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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. I do, in fact! If you're anywhere near Morley, there's a crappy electronic stuff shop in Coventry Square that has them. I've had exactly your problem and spent ages looking both online and on the ground and it's the only place I found to have just plain little laser pointers rather than things designed for professional powerpoint presentations. The other toy that's worked wonders for my kitten is knotting up a drinking straw and tying it to the end of a string (and the string onto a stick or something for the sake of your wrist). She goes absolutely nuts for it like nothing else I've ever seen and as a bonus will still play with the straw by herself when I stop playing with her.
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Jul 5, 2013 02:07
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Organza Quiz posted:The other toy that's worked wonders for my kitten is knotting up a drinking straw and tying it to the end of a string (and the string onto a stick or something for the sake of your wrist). She goes absolutely nuts for it like nothing else I've ever seen and as a bonus will still play with the straw by herself when I stop playing with her. Seconding the straw, and adding hairties to it. Apparently, hairties need to be a) stolen from daughter's room, b) carried through half the house and c) lost underneath the lounge only to attempt fishing them out at a later point.
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Jul 5, 2013 02:39
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Lata jie posted:Seconding the straw, and adding hairties to it. Apparently, hairties need to be a) stolen from daughter's room, b) carried through half the house and c) lost underneath the lounge only to attempt fishing them out at a later point. d) cat eats hairties and needs a stomach operation to remove like 50 of them causing a blockage So watch out for that
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Jul 5, 2013 18:21
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Dogen posted:d) cat eats hairties and needs a stomach operation to remove like 50 of them causing a blockage d-1) cat eats hairties then pukes them up and you wonder wth is that until you realize it's a hairtie and you have to hide them all
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Jul 5, 2013 21:23
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D and D1 just happened to my friends' cat.
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Jul 6, 2013 00:12
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Operation: Pill spackle failed. Not because the pill wouldn't stick, but because Escobar will avoid *anything* that smells like a chicken pill pocket. Mixing the pill slurry also fell apart tonight, leaving me to manually pill him. I have a sprained left wrist, so this was both a stressful and painful activity for me. Has anyone used pill poppers/syringes to some degree of success?
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Jul 6, 2013 02:27
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Try another flavor of pill pocket?
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Jul 6, 2013 02:48
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1up posted:Operation: Pill spackle failed. Not because the pill wouldn't stick, but because Escobar will avoid *anything* that smells like a chicken pill pocket. Mixing the pill slurry also fell apart tonight, leaving me to manually pill him. I have a sprained left wrist, so this was both a stressful and painful activity for me. Has anyone used pill poppers/syringes to some degree of success? I've used a syringe/pill popper thing - a stick with a pill grabber-and-releaser. Honestly, I still found it easier to jam my finger in his mouth than try to get anything else down there. Tamarillo fucked around with this message at 03:03 on Jul 6, 2013 |
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Jul 6, 2013 03:00
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In my experience, syringes are actually harder to use than just shoving the pill down the cat's throat. A pill is relatively mess-free. Using a syringe/pill popper thing is going to take just as much cat wrangling as the pill would and you now have to worry about the pill falling out/liquid getting pushed out while you're trying to wrangle a cat. My method is to wait until the cat is asleep and go in for a surprise attack. It's even easier if you can manage a two person surprise on a sleepy cat. One person holds/scruffs the cat while the other pries the mouth open and shoves the pill in the mouth. The goal is to get the pill into the back of the cat's mouth since they don't have cheeks and are really good at flicking the pill sideways out of their mouth. Shove in the pill, close their mouth, and then rub their chin/throat. Sometimes I blow in the cat's face, which makes them swallow. Hang on to them for a while and make sure they don't spit the pill out, because I've had tricky cats do that after I thought they swallowed it. If there is a treat that your cat likes, give them a treat after they take their pill. My eldest boy cat will now sit still and let us shove pills in his face because he can see the piece of ham he gets after it's over. Meanwhile, Ramona will never like pills, she will never accept treats afterwards, and she considers it a personal affont to her dignity to be forced into doing anything. Cats 
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Jul 6, 2013 03:06
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Cats are such assholes that sometimes they develop two of them ...via rupture.  I'd never even heard of this happening until recently. He's been given painkillers, antibiotics, a warm compress to put on his butt, a blue cone of shame, and given me bedsheets in desperate need of triple washing. Poor bastard is drugged out of his drat mind. Seriously feels like this came out of nowhere. Word to the wise: even if you feel weird about it, check your old cat's butt every once in a while, even if he's acting totally alright. His butt glands might be trying to revolt.
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Jul 6, 2013 12:32
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An Old Boot posted:Cats are such assholes that sometimes they develop two of them Poor kitty, I hope he feels better soon. I never have to check my cat's rear end for anything, he's always parading it around and shoving it in people's faces like it's made of solid gold or something.
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Jul 6, 2013 14:30
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Serella posted:Poor kitty, I hope he feels better soon. He's dopey for the moment, but poor dude's hanging in there for now, thanks. Scarfed down his antibiotic like it was the best thing ever. Easiest cat pilling I've ever done. I feel like a shitheel for not noticing sooner, but his coloration is such that it blended in almost completely. No overgrooming, no obvious discomfort, just went about his grumpy old man business like he always does. Helped that the vet assured me that this isn't entirely uncommon, but even then.  It's almost as if this is some weird kind of penance for every time I turned away during his lavish presentations of God's Gift To All Things of Heaven and Earth. Old Boot fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Jul 6, 2013 |
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Jul 6, 2013 14:57
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 More Rupert, the little kitten I found in the McDonald's parking lot. He is the sweetest little guy ever. He will purr as soon as he sees you and won't stop. Will roll on his back in your lap for belly rubs and a nap. I'm almost sad that I have to find him a new home. It will be the best for him though.
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Jul 6, 2013 15:03
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hhgtrillian posted:
Oh, look at that face! I hope you are able to find him a good home that appreciates black cats. My own black cat is a complete snuggle addict as well. A few years back my friends rescued a terrified tortie kitten from a Burger King parking lot with the clever use of a box and chicken nuggets. They were going to find her a good home too... she's still with them after all this time.  This morning, my cat Higgs and I engaged in our Passive Aggressive Weekend Wars, wherein I try and sleep in and he walks all over me to wake me up for food. Usually he'll give up and settle at my feet to wait for me to start stirring, but for whatever cat logic he had today, he curled up in my arms and hugged me. I think he tried to hold a vigilant watch for my eyes to open but instead he fell asleep with his paws wrapped around my forearm. 
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Jul 6, 2013 15:30
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four lean hounds posted:Oh, look at that face! I hope you are able to find him a good home that appreciates black cats. My own black cat is a complete snuggle addict as well. That is adorable. This morning, my too smart for his own good 17 year old cat used a trick to wake me up that he has used in the past. He turned my clock radio on. He must have some idea of what he is doing since it was not the first time. We used to have a phone by the bed that would make a beep when you set it back in the cradle. He used to lift the phone up just enough so that it would go back down and it would make that beep. Then you would see him look at you for some sort of reaction. If he didn't get any response, he would do it again. He has also done the same thing with those little spring door stop things...BOINGGGGG! He's obnoxious. I already have 6 cats, or I would probably keep this little guy. And I already have my black cat slot filled. 
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Jul 6, 2013 15:45
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I'm looking for a cat recommendation. I want a cat that's very low energy, quiet, and likes to nap and be touched and pet. I would prefer short hair cats as well. Some that I have been clued into are British Shorthairs and Scottish Folds. Are there any other breeds I should look into?
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Jul 6, 2013 22:01
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Cameron posted:I'm looking for a cat recommendation. I want a cat that's very low energy, quiet, and likes to nap and be touched and pet. I would prefer short hair cats as well. Some that I have been clued into are British Shorthairs and Scottish Folds. Are there any other breeds I should look into? I would adopt an older rescue cat. Talk to the shelter and see if there are any in foster care that seem to match your description. To be honest, that describes all of my DHS/mutt cats for the most part. Places like Petfinder often give some brief descriptions of cats in your area at rescues/shelters so that might be a good place to start. Or maybe even local rescue/shelter facebook pages.
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Jul 6, 2013 22:14
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Got a kitten the other day and grabbed some stuff from the vet, including worming pills. The instructions said to either jam it down his craw or crush it up in his food, and I opted for the latter given that he doesn't seem overly fond of me most of the time (although he is currently napping on my shoulder). He ate about half of the wet food then, but didn't seem inclined to eat the rest right away. It was all gone this morning when I got up; do I need to worry that it may have degraded or something by sitting in wet meat overnight?
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Jul 6, 2013 22:34
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mirthdefect posted:Got a kitten the other day and grabbed some stuff from the vet, including worming pills. The instructions said to either jam it down his craw or crush it up in his food, and I opted for the latter given that he doesn't seem overly fond of me most of the time (although he is currently napping on my shoulder). This is basically why it's better not to give it to them in food. Wet food that has sat out overnight needs to be pitched. It can't be left out for more than a few hours.
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Jul 6, 2013 22:56
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I recently lost an awesome little grey cat named Dobby. I got pretty lonely since she was my constant companion for several years, so I started browsing Petfinder. On the 4th of July I brought this little beauty home:  She's the sweetest little thing I could have asked for, and she settled in to her new home like she had always been here. Her name is Marcie.
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Jul 7, 2013 00:24
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By the way, speaking of pilling a cat, with some types of pills you want to make sure you give it to them with water or food afterwards - some antibiotics and other types of pills can cause a lot of irritation to the cat's throat if they go down dry and they also take a lot longer to get down to the stomach. The way I do it since I learned that is to do the pilling and then squirt a couple milliliters of water into the cat's mouth afterwards.
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Jul 7, 2013 00:47
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Cameron posted:I'm looking for a cat recommendation. I want a cat that's very low energy, quiet, and likes to nap and be touched and pet. I would prefer short hair cats as well. Some that I have been clued into are British Shorthairs and Scottish Folds. Are there any other breeds I should look into? Cats aren't like dogs where some breeds are practically different species and it's normal to go looking for a certain breed or cross from the beginning. Unless you have a very specific desire to have a particular breed you'll be much better off just going to a shelter and getting whichever cat seems like a good fit from there. If you want a low energy, quiet cat then you'll be wanting to adopt an adult cat rather than a kitten, which also means you'll know their temperament better and can get one that loves a lot of attention and petting.
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Jul 7, 2013 01:28
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Organza Quiz posted:Cats aren't like dogs where some breeds are practically different species and it's normal to go looking for a certain breed or cross from the beginning.
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Jul 7, 2013 04:15
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Topoisomerase posted:By the way, speaking of pilling a cat, with some types of pills you want to make sure you give it to them with water or food afterwards - some antibiotics and other types of pills can cause a lot of irritation to the cat's throat if they go down dry and they also take a lot longer to get down to the stomach. The way I do it since I learned that is to do the pilling and then squirt a couple milliliters of water into the cat's mouth afterwards. I want to say, I appreciate the comment on this one. The vet only told me to put it in his food (which he ate twice in a row without issue), but didn't mention that part of it (and to be perfectly fair, I never mentioned that I only feed him dry food). He's been drinking plenty of water and hasn't been coughing, though, nor is he showing any side effects. Is there a time that this strategy should be implemented more than others if you're just using dry food?
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Jul 7, 2013 04:58
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Organza Quiz posted:Cats aren't like dogs where some breeds are practically different species and it's normal to go looking for a certain breed or cross from the beginning. Unless you have a very specific desire to have a particular breed you'll be much better off just going to a shelter and getting whichever cat seems like a good fit from there. If you want a low energy, quiet cat then you'll be wanting to adopt an adult cat rather than a kitten, which also means you'll know their temperament better and can get one that loves a lot of attention and petting. I definitely want to adopt an adult cat - but I'm just worried that they might change in attitude once I take it home from the shelter. Of course, I think the Scottish Fold is "cute" but it's not super important to me to have a certain breed. I just want to hedge my bets in case there's an adoptable purebreed that has been known to have a quiet and lazy temperament.
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Jul 7, 2013 13:05
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Cameron posted:I definitely want to adopt an adult cat - but I'm just worried that they might change in attitude once I take it home from the shelter. Of course, I think the Scottish Fold is "cute" but it's not super important to me to have a certain breed. I just want to hedge my bets in case there's an adoptable purebreed that has been known to have a quiet and lazy temperament. If anything I'd imagine the attitude would change for the better. Most adult shelter cats have been abandoned for some reason or another, and may not be used to living in close proximity with so many other cats so they're spooky and nervous at the shelter (of course sometimes you just get cats that are happy wherever they are) but perk up when adopted. For lazy you definitely want a cat that's 3+ years - my shelter cat is nearly a year and a half old now and he's still a mental kitten who wants to play all the time. But aside from that, pretty much all cats like to lie around and want pets regardless of breed. If you're after a purebred adult cat, you can keep an eye out in the shelters for one that's been surrendered** and then you can ask if you can take it for a trial to see it's laziness/noise levels fit your criteria. Alternatively you could find a breeder that has the kind of cat you want and tell them you're interested in adopting any retirees they may have coming up. ** it's so weird that this happens in the US/UK, it's almost unheard of to find a purebred in a shelter here
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Jul 7, 2013 13:20
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Tamarillo posted:** it's so weird that this happens in the US/UK, it's almost unheard of to find a purebred in a shelter here I don't know about the UK, but cat mills and bybs are totally a thing here. Any old moron with two purebred animals can decide they're a breeder. It doesn't mean you're getting a healthy animal or even a good representation of the breed, just that it's the progeny of two cats of that breed. Besides, people who just purchase animals form breeders like that without much forethought or planning are very prone to dumping them at the shelter when they realize PETS ARE HARD
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Jul 7, 2013 16:27
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If you're worried about your cat in a shelter, a reputable private rescue may be a good place to go. Typically their cats are housed in foster homes where you would be able to see how they interact in a more 'normal' environment, and if you did bring the kitty home and it turned out to be a nightmare, the rescue would also ideally work with you to find a better match.
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Jul 7, 2013 16:28
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I second the idea of a private foster or rescue program. They usually know their cats attitudes and dispositions, as well as what kind of home will suit them best. Like Rodent Mortician said, they will also work with you if the cat totally doesn't work with your needs. When you do get a cat, make sure to give it weeks, not days, to see how its personality develops. Many cats will take a month or so to adjust to their new living quarters, and to be convinced that you won't eat them.
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Jul 7, 2013 17:21
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Serella posted:I don't know about the UK, but cat mills and bybs are totally a thing here. Any old moron with two purebred animals can decide they're a breeder. It doesn't mean you're getting a healthy animal or even a good representation of the breed, just that it's the progeny of two cats of that breed. Yep, very much prevalent in the UK too, we've seen a few come through recently (Bengals mostly). Bengals seem to be prone to behavioral problems (maybe the inbreeding doesn't help?) but 2 in the last 4 years that I know of were put down as they were just too violent to keep as pets. I should add that if you pick a purebred up from a shelter, go and see it before committing to taking it as you need to know what the temperament is like. Ratzap fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Jul 7, 2013 |
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Jul 7, 2013 19:52
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Serella posted:Besides, people who just purchase animals form breeders like that without much forethought or planning are very prone to dumping them at the shelter when they realize PETS ARE HARD I bought a come with me kitty harness for my cats and the results weren't that bad. It will take some getting used to and some quarantining of the dog (she thinks cats on leash means cats can play with her) but overall they seemed rather pleased.
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Jul 8, 2013 18:10
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Esmerelda posted:We have a norewegian forest cat in our foster program. She's 9 and was surrendered for being aggressive and unmanageable, especially around grooming time. She is not aggressive nor unmanageable around grooming time, she's a total doll and when we had to lion cut her because of her mats she was cool with it. Her previous owner was just an rear end and/or stupid. They probably were using a lovely brush and/or ripping the mats out of her fur. Speaking of which, what's the best way to get rid of mats? My fluff monster usually pulls them out on his own but sometimes there's a stubborn one that won't come out, and I don't like hurting him. I usually pull it apart with my fingers until it's pretty much back to normal hair and then brush it out, but even that causes him discomfort sometimes.
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Jul 8, 2013 21:24
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JoeyJoJoJr Shabadoo posted:They probably were using a lovely brush and/or ripping the mats out of her fur. Our most recent lil fluffy ball of neglect had a bunch of mats, though it was not nearly as bad as some I've seen. If the cat is cool with it just cut it out using some sharp scissors that are blunt on the end (you want them sharp so as not to pull the hair when cutting and a blunt end so as not to stab the cat accidentally). I used my mustache trimming scissors. It clearly was not his fault that he had mats, because now he DEMANDS to be brushed constantly once I started brushing him regularly after the mats got sorted.
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Jul 8, 2013 21:51
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Dogen posted:Our most recent lil fluffy ball of neglect had a bunch of mats, though it was not nearly as bad as some I've seen. If the cat is cool with it just cut it out using some sharp scissors that are blunt on the end (you want them sharp so as not to pull the hair when cutting and a blunt end so as not to stab the cat accidentally). I used my mustache trimming scissors. It clearly was not his fault that he had mats, because now he DEMANDS to be brushed constantly once I started brushing him regularly after the mats got sorted. I tried cutting them out, but they're so close to the skin that I accidentally cut him and never did it again after that  He also demands to be brushed, which is
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Jul 8, 2013 23:46
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JoeyJoJoJr Shabadoo posted:I tried cutting them out, but they're so close to the skin that I accidentally cut him and never did it again after that I just use a flea comb on Hugo (thick coat, fur length is approx 3 inches in some places) every day or second day and never seem to have issues with mats. I haven't found another brush that can reach through all the layers - slicker brush is too short and a furminator can't even get past the top layer and pulls on his fur and pisses him off.
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Jul 8, 2013 23:55
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 question!I have two cats who are about a year old - both boys, both neutered if that matters. My boss lives in the middle of nowhere and found them in his barn when they were little blind kittens, which is probably why one of them has what my vet called cat herpes, and which google tells me is called viral rhinotracheitis. It's pretty mild all told; his left eye gets kind of gunky but his other eye is fine and there's no nasal discharge. So all in all it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, though obviously I would like to treat his symptoms. My vet gave me a big tub of Viralys powder. However, I have read on the internet that prolonged use can gently caress of a cat's kidneys or liver. Is there any validity to this? I don't want to feed him this stuff that will degunk one eye only to have it kill him in like five years. This isn't a cost/benefit thing; if viralys will help him live longer and more happily I will gladly sprinkle it on his food forever. Anyway, here's a bad lighting picture of the two little fuzzballs. The sleepy gray one who isn't looking at the camera is the one with the eye issue. Two bros chillin 
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Jul 9, 2013 05:00
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Swan Oat posted:However, I have read on the internet that prolonged use can gently caress of a cat's kidneys or liver. Is there any validity to this? I don't want to feed him this stuff that will degunk one eye only to have it kill him in like five years. This isn't a cost/benefit thing; if viralys will help him live longer and more happily I will gladly sprinkle it on his food forever. The only adverse effects I've heard of for Viralys (and other l-lysine products) is occasionally stomach upset, and at super high doses, lethargy. I have never seen anything about liver damage, and my drug bible has no mention of liver effects. There was a case report of a person having kidney damage while taking l-lysine, but that's it.
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Jul 9, 2013 05:37
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JoeyJoJoJr Shabadoo posted:I tried cutting them out, but they're so close to the skin that I accidentally cut him and never did it again after that Yeah that's why you use something like mustache scissors - blunt end and a short blade area makes it almost impossible to cut the cat. If it is real close to the skin, you can just cut through the mat as close to the skin as you feel comfortable. I did this with a couple and was planning on coming back to them later when more fur grew out but I think if you make the mat small and managable the cat will work it the rest of the way, because the severely cut down mats came off the cat and were found on the floor so  I gotta post a picture of him, he is awesome.
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Jul 9, 2013 16:51
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So I picked up a stray cat (domestic shorthair) about two months ago who walked into a nearby hardware store and stayed there for five days (no one claimed him, advertised, etc). I've had a vet neuter him, microchip him (no existing one was found which is weird because he's so friendly if he's just a random stray), full bloodwork came out all normal. He was determined by the vet to be about 8 months old at the time so he's 10 months old now. When we first got him, he was pretty affectionate and slept with us, didn't really nip or anything, but this could've been from stress from coming into a new home? He's not as affectionate anymore and doesn't sleep with us at all now. Now though, he's in play mode a lot and will try to stalk our feet/hands and nip/scratch us. The nips aren't too hard, but can escalate. My girlfriend gets nipped/scratched by him much more than I do. He will also climb onto the bed, rub up against her, purr a lot, and then nip her feet/hands at times and she's not even petting him. We don't know why it continues, we play with him about twice a day for twenty to thirty minutes with Da Bird and other various toys. When he manages to nip/scratch us, we yelp loudly or say OW or NO to him and then we leave him alone in another room. When we see that he's about to pounce, we will usually divert his attention by throwing toy balls, toy birds, kickeroos, and other various cat toys. We've been doing this for over a month and we haven't really seen a decrease in this behavior. Is there something we're doing wrong or is he just still very young and will curb this behavior as time progresses?
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Jul 9, 2013 17:12
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I just got a kitten on the 4th of July, he is 13 1/2 weeks old. I've had cats all my life but this is the first one I've have in my own apartment. For the most part he has been well behaved for a kitten. The one behavior we want to try to stop is him jumping up on the tables and counters. He's not big enough to get to the counter yet but can get on the chair then to the table. We started with foil on the tables, squirting him, and shaking a can of pennies. They all seem to work well once, annoy him the 2nd or 3rd time, then after that he ignors it. I reread the beginning of this thread and will try an air can and a little vinegar in the water next. Any other things to try.   
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Jul 9, 2013 20:27
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