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She's heeeeeerrrreeeee. And keeps making stinky farts. But responded to the "that is my hand, not a chew toy" yelp. Apparently when I was a kid and we got our cats I would bite them back if they bit me, but I think I'm too old to get away with that now. I want to call her Seven because I'm lazy and that's the date.
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Nov 7, 2009 13:23
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Ok so I'm having an issue with a friend of mine. She adopted a kitten (named Kitty) from a shelter a few months ago (and apparently this shelter was awful because Kitty was full of worms when taken home) and is now moving into a different apartment that doesn't allow cats. She's only going to be staying there for about 6 months until school is out and will then find a more permanent place that allows cats. In the meantime she's looking for a babysitter. Kitty is vaccinated, but isn't spayed. My friend has apparently found someone to watch Kitty, but the lady will only take her if she ISN'T spayed because she wants kittens. I kind of went a little nuts on my friend telling her that it's a terrible idea and not to do it, but she seems pretty nonchalant about the whole situation. Any advice on how to 1)convince her to spay Kitty in the first place and 2)convince her that letting Kitty have a litter this early is terrible? I would be more than happy to watch her myself, but my boyfriend has a zero-tolerance allergy to cats.
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Nov 8, 2009 18:33
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rear end Crackers! posted:Kitty There are a lot of good reasons to spay/neuter, not the least of which is your fertile kitty womb is making the shelter too loving crowded.* I'll let the pros weigh in on health/other reasons and suggest that a spay/neuter section be added to the FAQ. *Not yours, specificly, I'm making a joke.
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Nov 8, 2009 19:50
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I'm all for adding a section if someone wants to do the write-up!
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Nov 8, 2009 20:02
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dee eight posted:There are a lot of good reasons to spay/neuter, not the least of which is your fertile kitty womb is making the shelter too loving crowded.* Yeah I know it's something she seriously needs to do, and a section in the faq would be great. Then I could just show her the whole thread, because I'm pretty sure Kitty was an impulse purchase and really isn't getting everything she needs :\
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Nov 8, 2009 20:59
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rear end Crackers! posted:Ok so I'm having an issue with a friend of mine. She adopted a kitten (named Kitty) from a shelter a few months ago (and apparently this shelter was awful because Kitty was full of worms when taken home) and is now moving into a different apartment that doesn't allow cats. She's only going to be staying there for about 6 months until school is out and will then find a more permanent place that allows cats. In the meantime she's looking for a babysitter. Kitty is vaccinated, but isn't spayed. My friend has apparently found someone to watch Kitty, but the lady will only take her if she ISN'T spayed because she wants kittens. I kind of went a little nuts on my friend telling her that it's a terrible idea and not to do it, but she seems pretty nonchalant about the whole situation. Any advice on how to 1)convince her to spay Kitty in the first place and 2)convince her that letting Kitty have a litter this early is terrible? I would be more than happy to watch her myself, but my boyfriend has a zero-tolerance allergy to cats. dear god who would let someone else pump kittens out of their cat 
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Nov 8, 2009 23:11
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HondaCivet posted:dear god who would let someone else pump kittens out of their cat That is seriously creepy, but mainly because I'm mad enough to personify my cats into sisters. The idea of a sister going to stay at an "auntie's" house and being coaxed into getting knocked up is somewhat disgusting. I was bemoaning the fact it was difficult to adopt from the RSPCA over here- at our local shelter you have to first send in an application, then if they approve you you have to get an appointment to see their cats and then they come and check out your house to make sure the cat will be safe and secure and then you pay the adoption fee and take it home. Now I'm glad it takes that long because it means inadequate people are less likely to get a pet from there. When I was in Hawaii it seemed like as long as you walked into the shelter with $60 you could leave with a kitten. I don't know if that's how it is in the rest of the USA- clarify? Surely the friend could tell the crazy old lady to go to the shelter because there's handfuls of kittens there ripe for the taking? BTW, our kitten finally ended up with a name. Zero.
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Nov 8, 2009 23:51
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madlilnerd posted:That is seriously creepy, but mainly because I'm mad enough to personify my cats into sisters. The idea of a sister going to stay at an "auntie's" house and being coaxed into getting knocked up is somewhat disgusting. Yeah it's like some weird Handmaid's Tale poo poo. Anyway, around here at least (South central Wisconsin), the ease of procuring an animal depends on the shelter. The Humane Society here is the easiest. As long as you fill out the application, have some sort of proof of residence and hand over the money, you're pretty much good. The smaller shelters/rescue groups make you give references (not sure if they really call them but I think they do) on top of everything else the HS asks for. Also, some of them won't let you take animals if they don't like something on your app, like if you say that you're going to get the cat declawed. I think the smaller groups do home checks if you are getting a dog but I'd have no experience with that. no you cant get kittens at the shelter you are missing out on the MIRACLE OF BIRTH (it is a miracle in spite of the fact that it happens millions of times a day around the world) ps dont worry she already has homes for all of them she swears
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Nov 9, 2009 00:11
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We got Lolita the kitten about a month ago, when she was around four months old, from the human society. She is loving beautiful, what a Russian Blue would look like if russian blues had medium hair. Me and my roommates (basically me and my roommate versus one other roommate and his girlfriend) about how to feed the cat. I don't want a little fatty, so i'll portion her food out. In a day, she'll get a full bowl of food, but that's it. Its a good sized bowl from Ikea, but the roommate in question dumps food into her bowl whenever it gets close to being empty. They insist kittens need a constant supply of food. I'm not gonna let my kitty starve, so she is well fed. But I don't want to overfeed her. Am I doing the right thing?
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Nov 9, 2009 10:25
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sicarim posted:We got Lolita the kitten about a month ago, when she was around four months old, from the human society. She is loving beautiful, what a Russian Blue would look like if russian blues had medium hair. Only little kittens really need food to be constantly available because their tummies are too small for them to deal with anything but several small meals a day. She's around the age where she shouldn't need to be free fed anymore. Some people on the forums say up to a year is OK but it depends on the cat. My two cats had to be switched to meals at around 5 months because they are pigs and were getting tubby.
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Nov 9, 2009 11:05
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It totally depends on the cat. Some cats can be free fed their entire lives without any problem. Some start to get a little rotund earlier, and should be fed portioned meals. My cats fall into the former category; HondaCivet's fall into the latter. You basically just have to watch and see. I'd keep free feeding her unless you see that she is getting fat. The type of food you feed matters too, so if you haven't already, make sure you head over to the Pet Nutrition Megathread and find out where your current food fits-- and then plan on getting a better food if it's not already good! 
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Nov 9, 2009 14:00
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Fire In The Disco posted:It totally depends on the cat. Some cats can be free fed their entire lives without any problem. Some start to get a little rotund earlier, and should be fed portioned meals. My cats fall into the former category; HondaCivet's fall into the latter. You basically just have to watch and see. I'd keep free feeding her unless you see that she is getting fat. On the flip side, I see no reason whatsoever to free feed unless your cat is having trouble keeping weight on. It's stupidly hard to get weight off of most cats, hard to transition them from free feeding to meals, etc. Just head it off by not ever letting them get chubby in the first place.
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Nov 10, 2009 00:54
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I guess the reason I'm skeptical is because I've never in my life had a problem with overweight cats, and I've had anywhere from 3-10 cats at a time throughout my life, which is a total of somewhere around 30 cats. I'd think that with that many cats, we'd have had at least one tubby cat, but we never did. So I'm curious to hear how common cats without the "off" switch are.
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Nov 10, 2009 01:39
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Fire In The Disco posted:I guess the reason I'm skeptical is because I've never in my life had a problem with overweight cats, and I've had anywhere from 3-10 cats at a time throughout my life, which is a total of somewhere around 30 cats. I'd think that with that many cats, we'd have had at least one tubby cat, but we never did. So I'm curious to hear how common cats without the "off" switch are. Exceptionally common. My cat is one, my old roommate had one, the new cat she got is one, my labmate's cat is one, my friend with three cats has one, my brother's cat is one. In fact of all the people I know with cats, only 1 or 2 don't have at least one that can't handle being free fed. And most of them wound up with a pretty fat cat before they realized free feeding wasn't working. Also, I'm probably super sensitive to the issue of obesity in animals because I teach an anatomy lab in which we dissect cats. Even animals that only appear slightly overweight from the outside are grotesquely fat when we open them up. The risks that come with being overweight are generally much much worse than those that come with being slightly underweight. I tend to err on the side of a little skinny than a little chubby.
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Nov 10, 2009 01:52
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Fire In The Disco posted:I guess the reason I'm skeptical is because I've never in my life had a problem with overweight cats, and I've had anywhere from 3-10 cats at a time throughout my life, which is a total of somewhere around 30 cats. I'd think that with that many cats, we'd have had at least one tubby cat, but we never did. So I'm curious to hear how common cats without the "off" switch are. Mine are fine, the vet says they are Ok with their weight and I have always free fed my cats.
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Nov 10, 2009 02:35
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I just found that my kittens managed to swipe a packet of cookies from the edge of the kitchen counter they can't get onto. I found them under my fiance's computer chair. Terrible kitties.
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Nov 10, 2009 12:09
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Hello, I have another question. My cat likes to play and bite, and that is fine. But she won't sleep with me. She has never sat on my lap. The only times this has happened slightly was when I first took her home, and a couple of times she approaches me in the middle of the night and sits on my face, purring. I thought that she was just settling in, and everyone told me she would love me eventually. I feed her, I buy her toys, I play with her, I empty the cat box regularly, and I have never hurt her, save an occasional bop on the head for digging her teeth into my arm. I am the only one living with her. What really hurts me is that I have had a friend stay over a couple of times. Each time, my cat lets her pet her, sleeps on her lap, and sleeps with her! She has also peed on the bed three times. This happens when my friend comes over. What did I do wrong? Why doesn't she like me? What can I do? Notes: She is 10 months old. She has been to the vet in the past few weeks (getting spayed, vaccinated, tested), and nothing was wrong. I feed her Solid Gold with occasional wet food from Wellness. She was recently on Eukanuba.
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Nov 10, 2009 16:16
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It's sucky, but some cats just don't do the lap thing. I know it bothers you that she slept on your friend, but there isn't much you can do except be very loving towards her. Also, some cats grow into it, and she's young enough that she might be one of those cats. One of my cats was never a lap cat, and then all of a sudden around 3 he decided he suddenly was. Try to redirect her when she does something like chomp you by making a yelping sound (like a kitten would make) and then moving away from her. It's how she'd be trained if she was still with her littermates. You can also redirect her to a toy when she's bitey.
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Nov 10, 2009 16:25
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Fire In The Disco posted:It's sucky, but some cats just don't do the lap thing. I know it bothers you that she slept on your friend, but there isn't much you can do except be very loving towards her. Also, some cats grow into it, and she's young enough that she might be one of those cats. One of my cats was never a lap cat, and then all of a sudden around 3 he decided he suddenly was. I've done all of that! Now she sitting on my friend's lap right next to me! Whenever I try to pet her, she bites at me and/or runs away, whereas my friend easily pets her. 
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Nov 10, 2009 16:54
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Fire In The Disco posted:I guess the reason I'm skeptical is because I've never in my life had a problem with overweight cats, and I've had anywhere from 3-10 cats at a time throughout my life, which is a total of somewhere around 30 cats. I'd think that with that many cats, we'd have had at least one tubby cat, but we never did. So I'm curious to hear how common cats without the "off" switch are. Out of the 5 cats we've had in my lifetime two have been total chubsters that couldn't be free-fed. Also out of the 6 cats I petsit (who are all free fed), three are piggies that are overweight. pandafan posted:I've done all of that! Now she sitting on my friend's lap right next to me! Whenever I try to pet her, she bites at me and/or runs away, whereas my friend easily pets her. It's going to sound weird, but have you tried ignoring her? Some cats are just attracted to the human who shows the least interest in them. It's like a challenge for them. All of our cats have liked my dad the most and he usually ignores them.
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Nov 10, 2009 17:03
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pandafan posted:I've done all of that! Now she sitting on my friend's lap right next to me! Whenever I try to pet her, she bites at me and/or runs away, whereas my friend easily pets her. Additionally, if you do "bop" her, she may definitely remember that and treat you accordingly. When she does something that she shouldn't (like biting) you should respond by yelping and ignoring her and leaving her. Be patient and remember that animals remember the way you act towards them. My cats often dislike the people that try to hassle them all the time. You also may be bad at petting cats. My boyfriend used to pet the cats like dogs, and they hated it, until I let him know that he shouldn't approach them straight on and should let them sniff him first, etc. Basically, it comes down to: be patient, be kind.
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Nov 10, 2009 19:23
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Any idea as to what this crud on my kitties nose is? Click for zoomed photo Vet says it was probably just dirt from living outside and said just to pick it off. I cleaned most of it off, but he's been with our family for over a month since we rescued him and its coming back again.
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Nov 11, 2009 03:17
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I've got nothing other than to say that that is the best "What the gently caress are you doing with that camera?" face ever. Actually, I should say that my kitten gets a bit of crud around his nose, the vet said that its fine.
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Nov 11, 2009 05:10
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Yeah, he looks like that a lot. drat his smug condescending eyes.  I guess I should add he acts completely normal and eats/pees/poops like a champ. Just wondering if this is some sort of respiratory infection or something. He sneezing every once in a while, but not often.
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Nov 11, 2009 06:48
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sbyers77 posted:Yeah, he looks like that a lot. drat his smug condescending eyes. So it takes a month to come back? If so then it's probably just accumulated dirt/snot from your cat not being super awesome at washing.
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Nov 11, 2009 07:09
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HondaCivet posted:So it takes a month to come back? If so then it's probably just accumulated dirt/snot from your cat not being super awesome at washing. My white dog and old cat get red crusty stuff from tear overflow.
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Nov 11, 2009 08:05
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My kitten is somewhere between 3-4 months old. I've had him for about a week and a half. At first his poop was totally normal but for the past couple days it's been like soft serve ice cream. I totally freaked out earlier when he sat on the couch and LEFT A POOP SMEAR. I wiped his butt clean but UGH THERE COULD BE POOP EVERYWHERE IN MY APARTMENT I am so grossed out now. So, what the gently caress is wrong with my kitty's poo poo, and should I be worried? I am feeding Innova and I'm pretty sure my friend who was taking care of him before I got him was feeding Innova Evo. Is it a food adjustment? When will it stop?! He is not doing anything else weird. HELPPPPP
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Nov 11, 2009 18:36
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spatula posted:My kitten is somewhere between 3-4 months old. I've had him for about a week and a half. At first his poop was totally normal but for the past couple days it's been like soft serve ice cream. I totally freaked out earlier when he sat on the couch and LEFT A POOP SMEAR. I wiped his butt clean but UGH THERE COULD BE POOP EVERYWHERE IN MY APARTMENT This has been my kitty's problem for literally two weeks. I only hope your cat recovers faster than mine is. Same thing, where everything else is totally normal except horrible, horrible cat poo poo.
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Nov 11, 2009 18:41
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If it is food adjustment, it should get better in another week or so. You can make it a little better by mixing some canned pumpkin (make sure it's plain and not pie filling) in with some wet food. Pumpkin is basically pure fiber and will bind those poops together nicely.
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Nov 11, 2009 18:48
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I read that you can feed a little bit of canned pumpkin (straight pumpkin, not pie filling) to cats and the fiber would help firm up their stools a bit... maybe I will try this? Did I read this here? Someone tell me this is ok, I'm going out to buy some pumpkin soon. If nothing else, I'll make some pie or something. I just cannot deal with kitten poopsmears. I need to clean every surface in my house right now. Ugh. Now I'm developing a fear of my kitten's rear end in a top hat touching anything. Here is the little pooper.  EDIT: THANK YOU for the pumpkin reassurance.
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Nov 11, 2009 18:54
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Plain yogurt works nicely to settle an upset stomach as well, but may not take care of soft poops. But you can definitely try both if you want. 
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Nov 11, 2009 19:13
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Cats are pretty disgusting, they puke, they rip insects and small mammals to shreds, they track litter into your bed... if a little bit of kitten poo poo freaks you out, are you sure you want a cat?
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Nov 11, 2009 20:16
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Cats aren't gross... soft, moist poop being tracked around my apartment is always gross! I already have an adult cat, but this is my first time with a kitten. Cat barf is way better than human barf. AND cats keep my apartment cleaner by killing and eating all the bugs. boyfriend and Kitty:  Okay, here is another kitten question. When I get Dwight neutered, how will his behavior change? Or at least, what can I expect? I'm hoping that he'll be less inclined to attack everything that moves (like Kitty).
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Nov 11, 2009 22:09
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Fire In The Disco posted:Advice Hady posted:Advice nonanone posted:Advice Thanks guys. I will keep trying. I guess I have become paranoid because my mom has this cat I grew up with who is a total bitch. She is one of the cutest cats ever, she is tiny, but she is the devil. She pees on my clothes, won't eat if I serve her food, and has never forgiven my mother for getting the dog, and now new kitten. I don't want my kitty to have that much sass! Especially the peeing everywhere part.
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Nov 11, 2009 22:19
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I've heard that some plain brown bread, a little crumbled into the cat's food, can also help, but I haven't tried it.
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Nov 12, 2009 02:20
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I have a question! I've lost my job, and now have to move back home with my parents. They have 3 dogs and 3 cats, and I will be bringing my 3 kitties over as well. I am not concerned about the kitty to kitty introduction, old hat at that, but it's the kitty to dog introduction I'm concerned about, and only with Smudge. I know from experience that Smudge has an EXTREME dislike of dogs, to the point of violence, and since we will (hopefully) not be there long I want to avoid any incidents if at all possible. My plan: 1. For the first few weeks, keep all of my kitties in my room all the time. They won't be happy with the cramped quarters but they can deal. 2. After they get used to just being in a new place period, I will put up a pair of stacked baby gates in my bedroom doorway. This way they can see and smell each other, but will not be able to get closed. I am especially concerned about my brother's dog Rusty, who is a friendly 8 lb mutt and will charge right up to the cats and I would feel awful if he got scratched or bit. 3. After allowing interaction through the baby gate, allow for supervised visitation with all animals on a leash so they can be pulled back as needed. If this does not go well, revert back to step 1. 4. Repeat steps 1-3 as needed. Does this sound like a good plan? I only plan on being back at my parent's house until I get another job, but I want to minimize stress on all of the animals as much as possible.
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Nov 12, 2009 16:52
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Women's Rights? posted:3. After allowing interaction through the baby gate, allow for supervised visitation with all animals on a leash so they can be pulled back as needed. If this does not go well, revert back to step 1. I don't know that an on-leash introduction would be that useful, after all the other steps you're going through. There's a potential to freak the animals out even more, because they meet and something happens and then they try to run away but they can't because they're on a leash. When they basically ignore each other through the baby gate, then you can try supervised unleashed interactions, just keep a jar of pennies or something on hand to send them skittering in opposite directions if things get too heated. Make sure Smudge's claws are pretty blunt, and accept that Rusty may get swiped if he gets in his face. They need to establish boundaries somehow. You can speed this along a bit by rewarding both animals for being calm and ignoring the other one. Ignore this if you know from experience that Smudge won't do the typical kitty reaction and bolt from a loud sound/spray of water/etc.
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Nov 12, 2009 17:18
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I really just want confirmation, but is this cattery http://www.innocentia-cats.com/ in any way reputable? My coworker is going to get a cat there and I'd like to have some talking points on why it would be better to get a cat from a shelter. I mean the whole front page being a big christmas present is a bad sign.
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Nov 13, 2009 18:26
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Murphys Luck posted:I really just want confirmation, but is this cattery http://www.innocentia-cats.com/ in any way reputable? Your co-worker could do a hell of a lot worse than this. They spay/neuter, have a 1 year health guarantee, have shown champion cats, and are recommended by the CFA. It would be much if the kittens' parents were both championed, and if the adoption contract was spelled out, and if the health contract was spelled out. In my totally non-professional opinion based on a website, I'd give them a 7 or 8 out of 10. Would it be better to get a cat from a shelter? Well, it would be for me, because I don't give a crap about cat breeds. But some people do. And if your co-worker really wants a Tonkinese or a British Shorthair, they should be able to get one guilt free.
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Nov 13, 2009 20:18
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Meow Cadet posted:Your co-worker could do a hell of a lot worse than this. They spay/neuter, have a 1 year health guarantee, have shown champion cats, and are recommended by the CFA. Thanks for the response. I guess I was worried at the front page christmas gift clip art and the lack of information on their FAQs.
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Nov 13, 2009 20:31
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