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He's been to the vet (hence the vet food diet) but he just will not touch the food. He's apparently prone to those crystals (can't recall the name, think it had stru in the name) so he was put on a special food. They bought a big back of the food, and a few cans of the wet food, but the cat just would not eat it and when he did, he'd go somewhere and puke. I bought him some of the purina? brand bladder health stuff from the store, and same thing. The cat did end up digging some kitten food that my friend had been feeding the local strays for a bit, but apparently gave up on that as well. The cat's about 7? years old (he was adopted a few years back at age 3-ish) so maybe he's just set in his ways, or he's a cat and therefore a complete rear end in a top hat, but the little dude is seriously crazy about what he eats. The texture (iirc) was a pate` kinda texture but more... meaty? He's tried the various bladder health over the counter wet foods from friskies, but can't find the stuff he used to eat. He's gotta go back in for shots and whatnot at the end of the month, but I thought maybe someone here had a cat just as whacked in the head when it came to food and could offer up some alternatives for the little guy. Thanks!
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Dec 17, 2013 23:49
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| # ? Jun 5, 2024 09:57 |
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 Ok, here's a better pic of side-Butts.
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Dec 18, 2013 00:47
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1) How do you guys clean your cats' teeth? Is the watter additive stuff good or do I need to try to apply the gel stuff to their teeth directly?  Maybe these "dental" greenies will do the trick? http://www.amazon.com/Feline-Greenies-Roasted-Chicken-5-5-Ounce/dp/B008PNN8C6/2) Is World's Best Cat Litter really that much better than standard Tidy Cats? 3) Any recommendations for carriers? Leo is ~12.5 lbs and CJ is ~8.5 lbs. I assume hard is better than soft side, so I was looking at this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0062JFGM0/
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Dec 18, 2013 02:43
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1) supposedly you can brush their teeth (good luck). Other than that periodic cleaning at the vet, which unfortunately is expensive. 2) I've never used tidy cat, but WBCL is pretty great. 3) That looks ok. If you can take it you are good to go (sometimes they don't want to come out at the vet and you don't want to have to reach in there)
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Dec 18, 2013 02:56
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Josh Lyman posted:1) How do you guys clean your cats' teeth? Is the water additive stuff good or do I need to try to apply the gel stuff to their teeth directly? Every vet I've talked to says the additive stuff is worthless. I am not sure if the greenies would be too effective, either, since cats don't really chew the way dogs do. Enzymatic edible toothpaste and/or regular cleanings at the vet are your best bet. I have to give both my cats daily meds, so I give their teeth a quick brush at the same time. You can get tooth brushing kits for like $7.
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Dec 18, 2013 03:03
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:He's been to the vet (hence the vet food diet) but he just will not touch the food. He's apparently prone to those crystals (can't recall the name, think it had stru in the name) so he was put on a special food. Eh, you can try balanceit.com and make your own cat food if you're up to it. They have recipes for struvite crystals. I would just cook the meat and carb and see if your cat eats it so that you don't waste money on expensive supplements.
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Dec 18, 2013 03:16
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Josh Lyman posted:1) How do you guys clean your cats' teeth? Is the watter additive stuff good or do I need to try to apply the gel stuff to their teeth directly? 2) Tidy Cat is a clay based litter and World's Best is plant/corn based. I don't really like clay litters anymore because they have a particular smell that tends to stick to my cats, even for unscented litters. I've since switched to some other fiber-based litter. I don't have access to World's Best where I am, but it's pretty much universally recommended it seems. 3) I'd recommend a hard carrier as they're safer for bumps and such; soft sides are more for if you have a pet that travels with you everywhere, and chances are you don't have a super chill cat that'd put up with that. That carrier you posted looks pretty awesome with the top loading bit; I have one that's pretty similar but without the top loading door, and it's a pain in the rear end to get my cats in there.
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Dec 18, 2013 05:07
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Josh Lyman posted:1) How do you guys clean your cats' teeth? Is the watter additive stuff good or do I need to try to apply the gel stuff to their teeth directly? 1) Not sure about that, I wonder myself because I have not done it yet. (10 month old kitten) And her breath can sometimes get a bit stinky. I already have to restrain her for claw clippings and I doubt shes going to take kindly to teeth cleaning. 2) No, they are both great in my experience. I use tidy cats though because my cat doesn't mind the smell (Glade) and it keeps the litter box quite fresh, clumps quickly, and never had any problems sticking. Also I bought 220lbs of it on sale black friday for $7.50/case so I have litter for like a year for under 45 dollars. 3) That one will be really good, the top loader is so much easier than a front loader. I have to wrestle my cat into my front loader.
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Dec 18, 2013 14:34
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I use Swheat Scoop for the flushability, and I just bought a bag of World's Best to try with the new litterbox I ordered as people just rave about it and it is also apparently flushable. You can probably tell by now that being able to flush dirty litter is very important to me. Plus, I took my littlest kitten to the vet yesterday as "she" was feeling a bit under the weather and needed vaccinations anyway. Turns out that Alexandra is in fact a little boy. Clay litters can cause urinary tract blockages in males, so I'm now especially concerned about avoiding those. "Alexandra" has hence been named Alessandro in keeping with my other two cats being named Prima and Valentina.
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Dec 18, 2013 18:01
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I tried some of the water additive dental stuff. It created some kind of tarnish in the stainless steel bowl I use as my cat's water bowl. When I tried to clean it with soap and water, it got super-sticky. Drying with paper towels left the paper towel sticking to the bowl and kinda shredding. Never again. The bottle had a cat and dog dressed up as bride and groom, was about 8 oz. or so.
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Dec 18, 2013 18:48
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Hicks is due to have his balls chopped off tomorrow, anything I need to know about aftercare?
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Dec 18, 2013 19:00
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Cat neutering is probably one of the easiest procedures out there. You just need to watch to see if he's licking the incisions and watch for vomiting/diarrhea/what have you. Your vet might give you pain meds to give him, but it usually is a very fast recovery. My vet gave my cat a shot for pain and sent him on his way. He was perfectly fine by morning and his incisions healed in about a week or two.
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Dec 18, 2013 19:36
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Our three cats eat dry food (orijen or solid gold or whatever is on the top tier) in the morning and wellness wet food in the evening. we ration them to a cup of dry food (all feeding together) in the morning and separate feeding for 30 minutes at night for the wet food. After we open the rooms up we put the wet food left over, back in the tin, cover the tin and stick it in the fridge. The tins last 2 feedings. One of our cats vomits something that looks like spit sometimes. She'll just vomit it up and carry on her merry way. This happens about once every few days but otherwise she's happy and normal. Another of our cats, like, once every 3-4 months, vomits up brown-poo-looking hairballs. He too acts totally normal the rest of the time. He's the licking-cat and has long, long hair. He licks himself and the other cats a lot. Their appetites are normal, they drink water and poo regularly. Question: is this ok?
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Dec 18, 2013 21:13
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redreader posted:Our three cats eat dry food (orijen or solid gold or whatever is on the top tier) in the morning and wellness wet food in the evening. we ration them to a cup of dry food (all feeding together) in the morning and separate feeding for 30 minutes at night for the wet food. After we open the rooms up we put the wet food left over, back in the tin, cover the tin and stick it in the fridge. The tins last 2 feedings. Bornw poo hairballs are some of the only ones I've ever seen. So I'm gonna say they're probably ok. The other cat might be throwing up mucus or something, I dunno.
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Dec 18, 2013 23:27
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redreader posted:One of our cats vomits something that looks like spit sometimes. She'll just vomit it up and carry on her merry way. This happens about once every few days but otherwise she's happy and normal. The poo brown ones are mostly just normal hair balls, the brown comes from them upsetting the flow through the stomach. They stew in food slops and acids etc leading to the unsavoury colour. The mucus ones I've only seen on cats eating grass etc or with things stuck/stomach problems. Since you've said she's not losing weight I'll spare the other story. You might want to at least talk to your vet about that one.
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Dec 19, 2013 02:10
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I'm just wondering if people could offer me some advice. I have 2 kittens, Sophie and Chloe (I've posted about them some pages back). Sophie is around 13 weeks now and Chloe is around 15 weeks. In July next year I'll be having some surgery, which is going to require a week in hospital and then a couple of weeks being cared for by someone once I'm discharged from the hospital. Currently I plan to go stay with my brother and his partner for the two weeks, but they live quite far from me. I'm wondering what people would suggest I do with the kittens? I could either put them in a cattery for the whole 3 weeks (I really dont like the idea of this though), or take them to my brothers house before I go for my surgery (About a 4 hour journey from my home). I'm not really sure how they'd cope with a 4 hour journey, but I'm also fearful of putting them in a cattery for so long.. I know if I leave them with my brother they'll be cared for, and only be without me for 1 week, and if I put them in a cattery, I'm sure they'll also be cared for, but they'll be without me for 3 weeks instead. The main reason I'm asking this is because I'm really not sure how cats cope with long journeys. I can't drive so I'd need to take them on a train, which may be stressful having so many people around and strange smells/noises. Sophie especially is very bonded to me, and I think out of them both, she'd be the most upset to be without me (So I think she'd struggle the most being without me for the whole 3 weeks).. Chloe seems to love me, but doesn't show as much affection as Sophie so maybe she'd cope a little better if I was gone for a few weeks. I just want to make sure they both have as little stress as possible.
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Dec 19, 2013 11:47
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Looking for a bit of advice. I live in a 3 bedroom, 2 cat, 2 ferret, 6 person home. Not the most ideal living situation, but we deal. However, my cat has recently had an issue with urinating right outside of the box. I have an idea of the cause and how to fix it, but I'm running into issues with my roommates. When we moved to this apartment, we changed our catbox. At the old place, we only had one that they both used with no problem. It was open topped. We move to the new apartment, and the owner of the other cat gets a new cat box with a top, being that the only place that we really have space for it is the kitchen. Now, I've done my research, and it's told me that getting another box and/or removing the lid on the existing box would help with the issue. He's a big cat, and I don't think he's comfortable using the current box. I put the new box in the communal bathroom, being as that it's central in the apartment and usually open. Roommates didn't even give it a night to see if he would use it instead of the floor. (mostly the roommate whose cat is ok with the covered box) Now, I understand that this all reeks of me having to negotiate with my roommates, but is there any other possible thing, besides medical (recent checkup) that could be done to curb this? Or am I going to have to suck it up and have a box in my room?
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Dec 19, 2013 12:15
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Saeka posted:Looking for a bit of advice. First off, you are supposed to have THREE litter boxes. Rule of thumb is one litter box per cat plus one extra. I know you said space is limited but getting your cat his own litter box may fix the problem. If this problem persists change the litter to something non-scented like a wheat based one. Seeing as you are in the thread called "Cats are assholes..." I think it would be redundant for me to remind you that cats are assholes. You don't fix your cat...you fix the situation and if the cat is nice enough he will allow you to live happily.
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Dec 19, 2013 13:40
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We pick up Wendy today. I am so nervous  I just hope she and Jimmy can be friends eventually. edit: Jimmy is not scared of carriers at all and will put himself in it when it's out and wait for us to get ready and take him out so when taking it out to use it for picking up Wendy, I had to put him in a room and close the door and take the carrier outside without him seeing it 
Tomato Soup fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Dec 19, 2013 |
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Dec 19, 2013 16:40
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Josh Lyman posted:1) How do you guys clean your cats' teeth? Is the watter additive stuff good or do I need to try to apply the gel stuff to their teeth directly? Brushing is the best way to prevent dental disease, but it'll only work if you do it at least 3-4 times a week (ideally every day) and you have to do it before dental disease gets severe. It will prevent about 70% of plaque build-up. Our dentist likes using proxabrushes for cats - you only have to do a few strokes on each side and on the front, and aim for where the tooth meets the gum line. If pet toothpaste helps the cat tolerate it better, then go ahead and use it, but If it makes it worse, toothpaste isn't necessary. We also use a chlorhexidine rinse and a gel - you just put a drop or two on your finger and swipe each cheek. That will prevent about 20% of plaque buildup. Even with these, your cat will probably need dental cleanings at some point (much like we do).
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Dec 19, 2013 19:34
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aghastly posted:Cat neutering is probably one of the easiest procedures out there. You just need to watch to see if he's licking the incisions and watch for vomiting/diarrhea/what have you. Your vet might give you pain meds to give him, but it usually is a very fast recovery. Thanks, he had them off earlier, and it all went very well apparently, and he certainly seems pretty perky given he lost his balls. The aftercare instructions were pretty basic though, and when I google it's pretty conflicting- how long till I can let him out? Some places say next day, others recommend a few days- he seems to hate the litter tray and is begging to get out 
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Dec 19, 2013 22:48
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DesperateDan posted:Thanks, he had them off earlier, and it all went very well apparently, and he certainly seems pretty perky given he lost his balls. It's best to be able to see his tray - this lets you catch any bleeds quickly. If he goes outside, you're not going to know. They tend to heal pretty quickly so just give it a couple of days.
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Dec 20, 2013 00:51
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I adopted a kitten from a shelter. We've had him for about a year now, and he's overall pretty healthy. He was a mess when we first got him, with parasites and other things. That's in the past and he's fine now though, but lately he's been eating the dog food. We have to open feed our dog because hes under weight, but now this kitten has been eating it, and I just want to know if its something to worry about or just let it go. The dog food in question is Blue Buffalo wilderness grain-free chicken.
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Dec 20, 2013 01:36
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I had to put my cat down today. He was a great cat, a great guy, my 'dingus'. He was 11 years old, and he developed cancer, a sarcoma on his hind leg, apparently as a result of a 2-year rabies vaccination he got several years ago. It was really tragic to see him develop an ugly tumor on his rear leg, to slowly decline and eventually he got an infection and just couldn't go on. My house feels so empty without him. I opted not to put him through surgery and radiation therapy, which the vet school suggested. For the $$ they proposed, I would rather donate it to a rescue or other non-profit organization to benefit other pets. I think he lived a better life without having to recover from surgery, which he may never have, and I believe that this was the right decision. Still, it's hard to let go of my guy who has been with me for the last 11 years. Who will meow over my phone calls now? (backing track) Who will puke on my carpet now? I mean, I had some drinks tonight (in his honor) but I'm not that far gone. It's really sad to think that some cats live to 18, 19...but my guy only made it to 11. A sad day, but when I'm ready to adopt again, I hope my next cat will benefit from the lessons I learned from my first. RIP Dingus. Stalking deer in heaven now.
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Dec 20, 2013 01:51
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Goodbye Dingus 
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Dec 20, 2013 02:25
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Lufiron posted:I adopted a kitten from a shelter. We've had him for about a year now, and he's overall pretty healthy. He was a mess when we first got him, with parasites and other things. That's in the past and he's fine now though, but lately he's been eating the dog food. We have to open feed our dog because hes under weight, but now this kitten has been eating it, and I just want to know if its something to worry about or just let it go.
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Dec 20, 2013 03:33
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Devonaut posted:Who will meow over my phone calls now? (backing track) Be right back, hugging my cat. 
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Dec 20, 2013 03:49
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Devonaut posted:I had to put my cat down today. He was a great cat, a great guy, my 'dingus'. He was 11 years old, and he developed cancer, a sarcoma on his hind leg, apparently as a result of a 2-year rabies vaccination he got several years ago. It was really tragic to see him develop an ugly tumor on his rear leg, to slowly decline and eventually he got an infection and just couldn't go on. My house feels so empty without him. For what it's worth, I agree that you did the right thing. I lost a 9 year old cat in 2008 to a sudden onset stomach cancer. When the vet told me they could shoot him full of drugs to give me a few more days 'to get used to the idea' I was appalled. Cats can't understand treatment like chemo or radiation, you just put them through a whole lot of confusing, painful poo poo outside their home at the worst possible time. Treasure your memories of him and be proud of what a good home you gave him.
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Dec 20, 2013 04:23
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Crooked Booty posted:A cat eating primarily dog food can develop very serious heart problems from taurine deficiency. You definitely need to keep the kitten out of the dog food. If you can't manage that at all, it would be way better for the dog to eat cat food (but it may be too rich for the dog and cause diarrhea). Ah ok, thanks for the heads up. I'll try to keep him out of it as best as I can. I'll also mention it to the vet during the yearly checkup and see if its something they can track during the bloodwork performed.
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Dec 20, 2013 04:35
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Man, I'm sorta not looking forward to my winter vacation. If my cat and my parents dog don't get along (likely) then my poor kitty is going to live with my uncle for two weeks and I'm gonna miss him so much
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Dec 20, 2013 06:05
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It's 0550 in the morning here, and the cat has kept me up since 1 (less than an hour after I went to bed) with incessant mewing/howling, knocking things down, clawing at doors/batting keys in locks and doing anything he could to be let out, but I just kept on indicating the litter tray, where just now, after nearly 5 hours of begging to go outside to do so, he finally decided to lay a poo poo. It's been a weird 24 hours for him, he loses his balls, and then one of the humans watches him take a poo poo with a face of absolute glee, while praising him madly. He's now asleep on one of his favourite spots, high on extra strength nip with a bunch of turkey treats in him. Devonaut posted:RIP Dingus. Stalking deer in heaven now. condolences
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Dec 20, 2013 06:50
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Took my 15-year-old cat to the vet because she was acting weird. She was unusually calm at the vet's (read: not a raging hell creature) so we were pretty worried but it turns out she just has a light infection that's easily treatable and her kidneys and liver and various other important organs are doing very well indeed. Look how pleased she was to hear the news! 
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Dec 20, 2013 08:20
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Organza Quiz posted:Took my 15-year-old cat to the vet because she was acting weird. She was unusually calm at the vet's (read: not a raging hell creature) so we were pretty worried but it turns out she just has a light infection that's easily treatable and her kidneys and liver and various other important organs are doing very well indeed. I'm glad that your visit went so well. I just took my 5-month tuxedo cat to his first vet appointment and he was a very good boy. He barely flinched during his vaccination and took his deworming medicine like a champion. I still remember taking my long hair to her first vet visit - she was just a few days shy of being a feral adoptee, but she was very sick and so calm and inoffensive that I was stunned when presumably the stress got to her and she freaked out in the exam room. Alessandro here spent a good portion of his time purring and seeing if he could jump from the floor directly to the exam table (turns out that he could)
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Dec 20, 2013 17:09
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^^^ That's great! And in Wendy/Jimmy news: no hissing at all, just curiosity (Wendy is kept in a room that's closed all the time) and Wendy is so incredibly friendly and sweet. Jimmy managed to barge into the room one time when someone was leaving and actually saw Wendy properly and froze up. He was quickly removed but he was all pouty after that. Going to try some site swapping today to see how it goes, I think. Her old owner had her professionally groomed and bathed before we picked her up so I think that may have helped a bit along with using Jimmy's carrier with one of his beds and favorite blankets when picking her up so she didn't smell 100% foreign but smelled like him instead. I just really hope they work out because I think I love Wendy already and I'll be heartbroken if we have to send her back
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Dec 20, 2013 17:11
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Went to the e-vet last night after watching Cave go to the litterbox 4 times in the span of an hour and produce little/no urine. His blood work showed that all major organs were in good shape (yay!) but they couldn't get a urine sample so they couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong (boo!). Right now he's in bathroom isolation and is spending all of his time crying at the door because he desperately wants to be with his brother and his people. I know I'm doing the right thing, but it kills me to listen to him cry. Ugh, little cat, just get better soon.
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Dec 20, 2013 17:52
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sorry, double post
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Dec 20, 2013 17:52
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Devonaut posted:RIP Dingus. Stalking deer in heaven now. I feel you made the right decision, as difficult as it was. It's so very kind of you to consider donating the surgery money to a shelter or rescue in his memory. I'm sure the deer in heaven are appropriately terrified of your vicious hunter. 
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Dec 20, 2013 21:58
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The definition of a cat being an rear end in a top hat
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Dec 21, 2013 04:47
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Oh my god, that is the perfect catte. Perfect, precious rear end in a top hat.
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Dec 21, 2013 05:37
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| # ? Jun 5, 2024 09:57 |
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Ratzap posted:Cats can't understand treatment like chemo or radiation, you just put them through a whole lot of confusing, painful poo poo outside their home at the worst possible time. Treasure your memories of him and be proud of what a good home you gave him. Veterinary oncologists understand this and this is why the doses and protocols recommended for chemotherapy and radiation in vet med are much lower than what is used in human med and more aimed at quality of life than quantity. It's never wrong to feel like you don't want to put your animal through it - you know your pet best - but please do not go away with the misconception that all animals getting chemo/radiation get sick like virtually all people who get these things do.
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Dec 21, 2013 08:43
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