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IDemandSatisfaction posted:Probably asked a million times, but how to I get my cat to stop using my chair for a scratching post? I've tried the obvious idea of putting the actual scratching post next to the chair, but he seems to like the chair better. Put double sided tape where the cat is scratching. They don't like it and will go looking for other things to scratch, hopefully the tree you said you already have.
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Oct 19, 2009 09:22
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Victor Nightingale posted:Put double sided tape where the cat is scratching. They don't like it and will go looking for other things to scratch, hopefully the tree you said you already have. Thanks. I'll try this when I get home.
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Oct 19, 2009 14:26
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IDemandSatisfaction posted:Thanks. I'll try this when I get home. Also rub the scratching post with a little catnip and maybe sprinkle a treat or two around it just for extra incentive.
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Oct 19, 2009 18:27
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Are there any "cat safe" houseplants? I'd love some green stuff in my place, but I don't want to poison my cat if he decides to munch on it.
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Oct 20, 2009 00:39
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BLOG KING posted:Are there any "cat safe" houseplants? I'd love some green stuff in my place, but I don't want to poison my cat if he decides to munch on it. Whenever I look at the lists of unsafe plants, I wonder if it would just be simpler to list the safe ones instead. That and I don't know the names of any plants so it becomes a cross referencing nightmare. Seconding this request for a list of nice and safe houseplants. edit: Is this list trustworthy? http://www.catscans.com/plants.htm edit2: fuuuuuuuuck, these are all herbs
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Oct 20, 2009 02:38
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BLOG KING posted:Are there any "cat safe" houseplants? I'd love some green stuff in my place, but I don't want to poison my cat if he decides to munch on it. Yeah, I got some 'cat safe' plants for ya. Alternately, there are some grasses and stuff that you can grow inside specificly for cats. Wheat grass, lemon grass, etc. There was a thread a while back about it, but it's probably archived by now.
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Oct 21, 2009 00:53
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dee eight posted:Yeah, I got some 'cat safe' plants for ya. I don't know about BLOG KING, but I'm looking for something more decorative that will probably get mangled, but was really meant to just look pretty 
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Oct 21, 2009 01:08
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geetee posted:I don't know about BLOG KING, but I'm looking for something more decorative that will probably get mangled, but was really meant to just look pretty Kitty grasses might be enough of a distraction so that the pretty stuff won't get mangled. Depends on your cat's temperment, I guess.
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Oct 21, 2009 01:14
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dee eight posted:Kitty grasses might be enough of a distraction so that the pretty stuff won't get mangled. Depends on your cat's temperment, I guess. The "might" is the scary part  I don't care if the plants get shredded to poo poo, but getting sick from eating said plants is not an option.
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Oct 21, 2009 06:06
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BLOG KING posted:Are there any "cat safe" houseplants? I'd love some green stuff in my place, but I don't want to poison my cat if he decides to munch on it. Here's the SPCA list.
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Oct 21, 2009 16:09
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geetee posted:The "might" is the scary part I certainly don't mean 'get toxic stuff' and use grass as a decoy. Sorry if it sounded otherwise.
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Oct 21, 2009 21:07
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About six months ago, I got a spayed female short-hair from a no-kill shelter. She's about two years old now, an indoor cat and very sweet. The problem is that while I've been feeding her the dry stuff they were giving her at the shelter and which they recommended (I also give her wet food once a week or so), she seems to have a problem keeping it down. She barfs a little less than once a day, but I don't think she goes more than two or three days without puking. Since it's about time for a visit, I'm going to take her to the vet for a checkup soon and I'm going to ask about this, but I thought I'd ask PI what you guys might think is ailing her. She's my only pet and I have one litter box for her. I feed her Science Diet dry and have a water bowl with a pump to keep hair out of her water and keep it flowing. EDIT: I just found the Pet Nutrition thread and I see Science Diet is not great. I'm going to switch her to something a little higher grade and see if that helps. stray fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Oct 22, 2009 |
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Oct 22, 2009 16:07
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Maybe she's sensitive to corn? I'm the proud owner of a regular puker myself, but I noticed that when I got corn-free food Professor's puking went down to once a month or so. He still eats too fast sometimes and gets sick sometimes, but if I have to do an emergency run to get food with any sort of corn in it Professor goes right back to throwing up once or twice a day. He's on Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul dry food right now and that's given me the best results. California Natural worked really well too, but CSftCLS is the best I've found.
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Oct 22, 2009 16:11
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Just got a new kitten the other day, a second Calico, and she's doing fine so far. I'm a little worried about the older cat, though. She's about a year and a half old and has anxiety problems, ie, she hates everyone but me. I'm thinking she may have been separated from her mother too early. Usually she's a bit stand-offish (or a complete bitch, depending on who you ask), so I asked my vet if she would take well to a kitten and he gave me a go ahead. Things aren't going too well. She's growling constantly and hissing at the kitten. She's normally grumpy, but never scratches or bites and I'm really not sure if she's afraid of the kitten or being territorial. Is it normal for a cat to respond aggressively like this to a kitten? I've been keeping the old cat in my basement while I'm out to work for safety, but I'm not sure if this is totally necessary. I just assume better safe than sorry. Is there anything I can do to help out here? How long can it take a cat to warm up if it acts like this, if ever? I'll be asking the vet this Friday when I take the kitten in, but I want to make sure I'm doing things right before this. *Edit: Started reading some older posts in here and found one about cat introductions. Seems to be more for older cats, might be the same for kittens but I really have no clue. The vet said that there aren't usually problems with kittens. He lied. King Chicken fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Oct 27, 2009 |
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Oct 27, 2009 06:24
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Year and a half old isn't really a kitten anymore, so I would treat the introduction like you would with an adult cat. Give a slow reintroduction a try and see how it goes. edit: To expand on my 5:30 am still-sleepy post, I have dealt with a truly bitchy cat and introduction of a kitten, just this past year. Lucy is a 5 year old orange girl, and very possessive over me. Luna came into our lives back in February or March, and it was definitely very slow going with the two ladies (I have two male cats as well and they adapted to Luna with little issue). At first they hissed and swatted each other at every opportunity. It took about a month for them to be okay being in the same room, and at least another month to tolerate being at the food dishes at the same time, etc. Now, seven or so months later, they can sleep on the same piece of furniture without getting angry at each other, though cuddling doesn't happen. Basically, I'm just trying to say, don't get discouraged if it's slow going with your girls. Fire In The Disco fucked around with this message at 14:56 on Oct 27, 2009 |
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Oct 27, 2009 13:27
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King Chicken posted:has anxiety problems, ie, she hates everyone but me. This is sometimes just what having a calico is like, too... Seconding try a proper introduction. Kitten introductions cause fewer problems in general because they're less actively threatening, but on the other hand 1) they can be annoying little bitches and 2) your first cat make take a new kitten's presence as a threat to her dominance anyway, since it'll be a grown up cat soon enough. Your vet wasn't LYING, exactly, since kittens ARE easier to deal with than two adults, but less optimism is generally more realistic when it comes to cat intros. A bitchy cat can go two ways that I've seen, when they meet a new cat: first, they can continue to be bitchy and either attack or hide from the new one. Second, it turns out they just hate people, and they love having a new friend their own size to beat the poo poo out of (ahem, but in a friendly manner). The first situation really sucks so I hope yours is the latter, and with a kitten, it is more likely.
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Oct 27, 2009 14:28
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Two basic questions: 1) Around when do cats stop growing? My kitties are 6-7 months old and they still don't really look like adult cats to me, but some sites I've read say they often stop growing around this time. 2) I feed my cats 3 meals a day. However, even as early as 10 minutes later, they'll often be begging for food again . . . would feeding two bigger meals help with this perhaps? Or is being a whiny wannabe fatty normal?
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Oct 28, 2009 04:33
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HondaCivet posted:Two basic questions: I fully expect my 8 month old kittens to grow a bit more. Seems like my older cat stopped getting bigger around 10 months-ish, but continued to fill out until 2 years-ish. And some cats, like Maine Coons, are known to not mature until 4 years or so.
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Oct 28, 2009 19:06
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HondaCivet posted:Two basic questions: 1) Depends on the cat, yeah. Even if they don't get much bigger, they might sort of grow into their faces & ears and look less like kittens. They tend to look sort of wirier and sleeker when they're young, even if they're adult sized. My Toby still has ginormous eyes though and he is about 3 2) Being a whiny wannabe fatty can be normal. Why not just feed them twice a day then? If they're going to whine anyway you may as well make the schedule easier on yourself.
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Oct 28, 2009 20:07
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Kinda related to HondaCivet's question, my kittens are almost 7 months old but I've been free-feeding them for the past two months because I was told that kittens should be free-fed since they're growing and stupidly active. Is there a point where I should consider putting them on a more fixed feeding schedule or is free-feeding alright if they don't really seem to be turning into round formless furry blobs?
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Oct 29, 2009 02:30
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I still free feed and my cats are over 3, because they don't over eat.
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Oct 29, 2009 02:34
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Eej posted:Kinda related to HondaCivet's question, my kittens are almost 7 months old but I've been free-feeding them for the past two months because I was told that kittens should be free-fed since they're growing and stupidly active. Is there a point where I should consider putting them on a more fixed feeding schedule or is free-feeding alright if they don't really seem to be turning into round formless furry blobs? Like ChairmanMeow's cats, many cats don't eat more than they need (my cats are this way too). What I would do is wait until they're over a year old, and start watching them. If they start to put on weight without growing in body length to match it, you might want to transition to set meals. If they do fine, they can probably handle being free fed. My cats are free fed dry food and get an "appetizer" of wet food in the morning, because they won't eat more than a 1/4 can each anyway.
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Oct 29, 2009 02:52
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If you notice your cats are beginning to over-eat or are starting to get chunky, then stop free-feeding. While one of my cats regulates herself and is highly active, the other one pigs out on everyone's food and is a porker. So both of my cats eat on a schedule.
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Oct 29, 2009 02:56
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Eej posted:Kinda related to HondaCivet's question, my kittens are almost 7 months old but I've been free-feeding them for the past two months because I was told that kittens should be free-fed since they're growing and stupidly active. Is there a point where I should consider putting them on a more fixed feeding schedule or is free-feeding alright if they don't really seem to be turning into round formless furry blobs? Yeah, it's fine if they aren't obsessed with food like my cats seem to be. I just took mine off of free feeding because the vet said they were starting to get fat.  I think they'd be basketballs by now if I wouldn't have done that. Edit: FTR they are healthy weights right now, I never let them lard up in the first place.
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Oct 29, 2009 08:39
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I recently adopted a two-year-old cat from the local shelter. She's an absolutely adorable sweetheart, and she adores everybody in the house. This becomes a problem because I work full-time and so do my parents, and I wasn't aware she was such a clingy/affectionate cat. The introduction of another cat is, right now, not an option. Is there anything I can do to minimize my cat's loneliness during the times when nobody is home? Should I even worry? I plan on getting her a friend once I move out in a year and a half. I apologize if this has been asked already but I've been through the thread and can't remember what's been said.
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Oct 29, 2009 13:25
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If another cat is not an option, probably not. Does she actually seem lonely? Maybe she'd like to have the radio on so she can hear people talking (I think this is more to make us humans feel better though, honestly). Otherwise, does she have a cat tree and a good, exciting window to look out of? Those will go a long way for making her life interesting even when her people aren't home. She'll still probably be very in need of attention when you get home, but at least you won't need to worry that she's bored.
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Oct 29, 2009 15:01
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I've only had her a short time now so it could be that she's just having a weird time adjusting to her new house, I guess. Tonight she was meowing like crazy and leading me to her litterbox, scuffing around in there, and running around like an insane thing. Is there something the matter with my cat or is she just weird? I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little concerned.
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Oct 30, 2009 01:38
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"Running around like an insane thing" is normal, especially for cats who don't have anyone to play with so they have to let off energy on their own. My cat used to do that all the time; now he still does, but it's because there's another cat chasing him. The meowing isn't that weird either, though the leading you to her litterbox is not something I've heard of. Do you scoop it every day? Could you maybe dedicate a half hour or hour to playing with her every day? Not even necessarily all at once, just spend 15 minutes here and there helping her use up that extra energy.
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Oct 30, 2009 01:47
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I've been scooping it every day, yes. She seems to have calmed down some, now. She just wanted to explore more of the house and play some more. I've been playing with her a lot, but I think she's just a very energetic cat. I'm glad the litterbox thing wasn't a warning sign of some kind. Thanks for the advice, this is my first time actually owning my own cat and I just want to do things right.
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Oct 30, 2009 03:36
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That is good of you. You have forgotten one vitally important element of cat ownership though. pics plz
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Oct 30, 2009 03:59
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HondaCivet posted:Yeah, it's fine if they aren't obsessed with food like my cats seem to be. I just took mine off of free feeding because the vet said they were starting to get fat. I'm free-feeding mine dry food during the day with wet food at night, and everytime I come home for lunch or go anywhere near the kitchen at night, the youngest starts crying his little eyes out to be fed despite the fact that there's a bottomless bowl of dry food in there. When I do open the wet food in the evening, he tries to shove the can (as well as the hand holding it) out of the way the second a drop of food touches the bowl, going absolutely bonkers. I had to get a second bowl and move it across the room to feed the other cat, since he would not leave her alone. Is this something I should be worried about, or should I just accept that he's just a gluttonous, whiny little hog? Obligatory pics; in both war and peace  
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Oct 30, 2009 04:36
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While off the topic of free feeding, what's up with cats and laptops? My kitten will do ANYTHING to get on the laptop's keyboard and lay down on it. I can do a lot of things to get him off, but he loves that keyboard. I also see a lot of pictures with cats on laptops, so I can only imagine it's a common cat thing.
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Oct 30, 2009 04:57
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I think it's a mix of them throwing a lot of heat and you looking at them. Mostly you looking at them.
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Oct 30, 2009 04:59
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I'm curious to hear about people's experience with cats and wall-to-wall carpet. I'm in the process of moving into a new (old) apartment and need to decide between refinishing the floors + area rugs or carpeting everything. My preference is wall-to-wall carpet, but if it's going to be destroyed, I rather not spend the money.
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Oct 30, 2009 05:55
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geetee posted:I'm curious to hear about people's experience with cats and wall-to-wall carpet. I'm in the process of moving into a new (old) apartment and need to decide between refinishing the floors + area rugs or carpeting everything. My preference is wall-to-wall carpet, but if it's going to be destroyed, I rather not spend the money. It depends on the cat. My last set never bothered to claw the carpet, but my current cats sometimes get confused and scratch the carpet instead of their posts. Usually they use their posts though, so I keep a few around the house. If you're worried about vomit/etc. stains, just get a can of Spot Shot.
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Oct 30, 2009 12:53
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exactduckwoman posted:That is good of you. You have forgotten one vitally important element of cat ownership though.  Here's the little troublemaker. Her name is Dagny. I have this thing with female cats and old lady names. I do have another question: She doesn't seem to be eating much at all. At first I was mixing a little bit of new food in with her old food, and she wasn't eating it, so I decided I'd feed her her old food for a few more weeks before attempting to switch her over. (I figured she was already stressed enough without her digestive system bothering her, too.) Now she has a bowl full of her old food (Iams, which the shelter gave to me when I adopted her) and she's barely touched it at all since last night. She nibbles, but doesn't seem to have much of an appetite. A part of me thinks it's just that she's still adjusting (it's only been about three days since she came home) but I'm worried about this, since she's already a tiny little thing. I promise to quit flooding the kitty thread now.
No fucked around with this message at 13:58 on Oct 30, 2009 |
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Oct 30, 2009 13:52
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No posted:
Cats can be VERY finnicky about their food when you try and change it. I had an old cat who refused to eat anything but Meow Mix. She would sit infront of a full bowl of much higher quality food and howl until we filled it up with the crap. They are stubborn bastards, and she may be a bit irritated that you tried to pull a fast one on her. It also could just be adjusting. When a cat is brought into a new home, it's not uncommon for them to not eat for a day or two. Keep a close eye on her and run her to the vet if she doesn't seem to show any interest in food within the next day or two, but the fact that she's eating a little bit now is a good sign. I see you got her from a shelter - it's pretty common for new arrivals from shelters to also have an upper respiratory infection, which can make it hard for them to smell their food and thus less likely to eat. If you see her coughing, sneezing, gunky eyes, or wheezing take her to the vet. Edit: also, more pics please she's gorgeous
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Oct 30, 2009 16:32
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Xerin posted:While off the topic of free feeding, what's up with cats and laptops? My kitten will do ANYTHING to get on the laptop's keyboard and lay down on it. I can do a lot of things to get him off, but he loves that keyboard. I also see a lot of pictures with cats on laptops, so I can only imagine it's a common cat thing. In their case I'm pretty sure it's the heat; they either sit there or on this fleece blanket we have. Or on the UPS in my office  Much blasting with the canned air usually ensues
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Oct 30, 2009 19:40
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:I'm free-feeding mine dry food during the day with wet food at night, and everytime I come home for lunch or go anywhere near the kitchen at night, the youngest starts crying his little eyes out to be fed despite the fact that there's a bottomless bowl of dry food in there. My cats act around food pretty much how you described your dude acting around wet food . . . Firstly, separate bowls are almost always a good thing, especially if at least one of the cats is a big jerk. As for that rear end in a top hat behavior, I have been trying to see if I could train my cats to be less frantic when I feed them. I'll fill up their bowls and if they start meowing or jumping on things, I set the bowls on the counter and wait for them to calm down again. It seems to be helping a bit although I'm sure it'll take a long time to really get it down, if that ever happens. Maybe try refusing to set his food down for him until he calms down a bit?
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Oct 30, 2009 23:31
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HondaCivet posted:My cats act around food pretty much how you described your dude acting around wet food . . . Firstly, separate bowls are almost always a good thing, especially if at least one of the cats is a big jerk. As for that rear end in a top hat behavior, I have been trying to see if I could train my cats to be less frantic when I feed them. I'll fill up their bowls and if they start meowing or jumping on things, I set the bowls on the counter and wait for them to calm down again. It seems to be helping a bit although I'm sure it'll take a long time to really get it down, if that ever happens. Maybe try refusing to set his food down for him until he calms down a bit? NILIF for cats? I never had this problem, per se, but I did have issues with one of the cats bolting food then throwing it up. When I started making them do tricks for individual kibble for about five minutes before I gave them food, they settled down since they weren't ravenous.
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Oct 30, 2009 23:48
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