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How weird, I totally forgot I was on the first page when this thread was originally posted, confused the hell out of me after I read the OP info and saw my post. drat, that was a long time ago. Unfortunately I had to find those kittens another home, but after 4 years (and getting my own apartment!) I am giving it another go! I have been volunteering at the SPCA in cats for about a month and a half now, and loving it. I was staying strong, until this little girl just won me over. Adopted her today and bringing her home tomorrow after the spay. She is 6 months old and about the most friendly, cuddly, chill as hell kitten i've ever worked with. Meet Nymeria!   
JayJay fucked around with this message at 04:57 on Jul 1, 2013 |
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Jul 1, 2013 04:53
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Hummingbirds posted:Pretty sure "applehead" siamese are the ones with a traditional, dsh-like head shape: Pretty much - I'm no expert or breed snob so no doubt there's heaps I don't know. But if you hunt around it seems the ever vigilant and over-the-top breed sperglords claim that the applehead isn't a traditional Siamese look and is something else entirely. "The applehead has a completely rounded head with a short nose that has in many cases has gone as far from the original imported Siamese as the modern show cat, just in the opposite direction." Here's the most appleheaded fellow I could find on google. Lookatdatcat!  One truly weird lookin' Siamese, fo sho. The same bones as my beautiful silver tabby. Here's an original from the 1930s, you can see how that extreme applehead above is quite a different looking kitty.  Here's the Old Style Siamese's example of the perfect old style Siamese from the 1950s (b/w) and 2002 (colour). http://www.oldstylesiamese.co.uk/page10/index.html   Pretty close to that 1930s bone structure, and quite different from the dsh. My mother has these wonderful old cat books from the early 1970s full of Siamese cats that look like this. Maybe its because all the siamese I've had in my life have been pets, not show cats, but this "regular joe" siamese look seems the most authentic and happy to me. And for for the sake of completion here's the the modern end of spectrum.  tl:dr - cat breeders are weird. Why you wanna grow weird kitties cat breeders? dusty fucked around with this message at 11:49 on Jul 1, 2013 |
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Jul 1, 2013 11:41
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My cat Spud has started marking frequently and got a lot more aggressive over the past few weeks. I've read here that in young cats that can sometimes mean a urinary tract infection, so I'm taking him to the vet this afternoon to get checked out. Anything else I should ask? Edit: Said shithead: 
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Jul 1, 2013 14:00
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Lareine posted:She very well could be doing it compulsively but she scratches an awful lot too so I think she is genuinely itchy. If it was a food allergy, we can't do anything it since one of the other cats is on a prescription diet. We'd have to stop free feeding altogether so I'm hoping this is not the case. Sometimes she stops long enough to let some hair grow back but starts it up again. She hates having ANYTHING applied, it doesn't matter how. You could dab it, you could spray it on. It doesn't matter. She hates it and she will let you know she hates it. I went through the same thing at the tail end of last year/beginning of this year. We never really considered environmental allergies and focused more on potential food ones after ring worm, mites, and fleas were ruled out, so the spray stuff never came into play. Much like you, we have a cat on prescription food [c/d in our case] and free fed. The scabby tabby was a big ol' fatty fat fat, so stopping free-feeding kinda had a double incentive. It took awhile before we hit our structured feeding stride, but we stopped allowing Spice access to Escobar's prescription food and switched her onto something grain free in case that was the cause of the overgrooming. That ended up being a bust and after her steroid shot wore off, she was back to licking giant weeping holes in herself. The second vet go-round involved another steroid shot, a prescription for clavamox to be taken 2x a day until the bottle was gone, and we switched her to a chicken+grain-free food. In retrospect, I probably should have waited to switch her off of chicken based food to see if the antibiotics themselves would take care of the issue, but at the time we were pretty desperate to find a solution that didn't involve driving to Nashville to see a dermatologist. There is still the chance her overgrooming was all stress and anxiety related. Although since absolutely nothing changed environmentally that could have triggered that reaction, it was the least likely suspect in our case. I definitely recommend discussing a steroid shot with your vet though. I was given the impression they're not a long-term solution because of the possible side-effects, but they are absolutely loving magical at keeping your cat from just licking to death while you try to work out a solution.
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Jul 1, 2013 14:49
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Had a cat for about a year. Fiance' decided we needed another. Saturday, we got our second cat. She's living in the bathroom until we find a way to properly introduce her to the old cat. Both cats are female and about 1 year old. Does anyone have any cool tips/tricks for this procedure? So far we've been trying to "spread" the scent of both of them all around each other with clothing and stuff. Thanks! PS old cat does not like being near the bathroom where the new cat is. Also we've put her food by the bathroom too and today she isn't eating.
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Jul 1, 2013 22:06
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TheReverend posted:Had a cat for about a year. Go to the first page of this megathread and Ctrl+F for "Introducing a new cat to your other cats" and you will find a good bit on information on how to bring a new cat into your household. Your main tools will be: 1)Patience 2)Slow introduction via trading blankets and very limited interaction 3)Telling the difference between a hissy-fit fight and a full blown aggressive throw down 4)More patience. All of the patience you have, and then 20 minutes more of it Isolating the new cat is a good start, and it is okay for your other cat to be freaked out by this "intruder". Take it slow, invest in some Feliway (it's like a Glade Plug-In but it makes cats feel safe and calm) and you should be fine. Don't get discouraged if they seem like they'll never be buddies, it can take weeks for cats to become comfortable in a new place, much less with a new cat.
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Jul 1, 2013 22:26
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Coatlicue posted:^^ That seems like a good plan, otherwise I've seen people recommend borrowing cat traps from local shelters if the kennel doesn't do the trick.^^ Thank you so much for replying. I was second guessing myself so much it really helped to have someone say my plan wasn't awful. Luckily I was able to catch mama cat and two of her little ones yesterday. They weren't happy at first (especially when they had to have a bath after mama pooped in the carrier), but they're calm now and enjoy being in the much cooler house. After waiting forever to hear back from a neighbor who promised to lend me her humane trap I went ahead and took your suggestion and rented a trap. New plan is to set the trap tonight in the vacant yard next door where the last kitten tends to hide. I really hope it works he misses his mommy and sisters very much. I almost caught him last night by hiding behind the crate while imitating his mama's meow, but he got spooked and escaped when I started closing the door. In any case I'll keep you guys updated. Best of luck with your situation, that's really tough. Maybe you could have a mutual friend offer to take the kitty while he serves? You know your ex better than we do; just be careful and remember your safety is the most important thing.
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Jul 1, 2013 23:24
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four lean hounds posted:Go to the first page of this megathread and Ctrl+F for "Introducing a new cat to your other cats" and you will find a good bit on information on how to bring a new cat into your household. Your main tools will be: Ok thanks. We have been doing the blanket stuff. Guess I'll just be more patient.
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Jul 2, 2013 04:05
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Christ, spaying is great, but it also sucks. My kitty is miserable with her e-collar on and walked around the house all night mewing and hitting into things. Finally at 2 am I had to lock her out of my room to get a few hours of sleep. Shes the most snuggly cat i've ever met, so her not being able to rub her head against things is driving her nuts. She keeps trying to lick herself, so I have to leave it on for at least a few days. Here's to lots of coffee!
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Jul 2, 2013 14:15
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Any tips and tricks for pilling a cat? Pill pockets worked for 2 wonderful, easy days and then Escobar bit into the actual pill, so he won't touch them anymore. Today was a fight to get him to take his meds and it's stressful for both of us.
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Jul 2, 2013 15:09
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1up posted:Any tips and tricks for pilling a cat? Pill pockets worked for 2 wonderful, easy days and then Escobar bit into the actual pill, so he won't touch them anymore. Today was a fight to get him to take his meds and it's stressful for both of us. Warning: I have no idea if this is the "best" way, but its the way I know from volunteering. If you're solo, you can wrap them up tight in a towel. (Kitty-burrito) and put them between your knees tight, then you need to open their mouth, put the pill as far back in their throat and close their mouth quickly with both hands, they should swallow instinctively. If you have help, they can wrap them up and hold them tight while you do the same. It sucks, and you might get bit if you're not careful and quick about it. But that's how we do it at the SPCA. It's super stressful for the cats and you need to give them treats and praise them wonderfully after.
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Jul 2, 2013 16:02
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You can also have a friend hold them down at the shoulders so they can't reach their paws up for scratching while you tip the head back and chuck the pill in there. Hold the mouth closed until you see a tongue and obvious swallowing motion because some cats are champions at holding the tablet in there until you let go and they can spit it out. There's a bunch of tutorial videos on youtube if you search, that's where my household learned the technique.
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Jul 2, 2013 17:05
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A cat food question! We have an adult male Persian/Maine Coone cross that recently developed anemia (we're currently running a number of tests to find out what's causing it). His last blood test showed very a low red blood cell count. We were thinking of switching him to a raw diet. He's currently eating both wet and dry food. Wet = Nature's Variety Instinct. Dry = Taste of the Wild. I've heard that a raw diet's is much healthier for cats since it has much more iron. Are raw diets worth the extra cost and hassle? We just want to do whatever we can to help our little fluffy guy.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:26
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My vet gave the same instructions as JayJay, and said if they don't swallow to gently move a finger over their throat to trigger the swallow. My kitties responded better when the pill was slightly wetted and coated in fish food flakes. Last night was a success! The last kitten eventually walked into the trap and was reunited with his mommy. The little guy was out of his mind distressed until his mama coaxed him out of the trap. He was welcomed back with an adorable and thorough bath from his mama and sisters  . All the kitties are much more comfortable now, especially mama cat who is back to her very affectionate self. Wish I knew how to post pictures from my phone they are just so cute.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:27
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I have to pill my cat twice daily and that's exactly what we do. She's a real stickler about not swallowing so I have to stroke her throat. She does get some loving afterwards though and seems to fight it much less than when we started (but also probably because I've gotten better about it.)
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Jul 2, 2013 18:58
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melon cat posted:A cat food question! I don't know how much better raw is for the cat, but a vet tech friend has explained that a raw diet is riskier for you the human. While cats aren't affected really by raw meat diseases, they will poop the bacteria. Then lick their butts. Then lick themselves and you and their toys and then even petting them can put you at risk. Dunno how exaggerated that is, but at his office if the client said they fed their animals raw, gloves went on no exception.
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Jul 2, 2013 19:39
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melon cat posted:A cat food question! (But also if your cat weren't anemic, I'd say no, it's still not worth the extra cost and hassle.) Crooked Booty fucked around with this message at 20:05 on Jul 2, 2013 |
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Jul 2, 2013 20:03
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NOT a twink posted:My vet gave the same instructions as JayJay, and said if they don't swallow to gently move a finger over their throat to trigger the swallow. My kitties responded better when the pill was slightly wetted and coated in fish food flakes. Ahh yea, forgot that step, the throat stroke after you close their mouth! Also that is really
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Jul 2, 2013 21:40
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Crooked Booty posted:You should wait until you know the cause of the anemia before considering a diet change. Not all anemic animals have low iron. If your kitty does, your vet can prescribe a vitamin supplement that doesn't carry the added risk of food-borne bacteria. Your cat may also be an exceptionally bad candidate for a raw diet depending on the cause of the anemia. Both red blood cells and white blood cells are made in the bone marrow, so if a disease is affecting your cat's ability to make more red blood cells, his immune system may also be in bad shape, which could be a recipe for disaster with the increased bacteria in a raw diet. Huntersoninski posted:I don't know how much better raw is for the cat, but a vet tech friend has explained that a raw diet is riskier for you the human. While cats aren't affected really by raw meat diseases, they will poop the bacteria. Then lick their butts. Then lick themselves and you and their toys and then even petting them can put you at risk. 
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Jul 3, 2013 01:14
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Cat integration update: New cat does not want to leave the bathroom past about a yard past the doorway (this is when we isolate old cat in another bedroom). Didn't expect this to happen. Guess I'm going to have to take it slower.
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Jul 3, 2013 01:19
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My cat is having a catnip...issue. Whenever it's a new bag or container of catnip, she'll go crazy over it for a few days, then soon after if I open it near her, she'll act like I just poo poo in my hand and offered it to her and run away. I've tried different brands but it always happens. Sometimes she'll come back to wherever I sprinkled the catnip but she won't get playful, she'll just sit on it for a few minutes.
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Jul 3, 2013 03:00
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Coconut Indian, have you tried crushing the catnip in your fingers as you sprinkle? That lets more of the aroma out.
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Jul 3, 2013 03:49
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Yeah I've always done that.
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Jul 3, 2013 04:35
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1up posted:Any tips and tricks for pilling a cat? Pill pockets worked for 2 wonderful, easy days and then Escobar bit into the actual pill, so he won't touch them anymore. Today was a fight to get him to take his meds and it's stressful for both of us. The method I was taught by my vets differs slightly as both cats are assholes who don't swallow no matter how much you hold their mouth shut and stroke their throats - they just crush the pills into horrible pill paste in their mouths then run around frothing and refusing to swallow their nasty icky tasting saliva. Jerkbags. Anyway I try and make it as fast as possible, I quickly scruff and pull their head back, open their mouth by putting a finger at the very front of their bottom jaw and pulling it open and then put the pill right at the back of the tongue and give it a very quick, light poke (not hard enough to push it anywhere, just enough to make the cat swallow) followed by a pat and some cooing about how they are the best kitty while they give me a I-loving-hate-you glare for about 3 sec before forgetting. Also Decoy still eats clothes and ffffffffffffffff. I mean, it's a great incentive to make sure that we never ever ever leave any clothes anywhere other than a padlocked drawer, but damnit cat. He pulled my husband's pyjamas out from under his pillow and tore a hole through four layers of fabric (both legs).
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Jul 3, 2013 09:34
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Tamarillo posted:followed by a pat and some cooing about how they are the best kitty while they give me a I-loving-hate-you glare for about 3 sec before forgetting. This is the important part, so they don't kill you while you sleep. 
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Jul 3, 2013 14:57
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Thank you for all the advice, I really appreciate it. My husband is a big ol' wuss, so having him help hold Escobar down didn't really work because he kept letting go every time the cat jerked or meowed. I did employ the wet pill a little, tilt head back, hold mouth closed, and rub throat combo to some success after many, many attempts. I am not sure if it's a good long term idea, but I ended up just grinding the pill up, adding some water, making a paste, then mixing it with a spoonful of wet food. It seems to be working well since meds coincide with normal feeding times, so he will eat every last drop of the wet food slurry without issue. I've been watching way more cat pilling videos than is probably necessary just in case this tactic goes to poo poo like the pill pockets did. Lawd, I hope he doesn't catch on because fielding the kitten who goes apeshit for wetfood is a lot easier than fighting the fluffy devil.
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Jul 3, 2013 16:09
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1up posted:Thank you for all the advice, I really appreciate it. My husband is a big ol' wuss, so having him help hold Escobar down didn't really work because he kept letting go every time the cat jerked or meowed. I did employ the wet pill a little, tilt head back, hold mouth closed, and rub throat combo to some success after many, many attempts. I am not sure if it's a good long term idea, but I ended up just grinding the pill up, adding some water, making a paste, then mixing it with a spoonful of wet food. It seems to be working well since meds coincide with normal feeding times, so he will eat every last drop of the wet food slurry without issue. I have another tip that might work for you too based around the pill pockets. It's what I have to do for my cats. First off, my cats always seemed to prefer the duck flavored ones and when they discontinued the cat ones, I started buying the dogs ones. They work just as well, and are way cheaper per ounce than the cat ones. And since I use them on three cats daily, that's what I get. One of my cats started not liking the pill pockets at all, so I take a small pinch off a pill pocket and use it to attach the pill to a treat that he does like. Usually a crunchy one, but you could probably do it to any treat. I'll sometimes have a few treats to give, two without the pill pocket attached and then the medicated one. He will usually be too busy quickly eating the treats to notice the one with the pill pocket attached.
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Jul 3, 2013 17:05
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Holy poo poo, that is genius. I have a bag of treats that all of my cats go positively apeshit over. I'm going to try the pill-pocket spackle for his night time pill. I hella recommend those treats btw, the receptionist at my vet gave me a free bag to try and even my won't eat anything ever but dry food and crackers/potato chips cat will gently caress them up with a vengeance. The receptionist made one of those kitty crack jokes at the time, but I suspect that it wasn't a joke so much as a factual statement.
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Jul 3, 2013 19:33
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I hope it works for you too! And I tried the Greenies fish and their chicken flavored pill pockets, and my cats didn't really like those at all. The duck ones held out longer as being liked and two of the three cats still like the duck when they didn't care for the chicken or fish version.
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Jul 3, 2013 20:00
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hhgtrillian posted:I hope it works for you too! And I tried the Greenies fish and their chicken flavored pill pockets, and my cats didn't really like those at all. The duck ones held out longer as being liked and two of the three cats still like the duck when they didn't care for the chicken or fish version. My cat goes crazy over these http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Star-Grain-Biscuits-Tempting/dp/B009GENVWU/ A little pricey though for cat treats, but grain free premium, etc etc.
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Jul 3, 2013 23:19
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My girlfriend and I just finished building our house and moved in a few weeks ago. Our cat has always been a champion with getting used to new stimulus and changes such as moving house, and has settled right in. As part of moving into the new place, the cat has become a 100% indoor cat, where previously she had the run of the house and outside as we were staying with my girlfriend's parents who own several animals who had access to inside/outside at will. We decided to keep her indoors now because we're in a new area with lots of nearby uncleared bushland and lots of tradesperson vehicles and traffic while the estate is being built up amongst other reasons (native wildlife). Unfortunately she's lost the ability to burn off all that energy she has when she could go outside, and we've been struggling to keep her entertained enough and wear her out. We've got a scratching post and a bunch of squishy foam balls we throw around for her, but we get tired after a long day at work before she does, at least until we get settled and finalise more of the house stuff. So, we're looking in a few months once we have some cash reserves saved up for extra vet bills etc at getting a second cat, but having never had a second cat at the same time I've got a few questions: 1. If we do the introduction thing slowly and carefully, but the cats are still distrustful and never 'cat puddle', will having a second cat there still relieve each other of the energy and boredom, or will they avoid each other and then require both cats to be exercised when we get home? 2. Any cat toys we can get to exercise the single cat in the meantime? We've tried to find laser pointers at various stores, but Australian states have strict legislation on lasers, and they're difficult to find at the best of times due to this. We're still on the hunt for them in the meantime if anyone knows of anywhere in Perth, Western Australia.
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Jul 4, 2013 04:44
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I have another problem involving my cats and the bed bugs. The guy didn't do a great job and they'll be coming back next week and this will mean getting my cats out of the house again. The problem is the person i brought them to last time, now feels too uneasy about getting bedbugs to allow them back in his house. What are my alternatives? I don't really have any other friends in the area that wouldn't have the same problem and I don't have that much money to spend on this. What are some options for places to take my cats to get them out of the house for the day? Edit: it looks like petsmart has some sort of pet hotel service that's only about $25 or so. That should work. axelblaze fucked around with this message at 06:34 on Jul 4, 2013 |
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Jul 4, 2013 05:32
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crowtribe posted:2. Any cat toys we can get to exercise the single cat in the meantime? We've tried to find laser pointers at various stores, but Australian states have strict legislation on lasers, and they're difficult to find at the best of times due to this. We're still on the hunt for them in the meantime if anyone knows of anywhere in Perth, Western Australia.
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Jul 4, 2013 14:22
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crowtribe posted:2. Any cat toys we can get to exercise the single cat in the meantime? We've tried to find laser pointers at various stores, but Australian states have strict legislation on lasers, and they're difficult to find at the best of times due to this. We're still on the hunt for them in the meantime if anyone knows of anywhere in Perth, Western Australia. Blimpkin posted:I recommend "Da Bird." It's cheap and way fun for you and your cat. My cat has gotten a little bored with it after 2 months but even now if I see her getting the crazies, I just take it out and get her stalking and she is tired very quickly. It's on amazon and cheap. I second "Da Bird" also, if you can find one, see if you can get a "Frolicat Bolt" it's a laser on an eccentric motor under a mirror, that runs on a 15 minute timer. http://www.amazon.co.uk/FroliCat-Bolt-Automatic-Laser-Cats/dp/B0021L8W6K
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Jul 4, 2013 15:41
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I will third the bird. All my cats have flipped out over that thing and I have to be careful because they get so excited chasing it that they'll put themselves in danger going after it. When I pick it up they can somehow hear it from across the house and come running.
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Jul 4, 2013 15:47
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axleblaze posted:I will third the bird. All my cats have flipped out over that thing and I have to be careful because they get so excited chasing it that they'll put themselves in danger going after it. When I pick it up they can somehow hear it from across the house and come running. I have to put mine away in a closet, otherwise they will dig it out of wherever it is, under anything, and proceed to murder the poo poo out of it.
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Jul 4, 2013 15:48
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Holy poo poo, my little, petite little old maid of a cat just violently expelled the neighbour's cat from our garden. Didn't know the lazy bugger had it in her.  I mean, most of the time she just lies around or lies around and sleeps. Today she just went into the garden for her little walk and suddenly I hear hissing and loud meowing. So I go to look out of my window and see my little girl sending the black-white cat from next door scampering over the fence in wild flight. Was pretty astonishing. Has anyone else a sterilised cat that wild?
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Jul 4, 2013 16:19
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poo poo. I just found a little black kitten in the McDonald's parking lot. Probably 10 weeks old or so. Took a little while, but was able to lure it with some canned food, and grab it. Will take it into work and get it tested this afternoon. He was very hungry, you can see the food on his nose, and cute. I think these pictures make him look bigger than he is.  
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Jul 4, 2013 17:27
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Happy Fourth of July!
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Jul 4, 2013 17:40
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I hereby declare 4th of July, official black cats are awesome day. Commence!
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Jul 4, 2013 19:24
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