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Thanks for the advice, all. Don't worry, we're not following some half-baked advice on the back of the bag - the vet said specifically to cut his food to this low, as he has managed to maintain his high weight despite less drastic diet restrictions (I feel like there's some kind of conservation of mass violation going on here). We tried those food ball toys, which usually manage to keep him quiet all morning, but don't help when he gets hungry later in the day. I guess one of the other challenges is that he meows all around the house, so I can't really associate any negative reinforcement with food specifically. We'll probably try that toy...his brain may be small, but it probably needs some form of stimulation.
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Apr 14, 2012 15:29
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CrashTestVictim posted:Man I thought my little cat's crackly meeps were strange. That's still pretty adorable though. It's a crackle meow! I love it. Goat sounds like a wee old man. My cat makes all kinds of noises, mostly trying to meow without bothering to open his mouth. So I get a lot of purry BZZTS, MRRRRPS, and bdbdbdbdbdbs. I'll have to try to catch him on video. Then there is always Winston, who forgets how to meow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqHfeawpeC4
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Apr 14, 2012 15:38
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Red Crown posted:Thanks for the advice, all. Don't worry, we're not following some half-baked advice on the back of the bag - the vet said specifically to cut his food to this low, as he has managed to maintain his high weight despite less drastic diet restrictions (I feel like there's some kind of conservation of mass violation going on here).
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Apr 14, 2012 15:59
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vonnegutt posted:Then there is always Winston, who forgets how to meow. My old cat Marlon would do something like this when he wanted something (foods, games, out) and knew I was looking at him. There was nothing wrong with his voice normally (he could be pretty loud), but in this instance I called it the 'pathos meow'. He'd just mouth a meow, but not make any noise.
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Apr 14, 2012 17:48
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My Terrible Cat has found a new way to make me want to throw his tiny rear end outside and say he got lost: we started giving him 1/4 can of wet food every day to preemptively help with kidney issues. He didn't seem to give a poo poo about it the first day, but then by day two he started just sitting by his food bowl every moment he was awake. Any time we weren't in the same room as his food bowl, he'd sit on the floor and stare at us. He wouldn't play. He'd just stare. Then when I or my fiance would get up to go do something, he'd race ahead of us to get to the kitchen and sit quietly, staring, by his food bowl. He made me 1) accidentally kick him and 2) literally fall over in an effort to NOT kick him when he ran between my legs. I had rug burn on my elbow  Now he's upped the ante. We still only give him 1/4 can because he free feeds dry food and we don't want him to be a fatty. HE SCREAMS. He screams like a loving banshee for it. All the time. I know it's because he's hungry, and I feel crappy, and at the same time I just want to shake him and say, "gently caress YOU YOU HAVE A FRESH BOWL OF DRY FOOD EVERY DAY YOU FUUUUUCK." And his screams are not normal kitty screams. THEY ARE THE DEVIL'S VOICE COMING THROUGH MY CAT. One day I will record and post his horrendous howling, because it is grating and awful. Oh, and he won't play. Still. ALWAYS he is by his food bowl or screaming at me to give him food now. AUGH.
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Apr 15, 2012 00:03
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We have two cats named Fry and Leela. Reccently we also had our first child about five months ago. Since then Fry has taken to peeing on couches. Today in fact the third couch of our set may have been lost despite my best efforts at shampooing the hell out of it. In addition to the peeing there are a bunch of other issues Fry has been giving us, namely scratching the poo poo out of anything that isn't a scratching post. Long and short we're going broke trying to fix all the things he's destroying and it looks like we may have to give up one or both of them. My question is, would it be wrong to separate the two cats and only give up Fry? Also where would I look to find a place that will not euthanize and find them a suitable home? Also am I a horrible person for having to do this?
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Apr 15, 2012 00:13
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Znorps! posted:We have two cats named Fry and Leela. Reccently we also had our first child about five months ago. Since then Fry has taken to peeing on couches. Today in fact the third couch of our set may have been lost despite my best efforts at shampooing the hell out of it. I'm going to start with the obvious question of: is your little guy neutered? duckfarts posted:My rear end in a top hat cat most definitely gets mouthy/annoying when she's expecting feeding time, so there's definitely that. If your cat isn't mouthy for say, 2-3 hours after being fed, I'd say hunger is the issue. Mine too! We keep him outside of the bedroom when we sleep to avoid undercover feet attacks and face pounces, and he regularly wakes us up by squeeky-meowing at the door in the morning when he decides it's food time. Then attempting to herd us to the kitchen as soon as we wake up.
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Apr 15, 2012 06:22
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Haymaker_Betty posted:My Terrible Cat has found a new way to make me want to throw his tiny rear end outside and say he got lost: we started giving him 1/4 can of wet food every day to preemptively help with kidney issues. He didn't seem to give a poo poo about it the first day, but then by day two he started just sitting by his food bowl every moment he was awake. Any time we weren't in the same room as his food bowl, he'd sit on the floor and stare at us. He wouldn't play. He'd just stare. Then when I or my fiance would get up to go do something, he'd race ahead of us to get to the kitchen and sit quietly, staring, by his food bowl. He made me 1) accidentally kick him and 2) literally fall over in an effort to NOT kick him when he ran between my legs. I had rug burn on my elbow Other than that, try brushing or (ugh) marinating a bit of dry food with the wet food and see if he'll be less of a gently caress about it. Alternatively, switch entirely to wet food, but in twice a day feedings.
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Apr 15, 2012 07:16
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Or try switching up dry foods. I have been feeding my cat Orijen for the last few months and he was starting to eat less of it and pestering us for wet food more (we usually give him a bit of wet food at meal times to keep things interesting). I bought a bag of Evo to mix with the Orijen and now he's back on the dry food bandwagon again.
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Apr 15, 2012 07:57
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My new kitten has repeatedly tried to eat my hair My hair is long and I have nightmare images of him eating it when I'm asleep and then pooping out some horrific long hairy sausage turd. Or you know, choking and dying. Is this weird habit one I can chalk up to the old "probably taken from mama too early" since he's a shelter cat, or is he just a hair fetishist? So far I've managed to bat him away when he's tried it, it's generally happens when he's a big purring mess in bed wanting cuddles and kneading at my face and arms like there's no tomorrow.
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Apr 15, 2012 09:35
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Arkham Angel posted:I'm going to start with the obvious question of: is your little guy neutered? Yes both have been snipped.
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Apr 15, 2012 13:12
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Any idea why Lulu's biting any cardboard boxes that I have?
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Apr 15, 2012 13:23
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Doh004 posted:Any idea why Lulu's biting any cardboard boxes that I have? Because Lulu is a cat. Every cat I've ever had has loved biting cardboard.
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Apr 15, 2012 13:31
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pandasmustdie posted:Because Lulu is a cat. Every cat I've ever had has loved biting cardboard. Okay, that's good then. Just wanted to make sure she wasn't lacking anything.
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Apr 15, 2012 14:35
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Znorps! posted:Yes both have been snipped. Your post didn't specify: have you taken him to the vet yet? That's always the first step with cats peeing outside of the box. Urinary issues are very common, especially in male cats. Now, if the vet gives him the all-clear, you'll want to try some tactics to make the litterbox more appealing, if you haven't done so already. First, clean all areas he's peed on with enzymatic cleaners. Regular upholstery cleaners will not remove the smell entirely, and as long as he can smell pee there he will continue to think it is a place to pee. Nature's Miracle is my personal fave. Second, try adding some Cat Attract litter to the litterbox. It has helped a lot of people whose cats were for some reason box-averse. Third, clean the litterbox as frequently as you can. If you see a cat go in and use it, go scoop it. He may be a picky rear end in a top hat who doesn't like to use a dirty box, even if it's only been used once. You may not end up having to scoop it so frequently, but see if keeping it as clean as possible will help. Finally, consider adding more boxes. The general rule is that you should have one box per cat plus one extra. If you have less than three boxes currently, try adding a second or third if there is somewhere in your house that can accommodate one. Having a cat that pees outside the box sucks, I know. Luckily, my cat's issues were cleared up with treatment and prescription food since it was a medical issue. Behavioral issues can be harder to tackle, but try the above suggestions and see if that makes him more willing to use the box. I hate to be a Gloomy Gus, but taking a cat with known litterbox issues to the shelter really doesn't bode well for his future -- no one wants a cat that will pee around their house -- so you're much better off seeing what you can do to curb the behavior.
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Apr 15, 2012 14:49
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Yeah I understand about the litter boxes and all that. The peeing is really the straw that broke the camels back. With everything else that's going on we really can't afford them anymore. We found a good rescue here in town. No cages, open house type place. I do hate to lose Leela but I'd rather know she will go to a good home and be taken care of. The sad lesson is that we're not cat people.
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Apr 15, 2012 17:32
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You also mentioned a new baby. Cats can be jealous. They might just be acting out that you now have something else in your life that's taking all the attention away from them.
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Apr 15, 2012 17:45
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duckfarts posted:As an experiment, I'd suggest setting up something like a remote doorbell or egg timer somewhere near the food dish, and when it goes off( or you activate it remotely), you promptly feed him. It may take his attention away from screaming at you and instead waiting for the sound. (on the other hand, he may just scream at the doorbell) That's a good idea... I will try that starting tomorrow =D I've been trying to only feed him when he's asleep or just generally quiet, to let him know HE DON'T OWN ME.  He owns me...We usually get two different varieties of Taste of the Wild - like a venison kind and a fishy kind - and mix the two together, or alternate them, just so he has some variety. But I could talk to my fiance and see if he can't rustle up something different.
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Apr 15, 2012 18:06
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Has anyone else's cat gotten really attached to their first kitty toy? My cat drags around this furry ball on a string that we bought for her when we brought her home. Its all dirty now 
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Apr 15, 2012 20:12
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Znorps! posted:Yeah I understand about the litter boxes and all that. The peeing is really the straw that broke the camels back. With everything else that's going on we really can't afford them anymore. I understand what you mean about finding out you're not cat people. My cat is pretty much the easiest, best cat I could possibly have, but he will probably be the only cat I ever have because I'm really more of a ferret person. Just please make sure to let them know about Fry's issues when you take them in. A lot of people bring animals into rescues without disclosing any issues they have, and that can really make the adoption process messy and unsuccessful. But if the rescue knows about it, they can hopefully work something out to get it resolved before rehoming them or make sure they send the animals to an experienced home that can work with them.
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Apr 15, 2012 20:22
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Farecoal posted:Has anyone else's cat gotten really attached to their first kitty toy? My cat drags around this furry ball on a string that we bought for her when we brought her home. Its all dirty now My kitty has these small, jagged balls that he absolutely loves. Somewhere along the road, he learned to pick it up in his mouth and he walks around with it like that, it's totally adorable. Sometimes he even comes up to us and drops it by our feet, wanting to play fetch, but mostly he just picks it up and jogs into the bathroom with it.
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Apr 15, 2012 20:51
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Farecoal posted:Has anyone else's cat gotten really attached to their first kitty toy? My cat drags around this furry ball on a string that we bought for her when we brought her home. Its all dirty now Not a first toy, but our middle cat has a favorite security blanket toy that she carries around with her. It's like a marlin or something (we call it Sharky); she naps with it and when she is sad and thinks we aren't home she wanders the house with it meowing (this is known as a shark attack). Funny thing is if you try to get her to play with it like it is a toy, she looks at you like you're crazy 
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Apr 15, 2012 23:21
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pandasmustdie posted:Because Lulu is a cat. Every cat I've ever had has loved biting cardboard.  Agreed.
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Apr 15, 2012 23:55
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Radio! posted:The only cure is to take pictures of her and post them here so we can take some of the burden off you!  
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Apr 16, 2012 02:06
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I just got a new cat from the shelter about 3 weeks ago. Her name is Lady Bird and she's somewhere around 2 years and 3 months old. She had really bad dandruff when I first brought her home, but since she started eating better quality food (Indigo Moon), it went away pretty quickly. But since we brought her home, she has had problems expressing her anal glands. I've been finding sticky brown stuff on the carpet every other morning and I took her to the vet immediately after I saw her scooting for the first time. He said that her anal glands were impacted, so he expressed them and gave her a shot of antibiotics and told me to come back with a stool sample if she was still having problems. Well I'm still finding brown stuff every so often, she has been licking herself a lot, and her rear end smells pretty fishy, so I think I'm going to take her back to the vet tomorrow. Just from eyeballing her poo poo, it seems pretty soft. I read that soft stools can cause the anal glands to become full because of the lack of making GBS threads pressure. Does anyone have any experience with this? Should I try feeding her a different food? I don't know if wet food would help, but I've tried feeding it to her and she refuses to eat it, probably because she had access to unlimited junk dry food at the shelter since it was one of those no-cages places with 200 cats just walking around and hanging out. I also think that her previous owner fed her table scraps since she likes to try and beg whenever I'm eating. Anyways, if anybody has any advice I'd appreciate it. edit: It's probably worth mentioning that she's overweight, clocking in at 12 pounds, 8 ounces. So I'd appreciate any advice on getting her weight down as well. I'm currently feeding her 1/3 cup of Indigo Moon dry food twice a day. Prancing Shoes fucked around with this message at 21:31 on Apr 16, 2012 |
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Apr 16, 2012 19:27
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Would it be bad to get some sort of air freshener and put it "near" the covered litterbox? I'm in this small studio apartment and the fresh poop is very apparent. I'm using the World's Best stuff.
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Apr 16, 2012 23:36
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Doh004 posted:Would it be bad to get some sort of air freshener and put it "near" the covered litterbox? I'm in this small studio apartment and the fresh poop is very apparent. I'm using the World's Best stuff. I've heard that using an air freshener may cause some cats to not use the litter box, but someone who has more experience with this may say differently.
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Apr 17, 2012 00:26
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Cat keeps hiding his toys or they get pushed under poo poo in the apartment it's absolutely infuriating that I can't find the drat things after looking for >30mins. I just don't know where the hell it could be.
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Apr 17, 2012 02:36
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Doh004 posted:Would it be bad to get some sort of air freshener and put it "near" the covered litterbox? I'm in this small studio apartment and the fresh poop is very apparent. I'm using the World's Best stuff. I keep one of those cone-shaped odor-eater things on top of the lid of my cats' litterbox. It doesn't seem to bother them and keeps the general area smelling better. It wouldn't work if your cat is too curious since they're sticky, but mine ignore them completely.
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Apr 17, 2012 03:13
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Sean_Miller posted:Cat keeps hiding his toys or they get pushed under poo poo in the apartment it's absolutely infuriating that I can't find the drat things after looking for >30mins. I just don't know where the hell it could be.
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Apr 17, 2012 03:17
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they were under the stove.
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Apr 17, 2012 03:29
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Our kitten met our window AC unit tonight. It was finally hot enough to turn on and she is freaked out by it. She's pacing back and forth at the doorway, then will come in, then hide under the bed then pace back and forth in front of it, yowling the entire time. We closed the door about three quarters and she'll hide there then jump on the bed then down again. Not super worried, but it's bizarre. She's pretty quiet usually, happy chirps mostly. Hopefully she adjusts quickly or it will be a long summer.
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Apr 17, 2012 03:37
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Mocha Frost posted:Our kitten met our window AC unit tonight. It was finally hot enough to turn on and she is freaked out by it. She's pacing back and forth at the doorway, then will come in, then hide under the bed then pace back and forth in front of it, yowling the entire time. We closed the door about three quarters and she'll hide there then jump on the bed then down again. I just did the same thing as it's hot as hell on the 8th floor. Lulu hid under the bed for a while but now she's out and about trying to get me to play. Hopefully your cat gets used to it too.
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Apr 17, 2012 03:52
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Doh004 posted:I just did the same thing as it's hot as hell on the 8th floor. Lulu hid under the bed for a while but now she's out and about trying to get me to play. Hopefully your cat gets used to it too. She's already laying on my ankle and purring. But she's staring at us like we're insane creatures who brought a monster into the house, a monster that blows at her. Only occasionally yowls now. mostly busy licking herself.
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Apr 17, 2012 04:17
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Doh004 posted:Would it be bad to get some sort of air freshener and put it "near" the covered litterbox? I'm in this small studio apartment and the fresh poop is very apparent. I'm using the World's Best stuff. It'll also calm down as she gets used to her diet and gets older. Kitten poop is the worst.
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Apr 17, 2012 14:30
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How can I trick this cat into coming out from under my couch? I've had him for almost a month, he's been hiding under my couch the entire time. Every time he sees me, he looks terrified, drops low, and quickly goes back under the couch. He's not feral, I don't hit him or yell at him, I leave out treats and toys and stuff. This loving cat will not come out and acts like I'm trying to murder him. I've never had a cat before and it's getting to the point that I'm considering just taking him back to the shelter and getting a different cat. Or no cat. I would have gotten rid of him already except for he was very sweet and calm when I met him.
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Apr 17, 2012 23:08
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I take it you've tried ignoring him?
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Apr 17, 2012 23:47
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The only reason I know he's alive is there's fresh poo poo and piss to scoop in his litter box every morning and I occasionally see him run under the couch when I go to the bathroom at night.
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Apr 17, 2012 23:53
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Well, the only thing to do is just be really patient and soothing and understanding. Keep feeding him and try and let him know that you're the one feeding him. Like the above poster said, completely and totally ignore him - whatever you do, do not like put your hand under the couch or try and reach him down there, and make no effort to flush him out. Obviously leave treats and such for him down there, so he associates you with tasty things... Other than that, there's not much else to do. But that pretty much always works, you just need to prove to him you're not a threat whatsoever. I've known cats like that before though, and they're rarely going to be incredibly affectionate or cuddly, though. Maybe they might be down the road, but it takes a while, and I don't think it ever totally comes easily to them. Then you've got a cat like mine, who is so unfamiliar with that behavior that she doesn't even know HOW to hide... One time she got scared of me when I accidentally stepped and tripped over her (she's always following me at my heels and it can be challenging at times), so she got frightened of me briefly and ran away, trying to hide, but she picked the couch that was too low to the ground for her to fit under and she could only get her head and front shoulders under it. But she still thought that was effectively hiding her, even though like 4/5s of her body was just out in the open  Very silly cat. I let her think it worked and pretended that I couldn't find her, and waited for her to "come out" on her own. Which she did in about 3 minutes anyway.
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Apr 18, 2012 00:53
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I imagine this topic has been covered several times, but this thread is huge and time is of the essence so I apologize if this is the case! I'll be moving into a bigger apartment in a couple weeks (I found out today), and my two female cats barely tolerate each other, although they are at the point now where they can hang out in the same room without anyone flipping her poo poo. I've scoured Google for answers, but most topics either cover only moving or only cats who don't like each other, not both at the same time. Cat profiles: Sterling How long have you had your cat? - A little over three years, but she's eight and I adopted her as an adult. Is your cat spayed or neutered? - Spayed What food do you use? - Grain free Blue Buffalo When was your last vet visit? - August 2011, booster shots Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both? - Indoors, formerly in/out until she came to live with me. How many pets in your household? - Two (both cats) How many litter boxes do you have? - Two Dixie How long have you had your cat? - Since November. She's also eight and was adopted out of necessity (because I know as well as anyone that throwing two adult unrelated females together is a terrible idea). Is your cat spayed or neutered? - Spayed What food do you use? - same as Sterling When was your last vet visit? - November 2011, every necessary vaccine imaginable Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both? - Indoors, formerly exclusively outdoors until living with me. (the last two are obviously the same answer) bonus pic of growling while eating:  As it currently stands, I only have two rooms and it is very likely not enough space for them both-- it has also been Sterling's territory for a while, and Dixie has only recently felt comfortable being in the same room as her. Some bullying still happens, and a lot of growling still happens. My question, because I'm weirdly clueless about this: will it be necessary to fully reintroduce them after the move into a bigger space? Do you think they'll bond over their familiar smells if I put them in the same Safe Room, or will each other's presence stress them out further? Sterling is pretty chill and has actually moved several times without giving a poo poo, but this will only be Dixie's second time since her long journey to live with me, and she's a sensitive soul with a troubled past. Both are gigantic attention whores. I'm willing to go through the introduction process again, but I guess I'm just worried that one or both of them will claim the whole place while the other is shut away and then I'll have to deal with the same kind of turf wars that I'm seeing in the current place. If reintroduction is the way to go, which cat should be loose and which should be shut away? I've given up on the notion of kittypiles, but if you think they're still possible I'd love to hear how. Grantaire fucked around with this message at 06:18 on Apr 18, 2012 |
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Apr 18, 2012 06:16
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