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Pollyanna posted:Are there medications or anything I can do to help him calm down on the plane/car ride? And I'll also have to get a solid crate for him... Acepromazine will chill his rear end out. You can also use a normal cat carrier if he's suitably tranquilized, just put a towel in it for him to sit on. Ask your vet for a small prescription for him...I hope you can pill a cat properly though. For a long car ride, depending on the space available, can you set up a litter box for him? I drove from Colorado to California with two cats, I had it on the floor of the passenger side. They only had to use it once, they didn't want to eat or drink much in the car.
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May 22, 2013 19:15
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Here's my new cat, Daxter! Got him from the SPCA in Hamilton, Ontario. He's just over a year old. Himalayan mix. He's super chill and will follow you around and plop down on the ground until you change rooms. Super curious and gets a little skittish with loud noises but that may be because it's a new place for him. Also he likes giving lots and lots of headbutts and rolls around on the floor in front of you.  "Hey you're in my spot and I put a towel down for you to....d'awww nevermind  "
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May 22, 2013 19:19
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FoolishLobster posted:KITTY! Cats love the most uncomfortably cheap places to crash. The resident cat at my work sleeps in a crappy cardboard box with old tissue paper in it, and she has lots of blankets and soft bedding available at all times. Don't be so quick to throw out shoeboxes, soda/beer cases, and other cardboard containers, you may find his favorite bed ever for free.
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May 22, 2013 19:55
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Cpt.Wacky posted:I've got a foster pregnant kitty in my garage. I'm looking for a specific list of stuff I should be doing before/during/after birth. Welp, just got a call that there are kittens now. Good thing I moved her inside to a spare bedroom last night.
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May 22, 2013 23:27
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Pollyanna posted:We've covered driving with cats, but how about flying? I'm moving from New England to Florida in a few months, and I've been considering flying my cat over instead of taking him with me when I drive. Jetblue allows small animals, so that's good - but I am worried about his anxiety, him making noise, getting him sedated or at least calmed down, etc. I moved from New Jersey to California a decade ago and my vet gave us tranquilizers for my cat. He flew with my mom and it worked like a charm. I have also driven a few hundred miles with him and used them for that trip, too. Speaking of my cat, his vet told me to up his Fluoxetine dosage to 3/4 instead of 1/2 a pill. Let me tell you how much of a nightmare it is to cut half of a pill in half. I need a sharper pill cutter. My fingers are crossed that this helps him chill a bit!
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May 23, 2013 02:11
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Minarchist posted:Acepromazine will chill his rear end out. You can also use a normal cat carrier if he's suitably tranquilized, just put a towel in it for him to sit on. Ask your vet for a small prescription for him...I hope you can pill a cat properly though. Do note that while acepromazine will sedate your cat, it does not actually make them less anxious at all. I wish I had known that before my cat road trip or I would've asked for something else.
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May 23, 2013 02:24
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DaisyDanger posted:I moved from New Jersey to California a decade ago and my vet gave us tranquilizers for my cat. He flew with my mom and it worked like a charm. I have also driven a few hundred miles with him and used them for that trip, too. Crush the pills and divide the powder into appropriate doses. You can then put the powder on his tongue or mix it with a blob of canned food so they eat it. edit: IMPORTANT: do not do this with extended release pills or capsules without asking the vet first Braki posted:Do note that while acepromazine will sedate your cat, it does not actually make them less anxious at all. I wish I had known that before my cat road trip or I would've asked for something else. Diazapam works too! I lucked out in that I didn't have to sedate my kitties, they don't like car rides much but only yowled for the first hour or so then calmed down. Minarchist fucked around with this message at 02:28 on May 23, 2013 |
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May 23, 2013 02:25
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Minarchist posted:Crush the pills and divide the powder into appropriate doses. You can then put the powder on his tongue or mix it with a blob of canned food so they eat it. This is a pretty good idea. I use pill pocket treats, but I bet I could put the powder inside of those. He just licks at them and then practically inhales them.
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May 23, 2013 03:05
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I took my cats to the vet yesterday for their vaccines and it sucked. Toby's slow and dumb so I got him into his carrier pretty quickly but I had to chase Luna all around the apartment and then many times around the bathroom once I got her closed in there with me. She was meowing so pitifully the whole time  She never meows unless she's really really unhappy- normally she just trills/mrrps a lot. Then she was miserable at the vet and then when we got home she hid under the bed for 2.25 hours and she only got back to normal around 7pm tonight. We think she felt ill from the vaccines all day because she spent most of it under the bed again. Next week I'm moving and driving 4-5 hours so I'll have to do the carrier thing again AND I will have to pill her with an antiemetic from the vet since she usually barfs in car rides. I was thinking pill pockets but she chews her treats and eats them slowly. Maybe I should ask for an anxiety reducer/sedative thing too. I'm a little concerned about giving them that kind of meds because I dunno. Are they safe? Are there kinds that definitely chill them out and don't just sedate them and leave them scared?
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May 23, 2013 03:12
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This isn't really an important question but my cat is 2 years old and only squeaks, never meows. Sometimes she makes weird high pitched "ack" noises when she tries. Do some cats go their entire lives without really meowing? She also chirp hums instead of purring unless she's asleep. Like a Mogwai. She's a weirdo.
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May 23, 2013 03:22
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Coconut Indian posted:This isn't really an important question but my cat is 2 years old and only squeaks, never meows. Sometimes she makes weird high pitched "ack" noises when she tries. Do some cats go their entire lives without really meowing? She also chirp hums instead of purring unless she's asleep. Like a Mogwai. She's a weirdo. Yeah that's normal. The stereotypical cute meow depicted in many youtube videos is a marketing-directed misrepresentation of actual meowing styles, which creates a deliberately homogeonized impression of "ideal" feline vocalization. It's no wonder so many young kittens these days are resorting to extreme meow-altering methods in order to fit the societally presented 'norm.'
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May 23, 2013 03:28
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Fidel Catstro had his tail in a door that closed tonight, degloving the last 2 inches or so of tail. We took him to the E-Vet (even though he acted like it didn't bother him), they performed a partial tail amputation. Problem is, he has to wear this dumb collar for 3 weeks, and in 15 minutes of being home he's gotten it off twice already. Please give me advice to make the next 3 weeks less of a nightmare
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May 23, 2013 03:40
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DaisyDanger posted:This is a pretty good idea. I use pill pocket treats, but I bet I could put the powder inside of those. He just licks at them and then practically inhales them. Any way to get an animal to take their meds is a good way. Sometimes they're bad and don't wanna, and creative means are necessary. Eggplant Wizard posted:I'm a little concerned about giving them that kind of meds because I dunno. Are they safe? There's a risk in giving any animal any medication. "Calm down, little critter" kinds of meds are usually safe unless the cat has some kind of underlying medical issue. Eggplant Wizard posted:Are there kinds that definitely chill them out and don't just sedate them and leave them scared? Valium/Diazapam, but ask the vet. Kitty won't care about much of anything if you give them enough sedatives. Eggplant Wizard posted:I had to chase Luna all around the apartment and then... I know this sounds horrible but sometimes with cats you just have to make em deal with crap they don't like. Grab her rear end and get her where you want her for her own good. Hesitating out of fear or acting scared or concerned is obvious from the cat's perspective. As for getting them into a carrier, you can scruff them behind the neck then put them feet first into the carrier when its placed vertically with the door open. Sometimes you just have to shove them in  I recommend the type with multiple openings, front, top and side. Eggplant Wizard posted:Yeah that's normal. The stereotypical cute meow depicted in many youtube videos is a marketing-directed misrepresentation of actual meowing styles, which creates a deliberately homogeonized impression of "ideal" feline vocalization. It's no wonder so many young kittens these days are resorting to extreme meow-altering methods in order to fit the societally presented 'norm.' 
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May 23, 2013 03:45
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Minarchist posted:I know this sounds horrible but sometimes with cats you just have to make em deal with crap they don't like. Grab her rear end and get her where you want her for her own good. Hesitating out of fear or acting scared or concerned is obvious from the cat's perspective. As for getting them into a carrier, you can scruff them behind the neck then put them feet first into the carrier when its placed vertically with the door open. Sometimes you just have to shove them in Oh I know. I do put them in the carriers that way, although I usually also hold their back legs together so they can't brace themselves on the entry. I am a pretty decent, no-holds-barred cat wrangler in general and can usually catch them. I am fairly fearless about being scratched up. Luna, however, is fast and slippery and small. The bathroom is all tile and thus also slippery so that made it harder 
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May 23, 2013 03:52
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:Problem is, he has to wear this dumb collar for 3 weeks, and in 15 minutes of being home he's gotten it off twice already. Please give me advice to make the next 3 weeks less of a nightmare If your kitty leaves the wound site alone you can probably ditch the collar, but ask the vet first. Dogs are easy to collar, cats are a whole other story. If they don't like something, they'll deal with it and let you know really quick. Eggplant Wizard posted:Luna, however, is fast and slippery and small. I love all my kitties, even when they're Bad Kitties. You know what needs to be done though. Minarchist fucked around with this message at 03:58 on May 23, 2013 |
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May 23, 2013 03:55
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Eggplant Wizard posted:Yeah that's normal. The stereotypical cute meow depicted in many youtube videos is a marketing-directed misrepresentation of actual meowing styles, which creates a deliberately homogeonized impression of "ideal" feline vocalization. It's no wonder so many young kittens these days are resorting to extreme meow-altering methods in order to fit the societally presented 'norm.' This right here is perfection.
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May 23, 2013 04:06
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Minarchist posted:If your kitty leaves the wound site alone you can probably ditch the collar, but ask the vet first. Dogs are easy to collar, cats are a whole other story. If they don't like something, they'll deal with it and let you know really quick. For now, he's still trying to get at his tail; I was finally able to get him to take his painkiller (used bread to roll it and a kitty treat together) and hopefully that calms him down. We've tightened his collar as much as we're comfortable with, and he still finds ways to slip it. I'm afraid that if I go to bed I'll wake up to a missing collar, unwound bandages, and a bloody mess of a tail The vet did advise us to keep him seperate from Chairman Meow in case she started worrying his bandages, but separating them is virtually impossible in this house and keeping either one gated into the tiny kitchen or tinier bathroom for a week ain't gonna happen. Thus far all she's done is  at him flopping about though.
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May 23, 2013 04:11
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:For now, he's still trying to get at his tail; I was finally able to get him to take his painkiller (used bread to roll it and a kitty treat together) and hopefully that calms him down. We've tightened his collar as much as we're comfortable with, and he still finds ways to slip it. I'm afraid that if I go to bed I'll wake up to a missing collar, unwound bandages, and a bloody mess of a tail Can you make a harness around his front limbs? Sometimes you simply can't keep them off a wound site without 24/7 supervision Good luck, man.
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May 23, 2013 04:28
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Minarchist posted:Can you make a harness around his front limbs? Sometimes you simply can't keep them off a wound site without 24/7 supervision That may be difficult; I'll see what kind of harnesses PetSmart or Pet Supermarket stock tomorrow. He's two ounces shy of 24 lbs so he's a big boy. He seems to have calmed down a bit after his painkiller; after spending $650 they better have given him some good poo poo  EDIT: Bonus picture of fat buddy realizing his collar is just the right size to dominate the wet food bowl: 
Rev. Bleech_ fucked around with this message at 04:44 on May 23, 2013 |
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May 23, 2013 04:42
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:For now, he's still trying to get at his tail; I was finally able to get him to take his painkiller (used bread to roll it and a kitty treat together) and hopefully that calms him down. We've tightened his collar as much as we're comfortable with, and he still finds ways to slip it. I'm afraid that if I go to bed I'll wake up to a missing collar, unwound bandages, and a bloody mess of a tail When Indy got his tail caught in the door we taped the cone on at the cost of some neck fur to ensure he couldn't get at it. I'd recommend the bathroom at night and observation at other times.
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May 23, 2013 04:47
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:That may be difficult; I'll see what kind of harnesses PetSmart or Pet Supermarket stock tomorrow. He's two ounces shy of 24 lbs so he's a big boy. He seems to have calmed down a bit after his painkiller; after spending $650 they better have given him some good poo poo Not "buy" a harness, make one. Rig up some cloth strips under and around his forelimbs. edit: and link that to to his collar. Good luck This is assuming he's being a bad kitty and messing with his wound. If he's being a good kitty...leave him be. Minarchist fucked around with this message at 05:33 on May 23, 2013 |
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May 23, 2013 05:29
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Man, we just did a partial tail amputation on a cat that looks just like yours, size and all (he's very large).
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May 23, 2013 11:41
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Eggplant Wizard posted:I'm a little concerned about giving them that kind of meds because I dunno. Are they safe? Are there kinds that definitely chill them out and don't just sedate them and leave them scared? Diazepam has been mentioned already as pretty safe, although with cats there is a rare chance that it may cause sudden liver damage. The reaction depends on the cat and is completely unpredictable as to who gets it. A very small risk, but I personally worry because I'm a vet student and things happen to my cats. I did ask our behaviourist what drugs are a suitable alternative instead, and he rattled off a few but I don't remember them anymore. Probably another drug in the benzodiazepine family. Best to ask your vet and they can go over risks/benefits of each.
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May 23, 2013 15:50
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I bought Daxter a bed but he doesn't like it. I still need to experiment with a cardboard box. He loves laying on the ottoman and on his cardboard scratchers. I love the way he sleeps.  Floofy belly!  (His tail was shaved because it was all matted when the shelter got him, so now he has a cute lion tail!)
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May 23, 2013 18:27
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One of my cats LOVES cardboard boxes. You may need to experiment a little with size and shape. My other cat only sleeps on fabric and changes his preference once or twice per year. His current favorite is a microfiber suede footstool.Cpt.Wacky posted:Welp, just got a call that there are kittens now. Good thing I moved her inside to a spare bedroom last night. Final count is 6 kittens. Looks like 2 black with a bit of white, 2 calico although one is almost completely white, 1 tabby and 1 orange. 
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May 23, 2013 19:18
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FoolishLobster posted:I bought Daxter a bed but he doesn't like it. I still need to experiment with a cardboard box. He loves laying on the ottoman and on his cardboard scratchers. If he really likes the ottoman, put a towel or sheet on it so he doesn't fur up the furniture as much. It's easier to keep clean, kitties are dirtier than you might think.
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May 23, 2013 19:47
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Minarchist posted:This is assuming he's being a bad kitty and messing with his wound. If he's being a good kitty...leave him be. He did get the collar off in the night, but the bandage appears unmolested. He was just laying on his side staring blankly at the wall with his tail tucked underneath his body. This is actually completely unremarkable behavior for him, so it's a good sign  We put the collar back on at 8:00am and he hasn't tried to remove it since.It still weirds me out how untroubled he was by the initial degloving. Then again, we had a cat that hung around an old workplace of mine that had a big huge gaping open wound on his belly. We dabbed it with alcohol every couple of days, and he healed right up with no intervention; he didn't give a gently caress.
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May 23, 2013 20:12
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My cats clawed a hole through the bottom of the couch. I was sitting down on the couch for breakfast this morning watching the Daily Show when all of a sudden I felt something pawing at my butt. Good thing these are really old couches my parents gave me.
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May 23, 2013 21:11
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Mad Pino Rage posted:My cats clawed a hole through the bottom of the couch. This is why when we bought a bed we got a platform bed with no box spring. Ramona has destroyed 4 box springs by clawing up the bottom and crawling up inside. It's like a secret cat fort of awesome or something. Iggy also managed to get himself trapped inside a sofa bed once at my dad's house. It was folded up the entire time.
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May 24, 2013 02:48
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Nione posted:It's like a secret cat fort of awesome or something. More like an evil secret lair
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May 24, 2013 04:09
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Cat photo with a story: Last spring a tornado ripped through our neighborhood. We've had a couple of close calls through the years but never a direct hit. The night it happened, my parents had just woken up to the sound of the siren and my mom had run into the living room to get the storm radio out of the storage closet when a two by four shot through their bedroom window and into the bathroom, shattering the glass shower door. My dad pretty much scooped my mom up and ran to our basement, they didn't have time to search for the cat in the dark. They rode it out in the basement, and my mother swears she thought the top of the house had collapsed down on them (many of our neighbors' houses did). It hadn't, but the tornado busted out every window in our house and ripped off our second story back porch. Now, a little backstory on our cat. She likes to go spend a good bit of time by herself every day. She'll go chill in her favorite spot, where it's quiet and cool; you guessed it, the basement. It's a pain to have to go search for her when you want to pester her. So on the ONLY day that she ABSOLUTELY needed to be in the basement, where did she go? That's right, under the couch on the first story, right beside our three big front windows! It must have been the most terrifying experience of her little life. My parents say that even in the basement, the noise and pressure from the tornado was painful. But she made it. So now, I guess she associates that place with safety, because on days that it's even a little cloudy, she'll be glued under that couch. Other than hunkering down, she hasn't experienced any trauma afterwards. Here she is, smooshed under the couch.
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May 24, 2013 06:50
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I fear I will have to put down my buddy for 18 years, more than half my life, family member really, next week. He was diagnosed with kidney issues and at the time the Doc said he probably wouldn't live a year. My mother found some medicine online we order from Australia and we managed to prolong his life for about 4+ years of normal condition. His kidneys are or have failed and whereas he was 12-13 lbs before, he's much less now it seems, lost serious weight, like half it feels, and so much lighter I have no problems picking him up with one hand where it took 2 before because of how big he was (not fat size, "tall" size). I've got a Vet visit coming up on the 30th and will probably have to discuss the possibility that if nothing can be done for him then if that is an option. The guy has to struggle to keep himself stable and my petting him can throw him off balance. He's vomiting daily now and essentially has stopped eating while drinking more. He spends more time with us, sitting with us too. Sucks.
Gatts fucked around with this message at 13:34 on May 24, 2013 |
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May 24, 2013 13:31
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Ema Nymton posted:More like an evil secret lair I wound up pulling the cover off the bottom of our boxspring because the cats would climb in there and run around while we were trying to sleep. Now with the cover off, they just sit under the bed with their head in the boxspring doing nothing. WTF cats? What's so interesting under there?
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May 24, 2013 14:28
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There's no quicker way to make yourself feel like a monster than to shove an unsuspecting animal into a crate. Dammit, Cave Johnson, don't give me that look when I have to crate you! I promise, I don't enjoy it either. You can feel the moment of realization in their body as you carry them into the bathroom so they can't bolt under the bed. Ugh, the worst. At least you don't have an obstruction, my little guy. You were very brave at the vets, or just so scared you shut down, but thanks for not biting or clawing anyone. Please tell me someone else gets this guilty over crating cats? Actual Info: Our cat was puking yellow, frothy vomit for several days and had a decreased appetite. Turns out that the most likely cause in an inflamed gut, which he is now being treated for. Looks like this family will get to learn the joys of giving cats medicine together!
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May 24, 2013 16:36
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Situation: Loki has gotten extremely lethargic in the last day and a half, he's still eating and drinking, but only about half as much as before. He was getting really upset when we pet down near his hind quarters, on either side. Can't really tell too well about bathroom habits, wife says she saw him go in once, but the auto scooper had cleaned anything up if there was anything by the time I told her to go look. So, off to the e-vet asap. He's running a high fever, and externally everything looks okay, simple butt check apparently looked okay. Vet says it's just an infection, nothing serious. We had to DEMAND extra tests. I was only via the phone with the vet while my wife was there, but she sounded like she was young and not very experienced. When I say lethargic, I mean he wouldn't even reach a paw out at string drifting by his face. Wife went to pet him this morning, and she said he was hanging his head drat near totally limp. He's apparently been not quite that weak while at the vet. They are doing blood test and xray, and holding him overnight/until he goes to the bathroom. Anyone else have recommendations for what they should probably test?
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May 24, 2013 16:57
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four lean hounds posted:There's no quicker way to make yourself feel like a monster than to shove an unsuspecting animal into a crate. Dammit, Cave Johnson, don't give me that look when I have to crate you! I promise, I don't enjoy it either. You can feel the moment of realization in their body as you carry them into the bathroom so they can't bolt under the bed. We keep the pet carrier open and laying around the house, and occasionally our cats will hang out there as a cool little house. This makes it easier for us to get them to go into it when we want to take them to the vet.
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May 24, 2013 17:03
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Slickdrac posted:Situation: Loki has gotten extremely lethargic in the last day and a half, he's still eating and drinking, but only about half as much as before. He was getting really upset when we pet down near his hind quarters, on either side. Can't really tell too well about bathroom habits, wife says she saw him go in once, but the auto scooper had cleaned anything up if there was anything by the time I told her to go look. No idea. Wait for the results. Those are fine tests to start with.
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May 25, 2013 00:42
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LT apparently really does think he's people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJLgVBv3YL8
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May 25, 2013 02:11
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So I said before I might post this, was not sure of the interest. I ran a donation drive on a forum I run for a local cat shelter. This couple puts every last cent they have into taking cats in, desexing, vaccing, chipping and rehoming cats. Its their entire life. No friends, no social life, just healing, socialising and rehoming as many of them as they can. I met them when I wanted a playmate for my female and was brought to tears by the entire thing to be honest hence why I ran the donation drive. Cats they had pulled from otto bins, cats that had been used as bait for dog fight training, the list goes on. Anyone of anyone has any interest: Its not REALLY that interesting to most of you save for getting a look at some of the cats etc. You can ignore the sound at the start because it contains advertising for my forum (not intended, the video was made for the forum members to show where there money went). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3Sx_-jhv3w In fact its probably pretty crap but yeah. These guys rocked up at my door step at 2AM in the morning with gauze, betadine and anti biotics when my cat had an abcess? Dedication. Nicest people I have ever met.
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May 25, 2013 02:29
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insidius posted:cats errywhere I hope they're making sure all those kitties are healthy, disease free, and clean. Thats...insane  Good on em for helping but man, how sanitary can they keep that place?
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May 25, 2013 02:36
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