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ch3cooh posted:The definition of a cat being an rear end in a top hat That is adorable, and I think that we bought our cats the same brand of nip mouse. Fake Edit: Is that a Merlot?
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Dec 21, 2013 18:38
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ch3cooh posted:The definition of a cat being an rear end in a top hat Yea, that's pretty dick, but my cat would have knocked over the glass with a headbutt just to be a gently caress. That is adorable though. 
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Dec 22, 2013 03:48
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JustJeff88 posted:That is adorable, and I think that we bought our cats the same brand of nip mouse. Scuse me. I think you mean a Meowlot.
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Dec 22, 2013 03:55
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How much cold can cats tolerate? The heater in my house is out of commission, and may not be fixed for a bit. At best it will be above freezing during the day but dip well below freezing during the night. Is that too cold for cats? I guess their water freezing would be a problem.
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Dec 22, 2013 07:58
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Eeyo posted:How much cold can cats tolerate? The heater in my house is out of commission, and may not be fixed for a bit. At best it will be above freezing during the day but dip well below freezing during the night. Is that too cold for cats? I guess their water freezing would be a problem. I just read up on this and basically if it's too cold for people it's too cold for cats. Also the water, yes.
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Dec 22, 2013 08:14
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So my wife and I just left town for the holidays and the cats will be home alone for 10 full days. I have someone coming in one or two days to check in on them (I left huge reservoirs of food/water), but I dot think that's enough. We have left them for 4 nights before and they handled it just fine. Is there much cause for concern? I know I won't be able to find someone to drop by on Xmas eve/day... 10 days just feels like it might be too long for just 2 check-ins.
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Dec 22, 2013 09:14
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Wagoneer posted:So my wife and I just left town for the holidays and the cats will be home alone for 10 full days. I have someone coming in one or two days to check in on them (I left huge reservoirs of food/water), but I dot think that's enough. We have left them for 4 nights before and they handled it just fine. Is there much cause for concern? I know I won't be able to find someone to drop by on Xmas eve/day... 10 days just feels like it might be too long for just 2 check-ins. I would try for every other day at the very least but I am a nervous kind of person.
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Dec 22, 2013 13:47
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Thanks for all your kind words. You guys are way nicer than FYAD. baxxy posted: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. I did end up making some donations to local shelters and to the ASPCA yesterday. Not the full amount, which they quoted me in the $5,000+ range, but hopefully enough to make a real impact. It makes me wonder about health insurance. Do you guys carry it or recommend it on your pets? I never really thought about it until this happened and never had a veterinarian mention it to me.
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Dec 22, 2013 16:19
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Devonaut posted:It makes me wonder about health insurance. Do you guys carry it or recommend it on your pets? I never really thought about it until this happened and never had a veterinarian mention it to me. We never had it for my cats growing up and one died last year aged 19 having barely had a single health problem her entire life and the other is still going strong at 15 with some health problems but nothing too major or expensive. But I know we've been incredibly lucky with that and since Pepper's only 1 year old and anything could happen I've got pet insurance for her. I know I probably won't end up spending enough at the vet to make up the cost of the premium but it's just nice not having to worry about whether it's worth taking her to the vet or not or if I should wait an extra day because it's expensive on Sundays etc etc because I've already paid for most of it via her insurance. And of course it's good to know that if she ever does need anything really drastic, I can afford to do it. Mine's through the RSPCA though so even if I never use it at least I'm helping to support them a bit.
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Dec 22, 2013 16:25
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Devonaut posted:
I personally have a policy on both cats. My plan is on the higher end of the middle cost range and it costs $30 a month for them both ($15 each). My deductible is $100 and everything is covered after that. I don't know if I will have it forever but it has already saved me more than I've spent on it this year. Plus it's peace of mind: if I'm worried, I take them in, no agonizing. It's reimbursement though, so I couple it with a care credit line, which I also recommend very highly for emergencies.
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Dec 22, 2013 16:37
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Eeyo posted:How much cold can cats tolerate? The heater in my house is out of commission, and may not be fixed for a bit. At best it will be above freezing during the day but dip well below freezing during the night. Is that too cold for cats? I guess their water freezing would be a problem. A while ago, we moved in the middle of winter and didn't have heat for a week. This was in norcal though so not quite as cold like you're talking. Probably around 40-50F. My cat just pretty much lived in a sleeping bag (no beds yet due to the move) for the entire week, only coming out to eat or use the litterbox. I would highly suggest getting a few cheap portable heaters and put their water dish nearby one so it doesn't freeze. Heck, put their essentials and a bed or two or favorite blankets nearby too. Drag out the sleeping bags too especially if you've got some really warm ones.
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Dec 22, 2013 17:11
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Thanks for the input! I've decided to take my cats to my parents' temporarily until the heater issue is fixed. Hopefully they won't be little shits on the ride over now. If they were barn cats they might be able to rough it, but I feel like they might not be acclimated to the cold well enough.
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Dec 22, 2013 17:39
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JayJay posted:Yea, that's pretty dick, but my cat would have knocked over the glass with a headbutt just to be a gently caress. Zorro likes to admire his kills
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Dec 22, 2013 18:32
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Eeyo posted:Thanks for the input! I've decided to take my cats to my parents' temporarily until the heater issue is fixed. Hopefully they won't be little shits on the ride over now. If they were barn cats they might be able to rough it, but I feel like they might not be acclimated to the cold well enough. If you really think the water bowls would freeze, I'd personally be worried about pipes bursting. Hopefully you get heat again soon.
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Dec 22, 2013 18:51
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After trying to get my second cat's teeth cleaned, the vet discovered that her creatine was a bit high. I cannot believe my loving luck. Only a month ago, the exact same thing happened to my other cat, who as it turns out has PKD. I REALLY loving hope my Bengal cat doesn't have a chronic kidney disease. I have been feeding her a mixture of Natural Balance, Wellness CORE, and recently I've been actually cooking her own high-protein diet using a recipe from Balanceit. Please someone tell me that some cats are just weird and can't handle too high of a protein. I do not want to be told that my cat has failing kidneys.
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Dec 23, 2013 20:15
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I let a friend take care of my cat a few days, when I got back his litter box was overflowing and my whole room smelled like cat piss (I think he locked him in there.) I've already had a row with my friend but how do I fix my apartment.
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Dec 25, 2013 02:28
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Start with natures miracle and go from there
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Dec 25, 2013 03:30
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I'm worried that Jet's not taking being around my family very well. My brother and sister keep picking him up a lot and I know that bothers the hell out of him (I try not to do it very often. emphasis on the "try") and he's started to run away from us whenever we come around to pet him  Is he gonna be permanently pissed off at me now, or will he get over it? How do I get him to come out of his shell a little?Also he doesn't sleep on my bed at all anymore  I mean, the one at my parents' house is a twin bed from when I was like 11, so it's way small - but he's not even on it when it's empty. I miss my bed kitty At least he sleeps under it when I'm in my room and when I'm sleeping...
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Dec 25, 2013 09:25
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Pollyanna posted:I'm worried that Jet's not taking being around my family very well. My brother and sister keep picking him up a lot and I know that bothers the hell out of him (I try not to do it very often. emphasis on the "try") and he's started to run away from us whenever we come around to pet him Are you just visiting or did you move? Most cat's do not do well with territory change so he's probably completely overwhelmed. Sleeping with you would leave him vulnerable and he doesn't trust the new environment yet. As for the picking up, you need to put a stop to that if you can. He's not going to be pissed off at you unless its a permanent thing, cat's are pretty forgiving. If its a permanent move then you need to give him something he can own, like a cat tree or bed near you.
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Dec 25, 2013 20:29
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We moved ages ago, though. Back in August, and I'd only had him for four months before then. He's spent his time ever since lounging on the cat tree and chasing the balls I throw, so I don't know if it's the change in environment that's doing it - he's usually pretty good about that. I think it's mostly cause there's more people around. He's fine when he's ignored to do his "hunt all the balls!" thing, but when he's got 3-4 people trying to pet him at once he gets skittish. Plus, he's got a whole lot more to do in my relatively huge parents' house, so maybe he just gets distracted from loving me  Good to hear that he won't hate me forever if my siblings keep picking him up, I'm gonna make sure they stop that.
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Dec 26, 2013 01:04
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The cat our family has had for around two years now (we adopted her when she was a kitten) has gotten a lot more hostile and anti-social since we adopted her. She's always been kind of shy and even paranoid (she has to have someone with her when eats or else she just won't) and she's scratched us pretty bad before, but now she's started to hiss and swipe at anyone besides me and my mom (we were the ones who brought her home from the shelter). She's recently started biting my dad and brother whenever they try to pet her. I don't know what's wrong or how to help her
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Dec 26, 2013 02:13
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I would take her to the vet when you can. Cats are notorious at hiding illness, and sudden behavioral changes might be caused by a medical condition. She could be swiping and biting because she's in pain and doesn't want to be handled by people who aren't you or your mom. If they rule out medical issues, you might try giving her more options for hiding places for when she gets scared, or more toys to entertain her. I hope she feels better soon, either way.
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Dec 26, 2013 02:40
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I just recently noticed that my cat, estimated age 11, has lost her top right fang. I don't know when it happened, but I check/see her teeth every so often so it must have been relatively recent. I have no idea how it happened since she's entirely an indoor cat and shares an apartment with only me. There doesn't appear to be any inflammation or discomfort. The internet tells me this is likely due to gingivitis, so I've resolved to clean her teeth more regularly and take her to the vet next week as a precaution. Is this a normal thing for older cats, or should I be worried? She eats the same amount of dry food as she ever has. No noticeable behavior changes.
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Dec 26, 2013 05:43
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If a tooth was there, and is now missing, then the most likely causes are resorptive lesions (aka FORLs) or severe dental disease so that her tooth has basically rotted out. With resorptive lesions, certain cells start eating away at the tooth. It's very common in cats and can be extremely painful once it starts affecting the crown, or visible part of the tooth. It commonly affects multiple teeth. Either way, tooth brushing doesn't help here. If she has severe dental disease, it won't do anything at this point, and will just cause pain and make her adverse to the toothbrush. Similarly, if she has FORLs, it won't help and will just cause further pain. Ideally, she should go in to a vet for a dental prophylaxis + extractions if necessary. They should have dental x-rays available because that's really important for FORLs - sometimes, the resorption makes it so the tooth and the surrounding jaw bone are kind of stuck together and you can't fully extract the tooth, but you can't tell without dental x-rays.
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Dec 26, 2013 06:18
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Well, that's a bummer, but thank you for the information. It looks like I'll be ponying up the money for x-rays.
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Dec 26, 2013 06:25
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Soooo, like the crazy rear end in a top hat I am, I adopted a little orange kitty on Monday. I was working with him at the SPCA for a few months now, he had been returned 3 times because idiots don't understand that he wasn't socialized as a kitten and needs lots of time to come out from his shell. After the third return, I had to take him. He is the sweetest thing in the world once I have him in my arms, he just nuzzles the crap out of my face. But when he's not, he hides in a corner usually and hisses. He's not aggressive though AT ALL, so it's kind of humorous. Ive never seen him bite or scratch someone, even if you go in to pet him as he hisses. So anyway, that wasn't at all the point. I've been introducing him slowly in my apartment to my new cat, I set up a "Base camp" for him after clearing out my giant closet and fed them between the door for a few nights, only allowing one glimpse between the two which just resulted in some normal hissing. He has been doing rather well, he hides under my bed most of the time, or behind his litter box, but for three weeks I tried to get him to play at the shelter unsuccessfully and in only one day I had him out and chasing a toy rod. Sooo, of course, cat's dont loving respect your plans. And today I left for work and apparently my bedroom door didn't click closed. I got home for lunch and noticed my black little brat Nymeria was out and about, with the bedroom door cracked open and orange kitty Petey was missing. I found him under the couch. No pee or poop anywhere, and neither of them were bloodied. So 3 hours without supervision and they didn't murder eachother! Of course, this wasn't my plan at all and I didn't want them to meet until tomorrow, but cats. Today im going to try and feed them together with the door cracked open, and tomorrow is going to be the real introduction. I am prepared for lots of hissing and hiding. Here he is.  
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Dec 26, 2013 18:17
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I hate that I have to burrito Toast to clip his hind leg claws — and earlier today, to get rid of a dingleberry — because it pisses him off so much.  He doesn't mind when I clip his front claws, and will even start purring because I usually stuff him full of treats while I do it. But those back legs are apparently strict no-touching territory. I fiddled with his back paws just as much as his front paws as a kitten to get him used to it, but apparently it didn't work.
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Dec 27, 2013 01:00
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Any tips on burrito-ing a cat who won't tolerate being burritoed? He flips the gently caress out the second he feels a towel around him.
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Dec 27, 2013 01:16
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Today, I adopted a pair of rescued kittens who were abandoned by their mother around 5-6 weeks (they're currently ~9 weeks old). They lived with a rescue family for ~3 weeks and according to the family were starting to become more friendly / comfortable with them by the time I adopted them. I have them set up in my bathroom in the same crate they had at their rescue family's home, same food, same litterbox / litter, and same blanket from the old place. So far they seem very shy if not downright afraid of me. From everything I've read, it sounds like this is completely normal, but I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to acclimate them to their new environment and help them to socialize properly. I tried hanging out on the floor of the bathroom, lying down to show I'm non-threatening, but they seem quite scared of me (hiding in back of crate, hissing a bit if I go closer to the crate than the bathroom door). My friend who was over earlier was much more successful, she actually got them to play a bit with one of their toys from inside their crate. Not sure if it's just me that's the problem (I'm a pretty big guy, she's quite petite). In good news, they are using their litterbox, eating their food, and drinking water! chronofx fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Dec 27, 2013 |
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Dec 27, 2013 07:41
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chronofx posted:Today, I adopted a pair of rescued kittens who were abandoned by their mother around 5-6 weeks (they're currently ~9 weeks old). They lived with a rescue family for ~3 weeks and according to the family were starting to become more friendly / comfortable with them by the time I adopted them. I have them set up in my bathroom in the same crate they had at their rescue family's home, same food, same litterbox / litter, and same blanket from the old place. So far they seem very shy if not downright afraid of me. From everything I've read, it sounds like this is completely normal, but I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to acclimate them to their new environment and help them to socialize properly. Completely normal. The fact that they are eating, drinking and pooping is a very good sign. The best thing you can do is to get them playing, though they are still a little young for crazy-kitten play. I would pick up a rod toy though, and get them chasing it around if you can. (http://www.amazon.com/GoCat-Bird-Feather-Assorted-Colors/dp/B001BOVEU4/ is a cat miracle toy) I have a scaredy at home right now, but the only time he isn't worried about everything around him is when he is in full on chase mode with a toy. He just forgets all the fear. Hissing is pretty normal and will go on for a couple of days or weeks. Just test the limits, see if they actually swipe at you after the hiss or if its just talk. Mine hisses but will let me go right in and pet him, and then goes into purr mode immediately after. Size does matter to them, you can try to kind of curl up in the corner of the bathroom and make yourself "smaller" so to speak, just blink slowly and calmly at them to show you aren't a threat, don't stare them down. In my own news, new orange kitty is very playful, but meeting the old black kitty is not going so well. Lot's of hissing and angry growls, I tried to feed them in view of eachother last night and it went very poorly. Now old black kitty is now refusing to eat and play because of the stress of new orange kitty. I feel really bad about it. But I have off the next five days so tonight will be the first night I don't separate them in rooms. I think if black kitty has access to the bedroom again she will be a lot happier. The good news is I actually slept from 10pm to 4am without orange going crazy, and then I sat with him for an hour and went into the living room to sleep with black kitty until 7:30 am. Most sleep ive gotten in a week. 
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Dec 27, 2013 15:44
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JayJay posted:In my own news, new orange kitty is very playful, but meeting the old black kitty is not going so well. Lot's of hissing and angry growls, I tried to feed them in view of eachother last night and it went very poorly. Now old black kitty is now refusing to eat and play because of the stress of new orange kitty. I feel really bad about it. But I have off the next five days so tonight will be the first night I don't separate them in rooms. I think if black kitty has access to the bedroom again she will be a lot happier. The good news is I actually slept from 10pm to 4am without orange going crazy, and then I sat with him for an hour and went into the living room to sleep with black kitty until 7:30 am. Most sleep ive gotten in a week. If you already know your black kitty is stressed beyond being able to eat, why are you rushing intros? Let them chill in their respective rooms for a week, scent swap and then try feeding in proximity again.
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Dec 27, 2013 17:46
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Engineer Lenk posted:If you already know your black kitty is stressed beyond being able to eat, why are you rushing intros? Let them chill in their respective rooms for a week, scent swap and then try feeding in proximity again. Well, the problem is that I have a small apartment. And I think part of the reason she's stressed is because she can't be in the bedroom all day long, at at night if I lock him out he constantly hits at the door which stresses her more. I know that the orange kitty is just going to hide for now if he is out, so it seems like re-opening the house to her may be a big help. When he originally got out of my room and they were alone for 3 hours she was fine. The problem is, orange kitty wasn't socialized, and black kitty has a very low stress threshold. (Her sister came back to our shelter 2 lbs underweight and missing patches of hair because they had loud annoying children.) So right now I am mostly thinking about black kitty first, because I feel terrible that I am causing her stress and everything was really great before. I've been feeding them between doors for a week now with very limited sight, and scent/site swapped as well as I could. But I am not sure I am going to be able to keep them apart for another week in my 1br apartment. The good news is I have 5 days off starting later today, so ill really be able to focus on them. JayJay fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Dec 27, 2013 |
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Dec 27, 2013 18:06
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Do cat whiskers ever fall out? Like just a single one, not a whole bunch.
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Dec 27, 2013 18:48
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muike posted:Do cat whiskers ever fall out? Like just a single one, not a whole bunch. Sure. They're long, coarse hairs, essentially.
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Dec 27, 2013 18:49
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muike posted:Do cat whiskers ever fall out? Like just a single one, not a whole bunch. Yeah, whiskers are shed occasionally just like any other hair.
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Dec 27, 2013 18:50
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muike posted:Do cat whiskers ever fall out? Like just a single one, not a whole bunch. And they can hurt if you step on one
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Dec 27, 2013 20:06
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Okay cool thanks. The cat it fell out of seemed fine but he's weird even for a cat so I figured I'd ask.
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Dec 27, 2013 20:08
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I plan on adopting a cat or two (if bonded) in the next couple of weeks. I do have some worries regarding their climbing tendencies though. I know it'll be dependent on the cat, but I really do not want the cat to be on certain things i.e. bar with bottles stocked high, the entire loving kitchen, or the mid-shelves of a bookshelf that have priceless fragile heirlooms. My apartment is only 800 ft^2 but I will allow free roam into every room. 1) Do cats really ever hop onto mid shelves on bookcases if they have a way to circumvent the entire room at a higher point? I'll foil them if needed but I'd prefer to just have the cats have a better alternative. 2) If I attempt to make a climbing path that breaks at one point at the Bar, will they use the bar regardless or am I making up the thought that the cat needs full movement around a room? 3) I have suicide windows 14 floors up, I do not want the cats near them even though they'll be closed and I will get screens. They also happen to be right next to a desk/dresser that is window level. Would it be possible to train a cat to only be on a certain piece of furniture? I do not really care if they are on the front half. I'm sure this will fail since they'll want to look outside. 4) Does bitter spray ever come off re:cords. I recall a college friend who got bittered more than the cats did. Basically I'm trying to preempt behavior I don't want by making my place cat friendly. I know it all depends on the cat, just looking for generalizations.
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Dec 27, 2013 20:50
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Mr. Wookums posted:I plan on adopting a cat or two I know it all depends on the cat, just looking for generalizations. Generally cats are assholes, so be prepared to box things up until you can glean if you need to be careful with your things.
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Dec 28, 2013 00:53
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Mr. Wookums posted:
The 'ounce of prevention' route is the way to go. I suggest looking around to see what people suggest for keeping cats off various surfaces and pick and choose what will work for you. Double-sided tape is great to keep cats off a lot of stuff, as is tinfoil and those hilarious Ssscat! aerosol cans. Your apartment might look a bit like you've booby-trapped it for a while but it should help, and you might (no guarentee!) be able to remove all the preventive stuff and keep the cats off. That being said, there is nothing safe from or sacred to a cat, so you might want to reorganize those heirlooms into a hutch or china cabinet with a door of some sort. Cat can sense the most valuable object in a room and will be drawn to it.
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Dec 28, 2013 01:10
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