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Our cat is about four months old. She's very good at using her litter box instead of crapping on the floor, but sometimes she keeps digging around in the cat sand like she's got OCD or something. I think sometimes she goes in there just to dig around too. I've never had any other cats do this, so I'm wondering if it's normal, and if there's something I can do to stop it. It's not a huge problem for me, but the constant digging gets annoying at times, also I'd like to reduce the amount of cat sand that ends up on my floor.
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Jul 16, 2010 22:50
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Pleasure to chill posted:Our cat is about four months old. She's very good at using her litter box instead of crapping on the floor, but sometimes she keeps digging around in the cat sand like she's got OCD or something. I think sometimes she goes in there just to dig around too. I've never had any other cats do this, so I'm wondering if it's normal, and if there's something I can do to stop it. It's not a huge problem for me, but the constant digging gets annoying at times, also I'd like to reduce the amount of cat sand that ends up on my floor. Covered litterbox? And yaeah your cat is normal. Cats are weird.
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Jul 16, 2010 23:41
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Yeah, I guess a covered litter box will solve the main problem. Hopefully she'll ease off a little on the digging when she's old enough to stay outside where she can explore and dig all she wants.
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Jul 16, 2010 23:53
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Pleasure to chill posted:Yeah, I guess a covered litter box will solve the main problem. Hopefully she'll ease off a little on the digging when she's old enough to stay outside where she can explore and dig all she wants. You could also just make a litter box with really tall sides. I use a big-rear end Rubbermaid container with a hole cut in the side (one of the large sides; if you cut it in the small sides they might piss out the back of it). Covered litter boxes are cool too but not all cats like them because they get stinky faster. As for the crazy digging, she'll probably grow out of it. Kittens are little weird jerks but they usually grow up to be slightly less weird and jerky.
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Jul 17, 2010 02:50
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My tuxedo digs like crazy. I always ask her if she's making me a cake. Some cats are just diggers I think.
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Jul 17, 2010 03:01
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This is a new situation with a cat so it counts, right? My cat has just been diagnosed with the medical condition 'shonky knee' and needs to rest up inside. We're still debating over whether she should be indoors permanently. Issue one: she pissed in the litter box, but crapped on the newspaper around it. Is this because the litter wasn't changed right after she peed (it was the middle of the night)? Issue two: Yesterday she spent the whole morning camped out by the front door mewing piteously and being ignored. In the afternoon, and so far today, she's been curled up in the back bedroom instead and didn't even look up when I opened the back door less than ten feet away. She's not a particularly active cat - when she's outdoors she's usually just curled up in her favourite patch on the lawn - but this seems like a pretty dramatic change. Has she just adjusted to the change very quickly, or is this sudden suicidal despair? - Age? 10 - Sex? Female - How long have you had your cat? Since she was a kitten. - Is your cat spayed? Yes. - What food do you use? Applaws dry. - When was your last vet visit? Two days ago. - Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both? Indoor-outdoor, currently indoor. - How many pets in your household? Two, her and a male cat from the same litter. - How many litter boxes do you have? One. Should have two, yes, but Mum is objecting enough to having her making GBS threads inside already.
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Jul 17, 2010 10:33
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Thanks for the replies on my poorly kitty. She was worse when I got home (from mildly runny to explosive) so I've postponed her spaying until next week. Thankfully she seems better today 
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Jul 17, 2010 11:23
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RheaConfused posted:There's a really great section of the OP about introducing kitties. The shelter can't really know how your other cat will be with a new cat, it's very hard to judge a cat's real personality in a shelter situation. Just give it time and keep them separated for a while. The most important thing is to not introduce them until the new cat has gone to the vet and had a combo test for FIV and FeLV. Thanks! I didn't see the bit in the op at first. My reading skills are gud. Anyway, I'm following that advice. We've had the acceptance of terms; There was mild growling and hissing and major indignation,. Naps are being taken now, since the event was stressful for both parties involved. Let's hope that things continue this smoothly. Sumadartson fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Jul 17, 2010 |
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Jul 17, 2010 17:56
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Sumadartson posted:Thanks! I didn't see the bit in the op at first. My reading skills are gud. Anyway, I'm following that advice. Has the kitty had a combo test?
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Jul 18, 2010 00:00
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RheaConfused posted:Has the kitty had a combo test? Yup, the people who found him took him to the vet.
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Jul 18, 2010 07:56
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This is a question concerning weaning two kittens from wet to dry food. We have four month old brother and sister kittens. They are happy, healthy little assholes who up until a few days ago, were eating Royal Canin kitten dry food which we free fed,and having Nutro wet twice a day. The wet food we would mix together with their dry so that they wouldn't be TOO spoiled.To be specific we would pour a 1/4 cup of dry food, then use half of the can split between the two plates. Two weeks ago the vet gave the go ahead to start weaning them GRADUALLY onto all dry food, but I'm afraid I need specifics. What do you guys think a good schedule of daily wet to dry ratio should be, and how long should it take to make the switch? I don't want them to get sick. 
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Jul 18, 2010 16:49
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Why do you want to wean them off wet food? A lot of cat owners (myself included) feed both wet and dry food. Also, Royal Canin and Nutro aren't the best dry food out there; check out the Pet Nutrition Megathread for foods that are. A lot of ultra premium foods are all life stage foods, so you don't need a specific kitten formula.
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Jul 18, 2010 16:57
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Fire In The Disco posted:Why do you want to wean them off wet food? A lot of cat owners (myself included) feed both wet and dry food. It seemed less expensive to feed them a high quality dry food (not to mention I have had a change in schedule to where I just didn't have time to prepare wet food anymore.) I combed through the Pet Nutrition thread months before we brought them home- Royal Canin seemed like the best nutrition for our budget (it was also what the vet recommended, go figure). We are going to wean them onto Innova EVO eventually though. RayneFire fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Jul 18, 2010 |
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Jul 18, 2010 17:39
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RayneFire posted:It seemed less expensive to feed them a high quality dry food (not to mention I have had a change in schedule to where I just didn't have time to prepare wet food anymore.) What is your new schedule like? As long as you can feed them twice a day 8-12 hours apart, you'd be fine. Cats are whiny when they think it's foodtime but they don't have watches, they'll be fine if you can't feed them at exactly the same time each day. EVO's good though, they'd be pretty well-off just free-feeding that stuff.
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Jul 18, 2010 18:27
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Now that they've been bought out by P&G, you might want to forgo EVO in favor of a different ultra premium food. The thing to keep in mind about budgets for cat food is that with ultra premium foods, you feed less of them than cheaper foods, so the cost generally balances out. If you want an economical but still higher quality food, Taste of the Wild is grain free and costs me about $24 for a 15 lb bag. It lasts my 4 adult cats about a month, so it would probably last your two kittens at least that long if not longer.
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Jul 18, 2010 18:28
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HondaCivet posted:What is your new schedule like? As long as you can feed them twice a day 8-12 hours apart, you'd be fine. Cats are whiny when they think it's foodtime but they don't have watches, they'll be fine if you can't feed them at exactly the same time each day. EVO's good though, they'd be pretty well-off just free-feeding that stuff. I could definitely feed them twice a day, its just I wake up now with a short amount of time to get ready. So to be brutally honest I'm lazy and a terrible person in the mornings- but I want to make sure my babies are eating healthy, without having to spend an extra 5 minutes in the morning fixing up their wet food or the extra 30$ a month for two wet meals (money has become tight). The vet also mentioned that its best for them to be on dry (for their teeth), which is the deciding factor really. Fire In The Disco posted:Now that they've been bought out by P&G, you might want to forgo EVO in favor of a different ultra premium food. That sounds VERY reasonable, thanks for the suggestion! I'll look to see if they sell that at our local feed store. But how do I get them exactly from semi-wet to all dry food? RayneFire fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Jul 18, 2010 |
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Jul 18, 2010 19:29
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RayneFire posted:The vet also mentioned that its best for them to be on dry (for their teeth), which is the deciding factor really. This is actually not true. Better PI posters than I can give more proof. I work at a cat only clinic and both my vets encourage wet food only, it keeps the weight down, the extra water is really good for them, and it's just better for their overall health. Most cats don't actually chew dry food, they just swallow it.
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Jul 18, 2010 20:19
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RayneFire posted:The vet also mentioned that its best for them to be on dry (for their teeth), which is the deciding factor really. This is a really outdated school of thought, and in fact dry food is actually rather hard on pets' teeth.
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Jul 18, 2010 20:58
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Augh, my cat stole a little piece of cooked onion off a pizza, maybe fingernail-sized. Should I be worried? What should I watch for? He's about a year old, not sure how much exactly he weighs but probably 10-12 lbs.
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Jul 19, 2010 00:56
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HondaCivet posted:Augh, my cat stole a little piece of cooked onion off a pizza, maybe fingernail-sized. Should I be worried? What should I watch for? He's about a year old, not sure how much exactly he weighs but probably 10-12 lbs. You really don't have to worry about anything. It would take like a cup or more of onions to have any real effect on your cat.
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Jul 19, 2010 01:18
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TMMadman posted:You really don't have to worry about anything. It would take like a cup or more of onions to have any real effect on your cat. Really? Why does everything say that onions are so toxic to cats then? So people don't give them onion rings as treats every day or something?
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Jul 19, 2010 01:59
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na
KingNastidon fucked around with this message at 02:38 on Mar 31, 2017 |
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Jul 19, 2010 03:57
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schell posted:I brought home a new kitten today and it is my first. He is 10 weeks old and was previously fed Fancy feast wet food and science diet dry food. I bought higher quality food for him - Innova for dry food and AvoDerm wet food. I brought him home around 11am and he started running around and exploring the place immediately. He ate around 1pm but only 1/4 of the small can of wet food. I tried to give him a different flavor later in the day but he wouldn't eat. He did not eat the dry food at all. Around 10:30pm I tried another flavor and he ate about half the can. I'm worried he is not eating enough food. Should I keep him on the fancy feast and science diet for a while before changing to higher quality food? If he won't eat the new stuff right off then you might just want to transition him from one to the other. Mix more and more of the new stuff into his old food, probably over the course of a week or two, and see if that helps. Just so you know, the manufacturer of Innova, Natura, was bought out by Procter & Gamble who produce Eukanuba, Iams and other horrible poo poo. Both companies swear that nothing about production is going to change but you should keep an eye on each batch you buy. Either that or just don't bother, there are plenty of other good dry foods available.
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Jul 19, 2010 05:08
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I want to get a cat. I just moved out a few months ago and I finally feel stable enough to get a pet cat that I have wanted for many years. Do you guys recommend any good shelters in the NYC area? Preferably one that would be able to match me with a good adult (not too old, but past adolescent stage) cat? I would get one cat at first and possibly a second in a few months. I live in a one bedroom apartment, I make enough money to support a cat and I work evening shift so I leave around 2 and am back before midnight. I want a house cat, not aggressive or bitey etc, thats why I want to go for a good shelter can match me with a cat that they know has a good personality. My big issue is my apartment is officially "no pets". My lease states no pets, BUT I have family that has lived in this building for over a decade, I know the management in the building... my mother is on the board of directors in the building, etc, and she told me that as long as its not loud, no one will care, a lot of people have cats in the building... including the super. I don't get any inspectors etc, and unless the cat started howling all night, no one would care. The issue is, every shelter wants to inspect my home, AND wants a copy of the lease or a letter from the landlord... allowing a cat. My solution is to tell the shelter I live with my mother in her house and simply get the cat, then once the shelter approves it, transfer the cat to my apartment. How often do these shelters do inspections or visits etc? I know I'm being dishonest with the shelter, but they would never let me get the cat if they knew I am technically not allowed to. I am not an idiot though and I know that a cat would not be a problem. I can avoid this issue by going to the pound....but I'd rather get a cat from a good shelter that really knows its animals... and definitely not a kitten from a pet store. I want an adult cat thats past its adolescent stage and would just be a nice companion at home.
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Jul 19, 2010 07:53
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Axim posted:I want to get a cat. I just moved out a few months ago and I finally feel stable enough to get a pet cat that I have wanted for many years. I got my two kittens from Kitty Kind (http://www.kittykind.org/). They setup shop each weekend at PetCo in Union Square. They have a weird interview process while you're there and make you wait around for awhile, but as long as you answer their questions right and seem committed they didn't require a home inspection or any official papers. Having said that... I would be absolutely certain the pet won't be a problem with your apartment's lease. Everything seems ok now, but with the ruthlessness of the rental market in NY and based on my experience with former landlords you never know when something may turn sour. And if it explicitly states NO PETS in your lease, they could have you by your balls very quickly. Ya, people may have pets in the building, but if the only thing you've legally signed with them says "I agree not to have pets" then you're hosed if they want to kick you out. Granted I would absolutely move to another apartment to keep my cats if it came down to that, but just keep that in mind. One last thing, I wouldn't wait to get another cat if you're thinking that will be the eventual goal. Just go for it now. They often have pairs of cats that are already bonded that they have a hard time adopting out, especially when they are a bit older. It will will make it 10x easier on you and the cats as well. If they don't have bonded pairs I would still recommend going for two since they can both adjust together and keep each other entertained and you won't have to stress the first cat out twice, first by moving him to a new environment and then again by introducing someone new. And finally, Kitty Kind prefers adopting out cats in pairs, it's a requirement for kittens. They'll try to talk you in to it unless you're looking at a specific non-friendly cat. Sorry for the long response but I hope it helps. I got so excited I even looked up a few pairs that are available from them right now.  Here are the few I found. Goodluck!http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16755046 http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16879440 http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16179102 http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16628471 http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16803620 http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16759533
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Jul 19, 2010 20:58
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Thanks for the help! I'm not worried about the apartment, there are no inspections and I live on the ground floor, the apartment near me is a doctors office and the others are a across the hall, so no one would hear it. There are no inspections plus my mom said that the reason we have this policy is b use of loud dogs and tons of people have cats here.
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Jul 19, 2010 22:09
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Axim posted:Thanks for the help! I'm not worried about the apartment, there are no inspections and I live on the ground floor, the apartment near me is a doctors office and the others are a across the hall, so no one would hear it. There are no inspections plus my mom said that the reason we have this policy is b use of loud dogs and tons of people have cats here. And no one will get pissed if they see the cat hanging out in the window or anything? Or if they can see a cat tree or litter box or toys? What if people have to come in and do repairs and they see all your cat stuff or the cats themselves? Basically, if you think your landlord could walk in, see a cat and not care as long as the cat wasn't howling all day long I think you're probably fine. Not to be a wet blanket, just helping you make sure that you'll be able to keep these cats and your home.
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Jul 19, 2010 22:44
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HondaCivet posted:And no one will get pissed if they see the cat hanging out in the window or anything? Or if they can see a cat tree or litter box or toys? What if people have to come in and do repairs and they see all your cat stuff or the cats themselves? Basically, if you think your landlord could walk in, see a cat and not care as long as the cat wasn't howling all day long I think you're probably fine. Not to be a wet blanket, just helping you make sure that you'll be able to keep these cats and your home. Like I said, there are MANY people who have cats in the building, its a 6 story large coop building. Heck the Super even has a cat and he lives across the hall from me and the cat is in the window all the time. The person who does all the repairs is the super of the building, he and I are on good terms and I know he doesn't give a drat. The landlord owns a real estate office and owns hundreds of apartments across the city, I doubt he even visits the building. I met him once to sign the lease and haven't heard from him since, any time I need a repair, I talk to the super. I am REALLY not worried about the cat since my mom is on the board of directors for the building and when they passed the no pets policy, she told me it was specifically because of loud barking dogs.
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Jul 19, 2010 23:33
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Axim posted:Like I said, there are MANY people who have cats in the building, its a 6 story large coop building. Heck the Super even has a cat and he lives across the hall from me and the cat is in the window all the time. The person who does all the repairs is the super of the building, he and I are on good terms and I know he doesn't give a drat. The landlord owns a real estate office and owns hundreds of apartments across the city, I doubt he even visits the building. I met him once to sign the lease and haven't heard from him since, any time I need a repair, I talk to the super. K, cool. You're probably fine then as long as you don't do anything that would attract the attention of the landlord himself. I'm glad you double-checked everything to make sure this'll be all right. Just remember that if you move you'll have to do the extra work of finding a new cat-friendly place. It's not as tough as finding a dog-friendly place but you might be locked out of a fair number of places depending on where you are moving to. And I REALLY hope you won't be one of the many that dumps their pets because they didn't feel like doing the work of finding a pet-friendly rental.
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Jul 20, 2010 00:20
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HondaCivet posted:Really? Why does everything say that onions are so toxic to cats then? So people don't give them onion rings as treats every day or something? Because the effect can accumulate. Also because under certain conditions, even a very small amount can be very dangerous for some cats. And because the illness it causes is very dangerous and not easy to treat. UGA vet school page posted:Onions (Thiosulfates)
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Jul 20, 2010 19:49
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Ceridwen posted:Because the effect can accumulate. Also because under certain conditions, even a very small amount can be very dangerous for some cats. Ah, OK. He didn't seem to suffer any ill effects so I assume he'll be OK as long as he doesn't get any more.
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Jul 20, 2010 20:12
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Just got a kitten, maybe 6 days ago. She's 8 weeks old and tiny as heck. I am wondering what possesses her to wake up suddenly at 2am, meow a few times, the run over to my face and begin licking it. It's adorable and all, but this will happen over and over and I am tired and her breath smells like a butt. Also, any advice on finding a good vet in the Boston area? I don't know many people in town with pets, so I can't ask them, and I don't want to shlub Sisyphus over 3 subway lines to a bad vet.
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Jul 20, 2010 20:25
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I let my cat Atticus out sometimes, but since my neighbor informed me one of our other neighbors is a crazy cat killer I have been trying to keep her inside full time. The problem is that Addie gets stir crazy and meows whilst I am trying to sleep. I tire her out as good as I can with toys but nothing seems to work. I've tried ignoring her but last night she kept us up for pretty much 4 hours meowing. I have no idea what to do. I read earlier in the thread that hushing her just reinforces the behavior. I spray her with water, is that reinforcing it too? Should I try annoying her whilst she is sleeping during the day? Any tips will help, I would like to avoid my cat being killed by some hick. Bonus pic:  Click here for the full 720x540 image.
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Jul 21, 2010 01:34
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Keep her awake during the day. Bug the hell out of her. As soon as she settles in for a nap, jingle bells around her ears. Annoy her as much as she annoys you, and she might consider sleeping at night. Also get a laser pointer or something to keep her running around like a madman.
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Jul 21, 2010 15:03
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The Light Eternal posted:I let my cat Atticus out sometimes, but since my neighbor informed me one of our other neighbors is a crazy cat killer I have been trying to keep her inside full time. The problem is that Addie gets stir crazy and meows whilst I am trying to sleep. I tire her out as good as I can with toys but nothing seems to work. Can you have a second cat? A playmate really helps wear cats out. Alternatively, can you harness train her and take her for walks?
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Jul 21, 2010 16:21
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Fire In The Disco posted:Can you have a second cat? A playmate really helps wear cats out. We are definitely going to get a second cat, Addie is almost 2 years old so we're aiming for a neutered male around that age. She is harness trained (if you look closely at that pic you can see she is wearing a harness) but I feel like if I take her for walks it would be rubbing it in her face that she's not allowed to go outside any more. I will try it anyway though, can't hurt.
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Jul 21, 2010 17:36
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I would imagine that the second cat will help a lot. I remember my Rowan (my oldest, he's now 9) and how wound up he would get when I would get home from work after he was by himself all day. Getting more cats definitely helped out a lot.
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Jul 21, 2010 20:05
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Just got two new kittens! They are both males about 9 weeks old, they were found at maybe 6 or 7 weeks old. They've only been home for a few hours or so at this point and are hiding under my couch together, I just want to know, how long might it take for them eat/drink/use the litter boxes (2) that I put near the couch for now so they can find them. I also put a little scratching post by the couch. Named them Balthazar and Flynn. Flynn seems more adventurous and was the first to step out of his kennel. (to go into blathazar's) now they are asleep curled up together, but basically I'm just concerned that they haven't eaten/drank/use the litter boxes yet.
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Jul 21, 2010 23:30
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Prince Reggie K posted:Just got two new kittens! That's normal, they're in a totally new place and are kinda nervous. If you can catch them, it might be better to put them in a quiet spare room or, failing that, a bedroom or bathroom for awhile. In that type of space, they are alone so they can get over their shyness faster, have fewer places to hide and less space to get lost in. Feel free to let them out once they get acclimated but you might want to leave the litter box and move it in steps to its new spot so they don't lose it. ps your title intrigues and disturbs me
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Jul 21, 2010 23:52
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Welp I met some kittens at the vet today and fell in love, they are two brothers approximately 12 weeks old and are awesome. Unfortunately I have to switch their food right away because the vet was feeding them some kind of weird food I can't find, but otherwise everything is going well. They are in the bathroom and both took to the food and litter right away, although the grey one tracked poop everywhere. He did clean it off his paws all by himself. Here are their petfinder photos since I haven't gotten to take any good ones yet.   Name suggestions are always appreciated. Their shelter names are Hall & Oates. I wanted to name them Scout & Jem to keep with my TKAM theme but my girlfriend doesn't like the name Jem, so I tried for Scout & Boo Radley but that also got nixed.
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Jul 22, 2010 00:54
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