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Fire In The Disco posted:That's the exact reaction my cats have to Da Bird as well. The tree falling over doesn't worry me so much, I just want them to stay the hell out of it because I really don't want to have to rehang every ornament every day for the next 3 weeks
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Dec 4, 2009 06:59
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Good luck. 
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Dec 4, 2009 12:06
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OK, all, I've spent some time this past few weeks visiting cats in rescue that might be Russian Blues - unfortunately, the five candidates I had in mind were definitely not purebred RBs (yellow eyes or white markings that their Petfinder shots didn't show, etc.) and threw my allergies into overdrive. Just to make sure that it wasn't an isolated incident to Paddy the RB, I visited a friend of mine who has two RBs from a local breeder (who is no longer breeding and apparently too busy to reply to an e-mail asking about local breed rescues or other breeders that they could connect me with), and was kind enough to let me spend the day hanging out with them. No reaction. It's amazing. So, while I'd like to keep an eye on the Petfinder listings and continue to call around to nearby rescues, I'd also like to shop around for responsible breeders and talk to them about older kittens or adults. I may eventually cave and pick out a kitten if these options exhaust themselves - my boyfriend has a great grip on how to rear kittens, so we wouldn't be lost on the subject. Again, since neither of us have ever actually bought a cat from a breeder, I'd like to show you trustworthy folks a few that I pulled out of the CFA listing that would ship. Opinions before I fire off an email inquiring about their cats? I'm a sad IT nerd, all I really know how to critique is how hideous all of their website designs are: CzarCats Wynterwynd Russian Blues Heatherwynd Russian Blues (Why do all catteries have such fruity names?) Again, if anybody has any resources on RBs in or around Massachusetts, please please please hook me up! My Rolodex full of dog rescues is failing me here, of course. 
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Dec 4, 2009 21:58
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HondaCivet posted:Weird question but: Where do your guys' cats usually lose/keep their toys? My cats always seem to lose their toys instantly and they hardly ever end up in the obvious spots (under the couch, under the fridge, etc.). Do cats often stash their favorite toys in awkward spots on purpose? If so, I haven't found their stash yet. I recently discovered that my dresser that I keep spaced about 6" from the wall doesn't have a full back panel to it; it's about 8" shorter than the full height of the dresser and leaves a gap along the bottom. The bottom drawers also don't push all the way back, there's probably another 6" deep of space between where the drawers ends and the back panel begins. So the kittens have discovered that was the perfect spot for not only hiding themselves, but all of their favorite toys. I now have to take the entire bottom drawer out daily to fish out various toys that they knock/drag into there.
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Dec 4, 2009 23:16
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We brought home a 10 week old female Friday and while she has acclimated to her new surroundings quite well, she is a little goofball and I have a few questions even after googling and reading the thread. I worry about how little she has been eating. We have left kibble out the whole time and she has eaten probably, at most, a tablespoonful. I gave her a teaspoon of wet food and she ate it all at once and I put more out and she didn't touch it. About 6 hours later I put out another spoonful and she took one bite and refused the rest. In my reading I saw a lot of talk about this and how it's pretty common but i'm a worrier and I just want to know when should I truly be concerned? My second question is also about her eating. I reheated some spaghetti for a late night snack and she went crazy with meowing and after finding her way onto the table went straight for it. I wasn't sure what to do and while I don't want to encourage her to eat from the table I let her go for it since I'm still worried about how little she was eating. She ate more noodles than she did of the wet food and then proceeded to lick the sauce off the noodles for a while. It wasn't until after that I remembered reading about garlic and onions being poisonous and there was definitely some in the sauce. Would eating the little bit of sauce be serious enough to her to warrant a vet call? The last question is what can I do about her crying when she's left alone. If we even walk out of the room without her seeing she starts to cry and today when I went to get the mail it sounded like there was a cat dying in my apartment. Tuesday will be the first day she is going to be alone and it will be about 6 hours. Is there any tips or tricks so our neighbors won't hate us? That's a lot of words so thanks in advance to any replies.
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Dec 6, 2009 10:03
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HondaCivet posted:Weird question but: Where do your guys' cats usually lose/keep their toys? My cats always seem to lose their toys instantly and they hardly ever end up in the obvious spots (under the couch, under the fridge, etc.). Do cats often stash their favorite toys in awkward spots on purpose? If so, I haven't found their stash yet. Scruffy likes to push his favorite toy (this lovely little rope thing from petsmart I have no idea why he loves it so much) under the fridge and proceeds to howl at me until I fish it out. Within 15 minutes of me fetching it, it's back under the fridge 
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Dec 6, 2009 16:26
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Night Canoodler posted:We brought home a 10 week old female Friday and while she has acclimated to her new surroundings quite well, she is a little goofball and I have a few questions even after googling and reading the thread. Did you change her food from whatever she had at the shelter when you brought her home? If so, just put her back on that for a little while, even if it's something crappy, just until she gets comfortable. You can transition her away from it after that. There probably wasn't enough garlic and onion in whatever little amount she ate to bother her but if she acts sick in any way, take her to the vet just in case. You might have to tough it out at first, she's still getting used to her new home. Sometimes people turn a radio or TV on for the cats so things aren't too quiet. I don't know if it really helps but you could try it. Also make sure she has plenty of fun things to do (toys, tree, etc) and comfy places to sleep so she can distract herself while you're gone.
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Dec 6, 2009 20:26
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How often should my cat be pissing/pooping in a day? It seems like he's going hourly, and his litter box is full in a day and a half.
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Dec 6, 2009 21:54
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Do you free feed him? Does he graze all day long? If so, he will probably poop more often. You should be in the habit of scooping his box daily, no matter how full or not it is. Cats have much keener senses of smell than we do; it's kind of gross for him if you're not scooping daily.
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Dec 6, 2009 22:47
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Fire In The Disco posted:Do you free feed him? Does he graze all day long? If so, he will probably poop more often. You should be in the habit of scooping his box daily, no matter how full or not it is. Cats have much keener senses of smell than we do; it's kind of gross for him if you're not scooping daily. 1. I keep dry food available to him all day. Sometimes I don't get home until later in the evening. I was thinking I should be dealing it out more carefully to keep him from grazing all day long. 2. I keep his litter box scooped pretty much daily, but in some cases I won't get home until late evening and forget to. He voices his disapproval when it is unsatisfactory.
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Dec 6, 2009 23:09
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As long as he's not getting overweight from being free fed, it's fine to leave him dry food out all the time. A good majority of cats have a working off switch; unlike dogs, they won't overeat. Some cats don't have the switch, though, so that's why you should watch him for signs of gaining weight. If he does start to gain weight, you could look into an automatic feeder that doles out a measured amount on a schedule.
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Dec 6, 2009 23:49
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Can anyone who has one of those cat tree things tell me how much room is in between the levels? i'm making one for a friend and don't own a cat, so i don't exactly know how much "wiggle" room they need in there.
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Dec 7, 2009 06:54
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A few pages back there was a goon who was sad that his kitty wasn't being much of a lap/bed cuddler. The best solution, the greatest solution, the most reliable solution that I have found is this : Turn down the heat in your place. Bundle up warm, and make drat well certain that cat knows you're the warmest place to curl up. I used to have a heated waterbed and my cat would never, ever, ever cuddle up (She'd find the corner of the bed furthest from me and curl up there). After it sprang a leak and I got rid of it, my bed isn't heated anymore. Now I wake up to find that she has found the most comfortable spot to curl up, and over the night she has managed to hog the middle of the bed while I'm right up against one of the edges. When I get home the heat has just barely turned on so it's still cool inside, and she has zero qualms about jumping up onto a lap to get cozy.
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Dec 7, 2009 18:19
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whereismyshoe posted:Can anyone who has one of those cat tree things tell me how much room is in between the levels? i'm making one for a friend and don't own a cat, so i don't exactly know how much "wiggle" room they need in there. It sort of depends on the style. Are the levels right on top of each other or are they more staggered? If they are on top of each other, you'd probably want at least 1.5 feet to give them room to walk underneath. If they are staggered, you can go smaller of course.
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Dec 7, 2009 21:26
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On my Armarkat tree, which has shelves that are staggered, there's around 12-15" between each shelf.
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Dec 7, 2009 21:35
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They're pretty much stacked, so it sounds like more room is better. thanks.
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Dec 7, 2009 23:59
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I've got a 3 month and 1 week old kitty and I'd like to know if anyone has any tips for introducing him to the great outdoors? I didn't really see much of this in the OP. He's tagged and vaccinated, I've let him have a few supervised visits to the garden. The house has a catflap and I'm just wondering what the appropriate age is to let him have access to it (it's covered currently).
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Dec 9, 2009 00:43
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chippy posted:I've got a 3 month and 1 week old kitty and I'd like to know if anyone has any tips for introducing him to the great outdoors? I didn't really see much of this in the OP. He's tagged and vaccinated, I've let him have a few supervised visits to the garden. The house has a catflap and I'm just wondering what the appropriate age is to let him have access to it (it's covered currently). Is your backyard enclosed or something? You really shouldn't let him out to run around on his own through the neighborhood. The reasons for that are covered in the OP under "Lifestyle." Other than that, a leash and harness is a good bet for supervised jaunts outdoors. If you want to do that, start working with him now, it's a bit easier when they are young and it takes some time for them to grow accustomed to the harness.
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Dec 9, 2009 03:30
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chippy posted:I've got a 3 month and 1 week old kitty and I'd like to know if anyone has any tips for introducing him to the great outdoors? I didn't really see much of this in the OP. He's tagged and vaccinated, I've let him have a few supervised visits to the garden. The house has a catflap and I'm just wondering what the appropriate age is to let him have access to it (it's covered currently). In general in PI we advocate keeping cats indoors if it's at all an option, and since this is a new cat, it's definitely an option. Being indoors keeps them safe from getting into fights, illnesses, getting lost, getting "adopted" by a well meaning neighbor, parasites, wild animals, dogs, psychopathic humans, and especially cars. Plus, you're keeping HIM away from birds and small animals-- do you want them on your pillow in the morning? A cat can be perfectly happy indoors, especially if it has vertical space (check out Armarkat.com for cat trees), some good windows to look out of, and/or a buddy to play with. There's just no reason to let a kitten outside when there's so much danger out there, and yours hasn't been used to being let out, so you're not even depriving him of anything.
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Dec 9, 2009 03:31
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Well, I will be letting him out. I'm in the UK, if this makes any difference to you. I live in a very quiet residential area with very few cars, he's fully vaccinated and treated for parasites, and of course bigger predators aren't really such a worry in this country. I know it's not so much the done thing in the US. I don't really want to get into an argument about that though. Does anyone who does believe in letting their cats out have any advice?
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Dec 9, 2009 03:46
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Eggplant Wizard posted:In general in PI we advocate keeping cats indoors if it's at all an option, and since this is a new cat, it's definitely an option. Being indoors keeps them safe from getting into fights, illnesses, getting lost, getting "adopted" by a well meaning neighbor, parasites, wild animals, dogs, psychopathic humans, and especially cars. Plus, you're keeping HIM away from birds and small animals-- do you want them on your pillow in the morning? My cats were born feral and spent the first two months of their lives outside. After months of comfy indoor living, they are now scared shitless of the outdoors and will barely do any exploring when we take them out on harnesses. Once cats establish a territory where they can feel comfortable, they don't have much interest in leaving it. chippy posted:Well, I will be letting him out. I'm in the UK, if this makes any difference to you. I live in a very quiet residential area with very few cars, he's fully vaccinated and treated for parasites, and of course bigger predators aren't really such a worry in this country. I know it's not so much the done thing in the US. I don't really want to get into an argument about that though. Does anyone who does believe in letting their cats out have any advice? If you're going to do it anyway, you should probably wait until he's older and less cute and small so that sickos will be slightly less inclined to steal him. I'm pretty sure the UK still has crazies, right? HondaCivet fucked around with this message at 03:53 on Dec 9, 2009 |
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Dec 9, 2009 03:49
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Yeah, we do have crazies, although I don't know anyone who's had a cat stolen by one, luck of the draw I guess. I wasn't intending on letting him out unsupervised just yet, just visits to the garden (which he can't get out of currently) until he's a bit bigger. I've read the debate before, and I think it's a bit of an overall cultural difference, I do know a lot of cats and I can honestly say the only ones that are kept indoors all the time are those whose owners live in flats.
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Dec 9, 2009 04:00
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chippy posted:Yeah, we do have crazies, although I don't know anyone who's had a cat stolen by one, luck of the draw I guess. I wasn't intending on letting him out unsupervised just yet, just visits to the garden (which he can't get out of currently) until he's a bit bigger. I've read the debate before, and I think it's a bit of an overall cultural difference, I do know a lot of cats and I can honestly say the only ones that are kept indoors all the time are those whose owners live in flats. No, it's not a cultural thing really, plenty of people let their cats outside in the states. Which is funny because plenty of people in America are OK with shooting "stray" cats. What are your reasons for wanting to let him out? Have you really thought it out?
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Dec 9, 2009 04:14
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I am of the opinion that cats should stay inside, however, if you are inclined to anyways, I suggest that you wait to about a year old I think is the normal thing. At least wait til he's full grown so he can hold his own against the other cats and has had all his vaccinations.
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Dec 9, 2009 04:29
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chippy posted:I've got a 3 month and 1 week old kitty and I'd like to know if anyone has any tips for introducing him to the great outdoors? I didn't really see much of this in the OP. He's tagged and vaccinated, I've let him have a few supervised visits to the garden. The house has a catflap and I'm just wondering what the appropriate age is to let him have access to it (it's covered currently). I'd wait until you have him neutered. That's what the vet told us with our girl kitten, she's 18 weeks now and we're not supposed to let her outside until she's been done in January. 3 months is a little young, and plus it's gross outside right now, so why would he want to go out? I agree that cats should be let outside (UK goon too) but we're not having that argument. If you really want to start letting him outside, wait until he's in a fairly calm state of mind and just take him outside to sit on your lap or gently play with you for a bit. Try and keep him confined (it helps if there's more that just you there) and make sure he can't get past your fence or under a tricky bush or anything.
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Dec 9, 2009 17:50
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madlilnerd posted:I'd wait until you have him neutered. That's what the vet told us with our girl kitten, she's 18 weeks now and we're not supposed to let her outside until she's been done in January. 3 months is a little young, and plus it's gross outside right now, so why would he want to go out? I agree that cats should be let outside (UK goon too) but we're not having that argument.
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Dec 9, 2009 19:08
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I have a question about FIV+ kitties! I currently have 2 cats who have never been vaccinated for FIV and were tested negative (at their last checkup). They never go outside. Recently I've been taking care of an abandoned kitty that decided that my doorstep was a good place to sleep. I've been feeding her for about 2 weeks now and have been trying to find her a home. Two days ago I took her in and have kept her locked up in the bathroom so she stays seperated from my other two cats. Today I took her to the vet and found out she is FIV+. I know not many people will be willing to take a FIV+ kitty in, so I might have her for a while longer. What are my options in this case? I know I can get my other two cats vaccinated; what does that mean for them? I'm taking my other two cats to the vet over the weekend but I'd just like to know if anybody had any insight  I don't really want to keep the third kitty, but she is super sweet and I don't really mind taking care of her in the interim (yeah I know, I'm a sucker). I'm at a loss at what I should do now
oishii fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Dec 9, 2009 |
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Dec 9, 2009 22:34
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oishii posted:I have a question about FIV+ kitties! Good for you for taking her in! Here's the thing about the FIV vaccine: it will make your cats turn up positive for FIV in subsequent testings even though they don't really have it. Not too much of a problem as long as they are with you but if they escaped or had to be given up, it might be a problem. And it doesn't protect against every strain anyway. If you aren't keeping the FIV cat, it's probably not worth it. FIV is fairly difficult to transfer and usually requires fairly deep bites from the FIV cat to the other. If the cats seem to get along well then it might be OK to let them hang out. Otherwise just keep them separated unless you're supervising so you don't have to worry about it.
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Dec 9, 2009 23:32
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madlilnerd posted:I'd wait until you have him neutered. That's what the vet told us with our girl kitten, she's 18 weeks now and we're not supposed to let her outside until she's been done in January. 3 months is a little young, and plus it's gross outside right now, so why would he want to go out? I agree that cats should be let outside (UK goon too) but we're not having that argument. Thanks for the advice. Yeah, it is grotty at the moment, he's just been out with me on the odd occasion we've had a bit of sun and he's had a grand old time. I wouldn't let him out on his own yet, he's too little. As for the indoor/outdoor debate, there's definitely a cultural difference. A few exceptions on either side doesn't change that. You'll only got to a do a bit of googling to see the split; you can pretty much guess what stance any article you look up is likely to be taking just be checking whether it's a on a .com or .co.uk domain. I think I see it in a similar way that I do letting your kids out to play bikes with their friends and whatnot. When I have some, and they're old enough, they'll be able to go out and play with the friends because it's an essential part of being a kid. Of course I'll worry that something bad might happen to them, and to Jarvis, but that's not enough to stop me from letting him explore outside when he so obviously wants to, and when 95+% of the outdoor cars I've known have died of natural causes and old age without anything horrific happening to them. Nice idea about the making a noise thing by the way, my parents used to do this with my childhood cats and a bell, and I had forgotten. I'll probably ring it when I give him kitten milk, which he goes mad for, as he has constant access to dry food. Just to ease some of the trans-atlantic tension here's a picture of the little bastard when he was a bit smaller.  
chippy fucked around with this message at 04:42 on Dec 10, 2009 |
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Dec 10, 2009 04:34
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chippy posted:Thanks for the advice. Yeah, it is grotty at the moment, he's just been out with me on the odd occasion we've had a bit of sun and he's had a grand old time. I wouldn't let him out on his own yet, he's too little. Maybe there's a cultural difference . . . Less traffic? Fewer guns? Americans suffer a larger deluge of horror stories in the news? I know I wouldn't let my cat out in my part of the US because there are so many drat hicks who think that anything moving makes for good target practice, either with their bumper, a gun, a compound bow . . .
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Dec 10, 2009 08:54
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HondaCivet posted:Maybe there's a cultural difference . . . Less traffic? Fewer guns? Americans suffer a larger deluge of horror stories in the news? I know I wouldn't let my cat out in my part of the US because there are so many drat hicks who think that anything moving makes for good target practice, either with their bumper, a gun, a compound bow . . . Maybe higher population density and fewer land-based predators. My house backs on a ravine, and when hiking down there I've seen coyotes. I don't want my cats being coyote snacks. Trillian fucked around with this message at 08:58 on Dec 10, 2009 |
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Dec 10, 2009 08:56
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Oh don't get me wrong, if I had gun-toting neighbours or coyotes out back, I wouldn't let him out either.
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Dec 10, 2009 15:12
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Here in Arizona, hazards for outdoor cats include but are not limited to: Coyotes Feral dogs Birds of prey Snakes Spiders Scorpions Creeps with guns (especially the young creeps) Creeps with cars Slightly inattentive folks with cars The deck is just too stacked against them. Maybe in the UK it's safer.
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Dec 10, 2009 17:20
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So as a lifelong dog person, I know little/nothing about cats. But since my cat Luna began to develop a pouch on her belly, I switched her to Reduced Calorie Natural Balance. Today, however, I've noticed that I can feel her hip bones after about a month on the fatty cat food. Is being able to feel their hips normal and a good sign or not?
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Dec 11, 2009 07:42
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Here's a good chart for judging cat weight: That should be in the OP actually. Also a lot of cats have a kind of a pouch after being fixed.
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Dec 11, 2009 09:18
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^^^ It is in the OP... As for the little soft pouch, yeah, spayed and neutered cats as a whole tend to have them. In fact, I don't think I've ever owned a cat who didn't have one, no matter what kind of awesome shape they were in.
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Dec 11, 2009 13:44
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So I've been having a little problem with Scruffy (11 mo tabby) lately: Ever since I had him fixed, he's been much more attention-seeking, constantly jumping into my lap and purring. But whenever he does this, he eventually starts clamping onto my face with his teeth and not letting go. He's obviously not agitated, as he is still purring and is showing all the other signs of a happy kitty- it's almost like an affectionate bite. But it loving hurts. What should I do about this?
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Dec 11, 2009 17:53
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I have a question about my two cats. I've had Spot, who's a male since he was about 6-7 weeks old and he's about 8-9 months now. I recently got another cat, Serenity, who's right around a year. They dont seem to have much of a problem with each other. They can both be wandering around not paying much attention to each other. Laying on either side of me without much of a care in the world. No growling, only a little bit of hissing when they were being introduced and that was only by Spot, and only when Serenity would get in his face. But things have changed a little bit lately. Spot will chase Serentiy around, they will whack at each other. Serenity will usually sound like she's dying and hiss at him and run away. She even did it when she was beating on his face. But I dont think they are using their claws. As theres no blood, punctures or anything that I can tell. Serenity will sometimes run underneath our bed and Spot will run after her, but not go under the bed. Are they just trying to establish a pecking order, playing, or do I have something to worry about? Both cats are fixed.
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Dec 11, 2009 21:24
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Augmented Dickey posted:So I've been having a little problem with Scruffy (11 mo tabby) lately: I'm going to quote myself from the training part of the FAQ, because the same yelping advice applies to bitey-face. He doesn't know that his love bites are too hard and you need to tell him that it hurts. Firequirks posted:Biting/Scratching Hands TheUnforgiven posted:Are they just trying to establish a pecking order, playing, or do I have something to worry about? Sounds like they're doing pretty good, actually, as strange as that sounds. The important part is that there's no blood. They are capable of drawing blood and really hurting one another, but they aren't. Sounds like rough play, and the hissing sounds like Serenity probably just doesn't wanna play and is telling Spot to back off. Spot runs after her to the bed (presumably because he thinks it's time to play Chase) but when she goes under the bed he realizes that she's ending the Chase game. I might be overthinking everything you've said and ascribing way too much meaning to your description, but I think that overall it sounds like they're going to do fine. 
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Dec 11, 2009 22:03
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TheUnforgiven posted:I have a question about my two cats. I've had Spot, who's a male since he was about 6-7 weeks old and he's about 8-9 months now. I recently got another cat, Serenity, who's right around a year. They dont seem to have much of a problem with each other. They can both be wandering around not paying much attention to each other. Laying on either side of me without much of a care in the world. No growling, only a little bit of hissing when they were being introduced and that was only by Spot, and only when Serenity would get in his face. Sounds like they're playing/working things out. If it seems too lopsided though, you might want to keep an eye out and make sure one isn't bullying the other.
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Dec 11, 2009 22:37
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