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I wouldn't take her to a shelter to meet the chins, because she might get false positives from the other animals there. If you know someone who has one or can get the shelter or a rescue that does fosters to let you meet the chins away from other beasties. I'm allergic to cats and dogs, but not rodents of any kind, rabbits, feathered creatures, livestock, or any other animal as far as I know. But my cat allergy is crazy, and my dog allergy slightly less so. Chins don't bother me at all. But the point about the hay is a valid one, especially if she has hay fever or other seasonal allergies.
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Mar 13, 2009 00:19
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thuvia posted:
Cats and dogs can hear frequencies much higher than we can, which is why those whistles can be heard by dogs and not the owners--I have no idea if they work to curb barking, but if a dog can hear it a cat can too. Cats can actually hear even higher frequencies than dogs.
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Mar 13, 2009 01:31
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jbone posted:Allergy to one animal does not imply allergy to another animal - I'm allergic to dogs, but not to cats. I've never actually heard of this before. I've heard of the other way around, but not strictly dogs.
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Mar 14, 2009 01:46
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My cat had about a foot of string hanging from his rear end, I gave it a tiny gentle tug and nothing happened. I just cut off the length of it and left the rest alone, is this the best thing to do? He doesn't seem to be in any pain or distress, and I'm worried I'd hurt him if I pulled the rest out.
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Mar 14, 2009 03:12
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Jenkin posted:My cat had about a foot of string hanging from his rear end, I gave it a tiny gentle tug and nothing happened. I just cut off the length of it and left the rest alone, is this the best thing to do? He doesn't seem to be in any pain or distress, and I'm worried I'd hurt him if I pulled the rest out. Yeah, definitely don't pull on string, tinsel, or anything else stringish hanging from a cat's rear end - it can slice through their intestines. Cutting it off as close to the rear end in a top hat as you can is the best thing, so you had good instincts there. If the cat is eating, drinking, playing, and using the litterbox normally, you can wait and make sure he gets the rest of it out next time he craps. But if he starts acting funny, he needs to go to the vet.
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Mar 14, 2009 03:36
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Pooptron2003 posted:Yarg. I would be cautious, but don't freak out immediately. My roommate's dog Rocky is a picky eater and did this right before thanksgiving last year. The first 2 days he still acted normal, just didn't want food (though he would pick at it). The third day he all the sudden got really sluggish (he's normally hyper as hell). When she got him to the vet that day his temp was so high they pulled him to the back immediately and started giving him emergency treatment to get it down (106? 108? I forget what normal is for dogs). Through it all, he'd only thrown up like twice (and he tends to puke once every week or two anyways) and his poop was normal. The good news is that after they got his temp down and gave him antibiotics he was back to normal in less than a week. As non-specific as his symptoms were prior to that third day, the vet said she did not think she'd have given him anything even if my roommate had brought him in sooner. The important thing was that we noticed when he took a turn for the worse and got him in ASAP once they did. On at least two other occasions he has refused to eat for 1-2 days and had absolutely nothing wrong with him.
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Mar 14, 2009 04:20
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What are the visible signs of skin cancer in cats, and how worried should I be? My cat recently developed a small sore patch on the back of one ear. Total area, about half the size of a pencil eraser, but she's white with pink skin so it's very visible. The spot stayed pink and irritated-looking for a couple of weeks, and then scabbed over a few days ago. I thought it was healing on its own, but today I noticed another spot on the crinkly complicated part of the same ear. This all roughly coincided with a change in food, so that's the most likely culprit and we're trying a new one now. Touching the spots doesn't seem to bother her, and otherwise she seems perfectly healthy. There's no raised part, no swelling... just darker pink skin and a couple of tiny scabs. Still, I'm freaking out a little bit. About ten years ago the vet said she had "pre-cancerous cells" on her ears and warned us to keep an eye on them -- she got lost for six weeks and developed some bad sunburn, but the flaky patches cleared up in a matter of days and there's been no visible irritation until now. She hasn't had much sun exposure since then, but I guess it can add up over the course of a decade. I'm going to take her in to a vet soon, but is there anything else I can do or watch for in the meantime?
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Mar 14, 2009 08:43
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I have a question about cat pee/poo (gawd, I feel like I'm 5 years old) so I apologize in advance for the grossness. When my cat uses the litter box, one of 2 things result: either a small tube-like item, or a giant blob-like item. The small ones I assume are poo, but when I scoop his box the blob ones are a little too big to fit in the scooper so they break apart and they look like poo too, they have the same color and texture as the tube ones. He's not having any stomach issues, he eats and drinks like a champ, and he's not having any problems using the box... so why does everything in the box look like poo?
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Mar 14, 2009 15:27
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Psiharis posted:
If the spots are raw or oozing at all keep them clean and watch for signs of infection, but I wouldn't try to treat them with anything. Really the best thing you can do is see what the vet thinks, and when people treat their pets themselves first it can change what the doctor sees and maybe make it harder to figure out. If it is skin cancer it is best to catch it early when the tips of the ears can be removed--I saw one cat who when untreated for so long we had to remove his entire ears, which were scabby bloody messes. It could be other things too, though, so don't panic yet--dogs and cats seem to get scabby patches of skin from a lot of things, and ears are just more skin.
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Mar 14, 2009 15:40
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I'm moving into a new condo building soon, and was thinking of offering myself as a pet-sitter when people go away overnight or for a few days or whatever (within the building only). I just have no idea where to start with it. How much would be reasonable to charge for something like that? What sort of info would you need to see on a poster in the mail-room before you'd even consider calling, and what what requirements would the person need to meet once you'd actually talked to them?
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Mar 15, 2009 00:14
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Chaco posted:I saw one cat who when untreated for so long we had to remove his entire ears, which were scabby bloody messes.  This would be most of her ear, it's a spot right in the middle.I was hoping to hear "you are stupid, that's not what skin cancer looks like at all." Now I have the rest of the weekend to really fret about it.  Thanks for the response. We don't have a regular vet in the area and I know what a crapshoot it can be to find a good one, so I want to go in armed with enough information to be obnoxiously pushy about worst case scenarios if need be. I'm terrified they'll take a "wait and see" approach and I'll only find out afterwards that something could have been done much sooner. If it is cancer, they can test for it and identify it before things get worse, right? We won't have to wait for any other symptoms to be sure?
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Mar 15, 2009 01:48
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Psiharis posted:
If they think it looks cancerous and not like a rash they can biopsy it and have a lab look at the sample to see. I honestly don't know what skin cancer looks like in less advanced cases, nor can I tell from your description what your cat's ear looks like in relation to what I have seen, so please don't worry based on that--just know it's possible, and you should get it checked out.
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Mar 15, 2009 03:11
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I know cats are notorious for being confused about the use and purpose of doors. Ours will relentlessly scratch on the backdoor, only to be let in and immediately turn around and want back out. Repeat ad infinitum. Cats are known to do this, but this one really has a problem with it, and it's annoying. I know the consensus here is not to let your cat outside, so maybe this is the wrong place to get answers for an indoor-outdoor cat. But if there are some outdoor cat owners here, is there a solution to stop this behavior?
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Mar 15, 2009 03:59
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Kaiser Bill posted:I know cats are notorious for being confused about the use and purpose of doors. Ours will relentlessly scratch on the backdoor, only to be let in and immediately turn around and want back out. Repeat ad infinitum. Cats are known to do this, but this one really has a problem with it, and it's annoying. Your cat is not confused at all. Your cat is interacting with you, not with the door. Your cat enjoys causing a response from you by scratching at the door. The solution is to stop reacting when your cat scratches at the door. And don't say "that's not an option," because it's the only way to get the cat to stop doing this.
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Mar 15, 2009 16:22
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jbone posted:Your cat is not confused at all. Your cat is interacting with you, not with the door. jbone is right. I would only add: Cats are assholes. Have you considered a cat door? You can get ones with locks so you can keep the cats in at night if you like, or even ones with magnet locks that interact with a collar you put on your cat so only your cats can get in and out (no raccoons this way).
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Mar 15, 2009 16:27
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One of my cats has what would appear to be quite a few scabby areas along with some blackheads on her chin. When I first realized they were there, my initial thought was an abscess, but aren't those usually more like blisters in texture? One of our other cats had an abscess a couple of years ago and it was obvious that it was filled with fluid because it was pretty soft. Cerridwen's chin looks more like she's got some serious acne, with several hard little bumps. Do cats get pimples? And if so, is there anything I can do about it? Is she not grooming herself well enough? She's our crotchety old lady (even though she's not the oldest cat, she's only about 6) and she really doesn't like to be messed with. I only discovered the problem because she was having one of her rare affectionate moments and allowed me to scratch her chin. She also doesn't really like the other cats so she won't let them groom her at all.
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Mar 15, 2009 17:45
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BellyBionic posted:One of my cats has what would appear to be quite a few scabby areas along with some blackheads on her chin. When I first realized they were there, my initial thought was an abscess, but aren't those usually more like blisters in texture? One of our other cats had an abscess a couple of years ago and it was obvious that it was filled with fluid because it was pretty soft. Cerridwen's chin looks more like she's got some serious acne, with several hard little bumps. Do cats get pimples? And if so, is there anything I can do about it? Is she not grooming herself well enough? She's our crotchety old lady (even though she's not the oldest cat, she's only about 6) and she really doesn't like to be messed with. I only discovered the problem because she was having one of her rare affectionate moments and allowed me to scratch her chin. She also doesn't really like the other cats so she won't let them groom her at all. Cats do get acne on their chins pretty frequently. Are you using plastic food or water dishes? That is the most common cause. If you're using ceramic or metal dishes the most likely reason would be not keeping them clean enough.
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Mar 15, 2009 17:49
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Kaiser Bill posted:I know cats are notorious for being confused about the use and purpose of doors. Ours will relentlessly scratch on the backdoor, only to be let in and immediately turn around and want back out. Repeat ad infinitum. Cats are known to do this, but this one really has a problem with it, and it's annoying. Cat flap? I know PI probably disagrees, but everyone I know around here (UK) has a cat flap. efb, should refresh page before posting
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Mar 15, 2009 18:01
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^^^ Mostly it's the US goons who disagree. This is because here in the States, there are a ton of predators in all parts of the country. No matter where you go, there's at least one, and in many cases (like here in southern Arizona) several predators who are delighted to make your kitty a meal. I understand that in the UK, there really aren't any predators besides foxes that could take on a kitty. Still, there are other reasons that it's not as safe to let your cat out-- namely cars, idiot people and diseases.
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Mar 15, 2009 18:10
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Ceridwen posted:Cats do get acne on their chins pretty frequently. Are you using plastic food or water dishes? That is the most common cause. If you're using ceramic or metal dishes the most likely reason would be not keeping them clean enough. They do have a plastic water fountain, and I probably don't wash their food bowls as often as I should. They only get dry kibble daily, so their bowls generally only get washed if they start to look dirty or if they've had wet food. Now that I think about it, I certainly wouldn't want to eat off the same plate for days without washing it. I'm a bad cat person.
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Mar 16, 2009 04:33
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I guess this is not a question so much as a statement. Anybody here ever try catnip bubbles? I just bought some today and Hermes FREAKED. They are the best thing ever, he loves them. Also, thanks to everyone on PI who has ever recommended Soft Paws. We just put them on Hermes and so far so good!
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Mar 17, 2009 00:50
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Ambellina posted:catnip bubbles I have a friend whose cat really enjoys these, so I got some for Max. I thought he wasn't too into it, cause he sat there while I covered the carpet in them. But then he walked around and popped them one by one, and meowed for more. I had to temporarily retire them for a little while, because I was sick of hyperventilating. (He's coming home from a stay at the vet soon, though, and it sounds like a good convalescent activity, so maybe I'll break them back out.)
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Mar 17, 2009 02:19
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I am planning to adopt an older cat pretty soon. I have not had a cat in several years, and from what I have read, older cats do not require as much attention and care as kittens, and are a nice way of easing into cat ownerhood. My question is, are there any breeds of older cats I should avoid? I am looking to adopt a mellow, quiet animal, and I am not sure how many breeds are more prone to crazy behavior. The only breed that comes readily to mind is Siamese. Any advice on older cat adoption?
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Mar 17, 2009 07:40
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Most cats up for adoption are good old domestic short/medium/longhairs, so personality will really depend on the individual cat rather than the breed. Even "purebred markings" can be faulty indicators - a seal pointed cat could be part ragdoll, rather than Siamese, and those are two totally different personalities. Just find a cat you like that has a friendly, easygoing temperament. 
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Mar 17, 2009 07:53
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Red Harvest posted:Any advice on older cat adoption? Spend some time talking with the people you are going to adopt from, whether its a shelter or previous owners. They can tell you if the cat you are interested in meets your requirements (and be upfront about the kind of cat qualities you want), and in the case of a shelter they can point you in the right direction. All cats have different personalities. But the shelter I went to was great in helping us determine if the cat we wanted was the best match, we wanted her to be talkative, female, a love bug and lap cat. We got all of them.. especially the talkative part. Phew. We wanted a black and white cat, I wanted a tux. Our cat is a bi-color (black and white) that we ended up with, they had a tuxedo (which is a bi-color but with a very specific jacket pattern) but that tux was a crabby cat and not as friendly. We told the shelter what we wanted, and who we had in mind (pictures on their website helped us pick one out before we arrived at the shelter), and as it turned out she matched all of our requirements. But we had considered the other tux, if we hadn't told the shelter what we wanted we would probably be miserable with the miserly tux. So that's the best advice I think; tell the shelter what you want in a cat, they get to know their kitties personalities, so they can really help. And the next best piece of advice is to get the kitty in to the vet within 72 hours of adoption for an overall wellness exam, and to get to know your cat's new vet. Shelters try to be good about health, but things slip through the cracks. Our cat would have cost us $700+ had it not been for free shelter insurance she had for the first 45 days we got her. She is healthy and happy now though. Good luck! And happy kitty hunting.. post pictures when you get your new buddy!
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Mar 17, 2009 07:54
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Okay, so I've had my new cat for about 3 weeks and it's been pretty great. We get along pretty darn good and even if she's an absolute brat< i still really love her. However, I don't understand her what so ever. I was raised with dogs and she's the first cat ive even ever lived with, so I don't really understand her. The thing shes been doing that bewilders me is that every once in a while when I pet her, she snags my hand and tries to nip me. She doesn't have a sore spot because it's a different place everytime where Im petting her and... I'm not really sure what I should do about it. Ive been flicking her nose or will ignore her to hope that she gets the point that biting me isn't okay but... still. Is that what im supposed to do with a cat? Any insight as to why shes doing it?
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Mar 18, 2009 23:06
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Effexxor posted:Okay, so I've had my new cat for about 3 weeks and it's been pretty great. We get along pretty darn good and even if she's an absolute brat< i still really love her. However, I don't understand her what so ever. I was raised with dogs and she's the first cat ive even ever lived with, so I don't really understand her. The thing shes been doing that bewilders me is that every once in a while when I pet her, she snags my hand and tries to nip me. She doesn't have a sore spot because it's a different place everytime where Im petting her and... I'm not really sure what I should do about it. Ive been flicking her nose or will ignore her to hope that she gets the point that biting me isn't okay but... still. Is that what im supposed to do with a cat? Any insight as to why shes doing it? Maybe overstimulation. Some cats get that, although not all. If her tail is swishy while you're petting her, stop for a while and let her calm down.
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Mar 18, 2009 23:27
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My new kitty does that too, if you pet her too much she gets wild eyed and bites you, and if you persist (avoiding chomps the whole way) she'll eventually get so worked up she has to run around the room chattering.
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Mar 19, 2009 00:28
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Effexxor posted:Okay, so I've had my new cat for about 3 weeks and it's been pretty great. We get along pretty darn good and even if she's an absolute brat< i still really love her. However, I don't understand her what so ever. I was raised with dogs and she's the first cat ive even ever lived with, so I don't really understand her. The thing shes been doing that bewilders me is that every once in a while when I pet her, she snags my hand and tries to nip me. She doesn't have a sore spot because it's a different place everytime where Im petting her and... I'm not really sure what I should do about it. Ive been flicking her nose or will ignore her to hope that she gets the point that biting me isn't okay but... still. Is that what im supposed to do with a cat? Any insight as to why shes doing it? Please don't flick her on the nose. If she's young, she's probably getting overstimulated, as mentioned already. In that case, the best way to train her it's not ok to bite is to let out a high-pitched yelp, like another cat would, when she bites. It's the easiest way for her to learn.
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Mar 19, 2009 00:31
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Fire In The Disco posted:Please don't flick her on the nose. If she's young, she's probably getting overstimulated, as mentioned already. In that case, the best way to train her it's not ok to bite is to let out a high-pitched yelp, like another cat would, when she bites. It's the easiest way for her to learn. Okay< that makes sense. Sorry, as I said again, I am totally cat retarded. I swear i need a translator for her. Thanks for the help though everyone. I have to ask though, I was just petting her and she was super affectionate and her tail was going back and forth pretty lazily, and without it changing speed, she nipped me again. This time I just stopped petting her but... any other hints on how to know when I'm over stimulating her besides the tail?
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Mar 19, 2009 01:41
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The tail is a big one. Cats are not dogs; they don't wag their tails. Their tails twitch when they are agitated. Also watch her eyes; often they get wide and wild-looking when they're, well, feeling wild, or overstimulated. And like I said before, younger cats are very prone to it. What are you feeding her? I'm might be totally opening a can of worms, but if you haven't already, go check out the second post of the Pet Nutrition Megathread, which is all about good vs. horrendous cat foods. Just as an anecdote, my own cats get Innova EVO dry and a couple of varieties of Merrick wet.
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Mar 19, 2009 01:44
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Fire In The Disco posted:The tail is a big one. Cats are not dogs; they don't wag their tails. Their tails twitch when they are agitated. Also watch her eyes; often they get wide and wild-looking when they're, well, feeling wild, or overstimulated. And like I said before, younger cats are very prone to it. Over time you can also learn whisker signs, but I've noticed they're not universal the way tail movement seems to be. Usually when they carry their whiskers pointed more forward they're very stimulated.
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Mar 19, 2009 01:53
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We've been taking our 5 month old toy poodle, Milo, down to the dog park where a group of us meet and let our poodles romp with each other. Milo gets on great with the other dogs and they run around and have little play fights with each other. The problem is that when any dog barks, whether in anger or in excitement, Milo will immediately freak out and start running in a random direction for about 15 seconds. He'll then stop and look back at us, and when we call he comes straight back. I've never seen any other dog do this, just our Milo. We've had him since he's been 11 weeks old and hasn't had any traumatic experiences with other dogs. Any pointers on how do get him to not freak out at barking? Has anyone else seen this before?
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Mar 19, 2009 09:31
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Is he running around in a playful way, or is he definately upset?
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Mar 20, 2009 03:59
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Fire In The Disco posted:The tail is a big one. Cats are not dogs; they don't wag their tails. Their tails twitch when they are agitated. Also watch her eyes; often they get wide and wild-looking when they're, well, feeling wild, or overstimulated. And like I said before, younger cats are very prone to it. She actually gets Solid Gold Katz un Flocken, thanks to the fact that I read that megathread before I got her food.
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Mar 20, 2009 04:13
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tse1618 posted:Is he running around in a playful way, or is he definately upset? Definitely upset. He runs as far as possible from the source of the noise.
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Mar 20, 2009 05:39
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My roomie's cat Kimi has been getting mauled by my cat Maxi. This has never happened within my sight, they chase and can get very loud but I've never seen Maxi draw blood before. Anyways, Kimi has a small wound between her shoulders when she's been chewed on. Is it safe to use peroxide or neosporin on cats? I want to make sure it doesn't get infected. (edit: due to the location she won't be able to groom/lick the spot.) How do I stop Max from being so domineering? They're usually really chill with each other but once or twice a day Max will get a bug up her rear end and have to hunt Kimi down and pin her till she squeals. I interrupt this with a loud noise and they separate but it just happens again the next day.
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Mar 20, 2009 08:34
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Okay< so i am cat retarded.... but isnt there an air freshener thing that calms cats down? Or that at least makes them not fight? Wait, I found it! http://www1.shopping.com/xPO-Feliway_Comfort_Zone_with_Feliway_Refill It's kinda expensive, but I seem to remember people on the forum saying that it helped. Besides that stuff though, you could try shutting them up in different rooms when you aren't around.
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Mar 20, 2009 19:26
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My family rescued a Dachshund mix last summer, and she's absolutely perfect - except it seems that her urine is a super death mix for the lawn. My dad is very proud of his lawn and although he's been good about it turning into swiss cheese, I figured I'd ask and see if there are any products or tips on preventing it... something like a pill, etc? Are we stuck with just hosing it down and trying to train her to go in the dirt? Thanks! Have a bonus dog-pic!  Click here for the full 1037x691 image.
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Mar 21, 2009 03:43
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There are lots of things to prevent lawn yellowing. Some are pills you give to the dog, some are supplements you put on the grass. They should be available at any pet store, but I can't tell you what works best. Maybe look for online customer reviews for lawn yellowing products at petco or petsmart or whatever's near you?
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Mar 21, 2009 04:25
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