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I'd take her to the vet, explain the behavior changes, and get a blood panel (or whatever other tests they recommend) to rule out a medicinal problem. If the tests come up inconclusive, I'm not sure what else you could do. Sounds like the cat doesn't like being a pet any more than your BF likes having her as a pet.
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Oct 24, 2010 18:30
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Forgot to mention that we did that already. And my god, the vet even hates her. The cat just never really seems happy. She's making us unhappy as well.Family (small kids) can't visit because we are afraid she'll attack them. We could keep her locked in the bedroom if people come over. I feel like an awful person wanting her gone. I've never gotten rid of a pet.
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Oct 24, 2010 18:39
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Maybe just try working slowly to increase positive interactions? One of my cats has been super bitchy most of her life, but over the last couple of years she's started to mellow out (she's about 7 or 8 now). She still doesn't tolerate petting from strangers, but she'll finally let my boyfriend (who she's lived with for about 3-4 years) pet her on the head for a couple minutes. Lately, she's even let him pet her belly sometimes! He just gave her lots and lots of treats and respected her space, and if she made the slightest bit indication she was uncomfy or overstimulated, he stopped and left her alone. It's been years, but now they get along pretty well. Could it be that she doesn't feel secure? Is there a way to give her her own safe space? My grumpy cat gets bullied by one of the others, and the way she interacts when she's safe inside the bedroom and outside in the main area are drastically different. I would experiment around and see if you can't make things either safer or more comfy for her.
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Oct 24, 2010 19:33
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We've been using the strategy of only interacting with her when she approaches us. When he gets home she'll run up to him and rub his leg. She wants to be loved for about 30 seconds. Everynow and then she'll want more. But for the most part it's friendly and then teeth outta no where. I pay attention to her body language and she doesn't really show signs of being aggravated until it's too late. Do you think her quality of life is good? She always has food, water, and a clean litterbox. She is just always pissed off. She has run of the whole house and she actually almost never hides. She perches herself somewhere out in the open--usually in a high up area and gets lovely if anyone comes within five feet of her. The other animals avoid her like the plague and her attitude is the same no matter where she is in the house  she's kinda only nice when she wants something. She'll mew and follow you around if her food is low and she cuddles in my boyfriends lap when it's cold (you can't you touch her though!)
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Oct 24, 2010 20:04
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I agree with nonanone in that there might be something going on with the other cat (or other animals, do you have dogs also or something?). Not sure if you could do this but would it be possible to give her her own room/area of the house for awhile and see if that changes anything?
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Oct 24, 2010 20:50
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She's been like this for a year and a half now. That's way before I or any pets moved in.
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Oct 24, 2010 20:56
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Thanks for the tips! We're on three days incident-free; ear and tail twitches seem to be a reliable sign so far to stop petting, and Gaius for his part is more than happy to greet me with headbutts to the forehead and wait for my alarm to go off in the morning before hopping into bed to cuddle. On the other hand, he does seem to want to be sent back: 
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Oct 24, 2010 21:10
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VidaGrey posted:She's been like this for a year and a half now. That's way before I or any pets moved in. This probably isn't what you want to hear, but my mother has had a cat like this for some ten years now. It's pretty much the same story - she's occasionally friendly, but it lasts only a few seconds before she starts trying to kill you. If your cat is like this one, all you can really do is give her space, let her do her own thing, and be happy with whatever affection you do get. Anyone who visits my parents' house gets warned, so if they get scratched/bitten it's sort of their own fault. It's just part of the responsibility of being a pet owner. If you had a kid and he turned out to be a huge brat no matter what you did, you wouldn't drop him off at an orphanage, would you?
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Oct 24, 2010 21:31
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I figured as much. I have a lot more patience than my bf when it comes to her. I honestly think that it just hurts his feelings, haha. All our other pets are wonderful and loving so I think we wil manage. It's not a house completely filled with terror.
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Oct 24, 2010 22:19
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So, we were at the cat shelter just socializing with the kitties today. I asked one of the people who run the place for some advice regarding the evil in our home. Her solution was surprising...the depo provera shot! I researched it some online and, well, people have used it for aggressive cats with sucres. Anyone ever heard of this method?
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Oct 24, 2010 23:39
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VidaGrey posted:So, we were at the cat shelter just socializing with the kitties today. I asked one of the people who run the place for some advice regarding the evil in our home. Her solution was surprising...the depo provera shot! I researched it some online and, well, people have used it for aggressive cats with sucres. Anyone ever heard of this method?  That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard. I guess you could ask your vet what they think about it, but man I never thought human birth control could really be safely used on cats for..anything.
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Oct 24, 2010 23:41
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Ummmm . . . well, while you're at the vet asking about it, isn't there basically some sort of kitty prozac available? Also, she's spayed right?
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Oct 25, 2010 00:09
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Kerfuffle posted:
that's so interesting. I'm really curious how they discovered it.
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Oct 25, 2010 00:10
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Yes, she's spayed and the vet they told me to call and ask about it is a vet I use sometimes. It's really interesting. I'm going to call around to get some other opinions too.
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Oct 25, 2010 00:16
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VidaGrey posted:So, we were at the cat shelter just socializing with the kitties today. I asked one of the people who run the place for some advice regarding the evil in our home. Her solution was surprising...the depo provera shot! I researched it some online and, well, people have used it for aggressive cats with sucres. Anyone ever heard of this method?
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Oct 25, 2010 00:17
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Soo... I found a kitten on the side of the road by my house (it can't be older than maybe 3 months, I'm betting more like 2) and it's hurt. It's got about a 2in long and 1/2 to 1in wide gash on its front right leg, plus what looks like a pretty big scab behind too. (It looks superficial though, no muscle or bone showing) Went to both my regular vet and evet by my house and both are closed. It's got a collar and I called the lady, no answer, went to the house (5 houses down from mine), no answer. I hope to god she isn't on vacation or whatever. I've never owned a cat. I've never been near a cat for more than like, a day at a time. Is there anything I can do for it until (fingers loving crossed so hard) she calls? I've got the cat in my spare bathroom with a dish of water and a towel. Is neosporin okay on cats? Can I bandage the cut with anything that you could typically find around the house? Siderant: I call that loving bitch catlady for a reason. Every time I walk my dog by her house there is always at least 5-8 cats chilling in her front yard and on the street. If I had known it was her cat before I called, I would've been so tempted just to take it to the dumb friends league. This is why you don't leave your loving cats outside. gently caress. (And we're in a completely residential street, cats still get hit you dumb poo poo.) Thank god my dog likes cats. Edit: When I found it a group of kids were sitting there poking/pushing at the kitten. Ugh. People.
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Oct 25, 2010 00:29
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moechae posted:Soo... I found a kitten on the side of the road by my house (it can't be older than maybe 3 months, I'm betting more like 2) and it's hurt. It's got about a 2in long and 1/2 to 1in wide gash on its front right leg, plus what looks like a pretty big scab behind too. (It looks superficial though, no muscle or bone showing) Went to both my regular vet and evet by my house and both are closed. It's got a collar and I called the lady, no answer, went to the house (5 houses down from mine), no answer. I hope to god she isn't on vacation or whatever. How is the evet closed? Anyway, yeah, if he'll let you clean the wound and put some neosporin and maybe a bandage on it, that'd be great. Can you run to the store and get a couple of cans of cat food for him too? Kitties can't go for long without it. I know it sucks because she might come back asking for him but for now you have to do what's best for the kitty. Unless you left a message on her phone she probably wouldn't know you have him anyway.
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Oct 25, 2010 00:40
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HondaCivet posted:How is the evet closed? I did leave a message on her phone, but that was about an hour ago. I'll head over to the pet store and pick up some food and probably pet specific bandages. Blue Buffalo/wellness good for cats, and probably wet, not dry? (that's what I feed my dog) Thanks for the help, I guess the evet is moving shop or something? I don't know. Oye.
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Oct 25, 2010 00:48
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moechae posted:I did leave a message on her phone, but that was about an hour ago. I'll head over to the pet store and pick up some food and probably pet specific bandages. Blue Buffalo/wellness good for cats, and probably wet, not dry? (that's what I feed my dog) Thanks for the help, I guess the evet is moving shop or something? I don't know. Oye. Yay! Yep, that food sounds great. Anyway, I don't know if you even want to keep the cat but if she has so many cats you might be able to talk her into letting you keep it (if she bothers coming over looking for it which she may not), especially if you end up taking it to the vet or something. Which you really should I think, if that wound gets infected he could lose his leg or worse.
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Oct 25, 2010 00:52
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HondaCivet posted:Yay! Yep, that food sounds great. Anyway, I don't know if you even want to keep the cat but if she has so many cats you might be able to talk her into letting you keep it (if she bothers coming over looking for it which she may not), especially if you end up taking it to the vet or something. Which you really should I think, if that wound gets infected he could lose his leg or worse. Oh yeah, I am definitely taking the kitty to my dog's vet as soon as they open tomorrow morning if the lady doesn't call by then. The cut definitely needs stitches at least. I got blueberry (name on tag) bandaged up and he ate half a can of blue buffalo, which I take as a good sign. Two tries on the bandage, he had the first one off in two seconds, the second one which I taped all to hell has held so far. I think it might've actually been an animal attack instead of a car, he's missing a big tuft of fur on his other side, there's about a quarter-sized bald patch. Plus a couple of scars around his head and neck area. What 2-3mo old kitten has battle scars already? Goddamn. I would take the cat in a second, but the bf is pretty drat allergic. Grey cats are my favorite cats too.  Picture of cat in dog's old bed, and I just noticed the wound goes farther up than I saw before, I'll have to add bandages.  Click here for the full 1200x1600 image.
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Oct 25, 2010 02:32
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moechae posted:Oh yeah, I am definitely taking the kitty to my dog's vet as soon as they open tomorrow morning if the lady doesn't call by then. The cut definitely needs stitches at least. I got blueberry (name on tag) bandaged up and he ate half a can of blue buffalo, which I take as a good sign. Two tries on the bandage, he had the first one off in two seconds, the second one which I taped all to hell has held so far. I think it might've actually been an animal attack instead of a car, he's missing a big tuft of fur on his other side, there's about a quarter-sized bald patch. Plus a couple of scars around his head and neck area. What 2-3mo old kitten has battle scars already? Goddamn. I would take the cat in a second, but the bf is pretty drat allergic. Grey cats are my favorite cats too. In any case, he's lucky you found him. Let us know what happens. 
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Oct 25, 2010 02:43
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Yeah, if you think you can keep antibiotic on the cut without him messing with it then a bandage isn't necessary but if not then it's a good idea. Either way it's still really cute you gave him one. If your b/f is open to it, there are a lot of ways to keep a cat even if you have allergies. Sometimes just vacuuming and keeping the cat out of the bedroom is enough. Even if you can't keep the cat you might want to help the lady find the cat a new home, he's obviously not doing too well in his current situation.
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Oct 25, 2010 03:20
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Welp, lady came and got him. Apparently he has a "skin condition" or something and she gets calls about the cat a lot. The wound was OBVIOUSLY A WOUND though, it was bleeding and weepy, unless skin conditions make skin spontaneously bleed. She reassured me that she was a good owner, she fed her cats Science Diet and everything. Apparently I am really bad at judging animal ages because she said the cat was 14 (the cat couldn't have weighed more than 5-7lbs and was about 1- 1 1/2ft long, is that a regular sized cat?). I brought the cat up to her and she took blueberry and dropped her on the ground where she then shot off under a car. The lady said she would go find her. Eventually. Now I feel terrible about the too tight bandage, I wish I had seen that post before I gave the cat back. I hope the lady finds the cat and takes it off soon!  The lady also reassured me that she was a good catlady because she volunteered with Every Creature Counts, an adoption agency where I got my beagle from.  I really don't know what to think about this entire debacle. It was a complete and utter failure on everyone's parts. (Including my dog which got in and ate the rest of the cat food while I wasn't looking) That poor loving cat. If I see blueberry again, I might take her, although the lady said if I had just kept her she would've been completely heartbroken. 
moechae fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Oct 25, 2010 |
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Oct 25, 2010 03:21
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Wow. That makes me sad. I don't care how much someone "cares" about their animals, just having an emotional attachment to something without being capable of giving it proper care doesn't make you a good owner and it sure as hell doesn't mean you should keep animals. Are there any authorities you could get after her? Animal Control, ASPCA, cops, etc. Bitch about her cat-covered property and the injured cats she lets run around with her name on them until someone does something about it.
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Oct 25, 2010 03:42
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HondaCivet posted:Wow. That makes me sad. Could she be a hoarder otherwise, do you think? Because I've known people with OCD hoarding who keep animals in closets and little boxes, or starve them trapped in the back yard, who will pitch an absolute wailing fit if you suggest that perhaps the animals should be in other circumstances. It's a serious disease and I've had nightmares from some of what I've seen trying to get in and rescue assorted critters before they die on their own.
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Oct 25, 2010 04:22
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Yeah I would seriously call AC on her, not giving your pets medical attention when they really need it isn't acceptable. That cat may very well get very sick from that wound if it's not treated. 
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Oct 25, 2010 06:02
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Kerfuffle posted:Yeah I would seriously call AC on her, not giving your pets medical attention when they really need it isn't acceptable. That cat may very well get very sick from that wound if it's not treated. Yeah, what the gently caress. It's one thing if she was like "Oh no she must've gotten into trouble while she was out" but she basically admitted that the cat is always beaten up to hell and that it doesn't need treatment because I guess running around with gaping wounds is a "skin condition." She could use a few "skin conditions" herself for being such an idiot.
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Oct 25, 2010 06:09
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Thanks for all the help guys, I'll definitely try calling AC today, but I'm not very optimistic. I've called them before on dogs in this area with no real response. Maybe because it's suburbia/redneckville or something, but when I walk my dog, on average I see about 10-15 outside cats per walk and about 1-2 unleashed, uncollared dogs. That lady just always consistently has the most in her front yard. I called AC before because an uncollared, unneutered pit bull was chasing a small dog down the street but stopped and started following me and my dog, lunging and nipping at him. I picked Ike up and walked him all the way back home, with the dog following me pretty much to the front door, than running off. I've talked to other people who have called AC in this area as well with no results. This whole neighborhood is very frustrating. At the very least I'm definitely gonna keep an eye out for Blueberry and make sure she gets medical attention. If I see her with the leg still hurt, I'm gonna take her to the vet and make the vet call AC as well. Proof might help more then.
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Oct 25, 2010 13:56
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That sucks but I've heard that a lot. I don't know if being persistent and calling them regularly about it would help? Or the cops? They might just tell you to call the AC but who knows. You could maybe contact any local rescues and see what they recommend too. Thanks for keeping an eye out for "Blueberry" (what a horrible name augh). Taking him to the vet would be a big help in turning in that horrible woman. If nothing else he'd finally get some drat vet attention. If she's really never taken him to the vet (dunno if he's neutered or not) she'd also probably have a hard time proving she even owned him. Besides the collar but those can get lost pretty easily.
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Oct 25, 2010 15:51
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I have a new question. Since we moved, we've been keeping two of our cats inside all the time. They've escaped on occasion, but came back with no problems. The problem is one of the cats (We call him "Little boy", it was supposed to be until we got a name, but we kept it, now it's just ironic) is getting fat. LB was always bigger than the others, but now that he's kept inside he's starting to get even fatter. He plays with the other cats with no problems, but I just feel like he's not getting enough exercise, or he's eating too much. The other three cats on the other hand are not even remotely fat, they're all very healthy looking. The food I keep full at all times, and they all eat. They've gotten used to 24/7 access to food, and some of them will overeat like retards if they go more than a half a day without food. Is there something I can do to make him more active? He's not a jumper at all. Infact, getting on something more than a few feet tall is a challenge for him and he looks so proud of himself when he accomplishes getting on something.
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Oct 26, 2010 05:41
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Start feeding them on a schedule with individual portions for each cat. It sounds like you're doing what my sister does where she dumps a ton of food into a huge bowl. One of the cats is a fatty fat fat from that.
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Oct 26, 2010 05:54
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Gothmog1065 posted:The food I keep full at all times, and they all eat. They've gotten used to 24/7 access to food, and some of them will overeat like retards if they go more than a half a day without food. This right here is your problem. What are you feeding them? Foods with a lot of unnecessary carbs (corn, etc.) are not helping his problem. Check out the Pet Nutrition Megathread and see where your food ranks. Also, stop free feeding. They'll get used to scheduled feedings easily enough, although they'll probably whine at first. Do separate portions so fattyfatcat can't hog the bowl while the others have to wait. Why are you only keeping two inside? That seems like asking for problems. What about the other two?
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Oct 26, 2010 14:02
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Anyone have problems with your cat getting their jaw stuck on their collar? My vet warned me about this, so I tightened her break away collar as much as I felt comfortable doing. Two fingers fit snugly underneath. I did notice that it had loosened a little the past day or two, but figured it was ok. She's managed to pop her collar off two or three times before when grooming, so I figured it was a safe collar. Thank god she got stuck while right in front of me. She was pawing like mad at it, and it looked really weird seeing her jaw pinned down so far. She has this habit of trying to groom her id tag - maybe it bugs her? and I guess she got her jaw under the collar. It was easy enough to pop the break away collar off when got stuck, but what it that were to happen when I wasn't home? Is that something she could die of? Right now the collar is off and I'm debating what to do. How tight can I make it? She's indoor and is microchipped. Maybe I should only put her collar on when I take her to the vet or have people over?
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Oct 26, 2010 17:52
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^^^ Is she a runner? If she's an indoor cat, and she doesn't entertain ideas of running out if you open a door, collars aren't necessary. I guess they're nice if there's a jingle bell on the collar to figure out what she's doing, but you don't really need one.
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Oct 26, 2010 18:27
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duckfarts posted:^^^ Is she a runner? If she's an indoor cat, and she doesn't entertain ideas of running out if you open a door, collars aren't necessary. I guess they're nice if there's a jingle bell on the collar to figure out what she's doing, but you don't really need one. She's curious about what's beyond the mysterious door, but not a runner. One time I let her go in the hallway (apt building), just to see if she would go or if she would be scared. She walked out and looked around and I picked her up and brought her back in. She sometimes makes like she wants to go out, but doesn't go out if I get in her way.
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Oct 26, 2010 18:48
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pandaid posted:She's curious about what's beyond the mysterious door, but not a runner. One time I let her go in the hallway (apt building), just to see if she would go or if she would be scared. She walked out and looked around and I picked her up and brought her back in. She sometimes makes like she wants to go out, but doesn't go out if I get in her way. If there's a hallway before an outside door, then I think going without a collar would be fine. If she does bolt, you'll be able to grab her before she gets to the door. If you do want her in a collar, then the two finger gap is good, just make sure to tighten it every day or so, or get a collar that won't slip as much (which, yes, I know is nigh near impossible with nylon collars).
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Oct 26, 2010 19:43
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This is Chloe.  Click here for the full 720x537 image. She won't stop farting. - Age: 8 weeks - Sex: female - How long have you had your cat?: 2 weeks - Is your cat spayed or neutered?: Vet won't spay her until she's 6 months - What food do you use?: Blue Buffalo dry (kitten formula) - When was your last vet visit?: Has not had one yet - Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both?: Indoors - How many pets in your household?: 2 kittens (this one + 1 sibling) - How many litter boxes do you have?: 2 I'm not sure if it's just a kitten thing or what, but this one rips some astonishing, room-clearing farts 10+ times a day. She doesn't have any problems pooping/peeing, no diarrhea, uses the litterbox normally. The only problem is these amazing nosehair-burning gas explosions she lets loose all the time. Her sister doesn't have this problem... what gives?
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Oct 26, 2010 22:11
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TheNinjaScotsman posted:This is Chloe. Also, obvious answer: ask your vet.
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Oct 27, 2010 04:03
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TheNinjaScotsman posted:This is Chloe. Kittens can be stinky little mofos. That said, I have heard other people say that Blue Buffalo made their pets stink pretty badly. Maybe give it a couple more weeks and then if the extreme stinkiness hasn't abated, transition slowly to a different good food? Some plain yogurt might help too in the meantime.
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Oct 27, 2010 04:12
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vanessa posted:If there's a hallway before an outside door, then I think going without a collar would be fine. If she does bolt, you'll be able to grab her before she gets to the door. If you do want her in a collar, then the two finger gap is good, just make sure to tighten it every day or so, or get a collar that won't slip as much (which, yes, I know is nigh near impossible with nylon collars). Well this almost turned out to bite me in the rear end today. I took her collar off for the day to decide whether it was safe or not. My apartment was broken into today and they kicked in bottom part of the door. Luckily kitty was waiting for me at the door, but apparently she did wander the apartment building and visited some garbage because I found some bitten up foil in my apartment. Thank god she is attached to me and my apartment. Thank god she didn't get outside. She had the nerve to beg for food while the cops were assessing the situation. Apparently, everything was alright because I was home. pandaid fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Oct 27, 2010 |
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Oct 27, 2010 04:18
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