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I've hinted that maybe we should try Feliway in the past, I guess it's time to be a little more forceful about it. The worst part is that my stepdad is convinced there's nothing we can do to help her. Even if I could isolate Jasmine somewhere, I don't necessarily have any guarantee that everyone will play along.
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Oct 1, 2012 19:18
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Shifty Pony posted:Well, she's not being active so that's in her favor. Not eating much in the first few days is pretty common, it is when the cat doesn't eat at all for three or more days in a row that problems rapidly kick in. What is the recommended feeding amount for the food? You might be shocked at how small a daily serving is. This is exactly what happened -- thanks for helping me be patient and not worry so much! This morning I saw that her food dish was completely empty, so that's a big sigh of relief. Her owner is spending a few days with me this week, and I'm sure she's a huge reason the cat is chilling out rapidly. Hopefully by the time her owner leaves, the cat will be settled in enough to have developed a routine and she'll transition to living with me smoothly.
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Oct 1, 2012 19:25
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Bickle kitten update: I swore if he ended up in my house again, I'd at least take him to the vet to take care of the basics. Well, he's been here since last night so I took him to the vet today for deworming and a little check over. He's confirmed as 5 months and I booked him in for his boy bits removal tomorrow. I also had to deflea him again with Advocate. My vet mentioned there seems to be a seasonal problem with Frontline at the moment and a lot of people in my area are saying it's not been effective lately. If those other people turn up, I shall be very nice but will tell them straight up I need to keep him in for at least a couple of days post-surgery. All they've done is: look at him play with him when it's convenient for them give him some food sometimes For over a month now they've been saying they'll take him to the vet but have done gently caress all. My vet is 15 mins away down the road and they have 4 cars. I'm getting him chipped with my details: if they make a big fuss I can easily get it changed to theirs. Anyway, I got a picture of the little bugger:  Edit: I also got him a new tickle toy at the vet for being brave. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Oct 1, 2012 |
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Oct 1, 2012 19:26
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Sick Kitty Update. Went and saw her today. She was glad to see me, but she fell asleep immediately on my lap. Stressed out kitty. I talked to the vet about financial issues, and they said they are covering almost all of it. Huge, huge, huge load off my back. They're going back and forth on diagnoses, but they're thinking it's GI tract now (maybe she did eat a bit o' string? dunno), and they hope if it's necessary that she'll be ready for surgery by Thursday. They're hoping for a non-surgical solution, though, and they'll keep me updated about her. They love her, though, and she's still the same ol' Tarski with the chainsaw purrbox  . And they all commented on how big she's going to be. She's 6 months and the size of an average full-grown cat already.
Ghost of Reagan Past fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Oct 1, 2012 |
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Oct 1, 2012 20:08
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VoodooSchmoodoo posted:Bickle kitten update: That's a real handsome kitty you got there. Arthur (posted about him a while back) pissed all over my clothes that I laid out on the floor for work the next day. I couldn't get to the dedicated pet store I usually go to for wood pellet litter and so unknowingly got some fine grain litter from a small indie pet store. I think he hates it and prefers to piss on clothes now. I'm going to change it as soon as I can get to the store, is there anything I can do to avoid him using my work clothes as a toilet in the meantime?
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Oct 1, 2012 21:34
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Also, how do you get rid of the smell of cat piss? I've washed my clothes twice now and I can still smell it. From the UK so do I just Febreeze the ever living hell out of them or is there some specific cat piss smell remover that I don't know about?
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Oct 1, 2012 22:11
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Blinks posted:Also, how do you get rid of the smell of cat piss? I've washed my clothes twice now and I can still smell it. From the UK so do I just Febreeze the ever living hell out of them or is there some specific cat piss smell remover that I don't know about? You need to use an enzyme based cleaner like nature's miracle. You should be able to get some from a pet store. For clothing you add like 1/4 cup to the wash and that should take it out. Otherwise no matter how much you clean it the smell will stick, and even if you can't smell it your cat can and will continue peeing on it because it smells like a good place to do so.
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Oct 1, 2012 23:24
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Shifty Pony posted:You need to use an enzyme based cleaner like nature's miracle. You should be able to get some from a pet store. For clothing you add like 1/4 cup to the wash and that should take it out. Otherwise no matter how much you clean it the smell will stick, and even if you can't smell it your cat can and will continue peeing on it because it smells like a good place to do so. God damnit Arthur. Ok, thanks man, just checked Amazon.co.uk for some and its £20 for the Natures Miracle + postage.I need to pick up some wood pellet litter so hopefully the pet store will have some or an equivalent in.
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Oct 1, 2012 23:52
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For those of you who have window's with shallow sills or none at all I recommend the Sunny Seat Window Cat Bed. I bought this at Walmart the other day: http://www.amazon.com/Sunny-Seat-Window-Cat-Bed/dp/B005AUM8U0 Just follow the instructions and it sticks! My girlfriend's 11 pound furball and my two 7 pound scavengers have gotten on it with no problem. Now they just bicker over who gets to sleep up it. I'm probably going to get one more to put on another window.
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Oct 2, 2012 00:40
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I must apologize to and thank Kaworu. I had completely forgotten about the downstairs room until we looked for Jasmine and found her down there. That room is now hers. We put her food there, a bowl of water, and a litterbox, and she ate and had some water and knows where the box is, so I'm hoping she'll settle in well. I spent an hour or so down there hanging out with her, brushing and petting. I feel a little guilty about leaving her down there all by herself, but the door will be open at night so she can wander around if she wants to. Sophia doesn't tend to go down there, and the dog not at all, so I really hope she'll start thinking of it as a safe place. Here's a picture of Jasmine in thanks.  
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Oct 2, 2012 02:13
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Hey, goons, do those self-cleaning litter boxes work, or would I be better off saving my money on the more traditional ones?
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Oct 2, 2012 04:29
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Blinks posted:God damnit Arthur. If you're in the UK Simple Solution is an equivalent. I've tested it out on a few sprays left by my good friend Mr Dabs and it seems to work OK. http://www.simplesolution.uk.com/
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Oct 2, 2012 07:44
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Rollofthedice posted:Hey, goons, do those self-cleaning litter boxes work, or would I be better off saving my money on the more traditional ones?
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Oct 2, 2012 07:46
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Blinks posted:God damnit Arthur. Rollofthedice posted:Hey, goons, do those self-cleaning litter boxes work, or would I be better off saving my money on the more traditional ones? Manual-matic: Omega Paw (works on same principle, you just roll it yourself) Experience with the others varies wildly, LitterMaid gets a lot of hate.
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Oct 2, 2012 08:07
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Blinks posted:God damnit Arthur. I've thrown some vinegar in with the wash too and that helps. One of our cats peed on our curtains and we just used some vinegar. Rollofthedice posted:Hey, goons, do those self-cleaning litter boxes work, or would I be better off saving my money on the more traditional ones?
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Oct 2, 2012 15:08
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Update: 1 year+ kitty and young kitten are getting along better now. Big kitty still hisses but they seem to have chased each other for a bit with minimal hissing. I am not sure if that was them fighting or playing but there was not a lot of hissing. Diogines fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Oct 2, 2012 |
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Oct 2, 2012 15:35
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Might be a daft question, but will white vinegar damage the clothes? I intend to wear them again if possible and dont fancy colours being bleached. Needless to say, a hoodie I paid $120 for to get shipped over from the States is one of the things I don't want ruined and actually want to wear again. Thanks again for the advice on my pissy cat. Bonus pic of Arthur. Oh the shame. 
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Oct 2, 2012 17:41
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White vinegar has been used in laundry washing for ages, it should be fine.
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Oct 2, 2012 17:44
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I actually used Apple Cider Vinegar because I had it on hand.  The curtains are purple and I didn't notice any fading. But I'm totally not sure on the differences in vinegar to tell you anything else besides I used it. :o
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Oct 2, 2012 17:54
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Just know that vinegar will kill the smell for you (and all humans), but will not take all traces of the smell away from the cat. You run the risk of reoffense.
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Oct 2, 2012 19:23
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Young Man Bickle had his nads off today and is doing very well. He's been going bonkers since I got him home at 5.30pm. He ate lots of food, did a massive dump and is currently watching CSI:NY. I think he's finally nodding off. He made lots of new friends at the vets; a lot of people wanted to take him home. They told me he's small for his age and should be kept in for at least a few more months. I must say I agree. I did have a tentative new home lined up for him, but he's so young and she is 70 years old. She's great with cats and is still broken up after losing her cat a few months ago, but she has no other support so if anything happens to her he'll be out on his tod. She has family, but they haven't been sympathetic to her losing her boy. It's a shame, because I think she would looooove him. I got him even more toys for being extra super brave.
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Oct 2, 2012 22:16
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My cat Charlie needs a toy to wrestle with, but I never know where to look because he is a beast. He weighs like 16-17 pounds (19 when we adopted him), and a lot of that is muscle; he has the build of a small bulldog more than a cat. It only took him a day or two to rip all the feathers off of our last cat teaser. We also had a homemade teaser with a large turkey feather, which held up against a year of abuse from our other cat, but Charlie managed to bite it in half. Can anyone recommend teasers or similar toys that can take a beating? Something he can wrestle with and pull on without it breaking? I'd prefer if it was something I could find in a local store such as a PetSmart, but if I have to I can order one online. Pictures so you can see how big he is. He's seriously sturdy, petting him is the weirdest thing because he doesn't feel like a cat.  
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Oct 2, 2012 22:58
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I'm taking Hat to the vet first thing but I could do with some advice in the meantime (it's 11.20 at night here). Hat wasn't eating much, and crying out when he yawned, so I took him to the vet on friday (it's now tuesday night). He diagnosed gingivitis and gave him some capsule antibiotics, which I gave him every day. All day yesterday Hat was throwing up - often just water or foam. This morning I took him back to the vet, who gave him some shots for antibiotics and to stop the puking. He's only been sick once since then, but tonight he peed outside the litter tray. He didn't seem to be in pain or anything, but he peed in the living room downstairs instead of the litter tray. I've also found a few wet puddles outside the tray in the last few days, but thought it was him throwing up water again. What could it be? I'm worried sick. Here he is post-vet today. He's a Scottish Fold. 
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Oct 2, 2012 23:25
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After my 2 month old new kitten has been in my place for a week, separated from my 13 monthish cat except for very short amounts of time together where older kitty was very hostile they SEEM to have calmed down. They now chase each other around my home, big kitty only occasionally hissing or swatting. They have been running all over for almost 40 minutes. Can anyone confirm that this is them playing? Am I in the clear for the worst bits of introducing them?
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Oct 2, 2012 23:35
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Just wanted to write this down somewhere... get it out of my system. Four days ago my old man cat had green discharge coming out of his eyes, so I booked a vet appointment ASAP. Today we went in, and it turns out he's lost three pounds in the last nine months. I thought he looked thinner, but assumed it was because we had to shave all his long hair off. In the past year he has completely stopped grooming himself which resulted in getting matted all over and consequently shaved. He forgets where we are, and he walks around with grumpy noises all the time. He doesn't play like he used to. I didn't think that his eating or drinking habits had changed, but it's hard to tell because we have another cat and they share food bowls and litter boxes. He still has his same personality, just grumpier and more forgetful. The vet took some blood today, we will hear back on Thursday. He thinks the eye goop is because of his rapid weight loss and his eyes sinking back in his head. We're doing eye drops until it resolves. I've had this cat since I was ten years old. I'm 24 now, he's been my little man-man for over half my life. I don't really remember life without him. It's really sinking in how old he's getting and how he is deteriorating. He's a sick old man now. I really hope that when the blood work comes back, it's something that's treatable. I very much hope it's not diabetes, but the vet told me he's the perfect candidate. He's a big cat, and at his prime he was 17 pounds (not fat). I know that diabetes is treatable but I would live every day in fear that I'll come home from work and find him in a coma or dead. I'd also worry that he's living life not feeling well. The mortality of my kitty is really hitting me hard tonight. I know he's not gravely ill at this point, but it really hurts to think about life without your best friend.
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Oct 2, 2012 23:55
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One of a Kind posted:My cat Charlie needs a toy to wrestle with, but I never know where to look because he is a beast. He weighs like 16-17 pounds (19 when we adopted him), and a lot of that is muscle; he has the build of a small bulldog more than a cat. It only took him a day or two to rip all the feathers off of our last cat teaser. We also had a homemade teaser with a large turkey feather, which held up against a year of abuse from our other cat, but Charlie managed to bite it in half. I recommend trying Kong brand toys. They're generally well designed and built. Either that or start looking at dog toys.
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Oct 3, 2012 01:31
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I think my two 7 month old kittens that are littermates, male and female, were just loving on the nice cat bed I made for them right next to me. I thought they were playing, but I looked over and they were in some weird position where he had her by the back of the neck and it looked like he was humping or thrusting and she would groan, grunt, or whatever. I don't know. I really hope it was playing. They're scheduled to get a spay and neuter at the same time on October 15th. They're the most affordable place. I'm really upset that I have to separate them because I don't know if they're loving or how many times they have been loving. I'm worried now that his sister is pregnant and that she could die or have serious complications. Also, rear end in a top hat hosed scratched the poo poo out of my arm once I picked him off of her. I don't know how many times that bastard has scratched the poo poo out of my arm, but man this one is pretty bloody.
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Oct 3, 2012 02:39
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Mad Pino Rage posted:I think my two 7 month old kittens that are littermates, male and female, were just loving on the nice cat bed I made for them right next to me. I thought they were playing, but I looked over and they were in some weird position where he had her by the back of the neck and it looked like he was humping or thrusting and she would groan, grunt, or whatever. I don't know. I really hope it was playing. They were probably loving. Good chance she's pregnant. Let the place she's getting spayed know, it will be a bit bloodier of a surgery.
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Oct 3, 2012 03:36
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Koivunen posted:
Oh, I am so sorry. Old kitties get so quiet when they get sick, I've had friends lose their kitties when they just slipped away to die in a shed or under a plant.  I'm still reeling with relief knowing that Eew's still with us, and her tests were baaaad. Like her sclera and ears were bright yellow with jaundice. Did they check your cat for jaundice? I'm going to hope that your little man-cat has that same fighting spirit and that whatever he's got is fixable, so he can spend 10 more years with you. :3
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Oct 3, 2012 04:18
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So I'm thinking of getting a second cat. I've started grad school and sometimes I am gone from 9AM-11PM or later, and she is always waiting for me when I get home. I feel bad and that if she had a friend things would be better for her (and I love cats and would love a second). This is not a spur of the moment thought, as I've been thinking about getting a second cat since I've moved here. Sorry if some of these questions were answered (it's a rather long thread), but if I was going to do this, I want to make sure I have everything right. 1. My cat is about 6 years old (I say about because I adopted her), and can be rather skittish, even around new people. She always has hated my sister's dog. Would she eventually come around to another cat? She is very needy attention-wise, and I feel like she would feel left out or something. I guess I just love my cat too much. 2. She is spayed (just wanted to note that), but does it matter what sex the other cat would be? Any perks/negatives to having the same sex/opposite sex? 3. Should I get a second litter box, or just make a habit of cleaning mine more often? 4. Should I aim for a cat around the same age? 5. During the phase when they are getting to know each other, would it be best if I kept them apart during the day when I'm not around? 6. My cat is a bit of a runt (~5 lbs, but looks like more because she is just a ball of fluff). Aim for a similar size as well? I'm just worried about if they fought during the period of getting to know each other. Bonus photo of Figgen laying on my ottoman while I consider getting her a friend: 
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Oct 3, 2012 06:18
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booshi posted:So I'm thinking of getting a second cat. I've started grad school and sometimes I am gone from 9AM-11PM or later, and she is always waiting for me when I get home. I feel bad and that if she had a friend things would be better for her (and I love cats and would love a second). This is not a spur of the moment thought, as I've been thinking about getting a second cat since I've moved here. 2. Not really. Not really. 3. Both. 4. Not really a big deal, with the exception of a kitten maybe having higher energy levels. 5. Yes, but you need to make sure you're going through introductions properly and not just keeping them separate all the time. 6. Not necessarily a big deal.
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Oct 3, 2012 06:51
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I have just taken on a stray cat (no chip or collar, hungry, all efforts to trace owner failed, and it's been a record pet-dumping summer in the UK, so sod it, he's ours now). - Age: Young adult. - Sex: M - How long have you had your cat? 3 weeks - Is your cat spayed or neutered? The genital mutilation appointment is on Saturday, and we'll have him chipped then too. - What food do you use? Felix (wet) and GoCat (dry). - When was your last vet visit? Last week, he's fine. He had deworming and anti flea treatment and jabs. - Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both? Both. UK, so no large predators, and he goes out into the large back garden which backs onto a park. - How many pets in your household? Just him. - How many litter boxes do you have? We don't, the cat shits outside. Which is the problem. Basically I have never owned a cat before. My husband grew up with them, so he has strong but probably completely outdated views. I haven't done a ton of research, which I would have expected to do before getting a pet, because this cat just arrived and we somehow found ourselves owning him. My husband is 100% against litter boxes and categorical that the cat should go outside to crap. We've had a cat flap put in the wall, it's basically a tunnel, because the wall is the best part of a foot thick. The cat is not getting his head round it. He'll go through very happily if the flap's held open, but he won't voluntarily use it. And this means if he's left in the kitchen at night (it's getting cold outside), he shits on the floor. Since I don't want cat poo poo on my kitchen floor and I cannot face a row about litter boxes, he needs to learn to use the catflap. Any tips? We've been trying to, eg, put the food on the other side of the catflap to make him go through, but of course you have to open the door to do that and the drat thing moves like greased lightning. He'll go through if I hold it open, but he needs to go out at night to crap and then come back in. I have taped the catflap open, in the hope that he'll get used to going through the tunnel first. Does that sound right? Any other ideas? How long do cats take to get used to catflaps anyway? Bonus shot of Fishmog with adoring child. 
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Oct 3, 2012 14:21
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Oh my god - I had the worst experience *ever* this morning. I was driving out at around 7AM, which is a bit later than normal for me, and I'm just turning around the corner when I see what must be a dead cat on the pavement with its guts spilled out. Used to be a really handsome tuxedo cat. I actually watch as some other driver just goes around it angrily and zooms off. I really couldn't do that so I grabbed some plastic bags, put my hands in them to use as gloves, and got the cat off the road and into another plastic bag. Pretty undignified but I didn't want more rear end in a top hat drivers to run him over and further mutilate the poor thing. It was really awful. Anyway, I got him off the road and of course he had no collar, and I really didn't know what to do so I rang the closest doorbell. I was actually really freaked out if it WAS the cat owner's house, and that they might think I ran over their cat. But it wasn't, and a very nice older woman answered - it wasn't her cat but she knew him, and it belonged to a family across the street. I really couldn't deal with breaking the news to the family since it was already upsetting enough doing this, and the woman had already offered to since she knew them, so I left the remains with her and took off. I hope she didn't blow it off, I had some misgivings after I left if I should have done that or not but I really needed to not be there anymore. The whole thing was freaking traumatic, though. And as a cat-owner it really affects me pretty profoundly. The hosed up thing is that I may have just driven by and not dealt with the dead cat if this had happened a couple years ago, before I got my own cat. I don't know though, maybe I'm not giving myself enough credit. Regardless I've been cuddling my Jackie-girl pretty hard ever since I got home, and feeling thankful that she's indoor-only and happy about it.
kaworu fucked around with this message at 14:36 on Oct 3, 2012 |
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Oct 3, 2012 14:31
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You are a good person for what you had done and I admittedly would say I would not have gone to that length. When I see dead strays, with or without tags, I usually am angered that the owners had let them wander around town and feel little remorse for the owners themselves. Though, I do feel for their pets. Keep in mind, I live in a major city and cats wandering around never ends well. A question I have for this thread: How do I get one of my 1yr old cats to stop tipping or dragging the water dish around? I have tried a larger and more difficult to move dish but, she still continues to smack it around or flip it over when she wants water. She DOES drink from the dish but, I think she likes to see the water go all over when she does. Short of using massive amounts of duct tape, I don't know what to do.
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Oct 3, 2012 21:13
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Shonagon posted:Any tips? We've been trying to, eg, put the food on the other side of the catflap to make him go through, but of course you have to open the door to do that and the drat thing moves like greased lightning. He'll go through if I hold it open, but he needs to go out at night to crap and then come back in. I have taped the catflap open, in the hope that he'll get used to going through the tunnel first. Does that sound right? Any other ideas? How long do cats take to get used to catflaps anyway? He looks lovely and silky! I'm a UK-er too and have never had a catflap, but I do know it can take them a bit of time to get used to them. You should also get an indoor loo; all of our cats have been indoor/outdoor and prefer to go loo outside, but I'd highly recommend to have an indoor loo as well. They might get caught short or be ill or elderly and need to have an indoor loo. If they have access to the outside, they may very well prefer to loo out there so your husband is being silly. My advice is: get an indoor loo. Once your cat gets used to the catflap he will likely prefer outdoor looing; unless it's raining; some cats are a bit prissy about muddy feets and TBH it may be preferable to clean out a loo tray to cleaning up muddy poo-feet prints in your house.
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Oct 3, 2012 21:28
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It took my stupid cat weeks to learn how to use the cat flap - we put ours in glass but its a chip-operated one so the tunnel bit is quite long. He did eventually work it out but months later he still scratches on the flap for a good minute before going through it because applying pressure to the door with his head is for losers, apparently. Maybe compromise on the litterbox by putting it in a cupboard or something where curious young tots can't get to it. They're pretty gross and not widely used where I live but it's better than cat poo poo on the floor. Once he understands what it's for he should be okay, it's amazing what small spaces cats will squeeze themselves through. I've seen some fat as hell cats blorp through small cat flaps with little difficulty. Speaking of idiot cats, Hugo got stung by a bumblebee for the second time yesterday. Damnit cat..cause and effect eludes you. And Decoy destroyed every single baked good my sister in law bought yesterday (told her not to leave them out! Ha!). Basically my cats are dicks, luckily in a funny way... Except for bee stings, damnit Hugo... And I finally weaned Hugo onto food that doesn't make his rear end explode oh my god the days of nightmare litterboxes may be over 
Tamarillo fucked around with this message at 22:31 on Oct 3, 2012 |
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Oct 3, 2012 22:28
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crashdome posted:A question I have for this thread: Put it on carpet. Ideally a big carpet they can't push around, but even a little doormat would work.
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Oct 3, 2012 22:38
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crashdome posted:A question I have for this thread:
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Oct 3, 2012 22:50
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crashdome posted:A question I have for this thread: Spend a little money and get a fountain. The extra weight of the water in the fountain should stop them from moving it. Plus most cats prefer to have their water moving a little. Personally, I recommend this fountain as it is super silent: http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Design-Drinking-Fountain-Original/dp/B004L4XR3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349303725&sr=8-1&keywords=catit+fountain
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Oct 3, 2012 23:36
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Awesome advice everybody, thanks. I will try and look for a fountain. I tried a mat/carpet before but all she did was tip it over. She's pretty strong. I hate to use things that will suck electricity all day long but, if it stops her from using her legs when drinking maybe I can slowly wean her off it by turning it off once a week. fake edit: I can hear her dragging it across the floor right now. *Shhhirk* ... *Shhirk* ... *Shhhhhhiirk* :/
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Oct 4, 2012 00:27
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