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Scrotos posted:I was just wondering what most people do with cats and collars. I have 2 cats on collars and my wife wants to take them off since they never go outside and would only need them if they escaped. They do have the chip in them if they were to get out and be picked up. I am paranoid and want to leave them on. I know this is really my choice but was just wondering what other people do with their indoor cats and whether or not they make them wear a collar with a tag? I have 5 indoor cats, and they've never been made to wear collars. Not that this is solely because I lived in a 10th floor appartment, and the chance of them escaping was... well pretty much 0. I recently moved into a large house in a new country though (cats are loving the stairs!) and the eldest cat as commenced Escape Plan A. He's very determined to get outside without his harnass on. One of the others has already managed to run out the door once (thankfully she's a coward and ran straight back inside) and I'm starting to think they all need collars with a big "INDOOR CAT" tag on them, so that if/when they escape, people will know they shouldn't be outside and ring the number / take them for microchip scanning. I'm even more leaning towards it now, since my step brothers cats went missing for a while (his cats are allowed outside) and they eventually discovered that some woman up the road had taken them in and kept them inside because they didn't have collars and she didn't take them to get a microchip scanned; she assumed they were unwanted/abandoned cats. It's just lucky that my step brother saw them and asked what the hell the woman was doing with his missing cats :-/ So yeah... mine don't have collars at the moment, but they will do soon. Too worried about them getting out. Most people wouldn't take a cat for a microchip scanning whereas a tag with "INDOOR CAT" is more likely to help.
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Apr 18, 2009 17:18
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That is my biggest argument for leaving them on, people are stupid. My wife is convinced people would take the cat straight to the vet like we do with new pets. Then the vet would find the chip and call us, but I disagree and want them collared. More people post and agree with me so I convince my wife 
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Apr 18, 2009 17:24
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Scrotos posted:That is my biggest argument for leaving them on, people are stupid. My wife is convinced people would take the cat straight to the vet like we do with new pets. Then the vet would find the chip and call us, but I disagree and want them collared. More people post and agree with me so I convince my wife Yeah, the chip isn't exactly a foolproof thing. It requires someone to think to check if the cat has one, compared to a collar which you can see straightaway.
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Apr 18, 2009 17:31
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Helanna posted:I'm even more leaning towards it now, since my step brothers cats went missing for a while (his cats are allowed outside) and they eventually discovered that some woman up the road had taken them in and kept them inside because they didn't have collars and she didn't take them to get a microchip scanned; she assumed they were unwanted/abandoned cats. It's just lucky that my step brother saw them and asked what the hell the woman was doing with his missing cats :-/ This is exactly why your wife needs to let you put collars on your cats. Not everyone is going to think "I should take this cute kitty that wandered into my yard to the vet. Surely he has a microchip!"  Plus, there are some really cute collars out there:  
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Apr 18, 2009 17:37
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Yeah, I would not count on the average human being to take a new arrival straight to the vet to check for a microchip (though it's very awesome that you guys do). Heck, my animal shelter didn't even check for a microchip when they picked my escape artist dog up. 
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Apr 18, 2009 17:39
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My cats are chipped and collard constantly. The tags have their name, INDOOR ONLY, and two phone numbers. While neither of them would ever be mistaken for emaciated strays...A collar keeps honest people honest, ya know? If someone wants to steal your cat, they'll do it regardless. But if an otherwise innocent bystander sees a cat with no collar and just 'forgets' to check it for chips/post flyers...I'm sure it happens more often than we'd like to think. Edit: You can also get very durable, unobtrusive tags/collars from boomerangtags.com. Their breakway collars for cats are basically really stretchy neoprene with a velcro closure. The tag actually slides onto the collar, so no jingle!
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Apr 18, 2009 19:15
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When it gets warmer I put a collar on Professor. As the weather gets nice he starts eying the door a little more intently, and while he's fixed and chipped and I have no intention of letting him out ever it does make me feel better to know that if he did people would see the collar and know he was a pet. Plus it's got a little bell on it and is cute  I don't bother with one for Poko though, if he ever did somehow get outside he'd promptly drop dead of a heart attack from fright. Way too big and scary out there for him.
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Apr 18, 2009 19:36
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My cats have always worn collars with tags despite being indoor only. Eowyn has been returned to me twice because of this, both times in less than 2 hours from the time she got out of the house. With Zeus I always considered it especially important that he wear his collar/tag because his asthma required he get medicine every day and spending a day or two with someone else who did not know that could have killed him. Chips are a great backup, but they are NOT a primary ID system for your animal. A lot of people don't even know they exist, and even those who do may wait several days or weeks before checking for one, if they ever bother to check. With a collar and tag everyone can see the animal is owned, and it can be returned to you almost immediately. Seconding the boomerang tags collartags. I recommend them to everyone I know. Here is Zeus sporting his collar and collartag: 
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Apr 18, 2009 19:44
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So I have a ridiculously cute chinchilla who likes to pick and choose his food. I've tried to feed him a bunch of different brands of foods, but he always ignores the pellets and picks off only nuts and dried fruit. He's begun to get a little chubby around the middle (though he's still exercising a lot) and I was just wondering what kinds of food you'd recommend to him (I'm in Canada, if that helps) and if there's anyway for him to eat more of the pellets. I figured he just didn't like that brand, but now I see he's a finicky eater.
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Apr 18, 2009 20:38
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Hey there, sorry if this has been covered, big thread. My wife is pretty allergic to cats but a friend of ours used to have a cat in the Rex breed line I think, the cat had very short hair, it was almost bald, and it's back legs were noticeably longer than the front two. Anyway, my wife had no reaction to this cat and someone told us this was common with that breed of cat, allergic people not reacting, that is. I'm just wanting to know if this is true because I love cats and I would really like to have one, I had to leave my 15 year old cat at my parents house a couple of years ago when we moved in together. So, any help would be appreciated.
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Apr 18, 2009 20:45
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The Siberian, Sphynx, Cornish Rex and Devon Rex are all cats that are better for allergy sufferers; less dander as I understand. You can also try stuff like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000OF13RU?ie=UTF8&
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Apr 18, 2009 21:30
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I was out collecting tiger beetles today in the Moses Lake area of Washington state and found a couple of Pygmy Horny Toads. They were very easy to catch, both were just sitting along harvester ant trails taking pot shots. Very, very Letting those two go, I was left wondering how they work out as pets. I know that they like ants, but was wondering if they can live off of pet store crickets and darkling beetles/mealyworms. Do they stress easy? Require anything more than good substrate, shelter, and a sunlamp?
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Apr 19, 2009 09:02
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Bathcat posted:I was out collecting tiger beetles today in the Moses Lake area of Washington state and found a couple of Pygmy Horny Toads. They were very easy to catch, both were just sitting along harvester ant trails taking pot shots. Very, very I don't know about pygmy horny toads in specific, but in general, it's a terrible idea to keep a wild animal as a pet. We have a few herp threads (herp = reptiles and amphibians) if you want to learn about getting a suitable captive bred toad as a pet.
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Apr 19, 2009 15:48
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Crooked Booty posted:Metronidazole is the standard first choice drug for cats with diarrhea. It has a lot of gut-soothing, anti-diarrheal properties, as well as being effective against bad bacteria and giardia. Not a weird med choice at all. My kitty has started (reluctantly) eating the i/d after I lock him in a room with it for several hours, and I got permission to return him to his normal food tonight since his poop is all normal again. Thanks everyone for the advice!
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Apr 19, 2009 17:01
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In this thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3120759&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=2#post359616683 this was brought up: Saint Sputnik (in GBS) posted:Whatever happened to white dog poop from the '70s? Which made me wonder about it. You hardly see white dog poop these days, were people feeding dogs differently back then?
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Apr 19, 2009 23:56
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RyanNotBrian posted:In this thread: Yes, it was a lot more common then to feed dogs real food instead of kibble and other processed foods. Bones and meat = white dog poop.
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Apr 20, 2009 00:13
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I took the advice of forcing my puppy outside, watching her at all times, taking her out when I think she's sniffing for a spot to go, and taking her out after meals. I've spent probably 6 hours a day over the last 3 days just standing there in the back yard politely saying go pee. All it has resulted in is a puppy who will hold it in while she's outside, to the point where she'll cry until we can go back in, and her feeling the need to sneak off in shame to go poo poo in other parts of the house. I was better off using peepads.
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Apr 20, 2009 01:56
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MC Fruit Stripe posted:I took the advice of forcing my puppy outside, watching her at all times, taking her out when I think she's sniffing for a spot to go, and taking her out after meals. I've spent probably 6 hours a day over the last 3 days just standing there in the back yard politely saying go pee. All it has resulted in is a puppy who will hold it in while she's outside, to the point where she'll cry until we can go back in, and her feeling the need to sneak off in shame to go poo poo in other parts of the house. I was better off using peepads. No you ruined your dog's toilet instincts using peepads. Also, having puppies is hard work and means a lot of time spent outside hanging around waiting for them to poo poo. Hope this helps! larasndar fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Apr 20, 2009 |
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Apr 20, 2009 02:01
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MC Fruit Stripe posted:I took the advice of forcing my puppy outside, watching her at all times, taking her out when I think she's sniffing for a spot to go, and taking her out after meals. I've spent probably 6 hours a day over the last 3 days just standing there in the back yard politely saying go pee. All it has resulted in is a puppy who will hold it in while she's outside, to the point where she'll cry until we can go back in, and her feeling the need to sneak off in shame to go poo poo in other parts of the house. I was better off using peepads. Consistency = results. Have patience.
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Apr 20, 2009 02:03
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dear pet island i taught my dog to pee inside and now it only want to pee inside so thanks thanks............FOR NOTHING.
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Apr 20, 2009 02:03
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Throw a stupid pee pad in your stupid yard or whatever, if you don't have the patience to outwait your dog.
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Apr 20, 2009 02:03
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MC Fruit Stripe posted:I took the advice of forcing my puppy outside, watching her at all times, taking her out when I think she's sniffing for a spot to go, and taking her out after meals. I've spent probably 6 hours a day over the last 3 days just standing there in the back yard politely saying go pee. All it has resulted in is a puppy who will hold it in while she's outside, to the point where she'll cry until we can go back in, and her feeling the need to sneak off in shame to go poo poo in other parts of the house. I was better off using peepads. Think about it this way. You've spent this entire time teaching her to pee in the house. You have only spent 3 days trying to teach her to reverse everything you ever taught her. To her, outside is the wrong place to go. You have housebroken her in the wrong direction. If you're having trouble with her going inside, leash her to your waist and the moment she starts going, don't punish her or yell, just move her outside. You need to be patient and consistent, and try very hard not to get frustrated. Also you probably need to realize that peepads are what started all of this. You trained her to go inside, and so she does. She's a puppy damnit.
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Apr 20, 2009 02:26
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MC Fruit Stripe posted:I was better off using peepads. Yup, you must have been.. oh wise and sage one. Cause everyone else is wrong, and you're nothin' but right. Like everyone else said, you trained your puppy to piss and poop in your house. Its usually a lot easier to initially to train a dog to do something, than to change things up and have different expectations. Its a puppy for crying out loud, its like a little 2 year old trying to figure out what you're expecting of it and it doesn't understand that you want its behavior to change. You need to be consistent, and patient. And you need to correct bad behavior, and replace it with good/acceptable behavior- not just give up like a wimp. Because if you don't, you will regret it. That dog will ruin property value, will lose you security deposits and possibly get you sued for the damage in places you live; UNLESS YOU TRAIN IT TO ELIMINATE IN THE PROPER AREA. And one weekend won't do it. It will take MONTHS of consistent training, asking questions, getting advice, and trying new things; and puppy will probably still have accidents. You are fighting an uphill battle, because the initial training you gave that poor dog was WRONG; that's just the way it is. And its your responsibility to train your dog properly here, not just give up and go back to pee pads. Like Lioness said, take the drat pee pads outside and see if that helps until you don't need to have a peepad outside with the dog. But gradually moving a peepad toward the door leading outside wouldn't do anything. The WHOLE focus for the puppy needs to be eliminating OUTSIDE, not near outside but still inside; its the smells, the sounds, the textures on the dog's feet that the dog will begin to associate with eliminating properly outside. Right now, it sees the inside's sounds, textures, and smells as the place to crap. But go ahead and blow it big time, continue to be consistent with having your dog crap and piss inside. Just don't expect anyone else to live in the filth you will end up in, or to want to buy your place, or for your landlord to not sue you for damages.
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Apr 20, 2009 05:26
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Edit NM, had to post thread.
Burnt Out Case fucked around with this message at 06:52 on Apr 22, 2009 |
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Apr 20, 2009 06:38
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This isn't really an animal question, so much as a pet owning question. How feasible is it to get/own a dog while still in college? I've wanted to get a dog for a very long time, but I've been told to wait until after I'm finished school, when I'll have the time to properly train it and give it more attention. I'm in college now, and I'm not really a party-goer, I prefer to stay in most of the time. I think I would have more time to devote to the dog now than I would after graduating and getting a full-time job. But perhaps I'm being naive, I really don't know. I just want a dog. 
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Apr 20, 2009 23:13
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coolhandsarrah posted:This isn't really an animal question, so much as a pet owning question. How feasible is it to get/own a dog while still in college? I've wanted to get a dog for a very long time, but I've been told to wait until after I'm finished school, when I'll have the time to properly train it and give it more attention. I'm in college now, and I'm not really a party-goer, I prefer to stay in most of the time. I think I would have more time to devote to the dog now than I would after graduating and getting a full-time job. But perhaps I'm being naive, I really don't know. I just want a dog. I can see how you might have more free time now than after you graduate, but time isn't the only issue. I assume you're living off campus. That said, does your lease allow pets? Do they require a pet deposit? When your lease is up and you have to move, are you willing to significantly narrow down your options by only choosing a place that allows dogs? Many places have weight limits, as well as breed restrictions. Do you have a steady source of income, or will your parents be covering all the dogs expenses? How do they feel about this? Could you come up with $500-1500 on short notice for vet bills if there was a serious emergency? What will you do with the dog when you go on vacation, or go home to visit your family? When you graduate and decide to move across the country, will you take the dog with you? When you graduate and don't have a job yet, will you be able to afford a dog? Are you going to decide in 2 years to move to Thailand for a year, or join the peace corps, or study abroad? If after answering these questions honestly, you still believe you're prepared for 10+ years of dog ownership, no matter what life throws at you in the meantime, then sure, look into getting a dog! But you have to adopt from a shelter and post pictures.
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Apr 20, 2009 23:28
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Not a question but a testimony. I had been dealing with a lot of agression/dominance issues from my younger cat, Maxi. Kimi (the other cat) had been living in fear for a couple months now, one fight even resulting in a vet trip due to a torn up shoulder. It always started with play and affection then Max would get overexcited and spazz. I bought a feliway two days ago, and there hasn't been a single fight since. Max is like a different cat. She's still spunky and zoomie, but theres been pretty much no biting, no over-excited psychotic clawings. I saw her watching Kimi and get ready to pounce like she always does, but then she actually stopped, and snuggled into the carpet instead. That has NEVER happened before. Kimi looks less stressed too, I hadn't seen her without the wide-eyed dialated pupils in weeks. I had been putting off buying the feliway for a long time because I didn't think it would work and that's expensive for a gamble. But I think I just bought peace for my household. I even saw them touch noses for the first time in ages. Thanks for the reccommendations PI, I'd have never known about the stuff without you.
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Apr 21, 2009 15:42
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coolhandsarrah posted:This isn't really an animal question, so much as a pet owning question. How feasible is it to get/own a dog while still in college? I've wanted to get a dog for a very long time, but I've been told to wait until after I'm finished school, when I'll have the time to properly train it and give it more attention. I'm in college now, and I'm not really a party-goer, I prefer to stay in most of the time. I think I would have more time to devote to the dog now than I would after graduating and getting a full-time job. But perhaps I'm being naive, I really don't know. I just want a dog. Speaking as a pet-owning college student about to graduate, I would really recommend against a long-term commitment like a dog. What year/major are you? Are you working part-time and earning enough to ensure that your dog gets decent quality care? Or will you feed it cheap crap or pass the financial burden on your parents? Pets are EXPENSIVE, and dogs are as pricey as they come. Plus the time commitment is probably bigger than you think. Even if you're not a party-person, between class, studying, work, and some semblance of a social life, being a student is time-consuming. Plus, do you really want to be tied down by a dog for the next 10-15 years of your life? Chances are, you won't have the stability required to properly care for a dog for at least a few years after you graduate; if you do, you're doing it wrong. Like Captain Booty said, you may decide you want to do study abroad, or a Fulbright, or something other than the "go to work, come home, play with dog" grind. Circumstances change, people change, plans change, but your dog's needs won't. If you really want a pet, you may consider something shorter-lived. That was actually part of my decision to adopt my rats - I didn't want to be tied down for a decade. I don't regret my decision, either. It comes with probably more than its fair share of heartbreak, though; saying goodbye to Dawson two months ago was one of the most painfully sad moments of my life.
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Apr 21, 2009 16:41
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daine posted:So I have a ridiculously cute chinchilla who likes to pick and choose his food. You need to switch to a pellet with no fruit, nuts, or any other additives except plain pellets. Oxbow Pellets are the bomb. Every chin we've gotten has transitioned to it with no problem. Don't forget to try their hay, too, if you haven't already. Kleenmama's Hayloft is another great supplier. You can use her guinea pig pellets for chins, and her bluegrass is always a huge hit.
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Apr 21, 2009 16:45
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coolhandsarrah posted:This isn't really an animal question, so much as a pet owning question. How feasible is it to get/own a dog while still in college? I'll just echo what others have said in telling you to seriously and honestly look at your life path for the next 10 years. College and the immediate aftermath are the most unstable part of any (first world) person's life, and sometimes it's just worth the wait. Even if you don't plan on something like traveling or peace corps or crazy things, you will probably be broke and looking for a job for a while afterwards. You may end up moving across the country. If you are going to school out of state you may end up moving back home. If you meet a significant other they may be allergic to your pet. I waited 2 years after college and I'm very glad I did. I couldn't keep a plant alive in college and I never partied or drank or did much of anything. Having the freedom to up and go anywhere when you want to is wonderful and something to enjoy before you get sucked into the daily grind. Do not under any circumstances get a puppy.
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Apr 21, 2009 18:07
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Ceridwen posted:Here is Zeus sporting his collar and collartag: Is that collar just from petsmart or...? My cat needs collar variety.
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Apr 22, 2009 01:46
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Ozma posted:Is that collar just from petsmart or...? Yea. I only buy the ones with the "Cat Safe" clip, the other type they sell with more squared off clip comes undone too easily and my cats would get out of it while just doing normal activities.
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Apr 22, 2009 02:01
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Yeah, I have one of those safe cat collars only it's some black affair with stars and moons. She was going through a Harry Potter phase.
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Apr 22, 2009 03:39
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I've got a question! I have a new kitten (I even made a separate depressing allergy thread). She's 10 weeks old, and we've had her for one week. She sleeps all the time. I know this is common in kittens, but how much is to much? I remember reading somewhere that you can check for anemia in animals by seeing if their gums are white. I checked hers, and they're pale pink. I know the obvious answer is 'ask a vet', but I want to know if this is serious enough to warrant a separate visit to the vet aside from her normal 12 week shot/check up. She has no fleas (advantage), is free fed HALO all life stage kibble, has been spayed, and sleeps about 18-20 hours a day. Is this nothing to worry about, or should I take her in ASAP?
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Apr 22, 2009 23:17
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Sounds normal to me, my cats sleep a lot, and they did as kittens as well. That said, they made up for it by being crazy while awake.
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Apr 22, 2009 23:20
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Cats can normally sleep for around 18 hours a day, but it varies by age, fitness, and if they've got anything to do all day.
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Apr 23, 2009 00:37
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Helanna posted:they made up for it by being crazy while awake. This. As long as your kitten is rowdy and zooming around when she's awake, this sounds totally normal. As for gum color, ask your vet about it when you go in, but I suspect you're just a paranoid new kitty owner. We've all been there.
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Apr 23, 2009 00:44
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I have a bully, and she has some redirection of aggression issues. Should I post the full question/story here, in the bully megathread, or in an e/n thread by itself? I just don't want to crap on the good bully thread with a possibly negative story (although it may fit one way or another).
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Apr 24, 2009 01:42
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trigger posted:I have a bully, and she has some redirection of aggression issues. Should I post the full question/story here, in the bully megathread, or in an e/n thread by itself? I'd say make your own thread. Superconductor and ZIMS will be there shortly to save you.
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Apr 24, 2009 03:51
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My cat Nachos has had a bad day. He's a 2 year old long hair orange cat, and today he started vomiting white foamy stuff repeatedly (10+ times). He hadn't used his litterbox all day, and he wouldn't eat or drink anything, and even refused a treat which I've never seen him actually do. This kinda freaked me out, so I took him into the vet, and they diagnosed him with spirochetes after taking a swab and prescribed some medication (62.5mg mtronidazole and 100 mg lincomycin twice a day for 10 days). Due to the short notice, I couldn't get in to my usual vet and ended up dealing with another that wasn't very good at explaining all this. I tried some googling but basically found nothing. Anyone know how long till I can expect to see some sort of improvement? My cat is entirely indoor, and the closest he comes to being outside is sitting in the windowsill. No other pets in my apartment, and all the vet mentioned was maybe he caught a mouse. There is basically zero percent chance he found a mouse in my place without me knowing. So I was wondering if anyone with more knowledge than I could maybe give me some sort of idea how my indoor cat ended up with spirochetes, because the vet really under-explained that one. And, for that matter, what the hell are spirochetes (some sort of bacteria?) and what do they do (besides making cats vomit all day) Finally, he's only been on the meds for half a day now, so I'm not expecting him to be better all of a sudden, but he is really pretty miserable. He's moving extremely slow, still won't eat or drink anything, and seems to prefer dark places even more than usual. Anyone with advice on anything I can do to try to make things easier on him, or maybe some tricks to try to get him to drink (worried about dehydration) would be great. I guess that is really a lot of questions, but I'm worried and hope some answers will help me relax. toybux fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Apr 24, 2009 |
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Apr 24, 2009 04:37
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