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white sauce
Apr 29, 2012

by R. Guyovich

Serella posted:

Cat Attract makes a litter additive that may help with your problem, and you should be able to get it online if not locally. You just add it to whatever litter your cat is currently using (or not using, such as it is), and it helps encourage them to use the box. People around here have said it works quite well. Cat Attract makes both a litter and an additive, so it's the additive I'm referring to here, which may be more cost effective for you.

The cat went back to making GBS threads everywhere :negative: I'll see if I can
get that stuff on the Internet. I really don't think that Cat Attract is available in tiny Andean towns though. Like I said before, a small bag of generic cat litter was nearly $20, so I can't imagine they'd be stocking up on this stuff anytime soon.

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Dienes
Nov 4, 2009

dee
doot doot dee
doot doot doot
doot doot dee
dee doot doot
doot doot dee
dee doot doot


College Slice

Tight Booty Shorts posted:

The cat went back to making GBS threads everywhere :negative: I'll see if I can
get that stuff on the Internet. I really don't think that Cat Attract is available in tiny Andean towns though. Like I said before, a small bag of generic cat litter was nearly $20, so I can't imagine they'd be stocking up on this stuff anytime soon.

What do you use to clean up after an outside-the-box incident? Do you have access to an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle?

white sauce
Apr 29, 2012

by R. Guyovich
No, I don't live in the states so getting fancy cat products is not an option for me. I use a bathroom cleaning spray.

Dicty Bojangles
Apr 14, 2001

platedlizard posted:

Flea medication like Advantage or Frontline etc. I tried the flea bath/cleaning cycle with my cat when I first got her and the fleas just kept coming back until I got some flea meds. She was indoor-only at the time, so she wasn't getting them from outside (they came with her when she followed me home)

When you vacuum toss a flea collar into the bag, it'll kill the fleas in there, otherwise they'll escape and reinfest your house. Also, stay away from Hart, their products are crap at best and potentially harmful at worst.

Thank you! So is Advantage enough to kill/clear all the ones on her in the next few days, or do we need to be chasing the bugs out with combs and product while the meds kick in?

Dogen
May 5, 2002

Bury my body down by the highwayside, so that my old evil spirit can get a Greyhound bus and ride
Does anyone have a cat with vestibular syndrome? Our little Bee cat gets these weird things every once in a while where she walks super awkward. Also her tail curls up in a weird way. Usually she will do a bit of walking and then lay down in a bit of an odd way. Frequently she drools and occasionally vomits (I'm assuming this is due to nausea due to loss of balance). I'd say this goes months without happening, although I'm not around her 24/7 and sometimes this whole process only lasts a couple minutes. The worst episode was the better part of a day. The vet thought maybe seizures or something along those lines, but they ran whatever tests (sadly I don't remember) and ruled out everything they could think of, and we haven't been able to take her during an episode.

It was really disconcerting the first couple of times, but as I've seen her do it and then be just fine afterwards, it has gotten less scary and more 'man that is weird because she is walking like a tiny alien.' Also drool cleanup, bleh. Advice? Thoughts? Am I even on the right track about what this might be?

FoolishLobster
Sep 13, 2009

Success! He goes up onto his new cat tree without any enticing! Thank you cat nip and treats!

He'll demand attention until right before I open the door to leave, and then he'll go sit/lay somewhere in the room and watch me go. This morning he decided to go up on his tree to watch. He also likes to run ahead of me while walking anywhere in my place and I'll accidentally kick him lightly with my feet.

Ktb
Feb 24, 2006

Tight Booty Shorts posted:

No, I don't live in the states so getting fancy cat products is not an option for me. I use a bathroom cleaning spray.

Check it doesn't have any ammonia in it because that can encourage cats to keep using the same area. Phenol based cleaners like dettol can also be toxic to cats so be careful. Enzymatic cleaners work best, can you get biological washing detergent where you live? If you can, try using that (diluted.) If you can't, try using dilute vinegar after cleaning.

General tips: Praise the cat lots when it uses the litter tray or gets in it, even if it doesn't use it. Never don't scold the cat for going outside the box or it might associate toilet time or the litterbox with bad things. If you notice the cat looking like it's about to pee/poop (scratching the floor, squatting etc) gently pick her up and place her in the litter box. I've also had some success with noting what sort of time the cat usually goes to the toilet and scratching the litter to get its attention. You can also plop the cat in the litter tray and gently dig their paws in the litter so they get the idea.

squeegee
Jul 22, 2001

Bright as the sun.
My friend recently gave me a used cat tree I am hoping to get my cat to use it, but as it is he doesn't want anything to do with it. It looks clean to me (not stained or covered in cat hair or anything) but presumably it still smells like the previous owners' cats, because he went up to it and smelled it and has totally ignored it since. I picked him up and put him on top of it and he just jumped right down. What's the best way to clean it so that he will be interested in it? Can I just shampoo it or something? He loves to climb, jump and scratch so I imagine he will love this thing once he recognizes that it's his now and not some other cat's.

mune
Sep 23, 2006
Hi, I read through about fifty pages of this thread as well as the OP and had a question:

I'm going to be adopting a ragdoll kitten towards the end of next month, and I'm very excited! However, the standard recommendation is to get two kittens. I have two questions about that-

1) I spoke to the breeder about it, and she said it's generally better to get the second kitten (we would adopt from a shelter) about six months after the first so as to limit each other's exposure to certain bacteria. Is this true?

2) My apartment's pretty small - a 250ish square foot studio in San Diego (I make it as roomy as possible though) with a (cluttered) walk-in closet and bathroom. Will two cats be too confined in this small space?

Thanks a lot, and if there's some sort of post/thread I didn't see that answers these questions, please let me know.

HelloSailorSign
Jan 27, 2011

mune posted:

1) I spoke to the breeder about it, and she said it's generally better to get the second kitten (we would adopt from a shelter) about six months after the first so as to limit each other's exposure to certain bacteria. Is this true?

From the medical side, no it's not true.

There's no real bacterial worries to pass between cats that additional time between obtaining would mitigate, and to be fair, there really are almost no bacteria that I'd be worried about.

There are, however, viruses that cats more frequently pass to each other. However, unless you don't do vaccines and testing of both cats before entry (FeLV, FIV, panleukopenia; then ones you can't test easily for like Herpes, Calici) then they're probably not going to be an issue.

four lean hounds
Feb 16, 2012

mune posted:

Hi, I read through about fifty pages of this thread as well as the OP and had a question:

2) My apartment's pretty small - a 250ish square foot studio in San Diego (I make it as roomy as possible though) with a (cluttered) walk-in closet and bathroom. Will two cats be too confined in this small space?

Thanks a lot, and if there's some sort of post/thread I didn't see that answers these questions, please let me know.

If you can't provide a lot of floor space, make vertical space for the cats to play on. You can make easy "cat walls" out of shelves (I Google'd "cat walls out of shelves" and a bunch of tutorials popped up) arranged like steps for the cats to climb up and down, and a good cat tower is a solid investment (Amarkat is a great brand). They should be fine.

Buggiezor
Jun 6, 2011

For I am a cat, you see.
Seconding the vertical space thing. I live in a very small apartment. I bought a cat tree for my kitties and put it in the living room where there wasn't any high places other than the back of the couch and the kitchen counter that separated the two rooms. They LOVE the tree. They sleep on it day and night and climb up and down like monkeys. They used to jump on the kitchen counters like crazy but once I bought the cat tree and also gave them some tubes like this they almost completely stopped wanting to get into trouble.

If you give them a variety of perches and toys the limited space shouldn't be a problem. Also I think if I didn't get 2 kittens, my cats would be bored as hell. They play with each other all the time and tire each other out, nap together, play together, nap together, repeat forever. One cat in a small space with nothing to do will get bored and get into trouble.

Dogen
May 5, 2002

Bury my body down by the highwayside, so that my old evil spirit can get a Greyhound bus and ride

squeegee posted:

My friend recently gave me a used cat tree I am hoping to get my cat to use it, but as it is he doesn't want anything to do with it. It looks clean to me (not stained or covered in cat hair or anything) but presumably it still smells like the previous owners' cats, because he went up to it and smelled it and has totally ignored it since. I picked him up and put him on top of it and he just jumped right down. What's the best way to clean it so that he will be interested in it? Can I just shampoo it or something? He loves to climb, jump and scratch so I imagine he will love this thing once he recognizes that it's his now and not some other cat's.

He needs to inspect it in secret. Give it some time and most likely you'll find him taking to it with no problem. You could also try spraying feliway on it, I guess?

Eggplant Wizard
Jul 8, 2005


i loev catte

squeegee posted:

My friend recently gave me a used cat tree I am hoping to get my cat to use it, but as it is he doesn't want anything to do with it. It looks clean to me (not stained or covered in cat hair or anything) but presumably it still smells like the previous owners' cats, because he went up to it and smelled it and has totally ignored it since. I picked him up and put him on top of it and he just jumped right down. What's the best way to clean it so that he will be interested in it? Can I just shampoo it or something? He loves to climb, jump and scratch so I imagine he will love this thing once he recognizes that it's his now and not some other cat's.

Cover it in :catdrugs:

Dienes
Nov 4, 2009

dee
doot doot dee
doot doot doot
doot doot dee
dee doot doot
doot doot dee
dee doot doot


College Slice

squeegee posted:

My friend recently gave me a used cat tree I am hoping to get my cat to use it, but as it is he doesn't want anything to do with it. It looks clean to me (not stained or covered in cat hair or anything) but presumably it still smells like the previous owners' cats, because he went up to it and smelled it and has totally ignored it since. I picked him up and put him on top of it and he just jumped right down. What's the best way to clean it so that he will be interested in it? Can I just shampoo it or something? He loves to climb, jump and scratch so I imagine he will love this thing once he recognizes that it's his now and not some other cat's.



Before you nip it, give it a thorough vacuuming with your hose attachment to get off shed fur from the other cat.

lamb
Mar 9, 2004

A single act of carelessness leads to the eternal loss of beauty

Dogen posted:

Does anyone have a cat with vestibular syndrome? Our little Bee cat gets these weird things every once in a while where she walks super awkward. Also her tail curls up in a weird way. Usually she will do a bit of walking and then lay down in a bit of an odd way. Frequently she drools and occasionally vomits (I'm assuming this is due to nausea due to loss of balance). I'd say this goes months without happening, although I'm not around her 24/7 and sometimes this whole process only lasts a couple minutes. The worst episode was the better part of a day. The vet thought maybe seizures or something along those lines, but they ran whatever tests (sadly I don't remember) and ruled out everything they could think of, and we haven't been able to take her during an episode.

It was really disconcerting the first couple of times, but as I've seen her do it and then be just fine afterwards, it has gotten less scary and more 'man that is weird because she is walking like a tiny alien.' Also drool cleanup, bleh. Advice? Thoughts? Am I even on the right track about what this might be?

What you're describing sounds a bit like the post-ictal period that follows a seizure. My cat that just passed had epilepsy, and he would stagger and drool after a seizure, and cry or generally seem out of it. Does this come out of nowhere? Are you seeing her for the period right before these episodes?

Dogen
May 5, 2002

Bury my body down by the highwayside, so that my old evil spirit can get a Greyhound bus and ride

lamb posted:

What you're describing sounds a bit like the post-ictal period that follows a seizure. My cat that just passed had epilepsy, and he would stagger and drool after a seizure, and cry or generally seem out of it. Does this come out of nowhere? Are you seeing her for the period right before these episodes?

As far as I can tell, yes, out of nowhere. I don't know a lot about seizures, but I haven't seen her like... looking unconscious and twitchy. More like laying down and curling her tail up in a weird way and stretching out one front leg and sort of putting her head on it? If I pick her up she easily conforms herself into a normal "being carried" sort of state. Also, she doesn't cry, or make any noise really while this is going on.

After we did the tests (which I wish I could remember what they were, but I think were blood tests), the vet was like "well maybe idiopathic epilepsy, but it doesn't seem worth medicating, although it's up to you" and that's where we are today.

Oh, to be clear this is something that's happened on and off for... 4-5 years? Almost as long as we've had her (I think we got her when she was 5-6 months).

edit: I should mention we go to a cat only vet clinic and trust the doctors there a lot

Dogen fucked around with this message at 20:30 on May 29, 2013

milquetoast child
Jun 27, 2003

literally
Need some cat advice.

I live in a household with 3 cats, and things are not going so well.

Esteban is my cat, about 8 years old, likes peeing on bathroom rugs and chewing on small cords/cables. He's the best cat in the whole wide world and perfect in every way. Used to live with cats.

Then there's Clive, my girlfriend's cat. He's about 3 and is pretty chill. Him and Esteban get along like two huge male cats do, and that's mostly ignore each other except for some brawls from time to time, but they will sit in a window together or sleep on the bed. They get along fine. Used to live with other cats.

Clive and Esteban were both front-declawed by previous owners, they're both SPCA cats.

Then there's Hex. Hex is our roommates cat. Hex is probably 11, and about 10 lbs, to our cats 15-16lbs each. Hex was a stray for a few years until my roommate rescued him about 8 years ago. He's lived a solitary life with my roommate and has never had cat friends. Hex is a little wobbly in his old age, but still fierce and not afraid to get his claws out. He grumbles all the time when the cats are within 6 feet of him, and won't let them within striking range.

If they surprise him or get near him to do some butt sniffing, he full on attacks them with claws and has given Esteban some pretty good scratches on his face. Our cats are bigger and have much better practice, so they end up knocking Hex around and trying to be all dominant if he starts a fight. Our cats don't really antagonize Hex much by actually starting fights, it's all Hex being super grumpy.

Hex will just be sitting at the top of the stairs, and the cats will sloooowlllly try to sneak by and he'll sit there grumbling and growling and if he thinks they're getting too close, he'll swipe at them, which causes a fracas.

Our roommate sometimes keeps Hex in his room overnight, and he does great in there, obviously. But we want to have a free roam cat house with minimal fighting and without Esteban having huge scratches on his face.

We have a big 3 bedroom, 3 bath house. We have 3 litter boxes, one robo-litter box, one normal and one top loading. They're kind of spread out with one upstairs for Hex. He mostly chills in our roommates room, but at night he'll wander around and stair-camp at the top or bottom of the stairs causing problems, or right outside our bedroom door, where he is guaranteed to get in fights.

We've been all living together for about 4 months now, and the cat behavior has not really changed. They'll all walk around the kitchen together in the morning, with Hex staying 5-6 feet away from the other cats, and if he's perched somewhere in a cat tree or under a chair, he'll grumble if the cats walk towards him. On some occasions all 3 cats will just be chilling on the bed (with 2-3 feet of distance) and no grumbling or fighting and we'll be amazed and take pics, but then it will be back to normal later.

Sometimes the cats will get all up in Hex's face when he's poopin' which I think has caused some errant rug poopings to have taken place (it's not everyday) since he's sort of scared to poop now.

So, what are some solutions to this? I've heard of "cat prozac" which a vet would give or something, and I wonder if that would help Hex out? Esteban also might need some due to him getting pretty crazy at time about certain things. Anyone have any experience with that, like costs and how to get it?

We have the capability to block them off from seeing each other by rotating who is "out" and who is "in" since we have big bedrooms and room for litter boxes/food in them both, but while this would solve the problem, I don't really want to be locking the cats in bedrooms all the time.

Our roommate is supportive and this is not a passive-agressive situation. He's open to ideas and we're trying to figure out what works.

flyboi
Oct 13, 2005

agg stop posting
College Slice
Cat prozac (fluoxetine) - literally prozac does wonders for behavior issues. If you explain the problem to your vet they will likely prescribe it. Likely you can get it made at a compounding facility which will combine the medicine with a flavored slurry to hide the medicine so a cat won't be such a bitch about taking it. Gizmo gets tripple tuna for flavoring and I mix it in with her wet food that she eats. Only problem is with 3 cats you would have to religiously watch them eating the food otherwise one might get a larger dosage than needed.

There's also a collar you can try that is like "feliway" built into it but they can be kinda messy - http://www.amazon.com/GOODbehavior-Pheromone-Calming-Collar-Cat/dp/B0026JAKWG

milquetoast child
Jun 27, 2003

literally
Hex can definitely be fed in the mornings in my roommates room. Hex is super defensive of the room, and our cats don't even wander in there when it's empty.

I'll see what I can do, thanks

Engineer Lenk
Aug 28, 2003

Mnogo losho e!
Is your roommate keeping Hex's claws trimmed?

Enelrahc
Jun 17, 2007

Can you videotape a typical interaction? A lot of the time what people interpret as "not doing anything" is a major deathstare in cat language. There are ways to manage cats behaviorally and medically, and just the behavioral approach can be pretty successful if approached correctly.

It might also be worth your time to get a consult from a board certified veterinary behaviorist if you have one in your area. It's a bit pricey but probably less to shell out in the long run. They would be the best person to come to your house to watch the cats interact to determine if there is a medical problem contributing to the behavior problem and give you help solving the problem. You can see if there is one in your area here: http://www.dacvb.org/resources/find/

Saikonate
Jun 23, 2007
Naysayer
Fun Shoe
Rant inc:

I am so angryfrustratedsad. I found out that my newly-adopted cat, Cosmo, has had an untreated UTI for close to a month now. He was originally given to the shelter because he stopped peeing in his litterbox and started peeing on the bed. His previous owner didn't take him to the vet and instead identified this behavior as him "being territorial." Someone in the shelter wrote on his chart that he wasn't a candidate for treatment for his litterbox issues because he was being ornery at them (BECAUSE HE WAS IN PAIN, YOU FUCKS). Then someone else (thank goodness) decided he SHOULD be treated, and prescribed him medication.

Anti-nausea medication, which happens to have a really similar name to the antibiotics he should've been getting.

So he got a nice course of anti-nausea meds, which were anti-inflammatory, so his swelling went down and his symptoms temporarily resolved. I adopted him and was told that he'd had some unspecified urinary issues but they'd given him a course of antibiotics and it cleared up. Great!

Fast forward to today, when I noticed he was in his box for about a minute, straining, and left a teeny tiny little bit of pee. So off to the vet Cosmo goes, and after first making sure he wasn't blocked (breathed a sigh of relief there) but that he was super inflamed and in a ton of pain, they took a urine sample, told me he had a UTI, and noticed the medication mix-up on his chart from the shelter. One antibiotic injection and he's already perked up a bunch, and by tomorrow he should be pain-free. I'll take him in again in two weeks to make sure he's all cleared up, and that's that.

It makes me so upset to think about the fact that something SO simple was what caused his original owner to give up the nicest most friendly and purry cat ever, and madder that someone at the humane society didn't think he was worth treating because the condition that wasn't treated was making him grumpy and antisocial. gently caress's sake, I am glad I picked him up.

HelloSailorSign
Jan 27, 2011

Dogen posted:

As far as I can tell, yes, out of nowhere. I don't know a lot about seizures, but I haven't seen her like... looking unconscious and twitchy. More like laying down and curling her tail up in a weird way and stretching out one front leg and sort of putting her head on it? If I pick her up she easily conforms herself into a normal "being carried" sort of state. Also, she doesn't cry, or make any noise really while this is going on.

After we did the tests (which I wish I could remember what they were, but I think were blood tests), the vet was like "well maybe idiopathic epilepsy, but it doesn't seem worth medicating, although it's up to you" and that's where we are today.

Oh, to be clear this is something that's happened on and off for... 4-5 years? Almost as long as we've had her (I think we got her when she was 5-6 months).

edit: I should mention we go to a cat only vet clinic and trust the doctors there a lot

Seizures don't necessarily have to be the full on grand mal type - I've seen a cat who was having seizures and would display them by the right side of the mouth twitching and the tongue darting in and out while the cat arched its head backwards.

That it has been going on this long and not getting terribly worse is likely that it's something congenital as opposed to some sort of progressive disease. The tests to run for seizures (and other strange brain maladies) don't stop at blood tests, though MRI and brain fluid sampling is a little aggressive for many people.

Dogen
May 5, 2002

Bury my body down by the highwayside, so that my old evil spirit can get a Greyhound bus and ride
I guess little seizures makes more sense as reading more it seems like vestibular episodes take a lot longer to resolve.

Man I feel real bad for her :( We are taking them in soon for their annuals and since it's happened a couple times recently I'll bring it up again. I think they mentioned the possibility of an MRI or something similar last time, but that the odds of finding something versus the cost made it not the best proposition.

Thanks for all the info y'all.

lamb
Mar 9, 2004

A single act of carelessness leads to the eternal loss of beauty

Dogen posted:

I guess little seizures makes more sense as reading more it seems like vestibular episodes take a lot longer to resolve.

Man I feel real bad for her :( We are taking them in soon for their annuals and since it's happened a couple times recently I'll bring it up again. I think they mentioned the possibility of an MRI or something similar last time, but that the odds of finding something versus the cost made it not the best proposition.

Thanks for all the info y'all.

I had an MRI done on my epileptic cat, mostly because his seizures were very severe and came on suddenly so there was some concern that there was some sort of tumor or growth causing them. Thankfully, it found nothing and he was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy which was managed with meds for 7 years until he passed.

Over the years, my cat's neurologist (who is generally aggressive in recommending procedures/treatment), did tell me that more often than not, an MRI doesn't find anything and they wind up just treating the symptoms.

I say this to say don't feel guilty if you opt not to do the MRI.

Dogen
May 5, 2002

Bury my body down by the highwayside, so that my old evil spirit can get a Greyhound bus and ride
Thanks, I appreciate it. I think not getting the MRI was the conclusion the vet and I came to since her symptoms aren't that severe. The vet even said it probably wasn't worth medicating her as the side effects would outweigh the benefits given what I had described to her. I guess we'll just have to see if it gets worse as she gets older or not.

The Real Quaid
Jun 29, 2012

Minarchist posted:

I hope they're making sure all those kitties are healthy, disease free, and clean. Thats...insane :stare:

Good on em for helping but man, how sanitary can they keep that place?

They seem basically nice people but ill-advised, someone close to them really should have told them that they are taking care of too many cats. Eggplant Wizard, as a warning to others, please rename this thread to "Whole house smell like pussy".

Pretty Pretty Pony
Jul 13, 2003

Tight Booty Shorts posted:

No, I don't live in the states so getting fancy cat products is not an option for me. I use a bathroom cleaning spray.

Sorry if it's already been suggested at this point, but try getting your cat a second litter box. Cats are weird, they like to pee in one box and poop in the other.

Rev. Bleech_
Oct 19, 2004

~OKAY, WE'LL DRINK TO OUR LEGS!~

May 29th: "Phew, we took the bandage off Fat Buddy's tail, and took off the Cone of Shame. He hasn't even licked his tail! We'll only cone him while we're asleep or away, what a good boy :unsmith:"

May 30th: ":supaburn:OMG WHY ARE YOU CHEWING IT YOU STUPID IDIOT OH GOD :supaburn: *slaps Cone of Shame on*"

Meow Cadet
May 2, 2007


friendship is magic
in a pony paradise
don't you judge me
I'm moving to a new state with 3 cats!!!

What sounds better.

Driving 8 hours, spending the night at parents house, letting the cats freak out in one bedroom or bathroom, and dragging them back into the carriers the next day for another 4-5 hour drive to be dumped out into a brand new empty house?

Or driving 13ish hours in one day, to a brand new empty house.

Also, how often should we stop while driving with the cats, and what should we do when we stop to check on them. We will be moving to a desert state, so it will be HOT.

Minarchist
Mar 5, 2009

by WE B Bourgeois

Meow Cadet posted:

I'm moving to a new state with 3 cats!!!

What sounds better.

Driving 8 hours, spending the night at parents house, letting the cats freak out in one bedroom or bathroom, and dragging them back into the carriers the next day for another 4-5 hour drive to be dumped out into a brand new empty house?

Or driving 13ish hours in one day, to a brand new empty house.

Also, how often should we stop while driving with the cats, and what should we do when we stop to check on them. We will be moving to a desert state, so it will be HOT.

I managed a 24 hour drive once with cats. Stop every 4 to let em pee, eat, etc. If you can set up a litter box in the passenger foot/leg area you can let them roam in the car a bit while you're at a pit stop. Just be careful they don't bolt when you open the doors.

As for the empty house, chuck em in the bathroom for the first night or so to prevent any :catstare::hf::catstare::hf::catstare: urinary collaborations on your brand new house.

And as for a desert state? Lots of water. Feel free to toss a few ice cubes in their water bowl on particularly brutal days. Keep it clean, keep it cool, but not ice cold. Also lots of well ventilated shade and cool flooring like tile, wood or concrete. Cats can and will get comfy on bare flooring if it's hot out.

duckfarts
Jul 2, 2010

~ shameful ~





Soiled Meat

Rev. Bleech_ posted:

May 29th: "Phew, we took the bandage off Fat Buddy's tail, and took off the Cone of Shame. He hasn't even licked his tail! We'll only cone him while we're asleep or away, what a good boy :unsmith:"

May 30th: ":supaburn:OMG WHY ARE YOU CHEWING IT YOU STUPID IDIOT OH GOD :supaburn: *slaps Cone of Shame on*"

Cone until fully healed because you can't trust a cat.

As for the cat, :dealwithit:

Meow Cadet
May 2, 2007


friendship is magic
in a pony paradise
don't you judge me

Minarchist posted:

I managed a 24 hour drive once with cats. Stop every 4 to let em pee, eat, etc. If you can set up a litter box in the passenger foot/leg area you can let them roam in the car a bit while you're at a pit stop. Just be careful they don't bolt when you open the doors.

This is the part I'm stressing over. I cannot fathom letting the cat out of its crate while in the car.

platedlizard
Aug 31, 2012

I like plates and lizards.

slomomofo posted:

Thank you! So is Advantage enough to kill/clear all the ones on her in the next few days, or do we need to be chasing the bugs out with combs and product while the meds kick in?

Advantage is pretty good. So's Frontline and, I think, Sentry. There may be a few other out there that are good like that. My experience with them is that you need to treat the full course (one treatment a month, for three to four months) and that'll be that if they're indoor-only, unless you're bringing in fleas yourself. (ie, keep treating them if you have to clean flea-infested houses for a living or something--I've had to do this). Get the type that'll treat flea eggs, larvae, and adults as well to completely disrupt the reproduction cycle. And you'll be good to go.

When you use these medications DO NOT wash your cat for at least two days afterward--you'll wash off the medication. Seems obvious, but I've known people who washed their puppies after using Advantage because if one is good, two is better :downs: Also, do not use the formulations that were designed for dogs on your cat, use cat medication only.

Good luck killing those pests!

feverish and oversexed
Mar 9, 2007

I LOVE the galley!

leftover posted:

I haven't posted in this thread in a minute, but here is my update:

I moved to Japan in December 2012. My old roommate is taking care of Charlie for the ridiculous long quarantine requirement for Japan. Charlie is due to arrive June 1st.

Charlie is a spayed female with all claws intact. She's a bit of an rear end in a top hat.
Charlie will fly out of San Antonio, Texas on May 30th. She'll spend an overnight in Houston (where they will provide food and water) from there she will fly to Narita Airport and arrive on June 1st. She is flying solo as cargo.

After she arrives and I take custody of her we will have to travel 2 hours and 45 minutes by train to get to my home.

This is what I've planned:
1) ask old roomie to trim ALL her nails down
2) have roomie put in a towel with her
3) when she arrives to me have two spare towels, swap out the probably soiled one, and the other just in case
4) give charlie some water, but no food just yet (I'm afraid she might puke because of all the stress)
5) for the train ride, if she'll accept it, put my hand through the top flap of the kennel to soothe her
6) when I arrive home put her in the already set up bathroom with litter box, water, food
7) sit with her in there while she calms down

I'm still a fairly new cat owner, anyone have tips/suggestions? This poor cat will be traveling for two full days.

Charlie is incoming tommorrow. I have a massive cat tree, food, litter box and litter, toys and catnip, but I have no idea how she'll be reacting. I have a towel that I'm going to use to swap out her probably soiled one. From the advice of a fellow cat owner I've slept on it to have it get my smell (I know, it's weird, but she does have experience with animals (vet tech) so I went with it). I am so super nervous of getting her, I have no idea how she'll react when she arrives :(

Anyone with cat travel experience give me some reassurance? She'll have been traveling for almost two days total. She had an overnight at Denver airport where they gave her food and water, and is currently on the flight here.



edit: I'm actually not going on the train, I'm military and they actually provide a vehicle for just this purpose, I will be shuttled to Narita back to base, and from there it will be about a 30 min travel time including walking/train unless I nab a cab. Which I just might, depending on how she is.
edit edit: cat tree

feverish and oversexed fucked around with this message at 12:50 on May 31, 2013

Shnooks
Mar 24, 2007

I'M BEING BORN D:
Nm

Shnooks fucked around with this message at 14:19 on May 31, 2013

Gravel
Mar 11, 2013
Gravel is a delicious food for people.

leftover posted:

edit edit: cat tree

:golfclap:

A tree any feline would be proud of.

Clavietika
Dec 18, 2005


Minarchist posted:


And as for a desert state? Lots of water. Feel free to toss a few ice cubes in their water bowl on particularly brutal days. Keep it clean, keep it cool, but not ice cold. Also lots of well ventilated shade and cool flooring like tile, wood or concrete. Cats can and will get comfy on bare flooring if it's hot out.
Is there any reason for this? My boyfriend's roomate's cat will take toilet water over a bowl without ice cubes and really cold water. :ohdear: I don't get it, but maybe his plastic bowl just conducts really poorly and the water warms up really fast? He goes crazy when there's enough cubes that he can move them around with his tongue. He's weird.

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potee
Jul 23, 2007

Or, you know.

Not fine.

Clavietika posted:

Is there any reason for this? My boyfriend's roomate's cat will take toilet water over a bowl without ice cubes and really cold water. :ohdear: I don't get it, but maybe his plastic bowl just conducts really poorly and the water warms up really fast? He goes crazy when there's enough cubes that he can move them around with his tongue. He's weird.

Some cats just go apeshit for ice cubes, my parents had a cat that liked to chew on the ice once it melted a little. I tried to give my cat ice water once during a heat wave and she poked at the ice cube a couple times, :catstare:'d, and ran across the room.

Cats are weird.

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