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Nyarai posted:Ideally, I'd like something purchasable from Amazon as I have free 2 day shipping. However, so many of the reviews complain about flimsy products that break immediately or that cats learn to game for extra kibble. I don't know what product I can trust to not be a terrible piece of poo poo. Jeff Atwood recommends this model: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016BVY2U/?tag=codihorr-20 in this blog post: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/05/this-is-all-your-app-is-a-collection-of-tiny-details.html Never used it myself, though.
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Oct 14, 2013 18:00
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Reasking this since there's a lot of litterbox non using questions coming up. My cat Ohri is not always pissing in the litterbox because sometimes our other rear end in a top hat Trond attacks her when he sees her in there. What ends up happening is she holds it until she either can get to a box while he is busy being an rear end in a top hat somewhere else, or she pisses on the futon. Nature's Miracle is NOT getting the smell out. So two questions. 1. Why is Trond such an rear end in a top hat? He goes after her when he hears the scritch scritch of the litter. I have not tried a hooded box and I'm not certain it would work because Ohri doesn't like small dark places. 2. What the hell can I do to get the piss smell out of the futon? I can smell it when I lay down on it and I've put at least a whole spray bottle of Nature's Miracle onto the drat thing.
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Oct 14, 2013 18:09
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ulmont posted:Jeff Atwood recommends this model: Ooh, yes, the old LeBistro in the second link there is what I've seen around the most. The duct tape was also pretty universal. That blog post is entirely correct, any problems I had with taking care of other people's old automatic feeders (I was a petsitter) are pretty much solved by the new LeBistro. However, I'd still keep the duct tape handy. You know cats. Dead Cow posted:So two questions. Get a second or third small box. Burn the futon cushion, it has lived and served a noble life. Give the next one a waterproof liner under the slip cover. Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 18:13 on Oct 14, 2013 |
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Oct 14, 2013 18:10
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I adopted a kitty!! Her name is Lucky but I'd like to change it to something a bit more fun and different. (And because my sister, who's a vet, says that "Lucky"s ironically get horrible diseases) Any suggestions? Y'all always comes up with real creative pet names.
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Oct 14, 2013 18:16
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Suspect Bucket posted:Ooh, yes, the old LeBistro in the second link there is what I've seen around the most. The duct tape was also pretty universal. That blog post is entirely correct, any problems I had with taking care of other people's old automatic feeders (I was a petsitter) are pretty much solved by the new LeBistro. However, I'd still keep the duct tape handy. You know cats. We have 3 boxes already. Also we just got the futon in August  Furthermore, I'm reasking this cause Ohri pissed on my bed for the first time yesterday and the Nature's Miracle isn't getting the smell out of that either. That's only one accident on that one versus once every couple weeks on the futon.
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Oct 14, 2013 18:17
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Coatlicue posted:I adopted a kitty!! She's precious! What's wrong with Lucky?
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Oct 14, 2013 18:19
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Dienes posted:She's precious! What's wrong with Lucky? Well nothing, really. I just think it's a bit of a generic cat name and she's got a ton of personality so maybe something with a bit more pizzazz? She is really long and lanky and loves to chase things up and down the apartment. I'd just like something that feels more like her personality.  Here you can see how long and strechy she is. (She won me over at the shelter by flopping over like this and chirping for more pets.  And she kinda looks alarmed in this one but I think it's just the camera whirring noises.
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Oct 14, 2013 18:37
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I'm fond of ridiculous, elaborate pet names possibly derived from the Bible or mythology. But I'm also fond of names that are terrible Discworld references. She rather looks like a Magrat Garlick. Or a Cheery/Cheri Littlebottom, if you prefer the Watch books.  If you aren't a Discworld fan, Slinky, maybe? After her being floppy and lanky.
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Oct 14, 2013 19:05
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I truly love that Butts' cheeks go on for miles: (Also he doesn't like boxes but loves sleeping under cardboard, apparently?)
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Oct 14, 2013 19:20
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Coatlicue posted:Well nothing, really. I just think it's a bit of a generic cat name and she's got a ton of personality so maybe something with a bit more pizzazz? Pizzazz is a great cat's name. Zazz for short.
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Oct 14, 2013 19:22
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Dead Cow posted:We have 3 boxes already. Are all the boxes in one location or are they spread through the house? If you spread them out (if they aren't already), it may give her a chance to go to the farthest one from jerk cat and be able to use it maybe? You could make a fancy litter box keeper thing by getting one of those pet doors that will only open with the pet that is wearing the special collar sensor or something. But that might be a bit extreme.
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Oct 14, 2013 19:54
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hhgtrillian posted:Are all the boxes in one location or are they spread through the house? If you spread them out (if they aren't already), it may give her a chance to go to the farthest one from jerk cat and be able to use it maybe? You could make a fancy litter box keeper thing by getting one of those pet doors that will only open with the pet that is wearing the special collar sensor or something. But that might be a bit extreme. To add to this, are they open top or covered (with or without a door flap)? We had a rogue pooping incident that I determined was due to the covered box. The jerk cat would pounce the chill cat when she went to leave the covered box. Having an open top box fixed things since she has more exits available.
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Oct 14, 2013 20:01
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Just to reply to both of you at once, they're open top boxes, it's a 1br apartment and I don't have room in the bathroom for a box. One is at one far end of the living room, one is at the kitchen by the living room and the other is at the door of the bedroom and living room. The pet door thing might work if I could find a gate or something to go between the living room and the bedroom. Both cats insist on being in whatever room I'm in so they tend to use the living room box most. I wonder if a privacy curtain would work? The pet door idea is giving me some things to think about. Like a panel screen thing, so she won't feel trapped but he can't immediately pounce on her. Yay! That's a good start. Ok part two. Earlier in the thread a goon said that Nature's Miracle changed their formula or something and another goon asked for recommendations. Anyone recommend anything good?
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Oct 14, 2013 20:20
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To get the prerequisites out of the way: Age: 5 1/2 months / 4 months Gender: Male/Male Duration of Ownership: About a month and a half Food: Can't remember off of the top of my head right now Vet: No vet visits yet, haven't needed any. They had already been neutered when I got them and received their shots Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor only # of Animals: 2 Literbox: 1 liter box (HUGE), that I clean every 2 days So I recently decided to adopt a pet from the local shelter and knowing that I am usually at work from 8-6, I decided to get two cats so that they could keep each other company. The first day that I went into the shelter to look at their kittens, one little guy completely captured my heart with his awesome friendliness and personality, a rather largish 4-month old Manecoon/(something) mix. I decided right then and there that I was going to adopt that guy but he needed a buddy. After some hemming and hawing, I picked a relatively young (3 months) old white and orange tabby who was definitely the runt of the litter. I've now had them about a month and a half. Training them to not chew on everything in sight and to stop scratching everything (including me) didn't take long (evil spray bottle of death!!!) but I was unable to prevent them from being little fuzzy alarm clocks that wake me up on-the-dot at 4:30am every morning. It's gotten to the point that I just lock them out of the room before 4am, otherwise I'm not getting any sleep. Anyway, the Manecoon is doing great and has retained his awesome personality, however I'm starting to get a little concerned about the Tabby. When he first came into my home he was generally very active and playful, playful to the point that I had to punish him a couple of times because he gave me scratches so bad that people thought I was cutting myself (LOL, no joke). The tabby has calmed down IMMENSELY and is now the calmest cat that I have ever seen. He doesn't really want to play, he kind of half-heartedly chases a laser and generally has no interest in any other cat toys. All he wants to do is climb into my lap and purr for hours on end. He does NOT want to play with the Maincoon and I can't blame him. At this point the Maincoon weighs about 9 pounds to the Tabby's 4 pounds, so he's easily twice the size. Whenever the Maincoon wants to play, the Tabby just sort of rolls over and takes it while making generally displeasing noises. Once the Maincoon tires of it the Tabby generally goes and hides on top of my computer tower or crawls into my lap. I feel bad because this cat used to have a ton of energy but now he is constantly being beat up (at least from my point of view, it doesn't look lie "playing" since only one of the kitties is having a good time). I should mention that both cats have been fighting respiratory infections since they came into my home. I went to the adoption center and they provided me with some medication to give to them. After using the entire bottle, the respiratory infection seems to be pretty much cleared up on the Manecoon but the Tabby's is back in full force. I was planning on going back to the adoption center today to see what they recommend. Thoughts?
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Oct 14, 2013 21:40
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Toast had been having on and off soft stools lately, and the vet told me to keep an eye on it and call if it continues for more than a few weeks — that was a week ago today. Today, he's suddenly started having red and green and mucus-y diarrhea, so back we go in about an hour. It's seriously the grossest poo poo I've ever seen come out of a creature's rear end. I kind of want to die. I just got back from vacation, and a dumb part of me is hoping he was just stressed about me being away.
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Oct 14, 2013 21:44
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Coatlicue posted:Well nothing, really. I just think it's a bit of a generic cat name and she's got a ton of personality so maybe something with a bit more pizzazz?
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Oct 14, 2013 21:54
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Nyarai posted:Hello, PI. I am in dire need of some automated feeder recommendations. The cats and their horrifying mewls have lately been insufficient to wake my fiance, but they are enough to scare the dog who barks and wakes me up. Since I'm more of a night owl, this leaves me exhausted. This is the one I use. My lardass of a cat has never been able to break into it, which is a problem most people report with those expensive ones with the reservoir of food on top. He went from being a yowling bitch hours before mealtimes to waiting patiently waiting for the door to pop open. Now he's actually at a point where I'm semi-free feeding him once he learned meals were coming automatically on time and bugging me wasn't going to change the schedule of the Magic Food Doors. It's a Christmas miracle.
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Oct 14, 2013 22:12
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Josh Lyman posted:For some reason I'm hearing M names. Muffins, Mew, Maggie. I like Molly but it seems like a dog name in my head. I dunno, she looks a bit like a Fudge - sweet, brown and malleable. Pretty wee thing.
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Oct 14, 2013 23:17
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My coworker was telling me about her moving house into an already furnished place. She is seriously considering getting her kitten declawed because there is a leather couch there. She asked me why I was giving her a horrified look. I told her about soft paws and getting cat posts and distractions for her, but she seems set on getting her kitten declawed, as a preventative measure....
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Oct 15, 2013 01:22
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McDeth posted:Thoughts? I have a similar situation -- although it's my little cat that beats up on the big cat -- so what I'm trying to do is spend a lot of time playing one-on-one with the more energetic little cat to simultaneously wear him out and let the other cat have some peace. The less energetic cat is not really into playing and seems happiest just to hang out with me, so he gets his one-on-one time with me in the evening and before I go to sleep (he sleeps on my bed with me -- the little cat doesn't). It seems to be working so far!
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Oct 15, 2013 01:36
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I am contemplating getting a new cat to join my existing guy for my apartment. Ive had him for 8 years since he was a kitten now. I think he needs a little buddy here but ive already been here for about 6 months so I feel it might be a little harder. I dont think I want to get a kitten again but maybe something at least a year old but no older then like 3 or 4. Not sure why I set those ceiling numbers. Should following the advice in the OP be sufficient? My guy has been neutered and (unfortunately, not my choice at the time) declawed - I dont want his rear end getting beat. We brought my brothers kitten here once and the little guy hissed at MY cat but generally it seemed fine. Luigi (my guy) didn't go crazy. Before I moved he was with my parents and their maltese poodle. They got along well enough - no violence or anything, just tolerating. So that leads me to believe Luigi won't be too bad with a new cat around the place.
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Oct 15, 2013 02:57
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Hi I'm looking for some general interest documentaries on youtube about cat behaviour etc. I don't need to know any thing specific or really have any problems. I just want to know more about body language etc beyond the basics of tail up pointing forwards = greeting.
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Oct 15, 2013 13:51
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Sorta cat related questiion here, it's for our cat anyway. We moved to a new place and it's not very warm here now that winter's coming, it's temporary until we get our house built but we'll be all winter renting. She wants to sleep in the bed all the time nowadays, or sit in our laps, she's always been extremely social but this is much even for her. Especially now that she has started to crawl in under the covers in bed and puts her nose in my face and wants to sleep like that. Cute but annoying when its 3AM and you got work in the morning. I've been looking at buying her an electric heating pad and I'm looking for tips. I'm in Finland so 220V models only. A site called zooplus has an interesting model, here's a link to their uk site: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_beds_baskets/thermal_heated_blankets/264549 Anyone used this model or has another one they'd like to recommend? I figured I could get this one and put it next to her place at the water heating element and she'd be heated from below and the side, that should make it hot enough for her. This cat used to love to sit in our glassed in balcony in summer when it'd be 40+ celsius in it. I read about pets possibly burning themselves accidentially so I'd probably put a matress on top of the pad. 
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Oct 15, 2013 14:41
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There's a brand called snugglesafe that makes heating discs you put in the microwave. It acts like a hot brick, not hot enough to burn but it'll release heat over 6 hours or so. I don't know the availability in Finland, but that's a less-risky solution than an electric blanket.
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Oct 15, 2013 15:37
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The biggest risk in my mind is te possibility of the pad catching fire I guess, we would want to keep it going when we're away and during night time. Not worried about this cat getting at the cables or chewing stuff though, neither of those interests her in the slightest.
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Oct 15, 2013 18:55
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His Divine Shadow posted:The biggest risk in my mind is te possibility of the pad catching fire I guess, we would want to keep it going when we're away and during night time. Not worried about this cat getting at the cables or chewing stuff though, neither of those interests her in the slightest. What sort of heating do you have? If you have radiators my girl cat loves her radiator hammock, they're cheap and easy to clean too. Below is Buffy smug and comfy in said hammock. 
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Oct 15, 2013 19:23
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TRISHY posted:My coworker was telling me about her moving house into an already furnished place. Did you also tell her that it isn't just the claws but part of the "finger" bones that are removed, it is an operation with associated risks and the cat might in rare circumstances die or suffer complications for the rest of its life. Also it is banned in many countries for being considered unnecessary and cruel. Sometimes people seem to see it as an easy thing free of consequences where they just clip the claws off and magically they don't grow back. Point out that claws are basically fingernails and will grow back unless you actually cut off the fingers, people tend to understand how harsh it is more when it is related directly to their own hands. It might help her to see that it would be an extreme reaction to an actual wrecked couch let alone a potential one.
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Oct 15, 2013 19:25
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Ktb posted:Did you also tell her that it isn't just the claws but part of the "finger" bones that are removed, it is an operation with associated risks and the cat might in rare circumstances die or suffer complications for the rest of its life. Also it is banned in many countries for being considered unnecessary and cruel. Sometimes people seem to see it as an easy thing free of consequences where they just clip the claws off and magically they don't grow back. Point out that claws are basically fingernails and will grow back unless you actually cut off the fingers, people tend to understand how harsh it is more when it is related directly to their own hands. It might help her to see that it would be an extreme reaction to an actual wrecked couch let alone a potential one. Not to mention that when one type of a cats defences are taken away, they need to resort to another one: namely biting more often.
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Oct 15, 2013 20:15
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Trip report. Put a curtain up around the litter box. Docile cat seemed pleased at first with the concept of pissing in peace, however rear end in a top hat cat decided that it would become his new base of operations to launch sneak attacks against Docile cat. I think the biggest problem is Trond is only like 6-7 months old and he's already bigger than Ohri, who is about a year older than him. I'm scared that I'm going to have to end up rehoming him if I can't figure out how to stop him from bite humping her and preventing her from using the litter boxes.
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Oct 15, 2013 20:37
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KasioDiscoRock posted:Not to mention that when one type of a cats defences are taken away, they need to resort to another one: namely biting more often. This is what usually gets lame people to see the light. Working at a rescue, I ran into so many bitey declawed kitties. My old roommate's cat is probably the only non-maladjusted declawed cat I've ever met. She was such a friendly mush, though. 
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Oct 15, 2013 21:48
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Soft paws are pretty cool. 
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Oct 15, 2013 22:21
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DressCodeBlue posted:This is what usually gets lame people to see the light. I've seen a couple of studies that say declawed cats have a much higher tendency to go to the toilet outside of their litter boxes as well. Especially straight after when their paws hurt too much to dig into litter and if they are one of the unlucky ones that gets complications. So she might also be trading a potentially scratched couch for a potentially lovely one. I live in the UK where declawing is banned and I tend to assume that anyone prepared to declaw a cat over potential damage to furniture must not appreciate the severity of it and think it is a more cosmetic type of procedure. Most people I have encountered that think it is a good idea don't really understand what it involves and change their minds when it is explained.
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Oct 15, 2013 22:50
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DressCodeBlue posted:Working at a rescue, I ran into so many bitey declawed kitties. My old roommate's cat is probably the only non-maladjusted declawed cat I've ever met. She was such a friendly mush, though. This is my cat too. He's a super friendly mush of a cat, so I don't know why his original owners ever got him declawed. That said, he's friendly toward all people, but seriously aggressive toward other animals. Like, even ones he should have no fear of. He still gets spooked and attacks my fiance's dog when stupid poo poo happens like the dog's claw getting caught on carpet or her jumping on the same chair as him, and that's after a year and a half of acclimitization. I've always wondered if being declawed and not having that defense made him so unable to interact in a normal manner with other animals. Don't declaw cats. It fucks up their brains.
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Oct 15, 2013 22:57
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I've mentioned this before, but it's becoming a big problem. The players: Connie: 9yo spayed female. I've been owned by her since she was 15 weeks old- she was adopted from the Humane Society and while she definitely bears the scars of a rough early life (a damaged ear and scarring on her face) she has always been a sweet, happy cat. She tends to be on the skinny side- about 7 or 8 Lbs, but she stays within healthy bounds. She's definitely the less assertive cat but she is generally pretty content- our other cat doesn't antagonize her. Dexter: 4.5yo spayed female, 12.5Lbs. We've had Dexter since she was 5 or 6 weeks old and raised her pretty intensively for the first couple of months to be cool with being handled by people. She is very zany and chill and generally an awesome cat. Her only weird behavior, and this started the day we brought her home- is that she is extremely neurotic about food. The first few weeks we had her, I had to lock her in the bathroom if I wanted to eat a sandwich. Otherwise, Dexter would climb onto my chest and try to grab the lunchmeat out of my mouth. I've always free-fed them both Iams weight control/hairball dry food. As Connie has gotten older, my vet has recommended supplementing her food with some really watery wet food because she's a bit dehydrated and at the low end of a healthy weight range- I've been using FreshPet since it has the most moisture. The issue seems to be more that Connie just doesn't eat much or drink much- Dexter doesn't chase her away from the food unless Dexter is really hungry. The only problem is that since they share food and Connie never finishes her wet food, Dexter is now getting a little too "fluffy" and I need to figure out how to reduce her weight. Challenges: If Dexter does not have food available, she will get very anxious and then binge as soon as she gets to eat, to the point where she will puke. Feeding Connie separately involves finding Connie, confining her, and getting Dexter out of that room while keeping Connie and the food in the room. This is more complicated than one might think. My husband and I can not keep regular schedules due to our jobs. What I want: A reasonable solution where both cats feel secure and properly fed, husband and I are not chained to a schedule, I don't have to spoon-feed Dexter to keep her from eating too fast. And because I hear there's a real chance of them exploding if I don't... Dexter seems to be most in danger of explosion...  Connie is a little camera-shy, but I caught her ruling over the ottoman empire:  They're good girls and they get along great- they will even share a plate! 
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Oct 16, 2013 00:05
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What about trying to put some kibble into one of those treat / kibble ball things? That way both kitties still have to work for the food, and Dexter might feel more at ease knowing that there's food available (with the added plus that it's harder to get at so it's probably less likely for her to binge on it). This is the one I have; it holds about 1/2 a cup? of food and will last a whole day for 3 cats until I get home from work.
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Oct 16, 2013 02:10
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oishii posted:What about trying to put some kibble into one of those treat / kibble ball things? That way both kitties still have to work for the food, and Dexter might feel more at ease knowing that there's food available (with the added plus that it's harder to get at so it's probably less likely for her to binge on it). That might help Dex's weight problem if having a food toy would satisfy her anxiety about having food available. Connie might play with it a little, but she's probably too laid back to really get into it. The next problem is how to keep Dexter out of Connie's "extra" food.
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Oct 16, 2013 02:30
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I feel your pain; my oldest kitty NEVER finishes her portion of wet food and it'll eventually get "cleaned" up by the other cats... If I try to isolate her she just refuses to eat (wtf cat). I had a rescued cat (from outside) who would also binge eat whenever it was dinner time; she'd gobble hers and then eat everyone else's and then promptly barf... mmmmm hot wet food on carpet. It's taken about a year(!) or something and she's finally calmed down and just eats her portion. But I definitely feel you; I have one that's a bit too fat, one that won't eat all her dinner (then complain later), one that only wants to eat someone else's dinner, etc. For now I just babysit them during "dinner" time, which is about 10 minutes each night (I know you said you cannot have a regular schedule though). Kitties- why won't you just do what's good for you? 
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Oct 16, 2013 02:41
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You could have a cubby dedicated to feeding your small cat with restricted entrance. Either a door RFID enabled by her collar or simply a cat door too small for the fatty. Just spit-balling here
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Oct 16, 2013 03:29
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I had the same problem when I had 2 cats (my ex took his when he moved out). His cat would eat everything in sight and mine would sit and look at me to intervene. When I would put out dry food, my cat would eat so much that she would puke it up. When I went to clean it, the other cat had already eaten it.... I guess she wanted a hot meal? Thankfully I no longer have that problem!
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Oct 16, 2013 04:18
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I might could do an RFID solution. Is there a good off-the-shelf system that wouldn't bug my cats too much?
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Oct 16, 2013 04:51
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