|
spitcloth posted:I am a total novice cat owner, but I've noticed that at certain times the kitten is freaking insane. In the morning right around dawn she loses her tiny little mind, she bounces off the back of the couch like it's a trampoline, she begs for love and then flings herself down and grabs any invading hand with all four feet and every possible tooth. This is an incredible cat and she restrains herself; she keeps her talons sheathed and never bites hard enough to even leave a dent (this amazes me, as I'm used to parrots, who aren't satisfied until they've left some nerve damage behind). Anyhow, the kitten goes through crazytime around dawn and around dusk. We just avoid her then, or throw toys until she wears herself out, because touching her during that timespan makes her thud herself onto the floor with all her paws and mouth aimed for predation, and if she were any less sweet we would all be in bloody tatters. I think it's just a cat thing. As for Serella's cat also hissing, that part's more unusual. From my experience, when cats want to play, they'll be excited, make mrowry "startin' somethin'" noises and puff up, but they'll never hiss or spit. If your cat can snap out of it quickly, maybe your cat indeed just wants to play and is role-playing it up a bit much.
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2010 08:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 21, 2024 00:54 |
|
|
Cats are fuckin' crazy. It's pretty much how they play with each other though. They wrestle and bite and take swings at each other's faces . . . if you didn't know better you'd think they were fighting. Still, if you don't like being used as a furry punching bag you need to train your cat to not use you as one.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2010 17:33
|
|
|
duckfarts posted:As for Serella's cat also hissing, that part's more unusual. From my experience, when cats want to play, they'll be excited, make mrowry "startin' somethin'" noises and puff up, but they'll never hiss or spit. If your cat can snap out of it quickly, maybe your cat indeed just wants to play and is role-playing it up a bit much. That's exactly what I thought too. He's nipped me before when I play with him, but always a more deliberate, playful bite and not very hard. I think he just got freaked out by me shaking my hair (there is quite a lot of it), but he's never really flipped like that. Also, I think he may be part weasel. Five minutes ago he was on the arm of the couch. Now he's between me and the laptop with his head on my wrist. How did you get here, houdini cat?
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 02:34
|
|
|
Serella posted:That's exactly what I thought too. He's nipped me before when I play with him, but always a more deliberate, playful bite and not very hard. I think he just got freaked out by me shaking my hair (there is quite a lot of it), but he's never really flipped like that. So, based on your observations, your cat is a cat. (mine's a dog)
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 05:02
|
|
|
So we bought our cats a little plot of wheatgrass to chew on just to see if they'd like it . . . they love it! I just want to ask if it's OK to leave it out all the time for them, or should their time with it be moderated? We got it yesterday and they've been going nuts on it and haven't barfed yet so it's been so far so good.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 05:20
|
|
|
I am in a bit of a predicament and need advice from the internet. I'll try to summarize as much as possible. About 4 years ago, I adopted an adult female cat from the humane society. She was 6 years old, spayed, vaccinated, and micro-chipped. Her name is Pinot Noir and she quickly became my best friend. At the time I was single & lived alone so she was always in my lap & always slept with me. 1.5 years later I moved in with my boyfriend and a male roommate. This roommate adopted a kitten, Cheddar, but he worked nights so for the most part this kitten spent all his time with my boyfriend and I, and he generally felt like *our* cat. I had him neutered and vaccinated. Pinot wasn't happy around Cheddar; she would growl at him if he got too close and swat at him but never hurt him. Sometimes he would push her boundaries, but for the most part they just kept to themselves. When our lease ended, the roommate announced that he was moving in with his mom and couldn't/wouldn't take Cheddar, so he became ours. Now, my boyfriend and I live in our own home without roommates - Cheddar is now 1year and 8months and Pinot is about 10? Over the summer I allowed them to go outside because I don't live anywhere near a road and they just LOVE being out in nature. Pinot developed a habit of going into other people's cat doors and just hanging out in their homes, the neighbor girl told me she woke up to TWO black cats sleeping on her bed (one was Pinot, the other was her cat). At first she was always home before dark, but after she didn't come home for about 4 nights in a row, I decided it was time to bring her back inside and she and Cheddar were relegated back to being indoor cats. About a month after they were brought back inside, we adopted a third cat - no, kitten. I protested that we didn't need a third cat, but my boyfriend's mom' cat had kittens and he had been visiting them since birth and was completely attached to one of them. We brought him home as a "test run" to just "see how he does" and he never left. Of course kittens are easy to love, they're so drat cute! We named the new kitten Mango and he's about 5 months old now. I had him neutered and vaccinated. Until now there have been no issues introducing him into our home. Mango and Cheddar get along splendidly. They run through the house playing together, wrestle together, clean each other and sleep together. They're inseparable. So the problem is that for one, 3 cats is too drat many. Our house isn't huge. If they were allowed to go outside sometimes, it might help, but with all three couped-up inside I think they're driving each other crazy. Problems: 1) Pinot does NOT like other cats. Over time she grew to tolerate Cheddar, but they've always just kept their distance from each other, which is fine. With the introduction of a second male cat, this has totally changed. Now, Cheddar is actively intimidating her, chasing her around the house, and backing her into a corner where she crouches down and just hisses at him. She never tries to fight him physically, but she makes some awful sounds (growling/shrieking/hissing). This is really really hard for me to watch/witness and I know it happens even more when I'm at work because I can't diffuse the situation. 2) Cheddar started spraying. He never sprayed in his youth, and I thought (incorrectly) that neutering would remove that urge. So far he's sprayed the vacuum 3x and my computer monitor 2x in the last two weeks. The obvious catalyst for this is that I introduced a third cat into the house, who is male. I am assuming this caused Cheddar to feel his territory is being threatened, which prompts him to mark things. I am not totally sure though, because he really loves Mango and they get along great. The only one Cheddar fights with, is Pinot. His interactions with Pinot have done a total 180. Where he used to tolerate her, he now challenges and intimidates her. Could play-fighting with Mango have induced these urges? Right now I am considering re-homing Pinot to a home with a single woman and NO OTHER PETS. I feel really really loving bad about it though. I love this cat, I've had her for four years and we were really close when I was single. I feel so guilty because I am considering getting rid of Pinot because of Cheddar's actions (spraying). But Cheddar and Mango get along swimmingly, I would hate to separate them. She doesn't get along with either of my 2 other cats, and it's made her very hard to be close to her. Because she hates the other two cats, she has become much less affectionate, often sitting alone in our bedroom or in a window. Loving her is like trying to love a porcupine; impossible. She has become a different cat over time. I know the home I'm considering is a good home, and most importantly, it will be a single-pet home which is really what she needs to be happy. So I guess I wanted to hear your opinions about the situation and to hear what a huge loving rear end in a top hat I am for considering getting rid of my cat who I love.  Edit: Here's a picture Pinot - Cheddar - Mango  Edit 2: I have also sprayed FeliWay throughout my house but it seemed to make no impact on anyone's behavior whatsoever. Helvetica Neue fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Nov 9, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 20:38
|
|
|
Um, so why are you trying to rehome Pinot when the one causing problems is the new kitten? A cute little orange kitten would not be hard to get into a new home, believe me. Also, how did you introduce the cats? It might be too late for this now but please read the OP so you can learn how to properly introduce new cats to each other. Cats are very territorial and it's hard for them to accept new roommates so special care has to be taken to make sure they get along as well as they can.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 21:10
|
|
|
HondaCivet posted:Um, so why are you trying to rehome Pinot when the one causing problems is the new kitten? A cute little orange kitten would not be hard to get into a new home, believe me. Well, that's my dilemma and the reason I feel so guilty. Either I get rid of Cheddar and Mango and give Pinot the single-pet home she deserves and needs, or I put Pinot in a home with a family friend who has no other pets. I strongly believe in adopting adult cats (I adopted Pinot as an adult from the humane society) because kittens find homes easily, but adult cats can stay in the shelter for years. I also believe that adopting a pet is a huge responsibility that by doing so, I agree to take that pet on for life. I don't believe in just dumping pets off when you tire of them. Also, this is a joint decision between my boyfriend and I, and he feels that rehoming Pinot is the best option, not the other two cats. When I introduced the cats, Mango stayed in the laundry room for a week and a half, maybe two weeks, with his own food, litter, etc. I let them sniff each other through the door and they didn't actually get to interact for about 4 or 5 days. Cheddar was a bit perplexed at first but took to him quite quickly. Pinot didn't seem to mind and just kept to herself. It's only in the last ~3 weeks that poo poo has hit the fan. Mango has been here for 4 months. Edit: I don't *HAVE* to rehome her. I can clean up after Cheddar spraying. I can discourage him from attacking her when I'm home. In 6 months, I hope to be in a bigger house where she could maybe, stay away from him more. After winter, I can let her outside again (assuming she behaves & comes back home). Helvetica Neue fucked around with this message at 22:15 on Nov 9, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 21:18
|
|
|
So were Pinot and Cheddar not OK with each other? It sounded like they were fine before the kitten showed up. It's fairly normal for cats to not be best buddies, it doesn't mean they are miserable. However, if you really think she needs to live in a one-cat home then it's not a terrible thing if you rehome her although you should've done it a lot sooner. I guess I just don't understand what you're doing since everything sounded OK until the kitten showed up but you are blaming Pinot. Also please don't let them back outside. Most people here in PI deem it to be very irresponsible at best for a lot of reasons which we can enumerate for you if you want.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 22:58
|
|
|
Pinot has never liked Cheddar - she just doesn't like cats as far as I can tell. Loves humans though, even strangers she'll just hop right up on their lap! Their relationship has always been rocky, in my eyes. If he walked by her within 2 feet, she would growl and hiss and yowl at him but she is never the aggressor. He used to just ignore her, kinda roll his eyes and keep walking, but now he lunges at her and actually tries to fight her when she growls at him. They all wear SoftPaws so they don't really hurt each other, it's just a loud scary looking catfight. I'm not trying to blame any one of them.. I guess I wanted to know what everyone here thinks the cause is, and what possible solutions I might have. Adding the kitten = makes Cheddar spray and get extra aggressive to Pinot, even though he adores the kitten/isn't aggressive towards the kitten? Is it better to put her in a single-pet home? I really REALLY want to keep her if I can make it work. Is it selfish for me to keep her in this uncomfortable environment? If I found a home for Mango, would that change Cheddar's behavior? I understand the dangers of allowing her outside, but she just.. she just loves it so much, if you could see her. She absolutely comes alive when she's outdoors. We live on about 6 acres, far away from any busy roads, and she loves to hunt and bring us "presents." I've always kept her indoors, except for a few months this Summer when I finally felt safe enough to let her try it in our new place. I don't let her outside because I want her out of my hair, I (used to) let her outside because I can see how much better it makes her life.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 23:08
|
|
|
Helvetica Neue posted:and she loves to hunt and bring us "presents."
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 23:24
|
|
|
She never brought home a bird, the main thing she used to catch was those big rear end dragonflies (like 4inches). She caught a baby mouse one time. But I see your point.. and she isn't going outside anymore.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 23:27
|
|
|
Your idea of "outside" is a bit sugar-coated, to be honest (don't worry, it is pretty common). "Outside" isn't a green meadow full of dragonflies and birds, it's full of cars, poison, disease and wild animals that are happy to eat your cat. It's been shown that in many areas that coyotes' #1 food during the winter is pet cats and dogs. It seems cute when she brings you a "present" but it's just not responsible to keep a pet under your care outside, they are just not equipped to defend themselves out there. It's not that hard to keep them just as happy as stimulated while keeping them inside but it is a little more work. As for the cat drama, I guess I wanted to ask about their living situation. Are the cats able to get away from each other if they want? Do they all have access to separate litter boxes and such so that they don't have to invade each others' space if they don't want to? Are there lots of high and low hiding spots for them? Also, have they all been to the vet lately to check for urinary tract infections or other stuff that could cause inappropriate elimination? Finally, are you cleaning the sprayed areas with an enzymatic product like Nature's Miracle that can fully eradicate the urine smell?
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 00:28
|
|
|
I guess I hoped to come off as a seasoned cat owning veteran and not a noob who needs to be lectured about the dangers of being outside. Yes, I understand. They aren't going out anymore. It was just an idea I put out there as a possible solution to maintaining her happiness with me, instead of rehoming her. Not something I plan to do or am doing. I am dealing with a cat who is pretty miserable/unhappy in her living conditions and willing to consider anything. As for my living situation, I have a small single level house with 2 bedrooms. The only room off limits right now is the bathroom, because Mango has a field day batting everything off the counter. So really, each cat could go in it's own room if they wanted to. Pinot tends to hang out in the bedroom, and Cheddar and Mango tend to hang out in the living room. I have two large, covered litter boxes, do you think I should get a third? Both litter boxes are in the laundry room as there really isn't anywhere else to put them in my small house. Again, I *hope* to move to a much larger home in 6 months but nothing's set in stone yet. We only have two shelving units that give them something "high" to be up on, their normal perches include windows, tables, and desks. I think Cheddar loves my desk especially, hence the spraying my monitor thing. We are actually in the process of building a super awesome cat tree though, it's over 6 feet tall! Not completed yet. Regarding UTIs, Cheddar is the only one peeing, and it isn't actually a pee puddle he's leaving - it's a short burst of pee. You know, spray. Just enough to leave a little circle in the center of my monitor and traces of it dripping down. There was no puddle; he didn't actually pee there. It's always been my understanding that the symptoms of a UTI are where they just pee all over the house because they might associate their litterbox with pee pain. He's not peeing everywhere, just spraying 2 specific locations multiple times. Do you still think it could be a UTI warranting a vet visit? Edit: I forgot to mention that I use Nature's Miracle - LOVE that stuff. Thank you for all your insight thus far. Helvetica Neue fucked around with this message at 00:48 on Nov 10, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 00:44
|
|
|
The normal rule, especially when having these issues, is number of cats + one for litterboxes. I would definitely try that before rehoming any of them. Agreeing all around that rehoming the older cat is a mistake, if you feel you really have to rehome, the kitten will be the easiest to find a home for and Cheddar will be absolutely fine. FIRST, however, definitely take Cheddar to the vet. Any kind of inappropriate elimination calls for a vet visit. SECOND, if you are moving to a bigger space in six months, it seems like a big mistake to rehome any of your cats. THE THIRD, we have 3 cats in a smallish 2 bedroom apartment and they are all fine. Space isn't really the issue probably.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 02:58
|
|
|
After going over this in my head all day, and our conversations here, I feel strongly that I can't give her up. I came home today and hung out with her in the bedroom for about an hour, sans other kitties, just us. She is the best cat ever.. so affectionate and even tempered, I just love her. I can't let any of my cats go, and I am still capable of providing them them with a happy home, I just need to work at it better. If anything, Mango should go not her.  I agree with everything you said above, especially the part about just waiting the six months. After all we've been through, I owe her that much. Sidenote: there simply is not enough floorspace in the laundry room for 4 litterboxes, really? Three would fit though. (I have two currently) Helvetica Neue fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Nov 10, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 03:18
|
|
|
Helvetica Neue posted:After going over this in my head all day, and our conversations here, I feel strongly that I can't give her up. I came home today and hung out with her in the bedroom for about an hour, sans other kitties, just us. She is the best cat ever.. so affectionate and even tempered, I just love her. I can't let any of my cats go, and I am still capable of providing them them with a happy home, I just need to work at it better. If anything, Mango should go not her. A lot of people have success separating boxes. I know it's annoying to find another place for a box, but it's a lot less annoying that getting rid of one of your cats. Your first move should be the vet though. Seriously.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 04:09
|
|
|
Sorry, didn't mean to lecture about outdoors stuff, I just . . . well, you seem like you are trying to do the right thing and care about your cats so I just wanted to make sure that you knew that letting your cats outside was dangerous, but it sounds like you know that.  More litter boxes sounds like a really good idea. Since they are in the same room you might as well have one giant box in there for all they care. I'm glad that you are going to keep Pinot. Honestly I think you can keep them all, it might just take some work to find a situation where they are all content. The new house will help a lot I think but even until then I think you can figure out something.Seconding the vet for Cheddar, just to make sure nothing's up. You could at least give the vet a call about the whole situation and see if they think they'd like to see him.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 05:16
|
|
|
I have three cats kind of similar to yours; one is more aloof and doesn't like other cats, and the other two are best buds. We also had a hard time integrating our third cat. Still, how long have you even had the new kitten? It took about a year, but our household is mostly peaceful now, and although she still doesn't like the other youngin' cats, we make sure she gets her own attention time and her own space, and she came around. I think the addition of a cat tree would help, but so would simply making sure that she gets her own attention-time, as well as giving it some time. By the way, we also have a single level 2 bedroom place, and we have 5 litterboxes, all of which get dirtied on a daily basis, so you may need more.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 05:48
|
|
|
Helvetica Neue posted:After going over this in my head all day, and our conversations here, I feel strongly that I can't give her up. I came home today and hung out with her in the bedroom for about an hour, sans other kitties, just us. She is the best cat ever.. so affectionate and even tempered, I just love her. I can't let any of my cats go, and I am still capable of providing them them with a happy home, I just need to work at it better. If anything, Mango should go not her. For the litterboxes, it really would be best to make sure you have at least 2 different making GBS threads locations(same goes for food and water). If your cats aren't getting along, they need to be able to eat and crap in peace, away from the other cats/threats. As long as they aren't beating the poo poo out of each other, they'll socialize over time, on their own time. You can try putting a litterbox under a table or inside a cabinet to avoid wasting floorspace. For the outside thing, if you still want to take a cat outside, make sure all your cats have their FLV shots, and use a harness+leash and go with them instead of just letting them go nuts and coming back whenever. The only downside to this in my opinion is that if your cats LOVE to go outside, you may need to be careful when opening the front door if your cats want to bolt outside(and taking them outside may encourage it instead of getting them used to indoor life only).
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 08:34
|
|
|
RheaConfused posted:if you feel you really have to rehome, the kitten will be the easiest to find a home for and Cheddar will be absolutely fine. I feel so bad for her. She's sort of a small cat, well medium sized I guess, where as Cheddar is a BIG boy, so he can really throw his weight at her and hold her down. The sounds she makes sounds like she's DYING, but I know he isn't actually causing physical harm, only scaring the crap out of her and me. However, she does still come out in the living areas and socialize with the humans and the cats, regardless of being attacked. She's not just holed up under the bed or anything. So that's good. Today before I left for work, Mango was trying to play with her. I might try to record this on my phone to show you guys so you can see if you think I should be worried about this. Mango's 5 months old so he's still in his SUPER loving CRAZY ATTACK KITTEN phase, and I watched him "playing" with her; ranging from batting at each other to full-body, belly-to-belly pouncing her, which results in a terrifying yowl like you just stabbed her or something. To me her sounds are a huge overreaction, because she did attack him back and it seemed playful, or at least not harmful. But she cowers down to the kitten, even backs away and he keeps going at her.. he wouldn't stop until I distracted him with a toy. I worry about this going on all day in my house. I worry this is some sort of dominance exercise, and that Cheddar has been "teaching" Mango how to attack the female in the house, and that in this dual-alpha-male-cat dominated household they'll BOTH start spraying. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 17:59
|
|
|
duckfarts posted:I applaud your decision to bear with it and keep your cats. It really does take time for poo poo to calm down between new and tenured cats, so buckle down and keep a roll of paper towels handy, but when the dust settles, things should be much better. duckfarts posted:For the litterboxes, it really would be best to make sure you have at least 2 different making GBS threads locations(same goes for food and water). If your cats aren't getting along, they need to be able to eat and crap in peace, away from the other cats/threats. As long as they aren't beating the poo poo out of each other, they'll socialize over time, on their own time. You can try putting a litterbox under a table or inside a cabinet to avoid wasting floorspace.  duckfarts posted:For the outside thing, if you still want to take a cat outside, make sure all your cats have their FLV shots, and use a harness+leash and go with them instead of just letting them go nuts and coming back whenever. The only downside to this in my opinion is that if your cats LOVE to go outside, you may need to be careful when opening the front door if your cats want to bolt outside(and taking them outside may encourage it instead of getting them used to indoor life only).
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 18:07
|
|
|
I adopted two 3-year-old cats on Sunday. After some initial moving in stress, they're both getting comfortable and are super friendly. They're used to getting their own food from a dispenser. Is there any way to make sure they are eating the right amount this way? I worry one of them may be overeating, as I see her getting food very frequently, while the other cat hardly ever seems to go for it. Admittedly, she is a lot more active and I also don't know how much they eat while I am at work, but I just want to make sure the one doesn't start getting fat. They're on very low quality food at the moment, too. I ordered some Wellness and am going to start introducing them to it gradually.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 18:27
|
|
|
Helvetica Neue posted:So is there no good way to prevent spraying, other than just keeping it cleaned up with Nature's Miracle so he doesn't want to go there again? If you have the space, and you childproofed all the other ones, just reserve one of the cabinets for a litterbox, and remove the door if possible(don't encourage door opening if you don't like it; you'll just train the little bastards). My first cat could open sliding doors, bathroom cabinets, and some doors with long handles. Luckily, she wasn't stupid and didn't gently caress with chemicals or anything, so it was fine. It sounds like you shouldn't need to worry about Pinot then. My cats are curious about outside, but a bit timid and scared of it, so they hover at the door and do the scatter thing too. Again, if you do take her out on a leash(totally fine in my opinion), don't forget the FLV shots for everybody come checkup time. SlipkPIe posted:They're used to getting their own food from a dispenser. Is there any way to make sure they are eating the right amount this way? I worry one of them may be overeating, as I see her getting food very frequently, while the other cat hardly ever seems to go for it. Admittedly, she is a lot more active and I also don't know how much they eat while I am at work, but I just want to make sure the one doesn't start getting fat.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 18:34
|
|
|
I am having a sight pre-cat owning crisis and hope you guys might have some tips. I have never owned a cat of my own before--my mother is allergic and forbid us from ever having pets, so the most exposure I have is helping to take care of my boyfriend's cat for the last year. She is a mostly friendly, happy, active cat who eats good food and generally loves to play--a complete 180 from the cats I'm going to have in a few days. My grandmother has two cats, Mindy and Kelly, who are about six years old. I've been slowly taking over their care over the last few months, and more recently being their primary caregiver at her apartment since she's moving to hospice care tonight As a family, we agreed that I would bring the cats home to live with me until I move in June, keeping them in my room (I live in the finished attich of a ranch-style home, so it's pretty much the same living space size they have now) to avoid any allergy problems with mom. IF it becomes an issue, my aunt is willing to take them in until June, so I know they'll be safe somewhere.My main problem is that I have no idea how much I should cat-proof my room. It's split 50/50 into living/sleeping space and a sewing area, so I'm worried about them getting into my craft things (buttons, pins, string, etc). Both cats are pretty loving lazy--Kelly sleeps 90% of the day and Mindy hates everyone but my grandmother, so she spends most of her time hiding. They don't seem to be big jumpers or climbers, but I've started putting breakables away just in case. In addition, does anyone have tips on how to make this transition easy for them? I'm unemployed right now so I'm home a lot, but until my grandmother went into the hospital they'd never really been truly alone for more than a few hours at a time. I can tell they're upset--both cats meow at me constantly when I'm at the apartment, but Mindy will hiss and run away if I so much as hold out my hand for her to sniff. I can brush Kelly if she's laying down somewhere but Mindy hisses and freaks if I so much as have the brush in my hand anywhere near her, so I haven't even tried I stop by every day to feed them, clean their box, and spend some time with them (mostly Kelly, since Mindy hides whenever I get there), and the staff of the assisted living building her apartment is in check on them another once or twice a day.Mindy also hates treats (Kelly will eat them, but not from my hand) and neither cat likes catnip. Vet bills are not an issue since my dad loving adores these cats and will pay for everything, so if I need to get some kitty tranquilizers I can go that route. My biggest concern is getting them into their carriers to move them, since neither of them tolerates being handled, and making the adjustment as painless as possible for everyone. Both cats are neutered, up on their shots, have a vet already, and eat Wellness dry and Nutro Natural Choice wet (would like to switch that at some point). I have two litter boxes, food dishes, toys, water bowls, and several really good out-of-the-way spots for them to hide in. What more can I do? tl;dr: I've never owned a cat but I'm adopting my dying grandmothers bitchy, people-hating cats and moving them to my house. WTF am I getting myself into? McLibrarian fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Nov 10, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 20:35
|
|
|
I hope I'm asking in the right place, but do you guys have recommendations for automatic cat feeders? I feed my two cats, twice a day. Sometimes, I don't come home on the weekend and my roommate feeds them in the morning and I usually am home in the evenings to feed them. I'd rather not have to bug her for that. Crazak P fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Nov 10, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 22:31
|
|
|
McLibrarian - Cat-proofing isn't that tough, just make everything that they shouldn't get into inaccessible to them. That includes small things they could eat but shouldn't, poo poo you don't want them chewing on, etc. Just look around your living space and think like a little rear end in a top hat kitten. It would be VERY bad for them to get into your crafting stuff like buttons, needles, etc. so be sure to lock that stuff up. Other than that just don't freak out and read the OP, it has a lot of good info. I looked and there isn't anything about moving that I can see but basically if they are freaking out just give them their own room for awhile until they get settled in. Cats aren't really that big of a deal to care for properly as long as you've got the money and it sounds like your dad will cover that. HondaCivet fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Nov 11, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2010 08:24
|
|
|
I posted lots earlier in the thread about getting a friend for my cat, Jasper (who is 3). Well, we we got one - this is Korben (8 weeks!): We have followed all of PI's advice on introducing the two, and they have been together for the last 3 days. I just had a few questions on some weird behaviours. 1) Jasper and Korben already seem to be playing, but I've never seen cat play before. Jasper is a LOT bigger than Korben, and when they play Jasper bats at Korben's head (without his claws out). There's been once or twice where Jasper has pinned Korben down, and Korben has yelped, but Jasper has backed right off when this has happened. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about but I thought I'd ask! They also chase each other round the house like loonys occasionally :3 2) They have seperate litter trays in seperate rooms, and occasionally Jasper goes and scratches around in Korbens tray - he doesn't pee or anything that we've noticed. What does this mean? 3) Korben has a super licking habit! He'll climb up on my head purring lots, and lick my face, neck and hair. What does this mean (I guess he enjoys it?) Also he won't lick my husband, just me Thanks PI!
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2010 21:24
|
|
|
McLibrarian posted:tl;dr: I've never owned a cat but I'm adopting my dying grandmothers bitchy, people-hating cats and moving them to my house. WTF am I getting myself into? Catproofing depends on the cat. Just put up things they can swallow and make sure nothing breakable is on a shelf they can knock off. Make sure poisons/cleaning supplies are secured. After that it comes down to watching what they get into (maybe nothing, if they're older and lazy lumps,) and dealing on a reactive basis. For moving as long as the drive is pretty short, just scruff/burrito them into a carrier and deal with the inevitable crying. Never let an animal out of the carrier in a car. My roomie's cat Kimi would SCREAM like she was being stabbed every minute she was in a car but give her a couple days at the new place and she'd be alright. My Sam is TERRIFIED of being picked up. He sinks full claws in and cries like you're gonna drop him off a bridge. The only way I can do it (to get him in a carrier) is back him in a corner, scruff him real good and tuck his back paws against my chest. I've slowly been teaching him its ok to be picked up, but it takes a long time. If you can bring anything soft things of your grandma's that smells like her it might make it easier for the kitties, especially the scared one. An old shirt or blanket- something they can snuggle up in.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 00:32
|
|
|
ChibiStacey posted:1) Jasper and Korben already seem to be playing, but I've never seen cat play before. Jasper is a LOT bigger than Korben, and when they play Jasper bats at Korben's head (without his claws out). There's been once or twice where Jasper has pinned Korben down, and Korben has yelped, but Jasper has backed right off when this has happened. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about but I thought I'd ask! They also chase each other round the house like loonys occasionally :3 1) This is fine, especially since Jasper is responding appropriately to Korben's "hey, too much" signals. 2) "THERE IS PEE HERE I CAN TELL" Don't worry about it. 3) This means he is looking forward to eating you. He may continue doing this forever, which may be a problem when he weighs 10 lbs but that's up to you whether you want to let him or not...
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 00:44
|
|
|
ChibiStacey posted:3) Korben has a super licking habit! He'll climb up on my head purring lots, and lick my face, neck and hair. What does this mean (I guess he enjoys it?) Also he won't lick my husband, just me My cat Cheddar likes to do this, too - I call them kitty kisses.  I think it's a sign of affection, trying to clean you. Or maybe he thinks you need a bath 
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 00:56
|
|
|
Does anyone have any idea why one of my cats might be doing the following: 1. Taking a mouthful of dry food from the feeder on the easy-to-clean kitchen floor 2. Walking to a random spot on the carpet elsewhere 3. Spitting the food out onto the carpet and then eating it there I cannot figure this out. He doesn't do it everytime he eats, but a few times a week I'll catch him doing it at some point
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 02:52
|
|
|
Helvetica Neue posted:My cat Cheddar likes to do this, too - I call them kitty kisses. Rev. Bleech_ posted:Does anyone have any idea why one of my cats might be doing the following: the answer to both of these is d) Cats are weird.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 02:56
|
|
|
Rev. Bleech_ posted:Does anyone have any idea why one of my cats might be doing the following: Is he an only cat? Sometimes one of my cats will run off with food/treats because he randomly feels threatened by his brother who is the least-pushy cat in the world. But yeah, cats are weird.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 04:47
|
|
|
HondaCivet posted:Is he an only cat? Sometimes one of my cats will run off with food/treats because he randomly feels threatened by his brother who is the least-pushy cat in the world. But yeah, cats are weird. No, he has a oval office of a sister; she is skinny, while he is fat. She often has to clobber him to get at the food. I figured he was just being weird, I just wish I could think of a way to stop it so I don't have tons of crushed kibble underfoot all over the carpet. Also, I think he's offended that I mentioned it here, since he yarked undigested wet food onto the carpet not long after I did.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 05:05
|
|
|
Rev. Bleech_ posted:I figured he was just being weird, I just wish I could think of a way to stop it so I don't have tons of crushed kibble underfoot all over the carpet. Also, I think he's offended that I mentioned it here, since he yarked undigested wet food onto the carpet not long after I did. Could you, like, make him feel more secure with food somehow? Maybe put a small serving of something he loves into a bathroom or something once daily, and put him in there and shut his sister out, and leave him for an hour? So he feels as if he knows he'll have his own delicious yummy stuff with no schizoparanoid fantasy of it being stolen away? Maybe he's just insecure, and if you can convince him of a security foodblanket he'll relax about the rest of the time.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 05:33
|
|
|
Kitchen floor might be cold.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 05:35
|
|
|
My kitten has rancid stinkbreath from hell. What do I do? She's about 6 months old and eats Merrick wet food and occasional Greenies treats. Her teeth (and general health) were pronounced excellent at her last checkup in late September, but this isn't fun at all even for a cat. (To make matters worse, her caretakers are both vegetarians with sensitive noses, so fish breath is perhaps even more unenjoyable to us than it should.) Would some high-quality dry food help with this at all? I actually try to brush her teeth most days, but yeah, she's a kitten; it doesn't work so great. I want her to be healthy more than anything, and I can put up with the stink for the sake of feeding her healthy food, but I can't shake the feeling that breath this icky isn't a good thing. Feeding her less fish-based food is probably a good start, although she does love the fishy flavors.
Innovative Salad fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Nov 13, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 05:30
|
|
|
I just wanted to vent... AUGH. The PorchCat gurgi has been indoors for almost 48 hours now, chilling in the spare room so I can give him the medication that the vet gave me for him, to clear up his URI so he can get snipped. I have no idea how old he is, I am guessing about 2. Could be anything between 1.5 years and 10 years, really. He's been living outdoors.. who knows how long? He obviously was someone's pet once, because he has collar marks and liked to just walk into the house for food whenever the back door opened. He LOVES pettings. He figured out the litterbox exactly ONCE. I keep a swiffer wetjet and bottle of Nature's Miracle in the spare room now, because he kind of pees wherever he pleases, though today he got it *next to* the box at least. I have been putting bits of his messes into the box so it smells like 'pee/poop here', I have Cat Attract in there, it's in a nice obvious place for him... he just doesn't GET it. :/ I am sure he will, eventually (or when 2 weeks of antibiotics is up and he gets his nuts chopped off), but he can't be a housecat if he can't learn to eliminate in a box.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 18:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 21, 2024 00:54 |
|
|
Hopefully him getting well enough and then fixed will make a huge difference. I wouldn't be surprised if that's it (I hope) And when he comes back all healthy and nutless he goes where he should.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 20:18
|
|