|
Kirios posted:I apologize if this conversation has come up before but I'm almost at my wits end with one of my cats. He's seventh months old and from 5 AM on every morning he will constantly meow infront of my bedroom door over and over and over. I've tried ignoring him but he keeps getting louder and will literally do this for HOURS at a time until I finally get up and let him in. How can I stop him from doing this behavior...I'm getting very little sleep over here! What kaworu says is all true. I suggest the following course of action: 1. Get a scat mat or an upside down spiky mat thing for putting rolly chairs on carpet. Put outside the door when you go to bed. Somehow putting a 2' barrier between cat and door often makes them go 'well meowing won't work now' and give up. At least, it does for my cat. 2. Earplugs. 3. DON'T LET HIM IN. See: earplugs. He is probably lonely. Another option is to get another cat. 
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 16:19
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 07:31 |
|
|
The vacuum cleaner solution is to place the vacuum outside your door, turned on but unplugged. Put the cord under the door so you can plug it in on your end. when the cat approaches to cry, plug the sucker in. Scares the daylights out of him, and hopefully eventually makes him realize that crying makes the monster roar. However I once tried that with a cat who instead of fear, developed a liking to the vacuum and just had a conversation with it into the night.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 16:22
|
|
|
Let him in?
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 18:23
|
|
|
Really, if you don't want it sleeping in your bed why the hell did you get a cat in the first place?
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 18:29
|
|
|
It thoroughly amuses me how simple the "cover cat poop" instinct is. It's literally (1) make motion (2) check if poop is covered. There's no intermediate step for seeing that the motion is being made on any kind of sand or dirt; our cat paws the sides and roof of the plastic tub that the litter tray is in, and then checks to see if the poop is covered despite doing absolutely bugger all.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 19:49
|
|
|
redmercer posted:Really, if you don't want it sleeping in your bed why the hell did you get a cat in the first place? There's nothing wrong with this, everyone does pet ownership differently. I don't let my cat in the bedroom any more either. For me, when I moved in with my boyfriend, we agreed that both the cat and the dog would sleep outside of the bedroom -- because I hate the bed getting stunk up with dog smell, and he is mildly allergic to the cat. It's also beneficial in that my clothes are no longer COVERED in cat hair the way they used to be. He sleeps downstairs just fine in his cat bed or on the couch. He can even sleep in the hallway if he likes, but where the people sleep is off limits to the pets. Plus, if Kirios started letting the cat in the room at night, that might not stop the behavior. Plenty of cats will stand over their owners meowing for attention at the asscrack of dawn because cats are assholes. Giving in to the cat's demands to be let in doesn't address the actual issue of the cat deciding that 3 am is a good time to be loud and demanding, which is better served by getting him good and tired out at the end of the night. KKKlean Energy posted:It thoroughly amuses me how simple the "cover cat poop" instinct is. It's literally (1) make motion (2) check if poop is covered. There's no intermediate step for seeing that the motion is being made on any kind of sand or dirt; our cat paws the sides and roof of the plastic tub that the litter tray is in, and then checks to see if the poop is covered despite doing absolutely bugger all. Oh, I see your cat is as dumb as mine.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 20:07
|
|
|
I think Ozma would collapse all the walls and floor of my apartment in upon her litterbox sooner than brush some sand over her poop.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 20:18
|
|
|
Hi again cat thread. Me again. The past week has seen a lot of progress with our new female. She is still very shy and uncomfortable here, but our male is over any reservations he ever had about the whole thing. Therein lies the problem, or so we think. She's still nervously exploring (with our supervision) and feeling things out, and he's bouncing around and chasing her and generally acting like a hyperactive rear end. He isn't hissing or giving any other signs of "angry, threatened cat" (he seems to be trying to play) but she can't go anywhere without him charging along and crowding her. It isn't really helping with our efforts to make her feel less overwhelmed. Today we tossed him in the master bedroom so she could have free roam of the house without having to worry about him, and starting tomorrow we're going to step backwards to the "keep separated" stage before letting them interact again. Is this the correct thing to do? He seems unaffected by her body language and occasional hisses, and she seems very much to want to be away from him. We're concerned with her quality of life, and helping her feel as comfortable her as possible, while at the same time co-existing with the rambunctious male. thiefly fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Jan 27, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 20:50
|
|
|
Serella posted:There's nothing wrong with this, everyone does pet ownership differently. That's fair enough. Try doing this, then: Let the cat sleep in your bed one night, and wet the bed on purpose.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 22:38
|
|
|
redmercer posted:That's fair enough. Try doing this, then: Let the cat sleep in your bed one night, and wet the bed on purpose. What is this I don't even 
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 23:16
|
|
|
Serella posted:What is this I don't even All I know is it works if you do it on accident. I don't think the cat can tell the difference
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 23:23
|
|
|
Try this: Get drunk and piss on the cat. Show the cat what it's like. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2013 23:28
|
|
|
thiefly posted:Hi again cat thread. Me again. That sure sounds like a week. Some cats don't settle in for a few months. I'd let them work it out, and worry if it hits mid-March and she doesn't seem comfortable.
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 00:04
|
|
|
There was this stray cat that was living in the parking lot of our complex. I'd seen him running around and sleeping in the bushes. He was pretty young (I'd say between 6-9 months) and seemed really timid and scared of the traffic on our busy street. I'd put food out for him and eventually, as the days got colder, my sappy heart finally broke and I brought him in. He's a great cat and when he wants to love, he snuggles like no cat I've ever had before. He tucks himself right up under your chin and purrs for all he's worth. He'll actually let you wrap your arms around him and snuggle the stuffin' out of him. The problem is, every other moment of the day he's a bitey little bastard. He's not doing it out of being a dick, he's just chooses to express his playfulness with his mouth. You can't even pet him without him biting at you. He's not trying to break the skin, but it still hurts. I've tried everything I can think of from making the high pitched squeals to immediately putting him down from my lap (where he wants to be) and nothing has worked. Making squealing sounds just seems to scare him and make him bite harder due to freaking out. I'd love to keep him but my boyfriend is having a hard time bonding with him due to always being gnawed on. I'm a bit more tolerant of it as I've owned cats all my life and don't take it personally. However, I also can't in good conscious re-home him with how he bites. I worry the next family, even if I hand pick them, might not be so understanding and I'd hate for him to be back on the streets or tossed into a shelter. I want to try to break him of this habit so we can either keep him, or I know he'll be able to go to another home safely. So...any other suggestions? (also, thanks to the Humane Society I was able to get him fixed a few weeks ago and his shots. All for $10, thank you Humane Society!)
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 00:08
|
|
|
The cat is home! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJlobPtlxyQ Thanks everybody for your help. Holly is adjusting well to the apartment and I think she's starting to figure out where the place to sleep is. Longhair tortoiseshell, if anyone was wondering (the video is grainy as poo poo). Still stuffy/sneezy from the benadryl, but if she can adjust, so can I!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U0-t__2e0g Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Jan 28, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 00:37
|
|
|
My cat is gross, please help.  I have two neutered male cats. They're almost 4 years old (same age). Last weekend I was gone for a few days to visit my parents. Normally I feed them wet food twice a day and leave them a little dry food in the morning to snack on. I had the pet sitter come once a day and keep a bowl of dry food topped off. I'm not sure if she gave them any treats, I'm asking her now. Anyway, neither of them were eating well when I got back but I kind of expected it since they were probably stressed. However one of them keeps getting slimy poop all over his rear end, and I keep finding slimy squishy poops in weird places. Not entire poops but usually more like parts of them. Maybe they are getting stuck in his fur? He is eating pretty well and seems OK otherwise. I haven't actually witnessed him making nasty poops, I just find the evidence on him and on the floor in random spots. Anyway, could this possibly still be stress or should he go to the vet? I feel clueless because their food hasn't changed and they're 100% indoors so I'm not sure how else they could've caught something. Edit: Could it just be because he's used to eating more wet than dry food and lately he hasn't been? They seem to have gotten bored with their wet food until today where I mixed in a little bit of another flavor. HondaCivet fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Jan 28, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 00:41
|
|
|
So any special way to switch from free feeding to a structured feeding? I'm looking into adopting a kitty (rip Bigs ) and want to make it as easy as possible on my cat. Would she be better off with a new male or female companion? Or does it not really matter?
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 01:53
|
|
|
KilGrey posted:[I am posting this from inside my cat's jaws, send help] Also, do you have another cat for him to play with gnaw on? How high-energy is the other cat, if you have one?
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 03:15
|
|
|
KKKlean Energy posted:It thoroughly amuses me how simple the "cover cat poop" instinct is. It's literally (1) make motion (2) check if poop is covered. There's no intermediate step for seeing that the motion is being made on any kind of sand or dirt; our cat paws the sides and roof of the plastic tub that the litter tray is in, and then checks to see if the poop is covered despite doing absolutely bugger all. Yyyep. Theo likes doing this to the linoleum around his box. Sometimes he leans way too far out of his box and catches one of the blind slats hanging from the window and I have to pull the end out of the litter box later. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 03:21
|
|
|
KKKlean Energy posted:It thoroughly amuses me how simple the "cover cat poop" instinct is. It's literally (1) make motion (2) check if poop is covered. There's no intermediate step for seeing that the motion is being made on any kind of sand or dirt; our cat paws the sides and roof of the plastic tub that the litter tray is in, and then checks to see if the poop is covered despite doing absolutely bugger all.
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 03:36
|
|
|
^^^ the other morning Ozma kicked some poo out of the litter box. I found it under a tissue under a sock under a cat toy under my purse. Honestly a thorough job all things considered. Butt Soup Barnes posted:So any special way to switch from free feeding to a structured feeding? The ladies at the shelter urged me to get an opposite gender cat. Apparently a male and female cat are more likely to get along quicker. Rat Patrol fucked around with this message at 03:41 on Jan 28, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 03:39
|
|
|
HEGEL SMOKE A J posted:On the other hand, whenever Mithrin throws up, if I don't catch it right away he'll try to bury it himself using clutter from around the house such as socks, old receipts, etc. I feel for the little dude, but it's kind of gross. Yeah, I keep finding my sick(?) cat's presents under my clothes. It's kind of my bad for keeping dirty clothes on the floor but still!
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 06:37
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:The cat is home! That is so awesome, Pollyanna! Holly is such a gorgeous kitty. I look forward to more pictures and videos of her and enjoy getting to know her! IMO the first few weeks of having a new pet are so awesome cause every day you discover new things about them, but afterwards it is equally awesome when you understand each other and have a nice routine going.
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 06:53
|
|
|
Is it strange for Shelters to organize a home visit? My cat Fergal died last week (rip big fizzle) and a couple of days ago my ma spotted an advertisement in the newspaper that a local animal shelter has suddenly had a huge influx of kittens (from Christmas I assume.  ) and needs to get rid of them pronto. My mum phoned the shelter and they say they have to organize a home visit to check the house out before they will give us a cat. When my mum gives them our address the fella flat out rejects our request for a kitten because we live next to a main road, and after some wrangling the guy is only willing to part with an older cat. I can somewhat understand the home visit, but not giving out a cat to somebody who lives on a main street is kinda weird. Anyways, RIP fergal, I love you Bro.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM0-ZU8njdo
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 15:05
|
|
|
Drink and Fight posted:Let him in? I don't let mine in because they're awake half the night running around, climbing things, and occasionally pawing at my face. HondaCivet posted:My cat is gross, please help. Go to store, baking aisle. Get canned pumpkin (UNSEASONED, UNSWEETENED!). Give him a tablespoon or so a day. The other cat can have it too if he wants; it won't hurt. Hopefully that'll firm his poops up a bit. You should definitely also check with your pet sitter and see if they had anything unusual to eat. I don't think I have ever heard of slimy poo from too much dry food or from stress, however. If the pumpkin doesn't clear it up in a week or so, I'd call the vet. Dilettante. posted:Is it strange for Shelters to organize a home visit? More usual for dogs than cats, but not super strange.
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 15:16
|
|
|
Eggplant Wizard posted:Go to store, baking aisle. Get canned pumpkin (UNSEASONED, UNSWEETENED!). Give him a tablespoon or so a day. The other cat can have it too if he wants; it won't hurt. Hopefully that'll firm his poops up a bit. You should definitely also check with your pet sitter and see if they had anything unusual to eat. I don't think I have ever heard of slimy poo from too much dry food or from stress, however. If the pumpkin doesn't clear it up in a week or so, I'd call the vet. How do I get him to eat it? Will he like it enough to eat it plain or do I have to work it into his food? Maybe mix it with some chicken baby food which I've heard is cat crack? The pet sitter says she didn't give them anything but their normal food. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 19:52
|
|
|
HondaCivet posted:How do I get him to eat it? Will he like it enough to eat it plain or do I have to work it into his food? Maybe mix it with some chicken baby food which I've heard is cat crack? Most cats i've tried this with ate it just plain. No tricks necessary. Cats, man.
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 20:12
|
|
|
Pete likes tape, and doesn't mind foil or saran wrap. I hate keeping him shut up in my bedroom all day, but what the gently caress am I supposed to do? He can't not be on the counters. A mat or can or air sensor isn't really in the budget right now. Are there any other cheap ways to keep an rear end in a top hat off my counters, or is he just going to live in solitude forever?
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 20:31
|
|
|
Alpha Kenny Juan posted:Most cats i've tried this with ate it just plain. No tricks necessary. Cats, man. Pretty much. I have no idea why cats will usually eat plain old canned pumpkin. It's literally got nothing they should want to eat in it. I've had cats who will eat the canned pumpkin over their normal food, or cats that have been anorexic go nuts over canned pumpkin. Makes no sense to me.
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 21:06
|
|
|
Huntersoninski posted:Pete likes tape, and doesn't mind foil or saran wrap. I hate keeping him shut up in my bedroom all day, but what the gently caress am I supposed to do? He can't not be on the counters. A mat or can or air sensor isn't really in the budget right now. Are there any other cheap ways to keep an rear end in a top hat off my counters, or is he just going to live in solitude forever? You could make a fake "bannister" of cardboard around the counters he's not supposed to be on? Like, six inches of cardboard taped to the lip of the counter so that if he tries to make a landing it won't support his weight and dump him off? You could easily move/remove these as you need access to the counter. Please refer to the following scientific diagram for further instructions. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 21:11
|
|
|
Does anyone have suggestions for a seemingly unstoppable chewer of a cat? She's about 1.5 years old and has a ~3 year old girl cat friend (who is the best and never destructive). After having many a cable destroyed, we split loomed what we could (which helps as she does not put in the effort to dig the cables out of the tube) and kept the office and den closed off when we weren't in them, thus keeping her away from the majority of cords. It is at least harder for her to burn herself and/or burn down the house now. Unfortunately, bitter spray isn't working any longer and I suspect hot sauce will stop phasing her eventually. Worst of all, she likes to chew on metal, like the bathroom faucets. The bathrooms are of course the only good spot for litter boxes, so we can't just close those off as well. Help
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 22:12
|
|
|
Dilettante. posted:Is it strange for Shelters to organize a home visit? I'm sorry for your loss of Monsieur Fergal. Are you in the UK? I only ask because some Cats Protection sections have been a bit weird over the last few years. My nice neighbour Mrs A, who is great with cats, was turned down because there is nobody at home for a grand total of four hours a day. That's no biggie and she's great with cats, has a large family that also love cats and will come to look after them at the drop of a hat, plus we live on a one way street that has hardly any traffic for most of the day. She ended up buying two kittehs, but she really wanted to rescue rather than have kitties from a dodgy breeder. Another colleague of mine, another Cats Protection - she waited 5 months for the home visit then gave up and ended up buying one. Home visits are normal, BTW, but it seems like their criteria has got very strict. I should ask our family friend who fosters for them - a different Cats Protection area entirely - but she is often complaining about their silliness. Fostering is basically her full time job. Anyhoo, older cats ARE AWESOME! so you shouldn't disregard them. Even if they are 7 years old+ they are likely to behave like kitten-like lunatics if that is their nature, still be healthy and give you many years of happy kitty lunacy. They do have the added bonus of usually being more canny road-wise. There is a HUGE problem with ferals in my area of West London. Just this morning I swear there was a small kitten stomping around on my extension roof. Unfortunately he ran away before I got to invite him in or even see him. Don't worry goons, I shall keep an eye out. He'll probably end up sneaking in Mrs A's catflap and she's bound to let me know (I don't have a catflap). I got my current kitten from her; he was a wild-beastie-stray that snuck in to her place. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Jan 28, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 22:42
|
|
|
four lean hounds posted:You could make a fake "bannister" of cardboard around the counters he's not supposed to be on? Like, six inches of cardboard taped to the lip of the counter so that if he tries to make a landing it won't support his weight and dump him off? You could easily move/remove these as you need access to the counter. Good idea, but I imagine the cat will just be persistent and tear them down and then jump up on the counters as normal. To seal up a hidey hole under my cabinets, I had to place literal bricks in front of it. Even duct tape wasn't enough. These bird spikes would probably work great, and making a cheap homemade version shouldn't be too hard, but they're really ugly. I gave up on the counters long ago. I let the cats walk wherever they want (except the hidey hole), I clean the counter space I need when I prepare food, and I shut the kits away when they really want what I'm making. I pick my battles, and keeping the cats off the counters is really not worth it. What's the worst that could happen? Ema Nymton fucked around with this message at 22:58 on Jan 28, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2013 22:54
|
|
|
HEGEL SMOKE A J posted:How young is he? One of our cats is a bitey little dude, but he's still pretty young and still has tons of energy. When my boyfriend roughhouses with him, it tires him out and he's a little less bitey. He's about 9 months old, there abouts. We have other cats but they don't want to play with him. Our first cat is a sassy, prissy Siamese who is around 6 and she's just finally tolerating our second cat that we got about 4 years ago when he was a kitten. Because our older girl never played with him he doesn't really know how to play with another cat. He spent the first week we had the new guy just staring at him like he had no idea what the gently caress another cat was. Both our cats are inside only and we've had them since they were kittens I don't think he understood that there is a big world outside the front door. Seeing a third cat really blew his tiny little mind. Not to mention he's a big fat loving pansy and rather timid to start with. So the older Siamese girl avoids the new kitty like the plague and our second cat is just bewildered. They both play every once in awhile independently but they are old enough to not have the zoomies anymore like the new little guy does. ..he's also currently gnawing on my big toe.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2013 05:19
|
|
|
My cats know not to climb on the kitchen counters... anything else is fair game. I taught them this by grabbing them up and putting them in the sink for a bath. They got the hint.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2013 06:31
|
|
|
fine-tune posted:Does anyone have suggestions for a seemingly unstoppable chewer of a cat? She's about 1.5 years old and has a ~3 year old girl cat friend (who is the best and never destructive). Even though she likes to chew on metal, have you tried wrapping stuff in aluminum foil? It seems to have the same effect on cats as it does on humans.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2013 08:48
|
|
|
How do I make a fatass cat lose weight?
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2013 11:31
|
|
|
-Troika- posted:How do I make a fatass cat lose weight? Low-fat kibble, smaller amounts of it, no treats or scraps, and a laser pen to wear him out  Edit: a far better post is below mine. Microplastics fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Jan 29, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2013 13:31
|
|
|
VoodooSchmoodoo posted:I'm sorry for your loss of Monsieur Fergal. That is really weird - we applied to a local CP shelter and to begin with, they were a bit fussy (especially as we wanted an indoor cat but had a balcony). But then we popped in one day a few weeks ago and came away with a cat with very few questions asked, and no photos or home visit required. I put it down to one of two things: either the particular person we were dealing with, or the fact that the cat was FIV and maybe they have a tough time rehoming them? The only advice I would offer is, don't wait for them to contact you (even if they say they will). They're too busy and you have to keep pestering them. It's possible they do that deliberately, to filter out the applicants who aren't determined enough.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2013 13:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 07:31 |
|
|
-Troika- posted:How do I make a fatass cat lose weight? Very carefully. Weight loss in cats, if done improperly, can lead to a life threatening situation, especially when the cat is overweight to begin with. For cat weight loss, I recommend a baby scale at home for at home weigh-ins, though most vets will happily do free weight checks on their patients. If you use dry food, I would recommend a more precise weight scale. If wet food, get better at fractions. To start, get your cat on meal feedings. When your cat is on meal feedings, determine how the current amount of food (as long as they eat all of it) is altering weight - gain, stable, or loss. If the cat is gaining weight or stable on the current amount of food, decrease the amount by ~10% and weigh in one week after starting new food regimen. If the cat is losing weight, if the amount of weight loss is less than or equal to 2% of total body weight, you're looking good. If the weight loss is more than 2% of total body weight, then you need to increase the food intake by ~5%. Basically, a fat cat that loses weight too fast can mobilize their fat stores so fast that it overwhelms their liver and causes the liver to shut down. However, cats that want to be fat will desperately try to remain fat. They will decide that they'd rather sleep all day. If it comes down to giving ~50% of what your cat normally ate (and was stable at) then you need to consult a veterinarian as that cat will need a prescription weight-loss food that has been formulated with higher densities of all nutrients compared to the caloric amount of the diet. Some of the higher end premium foods have higher nutrient concentrations, but their amounts aren't consistent across the board. Your cat will likely become incessant for food. You can try a timed feeder. You will need to secure all sorts of food - the cat food should not be easily opened/in a locked tupperware, and you may have a cat that develops a taste for whatever you're eating/leaving in your sink on dirty dishes. In terms of food, there is debate whether a high-fiber diet is better, or a high-protein diet is better for cats in weightloss. In my opinion, both theories hold true, but it depends on the patient on which one they'll respond better to. I have had good responses to both diet strategies, but I'm beginning to prefer the higher protein method.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2013 19:10
|
|