably not, but it's worth a shot. Poor Tarky looks so pathetic with his eye all swollen and runny. Oh yeah, the vet gave me a little tube of Terramycin for Sebastian's eyes when he had the URI, will that help Tarquin any?
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Aug 22, 2008 22:22
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You can give pets Benadryl however I wouldn't ever recommend giving them anything unless your vet says it's okay, nor would I use the medication for one pet on another. Personally I feel it's better safe than sorry. Even though you can't see your vet, why don't you give them a call and ask them?
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Aug 22, 2008 22:30
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I did. Apparently just keeping the area clean is all I can do. The swelling is down a bit this morning. I'm going to see if he'll let me put a warm wet cloth on it since that was what I was told to do for my own eye infection until the antibiotics kicked in. It helped. I was pretty worried but it's not quite so swollen today. Thanks
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Aug 23, 2008 18:17
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I gave my kitty's front claws a very careful trim for the first time today. Except for one case where he rolled over and tried swatting me, he was good about having it done and didn't fuss. They're all trimmed neatly into blunt ends and seem to be fine. But now he seems tragically depressed, gently pawing at blankets and rugs, mewing pitifully then curling his paws under him like he's embarrassed. I just nipped the tips where they snag, not even close to the quick, and nothing frayed or bled or cracked so I doubt he's in pain from it. He was never a furniture scratcher but my rugs and hands are torn to pieces and the trim was my vet's suggestion since Soft Paws are sometimes hard to apply and need to have a trim done anyway in order to fit right. Can a cat really be embarrassed by losing his scratching abilities? And how long will the adjustment take? It's sad seeing him halfheartedly bat at my hands with his newly soft paws and then sulk off to the couch to avoid me. edit: he just went through a VERY uncharacteristic attack of my hands, grabbing them with his newly clipped front paws and gnawing the bejesus out of my fingers. What the hell? Do I need to apologize to him or something? Smam fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Aug 24, 2008 |
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Aug 24, 2008 02:33
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One of my mice died today (  ) and now the other is all by her lonesome. I know they are social animals but I don't know about getting her a new friend. She is probably about a year old (got her from Petco in October last year) and I just don't know about getting her a younger friend. Would they fight since they weren't raised together? If they fought, there'd be nothing I could do but separate them, and I really don't want to raise two mice in two different cages. I'd assume the store wouldn't take a mouse back...Gah. Tell me what to do.
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Aug 24, 2008 02:59
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Cuddlebottom posted:Anyone know what happened to the hermit crab megathread (or have a link)? I think it's archived, but http://www.hermit-crabs.com/ and http://www.crabstreetjournal.com/ can answer pretty much all questions. 1. A large (baseball sized) sponge, located over the heater. The larger sponge has more surface area and therefore disperses more moisture. Be mindful that over-humidity can be as bad as under-humidity. Also, be careful about wetting your substrate, if it's to the point where you have standing water underneath it, it can breed bacteria. The problem with the sponges is that they breed bacteria too, so you need to change them fairly frequently. 2. Look for heaters for reptiles instead. They are often rated by tank size. I used this Repti-therm heater and was quite happy with it. drat Bananas posted:Gah. Tell me what to do. It depends on the mice's individual personalities, but it can work. Maybe try a shelter or rescue, which would be more willing to let you do an intro before committing to adopt, and to take the new mouse back if it didn't work out? Petfinder shows a number of mice available in TX. alucinor fucked around with this message at 03:17 on Aug 24, 2008 |
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Aug 24, 2008 03:11
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Smam posted:I gave my kitty's front claws a very careful trim for the first time today. Except for one case where he rolled over and tried swatting me, he was good about having it done and didn't fuss. I did Charlie's earlier this evening and he bit on me a little while I was doing it - nothing painful, just him "warning" me by nipping on my hand. He hates having his feet touched. quote:Can a cat really be embarrassed by losing his scratching abilities? And how long will the adjustment take? It's sad seeing him halfheartedly bat at my hands with his newly soft paws and then sulk off to the couch to avoid me. I think he'll get over it. The first time I did Charlie's he wouldn't even stand up for an hour. Were you sure to cut the edges smooth? Clippers meant for human nails can leave a rough edge, and I think it feels weird to them.
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Aug 24, 2008 03:12
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alucinor posted:2. Look for heaters for reptiles instead. They are often rated by tank size. I used this Repti-therm heater and was quite happy with it. To add to this, the UTH will often keep the tank ridiculously hot (120F or higher). If you need to scale the temp down some WalMart sells a lamp dimmer for 8 bucks that is far superior to the rheostats sold for reptiles. It's near the lighting/screws and such.
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Aug 24, 2008 04:05
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alucinor posted:Also, be careful about wetting your substrate, if it's to the point where you have standing water underneath it, it can breed bacteria. The problem with the sponges is that they breed bacteria too, so you need to change them fairly frequently. That's why I suggested the cigar humidifier earlier. Unless there's a reason it needs to be down in the cage with them, like a sponge is? Do they honey up to the sponge?
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Aug 24, 2008 04:16
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Excellent, thanks for all the advice. Never would've thought of a humidor humdifier. This is going to be fun to shop for.  One more question I couldn't find an answer to. Would it be safe to give a crab shells I got from the beach? Not as-is, of course: soaked in bleach (and dried so nothing gets chlorinated to death) and/or boiled. I assume most of the shells in craft stores came from the beach originally, but might as well be sure. Cuddlebottom fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Aug 24, 2008 |
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Aug 24, 2008 19:26
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Cuddlebottom posted:Excellent, thanks for all the advice. Never would've thought of a humidor humdifier. This is going to be fun to shop for. If you have a local tobacconist, just walk in and tell them you want to look at crystal humidifiers. A 100-count humidifier will probably run you around $20, and I think you'd want two, depending on the size of your tank. If you have need of a nice hygrometer/thermometer, they'll have those too. My backup humidor has a fantastic electronic one - I would have put it in my main humidor, but the analog one wouldn't come out without breaking. I refilled mine and forgot to put it back in, so now it's all dried out again Thankfully the humidor is still around 60%. I've got like a hundred dollars worth of cigars in there that I don't want ruined.If you do go this route, let the humidifiers soak up the water for about an hour the first time. That way when you turn them upright or upside down (side of tank or lid) they won't drip. After that first time, they should absorb it within ten or fifteen minutes. But definitely check before putting them in, you don't want them dripping into your substrate and puddling.
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Aug 24, 2008 20:03
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I have a query about plants that are toxic to cats. I've found several lengthy lists online that include various varieties of Philodendron. I have a 'Red Emerald Philodendron' and recently got an 8 week old kitten. I've seen the plant 'Red Emerald' in these toxic plant lists, but never with Philodendron after it. Does anyone have any clue if ALL Philodendron are bad for kitties, or just specific types? I did read someone suggesting to spray a Christmas tree with certain things to dissuade cats from chewing them, would this be viable if it's toxic?
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Aug 25, 2008 19:23
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Plate posted:I have a query about plants that are toxic to cats. I've found several lengthy lists online that include various varieties of Philodendron. I have a 'Red Emerald Philodendron' and recently got an 8 week old kitten. I've seen the plant 'Red Emerald' in these toxic plant lists, but never with Philodendron after it. Does anyone have any clue if ALL Philodendron are bad for kitties, or just specific types? I did read someone suggesting to spray a Christmas tree with certain things to dissuade cats from chewing them, would this be viable if it's toxic? Philodendron is toxic to kitties so you should probably re-home your plant. Here is a list from the ASPCA on the 17 most common toxic plants. While it doesn't appear on the 17 most common it's on many expanded lists.
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Aug 25, 2008 22:42
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Thanks for the advice, I'll move it to a non-kitty room and get something that avoids those lists. It was the fact the lists don't just say 'Philodendron, all varieties' or something that threw me.
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Aug 26, 2008 00:19
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I made a thread recently about choosing a dog breed, and finally we decided on a corgi. There is however one thing digging at me and that is how bad a shedder they actually are. Heavy shedding as in your black clothes are now a golden sandy colour? or your average shedder?. We have a ragdoll and if i leave the vaccuming for one day then i have a film of fur across the carpet i can scoop up, so am i dealing with the same sort of thing?. I dont mind the shedding factor so much but id just like to know how much lint rollers i need to stock up on!. pioneermax fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Aug 26, 2008 |
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Aug 26, 2008 02:30
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pioneermax posted:I made a thread recently about choosing a dog breed, and finally we decided on a corgi. There is however one thing digging at me and that is how bad a shedder they actually are. I'd be headed to Costco to stock up on those lint rollers. They're very serious about their shedding. You might consider getting a dog drier, one of the high-velocity ones; they do a great job of blowing the hair out of the coat and will save you lots of time just brushing the coat. They're not cheap, but at least you'll be able to groom the dog at home without him being soaking wet all day.
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Aug 26, 2008 15:47
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Hahahahaha. They shed like this: *sweeps kitchen* ... OH MY GOD MOM COME IN HERE LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO COCOA *comes in and glances at MOUND of hair* There's nothing I could do... she... she was like this when I got here. Oh god I'm so sorry. *trying not to giggle*  It's pretty bad. Mine sheds in tufts. You will have tumbleweeds. In winter. Get a good brush (I recommend the Furminator, expensive but worth it) and keep up with your brushing schedule or you will be miserable (and fuzzy).
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Aug 26, 2008 16:55
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When I took my cat to be spayed a few weeks ago they told me she had a tape worm. I waited until the spaying ordeal was over to give her the tape worm pill as she wasn't eating and wanted to wait until she felt a bit better. I've given to her and was wondering, if my cat had a tape worm, what are the chances of my dog having one as well? I understand the tape work process, a flea ingests a tape worm egg and my cat at said flea. I asked the vet tech last night when I got my cats stitches out and didn't really get a clear answer. I've been trying to pay attention when my dog pooped but I haven't noticed anything.
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Aug 26, 2008 18:28
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Just a quick question. My kitten is about 5 months old. He has learned to play fetch with a couple toys. He loves to do this every night before bed. Well, I have been throwing the toys over near the stairs, and sometimes he runs up and down them multiple times. After about 10-12 runs, he comes back, lays down, and looks like he is panting through his mouth from all the exercise. Obviously he is worn out, but he wants to keep going and his breathing is very rapid. Are we overdoing it? Is this something I should ask the vet about? I have never seen a kitten act that way and made me a little worried. I have seen my dad's dogs do that, but usually only on a hot day on the farm. (My other 2 cats are pretty lazy lap cats and probably think the kitten is insane for liking to run up and down the stairs.)
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Aug 26, 2008 20:33
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Pragmatica posted:I have never seen a kitten act that way and made me a little worried. I have seen my dad's dogs do that, but usually only on a hot day on the farm. (My other 2 cats are pretty lazy lap cats and probably think the kitten is insane for liking to run up and down the stairs.) Is the kitten of any particular breed? Some breeds like Abyssinians or Bengals have lots of energy and are very active. However, unless it's a rescue cat I would assume you would already know this if it was one of these breeds as they're somewhat expensive and rare. It could also be simple kitten behavior for this particular cat, and as long as you and it know when to take a break I wouldn't worry.
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Aug 26, 2008 20:48
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Pragmatica posted:I have never seen a kitten act that way and made me a little worried. Sounds like normal hyper kitten behaviour to me. Even my fat adult cats get like that with certain toys and will end up laying on the ground wheezing, but still trying to get up and go after the toy.
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Aug 26, 2008 21:17
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Jive One posted:Is the kitten of any particular breed? Some breeds like Abyssinians or Bengals have lots of energy and are very active. However, unless it's a rescue cat I would assume you would already know this if it was one of these breeds as they're somewhat expensive and rare. It could also be simple kitten behavior for this particular cat, and as long as you and it know when to take a break I wouldn't worry. Yeah, he is just a plain ol' tabby cat from a shelter. I am sure I am just being an overprotective mommy. He is definitely a hyper little poo poo most of the time. I am sure it is nothing.
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Aug 26, 2008 22:51
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Pragmatica posted:Yeah, he is just a plain ol' tabby cat from a shelter. I am sure I am just being an overprotective mommy. He is definitely a hyper little poo poo most of the time. I am sure it is nothing. I wouldn't worry. We have a 6 month old kitten who occasionally tears around like she's on speed. I think it's just the age. Also, has he been fixed? He'll most likely calm down a bit once his hormones stop raging.
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Aug 26, 2008 23:06
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My cat Eowyn likes to play fetch at times (only with an item and time of her choosing though). She will sometimes play until she pants. She also pants any time she is outside for more than about 3 minutes if the temp outside is over 80F. Panting can be a sign of stress in cats. My brother's cat Artemis pants on the car ride home from the vet pretty much every time because she gets so upset about it all. Panting can also be a sign of feline asthma. I would not consider this likely unless the cat is also showing other signs of asthma such as unexplained vomiting, coughing without producing hairballs, or rapid breathing while deeply asleep. Panting in response to strenuous activity, while not especially common in cats, is probably not representative of anything being wrong with the cat. If it starts occuring at other times I'd consult your vet.
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Aug 26, 2008 23:35
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KilGrey posted:When I took my cat to be spayed a few weeks ago they told me she had a tape worm. I waited until the spaying ordeal was over to give her the tape worm pill as she wasn't eating and wanted to wait until she felt a bit better. I've given to her and was wondering, if my cat had a tape worm, what are the chances of my dog having one as well? I understand the tape work process, a flea ingests a tape worm egg and my cat at said flea. I asked the vet tech last night when I got my cats stitches out and didn't really get a clear answer. I've been trying to pay attention when my dog pooped but I haven't noticed anything. Your dog is probably okay, as long as he hasn't been eating cat poop. If he had a tape worm, there would be what looks like little pieces of rice around his butt & on his bed. Giving him a dewormer won't hurt him though & it's cheap peace of mind.
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Aug 27, 2008 02:49
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I'm taking care of a friend's cat and most times go over to take care of him he ends up biting and clawing my arm incessantly. I think he's mostly just bored and lonely (he's only 4-5 months old) and while I try to spend about an hour or so there I don't think it's enough for him. What usually happens is I'll go over and he'll be really happy and purr and follow me ever where while I take care of food, water, and litterbox. Then I'll start him off playing with his toys and when he gets really into it I sometimes will read a book or use my laptop, getting up to play with him when he loses interest in the toy. Sometimes he'll come to sit by me and snuggle, but after a while he starts going at my arm with his teeth and claws. It hasn't happened the two times I've gone at night with my boyfriend, and we watched a whole movie while keeping him company. Doing the "yelping and ignoring" thing doesn't work, he keeps going at it. What else can I try? Should I just spend more time/visit more than once a day?
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Aug 27, 2008 07:26
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porkchoppie posted:I wouldn't worry. We have a 6 month old kitten who occasionally tears around like she's on speed. I think it's just the age. No, he isn't fixed yet. His appointment is next month. Hopefully, that will calm him down because he is very active all the time, which sometimes drives us (me and the older cats) completely mad.
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Aug 27, 2008 12:33
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Drei posted:I'm taking care of a friend's cat and most times go over to take care of him he ends up biting and clawing my arm incessantly. I think he's mostly just bored and lonely (he's only 4-5 months old) and while I try to spend about an hour or so there I don't think it's enough for him. What usually happens is I'll go over and he'll be really happy and purr and follow me ever where while I take care of food, water, and litterbox. Then I'll start him off playing with his toys and when he gets really into it I sometimes will read a book or use my laptop, getting up to play with him when he loses interest in the toy. Sometimes he'll come to sit by me and snuggle, but after a while he starts going at my arm with his teeth and claws. It hasn't happened the two times I've gone at night with my boyfriend, and we watched a whole movie while keeping him company. Doing the "yelping and ignoring" thing doesn't work, he keeps going at it. What else can I try? Should I just spend more time/visit more than once a day? "I think he's mostly just bored and lonely " Yeah, thats it. Try varying the routine. When you get there, give attention right away, some thorugh petting and love. Then tire him out with play, and THEN clean up, feed, water...
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Aug 27, 2008 14:04
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My little 3 month old kitten refuses to eat any of the wet food I have given her (wellness, max cat, and some other top notch wet food). She does eat dry food, royal canin for kittens her age, throughout the day and sometimes, if I'm lucky, she'll chew on a Wellness treat but other than that she's Miss Picky. Does anyone have any suggestions about some type of wet food she might like or should I just give up that idea and let her eat dry food? I thought I saw a mention about human baby food for kittens, what exactly should I be looking for?
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Aug 27, 2008 15:01
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Merrick makes a lot of delicious varieties (my cats are partial to Surf n Turf and New England Boil). I buy directly from their website as it's not carried in the Southwest. Evanger's makes a whole mackerel in gravy that is apparently like kitty crack, but that's secondhand info from me, as I haven't been able to find it to give it to my babes...
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Aug 27, 2008 15:03
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I like Weruva a lot because it's very tasty looking and smelling, just like human food and they use excellent ingredients. It's really hard to resist, I guess, because it coaxed my picky boy around after only one can! It may be difficult to find outside of CA, though. Also, I'd take the picky kitten into the vet just to make sure there's not a possible medical explanation for that. She may have a sensitive tummy or something like that, but it's entirely possible that she's just being a typical rear end in a top hat cat.
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Aug 27, 2008 15:13
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I have a trio of 6 month old cats, and I make sure they always have dry food (age specific). I'm wondering if wet food is really necessary. They don't seem hungry and they're very healthy (especially the male) even after cutting wet food back from 1 can a day to a couple cans a week.
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Aug 27, 2008 18:00
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Prune Juice posted:My little 3 month old kitten refuses to eat any of the wet food I have given her (wellness, max cat, and some other top notch wet food). She does eat dry food, royal canin for kittens her age, throughout the day and sometimes, if I'm lucky, she'll chew on a Wellness treat but other than that she's Miss Picky. Does anyone have any suggestions about some type of wet food she might like or should I just give up that idea and let her eat dry food? I thought I saw a mention about human baby food for kittens, what exactly should I be looking for? Is there any particular reason you want her to eat wet food? At 3 months old dry food is fine if she likes it. My vet has always told me a well-balanced dry food for your cats age range is sufficient nutrition. Make sure whatever dry food you feed her isn't high in carbohydrates or corn and little grain. From the Dog and Cat Food Thread These are Premium dry and wet foods to by: jbone posted:Ultra Premium Try different wet foods of that list if you want her to eat wet food, as well as the dry. I've given my cats baby food before as a treat after her medication after a surgery and for my older cat when he really old and couldn't/wouldn't eat. I bought the small jars for 2 months olds. I don't know how good this is for long term though, it's always just been as a rare nummy treat or when my cat wasn't able to do anything else. Ditch posted:I have a trio of 6 month old cats, and I make sure they always have dry food (age specific). I'm wondering if wet food is really necessary. They don't seem hungry and they're very healthy (especially the male) even after cutting wet food back from 1 can a day to a couple cans a week. It's not, as long as they have some form of food for their age they like to eat they don't have to have wet food. It's good to have the best of both worlds as there are aspects to wet food that dry foods don't have however if you have a good quality dry food that is formulated for your cats age it shouldn't really be an issue. I usually leave wet food as a treat. Others millage may vary though and see the above list for good foods.
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Aug 27, 2008 19:14
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GoreJess posted:Your dog is probably okay, as long as he hasn't been eating cat poop. If he had a tape worm, there would be what looks like little pieces of rice around his butt & on his bed. Giving him a dewormer won't hurt him though & it's cheap peace of mind. Thanks! And no, when we first got the cat we were waiting for her to try that the first time so we could squirt her with a bottle. We heard a 'YIPE!' and she can tearing out of the bathroom with cat litter all over and IN her nose looking miserable. Never has gone for it again. We got one of those covered cat boxes with the stairs going in and the litter around the corner just to be save anyway. Yeah, I saw the 'rice' on my cat and assumed it was just cat litter as she's got a fluffy rear. I would even hold her down and pull it out thinking "silly kitty".  I shall never make that mistake again.
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Aug 27, 2008 19:16
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| # ? May 29, 2024 00:16 |
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Is there a good (read: safe and won't hurt the cat) way to get rid of knots and mats in a cat's fur? My youngest cat has developed a number of matted spots and knots in her fur recently for some reason - she got sick some months ago and made a full recovery, but the vet gave us pills she needs to take for the rest of her life and I noticed that after she started taking the pills she started to develop these knots. It may be a coincidence, but she never had trouble with knots before, despite having medium-length fur. Our oldest cat is a Persian mix with beautiful long silky fur and he never has trouble with knots either, surprisingly. Anyway, I've been able to trim some of them but I'm afraid to cut too close and nick her skin, not to mention she's really fussy about having her tummy touched so trying to trim knots on her tummy is a no-go. I'd like to take her to a groomer soon but I'm concerned that she may keep developing these knots after she gets groomed, not to mention I have no idea how much a groomer will charge. I don't want her to get worse though, of course. I looked at pet grooming tools online and I saw this knot removal brush at Petco that seems to have gotten some good ratings - anyone ever use this and is it good or should I skip it? I just don't want her to get worse before I take her to the groomer. http://www.petco.com/product/14588/Four-Paws-Ultimate-Touch-Instant-Mat-and-Tangle-Remover.aspx
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Aug 27, 2008 22:56
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