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TheAngryDrunk posted:I realize that in the wild cats get most of their water from prey, but is there any evidence that suggests they won't actively seek out water if they don't get enough from food? If that happens, I strongly suggests taking your cat to a vet. Even tame housecats get most of their water from their food, so generally they'll only drink if dry food makes them thirsty. If they won't, something is wrong. Conversely, if they get wet food and still drink a shitload, something may be wrong with their kidneys, so again: To the vet.
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Jul 6, 2014 02:21
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Libluini posted:If that happens, I strongly suggests taking your cat to a vet. Even tame housecats get most of their water from their food, so generally they'll only drink if dry food makes them thirsty. If they won't, something is wrong. Conversely, if they get wet food and still drink a shitload, something may be wrong with their kidneys, so again: To the vet. It's not a problem I'm having. It's just something I've read many times on the internet, but I've never seen the science behind it. Will cats actually dehydrate themselves because they have a low thirst drive even if water is available to them?
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Jul 6, 2014 02:25
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TheAngryDrunk posted:It's not a problem I'm having. It's just something I've read many times on the internet, but I've never seen the science behind it. Will cats actually dehydrate themselves because they have a low thirst drive even if water is available to them? That's something I think natural selection would take care of. Cats drink water pretty routinely.
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Jul 6, 2014 02:34
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Deteriorata posted:That's something I think natural selection would take care of. Cats drink water pretty routinely. That's what I would think, but there are lots of websites that say if you don't freed your cat wet food it won't get enough moisture in its diet.
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Jul 6, 2014 03:01
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TheAngryDrunk posted:That's what I would think, but there are lots of websites that say if you don't freed your cat wet food it won't get enough moisture in its diet. A lot of websites say really dumb things, it seems. Dry food is fine as long as they have fresh water around as well.
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Jul 6, 2014 03:03
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Dry food will sustain them but it's not the same as feeding wet. Kinda the way that humans can live on a lovely fast food diet, but it's not exactly ideal.
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Jul 6, 2014 05:32
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There's a difference between drinking enough to not be thirsty and drinking enough to be healthy. I drink a lot less water than I should, I drink enough to not be thirsty mostly.
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Jul 6, 2014 05:47
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As far as cats go, simply thinking, "Oh, they're thirsty, they'll drink" is not entirely true. Cats in general are retarded. They are dumb enough to shun food they don't like until they get ill and die from it. If the water bowl isn't changed regularly, the other cat is sitting near it, the cat prefers moving water... all these things will make a cat not drink the water it should. Actually, cats in general are expected to be "dehydrated." The measurement of urine concentration, or urine specific gravity, is done to see what the kidneys are doing. Are they working to concentrate urine and conserve water? Are they spitting out urine with a similar specific gravity to blood? Are they spitting out extra water because of overhydration? Cats are expected to be at a concentration of >1.035. The level that's generally accepted as blood concentration is anywhere from 1.008-1.014. Since the kidneys are working to conserve water, that means there's a perceived shortage in the body, thus dehydrated. Though, just because they have concentrated urine doesn't mean they are clinically dehydrated, but their kidneys are receiving signals that say that they need to conserve water. Maybe they're right on the edge? Who knows.
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Jul 6, 2014 05:59
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I had a cat that chose to not eat and almost die. It was something of a shock.
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Jul 6, 2014 07:46
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Libluini posted:Reading all these posts about formerly stray cats and puking problems due to overeating makes me feel a bit guilty now. I just made sure my own de-feralized cat got its food in regular intervals (one bowl in the morning, one in the evening) and over the course of the first year living with me she just sort of adjusted on her own and stopped overeating. No, this is actually a very good way to feed your cat rather than free feeding, some some cats just can't stop themselves. For gorging problems, I'd suggest scheduled feedings, and only put out about half of the portion at first, then put out the rest after 20-30 minutes or something like that. Alternatively, put small portions in an auto feeder, and have them open at intervals to slow down their eating.
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Jul 6, 2014 08:09
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We just adopted two kittens (3 and 4 months old) and they're roughhousing around now. This is normal right? It looks like Bagels, the younger one, is getting the edge on Lox, who has been getting over the anxiety of being brought home. Bagels adjusted fairly quickly (though both of them aren't eating very much, but it seems to be more and more every day which the vet told us was normal). How much should I let the kittens play-fight? Lox is good at getting away when he wants to, but I don't want Bagels to get too aggressive. Will Lox's "leave me alone" noises teach Bagels when to stop? I've read here that kittens learn boundaries from roughhousing with other kittens, but this is the first time we've owned cats and I wanted to make sure.
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Jul 6, 2014 17:48
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Yeah, they're gonna wrestle for sure. If something gets too rough, one will let the other know (i.e. hiss). I would only be concerned if those the other kitten ignores the warnings. At that age it's unlikely for there to be any true aggression.
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Jul 6, 2014 18:12
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After many years of having cats, I still haven't figured this out. What is the general difference between regular scented clumping litter and "Multi-cat" scented clumping litter? I know there are many different brands but there must be some standard base difference. Maybe a stronger scent, larger granuels, something, or maybe it's just marketing? I normally pick up generic store brand Essential Everyday Multi-cat from Jewel (Acme, Super-Valu, whatever it is where you live.) because I have 2 cats but when they are out I just get the regular scented stuff and notice no difference.
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Jul 7, 2014 00:13
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My cat just got neutered last Tuesday and just today I noticed a small, pencil eraser-sized red spot near his cat junk. Could this be somehow related to the surgery, like maybe he's been licking near it? It's not causing him any discomfort as far as I can tell, so I'll be waiting until the morning to contact the clinic. My other thought is that it could be ringworm showing up again as both kittens just finished a 2-month treatment with griseofulvin. If it's ringworm again, kill me please.
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Jul 7, 2014 03:49
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I hope this isn't too close to vet advice. Our cat is sick and the vet has issued us some cat drugs and instructions to force feed her high calorie food until she gets better. Now, the force feeding itself is going alright, but she vomited before we fed her last night, and vomited again today before a feeding. It looks like just the food slurry that we fed her earlier. I've started her off slow - vet says to get a full can of food in her, and I started with half a can yesterday and three quarters a can today - and I've split that out over four feedings about three hours apart (So 10 AM, 1:15 PM, 4:30 PM, 8:00 PM.) Has anyone else who has had to force feed a cat experienced this? Do I need to give her more time between meals, or perhaps cut back on the amount of water I am adding to make the cat food into a slurry? I'm making sure the food is warm when I feed her as well. I don't know if this is something that goes hand in hand with force feeding, or what - I'm going to check with my vet when I get more food later in the week, but if it's unusual, I want to take her back in with me sooner.
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Jul 7, 2014 05:02
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HonorableTB posted:We just adopted two kittens (3 and 4 months old) and they're roughhousing around now. This is normal right? It looks like Bagels, the younger one, is getting the edge on Lox, who has been getting over the anxiety of being brought home. Bagels adjusted fairly quickly (though both of them aren't eating very much, but it seems to be more and more every day which the vet told us was normal). How much should I let the kittens play-fight? Lox is good at getting away when he wants to, but I don't want Bagels to get too aggressive. Will Lox's "leave me alone" noises teach Bagels when to stop? I've read here that kittens learn boundaries from roughhousing with other kittens, but this is the first time we've owned cats and I wanted to make sure. Should be fine. If one's really in distress you'll hear it. Also it doesnt stop when they're not kittens. 
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Jul 7, 2014 05:10
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So we took in a stray that showed up at my girlfriend's sister's house a few weeks ago, she's about 9 months old and hasn't been spayed yet. She was fine at the initial vet visit but the vet was booked on surgeries and we were away for a week, so she hasn't been fixed yet. I've noticed over the past few days that her 2 rostral nipples have been enlarging, but no real change of color, and it may be my imagination but I think her belly looks fuller, and I can maybe palpate a fullness in her lower abdomen. She's also been drinking a ton of water and acting more lazy than usual. Obviously I'm concerned she's pregnant - can she still be spayed while pregnant (effectively providing an abortion) or are there any clues to suggest pregnancy? Can we get her to pee on a stick??? Just curious until we can get her to the vet ASAP this week. I'm too young to be the parent of a teen mom E possibly preggo Francine 
Laminator fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Jul 7, 2014 |
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Jul 7, 2014 05:19
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I had my stray spaybortioned when her belly was quite large so as long as she isn't giving birth it's fine. The vet told me most people don't even know they are pregnant until they take them in.
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Jul 7, 2014 12:45
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Von Humboldt posted:
If I am understanding you correctly, she vomitied right before the next feeding and what came up looked like what went in about fourhours before. If that is the case, I would certainly take her in sooner than later (or call and see if the vet wants to see her or just wants to send home meds) - food transits faster than four hours in cats so it should have been out of the stomach by then. If there was a problem with the volume of food you were giving, that generally comes up shortly after giving it, not before the next feeding. Laminator posted:
Unfortunately there aren't accurate ways of diagnosing pregnancy in animals at home early... unless you have access to an ultrasound unit. They'll start making milk closer to delivery day but there's unlikely to be anything in there now as you've just noticed enlargement. As mentioned earlier, spayborting is done frequently among cats as there are many trap-neuter-release programs for feral cats and they quite often come in some state of pregnant. Luckily cat doesn't seem to know or care, and though there's a little more risk during the spay because blood vessels are bigger, in a lot of ways a pregnant cat is still loads easier than a fat dog. Post-op management is usually not much different from regular spay - the incision is bigger, but that's about it. The kittens don't feel anything even if they're close to term as they remain anesthetized in the uterus, and as long as they are left in there (not cut out or pulled out) they don't get any signals to do anything and the anesthesia hangs around until they're deprived of oxygen.
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Jul 7, 2014 14:39
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Von Humboldt posted:I don't know if this is something that goes hand in hand with force feeding, or what - I'm going to check with my vet when I get more food later in the week, but if it's unusual, I want to take her back in with me sooner. I don't think it's that unusual. Normally it would have passed through the stomach by then, but stress can reeeeeally slow the digestive system, and force feeding can be stressful. I would still call the vet and give them an update and see what they think.
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Jul 7, 2014 15:10
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Recently my male cat has picked up the habit of pawing at the floor near his litter box after taking a dump. First he'll sniff the floor, then slap and rub his front paws all over it for anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. He does that even when the litter is squeaky clean, and after examining his paws there's no litter or poop on them. Any idea why he'd do that or pick up the habit?
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Jul 7, 2014 15:37
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He wishes to polish the floor with his poop resin?
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Jul 7, 2014 16:06
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Cats have brains the size of golf balls.
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Jul 7, 2014 17:10
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One of my cats paws at the air trying to bury her poop. Cats. 
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Jul 7, 2014 20:11
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CompactFanny posted:One of my cats paws at the air trying to bury her poop. Cats. I should probably place my box inside a secondary box so my cat stops tracking litter and then trying to bury invisible poop in my bathroom.
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Jul 7, 2014 20:22
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CompactFanny posted:One of my cats paws at the air trying to bury her poop. Cats. Sounds like my Squiggles, except he paws at the air for almost anything, food, water, pets, for seemingly no reason at all... except for the toy feather thing on a stick, he runs away in terror whenever he sees it.
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Jul 7, 2014 22:17
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CompactFanny posted:One of my cats paws at the air trying to bury her poop. Cats. Okay, i'm not alone. One of mine will actually dig a hole to poop in, so she knows how to move the litter, but then she will scratch the sides of the box when it comes time to bury it. Luckily her brother will bury it for her, but only when he notices. Until then, it smells.
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Jul 7, 2014 23:11
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Yeah that's exactly what mine does. Dig hole, poop, scrape the box sides, the air or the floor in front of the box to "bury" it. Oliver will come behind her and tidy up. He also likes to hide cat pukes with items. Came home one time to find a pringles can top sitting on a pile of cat vomit. Ok Oliver, I totally can't see it now  where did that even come from UGH CATS
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Jul 7, 2014 23:40
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Went to my local pet store and found these: http://www.shop.boinks.com/Boinks-Bamboozler-for-Cats-Qty-2-9357394278.htm (They were $5 locally, that price is insane). My cat went absolutely nuts for them. It's made out of the same wire cover mesh that you'd see covering tubing in cars. Pretty tough stuff.
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Jul 8, 2014 00:05
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HelloSailorSign posted:
Well, we do have a portable ultrasound at the free health clinic I volunteer at... Thanks for the info. We're taking her to the vet tomorrow afternoon so they can evaluate her and get her scheduled for surgery. Out of curiosity, is it common for cats to behave differently when they're pregnant, even early along? Like I said, she's been lying around and acting super lazy, whereas she has been more peppy and kitten-like the weeks prior. I mean I guess she's the equivalent of like 3 months pregnant in human terms at this point most likely, so I guess it makes sense if that indeed is what's going on.
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Jul 8, 2014 03:07
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I got a call from my mom today, my cat has cancer in his mouth. The vet apparently hadn't seen this type of cancer outside of a specific kind of marking or something, I'm so jarred I can't remember the details. I haven't been home in almost two years and I can't afford to go home soon and I don't know what to do. This is the only pic of him I have on my phone; my little brother texted it to me back in the winter. 
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Jul 8, 2014 03:15
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Trebuchet King posted:I got a call from my mom today, my cat has cancer in his mouth. The vet apparently hadn't seen this type of cancer outside of a specific kind of marking or something, I'm so jarred I can't remember the details. Man, that sucks. I lost my cat last week in a similar situation, though I was able to make it back one last time. My advice would be to have your brother take lots of photos and videos now, while he's relatively healthy. It means a lot to me that I can see my cat as I remember her, regal and energetic, whenever I choose.
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Jul 8, 2014 06:12
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Laminator posted:Well, we do have a portable ultrasound at the free health clinic I volunteer at... I figured you might have access to an ultrasound unit... They can definitely behave differently.
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Jul 8, 2014 07:00
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What do you all use for flea, tick, etc. control? My new cat hangs out on a 2nd-floor deck that is also visited by dirty squirrels and birds and my vet recommended Revolution, but they don't sell that on Amazon so as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't exist. I've heard of Frontline and Advantage, but only because they advertise on TV. Does it matter?
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Jul 8, 2014 22:13
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I use Advantage. In the UK at least, vets are advising that fleas have become resistant to Frontline.
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Jul 8, 2014 22:15
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We use Revolution (which we buy from the vet) and it's awesome. I have no idea as to the effectiveness of other products.
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Jul 8, 2014 22:16
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HelloSailorSign posted:I figured you might have access to an ultrasound unit... Catte is pregnant, not too far along but enough that her uterus is taking up a good amount of space (vet shot an abdominal film). She's getting spayed on Thursday. Thanks, cat people :3
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Jul 8, 2014 23:19
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Ok, so I have a bit of a problem with regards to cats. I just moved in with my girlfriend. I have two cats, both 4 years old. One is a male with a very playful, "dog-like" personality and is the dominant one. The other is female, and far more passive - less directly loving, more "cat-like". Both were raised among people since childhood, they're litter-mates, and are very sociable. My girlfriend's cat is at least 8, and possibly older. She was originally a stray that she adopted from a shelter, and does not like to be around other cats, at all. She also doesn't like to be touched much, either - though she does like being close to my girlfriend if at all possible. Additionally, she's diabetic and has a hernia - making jumping and regular cat play painful. Just an all around loner cat. So, I moved in just over three weeks ago. Originally, we had my cats and her cat in different rooms, always with only one door between them. We switched the rooms every few days, to familiarize them with each others scent. Next, we stacked two baby gates on top of each other to keep them apart, but in visual range of each other. There was much growling and hissing. After a week of this, for the last week, we've been keeping the baby gate down while we were home. We've had zero progress with the gate down - my female cat (the passive one) constantly persues and gets in the face of her cat, who in turn keeps retreating to under our bed. I keep my cats claws trimmed, while my gf's cat is fully armed and operational. Yet every time my cat gets a solid swipe to the nose, she just keeps coming back for more. My male cat, on the other hand, gives my gf's cat a wide berth. I just can't figure out how to make my female cat stop being such a jerk to my gf's cat. I mean, I moved into her house... so it's just not appropriate for my cats to be acting this way. Am I expecting too much, too soon? Should I return to the closed doors or baby gates for an extended period of time?
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Jul 9, 2014 03:29
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Erwin posted:What do you all use for flea, tick, etc. control? My new cat hangs out on a 2nd-floor deck that is also visited by dirty squirrels and birds and my vet recommended Revolution, but they don't sell that on Amazon so as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't exist. I've heard of Frontline and Advantage, but only because they advertise on TV. Does it matter? Call your vet and ask. Effectiveness of brands varies by area and they'll know what works.
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Jul 9, 2014 06:27
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Trebuchet King posted:I got a call from my mom today, my cat has cancer in his mouth. The vet apparently hadn't seen this type of cancer outside of a specific kind of marking or something, I'm so jarred I can't remember the details. If it's localized enough, chemo may be plausible. I've had cats (extended family) that develop a herpes-like condition (I'll get the name if you wish) that is non-fatal but requires very frequent cortisone shots or eating becomes too painful. Did your Vet do a biopsy or is this just his assumption? Vets are Not always correct. So, if no biopsy and your Vet is not "morally certain", I suggest a substantial Prednisone shot and see how that does.
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Jul 9, 2014 07:07
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