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Radio! posted:What kind of food are you giving her? Meow Mix wet food. It has enough good ingredients, and we don't feed it to them very often. Our regular dry food is Purina, which has chicken as its first ingredient. She isn't SUPER obese, she's just what I would call chubby. My girlfriend likes to overfeed, and says the cat is exactly at the same weight HER cats maintained their entire 19+ year lifespans. She also says it's normal for housecats to be chubby, since they don't get as much exercise as outside cats, which is the sort of cat I am familiar with.
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Jan 6, 2012 22:37
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Stew Man Chew posted:To be fair I know what I'm doing and didn't go yanking stuff out of my cat's rectum, that junk was already out and chilling on the skin/hair nearby his anus. I have an appointment tomorrow because by the time I could catch my girlfriend up and call the vet they were like, "No time, also not really an emergency." Your carpet is in my thoughts. In other news, it turns out my cat has an infection! I get to shoot liquid antibiotics into his mouth via syringe twice a day for ten days. Should be a blast. HandsomeBen fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Jan 6, 2012 |
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Jan 6, 2012 22:44
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gowb posted:Meow Mix wet food. It has enough good ingredients, and we don't feed it to them very often. Our regular dry food is Purina, which has chicken as its first ingredient. She isn't SUPER obese, she's just what I would call chubby. My girlfriend likes to overfeed, and says the cat is exactly at the same weight HER cats maintained their entire 19+ year lifespans. She also says it's normal for housecats to be chubby, since they don't get as much exercise as outside cats, which is the sort of cat I am familiar with. edit: just re-read your other post. If your girlfriend doesnt respect you enough to listen to you when you say your cat is going to eat a certain amount of food at certain times then I dont know what advice to give you. I know if I told my boyfriend Sully only got food at 2PM and 8PM* and one treat at 10PM, I could trust him not to feed my cat other than those designated times and designated amounts. *not real times ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Jan 6, 2012 |
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Jan 6, 2012 23:03
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2508084 posted:Just because the cat lived a long time, doesn't mean it lived a happy, well life. We had a cat that lived to be 23 and the last ten years of her life was nothing but medical problems (that they refused to treat). They finally put her to sleep when she was deaf, blind and could barely walk without assistance. Purina is not a good food. It ranges from Poor to Awful depending on which type of purina you're feeding the cat. Putting them on something like Chicken Soup or TOTW would be better and similar in price. I'm feeding three cats Orijen for 50$/mo. If you control how much you cat eats based on its weight, you could feed a very high quality food for not that much money. Yeah, because of the reasons you state in your edit, I'd be reluctant to recommend they go to a premium dry food until they sort out between them the ideas about feeding and proper weight. Feeding a more nutritionally dense food is just going to make the cat more obese at this point in his girlfriend's understanding. Gowb: Perhaps if you can't get your girlfriend to stop overfeeding, it would behoove you to approach it from the angle of "Well why SHOULD it be normal for housecats to be more chubby??" Because she's absolutely right - indoor-only cats are more likely to be overweight. And this is certainly associated with why indoor-only cats are also more prone to diseases like diabetes and FLUTD. But it doesn't have to be that way. Americans are also more likely to be overweight, so does this mean that all Americans should just accept their destiny as supersized fatbodies? Indoor-only cats can be healthy, but they do have special environmental considerations that are often not met. I've posted this here before, but this site has a lot of good ideas about how to provide this environment to make indoor living less of a problem for cats.
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Jan 6, 2012 23:19
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Goons, can I get some input on treating my cat right? She is 3 months old, i've had her for a month. I am afraid some of what I am doing is making her actually afraid of me  .There are 3 places I just CANNOT have her. The rest of my home is all fair game, but not those places: 1. Atop my computer, which she goes to very rarely. 2. On top of my computer desk when I am eating, as I eat most of my meals at home, there. She can't eat my people-food, she'll get sick. 3. The top of my kitchen counters. If she climbs up there, she could end up walking onto my stove while I am cooking, I cook on my stovetop all the time. When she climbs onto my computer, which is rare, I just brush her off. When she walks onto my desk while I am eating, I gently pick her up and place her on the floor, though I may have to do it 6, 7, 8 or more times while I am eating. This is irritating, but nothing more. She does not freak out when I do this. The real problem is the counters. If she climbs up there I spritz her with the a water bottle, she will run like hell and well, hide from me . She often seems afraid to come out and play with my hands, which she always loves to do. Then she will try to climb up again and again and again and run like hell every time I come back near her while she is up there, even if I do not spritz her.How can I get her to stay off of there, without making her afraid of me by spritzing her constantly? I usually only need to spritz her once and then, she'll try to climb up ten more times and simply run like hell when I approach, without spritzing her. Diogines fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jan 7, 2012 |
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Jan 7, 2012 05:32
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Does she have a cat tree to climb up on? Cats need vertical space. However, taking over counters/computers is kind of a Cat Thing. Ive found my cat inside the kitchen cabinet more than a few times.
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Jan 7, 2012 05:37
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She hangs out on my computer desk sometimes. I also have a table nearby which is higher, she sometimes sits on there. I do not own a cat tree, should I get one?
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Jan 7, 2012 05:41
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Diogines posted:She hangs out on my computer desk sometimes. I also have a table nearby which is higher, she sometimes sits on there. I do not own a cat tree, should I get one?
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Jan 7, 2012 05:45
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Diogines posted:How can I get her to stay off of there, without making her afraid of me by spritzing her constantly? I usually only need to spritz her once and then, she'll try to climb up ten more times and simply run like hell when I approach, without spritzing her. My cat was feral when I got him so he was an absolute terror and I was spraying him, clapping at him, or going "ssst!" every other second. After a bit he started to act afraid of me, since when I was around he was pretty much always "in trouble". What worked to make him not hide at my approach was trying to have an equal amount of positive interaction - playing with his favorite toys and giving him treats for good behavior (or just for the hell of it, since good behavior means "not actively destroying something"). Lots of petting right when I come home or am about to leave as well, just to bookend that person = good.
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Jan 7, 2012 21:05
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I've got a stupid question. Do those SoftPaws claw-caps affect a cat's ability to climb? I've got a moose of a cat, 18 pounds, and he's not destructive at all, but he's always accidentally clawing me when he's walking on me for cuddles. He's enormous and polydactyl so he's really tearing me up, even though I clip his nails pretty regularly. He's got a big cat tree that he loves, though, and I don't want to ruin his ability to climb it, especially since I have such a small apartment. Thanks for any help!
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Jan 8, 2012 01:22
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Zinc Teeth posted:I've got a stupid question. Do those SoftPaws claw-caps affect a cat's ability to climb? Honestly, I think a cat's jumping ability is more important than having claws when it comes to most climbing they do. My cat has no claws and gets places he shouldn't be just fine. Your cat may have to adapt a little to losing that traction, but he'll be fine.
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Jan 8, 2012 03:26
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Zinc Teeth posted:I've got a stupid question. Do those SoftPaws claw-caps affect a cat's ability to climb? Claws only come into play when he doesn't realize where he is after he just woke up from a nap and starts to roll off the top tier of his tree.
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Jan 9, 2012 22:20
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2508084 posted:Definitely. Cats are climbers and they love hanging out in high up places. My cat tree is six feet tall and 90% of the time there is at least one cat on it. I strongly recommend Armarkat. They have phenomenal prices and they're really well made. You have to put it together, but its pretty drat easy. I've had my cat tree for a year or two and its still standing strong. I had a look on this site, saw this: http://www.armarkat.com/products/Classic-Cat-Tree-A7401.html It looks identical to this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WGGWQA/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details Which we already have in our house for the cats. We got free shipping as we have Prime. Best to shop around. In other news, we bought a sheepskin, just a little rug made with one pelt. Mao Mao loves it and seems to think it is his mother. He spends ages kneading it, licking it and combing the fleece through his teeth. Then he'll fall asleep on it. I moved it to our bed so he would sleep on it with us.
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Jan 10, 2012 23:45
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Does anyone else have a cat that's fascinated with electronics and likes to push buttons? My cat has a thing for turning off surge suppressors, pushing keys on keyboards, and when we used to have a TV with a power switch that was easy for him to reach, he would do drive-bys and turn off the TV while my husband and I were watching it. We have a Mac Mini that's hooked to the TV, with the mouse/keyboard sitting on the coffee table. Yesterday, my husband switched the TV over to the Mac, after about a week of not using it. He found that the cat had opened up a bunch of random folders, launched iTunes, and renamed the hard drive to "8888888888". loving cat, I don't know whether to lock him in the other room, or buy him his own computer.
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Jan 11, 2012 19:30
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anachrodragon posted:Does anyone else have a cat that's fascinated with electronics and likes to push buttons? If they can shut it off, knock it over, or otherwise ruin it, they will. Maybe your cat likes some sweet tunes while youre not home.
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Jan 11, 2012 21:57
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I have a clingy cat who loves to be in either my or my fiancee's lap as much as possible. We love this in general, but there are certain times, like when we're eating where it's not really acceptable. Are cats smart enough to be trained to know that human eating time is not cuddle time, but other times are ok for that behavior? Can I do the spray bottle thing when she tries to cuddle while we're eating but still have her think that cuddling at other times is ok?
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Jan 11, 2012 22:33
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What happens if you just shoo her off or put her down? Mine is very similar but at meal time or when I need to leave I just move her or shift and give her a gentle push.
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Jan 12, 2012 00:35
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madpanda posted:What happens if you just shoo her off or put her down? Mine is very similar but at meal time or when I need to leave I just move her or shift and give her a gentle push. It works until the next day and she starts doing it again. She's pretty good about staying away after we shoosh her once, we just dont want her to be put off from cuddling entirely, only when we're eating. We're also not sure if shooshing her while we're eating, then letting her cuddle later is giving mixed messages.
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Jan 12, 2012 01:04
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jerkstore77 posted:It works until the next day and she starts doing it again. She's pretty good about staying away after we shoosh her once, we just dont want her to be put off from cuddling entirely, only when we're eating. We're also not sure if shooshing her while we're eating, then letting her cuddle later is giving mixed messages. As an alternative, you can schedule her meal time for the same time you eat, so she's busy with her own meal (or a treat) elsewhere.
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Jan 12, 2012 02:41
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jerkstore77 posted:It works until the next day and she starts doing it again. She's pretty good about staying away after we shoosh her once, we just dont want her to be put off from cuddling entirely, only when we're eating. We're also not sure if shooshing her while we're eating, then letting her cuddle later is giving mixed messages. Yeah, cat will be fine. I have the clingiest cat on the planet, and I have to shove him away all the time because he has zero respect for boundaries (and electronics). He always comes back for more, so apparently their little cat feelings aren't irrevocably hurt.
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Jan 12, 2012 05:08
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What is the best type of catnip you can buy? I want to give my cats a spiritual experience.
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Jan 12, 2012 14:18
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sixdeadpandas posted:What is the best type of catnip you can buy? This is the best catnip money can buy.
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Jan 12, 2012 19:55
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El Gar posted:This is the best catnip money can buy. Truth. Even Sully, who doesn't really care for catnip, sleeps with his catdrugs nip pillow. Those things are amazing.
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Jan 12, 2012 21:28
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El Gar posted:This is the best catnip money can buy. Thirded. Your cat will drool and flail on d8's poo poo.
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Jan 13, 2012 05:48
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Thanks for the link, but D8 is sold out of leaf, and I'm really more of an instant gratification kind of person. Any other suggestions?
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Jan 13, 2012 05:59
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So my roommates finally were forced to leave, and now it is just me and my cats. The thing is, they trained my kitten to "know" there is always available raw food in the sink or refrigerator (this is obviously not the case without them here). It's been a hell of a time to untrain him from jumping into the sink or fridge. Also, he's now learned how to open the dishwasher (only when it's unlocked) and cabinets. Any tips for breaking him of this habit? I'm keeping the dishwasher locked, but I don't know what to do with the cabinets. I'm buying refills of the ssscat since that had seemed to work, I just couldn't keep up with the costs of my roommates constantly setting them off previously.
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Jan 13, 2012 10:55
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Shed posted:So my roommates finally were forced to leave, and now it is just me and my cats. The thing is, they trained my kitten to "know" there is always available raw food in the sink or refrigerator (this is obviously not the case without them here). It's been a hell of a time to untrain him from jumping into the sink or fridge. Tried childproof latch-thingies on the cabinets?
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Jan 13, 2012 11:00
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Double-stick tape the surfaces your cat paws at to start deterring him from loving with it? (need to combine with a door latch or taping the door shut or something that will prevent the door from opening as well, at least during the training phase)
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Jan 13, 2012 11:45
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sixdeadpandas posted:Thanks for the link, but D8 is sold out of leaf, and I'm really more of an instant gratification kind of person. Any other suggestions? Whole Foods sells organic catnip that's pretty good, not d8 quality of course, but decent. Sometimes mom-and-pop specialty gourmet shops that sell herbs and spices for humans will have nice catnip as well.
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Jan 13, 2012 18:24
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Does anyone have suggestions for a really durable catnip toy? I got this awesome heavy canvas banana, but it barely lasted 2 days before they ripped a giant hole in it.
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Jan 14, 2012 00:07
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Drink and Fight posted:Does anyone have suggestions for a really durable catnip toy? I got this awesome heavy canvas banana, but it barely lasted 2 days before they ripped a giant hole in it.
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Jan 14, 2012 01:30
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vonnegutt posted:My cat was feral when I got him so he was an absolute terror and I was spraying him, clapping at him, or going "ssst!" every other second. After a bit he started to act afraid of me, since when I was around he was pretty much always "in trouble". I just wanted to thank you for great advice. I am giving her extra good attention as much as I can and she no longer seems afraid, even when I spritz her when she climbs ontop of my counter(which she now does very rarely).
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Jan 14, 2012 02:17
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What can you guys tell me about feline diabetes? I don't think I've read any threads about diabetic cats yet, but that just might be because I haven't ever looked for it before. I'm poking at google results now, but the vet wants us to bring him in for a blood test. Sort of wondering what to expect and hoping to hear about how much it costs in general. Long version: It all started when Patrick peed on a paper bag. I've read a lot of stuff here, and definitely went "Hm. Time for the vet." so we took him in, they nabbed a urine sample and did a quick health check. Told us they'd call us with the urinalysis results today, but that the culture would take a few days. (Standard, I think?) So I get a call bright and early this morning about high blood sugar. - Age: 8 months - Sex: Male - How long have you had your cat?: 2 months - Is your cat spayed or neutered?: Yes - What food do you use?: Wellness dry & BFF canned - When was your last vet visit?: Yesterday - Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both?: Indoor - How many pets in your household?: Two Cats - How many litter boxes do you have?: Three as of yesterday.
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Jan 14, 2012 17:43
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We adopted our cat last year - since she's a rescue, we don't have an exact age, so my girlfriend and I arbitrarily decided we should celebrate her birthday this month. I want to do the kitty equivalent of baking a birthday cake - some kind of special treat. The only restriction is that it can't involve tuna, as tuna seems to upset her stomach. Also keep in mind that I have minimal skill at cooking and baking in general. Suggestions?
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Jan 14, 2012 18:52
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Myoclonic Jerk posted:We adopted our cat last year - since she's a rescue, we don't have an exact age, so my girlfriend and I arbitrarily decided we should celebrate her birthday this month. Honestly, your best bet is to plop down a can of wet food decorated with treats since carbs aren't really recommended for kitties.
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Jan 14, 2012 20:21
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Myoclonic Jerk posted:We adopted our cat last year - since she's a rescue, we don't have an exact age, so my girlfriend and I arbitrarily decided we should celebrate her birthday this month.  Buy souffle variety fancy feast, only available the the classier blue can. Invert can. Add candle. This stuff is cat crack, I don't get it, but there you go. When my cat was so sick that she refused A/D, she still ate this stuff. Way more delicious (to a cat) than anything anyone human makes. 
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Jan 14, 2012 20:22
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Not actually about *my* cat but a cat question nonetheless: What are my best options to get this terrible lingering cat smell out of my apartment? Backstory - my roommate had a really old (18) cat for a few months and a combination of the cat just smelling kind of bad (because it can't clean itself due to arthritis) and her stark inability to clean the cat litter properly led the apartment to reek badly of cat. Before I went to Florida on vacation for a month, I finally told her that she had two options: A) Figure it out and make the apartment not smell like cat; or B) Send the cat back to her parents (where it used to live) She took the cat back to her parents like the day after I flew out but now it's a month later and I'm back home and it still smells awful.
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Jan 15, 2012 05:31
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I just got a new kitten. He was born under a pallet of Christmas trees at walmart. A woman found him and his sister and had him for a couple weeks, and now I have him. He's been to the vet and has started that whole gamut that kittens have to go through. I've had him for about 4 days now. He's about 8 or 9 weeks old. I'll provide some pics soon. My question is about his fur. His sister was obviously a short hair. She has short shiny sleek fur, but his is a bit coarser and sort of reminds me almost of lambs hair. I'm wondering what sort of coat he's going to have as an adult? His coloring is orange tabby. I don't know if its more of a nutritional issue or if he's going to have something different than an american short hair coat.
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Jan 15, 2012 05:50
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I recently adopted a kitten from a shelter; I have other cats at home, and I've owned cats for a long time. Thing is, this one smells. Her farts could kill a man at a dozen paces. She is a weapon of rear end destruction. I've never had this problem with any of my other cats, ever. The shelter food was that nasty Science Diet poo poo--could that be the cause of her terrible farts? Because holy poo poo I'm not kidding about the smell. If it is the food, what's the best way to transition her to new foods?
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Jan 15, 2012 06:51
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xeria posted:Not actually about *my* cat but a cat question nonetheless: I'd say use an enzymatic spray liberally over all the areas it spent a lot of time in, and especially around the litter box location. Wash the walls around corners or other vertical surfaces it may have rubbed against regularly. Give any rugs a thorough vacuum and wash, and consider steam cleaning any actual carpets.
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Jan 15, 2012 06:57
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