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Kind of a gross question (such is the life of cat ownership), but my cat had a dingleberry earlier. He couldn't get it off himself so I gently helped him out. I noticed when I was back there that his anus was a little inflamed. It's not the whole thing but one of the folds/bulbs I guess if you imagine how an anus looks. It's red and swollen to maybe double the size of the other folds. There's nothing left on there, but he's been cleaning it off and on for about an hour now so it must be irritating him. When I looked it was twitching, so it's probably sore (the things you have to look at). He's had soft poops get stuck before on occasion which he then over cleans so his whole butt will be red, but I've never noticed this partial inflammation before. He's a short hair so I've had plenty of opportunities to see his butt. And it doesn't seem to be anal sac related, since it's the actual anus not the surrounding areas (which I'm basing on googling what those infections look like). Anyone experience this sort of lopsided swelling? If it still looks like that in the morning I'll take him to a vet, but it's just so weird.
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Dec 1, 2013 07:32
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I got a new kitten today, so Sophie has someone to play with. I just got her home about 20 minutes ago so naturally she seems a little scared.. Her and Sophie keep staring at each other and hissing though, and not sure whether I should just let them hiss and break it up if it becomes more than that, or try keep them from being around each other for now.. Could anyone give me some advice please?  Sophie is around 11 weeks old and the other kitten is about the same, maybe slightly older.
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Dec 1, 2013 21:39
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Rah posted:I got a new kitten today, so Sophie has someone to play with. I just got her home about 20 minutes ago so naturally she seems a little scared.. Her and Sophie keep staring at each other and hissing though, and not sure whether I should just let them hiss and break it up if it becomes more than that, or try keep them from being around each other for now.. Could anyone give me some advice please? I'd let them hiss it out unless it gets actually violent. Cats are territorial, so each needs to stake out some home territory. Obviously, she has to take it away from Sophie and Sophie doesn't want to give it up. They'll negotiate a settlement eventually.
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Dec 1, 2013 21:47
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Deteriorata posted:I'd let them hiss it out unless it gets actually violent. Cats are territorial, so each needs to stake out some home territory. Obviously, she has to take it away from Sophie and Sophie doesn't want to give it up. They'll negotiate a settlement eventually. Thank you for the advice! I'm just a little worried and don't want the new kitten (she was already named Jeena but I'm going to change her name to Chloe) to be even more scared than she'd already be. Hopefully in a few days they'll be best friends and I'll have kitten piles on my lap ;D This is the pic of her from Gumtree (Like craigslist). I'll wait until she's settled a bit before I take any pictures of her. 
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Dec 1, 2013 21:52
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My kitten is almost 9 months old and eating Blue Buffalo kitten dry food. When do I switch him over to the adult version?
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Dec 2, 2013 02:30
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Lemony Fresh posted:My kitten is almost 9 months old and eating Blue Buffalo kitten dry food. When do I switch him over to the adult version? At about a year old, that's when I transitioned mine.
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Dec 2, 2013 02:36
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Looks like Chloe is starting to settle in a little, but I think there's still a long way to go. This morning when I woke up, Chloe was actually laying next to me on my pillow, which I was quite pleased about since she spent most of last night hiding in one of the draws in my desk (She managed to climb into it from behind the desk). There's still a lot of tension between her and Sophie but the most that's happened is some hissing and spitting, and I'm sure in a few days they'll calm down a little. Right now though, it seems like one of them will be in one place in my house, then the other will want to be there and they'll just stare at each other and start hissing until one of them gives up.. Right now it's a battle over the window ledge in my bedroom. Chloe was there earlier, but she came down and now Sophie went up there and Chloe keeps coming back and trying to intimidate her.. It's also really nice that whenever Sophie does get scared, she comes running straight to me.. I'm glad she feels all safe and secure around me and hopefully soon Chloe will feel the same
Rah fucked around with this message at 11:37 on Dec 2, 2013 |
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Dec 2, 2013 11:29
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So, my cats have fleas for the first time. I read the OP and didn't see any info on this. What do you guys recommend I do to make them go away and then prevent this from happening again. I live in an apartment and my cats are indoor only if that matters.
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Dec 2, 2013 17:39
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Quickest way is to take them to the vet and they'll give them capstone or whatever that kills all the fleas right quick. Afterwards, keep them on flea control. You can get decent flea only stuff without a prescription now (advantage 2 being one product) which is fine if they're indoor only. That'll do assuming it's not gotten too bad.
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Dec 2, 2013 17:44
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1997 posted:So, my cats have fleas for the first time. I read the OP and didn't see any info on this. What do you guys recommend I do to make them go away and then prevent this from happening again. I live in an apartment and my cats are indoor only if that matters. Revolution is very effective against fleas and other parasites and most vets carry it, at least down in the southern U.S. You might also want to consider giving your cats a bath if you want to How the fleas got there in the first place is an interesting question. My best guess is that either one of your recent guests brought a few stowaways or they happened to jump over from another resident of your apartment. The best advice I'd have for preventing another flea infestation would be to keep applying a preventative, like the above mentioned Revolution.
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Dec 2, 2013 17:48
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Yeah they're all over the place, especially if there is any kind of grass. Probably a couple brought in on the clothing. Just being indoor isn't flea protection enough.
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Dec 2, 2013 18:21
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Sorry to keep posting about my kittens in here so much! I'm just looking for a bit more advice if you guys don't mind. I got another kitten yesterday which I posted about, and there's been a lot of hissing between them at first. Now it seems to be turning into like mild fighting/intimidation. Sophie, who was here first seems to keep following Chloe around and just wont leave her alone, and keeps trying to attack her (The most that's happened so far is them trying to scratch each other). Should I separate them for a while or just leave them and break it up if it seems to get any worse?
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Dec 2, 2013 18:55
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Rah posted:Looks like Chloe is starting to settle in a little, but I think there's still a long way to go. Yay for a new kitten! It has only been a few days, so don't worry too much over any perceived skittishness or hiding. It takes anywhere from *instantly* for super friendly kittens to weeks or months for a cat to be truly comfortable in a new home. I look forward to your posts where you complain about sharing a pillow with two cats. 
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Dec 2, 2013 19:02
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I use frontline tri-whatever on my cat, we use it on the cats at our shelter and it seems to work decently. Flees usually drop off the next day. I do hear good things about Revolution as well (more specifically for outdoor cats), but I haven't tried it. I would get either of these over a flee bath or collar, but they are a bit pricey.Asiina posted:Kind of a gross question (such is the life of cat ownership), but my cat had a dingleberry earlier. He couldn't get it off himself so I gently helped him out. I noticed when I was back there that his anus was a little inflamed. It's not the whole thing but one of the folds/bulbs I guess if you imagine how an anus looks. It's red and swollen to maybe double the size of the other folds. There's nothing left on there, but he's been cleaning it off and on for about an hour now so it must be irritating him. When I looked it was twitching, so it's probably sore (the things you have to look at). Sounds like something is bothering him down there if he's grooming so often, probably a good idea to check with the vet. Has the texture of his poops changed at all? I have a manx short hair with a puffy stub tail, so I tend to have to clean her butt once a day. It does occasionally get sore but Ive never seen swelling. How old is he? JayJay fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Dec 2, 2013 |
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Dec 2, 2013 19:11
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Rah posted:Sorry to keep posting about my kittens in here so much! I'm just looking for a bit more advice if you guys don't mind. Make sure they each have space to sleep, eat and defecate which is 'theirs' and a shared area, they'll come round quick enough. Swap their beds or blankets after a few days can help as social cats go by the smell mixture in a place. Help mix it up and they settle in faster.
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Dec 2, 2013 19:28
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Ratzap posted:Make sure they each have space to sleep, eat and defecate which is 'theirs' and a shared area, they'll come round quick enough. Swap their beds or blankets after a few days can help as social cats go by the smell mixture in a place. Help mix it up and they settle in faster. Thanks. Sophie usually sleeps in bed with me, but last night she didn't because Chloe had decided to come sleep on my pillow. I also have an extra litter tray and food/water bowls, but they both tend to just use either litter tray and eat from whichever bowls they feel like. I'll buy some cat beds and try your suggestion though It kinda makes me sad that Sophie hasn't been as cuddly as usual since Chloe got here. Usually Sophie would spend 90% of her time cuddled up to me, but Chloe is around me a lot now and so Sophie avoids me.. I just want them to get along so I can get plenty of cuddles from them both :')
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Dec 2, 2013 19:30
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Rah posted:It kinda makes me sad that Sophie hasn't been as cuddly as usual since Chloe got here. Usually Sophie would spend 90% of her time cuddled up to me, but Chloe is around me a lot now and so Sophie avoids me.. I just want them to get along so I can get plenty of cuddles from them both :') They will once they are comfortable with each other. When cats are wary they avoid exposing themselves to attack. I take it you play with them together? You just have to wait really and let them deal with each other. You've provided the basics and so long as they have a place of their own to retreat to it usually ends well enough.
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Dec 2, 2013 21:23
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Ratzap posted:They will once they are comfortable with each other. When cats are wary they avoid exposing themselves to attack. I take it you play with them together? You just have to wait really and let them deal with each other. You've provided the basics and so long as they have a place of their own to retreat to it usually ends well enough. Thanks for the reply. At the moment I can't play with them both together because they start hissing and chasing each other.. Hopefully in a few days it'll settle down though and I can get them to spend time together having fun There have been a few occasions so far where they've been quite close without hissing, but it usually only lasts 20 - 30 seconds and then they're back at it. Oh, just another question.. Would it be a good idea to bath them both so they both smell the same? Or use a little perfume on them? Hopefully if they both smell the same they'll accept each other quicker. Rah fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Dec 2, 2013 |
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Dec 2, 2013 22:21
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Hey you guys. I have a 5 year old rescue cat with CRF that I've started giving sub-q fluids daily. She's also got a kidney infection that she's on 60(!) days of antibiotics for. Today she started peeing on my jacket, and it's pretty much clear and odourless. She's seeing a vet regularly and I'm gonna call him tomorrow. I'm just looking for anyone who's been in a similar position and how it went from here with other people. It's so tough, and I don't really know what to expect. The vet says it could go either way, which doesn't really contain any actual information. Here's a pic of little Mothra being bored by the internet. 
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Dec 3, 2013 04:36
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 A majestic photo of my cat, Katinka Ingabogovinanana, otherwise known as "Kitty".  11 year old DSH tortie, adopted her 10 years ago at the same shelter I volunteer at. She's got quite the personality and thinks she runs the joint. Also has all of her claws but only half her teeth due to mysterious circumstances before she was picked up by the shelter. Does not stop her from being fierce as gently caress.She has a new hobby of showing up in my room in the wee hours of the morning and curling up somewhere around or on me. A few days ago, I woke up to cat rear end in my face since she decided my face/pillow were her throne for the morning. Another time she slept against my laptop keyboard like she was using it. Unfortunately I often do not know she's on my bed and I end up rolling over or disturbing her when I wake up in the morning.  Yet this does not stop her from continuing this odd ritual.Introductions aside - I have a question about some behavior she picked up months ago. She has this weird habit of backing up against walls/cabinets/anything solid and thumping her back left foot against it. It sounds like someone knocking furiously against a door. She doesn't spray piss or anything while doing it, just thumps and walks away. Is this behavior normal? What is it and what does it mean? She also has a habit of caterwauling after doing it, or just yowling her head off while opening up cabinets or doors. After opening things up, she pokes around inside before just walking away and moving on to another cabinet conquest. She does it pretty often. I've dubbed it "Awesome Kitty Adventure" when she explores.
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Dec 3, 2013 05:28
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I feel like there was a bit of progress with Sophie and Chloe today. They were actually both asleep cuddled up to me (Not directly touching each other though)... And then when they woke up Sophie tried to groom Chloe by licking her ear. After about 30 seconds though Chloe didn't like it and the hissing and chasing around started again, but I'm pleased there's been a small amount of progress
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Dec 3, 2013 14:18
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Rah posted:I feel like there was a bit of progress with Sophie and Chloe today. They were actually both asleep cuddled up to me (Not directly touching each other though)... And then when they woke up Sophie tried to groom Chloe by licking her ear. After about 30 seconds though Chloe didn't like it and the hissing and chasing around started again, but I'm pleased there's been a small amount of progress I would say that is actually huge progress in such a short time, seems like you are on the right track. How are you feeding them? Do they eat together in the same room without a fight? Food and play are usually the best tools to get them together and bonding. I would try playing with them and giving them both a treat when they play good. If you don't have one already, get yourself an interactive cat rod/wand toy with a strip of fabric or a rope and feather chaser.
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Dec 3, 2013 16:52
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JayJay posted:I would say that is actually huge progress in such a short time, seems like you are on the right track. How are you feeding them? Do they eat together in the same room without a fight? Food and play are usually the best tools to get them together and bonding. I would try playing with them and giving them both a treat when they play good. If you don't have one already, get yourself an interactive cat rod/wand toy with a strip of fabric or a rope and feather chaser. Well this evening it seems to have reverted back to how it was before.. Maybe even worse. They've been fighting quite rough and I constantly have to like clap my hands and pull them apart and things to stop it (And then it only lasts until I let go of them again). At the moment they have their food bowls in separate rooms, but Sophie often comes and eats from Chloe's food bowl too. I've not seen Chloe eat from Sophie's at all yet though... I do have one of those wand things but I don't think they'd be willing to play with it together just yet.
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Dec 3, 2013 17:45
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Rah posted:Well this evening it seems to have reverted back to how it was before.. Maybe even worse. They've been fighting quite rough and I constantly have to like clap my hands and pull them apart and things to stop it (And then it only lasts until I let go of them again). At the moment they have their food bowls in separate rooms, but Sophie often comes and eats from Chloe's food bowl too. I've not seen Chloe eat from Sophie's at all yet though... I do have one of those wand things but I don't think they'd be willing to play with it together just yet. Have you actually tried? You'd be surprised.
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Dec 3, 2013 17:48
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Araenna posted:Have you actually tried? You'd be surprised. I actually just tried now after making the post, but they wont both play with it together. If I try play with them both at the same time with it, as soon as they get close to each other they start hissing again.. Most of the time, Chloe wasn't interested in getting close to Sophie while playing, so it was mainly Sophie doing all the playing.. I guess it's at least a good way to stop the fighting for a little while
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Dec 3, 2013 17:59
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Rah posted:Well this evening it seems to have reverted back to how it was before.. Maybe even worse. They've been fighting quite rough and I constantly have to like clap my hands and pull them apart and things to stop it (And then it only lasts until I let go of them again). At the moment they have their food bowls in separate rooms, but Sophie often comes and eats from Chloe's food bowl too. I've not seen Chloe eat from Sophie's at all yet though... I do have one of those wand things but I don't think they'd be willing to play with it together just yet. Is there blood? If not, you may just want to let them wale on each other until they're tired, and stop breaking it up - it sounds like they're both into the fight, it's not one cat stalking and pouncing on the other.
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Dec 3, 2013 18:52
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Engineer Lenk posted:Is there blood? If not, you may just want to let them wale on each other until they're tired, and stop breaking it up - it sounds like they're both into the fight, it's not one cat stalking and pouncing on the other. There's not been any blood yet, but I really don't want them getting hurt.. And yes, it's both of them who are fighting and pouncing on each other. I usually just break it up though when they're like curled up together biting each other in the head/neck because they start meowing and hissing a lot.. Maybe I'm just being overly cautious since this is the first time I've owned any cats, but I love them both so much and would be upset if one was to get hurt while I just let it happen.
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Dec 3, 2013 19:05
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Can you post a video of them fighting? We might be able to tell based on their body language whether it's actual fighting or just kittens rough housing. Also, they are absurdly cute and we need this data. For science.
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Dec 3, 2013 19:36
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Rah posted:Oh, just another question.. Would it be a good idea to bath them both so they both smell the same? Or use a little perfume on them? Hopefully if they both smell the same they'll accept each other quicker. Probably not, their sense of smell is amazingly powerful and sensitive. They'd still be able to pick out each others 'thread' underneath anything. Cats like dogs will shove their nose right into very strong smelling things, they are getting the weaker notes underneath the pong that our poor organs simply can't make out. On the fighting bit: if there's no squealing involved it's probably just play. If the bites are hurting one will generally squeal and try to get away. Ratzap fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 19:40
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Robo Kitty posted:Can you post a video of them fighting? We might be able to tell based on their body language whether it's actual fighting or just kittens rough housing. At the moment they're both quite calm, but next time they're fighting I'll try get a video of it. Ratzap posted:Probably not, their sense of smell is amazingly powerful and sensitive. They'd still be able to pick out each others 'thread' underneath anything. Cats like dogs will shove their nose right into very strong smelling things, they are getting the weaker notes underneath the pong that our poor organs simply can't make out. There does tend to be a lot of squealing and hissing when they're fighting and then one of them will run away, but as soon as the other turns their back, they're pouncing on the other again, even though they just ran off a few seconds before. I also tried rubbing them both with a tower earlier to try swap their scents (Not sure where I read it, but I know I read it somewhere). It's kind of strange though. They're either very calm or very viscous with each other. Right now I have Sophie cuddled up to my shoulder, and Chloe laying on my lap, and neither of them care in the slightest that the other is so close.. Maybe they're just both exhausted from all the fighting earlier and decided to have a truce until they've rested a little lol Rah fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 20:04
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Saturday morning I woke up and went into the spare bedroom to find my kitten (3ish months old now) surrounded by bloody blankets and totally lethargic. Freaked out, took her to the vet, and after they ran blood work and did a full x-ray they diagnosed it as a really nasty upper respiratory infection, gave her an antibiotic shot and a bunch of fluids to bring her 106 degree fever down and sent us home with more antibiotics and a syringe for giving her pedilyte for a few days. She's doing a lot better now, eating, slowly finding a little more energy (mostly still just sleeping) so we're out of the woods I guess so long as we keep up with her antibiotics. I'm just wondering how I could have missed this? I don't think she was showing any signs of it - she was hopping around like normal the night before, hanging off my shoes when I walked, trying to eat my face and stuff, etc. etc. like normal. And then bam, thought she was gonna die. I guess it was blood mixed with other fluids, but it seriously looked like someone spilled half a glass of red wine, and she's only like, 3 lbs. Are there signs I wouldn't know to look for? I didn't even hear any weird breathing I don't think, but maybe I just didn't know what I was listening for.
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Dec 3, 2013 22:12
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triskadekaphilia posted:Saturday morning I woke up and went into the spare bedroom to find my kitten (3ish months old now) surrounded by bloody blankets and totally lethargic. Freaked out, took her to the vet, and after they ran blood work and did a full x-ray they diagnosed it as a really nasty upper respiratory infection, gave her an antibiotic shot and a bunch of fluids to bring her 106 degree fever down and sent us home with more antibiotics and a syringe for giving her pedilyte for a few days. Oh god that's awful. I don't have any advice to give, but I hope she makes a quick recovery
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Dec 3, 2013 22:20
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triskadekaphilia posted:Saturday morning I woke up and went into the spare bedroom to find my kitten (3ish months old now) surrounded by bloody blankets and totally lethargic. Freaked out, took her to the vet, and after they ran blood work and did a full x-ray they diagnosed it as a really nasty upper respiratory infection, gave her an antibiotic shot and a bunch of fluids to bring her 106 degree fever down and sent us home with more antibiotics and a syringe for giving her pedilyte for a few days. Cats hide illness really well. If you can tell they're sick, it's because they're really badly off and can't hide it any more. The only thing you can really do is keep an eye on their habits, so you can tell if they're not eating and drinking as much or if they're being more reclusive when usual.
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Dec 3, 2013 23:26
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triskadekaphilia posted:Saturday morning I woke up and went into the spare bedroom to find my kitten (3ish months old now) surrounded by bloody blankets and totally lethargic. Freaked out, took her to the vet, and after they ran blood work and did a full x-ray they diagnosed it as a really nasty upper respiratory infection, gave her an antibiotic shot and a bunch of fluids to bring her 106 degree fever down and sent us home with more antibiotics and a syringe for giving her pedilyte for a few days. Seconding Serella, cats are notoriously good at hiding illness. It is an instinct to keep any weakness hidden (as far as I have been told) so it is a very strong drive. You were not being careless or anything, and I'm glad you caught it in time.
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Dec 3, 2013 23:58
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four lean hounds posted:Seconding Serella, cats are notoriously good at hiding illness. It is an instinct to keep any weakness hidden (as far as I have been told) so it is a very strong drive. You were not being careless or anything, and I'm glad you caught it in time. That, and young kittens in particular are notorious for crashing very suddenly. Hope everything turns out ok.
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Dec 4, 2013 03:21
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Why the hell does my 18 year old cat crave fruit and go insane with desire if it's within visual range
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Dec 4, 2013 03:40
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muike posted:Why the hell does my 18 year old cat crave fruit and go insane with desire if it's within visual range Because you have a cat? give it an apple slice and take a video of the cat with it.
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Dec 4, 2013 08:41
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Serella posted:Cats hide illness really well. If you can tell they're sick, it's because they're really badly off and can't hide it any more. The only thing you can really do is keep an eye on their habits, so you can tell if they're not eating and drinking as much or if they're being more reclusive when usual. I had a cat, when she was about 10, and she had a respiratory infection so bad she was wheezing. You could hear her from across the room. If it hadn't been for the wheezing, no one would ever have known. She acted normal, purred and stuff still, just wheezed the whole time. My 2 year old will run around on three legs when one of her knees slip. Cats just don't give any fucks.
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Dec 4, 2013 10:31
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Why does my kitten paw at the walls on the inside of the litter box after he's done covering his pee/crap? He does this often and it drives me crazy. Weirdo. I'm pretty sure his sister does it too, but I've only seen him do it consistently. 
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Dec 4, 2013 10:56
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| # ? May 17, 2024 00:13 |
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Just a quick update.. I can't believe how quickly Sophie and Chloe are getting used to each other. Right now I have them both cuddled up to me, and they're actually right next to each other and touching.. The fighting also hasn't been as bad today.. It's mainly seemed like play fighting, since I've not really heard any hissing.. Just a little bit of squealing every now and then. I'm really pleased they seem to be getting along now.. Hopefully it wont revert back to all the hissing at each other :') I wish I could get a pic of this right now.. But they're both on my lap and I can't reach my phone and don't want to disturb them.. Right now Sophie is resting her head on Chloe's back while they both sleep. It's really so adorable and makes me really happy that they're getting along
Rah fucked around with this message at 13:56 on Dec 4, 2013 |
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Dec 4, 2013 13:35
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