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Personality really does trump everything. As absolutely gorgeous as Butts is, I'm usually a sucker for dark brown striped tabbies. Here was my last  :
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Sep 26, 2013 23:03
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I'm a sucker for calico cats. This is my recent adoption - meet Daisycutter, my lovable fat retard: This is her default pose:  This is my first pet. Although I've lived with people who owned cats, I never had to take care of them myself... so I'll probably have 100s of questions that I'll bother you all with over the next few months. I was curious - is a way to train cats to accept dirtier litter boxes? Right now she will pee outside the box if I don't clean it before I leave for work, right after I come home from work, and right before I go to bed. I can't keep this up forever, and it is starting to stress me out when I keep finding puddles every few days right next to the box. Fake James fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Sep 27, 2013 |
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Sep 27, 2013 00:19
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Dr. Lenin posted:I was curious - is a way to train cats to accept dirtier litter boxes? Right now she will pee outside the box if I don't clean it before I leave for work, right after I come home from work, and right before I go to bed. I can't keep this up forever, and it is starting to stress me out when I keep finding puddles every few days right next to the box. Not a good idea. You run the risk of having the 'beside the litterbox' preference morph into 'pile of clothes' or 'bed' like other people are seeing. You could add a backup litterbox somewhere to stretch out the time between changing, or you could go with an automatic litterbox. The Litter Robot comes highly recommended, but it's pricey.
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Sep 27, 2013 00:26
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Crappy picture but progress! Cooper (tabby) still hisses when she gets to close (and hisses at me if he smells her on my hands) but other then that he's finally stopped sulking across the room at her!
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Sep 27, 2013 00:48
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 this is Misty, my 16 week old female Savannah. I've had her for about a month now and having a possible problem with her diet. when I first brought her home from the breeder, I was feeding her what the breeder was for food. Iams kitten dry food and a can of royal cannin kitten wet food per day. her stool had always been soft on that food, even when she was at the breeders. I wanted to switch her wet food to something a little better, so I've been feeding her natures variety chicken formula for the past couple of weeks. she developed full on diarrhea for a couple of days, but then the stool went back to being less liquid but still very soft. not to mention stinky. she got her stool tested when she was at the vet and it came back negative. the vet mentioned that if the stool remained unusually soft then id have to search for a food that was more agreeable. id like to keep her on a mix of wet and dry but I dont know how to go about searching for a new wet food. try randomly until the stool firms up? anyone have similar experience ? TheMirage fucked around with this message at 11:56 on Sep 27, 2013 |
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Sep 27, 2013 01:22
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OK, so this is going to be a pretty weird question. I'm reading a book about a 17th century English village, and in a witchcraft trial someone testified that:quote:Elizabeth Castle came...to this informant's house...about ten weeks since and then she came to borrow a lantern but this informant denyeth to lend it (having occasion to use it) And...since that time they [the informant's family] have had 4 cats strangely taken insomuch as the claws have fell off and afterwards the legs have fallen off yet do still eat their meat.
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Sep 27, 2013 01:33
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Geno posted:Last night, right when I was about to go to sleep, my cat just pooped in his litter box and he came out just somber/sad. His tail was down and there was something off. He would cry randomly and this is the way he sat: Update: He didn't use the litter box much for the first days but everything went back to normal a day or two later. Yesterday, he ate a canned of wet food and some dry food. Last night, he used the litter box a bunch while I was sleeping. I could hear him doing his scratching after using the litter box. Thought it was weird but whatever. I clean his litter box just to make sure there's nothing wrong. His poop looked a little grayer than usual, same color as when I first started feeding him wet food. Come home today and after I feed him some dry food, he starts using the litter box often, like 4-5 times in 1 hour. I think its diarrhea or something but there isn't much in the litter box. Just some piss stains. I clean the litter box again. About an hour later, I notice he's gone and find he's peeing on my suitcase. He's NEVER peed anywhere other than a little box. I quickly clean up and close the door so he can't get in there again. Leave house for some errands for an hour, come back and he's back in the litter box 3 times in like 20 minutes. One time, I notice him standing in the litter box but peeing right outside it. Other time, he pees inside the litter box like usual. Guess it's time to go to the vet? Geno fucked around with this message at 06:11 on Sep 27, 2013 |
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Sep 27, 2013 05:59
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Geno posted:Guess it's time to go to the vet? Short answer: yes. Long answer: the increased number of peeing attempts and small amount of urine is both a good and bad thing. Bad in that there is likely something wrong with your cat's bladder, good in that whatever it is has not caused him to become blocked (as in, can't pee). Yet. If he ever becomes blocked that is very bad. Unfortunately, signs of blockage can sometimes mimic not blocked but still having bladder issues. If he is meowing while trying to go, that is bad. If he postures a lot and no urine comes out, that is bad. As he is a male cat, they much more easily block. Unfortunately, I can't tell you if he will or won't block. He may become blocked in the next few hours, or he may block a few days from now. A sooner vet visit (and maybe even emergency visit) may be in order. Edit: a blocked cat is a major emergency. A not blocked cat isn't, but still needs to be seen ASAP.
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Sep 27, 2013 06:40
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HelloSailorSign posted:
He just tried to go pee. Heard little chirps but it was really subtle for a cat who's meows/trills a lot.
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Sep 27, 2013 07:04
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Yeah, male cats can have a lot of urinary problems for some reason. It definitely sounds like vet time to me.
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Sep 27, 2013 07:20
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triskadekaphilia posted:^^^ Black cats are amazing. I know you're serious that they are hard to adopt out, but it boggles my mind that people are actually genuinely superstitious about them. What century are we living in here? Just as a note, I know that, in my home state, it's not just superstition that keeps black cats from getting adopted, but the shelter's policies. Around October, adopting out a black kitten, or cat, is practically verboten thanks to the horrible poo poo people have (from what I've heard) done to them on Halloween (SOURCE: friend who attempted to adopt a black kitten around that time and had to wait until November to get him). I'm not shocked that we have a problem with that here, mind, just highly dismayed. Otherwise, yeah, I had the pseudo-rescue place I got my mellie Bengal from begging me to take her brother with her. I would've gotten them both for free if I'd accepted, but three cats was way more than I could handle. I don't know what happened to him. I kind of wish I'd accepted, but it really wasn't within my means. That said, that might have been more of a 'cannot handle bengal and i'd at least like the markings if he's going to be an epic snot' thing and less of a 'he's lame because he's black' thing. His sister is a handful on her own. EDIT: I hope the problem with the Savannah clears up but oh my lord please post more pictures those cats are loving gorgeous 
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Sep 27, 2013 12:29
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TheMirage posted:
She's loving adorable, how big will she end up? Savannahs can end up as tall as collies, can't they?  Is it possible she has a food allergy? That can cause diarrhoea sometimes. I'd do what you're doing, try a different wet food every fortnight or so and see how her stools change. I'd look for digestive health or hypoallergenic wet foods after a few different tries if the other wet foods don't firm her up, or maybe switch to a digestive health or hypoallergenic kibble after a few wet switches if none of them give her lovely stools which don't fall apart when you pick them up. Random question, now that I think of it. When most of you guys scoop your litter, do you do it by hand or use a little shovel? I use recycled biodegradable litter so I just get a bit of toilet paper, scoop by hand and flush the whole thing. It helps me check Teddy's stool better as well, since she's old. Am I really gross or just butch as hell? What was the stool sample negative for? I imagine the vet just did a smear and checked under the microscope and didn't find parasites or blood, which is good. I don't know if a smear can show if the cat is allergic to something, but I'd say not. Fruity Gordo fucked around with this message at 14:02 on Sep 27, 2013 |
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Sep 27, 2013 14:00
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Fruity Gordo posted:She's loving adorable, how big will she end up? Savannahs can end up as tall as collies, can't they? Savannahs can be tall, especially those with more serval blood in them, but Misty is an F5, so I wouldn't expect her to get bigger than 15 pounds or so. She should just be longer legged and sleeker body in proportions. An allergy is a good thought, and I suspect you're correct about the stool test. The vet mentioned parasites when he talked about the test, so it certainly wouldn't rule out allergies. I am also assuming the wet food is the culprit as well, but I assume the kibble could be too blame as well. I had planned on weaning her off the Iams over to nature's variety kibble as well. Would it make any sense to try a wet food in the same brand with a different ingredient? For example nature variety rabbit meal instead of chicken?
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Sep 27, 2013 15:08
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I just got my kitten neutered and the vet sent him home with an e-collar and instructions to keep it on until the follow up visit which is next Saturday. I grew up with cats and we never had a cat come home from being neutered with an e-collar. Is this just the way they did the surgery or being extra cautious or a normal thing now? It just seems odd that with the 4 other male cats my family had in the past none had to wear one. I don't want to question the vet but poor Max is miserable in the collar, though he has tried to lick the area a bunch so it's doing it's job. Miserable in his e-collar  Chilling out on a book case  On one of the shelves we put up for him to climb on  Letting us know he doesn't like pics of him in the bathroom. 
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Sep 27, 2013 15:17
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Stemmler posted:I just got my kitten neutered and the vet sent him home with an e-collar and instructions to keep it on until the follow up visit which is next Saturday. I grew up with cats and we never had a cat come home from being neutered with an e-collar. It all depends on the male cat, really. Unless your vet is doing surgery differently on male cats than I do. Some male cats don't care and will not bother the site at all. Great! Others will try to lick, which runs the risk of them causing a bleeder. Those cats get hats.
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Sep 27, 2013 15:29
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Stemmler posted:Is this just the way they did the surgery or being extra cautious or a normal thing now? It just seems odd that with the 4 other male cats my family had in the past none had to wear one. Seems like they are being really cautious to me. I just had my two girls spayed, and they did tell me that they would have to cone them if they irritated their stitches but they did not send them back that way. Fortunately, my two licked their wounds a few times the first day or two, but afterwards ignored them. By now their dissolving stitches have long since disappeared and their beautiful tummy fluff is well on the way to growing back. Marathanes posted:Simone Your Simone looks just like my Prima - yay!  Curious - do you pronounce her name French style or Italian style? I called mine Prima (originally Primo until I found out that she was a she) because she was the first one I caught (my two were feral-born) and she was quite the primadonna when I first got her, though she has warmed up big time since.
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Sep 27, 2013 15:29
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HelloSailorSign posted:It all depends on the male cat, really. Unless your vet is doing surgery differently on male cats than I do. He is definitely wants to lick, thanks for the reply. It will be a fun week of him awkwardly trying to attack my leg with a cone on.
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Sep 27, 2013 15:32
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Are grain-free cat foods really better than foods with grains in if it looks like they've just replaced corn with pumpkin or something? I've been noticing more grain-free dry foods popping up around the place here and thinking of switching to one, but it seems to me like they don't actually have any more meat content than the ones that have grains in them. I was under the impression that cats didn't do so well at processing anything other than meat, in which case it wouldn't really matter what else is in there with it to bulk up the product or whatever they're using it for. I guess what I'm asking is whether cats get more out of eating pumpkin etc than corn etc or whether it's just a fad thing that sounds good on paper.
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Sep 27, 2013 15:49
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JustJeff88 posted:Your Simone looks just like my Prima - yay! Being unfamiliar with the general differences, I would say the American heathen way. Google translate makes the French sound like "see-MON" and the Italian sound like "See-MON-eh", whereas the fiancee and I have been pronouncing it "Se-MOAN" (which, checking it out now, is exactly how Google translate pronounces the English).
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Sep 27, 2013 15:57
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DressCodeBlue posted:Re: droolers Tbh, I blamed my husband for spilling his water in the spots that we found wet. Didn't smell like cat pee so I never even thought about it, just assumed he has spilled his water on the floor and threw the blanket or whatever on it to clean it up. He would look at me and say things like, "Why would I pour water on the blanket in the cat room?" We ended up taking several items into the vet with us and they verified that it was urine, just soooo dilute there was practically no smell whatsoever. Strangest thing I ever saw, and I would have swore on a stack of bibles before this that cat pee ALWAYS stinks. The only reason why it dawned on me that it might be urine was when I caught him pooing on the bottom of the cat tree (this is what gave the vet the clue of the IBS...pudding stools ewwwww) and then I caught him in the act of peeing a short while later on my blanket on the floor. When I went to wash it immediately afterwards, I noticed that there was no smell other than faintly saline in a way. I made my husband even give it the nose test because his sense of smell is so much more potent than mine and he barely smelled anything as well.
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Sep 27, 2013 16:03
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Stemmler posted:Chilling out on a book case I have no useful advice for you, but that is a good looking cat.
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Sep 27, 2013 16:24
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Marathanes posted:Being unfamiliar with the general differences, I would say the American heathen way. Google translate makes the French sound like "see-MON" and the Italian sound like "See-MON-eh", whereas the fiancee and I have been pronouncing it "Se-MOAN" (which, checking it out now, is exactly how Google translate pronounces the English). Sorry - should have elabourated on that. I'm a French/Italian professor, so I get excited about silly poo poo like that. Beautiful cat you have, though. My Prima always looks curious and it makes her so adorable. Organza Quiz posted:Are grain-free cat foods really better than foods with grains in if it looks like they've just replaced corn with pumpkin or something? I've been noticing more grain-free dry foods popping up around the place here and thinking of switching to one, but it seems to me like they don't actually have any more meat content than the ones that have grains in them. I was under the impression that cats didn't do so well at processing anything other than meat, in which case it wouldn't really matter what else is in there with it to bulk up the product or whatever they're using it for. I guess what I'm asking is whether cats get more out of eating pumpkin etc than corn etc or whether it's just a fad thing that sounds good on paper. I've heard and read a lot about the grain-free thing and I take it very seriously. I feed my cats Wellness CORE Kitten No-Grain, both wet and dry, and I keep a packet of both wet and dry treats for them that are grain-free as well (Blue Buffalo & Authority Dental) even though that's a tiny portion of their diet. As I understand it, cat physiology just can't properly digest corn, soy and the like and, while it fills a cat up and makes her feel satisfied, it doesn't really provide proper nutrition. As I understand it, cats need protein, protein, and more protein with a touch of fat and a bit of Taurine, of which Wellness has a lot. To put forth the best metaphor I can conjure, it's like a human eating a lot of junk food - it will sustain the body and keep you going, but it's not giving you what you truly need to thrive. That said, food like Wellness is proper expensive and, while it's no problem to keep it stocked for my two little furballs, I have to give the cheap stuff to the ferals that live near my building - I just can't afford to give them the top-shelf stuff when they eat 16 pounds a week as a group. I am looking forward to my kittens getting old enough for adult food so I can switch to Wellness adults brands as those can be bought in 12-pound bags for a much better price. Speaking of food, can anyone link to the AAFCO food ratings? I started on Wellness because several people told me that it was rated a perfect 100 by AAFCO, but I cannot find a print/PDF copy of those ratings and I would like to see them.
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Sep 27, 2013 17:17
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JustJeff88 posted:I've heard and read a lot about the grain-free thing and I take it very seriously. I feed my cats Wellness CORE Kitten No-Grain, both wet and dry, and I keep a packet of both wet and dry treats for them that are grain-free as well (Blue Buffalo & Authority Dental) even though that's a tiny portion of their diet. As I understand it, cat physiology just can't properly digest corn, soy and the like and, while it fills a cat up and makes her feel satisfied, it doesn't really provide proper nutrition. As I understand it, cats need protein, protein, and more protein with a touch of fat and a bit of Taurine, of which Wellness has a lot. To put forth the best metaphor I can conjure, it's like a human eating a lot of junk food - it will sustain the body and keep you going, but it's not giving you what you truly need to thrive. That said, food like Wellness is proper expensive and, while it's no problem to keep it stocked for my two little furballs, I have to give the cheap stuff to the ferals that live near my building - I just can't afford to give them the top-shelf stuff when they eat 16 pounds a week as a group. I am looking forward to my kittens getting old enough for adult food so I can switch to Wellness adults brands as those can be bought in 12-pound bags for a much better price. I understand the whole thing about cats needing mostly protein, but "grain free" doesn't actually seem to mean "more protein" when the "grain" part has just been replaced with another vegetable not known for being full of protein. I don't know about the USA, but cat foods here in Australia all have labels that specify the percentage protein, fat etc content of the food. When I've checked, the "grain free" foods seem to have exactly the same percentage protein as the ones that have grains, usually around 30-38%. They're still full of vegetable, it's just that it's pumpkin or tapioca or whatever instead of corn. What I want to know is if there's an actual nutritional difference depending on the part of the food that isn't protein/fat/essential vitamins.
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Sep 27, 2013 17:54
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Organza Quiz posted:What I want to know is if there's an actual nutritional difference depending on the part of the food that isn't protein/fat/essential vitamins. Speaking of food, the new to the house kitten/cat is more of a scrounge than the dog! It makes sense, she was abandoned at a homeless encampment with a litter of kittens (and she's barely a year old), I doubt she's ever truly had a consistent source of food. She is terrible and we're working on getting her to stop stealing things even if it's sort of funny watching her jam her head into a bag of potato chips to get one out. So far she's stolen fries, chips, string cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, olives, bread and started drinking cold coffee. She really wanted to get at a steak burrito a few days ago and last night she was attempting to snag green peppers. I haven't had a cat this interested in people food in nearly 10 years (that cat once opened a box of powdered donuts and proceeded to lick the sugar off of one side, flip the donut over and do the same to the other side - we found donut discs in the morning.) We can't leave anything unattended unless we have the little thief with us.
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Sep 27, 2013 19:17
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Disco Salmon posted:Tbh, I blamed my husband for spilling his water in the spots that we found wet. Didn't smell like cat pee so I never even thought about it, just assumed he has spilled his water on the floor and threw the blanket or whatever on it to clean it up. He would look at me and say things like, "Why would I pour water on the blanket in the cat room?" We ended up taking several items into the vet with us and they verified that it was urine, just soooo dilute there was practically no smell whatsoever. Strangest thing I ever saw, and I would have swore on a stack of bibles before this that cat pee ALWAYS stinks. I took my kitten to the vet today and explained the situation with the wet blanket (although I completely forgot to mention that the pee didn't smell!). He had too little pee in his bladder for the vet to do a sample, so that was a bust. She offered to hold him all day for a sample collection later on, but she said that his bladder is so small that it was unlikely that it was he who soaked through three layers of the thick blanket. (He's in otherwise good health, is younger than I thought -- about 5 months, not 7 months -- and is losing his baby teeth. )So the culprit must be the adult (he's 3-5 years old, according to the shelter we got him from). He does drool, but it's just little drops at a time usually when he eats a snack, certainly not more saliva than an 8-pound-kitten-sized bladder. I haven't actually been able to catch either cat in the act of peeing in the litterbox since the blanket incident, but the adult always covers his pee up with litter while the kitten just lets it pool on top, and I've seen both types of (uh) leavings in the litterbox since then. I haven't heard either of them cry when they're in the rooms with litterboxes, and they're both eating/drinking/behaving as usual, so I'm just going to keep an eye on them. (Sorry, I realize this is a whole lot of words about nothing, but I'm a new cat owner and maybe this could help other new cat owners out there. I had thought "urination outside the litterbox" automatically equaled "urinary tract infection," but now I've learned that's not so.)
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Sep 27, 2013 20:05
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So our family cat doesn't really like playing with strings or things tied to strings, but I've seen him play with, uh, dead things he caught in the back yard (he's an indoor/outdoor cat in a rural area). What sort of toys might he like? I'm half-hoping he'll start spending more time indoors if he got more toys and attention than he does now.
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Sep 27, 2013 20:12
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Accidentally posted this in the wrong thread earlier from my phone, so now that I'm on a real computer I'll try again.. Took Gulliver to the vet today for the second time for her "one-month old" check up. The first time I took her in, the day after we found her, the vet estimated her age at right about a week old - eyes barely opening, a tiny tiny tiny little lethargic squeaker. This time, apparently since she's so big, healthy and energetic, and she has a full mouth of little baby teefs, the doc thinks she's actually closer to 5 or 6 weeks instead of right at 4. She's got an appointment for 2 weeks for her first round of kitty shots! 1.1 lbs She's growing up so fast.
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Sep 27, 2013 20:13
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Esmerelda posted:Have you checked out the Nutrition Thread yet? It might have the answer you're after. I didn't know that that was a seperate thread - thank you. I looked over there and feel pretty good about my choices, but I would still like to see those AAFCO ratings if anyone knows where they are. I looked with no luck.
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Sep 27, 2013 21:17
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Organza Quiz posted:I understand the whole thing about cats needing mostly protein, but "grain free" doesn't actually seem to mean "more protein" when the "grain" part has just been replaced with another vegetable not known for being full of protein. I don't know about the USA, but cat foods here in Australia all have labels that specify the percentage protein, fat etc content of the food. When I've checked, the "grain free" foods seem to have exactly the same percentage protein as the ones that have grains, usually around 30-38%. They're still full of vegetable, it's just that it's pumpkin or tapioca or whatever instead of corn. What I want to know is if there's an actual nutritional difference depending on the part of the food that isn't protein/fat/essential vitamins. I buy my cats Orijen which is one of the brands available, their blurb has this to say: In place of the high-glycemic grains found in conventional dry cat foods, ORIJEN's fruits and greens supply natural antioxidants, while veterinarian selected botanicals satisfy your cat's instinct to forage for grasses and weeds. So basically what you said but the reasons for it. My old cats are losing weight and look in great condition on this stuff and senior wet foods (biscuits are always available for them, they don't pig out thankfully). High carbohydrates in cheap supermarket brands are not good, at least these kinds of brands think about what goes into the package. My cats also eat less overall (they seem to stay satiated longer) so it's not that much more expensive.
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Sep 27, 2013 21:24
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Organza Quiz posted:Are grain-free cat foods really better than foods with grains in if it looks like they've just replaced corn with pumpkin or something? I've been noticing more grain-free dry foods popping up around the place here and thinking of switching to one, but it seems to me like they don't actually have any more meat content than the ones that have grains in them. I was under the impression that cats didn't do so well at processing anything other than meat, in which case it wouldn't really matter what else is in there with it to bulk up the product or whatever they're using it for. I guess what I'm asking is whether cats get more out of eating pumpkin etc than corn etc or whether it's just a fad thing that sounds good on paper. In my opinion, no, there's not a difference to the cat. Good ingredients and good nutrient breakdown is where it's at, otherwise it's just marketing/fads that companies jump on.
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Sep 27, 2013 22:09
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Okay, we have a problem and I don't know what to do. There is a growing feral problem here, and while there is a program in the nearest larger city that will spay/neuter ferals for very little, my work and life don't really permit me to take advantage of it as they only offer the service on MWF when I am in class all day. Also, I don't have the time to lie in wait late at night to capture ferals and then house them until they have time to fit them in. That is how I got my two kittens, but that was during the summer when time was no object. The grown ferals will never be domesticated, but I would really like to get them fixed - I just can't work it into my life. I happen to live in one of those horrible areas of the US that could probably benefit from a really good plague as it is basically filled with nothing but Bud-swilling inbred rednecks who have more guns than teeth, so you can imagine what my neighbours are like. There is one lady here, retired, who helps me out and actually adopted 2 kittens that were abandoned about 6 weeks ago the day they were born. One didn't make it, but the other is doing just fine. However, 2 days ago I discovered 2 more little ones of about 6-8 weeks who are nesting under the parked cars - I don't have to tell you how dangerous that is. There is a female cat, apparently pregnant again, who has white mittens and may well be their mother from a previous litter as I think that I have seen them nursing. The problem is that I cannot figure out how to catch them. The black one is relatively bold but so tiny he can hide anywhere, and the silver one is incredibly skittish. It's almost impossible to get them out from under any cars, though I came infuriatingly close to catching the black one yesterday. The older cats can be tempted into traps with stinky food, but these two are just too nested. I really want to get them caught while they are tiny so I can find them good homes easily, but I'm out of ideas. I thought about getting a butterfly/fishing net since I can get close to them, but there's no real room to swing it sidearm or overarm under a car, and I can't think of a way to create a warmer place for them to nest. I have a huge cage (4x3x3) that I could fill with blankets and food and all that, but it doesn't have a spring-loaded door so they might run before I can close it and I can't leave it out because my retard neighbours would just steal it. Sorry for the long post, but I'm upset and I could really use some ideas.
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Sep 28, 2013 00:49
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HelloSailorSign posted:Short answer: yes. Went to the vet this morning. Vets say my cat has a condition called cystitis. Not sure what the cause is. Supposed to give him a dose of phenooxybenzamine and some buprenorphine. Vet bills came out to $456.84. Something called Geriatric Profile is the bulk of that cost. 
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Sep 28, 2013 02:08
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Anyone in NYC going to the AKC Meet the Breeds event this weekend? I've never been, but am planning to go on Sunday. Just curious if anyone here has been, and if so, what to expect. Can you walk around and see the cats (and dogs) up close, or are the stage shows the primary attraction?
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Sep 28, 2013 02:10
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Geno posted:Went to the vet this morning. If they didn't explain the geriatric profile, it's basically a whole slew of bloodwork. The normal "geriatric profile" contains: CBC (complete blood count, looks at red cells and immune cells and sees how many and how they look), Chemistry (checks liver enzymes, kidney levels, protein levels, electrolyte levels), urine analysis (bacteria? Inflammation? Crystals?), and thyroid check. It's all valuable stuff for an older kitty. Cats can get cystitis, aka bladder inflammation, for a number of reasons. In some cats, their stress response causes the inflammation - new cat outside? I'll show you how unhappy I am by pissing blood! In others, they can form bladder stones, others can have a bladder infection, and then there's always weird things that can go on as well. Burprenorphine helps by making the bladder not be painful. If the bladder is painful, cat is stressed, and may make their stress-bladder worse! Phenoxybenzamine works to keep the tube going from bladder to outside (urethra) open so less likely to get blocked. Any questions on this stuff, don't hesitate to ask!
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Sep 28, 2013 03:46
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Esmerelda posted:Have you checked out the Nutrition Thread yet? It might have the answer you're after. I didn't realise there was a new one after the last one was archived, thanks for the link.
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Sep 28, 2013 04:15
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Hello PI, Recently (read:48 hours), me and my wife adopted a cat from a local breeder (link). She is 4 months old and so far has lived within her family (a brother and her two parents and probably with more cats). Since we have brought her home she has been very shy, staying hidden all the time and shaking/startling when we tried to hold her. So far we have tried to ease her adjustment by avoiding loud noises and giving her treats when we hold her but she's still not in a playful mood. Since its only 48 hours since we adopted her we're not too worried about it but we want her to feel as little stress as possible. How can we make her adjust easier to her new environment?
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Sep 28, 2013 19:57
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Just hang out with her in a quiet room, with some treats nearby. Don't make eye contact, don't try to engage her, just sit there reading/on your laptop and wait for her to adjust to just hanging out with you. Give her treats if she comes to you.
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Sep 28, 2013 20:10
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HelloSailorSign posted:If they didn't explain the geriatric profile, it's basically a whole slew of bloodwork. The normal "geriatric profile" contains: CBC (complete blood count, looks at red cells and immune cells and sees how many and how they look), Chemistry (checks liver enzymes, kidney levels, protein levels, electrolyte levels), urine analysis (bacteria? Inflammation? Crystals?), and thyroid check. It's all valuable stuff for an older kitty. Thanks for the info. Just talked to my vet. She said from the urinary analysis, my cat is lacking a bit in the water department and will need to eat just wet food for at least a week. I'm curious if I should put in water in the wet food or should it already be enough? Generally, my cat will try the litter box first and if he can't go there, he'll go somewhere on my kitchen. The good thing is that he does urinate easily instead of straining and getting a droplet or two out. Any tips for trying to make him stick to the litter box?
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Sep 29, 2013 00:31
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Geno posted:Thanks for the info. Just talked to my vet. She said from the urinary analysis, my cat is lacking a bit in the water department and will need to eat just wet food for at least a week. I'm curious if I should put in water in the wet food or should it already be enough? I can't help with the litter tray but do you have a pet drinker (or pet fountain)? The encourage cats to drink more as the moving water (and some have coolers too) seems to be more appetizing to the cat than a static bowl. They're not too expensive and the extra drinks help cut the risk of kidney problems as well over the long term.
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Sep 29, 2013 00:57
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Ratzap posted:I can't help with the litter tray but do you have a pet drinker (or pet fountain)? The encourage cats to drink more as the moving water (and some have coolers too) seems to be more appetizing to the cat than a static bowl. They're not too expensive and the extra drinks help cut the risk of kidney problems as well over the long term. Hmm no. I have one of those generic bottle feeders that I bought when I first got my cat.
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Sep 29, 2013 01:03
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