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I'm about to go on a backpacking trip with my dog and a friend who is very allergic to dogs. I'm renting a car to minimize her allergies (mine is infested with dog hair), but I'm wondering if there's anything else I can do to help her out. Would giving the dog a bath right before we go help out someone who's allergic to dog dander? Any other suggestions?
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# ? May 8, 2009 19:18 |
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# ? May 15, 2024 15:57 |
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Need some advice on buying a pair of grooming clippers for our Maine Coons. One of the cats in particular, Dante, is constantly getting tiny little mats on his chest/underarms and behind his back legs. Also it's starting to get warm out and our apartment gets very warm, so we want to be able to shave his underside both to prevent mats in those trouble spots and to help cool him down. We're looking to spend up to $100 on the clippers, and hopefully not more than that. I would prefer a cordless one because it's hard enough as is to hold the cat down for brushing, but if a cord one is usually better I suppose we'll just have to deal with that
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# ? May 8, 2009 20:05 |
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slowfoot posted:I'm about to go on a backpacking trip with my dog and a friend who is very allergic to dogs. I'm renting a car to minimize her allergies (mine is infested with dog hair), but I'm wondering if there's anything else I can do to help her out. Give the dog a bath, put a tarp down in whatever section of the car the dog will be in, and wash as much of your stuff as possible right before you go - including things like your backpack if you can, and any other stuff that has fabric on it. Your friend can also start taking an OTC seasonal allergy medicine like Allegra or Zyrtec (there will be different names if you're not in the US) once a day, since they help with pet allergies as well as stuff like hayfever. You might want to take them, too - Zyrtec in particular helps mosquito bites not swell up as much or itch as badly. Now that I take giant amounts of that stuff in the summer, my mosquito bites don't become giant welts. And of course bring some Benadryl pills along in case it gets really awful. She can take them right before bed if things get moderately bad (assuming this is a multiday thing...) or in the middle of the day if she's reacting enough that the drowsiness doesn't seem that bad.
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# ? May 8, 2009 22:02 |
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So, my boyfriend has a betta fish he bought on monday petco, and he's concerned about its health. Here's the complaints: mopey chills at bottom skittish not eating 2 days dishevelled fins not "flow-y," a little faded, tiny holes (?) blue streaks in fins turned red And here's what's right: water should be warm-or room temp bowl is especially for bettas fake plants real gravel, no dyes water changed once a week and purifier added. Any help here? He's loving devoted to the little guy, any advice would be appreciated.
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# ? May 8, 2009 23:58 |
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QueenOfTheEyesores posted:bowl is especially for bettas What do you mean by this?
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# ? May 9, 2009 00:01 |
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KilGrey posted:What do you mean by this? well, he bought a bowl sold specifically for use with Betta fish. Basically it's just your everyday round plastic fish bowl.
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# ? May 9, 2009 00:06 |
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QueenOfTheEyesores posted:well, he bought a bowl sold specifically for use with Betta fish. Basically it's just your everyday round plastic fish bowl. Okay, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't one of those tiny, little things they are sold in.
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# ? May 9, 2009 00:08 |
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QueenOfTheEyesores posted:well, he bought a bowl sold specifically for use with Betta fish. Basically it's just your everyday round plastic fish bowl. Eh, even bowls 'especially for' are usually way too small. Not to mention a lack of top means bettas can jump right out, which they are known to do (when they're healthy anyway). I'd say two gallons is minimum, five is better. They're also tropical fish, so they need heating. Usually room temp is too cool unless you keep the room at 78-80 or so. Not sure what those symptoms could mean exactly, but keeping him at the right temp can help at least.
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# ? May 9, 2009 00:43 |
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maplecheese posted:allergy advice Thanks for that!
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# ? May 9, 2009 01:19 |
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Helanna posted:Can anyone recommend good books on dog training? Karen Pryor- Don't Shoot the Dog Jean Donaldson- The Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs William Kohler- The Kohler Method of Dog Training the last is totally old school but interesting. The others are positive and clicker training, throw in something by Ian Dunbar and you have a good library.
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# ? May 9, 2009 01:48 |
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Any advice on how to find a reputable dog training/dog training classes? Our dog has gotten progressively more aggressive around strangers or anyone that enters our home, and we really want to nip this behavior in the butt. We're sure we're doing something wrong but we don't know what it is. Since it's something like biting vs. just basic sit/stay commands we're not sure if a place like Petsmart is right for him or if we'll need something more like in home training. We're in the St. Louis Area - if there's some sort of guide out there of reputable trainers, I'd love to know about it.
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# ? May 9, 2009 04:43 |
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My 6-week old kitten has fleas. He's off to the vet next week for his first health check and probably a deworming, but he's too little for flea treatements and the little buggers are driving me (and him) nuts! I've read that a warm bath with Dawn dish liquid is a kosher way to get rid of fleas- is that true? Why Dawn specifically, since every site I've read seems to mention it by name. I've also recently been made aware of a serious disease called KES, so to ward that off... Meet Dexter!
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# ? May 9, 2009 16:19 |
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Wroughtirony posted:My 6-week old kitten has fleas. He's off to the vet next week for his first health check and probably a deworming, but he's too little for flea treatements and the little buggers are driving me (and him) nuts! A bath will knock some fleas off, but it wont get rid of them. He can have a flea treatment, just a smaller dose. Give your vet a call and ask them how much they recommend. You might have to run him up there really quick to be weighed but it shouldn't cost you anything to do it. Also, soaps like Dawn that aren't formulated for animals can really irritate and dry out their skin but it's okay in a pinch if that's all you have or there is something greasy/oily on them. If you are able to you should try to get your hands on some cat shampoo though. And yes, KES is very serious and I'm glad you headed it off at the pass. He's absolutely adorable.
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# ? May 9, 2009 17:44 |
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Have universal microchip readers become standard or even common in the US yet? I want to get my dog microchipped, but the vets here only have ISO chips, and I want to make sure that she'll be ok when we move.
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# ? May 10, 2009 05:34 |
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My dog scratches at her mouth all the time. She's only 6 months and I'm fairly sure she is teething. Is that what is causing it or could it be something else?
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# ? May 10, 2009 08:28 |
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pragan4 posted:Have universal microchip readers become standard or even common in the US yet? I want to get my dog microchipped, but the vets here only have ISO chips, and I want to make sure that she'll be ok when we move. Microchipping in the US is a complete crapshoot. Some places have universal readers, most don't & some of the readers are vendor specific & won't even read all the info on the chip. Basically, what the vets & shelters use will be specific to your area so the chip you get in Europe might not read once you get over here. If you want specifics, I suggest reading what this Miami vet has to sayabout the microchip situation in the US. She breaks down which chips are most likely to be read by the most scanners. GoreJess fucked around with this message at 14:46 on May 10, 2009 |
# ? May 10, 2009 14:43 |
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auri posted:My dog scratches at her mouth all the time. She's only 6 months and I'm fairly sure she is teething. Is that what is causing it or could it be something else? At 6 months she should be done teething. Either way it will be obvious to you if you take a look.
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# ? May 10, 2009 15:02 |
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Can anyone tell me where to find weighted food bowls? One of our cats has suddenly started knocking around everyone's bowls, and I know it's mentioned in pi a lot, so I figured maybe you guys have a good recommendation.
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# ? May 10, 2009 15:19 |
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Antifederalist posted:My dog has a medium-length two-layer coat and I've noticed that as things warm up she's gotten a bit more lethargic. I was wondering what the consensus was on shaving her down. DONT' DO IT!! What kind of dog is it? How long have you had her, and how old is she? (i.e. Is this your first warm season with her?) It's natural for ANY dog to get lethargic in the heat. Double-coated breeds have those coats because they're natural protection from the elements, and that includes heat. It actually helps them cool down and keeps the sun from hitting their skin. The best thing to do if your dog is blowing coat is to keep up on the shedding by brushing and combing your dog, and bathing your dog every 4-6 weeks, either yourself or by taking your dog to a groomer, until all the undercoat is gone (of course, you're always going to want to keep up on brushing, regardless ) If your dog has a medium coat, I'd say there's no reason to shave it down all together, getting rid of the winter undercoat should be enough. Stickbug posted:Need some advice on buying a pair of grooming clippers for our Maine Coons. I've never groomed a CAT before, but I just wanted to let you know to be very careful if you're going to be doing it yourself. Kitties have very thin skin that nicks easily if you're not careful. With a short blade that you'd probably need to get under mats (probably a #10, but like I said, never groomed a cat, just judging from my cat growing up) you really run the risk of injuring your kitties. If you've never done anything like this before, I'd see if I could find a groomer in the area that would be willing to teach me how to properly use a clipper. Then, after you see what you're going to need in a clipper, and how to handle one, you'll be better off picking one out. I will tell you, though, that $100 might not get you much, and you may want to raise your cap a little bit. Getting a "professional" pair of clippers is much better than getting the consumer ones they sell at places like PetsMart. But, you'll probably want to talk to someone with cat experience. I just can't imagine something without a little power behind it getting through soft kitty fur ok.
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# ? May 10, 2009 15:39 |
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My husband actually used one of those shedding blade thingies they sell for dogs on Charlie, and he absolutely LOVED it. So much so that he ended up with a big bald patch where he was accidentally stripped down to the skin, didn't hurt him at all. He's a shorthair, but I imagine it would work on a long-haired cat. And you wouldn't have the same risks of damaging the skin that you would with a pair of clippers.
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# ? May 10, 2009 20:12 |
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RheaConfused posted:Can anyone tell me where to find weighted food bowls? One of our cats has suddenly started knocking around everyone's bowls, and I know it's mentioned in pi a lot, so I figured maybe you guys have a good recommendation. If you can't find one at the pet store or online, something I did with my old cat was buy a bag of fancy stones at the Dollar Store. They were made of glass and used to put in clear flower vases for decoration. Once a week I'd take them out and give them a quick wash to make sure they weren't getting scummy. They weighted the bowl down and come an a bunch of different colors. I know a bunch of people here use the Drinkwell fountains and I was wondering about how much water does it store? I have two cats and a dog and it seems I'm constantly getting them more water and I worry from the pictures I've seen of the fountains online that they aren't that big. Would one work for two kitties and a dog? GoreJess posted:If you want specifics, I suggest reading what this Miami vet has to sayabout the microchip situation in the US. She breaks down which chips are most likely to be read by the most scanners. I'm really annoyed AVID wouldn't participate in this. All my animals have AVID chips and now I'm nervous. Is it possible to have two chips put into your animals? Like a back up at a different frequency in case the first one doesn't work/the shelter doesn't have a universal scanner?
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# ? May 11, 2009 03:16 |
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KilGrey posted:
We have 3 cats and we had to refill ours about once a week. I don't know about with a dog though. I've searched online for weighted pet bowl and other variations with no luck so far (for cats, not dogs). RheaConfused fucked around with this message at 04:01 on May 11, 2009 |
# ? May 11, 2009 03:57 |
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hey my cat just took an interest in eating cooked egg yolk. Should I stop him?
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# ? May 11, 2009 08:12 |
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KilGrey posted:
I have the drinkwell premium and the thing is huge, it probably holds like a big milkjug of water and it's very very heavy when full. I have 2 cats and have never had to refill mine, I wash it once a month and just fill it back up then.
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# ? May 11, 2009 09:31 |
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ChairmanMeow posted:I have the drinkwell premium and the thing is huge, it probably holds like a big milkjug of water and it's very very heavy when full. I have 2 cats and have never had to refill mine, I wash it once a month and just fill it back up then. Does that have the reservoir attachment? I have the normal Drinkwell fountain and it holds about 4 pint glasses' worth of water. Mine also starts to get a little dirty after 2 weeks so that's as long as I let it go before cleaning it out. In between cleanings I just dump a glass of water in every other day or so (one of my cats never drinks from fountain only from bathtub tap he's wierd).
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# ? May 11, 2009 11:36 |
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^yes it has a big clear reservoir thing on the back, and the middle part stores water also. this is it, it came with a thing to grow grass in it also, that seemed odd to me, i don't see where it says the actual water amount it holds though. but it gets like a little bit slimy (for me) after about a month so i change it then, well before it runs out, the back is about half empty then, maybe more. a lot probably depends on your water quality, how often your animals put their toys in it, if they eat dry or canned and the like http://www.petco.com/product/102336/Drinkwell-Platinum-Pet-Fountain.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch ChairmanMeow fucked around with this message at 12:31 on May 11, 2009 |
# ? May 11, 2009 12:22 |
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KilGrey posted:
If you're really worried about it, you can certainly have them chipped again. Cambria got chipped for free by the Petsmart vet at some pet festival & they always put in two chips. So she has the ISO chip & some other US frequency chip in her back.
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# ? May 11, 2009 12:44 |
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My dog doesn't like chew toys. Any suggestions?
Optimus_Rhyme fucked around with this message at 15:53 on May 11, 2009 |
# ? May 11, 2009 15:24 |
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KilGrey posted:
I have the reservoir for my Drinkwell, and I refill it every other day. I also have four cats and live in a dry climate. I clean it once a week; it seems to get too much schmutz in it (dust, flying fur, etc) otherwise. But the refilling every other day works really nicely for me.
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# ? May 11, 2009 16:09 |
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One of my cats covers his food dish. Every time. It doesn't matter what with. It looks like he's trying to bury his food for later, but he covers it with random poo poo. Like, a coke bottle. It's cute but annoying. Any suggestions? Also I have the same problem as above with water dishes - I got one with a reservoir but Tuck (the burying cat) tries to use the water dish to cover his food and it results in him getting soaked and large puddles of water in our kitchen. Weighted would definitely be nice. I would like to see a weighted reservoir dish, but he can probably knock that over anyway.
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# ? May 11, 2009 20:22 |
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Myrddin Emrys posted:It looks like he's trying to bury his food for later This is exactly it. Instinct to hide his food from other animals so he can come munchy later. I haven't managed to break one of my cats of this habit.
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# ? May 11, 2009 23:23 |
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Helanna posted:This is exactly it. Instinct to hide his food from other animals so he can come munchy later. Well he's got dumb instincts then, coke bottles are clear, scavengers can see right through!
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# ? May 11, 2009 23:39 |
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Myrddin Emrys posted:One of my cats covers his food dish. Every time. It doesn't matter what with. It looks like he's trying to bury his food for later, but he covers it with random poo poo. Like, a coke bottle. Yeah my dog does this. It started when we got a kitten and the kitten thought it was loads of fun to snitch kibbles of dog food to play with. She started putting stuff in her bowl to hide it from the other animals in the house. She often will pull the dish towel off the oven handle and use that, or if she finds a piece of paper she'll shred it and then put the shredded parts in the bowl. What's really annoying about it is that she then can't figure out how to get to her food so she stands there and barks at the bowel until one of use goes over to remove the paper. The kicker was the day she decided to 'bury' the water and found a piece of paper, shredded it and then put it all in the water dish. That was fun pulling out a soggy paper mess. The cats were also very confused. Thankfully she only did that once. Since it's an instinct thing you can't really 'train' it out. We've taken to making sure there is never bits of paper or garbage that makes it to the floor, the dish towel is up high were she can't get to it etc. Something a friend did was get a cardboard box and taped the flaps down and put the bowel back in the box. The dog felt like his food was more 'hidden' back in this make shift den. My dog is to much of a wuss to ever go into a box to eat though so YMMV.
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# ? May 12, 2009 01:46 |
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I started doing some volunteer work for a local cat shelter this week; today was my first day. They have an ungodly amount of kittens there at the moment, so I at least had fun getting to sit around helping to socialise them after the cleaning stuff was all done However, there was one little tabby kitty, about a year old, who stole my heart She is completely deaf and brain damaged; wobbles her head around a lot, has her tongue stuck out, and looks hilarius when eating. However she was one of the most affectionate cats I've ever met, and that includes my own little lovebugs, and the mummy cats in the shelter who were all pleased for some attention. I had to try so hard not to take off with her at hometime See, the problem is, she's FIV positive. The cattery manager told me it's not an issue, and that 2 of her FIV+ cats live with her other cats, and it hasn't transferred in the last 5 years or something. But, everything I've read suggested that's incredibly risky? I don't want to do anything that could risk my own kitties - as it is, when I got home, the shoes were left in the car and all clothes stripped and into a high temperature wash. Hands were sterilised before getting home, and I hopped straight into a hot shower. I'm a little phobic considering the cattery don't have any airborn diseases floating around as far as they're aware But I want her so bad... At least I can go and keep her company regularly, and one of her litter mates is a bit nervous and overgrooming because of stress, so she needs some attention too. Really hoping I can persuade some colleagues to come visit and adopt her if I can't
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# ? May 12, 2009 14:51 |
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Helanna posted:But, everything I've read suggested that's incredibly risky? I don't want to do anything that could risk my own kitties - as it is, when I got home, the shoes were left in the car and all clothes stripped and into a high temperature wash. Hands were sterilised before getting home, and I hopped straight into a hot shower. I'm a little phobic considering the cattery don't have any airborn diseases floating around as far as they're aware = You can't transfer FIV to them, it's only transferable through things like deep bite wounds. There is a lot of unnecessary fear about FIV. Many cats with it live long, healthy lives with other cats and never give it to them. If your cats are up to date on their shots and they don't get into any fights where the cat bites the hell out of them they'll never get it. It's not risky like people make it sound. Chances are that poor little kitty is going to have a drat hard time finding a home due to the mental issues, but more over the FIV thanks to all the rumors surrounding it. It's not the death sentence people make it out to be either. I had a cat that lived to 20 being FIV+. Edit: FIV Facts
2. FIV is a cat-only disease and cannot be spread to humans or other non-felines. 3. FIV cats most often live long, healthy, and relatively normal lives with no symptoms at all. 4. FIV is not easily passed between cats. It cannot be spread casually - like in litter boxes, water and food bowls, or when snuggling and playing. It is rarely spread from a mother to her kittens. 5. The virus can be spread through blood transfusions, badly infected gums, or serious, penetrating bite wounds. (Bite wounds of this kind are extremely rare, except in free-roaming, unneutered tomcats.) 6. A neutered cat, in a home, is extremely unlikely to infect other cats, if properly introduced. 7. Many vets are not educated about FIV since the virus was only discovered 15 years ago. 8. FIV-positive cats should be kept as healthy as possible. Keep them indoors and free from stress, feed them a high-quality diet, keep and treat any secondary problems as soon as they arise. KilGrey fucked around with this message at 15:43 on May 12, 2009 |
# ? May 12, 2009 15:38 |
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Helanna posted:I had to try so hard not to take off with her at hometime See, the problem is, she's FIV positive. The cattery manager told me it's not an issue, and that 2 of her FIV+ cats live with her other cats, and it hasn't transferred in the last 5 years or something. FIV is really only transmitted from deep bite wounds. I've worked for several rescues who let FIV+ cats mix with healthy cats, and they've never had an issue either, despite the fact that when lots of cats mix, there are inevitable scuffles involving teeth. It also doesn't sound like that kitten is the type to bite a bunch of cats really hard. In adopting an FIV+ cat, especially one with so many other health problems, I would just be worried about affording a lot of extra trips to the vet. As for diseases, the two things I would worry about bringing home to my cats from work are upper respiratory infections and ringworm. I used to be really careful about keeping my cats away from any clothing I worked in, but I've gotten lazier over the years, and they still have never gotten sick. But I've gotten ringworm... just not my cats. KilGrey posted:If your cats are up to date on their shots... Maybe this isn't what you meant, but the FIV vaccine is pretty sketchy in my opinion.
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# ? May 12, 2009 15:44 |
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KilGrey posted:If your cats are up to date on their shots and they don't get into any fights where the cat bites the hell out of them they'll never get it. Crooked Booty posted:there are inevitable scuffles involving teeth. It also doesn't sound like that kitten is the type to bite a bunch of cats really hard. In adopting an FIV+ cat, especially one with so many other health problems, I would just be worried about affording a lot of extra trips to the vet. All my cats are up to date on every shot the vets advises; I take them in once a year and instruct the vet to give them a shot for everything that they need. The reason I worry about the fighting thing is that lately two of my cats have been fighting quite a bit. Like, screaming fur flying fights where I have to run upstairs and seperate them. It's been ongoing a while lately, and while I've never noticed blood dripping anywhere after these fights (and they do make up and groom each other later...) I have noticed scabs from the fights on them occasionally. I'm pretty certain the little brain damaged girl wouldn't be starting any fights (she's way too dumb for that, she just loves everything that moves) I just worry that one of my existing cats might pick a fight with her and then contract FIV. As far as the cost of vet bills go, I'm certainly able to handle that. I wouldn't even be considering it if I couldn't afford it, but I have a very stable job even in the economy these days, and all my cats and ferrets get regular vet treatment and premium food without it causing me any financial difficulty. I also have a great credit rating and am regularly offered credit if I should need it for emergency vet bills. Essentially, animals is my main hobby so I spend a lot of my spare time and money on them. Hence how I've ended up working 4 days a week, 40 hours for my "real" job, then 2 mornings a week at a cat shelter and 1 day off! Want her... Of course, the fiancé told me I was having no more cats (particularly with the puppy arriving June 1st, which is going to be hard work) but as much as I knew working in a shelter was going to be hard, I didn't think I would have my heart stolen that quickly. My bengal is very territorial as well, which is a consideration. I think she'll go nuts if I bring home another female cat. Then again, disabled kitty is only a kitten herself really. I think I'll have to spend lots of time with her for the next while, and see if I can get my fiancé up there for a look (he's going to be doing some photography for the charity, so should be easy enough!) and see what he thinks. Apparently even the cute healthy kittens are hard to get adopted out in this area. The ferals are just neutered/released because there's no space or time to try socialise them. Poor kitty doesn't have much of a hope of adoption given that she's brain damaged, deaf and FIV positive. In the meantime though, she's got a nice setup with a heated indoor area and a big outdoor patio to play in, and 4 other FIV cats in with her. Edit: My vet said under no conditions should I take her in with my healthy cats if she's positive. On the other hand, he also said that the snap test that the shelter do isn't 100% and can flag up positive if she was just exposed to it, but isn't necessarily actually positive. The not-so-great thing is that it will cost me a couple of hundred to get the full testing done if I want it. My fiancé, bless him, immediately offered that we could pay for it if I want to, which was a big shock to me. I thought he was pretty much against the idea, let alone paying hundreds for a test that could still come up positive and hence mean we can't take her So, I'm considering it. Eventually, I probably will fork out the money for it. I can't shake the thought that she could be negative and stuck in a cage all her life because nobody ever pays for the full test to be done TLDR: working in cat shelter, cat who is possibly FIV positive has stolen my heart and I would need to pay €€€ to get her tested to be sure because my vet said I can't have her if she really is positive. Helanna fucked around with this message at 18:49 on May 12, 2009 |
# ? May 12, 2009 15:56 |
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Stickbug posted:Need some advice on buying a pair of grooming clippers for our Maine Coons. I recently decided to have my Maine Coon sheared down for summer because he is not shedding his back half at all and he's ripping out the front half. I thought about doing it myself with some awesome quality shears made for horses (as they also have delicate skin in places). However, I also priced having the local vet do it for $90 - sedation plus shearing. (They said they wouldn't do anything fancy, but they'd cut out the mats and shorten the coat.) Then, I decided to see if a groomer would do it, but every single one wanted a pre-sedated cat. I asked a few groomers if they would do a shear without sedation and I either got "Haha, no." or some variation on "Stop trying to get around the rules." drat, I was just asking. Long story short, if your cat has any sort of attitude at all, I would not suggest shearing them yourself. Between attitude and thin skin, apparently cats can be kind of a nightmare to shear.
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# ? May 12, 2009 19:22 |
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Helanna puppies are such assholes, you are going to be so busy soon, maybe wait and see how new puppy settles in with the existing cats?
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# ? May 12, 2009 19:54 |
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# ? May 15, 2024 15:57 |
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A little late, but thanks for the responses about the cat-clipper idea. I wouldn't waste my money on a pair from petsmart or petco, I actually know a really awesome shop that sells professional grooming supplies and even show leads etc. so I had planned on getting them there. I've heard the same thing before about cat's skin being really thin and it being dangerous, but I think it would be less dangerous than having to use scissors to try and cut the mats out. I managed to get most of his tiny mats out now though and trimmed the fur in his problem spots, so I think I'll just try to keep up with that to avoid the problem all together.
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# ? May 12, 2009 21:30 |