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Okay, here's the problem. I have two cats, one of which has been with me my entire life and one I have recently taken in off the street because she was pregnant. She delivered her kittens a couple weeks ago ( ).Problem is, lately they have been fighting and the mother is the instigator. My parents say they just want to get rid of the cat and the kittens but I was wondering if there is something else I can do? I really don't wanna get rid of these kittens just yet they are too adorable and Lanky (street cat) is a sweetie  What are my options?
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Jul 19, 2010 01:49
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| # ? May 19, 2024 09:36 |
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They're having problems because she's a nursing mother and they're protective and persnickety. If you keep the other cat away from mom and babies entirely, they won't have an opportunity to fight. Things generally calm down once the kittens are older.
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Jul 19, 2010 02:02
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Also be aware that in many states (USA) it is illegal to give or sell kittens/puppies under 8 weeks of age (preferable age is 10-12 weeks), Canada probably has similar laws. And, if you end up submitting the momma cat and kittens to your local animal shelter, momma will likely be too stressed out to produce milk, and the kittens will starve.
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Jul 19, 2010 03:43
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One of my cats (Fulci) is an adult neutered Maine Coon. I got him as a kitten from the local shelter and even then he was a little fluffball so fluffy that his age had been misguessed a couple times. When he was younger, he had no problem with grooming himself but as he got older and had some trouble, I started brushing him to cut down on hairballs and to make sure he'd not get mats. He goes positively apeshit each time, moving around and even grabbing my hand with the brush to go to a different area, rolls over to make sure I get his chest, lets me go against the fur grain, he absolutely loves it. However, when my fiance tries to take over a brushing session, Fulci won't have it. I've checked that my fiance's not brushing too hard or trying to hold him down but Fulci'll just glare at him with the 'you are not certified to brush' look and wait a bit before coming over to me for his brushing. Our other cat (Herbert West) has no problem with whoever brushes him. Anyone have any suggestions as to what my fiance can do to share in the brushing on Fulci or am I the designated brusher as far as Fulci goes. I don't mind the brushing, but sometimes it'd be nice if it just wasn't me all the time.
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Jul 19, 2010 13:13
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M_Sinistrari posted:One of my cats (Fulci) is an adult neutered Maine Coon. I got him as a kitten from the local shelter and even then he was a little fluffball so fluffy that his age had been misguessed a couple times. When he was younger, he had no problem with grooming himself but as he got older and had some trouble, I started brushing him to cut down on hairballs and to make sure he'd not get mats. My boyfriend's sister's cat is like this in other ways. He'll let only a couple people rub his belly or sit on his chair, but not everyone. To me, this looks like just one of those normal cat favoritism scenarios. Have something different for your fiance to do with Fulci that is like father son bonding time with no girls allowed type of thing (i.e. a certain toy or sitting on the couch watching Star Trek together.) My dad grew his own catnip for our old cat. He didn't really like our cat all the time, but this was his subtle way of bonding for him.
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Jul 19, 2010 16:37
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My fiance does have bonding time with the cats be it watching TV or video games, and he is the 'certified doler out of the catnip'. I was just hoping for the occasional reprieve from brushing since it's now been upgraded to I have to sing while brushing. And my singing really sucks.
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Jul 19, 2010 20:26
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StrangersInTheNight posted:What do you do with a cat who changes moods very quickly, or any guides on reading cat behaviour? Has this only been lately? It's likely that he might have a health problem, or something may be in pain, and you are inadvertently causing him pain. Try a vet visit.
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Jul 19, 2010 22:23
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Is there such a thing as "dominance peeing" in dogs, and if so is there a way to remedy this? Pazuzu has been letting loose little dribbles whenever we've had another intact male over at our house.
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Jul 20, 2010 02:14
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I think we've been doing fine calling it "marking territory" but yeah that's definitely a thing. Fixing should fix it although I've heard some fixed males will be lured into marking when an intact male is introduced.
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Jul 20, 2010 02:27
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Fiskiggy posted:I think we've been doing fine calling it "marking territory" but yeah that's definitely a thing. Fixing should fix it although I've heard some fixed males will be lured into marking when an intact male is introduced. Bluh, that's what I thought. Guess I'll just stock up on Nature's Miracle, then.
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Jul 20, 2010 02:35
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Is Pazuzu the little cocker that was slated to be a show dog, or am I thinking of a completely different dog? If it IS you, how's all that going along, and how old is Pazuzu now? I'm very curious since cockers have one of the most difficult coats to deal with, so I want to see how you guys are handling it.  I would never have the patients for a cocker show coat!
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Jul 20, 2010 12:28
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Aww, he's doing really well.  He's a little dreamboat in the ring. He took a bunch of puppy ribbons, including a group win, and he's got his two point major. There's one more show to go in our season, in September, and considering the competition, I think he'll do well. Right now we're working on putting some size on him, since he's a very delicate-featured dog, and getting him into agility and rally classes.The coat maintenance isn't too difficult, but I think that's just because my girlfriend's used to grooming her parents two show cockers. We split the brushing and bath him once a week. He's a bit over a year old now and aside from this minor marking thing is doing great. He definitely doesn't know he's a little dog. In a few months he'll have a Brittany buddy, so that should be fun.
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Jul 20, 2010 15:56
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Quick question... I have a half dalmation, half black lab (Ralphy). He's a very calm, loveable lap dog--not in any way aggressive. Hell, rough-housing with him is kinda futile cause all he wants to do is lick you. Recently, my brother got a puppy (Bear). He's a total mutt and looks like he'll be a very big, aggressive dog, unlike Ralphy who is a runt at ~38lbs. Since I usually don't work mornings, my brother asked me to take care of him in the morning and crate him when I leave for work. Long story short, Ralphy has been skiddish as all hell since this dog has been around. It's difficult to even get him to go outside, let alone go outside and play, and he's poo poo in the house on two or three occassions--something he knows better not to do and something I haven't seen him do since he was a puppy. Now, he recently had diarrhea, but I'm thinking it could be stress rather than something he ate. All Bear does is rough-house with him, and all Ralphy wants to do is lay down and relax. And even though Ralphy is bigger, at least for the time being, he gets pushed around by Bear. So...could it be stress, or whatever equivalent to stress dogs have? Anybody have something similar happen with their dogs?
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Jul 20, 2010 20:39
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 Injured Kitty!One of my cats has his claw stuck into one of his toepads. He is in pain. What should I do? Money is tight so I cannot afford a vet. A friend recommended bringing the cat to a groomer.
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Jul 21, 2010 00:06
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ProperCoochie posted:
Groomers are not going to want to do anything remotely medical-like because if it gets infected or otherwise worse you could sue the hell out of them, plus the fact that in most states you have to be licensed to perform veterinary medicine and they could get slapped with a big ole fat fine. Take your cat to the vet. You might be surprised at how cheap something like that can be.
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Jul 21, 2010 00:15
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Me and my family were recently adopted by a dog. We already have a cat and a dog. The two dogs tolerate each other, and the cat is afraid of the new dog. The weird thing is, she's also afraid of our first dog. Is she just being wary? Is my dog trying to reaffirm his dominance and I just can't pick up on the signs? They've been buddies since we got her almost a year ago. I'm sure it will all fix itself as it's only been a few days, but I was just curious.
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Jul 21, 2010 10:33
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I recently took my dog to the vet for a dental cleaning. This involved anesthesia, which meant an IV. He has not taken well to the shaved area of his leg where the IV was, and has started nibbling on it. Is there something I can do to stop this beyond putting some form of ace wrap on there as he just gnaws at the wrap until it comes off, then resumes going at his leg.
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Jul 21, 2010 17:31
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Are raw chicken bones dangerous for dogs? Everything I've been able to turn up on Google seems to address cooked chicken bones. I ask because we had a chicken massacre last night. Coyotes managed to pry open the gate it appears (even though we'd thought we built it to keep that from happening) and got 6 of my chickens. Fortunately the dogs heard it and got us up so we interrupted the coyotes before they got all of them.Anyway there were a lot of body parts strewn around and we cleaned up all we could find but the dogs keep finding wings or legs or whatever. Does this pose a risk to them? I'm not worried about the meat as the kills are fairly recent and also these are ranch dogs who eat all sorts of disgusting things that would kill you or me on a regular basis, but I don't know if the bones are still a threat.
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Jul 21, 2010 18:15
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2tomorrow posted:Are raw chicken bones dangerous for dogs? Everything I've been able to turn up on Google seems to address cooked chicken bones. My understanding is that while cooked chicken bones splinter and pose a risk to dogs, raw bones do not. A lot of people raw feed portions of boned chicken without issue. Though, dogs are dumb sometimes and can choke on tiny things like kibble, so it's best to watch them to ensure they get it down alright. Once that happens you should be fine.
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Jul 21, 2010 18:37
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Thanks. I'd thought I had heard that was the case, too, but not being able to find anything online was kind of freaking me out. They've definitely gotten them down okay (in one case about 3 hours ago an entire wing was swallowed whole when the dog was told to "leave it"...then he looked at me all "What did I do?" then ran off to help my husband move the goats), but I was a bit panicked about bone splinters in the stomach and intestines. What can I say, I love my doggies to a degree that my other ranching buddies make fun of me for. 
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Jul 21, 2010 18:47
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2tomorrow posted:Thanks. I'd thought I had heard that was the case, too, but not being able to find anything online was kind of freaking me out. They've definitely gotten them down okay (in one case about 3 hours ago an entire wing was swallowed whole when the dog was told to "leave it"...then he looked at me all "What did I do?" then ran off to help my husband move the goats), but I was a bit panicked about bone splinters in the stomach and intestines. What can I say, I love my doggies to a degree that my other ranching buddies make fun of me for. As a general rule, raw bones are fine and cooked bones are a never-ever. Your dogs might barf the whole chicken wings back up just to get them chewed up a bit more, but it shouldn't be a problem digestion-wise. The thigh bone can be a bit tough in chickens as well, but it still shouldn't pose the splintering threat a cooked bone would.
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Jul 21, 2010 19:04
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grnberet2b posted:I recently took my dog to the vet for a dental cleaning. This involved anesthesia, which meant an IV. He has not taken well to the shaved area of his leg where the IV was, and has started nibbling on it. Is there something I can do to stop this beyond putting some form of ace wrap on there as he just gnaws at the wrap until it comes off, then resumes going at his leg. Put the wrap on, and then spray it with apple bitter.
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Jul 21, 2010 19:44
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Having a problem with walking my dog - but not with the dog. He's a corgi, so he's naturally pushy, but we're working on teaching him manners and for the most part, he's progressing nicely. However, today when I was out for a walk he caught sight of an old lady walking her chihuahua, and proceeded to freak out and pull at his leash trying to get to the other dog. I'm walking quickly the other way and trying to redirect him with treats, and the old bag follows us, letting out more and more of her dog's leash, insisting, "Oh, he only wants to say hello!" This happens fairly often with people in our complex and I'm trying not to either a) reward him for pulling me around and b) let him get overexcited, because he gets a little nippy sometimes (working on that too). Any tips on politely telling other people to gently caress off?
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Jul 21, 2010 19:54
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I'm not sure if this is the right thread but, I'm wondering if anyone has any good suggestions for good pet hair vacuums. I recently adopted a second cat with medium length extra soft black fur that sticks to everything and doesn't come off. My cheap old vacuum just doesn't cut it anymore. It constantly looks like I haven't vacuumed for weeks. I was thinking Dyson, but it's a bit pricey. Does anyone else have a cheaper awesome brand? Also which specific models do you recommend, Dyson or otherwise?
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Jul 22, 2010 00:37
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six_wings posted:Having a problem with walking my dog - but not with the dog.
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Jul 22, 2010 00:53
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six_wings posted:Having a problem with walking my dog - but not with the dog. Normally people will respect a polite but curt, "he's in training" as you try your best to position your dog with his back to the distraction. I would probably try to get your dog in a sit and wave a delicious hotdog or something in his face. When people see you working hard to keep his attention they're normally able to grasp that they're not welcome to interact with him. Unfortunately if that doesn't work -- if your dog is reacting too much, or the lady is not leaving you alone, you will have to turn to something more extreme. For instance, my dog used to pee when greeting people on the street. I would try to ensure she was calm when greeting people but if she got any attention she'd let 'er go, all the while I would be quietly try to warn people that she would make a bit of a mess -- I didn't have much success. I mentioned this to my trainer and she said that an effective method was throwing up your hand and saying "Stop! She'll pee on your shoes!!!" It would stop people dead. You could try telling people that he's sick (or a that he does not like dogs), if the "in training" line doesn't seem to be working. Basically, you are your dog's guardian, and it's your job to set him up for success. If people are getting in the way of that then it's your responsibility to do away with politeness and take control of the situation.
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Jul 22, 2010 01:04
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We've been working on our dogs' reactivity on walks lately and I do what Kerfuffle said. If anyone is walking towards me with dogs and they don't get the hint that I'm trying to get my dogs away from them, I tell them that my dogs aren't friendly (which isn't true at all) and continue walking away from them and they usually stop. Though this happened with a ~10 year old kid recently who was walking a poor overweight Golden that probably weight more than he did We were walking towards each other on the same side of the sidewalk so I crossed to the other side to keep away before my dogs start getting excited. Turns out, he was on one of those zip line extendable leashes that was as long as the street is wide  When he reached the end of the line he literally started pulling the kid into the street. By this point my dogs are riled up wanting to play with him and he's within 5-6'. I told him that my dogs weren't friendly while trying to pull them along with me and the kid was freaking out because the dog was pulling him. I felt bad for him
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Jul 22, 2010 01:50
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Caramaline posted:I'm not sure if this is the right thread but, I don't know a cheaper brand, but I can tell you my Dyson loving kicks rear end at cleaning up everything, including pet hair from my 4 cats and hair from my head.
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Jul 22, 2010 03:05
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Thank you all for the tips, I'll work on being more assertive and I'll be a jerk if I have to. I care more about his training than I do all the neighbors liking me. Also, I'm going to get a shirt to wear on walks that says MY DOG WILL PEE ON YOUR SHOES.
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Jul 22, 2010 14:11
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Emasculatrix posted:Put the wrap on, and then spray it with apple bitter. And if that doesn't work, it's ecollar (cone) time. Probably a couple of days would be enough to get him past the itchy stage. Fire In The Disco posted:I don't know a cheaper brand, but I can tell you my Dyson loving kicks rear end at cleaning up everything, including pet hair from my 4 cats and hair from my head. Seconding this. I've got a 4 year old Dyson animal refurb I got off of Amazon and it still kicks rear end for cleaning up pet hair. That said, you might check out consumer reports. They actually didn't rank the Dysons that highly and had some other (much cheaper) vacuums that did really well and are worth checking out.
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Jul 22, 2010 14:25
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My parent's cat over the past year has been peeing in the garage almost every night. They keep him in the garage at night for sleeping purposes, and let him stay inside when it's excessively cold or hot. There's a bed, food and water and of course a litterbox also in the garage. Occasionally he will poop outside the litterbox too. Every time he does this outside the litterbox, my mother checks the litterbox to see if he's done anything in there. Sometimes he has, sometimes he hasn't. She cleans it twice a week so he's not doing it because it's dirty. They went to the vet about it and all they said that they should add an extra litterbox in the garage. So they did, and he's basically completely ignoring it. My mother has also tried changing the litter to Feline Pine and it seemed to help a little bit. But he's still peeing. I personally think it's because he used to be an indoor-outdoor cat and when he's in the garage he thinks he's "outside". I'm also worried he's got something wrong with his bladder. Let me also note that he is completely healthy, and has shown no signs of feeling sick. Should we take him back to the vet because of this behavior?
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Jul 22, 2010 15:53
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He needs to be checked for crystals and a bladder infection. Which one is more likely depends on how old he is. A simple once over by the vet is not sufficient (though some old school vets will tell you it is), they need to do a urine test before declaring it to be a behavioral issue. The urine test is not the cheapest thing ever, but it should not be super expensive ($40 or so).
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Jul 22, 2010 16:05
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Ceridwen posted:Seconding this. I've got a 4 year old Dyson animal refurb I got off of Amazon and it still kicks rear end for cleaning up pet hair. We got a Bissel Lift-off, it's made for pet hair, too. I absolutely love it. The only thing (that would happen with any vacuum, I think) is that my hair is long, so it gets tangled in the brushes. If it gets too bad, it doesn't want to pick up pet hair anymore, so I have to keep it in check. It has an awesome attachment, though, that has brushes like the regular part for couches & stuff that works great. It's the only way I can get hair off our cat tree!
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Jul 22, 2010 20:52
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We have a cheapie model of Bissel, and it's served us very well. That beater brush attachment for the hose is genius. My black couch looks so good for a few minutes after vacuuming and before cat naps. On a related note, who as a vacuum recommendation for kitty litter on hardwood? I've been using the hose of the Bissel, but it seems like so much vacuum for a little job. There ought to be a smaller lightweight model of something that would be perfect.
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Jul 22, 2010 22:11
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I thought I'd give an update to my post from a few days ago about dealing with my mom and aunt's desire to bring their dogs to our house despite my husband's allergies. I had a knee-jerk reaction to my mom's request but when I explained the situation she totally understood why I didn't want the dogs brought. To my surprise my husband didn't have a problem with the dogs down as long as they never came in the house. As a result my mom and Aunt plan to rent a camper for them to stay in, and leave the dogs at home if they can't find one. Thanks for the advice but thankfully everything worked itself out.
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Jul 23, 2010 06:22
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That is awesome to hear!
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Jul 23, 2010 11:11
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Thanks for the recommendations. I looked into some Bissels and I think that is likely what I will end up buying.
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Jul 23, 2010 15:26
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Once a baby bird is fledged and fluttering around on the ground, about how long does it usually take until they can fly for real? I don't have a picture, and the adult(s) are quick enough that I can't tell what they are, but they're some kind of little brown thing. One of the parents was screaming at me this morning and I had no idea why, but we figured out there's a nest in the back of the water softener we had stuck by the back door until we could haul it away. The way we discovered the babies is that Husker killed one It would almost be better if he had meant to kill it, but honestly this dog has no prey drive and I think he just saw something fluttering around, got all playful like someone was shaking a toy at him, and grabbed it. Sighthound, motion. Baby birds are fragile and greyhound mouths are not soft, and he crunched it and dropped it. He didn't even show any interest in eating it.  We tossed the body over the fence just in case, since I know birds carry lots of parasites and stuff, and I'm sure something will devour it before long given our location. How long do I need to keep an eye on him before I can be sure the other babies are safe? The parent birds have been doing a lot of screeching and trying to lure us away, but that trick doesn't work on the dog. I really hope this was the first one he's killed. I haven't found any other bodies or evidence (feathers, etc), so I'm crossing my fingers they just came out of the nest today and he happened to grab one. There are at least two or three more babies and I think I've seen both parents. We will definitely stop putting off taking this thing to the dump now.
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Jul 23, 2010 23:40
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My elderly English Staffordshire has a bad back which we're treating with anti-inflammatories from the Vet. On stroking him I've noticed that the muscles in his front shoulders are very tense. Is there such a thing as dog massage and if so would that make him more comfortable?
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Jul 24, 2010 22:50
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I received two baby red eared sliders as a gift in the fall of 2005, and they both lived peacefully in the same tank at the time. As they grew older, they began to antagonize each other and had to be placed in separate tanks - my apartment only had room for a single tank, so the second turtle was sent to live with a family friend. That family friend is now looking to move and will not be taking the turtle with them, and I'm still unable to care for two tanks - so I want to find a suitable home. I know the turtle cannot be released into the wild, and I'm hesitant to just post a general classified ad in the newspaper or craigslist for fear of getting someone who just wants the large aquarium and equipment for a cheap price, and not the turtle itself. I just want to feel comfortable that the turtle is going to a good home. I've looked around at turtle enthusiast sites, and there isn't really any adoption activity to speak of. A few people seem to be in my situation and have posted threads, but there are no responses to any of them. Any ideas on places to look for this sort of thing? (the turtle currently lives in Nashua, NH for geographic-dependent follow-ups)
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Jul 25, 2010 01:24
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