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How do you brush a cat who thinks it's a game? Henry sheds like a beast but whenever I try to brush him he flops over and starts playing with the brush. My other two think it's a grand thing to be brushed, but Henry wants to play. And he needs brushing most of all.
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Apr 9, 2011 19:27
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Have you tried doing it while they're sleeping? e: lmbo at how that can be taken out of context 
Kerfuffle fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Apr 9, 2011 |
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Apr 9, 2011 19:34
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HA! Yes. But Henry is not to be fooled. Despite my gentle attempts, he just wakes up and goes "Mommy's playing a game with me! Yay!"
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Apr 9, 2011 19:53
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Maybe 2 brushes? Let him play with one and sneak brush with the other hand?
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Apr 9, 2011 19:55
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Could you get the cat really high on catnip and then brush him while he's all blissed out? Or alternatively, make some sort of tuna popsicle and secure it so that the cat has to stand somewhere convenient to lick it, and you can brush the poo poo out of him while he's distracted by the awesome tuna-scicle.
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Apr 9, 2011 21:35
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PurpleJesus posted:Is it common for littermates to be really different sizes? My wife and I adopted Violet about 7 weeks ago and by coincidence, one of my wife's friends adopted Violet's brother, Dexter, from the shelter at the same time. They were pretty much the same size at the time. My wife was talking to her friend on Facebook yesterday and he told her that Dexter is up to 22 lbs. Meanwhile, Violet is at 13 lbs. It just seems odd to me that there would be such a size difference so quickly. We used to have a client at work who adopted a puppy, and their family members adopted puppies from the same litter, with 4 in the family total. 2 of the pups grew up to be about the size of a sheltie with faces that resembled terriers. The other 2 pups grew in to very obvious golden mixes.  So either there's some really funky genetics going on, or that litter had 2 daddies.Fatty Patty posted:are tie out stakes safe? Emasculatrix posted:I'm pretty sure that the universal consensus on tie out lines is a big fat no. Can't you just get a gate to close off access to your neighbor's yard? I just want to chime in and say this isn't true. Tie outs most definitely can work, but you just need to make sure your system is safe and won't easily tangle, and that you supervise your dog at all times while he's tethered. We have a yard that's mostly fenced in, but since our driveway backs up into it, it's only fenced on 3 sides. We have a 25-30ft (don't remember the exact size) tether for Buddy (55lb husky) that works fantastic. It's made out of a stiff cable that really can't physically curve well enough to tangle around him, and it's long enough to give him access to the yard, but short enough to keep him out of trouble areas. Like I said, as long as your dog is supervised, then tie outs are fine. It's LEAVING your dog out there unsupervised that's the problem. Dogs tied out in the yard alone become bored, destructive, and can get themselves hurt. But just having your dog out there while you are is like having them on a leash. If you're shopping for a tether, I'd look for one that's for a higher weight than your actual dog. I've seen the ones made for smaller weights, and they don't look very safe, the cables seem too thin and seem like they can tangle easily. Also, look for a nice strong, sturdy clasp. We had problems with our first one, once it was out in the weather a bit, the spring in it got worn out, and the clasp quit working, not very safe! Look for one where the spring is protected inside the whole thing, so it gets less water inside. The more it looks like it can pull a truck the better, you want to make SURE your dog isn't going to get out of the thing.  Geolicious posted:How do you brush a cat who thinks it's a game? Henry sheds like a beast but whenever I try to brush him he flops over and starts playing with the brush. My other two think it's a grand thing to be brushed, but Henry wants to play. And he needs brushing most of all. I had the same problem with our kitty. I wound up taking a toy with ribbon & feathers on a stick to play with her in one hand, while I brush her with the other. She got so used to it that now I can pretty much brush her fine, and I just use the toy as a reward. It depends on the day, but at the very least the toy always distracts her. I'd be afraid that if you did the same thing with a 2nd brush, he'd always still associate brush=play when you want to move him away from that connection.
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Apr 10, 2011 01:24
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Here's one for cat owners/experts. I went home two weeks ago and left Pip with a friend who also owns a cat. He was super happy to have a friend to play with and didn't seem to miss me. I came back and took him home and he went through the usual few days of resenting me before he got all his energy back again and now he's back to normal. Except, his breath. My God, his breath! It smells HORRIBLE. It never smelled before he stayed with those people, ever, ever. In fact, I used to brag to people that my cat's breath smelled great (it really did!) Now every time he opens his mouth near me I just want to vomit. What could've caused this, in just one week? I took him to the vet and she checked his teeth and said they looked great (though he was hyper at the time and I don't know if she checked them thoroughly). His diet is still the same (innova). He's goes to the bathroom consistently and doesn't appear to be sick. I thought maybe he was eating his own poop, but I've been watching him closely and he really hasn't. A cashier at the pet store told me he might be "developing his cat breath". Is this really a thing? Am I doomed for the next 13 years with a cat with horrible breath? It seriously smells FOUL. He's just 8 months old.
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Apr 10, 2011 02:18
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Someone tell me I'm being paranoid  Sully usually has a pretty loud, clear meow. I came home from work and his meow is hoarse and I think his nose is pinker than usual. Do cats noses get pink when they get sick? He seems.. needier than normal. He's fairly independent, but hes been all over me since I got home. Should I burrito him in a blanket and smoosh his face just in case? e. also are there any links/threads about animal testing (specifically cosmetics) and why its wrong that don't borderline on psychotic? Its hard to find stuff that is reliable, but isn't extreme :\ ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Apr 10, 2011 |
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Apr 10, 2011 03:40
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PI help me I am scared and feel I don't have time to read through 200+ pages! Can cats get sick from ingesting baited mice/rats? In Victoria and southern NSW (Aus) we are having major mice issues, and my cats been catching a few a day and leaving them for us to find/tread on, but he didn't come home last night and now he won't eat and is curled up under my bed, he can't seem to jump, he doesn't want scratches and he is cold! He's showing most of the symptoms listed here: http://www.suite101.com/content/rodenticide-poisoning-a18643 but the site only talks about them directly ingesting the bait and I am scared and I can't convince my parents to call the emergency vet and they keep saying to wait until the morning and mum will take him in (it's currently 10pm, vet opens at 8am). WHAT DO I DO I'VE ALREADY LOST ONE PET THIS YEAR. (sorry for the hysteria)
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Apr 10, 2011 12:55
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Yes, cats can get sick from eating poisoned animals. It's one of the reasons not to put poison down in areas with a lot of pets. Keep nagging your family.
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Apr 10, 2011 13:02
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Cats can definitely get very sick with anticoagulant rodenticide toxicity from eating the poisoned rodents. Your cat needs to see a vet immediately. If his symptoms are truly from the poison, he could bleed to death by morning. This can happen internally, so even if you don't see any blood it can still happen. If you have the package and the active ingredient list we could confirm that the toxin you might be dealing with is, in fact, an anticoagulant, but the best thing for you to do at this point is take the cat to the emergency vet. Dr. Chaco fucked around with this message at 15:03 on Apr 10, 2011 |
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Apr 10, 2011 14:59
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What do you do when your dog suddenly becomes a picky eater? About a week and a half ago, my dog tore up and ate some of my living room carpet. On the advice of my vet I fed her lots of heavy, starchy food like white rice cooked in chicken broth to try and push it all out of her system. That worked just fine and she seems perfectly happy, healthy and normal again. Problem is, I think she got used to eating people food and now just has zero interest in her regular dog food. I got a little worried when she wouldn't eat the other day so I put a bowl of rice in front of her as a test and she practically inhaled it, so I know she's hungry. This morning she wanted nothing to do with a bowl of her regular kibble so I tried feeding her a bowl of my girlfriend's dog's brand of kibble and she at least ate most of a bowl of that. What should I do? Try a different brand of dog food? Try mixing in some wet food with the dry kibble to try and entice her? Or just assume that she'll eat when she gets hungry enough?
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Apr 10, 2011 16:09
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Horse Cock Johnson posted:What do you do when your dog suddenly becomes a picky eater? As long as your vet doesn't suspect some kind of blockage, I would probably mix wet and dry food together to make it a bit more palatable. Once you get her eating a partial kibble mix you can slowly reduce the amount of additional food you put in.
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Apr 10, 2011 16:18
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Horse Cock Johnson posted:What do you do when your dog suddenly becomes a picky eater? Our dog did this for a while because he was upset that we'd gone out of town. We just gave him canned food for a while, and gradually added his kibble back in.
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Apr 10, 2011 17:13
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Horse Cock Johnson posted:What do you do when your dog suddenly becomes a picky eater? I totally disagree with the other posters suggesting that you coddle and appease the little tyrant. Your dog is being a brat. Ignore the bratty behavior, and feed as usual. Unlike cats, healthy dogs will not starve themselves to death. They will try to manipulate the poo poo out of you to get tasty treats. Yours has figured out that by ignoring her normal food, you'll eventually freak out and go get the good stuff. If she's truly hungry - she'll eat anything you offer, including cat turds and garbage (some of my dogs' favorites). Just stay stoic and feed as usual, and she'll get the message that the "good stuff" isn't coming this time.
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Apr 11, 2011 01:00
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What can I do for my long-haired cat that constantly has poo poo on her backside fur? We've switched food brands, but the poop still gets all over her butt. Is there any alternative to having her shaved?
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Apr 11, 2011 04:19
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We have two cats, one of them is a total lardass and the other is pretty normally proportioned. We want fatty to lose weight, but when we tried putting less food out she pretty much ended up eating all of what we put down for both of them. Is there anything else we can try?
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Apr 11, 2011 13:09
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You'll need to separate them for meal times. If they are currently free-fed, then you'll have to convert them to meal-feeding first.
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Apr 11, 2011 14:42
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Does anyone know of an algae eating creature that can co-exist peacefully with a turtle (RES)? We do clean the tank and change the filters and whatnot, but it would be nice to have an extra arsenal - especially as the weather gets warmer and the sun gets stronger on the side of the tank.
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Apr 11, 2011 14:44
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I wouldn't trust my RES with anything alive that wasn't another turtle her size. She's a beast, however; how large is your turtle?
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Apr 11, 2011 16:02
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Not especially large. He was ill as a baby so his growth was stunted quite a bit. I'd say about 3 inches wide and six inches long if he stretches his neck out really far. He's going on 7 years old right now  I can't believe it's been so long. Never been much of a hunter and is a pretty picky eater, though I considered starting a school of itty bitty fish to give him some exercise. Favorite activities include: glaring at you and shuffling LOUDLY off his sunning platform to startle anyone nearby.
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Apr 11, 2011 17:17
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He is kind of small for a 7 year old! At that size he might be ok with a roommate, especially if he's not much of a hunter. Unfortunately I don't know much about algae-eaters; hopefully someone else can help you out. I would just make sure it's at least close to his size to limit the chance of him eating it.
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Apr 11, 2011 17:34
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Any opinions on Leba spray? I was at the vet with my approximately 18 year old cat for completely different reasons, but the vet noted his terrible tooth decay and possible infections (?) She recommended a deep cleaning and possible extractions under anesthesia, which I guess I'll go through with if I have to, but I'm terrified (plus I'm poor and have already used my parents' money and had to borrow money from my brother and apply for my first credit card to cover these vet/medicine bills). He has some early to mid-stage kidney failure. Knowing this, they'll keep him properly hydrated, but anesthesia on an old cat is risky no matter what. I wish I had another option  Anyway, at my first visit, she gave me a bottle of Leba spray. I didn't even know I paid $65 for it until I left the clinic and looked at my invoice. I had asked for some kind of antibacterial spray or something. However, at this point of decay, I doubt antibacterial products would be of much help. No one told me that you're supposed to take care of your cat's teeth :/ Now that he's nearly or at 18, his mouth is in pretty bad shape. From what I've read online, this Leba stuff is just supposed to balance out, blah blah proprietary poo poo...is it any good? Is it $65 good? I've barely used it on him.
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Apr 12, 2011 02:40
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My cat has been having a runny nose, runny eyes and now seems sluggish. But that's kinda normal, she just likes being held. She seems thinner, but I've been gone a few days. She is a Maine Coon. Is it possible it's just allergies, or is there something I should be doing? Any information could help, and yes as I wait for a reply I am doing my best to Google.
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Apr 12, 2011 04:23
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Whatshesaid: dental disease won't go away on its own, and when it's to the point that extractions are necessary there's really not much you can do about it except the general anesthesia and full cleaning and extractions as necessary. Whether or not you want to go through the financial difficulties on top of dealing with the possibly increased anesthetic risk is something you'll have to decide with your vet. Did you ask them about the anesthetic risk and how her age or renal disease would affect that? I haven't heard of Leba spray, sorry I can't comment on that. GILF08: to me, it sounds like your cat is sick, not just reacting to environmental allergens. First, because dogs and cats are much more prone to itchiness when allergic, not runny nose and eyes like people; and second, the sluggish behavior and possible weight loss are concerning for an actual illness that should be seen by a veterinarian.
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Apr 12, 2011 05:09
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Horse Cock Johnson posted:What do you do when your dog suddenly becomes a picky eater? I think someone else already said it but it bears repeating. A healthy dog will NOT starve itself. When it gets hungry enough, it WILL eat. The more you attempt to entice your dog to eat, the more your dog is really just training you to do her bidding. Put down her kibble. Wait 15 minutes. If she hasn't eaten it, take it back up again. She just missed breakfast (or dinner or whatever.) At her next scheduled mealtime, put the kibble down again. If she still doesn't eat, take it back up again. You might go through a day or so of this, especially if you've been feeding wet/dry food mixes, or a different kibble that she prefers to her own. But eventually your persistence will win out and she'll inhale her food because she'll be hungry enough. Don't sabotage yourself by giving her treats, just make sure she's got a good supply of water and is drinking. You don't mention what kind of dog she is, how big. On the very faint off-chance that she's a toy breed, you should make sure she gets a few licks of Nutri-Cal or the equivalent for each meal she misses, just to make certain there's no danger of hypoglycemia.
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Apr 12, 2011 05:41
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Freddie the hedgehog is having poo issues.. He seemed to be having trouble going poo so I gave him a soak in the bath--he sat there for a minute farting before crapping out the largest two turds I have ever seen from him. Is there any way I can help him? Is he constipated? Should we visit his vet? edit: he eats this food. He gets a few small crickets each week, and drinks from a bowl (not a bottle) Fatty Patty fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Apr 12, 2011 |
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Apr 12, 2011 05:50
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GILF08 posted:My cat has been having a runny nose, runny eyes and now seems sluggish. But that's kinda normal, she just likes being held. She seems thinner, but I've been gone a few days. She is a Maine Coon. Is it possible it's just allergies, or is there something I should be doing? Any information could help, and yes as I wait for a reply I am doing my best to Google. Definitely vet time, any possible weight loss is a big concern in cats.
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Apr 12, 2011 12:49
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Does anyone have any recommendations involving something like a heavy duty window screen or a similar solution? Now that winter is finally over in my neck of the woods, I'ld like to leave one of the windows partially open so that it doesn't get too stuffy in my apartment while I'm gone. However, I'm concerned about him breaking through the screen, especially since he gets all hot and bothered when one of a couple stray cats dares to hang around close to HIS property.
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Apr 12, 2011 14:15
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How do I stop my cat from climbing up into my bed while I am sleeping and humping my leg/the blanket/something or other. This is an annoying habit he's started into recently, and in my half asleep state I push him off the bed but he just eventually comes back up and does it again. He stopped when I grabbed him by the scruff today but I'm not usually awake enough to stop him. He's usually so regal and distant and annoyed-seeming that this is getting on my nerves.
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Apr 12, 2011 16:21
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Close the door. Problem solved.
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Apr 12, 2011 16:24
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Fatty Patty posted:Freddie the hedgehog is having poo issues.. He seemed to be having trouble going poo so I gave him a soak in the bath--he sat there for a minute farting before crapping out the largest two turds I have ever seen from him. Is there any way I can help him? Constipation has been reported with that food when it is used alone in a hedgie diet. A lot of hedgehogs won't even eat it. Freddie should have his diet slowly changed. A high quality cat kibble should be introduced, and I would recommend no more than 25 % of his diet be the Sunseed. However, I wouldn't be surprised that if he was introduced to a better quality food that he leaves the Sunseed in his bowl and won't touch it. By the way, you'll get a lot faster response if you join the forums at hedgehogcentral.com or chins-n-hedgies.com. w8wtf fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Apr 12, 2011 |
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Apr 12, 2011 16:35
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w8wtf posted:Constipation has been reported with that food when it is used alone in a hedgie diet. A lot of hedgehogs won't even eat it. eesh I used to have him on a cat food diet but he seemed to have trouble with the size of the kibbles, so I switched him over to the Sunseed. I have spoken to his vet about it and she didn't seem to care, she just wanted him to eat more fruits and vegetables. I'm looking on the Hedgehog Central forums now at good quality foods. Its all very confusing--I had always thought that protein was the most important thing in a hedgehog diet, but they say that too high protein content can lead to renal failure. Freddie also needs a lower fat content because he's very lazy (he isn't overweight though). I think I'm going to go with one of the Wellness foods, as it seems to be at the top of what everyone recommends.Why do most people recommend a mix of foods? Is it for variety or something else?
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Apr 12, 2011 18:41
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Fatty Patty posted:eesh Variety, and you get a better balance than you would from a single source. Mixing different foods also enables you to better tune the fat/protein/carb/ash balance. Our presently-cancer-free, 4-year-old hedgehog is eating a mix of Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken, Felidae, Innova Lite, ByNature Weight Management, and Fromm Mature Gold. The Fromm is a smaller kibble, and the ByNature is an easily-broken X-shaped kibble. The largest hedgehog rescue in the US feeds Royal Canin products. As far as what's most important, it depends on the hedgehog. Our hedgie with cancer is on a very low carb diet, as carbs feed cancers.
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Apr 12, 2011 18:49
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This isn't that important but I was wondering if someone might be able to shed some light on this weird behavior my cat exhibits. She only does it if I'm wearing a sweatshirt... She'll come up to me and clamp onto my arm with her mouth wide open. Then she starts acting like she's gagging. A couple seconds after, she's done and she lets go. She doesn't throw anything up and she's starting to do this more lately. What the hell is my cat doing?
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Apr 17, 2011 13:45
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My guess is your cat is tarding out. My cats do something very similar on our clothes.
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Apr 17, 2011 18:36
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I've always suspected I have a "special" cat but I'm glad to hear other cats do the same thing
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Apr 18, 2011 10:31
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Lackadaisical posted:"special" cat Tautology.
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Apr 18, 2011 20:34
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My one-year-old Sheltie got pink eye last night. It started yesterday afternoon with bright green, snotty gunk coming out of her eye. Then it got watery. Then she started blinking more. This morning she started pawing at it and whining so we went straight to the vet. Corticosteriod gel treatment. My question is this: how on earth would she get one? The only two dogs she plays with are free and clear. Otherwise she sticks around with us and plays ball, indoors and out. Is there something maybe we did that we can stop to prevent future problems? Also, anything we can do to help her heal faster?
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Apr 19, 2011 03:24
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| # ? May 21, 2024 22:34 |
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"Pink eye" can mean a couple different things, but the main one I think of is conjunctivitis--basically, the membranes around the eye (the conjunctiva) are inflamed. Why that is could be a number of reasons. Hopefully your vet looked very closely for things like an irritating object underneath the lid (foxtails are common here), hairs that might be poking the eye, ulcers, and anything that might be abnormal about the internal structure of the eye. Without seeing the eye, you understand how it's difficult to tell you what's wrong with your dog. It would not be unusual for there to be something irritating or affecting just one eye out of three dogs. For healing, don't let her scratch it (e-collar her if necessary), and be consistent about applying the medication you were given.
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Apr 19, 2011 05:52
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