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Thanks for pushing me to bring Butts to the vet, goons. He has the early stages of fatty liver disease. Hopefully he'll be fine with treatment and whatever got him to stop eating in the first place is resolvable. 
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Dec 28, 2013 05:29
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Mr. Wookums posted: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. It really, really depends on the cat. That said, with at least some cats it's not impossible to teach them not to jump on particular bits of furniture, or at least it's possible to convince them that jumping on that particular piece of furniture is unpleasant and not worth it. Some cats don't like stepping on aluminium foil, some cats don't like stepping on plastic wrap, some make a very easy connection between loud scary noises and jumping on a particular thing. On the other hand, some cats have already decided that that bookshelf is their favourite place to explore and pushing glass objects off it is their favourite game and nothing is going to persuade them otherwise except for eventually getting bored and finding a different game.
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Dec 28, 2013 06:55
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I've posted here before asking for advice about my cat, Whiskey, he-who-pees-on-carpets. I've listened to all advice from this thread and I have made many adjustments. Got Cat Attract litter, extra litter boxes, etc. Unfortunately, money ended up being scarce and we'll need to wait to take him to the vet. Things were looking better after my last post; the cats were actually sleeping on the same sofa, playing together and generally acting more relaxed in each other's presence. He didn't pee on the carpet for weeks. Until two weeks from now, when my boyfriend caught him peeing on the carpet. He peed again a couple hours ago. The corners of the hallway are basically destroyed in a way that no amount of Nature's Miracle can fix and our landlord is going to bleed us dry when he finds out. Things were looking up for a while and I honestly believed most issues have been resolved. We're taking Whiskey to the vet as soon as we can (which won't be for another 3 weeks) and both cats are separated. We both agree that if things don't improve over the next two months we'll look for a no-kill shelter in the Las Vegas area. It really does suck, I'm attached to the cat and I hate the idea of giving him up, but I want to do the right thing for him and I certainly don't want to selfishly keep him around if he's not happy here. I don't want to sound too whiny, but in a way I feel like I've failed him and that I could've done more, but I know that I did everything I could with the resources I have available. Most of my winter break I've spent making sure both cats are happy. It's starting to take its toll on me, I'm stressed out and spend most of my day worrying about the cat and whether he'll pee on the carpet again. This really can't go on any longer, it's not healthy for me and not fair to my cats. I still feel like a bad owner though 
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Dec 28, 2013 07:14
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Irkenfox posted:I've posted here before asking for advice about my cat, Whiskey, he-who-pees-on-carpets. I've listened to all advice from this thread and I have made many adjustments. Got Cat Attract litter, extra litter boxes, etc. Unfortunately, money ended up being scarce and we'll need to wait to take him to the vet. Are your cats fixed? Have you tried putting the litter box where he pees? I don't mean to be accusatory, but it doesn't sound like these cats ever adjusted well. They never had separate hideouts, the litter boxes were in inconvenient places, they shared a small apartment, and it looks like you've moved in the six months you've had them. All of these are stressful events. Living in a shelter won't be any easier on them, though. Can you separate them for an extended period of time to let them relax a bit?
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Dec 28, 2013 10:50
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I'm trying to introduce a new cat to my existing cat and I'm not sure if it's actually going well or if it's just wishful thinking on my part. Previously we had two cats (Luna and Prissy), but Prissy died in October. They were never "friends" but they tolerated and mostly ignored each other. Prissy was old and didn't care for Luna's zoomies. After Prissy died we didn't plan on getting a second cat anytime soon, but recently we found a hungry, skinny stray cat. After taking her to a vet and calling around to report a found cat, we learned the local no-kill shelters are all mostly full and we haven't turned up any leads on her owners. We decided to just keep her as long as introductions go OK. Our vet said aside from being underweight and possibly not spayed, she's fine. Tests came back negative for Feline AIDS, parasites, etc. We started calling her Noelle, because it's Christmas and I'm a sap. We kept the cats separated, and did the "feed them on opposite sides of a door" thing. We swapped smells via towels. A lot of things I read suggested doing smell-swaps by switching the rooms the cats are confined in, but Luna has a bit of a meltdown when she's confined anywhere, be it her cat carrier or in a bedroom. She just goes nuts and howls and scratches at the door to be let out. After there were zero growls at the door, we started with brief (10-15 minute) encounters with the cats in the same room together. Luna was very curious, but didn't act aggressive. Immediately on their first meeting she wanted to go over and give Noelle a sniff. There was a little hissing and they went to different sides of the room. After that, Noelle actually relaxed and went to sleep like she didn't care Luna was in the room at all. Now they're at the point where they can be in the same room and ignore each other, with zero fights, and there's been no aggression (that I can detect). I've been careful to watch body language and I haven't seen anything like flattened ears, crouching like they're about to pounce, etc. The hissing mainly happens when they're too close to each other for comfort. Overall I just get the impression of "Who are you? I don't know who you are, I'm being cautious" rather than "Get the gently caress out of here, Other Cat, this poo poo ain't yours." Last night, Noelle went over to sniff Luna for the first time. Luna hissed a little and she backed off, but is that a good sign that Noelle is trying to interact? How much hissing is too much?
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Dec 28, 2013 17:44
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Hissing is no big deal. It's just a cat's way of demanding some respect. As long as they're not fighting and drawing blood, it's cool. They need time to negotiate their territories and social order. They'll figure it out soon.
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Dec 28, 2013 18:20
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First off, just wanted to thank OP for this thread and everyone else who contributed. Last winter my cat Holden Pawfield seemed like he was straining to go pee and was acting funny (not eating, being lethargic). Took him immediately to the vet without waiting because of all that I had ever read on here previously. He did have a urinary blockage. It took a couple surgeries and few hundred dollars, but he's much better now! He's on a special diet because of it. We think it was due to stress because we had taken in a kitten from a coworker. Even though they came to be buddies, the added stress of another cat in his space just got to him physically. The vet got to know my kitty very well and took very good care of him. If you live on the east side of Michigan (Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area) I highly recommend Dr. Gumper and Nichols Veterinary Clinic. Sadly, we had to give the kitten back to my coworker who found a new home for him (he had some spazzy food issues, and feeding the cats two separate diets proved problematic). Well, THEN... Holden started acting weird again a couple months later. He had a knack for chewing inappropriate things so we couldn't leave out plastic or Styrofoam (or macbook cables  ). After a couple weeks at the vet, $2,000 later, turns out he had chewed up and swallowed a small furry toy mouse. The one that goes on the end of string that dangles from a stick. Yup. rear end in a top hat. We got him a buddy; he was stressed. Gave him toys; he got bored and ate them. But Dr. Gumper was super awesome and gave us some discounts on overnight stays and medications. Holden was STILL sick, so Dr. Gumper went back in to take a look (didn't charge for this!). He had to take out a part of Holden's intestine that had become ruined from the toy being stuck and then sew it back together. Safe to say, months later with all vet bills paid off, he is a much happier cat and doing well. We have a puppy now who Holden likes to torment. Plus we bought a house with many windows for him to sit in and he likes run around like crazy. tl;dr Cats ARE assholes, thank you OP and all posters. And hey, a question: I've been using Swheat Scoop because the flush-ability of it works perfect for our home. However, rear end in a top hat cat likes to LEAP out of the box and then RUN out of the room leaving bits of cat litter everywhere. Any solutions to this? Are there any other flush-able litters that track less? Out of all the cat litter troubles, this is the least worrisome, mostly an annoyance, but just thought I'd ask.
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Dec 28, 2013 19:24
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DressCodeBlue posted:Thanks for pushing me to bring Butts to the vet, goons. He has the early stages of fatty liver disease. Hopefully he'll be fine with treatment and whatever got him to stop eating in the first place is resolvable. Sometimes it's simply nausea or a dislike of their food. We brought one of ours back from late stage fatty liver and she is fine 6 years later, she just hates the vet now because she was there so much for it. Hope it works out.
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Dec 28, 2013 20:16
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anaaki posted:First off, just wanted to thank OP for this thread and everyone else who contributed. Last winter my cat Holden Pawfield seemed like he was straining to go pee and was acting funny (not eating, being lethargic). Took him immediately to the vet without waiting because of all that I had ever read on here previously. I was sure this was going to end with the kitty needing to be put down. I'm so glad he's doing better! 
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Dec 28, 2013 23:24
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I haven't posted in a while because things have been hectic round here. Last time I posted I think I had MumCat and the Babies. Since then, I've managed to get her 3 older kittens in as well (no pics as yet, the are still ghost cats at the moment which is causing me no end of trouble). So anyhoo, I have 10 cats in my house at the moment including my own two. I'm a bit spoiled for potential homes, thing is my mum had been telling all of them that they'll come ready neutered. I'm not averse to the idea except the thought of trying to manage 8 neutered/spayed kittens at the same time is... impossible. 7 of them are still babies and are still in the 'I kill u ded, disembowelled u' stage and to try to stop 7 babies from doing this to each other as opposed to one or two being done at the same time is a recipe for disaster. My question is: is it reasonable for me to expect people to take care of this stuff themselves? I can vouch with our local vet that they are all ferals so people should only need to pay about £10 donation fee. I'm also on disability benefits so, if worst comes to it, I can have it done under my name, fill out a form and get it done for free. All the potential homes are experienced cat owners and it's just that I worry about immediate post op care for so many babes at once. I do trust that the new people know how important it is. For more information, touch wood, my vet usually does a great job neutering with no discomfort (my two never worried their wound areas) it's the mass kitten exhuberance I'm worried about. Anyway, the babes are doing great, so have some pictures:  Radders, Diz and Carlito. Radders has the blurs!  That's better. He looks a bit weird here, but he's really cute in RL.  Johnny in a manky bra. Sorry about that.
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Dec 29, 2013 03:21
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VoodooSchmoodoo posted:I haven't posted in a while because things have been hectic round here. Last time I posted I think I had MumCat and the Babies. Since then, I've managed to get her 3 older kittens in as well (no pics as yet, the are still ghost cats at the moment which is causing me no end of trouble). So anyhoo, I have 10 cats in my house at the moment including my own two. I'm glad you posted an update as I was hoping you'd managed to nip the cat explosion in the bud so to speak. Neutering them too young is not good for them, they need the hormones to grow too. On the other hand you don't want to leave it too late or miss a good home. They still look fairly young there too (they should be over 2kg at the very least before it's done) however some vets will just go ahead and do 8 week old kittens. People who are taking kittens should be aware that they are going to be paying for things like vaccinations and spaying if they want young animals. If they dig in their heels, take the animal back when the time is right get it done with your disability thing and hand it back after. Or when they go to homes they can go via the vets and the new owners pick them up from there.
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Dec 29, 2013 05:08
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Ratzap posted:Neutering them too young is not good for them, they need the hormones to grow too. On the other hand you don't want to leave it too late or miss a good home. They still look fairly young there too (they should be over 2kg at the very least before it's done) however some vets will just go ahead and do 8 week old kittens. All shelter kittens where I am are de-sexed at 8-10 weeks and at least 1kg of weight. With my two cats being one shelter kitten neutered at 8 weeks and one purebred neutered at 5 months, the early neuter has not affected the shelter cat negatively in any way and he is actually larger and more muscled than the purebred. If your vet considers it safe to neuter them at the weight/age they are, then I wouldn't really get too angsty over it. (I got hand-wringy over the idea of neutering the purebred too early, hence waiting until 5 months - but it's not really made a hell of a difference in the way he has grown and developed compared with ghettocat) Honestly, if it was me with a bucket of kittens and access to cheap neutering I'd err on the side of caution and arrange it myself because that way you can ensure they actually GET de-sexed and Mrs Muffles doesn't get knocked up fifteen times because ~she needs to experience motherhood to be fulfilled as a ladycat~ at her new home.
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Dec 29, 2013 07:32
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VoodooSchmoodoo posted:I'm a bit spoiled for potential homes, thing is my mum had been telling all of them that they'll come ready neutered. I'm not averse to the idea except the thought of trying to manage 8 neutered/spayed kittens at the same time is... impossible. 7 of them are still babies and are still in the 'I kill u ded, disembowelled u' stage and to try to stop 7 babies from doing this to each other as opposed to one or two being done at the same time is a recipe for disaster. You could schedule pickups immediately after surgery and letting the new owners deal with aftercare. That may mean staggering the surgeries, but then you wouldn't have to separate all of them at once.
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Dec 29, 2013 13:19
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Tamarillo posted:All shelter kittens where I am are de-sexed at 8-10 weeks and at least 1kg of weight. With my two cats being one shelter kitten neutered at 8 weeks and one purebred neutered at 5 months, the early neuter has not affected the shelter cat negatively in any way and he is actually larger and more muscled than the purebred. Individual cats may vary, that's why statistics are done over large groups. Here in the UK vets and rescue groups will tell you 4 to 6 months and a decent weight (to avoid surgery on malnourished cats) with the only exceptions being for trap and returns in large colonies. Our group has the time and people to observe the animals in care daily in order to assess when they need to be done. Ultimately it's up to VoodooSchmoodoo as the cats carer and it's better to get them done too early rather than it not be done at all.
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Dec 29, 2013 16:00
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Ratzap posted:Neutering them too young is not good for them, they need the hormones to grow too. Ratzap posted:Individual cats may vary, that's why statistics are done over large groups. Here in the UK vets and rescue groups will tell you 4 to 6 months and a decent weight (to avoid surgery on malnourished cats) with the only exceptions being for trap and returns in large colonies. Countless studies have supported the safety of "early" spaying and neutering. 4-6 months is the "traditional age" but there are not studies to support increased safety of any of these magic numbers -- 4 months, 2 lbs, 1kg, 2kg, whatever. It's really just personal comfort level of the veterinarian involved.
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Dec 29, 2013 16:52
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I wouldn't let them go to their new homes without being neutered. It's so easy to put that kind of thing off. I also would have them done all at the same time. They will all come home groggy and will crash together. If you have ever watched the Kittencam, that's exactly what FDJ does. Mom and kittens all get the snip at the same time, when the kittens are all at least 8 weeks and 2 pounds. Recovery time for the kittens is pretty quick. My kitten was back to jumping all over the place within a few hours after her surgery. We could not keep her contained. You wouldn't have known anything had happened if not for her shaved belly. She turned 5 months old yesterday and weighs in at 7 1/2 pounds. Fixing her early is clearly not having an adverse effect on her growth!
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Dec 29, 2013 21:36
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I hate to be a downer but I don't know where else to ask. My 9 year old cat, Shadow - a cat I've raised from kitten to adult, has been blind for most of his life due to cataracts - had to be put down yesterday. Chronic incontinence due to irritation from complications with his UTI surgery he had a few years ago. I feel very very empty and upset with the whole thing. What's the best course of action for me? How should I cope with this?
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Dec 30, 2013 07:25
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anaaki posted:
There's Worlds Best Cat Litter and Naturals (Corn) by Petco. Not sure of others. We have an rear end in a top hat cat that loves to run around with litter flying everywhere, including stuck to his rear end. I feel your pain.
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Dec 30, 2013 09:14
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I just got a new kitty from the shelter. 8 months old, very sweet and gentle, haven't been scratched or bit by her once. She's still pissed off about being rehomed but she's been exploring my apartment when she thinks I'm asleep. (I put a bell on her collar so I can sneakily monitor her movements even in total darkness...) She likes to flop on her back when I'm near and purr loudly. I've been rubbing her belly when she does this but I've read that this could be a sign of utter terror in the kitty and maybe she's going belly up as if to say "kill me now"? I'm not traumatizing the poor thing, am I?
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Dec 30, 2013 15:36
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It's not always an invitation for belly rubs. Sometimes it's an invitation to get the poo poo bitten out of your hand, as per protocol. She's just being friendly, don't worry about it. If she was terrified of you there would be a lot more hissing and puffing up in general.
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Dec 30, 2013 17:11
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I've read that cats exposing their bellies is a "I'm in a safe place where no one is going to go after my internal organs" thing. Our family cat does it for attention, because he knows if he flops over, someone will come over to him to try and pet him and he can jump up and lead them to the kitchen, where the food is. If she's purring or meowing or prooking, she's doing fine. Hissing is the "GO AWAY" cat behaviour.
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Dec 30, 2013 18:46
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chthonic bell posted:I've read that cats exposing their bellies is a "I'm in a safe place where no one is going to go after my internal organs" thing. Our family cat does it for attention, because he knows if he flops over, someone will come over to him to try and pet him and he can jump up and lead them to the kitchen, where the food is. My friend calls it "cat dancing"
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Dec 30, 2013 18:47
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Butts is the only cat I've had that actually accepts ALL THE TUMMYRUBS when in that position. No rabbit-kicking from the goof.
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Dec 30, 2013 19:09
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DressCodeBlue posted:Butts is the only cat I've had that actually accepts ALL THE TUMMYRUBS when in that position. No rabbit-kicking from the goof. My cat's like this. If he wants attention, he'll jump in your lap or flop over in front of your feet and roll over for a belly scratch. If a cat doesn't like you, it will puff up and hiss/scratch a lot. If your cat flops over for belly scratches rather than to prepare a bear trap, it's probably not being traumatized.
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Dec 30, 2013 19:11
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My cats show their bellies to me so I will rub them. They show their bellies to each other when fighting to be all like "come on I dare you"
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Dec 30, 2013 20:38
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Dogen posted:Sometimes it's simply nausea or a dislike of their food. We brought one of ours back from late stage fatty liver and she is fine 6 years later, she just hates the vet now because she was there so much for it. Hope it works out. Butts is home and doing well now. However, the emergency vet he was at for aftercare thought he might have hepatic encephalopathy (my vet doesn't think he did) and gave him a ton of lactulose. So now he's getting poop everywhere. 
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Dec 30, 2013 22:29
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Huntersoninski posted:They show their bellies to each other when fighting to be all like "come on I dare you" We call this the broadside, as it enables the use of all weapons in a devastating side-on assault if the opponent is stupid enough to engage.
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Dec 30, 2013 23:45
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FFStudios posted:I hate to be a downer but I don't know where else to ask. My 9 year old cat, Shadow - a cat I've raised from kitten to adult, has been blind for most of his life due to cataracts - had to be put down yesterday. Chronic incontinence due to irritation from complications with his UTI surgery he had a few years ago. I feel very very empty and upset with the whole thing. What's the best course of action for me? How should I cope with this? It's hard and it may take time to really deal with it. A cat, especially one you raised since he was a kitten, can be a huge part of your life and losing him is never going to be easy. Talk to someone if you need to. I'm several months out from putting down my first cat and it still gets to me at times, especially now around the holidays. But it's important to remember that he's no longer suffering. I'm sure you did everything you could for him and gave him the best life his little cat heart could have desired.
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Dec 31, 2013 00:02
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So Catte stopped eating/drinking/voiding a few days ago, accompanied by vomiting. We went to the vet yesterday, where he was given a fluid injection and an anti-nausea injection, and I was told that he was a) pretty gassy when she squeezed him, b) had some fluid buildup in his stomach, and c) wasn't painful anywhere on him. Since then he hasn't shown much sign of improvement - he's eaten a tiny bit, just a few bites and a couple of cat treats. He peed a couple of times but it was a very small amount. He pooed a few times, also a small amount (more expected I guess since he hasn't eaten much) and it looked pretty normal. He's pretty lethargic, but still purrs when I hold him and is moving around some. I'm debating if I should take him back in tonight, or wait until tomorrow. The vet called to follow up today and she advised to bring him in tomorrow for more tests, but I'm so loving worried I wonder if I should go in tonight. These tests are gonna loving kill me - ballpark $200-250 for X-rays and $60-80 or so for blood work.
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Dec 31, 2013 03:27
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Can you apply for care credit? When Ozma had her emergency last year the vet actually had us apply for, get approval for, and charge a care credit card right in the office. E: it only allows payments $250 and up, interest free as long as you pay within the time frame. Ask your vet. E2: plus it works for things like dentists too Rat Patrol fucked around with this message at 03:41 on Dec 31, 2013 |
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Dec 31, 2013 03:38
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Huntersoninski posted:Can you apply for care credit? When Ozma had her emergency last year the vet actually had us apply for, get approval for, and charge a care credit card right in the office. Didn't get approved on the application website =(
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Dec 31, 2013 03:52
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Dang  don't suppose you have anyone to cosign?
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Dec 31, 2013 04:20
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It's no use to those of you who have big bills already, but when Rufus broke his hip before Christmas, I bought pet insurance. It would have saved me €500 or so if I had bought it earlier, but at least now I know I can get my cats treated if there's another emergency. It's pretty cheap too, I'm paying €13 a month for two cats and have a €90 excess. The excess means it won't cover visits for minor ailments, but anything that requires surgery or a long course of treatment will only cost me a maximum of €90 now.
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Dec 31, 2013 09:56
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Cats are assholes, I already have two. Abby has taken to using a corner of my mattress for scratching. Anybody got tips on how to stop this? I'm going to attempt to tape tinfoil to the bed, but who knows how long that will last or if it'll even work. I've already tried using a spray bottle, but that's less than effective when I'm half asleep and weighed down by Wheatley sleeping on my chest.
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Dec 31, 2013 17:38
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Canadian Bakin posted:Cats are assholes, I already have two. Abby has taken to using a corner of my mattress for scratching. Anybody got tips on how to stop this? I'm going to attempt to tape tinfoil to the bed, but who knows how long that will last or if it'll even work. I've already tried using a spray bottle, but that's less than effective when I'm half asleep and weighed down by Wheatley sleeping on my chest. My cats do that as a signal that they want me to get up and do something for them - like let them outside or get them food (or both). Sometimes she's just arbitrarily decided that I shouldn't be in bed, for whatever reason. It also may be jealosy - Abby may be just telling you to stop being buddies with Wheatley and pay more attention to her. She'll quit when either she learns that scratching the mattress doesn't get what she wants or becomes too unpleasant in itself so as to try something different. Spray bottles, double sided tape, and foil are all common remedies you seem to be aware of. Good luck. Cats are just assholes sometimes. They sometimes get bored and quit stuff on their own and find some new and different way to annoy you.
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Dec 31, 2013 17:59
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Butts update: He is no longer jaundiced at all and is feeling strong enough to jump onto his favorite couch spot for naps. poo poo geyser has been finished for 24 hours.
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Dec 31, 2013 23:58
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So my kitten is scheduled to go to the vet on friday to get spayed. She just went into heat on sunday. Now, I called, and they said there will be an additional charge if she is still in heat. What I really want to know though, is if the surgery is any more dangerous if she is still in heat, and whether I should reschedule. Thanks!
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Jan 1, 2014 00:56
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Alpha1 posted:So my kitten is scheduled to go to the vet on friday to get spayed. She just went into heat on sunday. Now, I called, and they said there will be an additional charge if she is still in heat. What I really want to know though, is if the surgery is any more dangerous if she is still in heat, and whether I should reschedule. There are increased risks of doing the spay while in heat, but in experienced hands they're known and can be dealt with.
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Jan 1, 2014 02:31
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DressCodeBlue posted:Butts update: He is no longer jaundiced at all and is feeling strong enough to jump onto his favorite couch spot for naps. poo poo geyser has been finished for 24 hours. Nice! And he is eating well? One of the top ten moments of my life so far was our cat nibbling my finger in the morning wanting solid food after being tube fed for a while. To be fair, it was the morning after a hurricane so emotions were high.
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Jan 1, 2014 02:38
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I can say one thing about my sister's cat. She doesn't care about fireworks. At all. No reaction when everything was exploding outside. She was just chilling and not giving a gently caress. Great pet.
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Jan 1, 2014 05:54
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