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Organza Quiz posted:If it were me I'd just keep her inside and give her lots of love and treats and play with her a lot until she got used to being inside. It's not cruel to keep a cat inside in theory, especially if they're young enough to get used to it. That said, if you want to let her out a bit but don't want her escaping, you can let her out on a harness for a while. Then she can still run around and sniff things and chase stuff, but she can't get out of your sight. Another Dolly related incident today: She went out and straight over the back wall, immediately started crying. We couldn't find her and 10 minutes later we're getting phone calls about her being near the railway lines and the main road (she has my girlfriend's mobile number on her collar). We managed to retrieve her but it's becoming ridiculous: if she escapes we have to just wait for the string of inevitable phone calls. She's too wild to be kept indoors all the time, a few days without going outside and she behaves really badly and also wants to go outside so it feels cruel not to let her. We put the harness on her once and she just lay on the floor sulking. We're considering re-homing her to somewhere like a farm where this wouldn't be an issue. The thing is we're her fourth home (and got her at only 5 weeks old!) so are reluctant to give up on her but things can't continue as thee are. Obligatory picture: 
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Dec 7, 2013 14:56
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Mirthless posted:Bit unrelated, but we recently found an Armarkat cat tree sitting outside one of the dumpsters at our apartment complex. It's absolutely gigantic, and all four of our cats love it. They make a good product! I'm still shocked somebody threw it away - it's in rough shape but it's nothing a vacuum and a few screws couldn't fix. That is awesome. They make incredible products for the price. Heres mine new, its 6 months old now and still going strong:  Lofty132 posted:Another Dolly related incident today: Why do you think its not being outdoors that makes her behave badly? Also can you be more specific on what you mean by behaving badly? Is she going outside the litter box? Being aggressive? Shredding furniture/objects? It's not just about keeping her indoors, you need to also keep her energy levels down and keep her interested in her new environment. The harness does take training before she will be comfortable in it. Use treats to encourage her to move around with it on. Associate the harness with something positive. I would really hate to see a cat that has been moved around that many times rehomed again.
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Dec 7, 2013 15:32
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Organza Quiz posted:That's a pretty good idea if shaving won't help. She has a wooden bowl that she likes to lie in and I've seen her find another couple of cool places on very hot days so she is reasonably good at finding places to not overheat if necessary, but more and cooler can't hurt. It's just that if having less fur would make her more comfortable I'd rather do that. Her normal schedule is chasing butterflies (and catching and eating them) all morning before having a snooze in the afternoon and if it's too hot for her to do that she ends up with too much energy come evening. For example, she's being a total dickhead right now since it's cooled down a bit and she basically didn't move all day. So anything that'll make it easier for her to work off young cat energy (she's just over a year old) during the day is a plus for me. Florida goon with a long-haired cat here. Tile floors and the porcelain sink and bathtub are where my cat loves to laze around during the summer months - those materials are well insulated and stay cool even during the height of summer. However, my cat is an indoor cat and by the butterfly comment it sounds like your cat is mainly outdoors. Outdoor cats are a very bad idea in general, as far as I'm concerned, and my cat, who's a long-hair of indeterminate breed, usually avoids the screened-in porch during the summer.
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Dec 7, 2013 16:44
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WetSpink posted:Is there some kind of webpage or infographic with progression of stages of cat starvation - my cat still acts perfectly happy and healthy, and doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort. I know she isn't eating due to the nausea caused by the bleeding in her bowel (or possibly bowel cancer) but I don't know how long to keep trying to get her to eat and possibly get past this, or when it's time to let her go. This must be awful for you. Have you tried tuna?
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Dec 7, 2013 16:59
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Cythereal posted:Florida goon with a long-haired cat here. Tile floors and the porcelain sink and bathtub are where my cat loves to laze around during the summer months - those materials are well insulated and stay cool even during the height of summer. However, my cat is an indoor cat and by the butterfly comment it sounds like your cat is mainly outdoors. Outdoor cats are a very bad idea in general, as far as I'm concerned, and my cat, who's a long-hair of indeterminate breed, usually avoids the screened-in porch during the summer. Actually, she only has access to a pretty well cat-proofed backyard in terms of outdoors. She's out there a lot when it's not too hot for her because it's full of interesting things but when it's hot she's inside moping all day. She's capable of finding coolish places to sleep indoors, I'd just prefer her being more comfortable in general rather than melting into the floor. I wouldn't mind so much if she was a bit older and more prone to sleeping all day but as is she gets really antsy as soon as it starts cooling down because she hasn't done anything all day.
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Dec 7, 2013 17:46
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Organza Quiz posted:Actually, she only has access to a pretty well cat-proofed backyard in terms of outdoors. She's out there a lot when it's not too hot for her because it's full of interesting things but when it's hot she's inside moping all day. She's capable of finding coolish places to sleep indoors, I'd just prefer her being more comfortable in general rather than melting into the floor. I wouldn't mind so much if she was a bit older and more prone to sleeping all day but as is she gets really antsy as soon as it starts cooling down because she hasn't done anything all day. I had my cat shaved one summer to see if it made any difference, and he's much fluffier than yours. It didn't seem to make much of a difference. It usually gets over 100 F here during the summer, about the temperatures you're reporting, and my cat is indeed very lethargic when it's that hot out and usually retreats indoors. Shaving your cat likely would help a little, but in my experience cats don't like to be active when it's that hot out. My cat usually gets more active in the evenings during the summer.
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Dec 7, 2013 20:21
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4R7 THi3F posted:http://www.purrfectpost.com/Mondo_Scratching_Video.html Jesus, what a waste of cash. I was recently advised to buy a horizontal cat scratcher, the one I got was made out of cardboard and is still going strong 2 months later. B Cat has stopped scratching the carpet up too. Maybe your cat is a horizontal scratcher? I would use the $200 on buying a huge rear end cat tree, I've seen them for £75 on ebay, so imagine what you get for $200!
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Dec 7, 2013 20:55
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JayJay posted:Check these out for 90 bucks. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BYQ16O/ The entire thing is literally a giant scratching post with platforms. Thanks for posting that - I'm seriously thinking about getting that one now. I would have assumed that something like that would be $200 or so, but that's a hell of a price. Don't look forward to the assembly, though. Okay, here's my question... are there any good forums for people looking for homes for cats? I've been planning this for months, but for various reasons I would like to rehome my medium-hair cat Valentina. She's about 7 months old, vaccinated and spayed with a pleasant, low-maintenance disposition. She's affectionate but not much on being held. I don't want to just drop her in a shelter and I'm not going to deal with the pikey fuckers that plaque craigslist, but I'm worried about finding her a home not only due to my general paranoia and hatred for humankind but also because she had to have her tail amputated. It causes her no real impediment and she's in great form apart from that, but you know how people are. I'm just wondering if there are any forums/organizations that can put good cats with good cat owners. I'm in the Northwestern quadrant of the US, right on the Oregon border, and am willing to travel a good distance to help put her in a good home. If bychance any goons in the general area might be interested, she's a sweet kitten and again I would be willing to travel a good distance to make sure she's taken care of.
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Dec 7, 2013 21:45
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JayJay posted:Why do you think its not being outdoors that makes her behave badly? Also can you be more specific on what you mean by behaving badly? Is she going outside the litter box? Being aggressive? Shredding furniture/objects? It's not just about keeping her indoors, you need to also keep her energy levels down and keep her interested in her new environment. The harness does take training before she will be comfortable in it. Use treats to encourage her to move around with it on. Associate the harness with something positive. I would really hate to see a cat that has been moved around that many times rehomed again. She harasses the other older cat, claws furniture and chews rugs/whatever she can fine. She knocks things over seemingly on purpose, she assumes everything is hers. She tries to dominate the older cat and often runs wild around the house chasing the older cat, not afraid to run right over someone and clawing them in the process. She also is still quite bitey at times. Since she has been back today she has been very well behaved, probably because she is worn out. I don't want to re home her but they're my girlfriend's cats really.
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Dec 7, 2013 22:23
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Lofty132 posted:She harasses the other older cat, claws furniture and chews rugs/whatever she can fine. She knocks things over seemingly on purpose, she assumes everything is hers. She tries to dominate the older cat and often runs wild around the house chasing the older cat, not afraid to run right over someone and clawing them in the process. She also is still quite bitey at times. Since she has been back today she has been very well behaved, probably because she is worn out. I don't want to re home her but they're my girlfriend's cats really. That honestly sounds like very cat I've ever owned. Nothing you probably can't break with training, honestly.
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Dec 7, 2013 22:31
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Lofty132 posted:She harasses the other older cat, claws furniture and chews rugs/whatever she can fine. She knocks things over seemingly on purpose, she assumes everything is hers. She tries to dominate the older cat and often runs wild around the house chasing the older cat, not afraid to run right over someone and clawing them in the process. She also is still quite bitey at times. Since she has been back today she has been very well behaved, probably because she is worn out. I don't want to re home her but they're my girlfriend's cats really. Sounds like a kitten all right. I would suggest getting great toys, like DaBird, and keep her running continuously around until she literally flops over and pants. It will take you less than 20 minutes if you are really doing it right. Repeat at least twice a day, if not three time. I bet many of your problems will be almost solved.
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Dec 7, 2013 22:36
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Blinks posted:Jesus, what a waste of cash. I actually did some systematic preference assessments as a poster project when I got my second cat, to see if there were preferences between scratching post medium, angle, and location. Turns out that sometimes it matters with cardboard vs. sisal, vertical vs. horizontal, or living room vs. bedroom. So playing around with placement etc. can help out.
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Dec 8, 2013 01:38
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Cythereal posted:I had my cat shaved one summer to see if it made any difference, and he's much fluffier than yours. It didn't seem to make much of a difference. It usually gets over 100 F here during the summer, about the temperatures you're reporting, and my cat is indeed very lethargic when it's that hot out and usually retreats indoors. Shaving your cat likely would help a little, but in my experience cats don't like to be active when it's that hot out. My cat usually gets more active in the evenings during the summer. Thanks, that's good to know. I guess I'll just try and make things as comfortable indoors as I can for her. By the way, I don't remember who it was who recommended getting our cats to eat together as a way of getting the older cat (Amber) to hate the younger cat (Pepper) less, but we have been doing that and it really has worked wonders. We started on opposite sides of a door and went to a babygate-like-thing and now they eat about a metre apart without anything between them at all. Amber does still dislike Pepper and I don't think that will ever change but she doesn't chase her anymore, she just leaves her alone unless Pepper actively bothers her. And Pepper doesn't bother her so much except for testing whether Amber wants to be her friend yet every few weeks or so. It's definitely a much more peaceful household in general.
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Dec 8, 2013 03:26
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My 2 gorgeous little kitties, Sophie and Chloe snuggled up together in bed  A few days ago it felt like it'd be like a war zone here forever, but I guess now that Chloe has been here a while they've become friends :')  Organza Quiz posted:And Pepper doesn't bother her so much except for testing whether Amber wants to be her friend yet every few weeks or so. Poor Pepper  All she wants is a friend and Amber is so mean to her
Rah fucked around with this message at 07:04 on Dec 8, 2013 |
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Dec 8, 2013 07:01
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Cat came home this morning with a feel so sorry for the little guy, his cold seemed to be getting much better **edited to include me having a closer look at a cat weiner DesperateDan fucked around with this message at 14:52 on Dec 8, 2013 |
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Dec 8, 2013 11:00
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Rah posted:Poor Pepper Our previous cat bullied Amber for 14 years until the day she died (not too much information on introducing cats properly on the internet in 1998) so as far as Amber's concerned nothing good ever comes from other cats. Honestly we're just glad that she's content to leave Pepper alone and isn't continuing the bullying cycle. It is still pretty cute though watching Pepper follow her around at a safe distance and try to play with her and imitate her. Hopefully next year I'll be moving out to somewhere where Pepper can have a proper animal friend who actually likes her.
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Dec 8, 2013 12:24
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Araenna posted:That honestly sounds like very cat I've ever owned. Nothing you probably can't break with training, honestly. Bad Mitten posted:Sounds like a kitten all right. I would suggest getting great toys, like DaBird, and keep her running continuously around until she literally flops over and pants. It will take you less than 20 minutes if you are really doing it right. Repeat at least twice a day, if not three time. I bet many of your problems will be almost solved. Thanks guys I have made this point to my girlfriend in the past but will push it strongly, I don't want to get rid of Dolly, she always seeks me out to sleep on and has grown on me despite my being a dog person.
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Dec 8, 2013 17:32
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Lofty132 posted:Thanks guys I have made this point to my girlfriend in the past but will push it strongly, I don't want to get rid of Dolly, she always seeks me out to sleep on and has grown on me despite my being a dog person. Be careful what you say. Last time someone said he wasn't really a cat person, just a dog person, he got turned into a cat-loving maniac within a year with magical pet introduction powers.
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Dec 8, 2013 20:54
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Rah posted:My 2 gorgeous little kitties, Sophie and Chloe snuggled up together in bed This makes me insanely jealous. Arthur Cat and Benjamin Cat have licked each other twice, and even then it has escalated to scrapping. I think Arthur Cat tolerates Benjamin Cat, but doesn't really like him. I long for kitten/cat piles
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Dec 8, 2013 21:11
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GabrielAisling posted:Be careful what you say. Last time someone said he wasn't really a cat person, just a dog person, he got turned into a cat-loving maniac within a year with magical pet introduction powers. This happened to me. I am now cat guy.
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Dec 8, 2013 22:08
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Question for you guys. My aunts cat has a liver shunt and can't digest protein. She's already taken him to the vet and gotten the diagnosis. Vet said to put him on a low protein diet or pay for a surgery. My aunt can't afford the surgery so she's been trying to get a decent diet for the little guy but she's having troubles. Dude is hungry all the time. Can anyone recommend a low protein diet or a site that deals with that kind of thing?
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Dec 9, 2013 01:05
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Blinks posted:This makes me insanely jealous. Arthur Cat and Benjamin Cat have licked each other twice, and even then it has escalated to scrapping. I think Arthur Cat tolerates Benjamin Cat, but doesn't really like him. Oh that's a shame Sophie and Chloe have been together a week now and I'm so surprised how quickly they've become friends. The first few days were horrible. There was constant hissing and fighting between them, but now there's no more hissing (Well, Chloe sometimes hisses at Sophie when she comes to try steal Chloe's food while she's eating).Oh, on the topic of food. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to stop Sophie eating Chloe's food? They're usually fed dry food and then a pouch each of wet food once a day. They both have separate food bowls in separate rooms, and Sophie will usually eat all of her's and then like an hour or two later she'll finish off the rest of Chloe's... Maybe Chloe doesn't mind it since she's a slow eater, but I cant help but think it's not fair for Chloe when Sophie is eating all the tastiest food..
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Dec 9, 2013 02:29
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Asha is having a big turn around, she ate just over half a pound of cooked chicken today which is encouraging. Going to boil up another one tonight and hope it keeps getting better.
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Dec 9, 2013 04:11
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WetSpink posted:Asha is having a big turn around, she ate just over half a pound of cooked chicken today which is encouraging. Going to boil up another one tonight and hope it keeps getting better. That's great to hear! I keep thinking about your poor cat. I'm no expert, but I think too much food after a fast can be damaging- make sure not to stuff her.
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Dec 9, 2013 04:26
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in_cahoots posted:That's great to hear! I keep thinking about your poor cat. I'm no expert, but I think too much food after a fast can be damaging- make sure not to stuff her. Me too, with regards to thinking about her. It's sure hard to get to sleep with 15 years of memories tumbling around in your head! I woke up this morning ready to call the vet to book having her put down, but this is a very nice surprise. I hope it continues. I'll save the chicken til tomorrow (but still boil it up and portion it out tonight) as I think she got enough to ease her back into eating today.
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Dec 9, 2013 04:38
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My housemate has gone away for the night and left me in charge of her new cat, Brie. Brie has been fine for a few days but was a little bit off her food to begin with. So of course tonight she decides to do a super loose poop with blood in and I am really worried as to what to do. I have no car and no way of getting to a vet. If I could I have sweet gently caress all to pay a vet. Housemate has been texted but it is almost 5am so she is asleep. Cat seems okay but I cannot sleep as I am very worried. If the cat flops over in my care I have absolutely no way of helping past calling my housemate to wake her up and demanding she drives home RIGHT NOW and then spending three hours hoping nothing else happens.
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Dec 9, 2013 05:41
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Rah posted:Oh, on the topic of food. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to stop Sophie eating Chloe's food? They're usually fed dry food and then a pouch each of wet food once a day. They both have separate food bowls in separate rooms, and Sophie will usually eat all of her's and then like an hour or two later she'll finish off the rest of Chloe's... Maybe Chloe doesn't mind it since she's a slow eater, but I cant help but think it's not fair for Chloe when Sophie is eating all the tastiest food.. There's probably not a way to do it besides getting one of those rfid cat feeding boxes, but you should figure something out (like training them to eat a whole meal at once instead of grazing) or else Sophie is going to get really fat. Not to scare you but it's a problem that's easier to prevent than treat.
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Dec 9, 2013 06:55
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Rah posted:Oh that's a shame Pick up the bowls after fifteen minutes. Maybe half an hour if Chloe's still eating. She'll be more likely to eat all her food before it goes away, and it'll keep Sophie from snacking on the leftovers.
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Dec 9, 2013 07:54
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Hicks now seems absolutely fine, no snot/drool, back eating dry food as well as wet. Apparently the bruising to the base of the penis was probably just due to some rough loving, so he is finally in for the snip next month (should have booked it ages ago) Here's a picture to celebrate. "the gently caress did you wake me up for with that drat camera again" As for the snip, will it reduce his chances of getting into fights?
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Dec 9, 2013 16:11
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DesperateDan posted:Hicks now seems absolutely fine, no snot/drool, back eating dry food as well as wet. Apparently the bruising to the base of the penis was probably just due to some rough loving, so he is finally in for the snip next month (should have booked it ages ago) Here's a picture to celebrate. You let your unfixed cat outside???
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Dec 9, 2013 16:28
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Hummingbirds posted:You let your unfixed cat outside??? Yes, he came to us as a stray a few months ago, and various poo poo lead to us not booking the snip immediately after getting him checked and chipped, which was a lovely thing to do. It's now booked in. Any idea on if it will help him stop getting into fights?
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Dec 9, 2013 16:38
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It might. It will likely stop him from spraying as well. And filling the neighborhood with dozens of kittens that will end up in a shelter.
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Dec 9, 2013 18:07
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Will ring up in the morning to see what the process is for getting cancelled appointments. Really, I acknowledge it was stupid not to prioritize it, and now I'm looking at projected numbers of kittens in horror.
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Dec 9, 2013 21:17
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My cat likes chewing on plants and leaves. We set up a Christmas tree in the living room, and he's taken to chewing on the branches and needles. Are pine trees/sap/needles toxic to cats? 
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Dec 10, 2013 03:32
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A pine christmas tree for a chewer doesn't sound like a good idea according to a quick internet source: http://www.catchannel.com/experts/marilyn-krieger/cats-and-christmas-trees.aspx. You may want to call your vet. Also, hosing your tree down with a bitter apple spray may be a positive move. For a full listing of very specific types of pine (or any plant) and your cat's health, the ASPCA is a wonder resource: (http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants).
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Dec 10, 2013 04:30
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Any reccomendations for litterboxes? I've skimmed the OP and didn't see anything. We'll be getting a bonded pair of cats in the coming month and wanted to make sure everything is ready. (don't worry, they're not 'gift kitties', we just wanted to wait until I was out of class so we had plenty of bonding time)
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Dec 10, 2013 19:39
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Pollyanna posted:My cat likes chewing on plants and leaves. We set up a Christmas tree in the living room, and he's taken to chewing on the branches and needles. Are pine trees/sap/needles toxic to cats? I don't know the answer to your specific question, but I just wanted to throw this out there: I finally figured out a way to keep plants in my living room! I found a really weird industrial bird cage in a thrift store, and I put all my plants in there. They can get sun-light, it's aesthetically pleasing, and my cat can't get to them. eta ugh i can't type today 4R7 THi3F fucked around with this message at 19:57 on Dec 10, 2013 |
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Dec 10, 2013 19:45
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Pollyanna posted:My cat likes chewing on plants and leaves. We set up a Christmas tree in the living room, and he's taken to chewing on the branches and needles. Are pine trees/sap/needles toxic to cats? Pine is very poisonous to cats, but more worrying is that the tree is likely sprayed with all kinds of chemicals to make it Christmas ready. Really trying not to alarm you, but as others said, get a vet visit ASAP if you see any changes at all in digestion, activity, eating, etc. And do not let him chew it!
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Dec 10, 2013 21:19
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MindSet posted:Any reccomendations for litterboxes? I've skimmed the OP and didn't see anything. We'll be getting a bonded pair of cats in the coming month and wanted to make sure everything is ready. There's a lot of different ways to go... homemade giant rubbermaid type tubs you fill with litter for a good cheap solution, booda dome for a covered purpose built box, litter robot for the Cadillac of electronic litterboxes.
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Dec 10, 2013 22:07
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Oh gently caress I might just wrap the trunk/lower part up in foil then. I don't think he's been chewing on it much anymore, but I don't wanna risk it.
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Dec 10, 2013 23:38
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