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Captain Trips posted:Pics for the cute factor: Aww, looks a bit like my Tali http://imgur.com/Ts5FgES I just want an excuse to post picture of my kitty, I've taken enough of them.
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Aug 8, 2014 20:52
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Rat posted:Not really. Kittens in general are nuts. Males can opt for more rough play, but that's not a rule at all, and in my experience the most timid cats can be male. For adult cats the most lazy, laid-back ones are giant males. Thanks for this. I assume our friend did play with his hand, but Grumps has mostly stopped hand attacking. So, progress on that front I'll try to redirect him and hope he calms down a bit. I feel a bit like a lovely cat owner for leaving them alone for that long without more people playtime so I'm hoping by giving him some extra attention for the forseeable future he'll become less of a dick.
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Aug 8, 2014 23:35
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Huntersoninski posted:Only a vet will know for sure. You can try feeding her some canned pumpkin (straight pumpkin, not pie filling!) to help with her poops. But if it persists much longer take her to the vet. HelloSailorSign posted:Even with meds diarrhea can take several days to clear. effika posted:You may also ask about a probiotic. Two weeks of that did wonders for our cat's stools after she had a round of diarrhea & antibiotics. Thanks for the replies. To give a little bit of an update, I bought another box of the Double Duty Arm & Hammer litter (same exact kind she's been using), got home from work, cleaned out her litter completely and gave her a whole new slightly deeper layer. She took her medicine like a champ and I gave her a couple treats afterwards (she loves those Friskies Party Mix Beachside treats). Everything was hunky-dory for the rest of the night with her sleeping peacefully with us in bed. This morning, I noticed she hasn't used her litter other than leaving a couple small spots of urine, but didn't poop anywhere and it looks like the inflammation on her butt has all but disappeared. Then I went to the gym for about an hour and came back to another lovely puddle of diarrhea behind the entertainment center. God drat it.  I'm now assuming that she is over being sick and now just has to unlearn her new toilet spot. Ideas are swimming through my head of pulling out the entertainment center a bit (which I have to do to clean behind it every time) and putting her food there, putting her litter box there, buying a repellent, lining the entire carpet behind it with foil, buying Cat Attract Litter, keeping her in the bathroom with the litter box, etc. She used the litter box before perfectly before this, which makes it even more frustrating.
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Aug 9, 2014 00:34
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Charles Martel posted:I'm now assuming that she is over being sick and now just has to unlearn her new toilet spot. Ideas are swimming through my head of pulling out the entertainment center a bit (which I have to do to clean behind it every time) and putting her food there, putting her litter box there, buying a repellent, lining the entire carpet behind it with foil, buying Cat Attract Litter, keeping her in the bathroom with the litter box, etc. If she's still having diarrhea I wouldn't chalk it up to a learned habit just yet. Stick her in the bathroom with the litterbox until her stool firms up and see if she uses it again when there aren't many other options available.
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Aug 9, 2014 01:08
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Food and water are full. Litter box is empty (he hasn't used it, but he knows where it is). Why won't you stop meowing?
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Aug 9, 2014 04:25
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Engineer Lenk posted:If she's still having diarrhea I wouldn't chalk it up to a learned habit just yet. Stick her in the bathroom with the litterbox until her stool firms up and see if she uses it again when there aren't many other options available. Noted. We want to move her box there anyway since the storage space on the far end of the bathroom is cool and quiet and would seem ideal for her. I spent a little while reading this while at work in addition to the OP and it seems chock full of awesome advice. In summary, on top of temporarily confining her to one area at a time, I need to get her a secondary litter box (despite our dwelling being a small-ish 4-room apartment), make sure the litter in her primary box is deep enough so waste doesn't creep to the bottom, keep both boxes uncovered, consider switching to a unscented clay litter, and possibly make a switch to premium canned food down the line. Sorry if my questions seem dumb; still learning my way around all of this. 
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Aug 9, 2014 04:37
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Toast has decided his food bowl is the devil incarnate. He'll eat wet food out of it, but won't touch it if there's kibble in it. He'll ravenously eat the kibble out of my hand, or out of a treat ball, but not out of the bowl. It's clean and all, I don't know what gives.
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Aug 9, 2014 05:10
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Let's go lower-key. I've got four gray kittens, eight weeks, weaned and litter trained. They gotta go soon, but I'm not sure I want to resort to Craigslist yet. Suggestions? Ranzear fucked around with this message at 06:05 on Aug 9, 2014 |
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Aug 9, 2014 05:50
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Ranzear posted:Let's go lower-key. Local shelter? Kittens go fast.
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Aug 9, 2014 07:01
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Since yesterday night, my cat Babou (10 months) has been keeping one of her eyes half-closed. It's like she's squinting with it and having a hard time seeing out of it. There's no discharge or redness, and she's been acting normal, so I'm pretty sure that she's not in pain. I think she'd be crying or sitting in a corner if she were. Is this something I should be immediately worried about? Or is it ok to wait a day or two to see if it resolves itself before taking her to the vet? Thanks!
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Aug 9, 2014 17:27
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coldfire07 posted:Since yesterday night, my cat Babou (10 months) has been keeping one of her eyes half-closed. It's like she's squinting with it and having a hard time seeing out of it. When I first took in a stray kitten she was doing pretty much the same thing. I waited a day or two and when it didn't clear up took her to the vet. I can't recall exactly what they thought the cause was (infection I think), but they gave me some eye drops that cleared it up within days. Personally, it seems pretty clear that something isn't quite right. While its likely nothing major, it seems that a vet trip would be warranted.
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Aug 9, 2014 17:38
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coldfire07 posted:Since yesterday night, my cat Babou (10 months) has been keeping one of her eyes half-closed. It's like she's squinting with it and having a hard time seeing out of it. Since its her eye I'd take her in and not risk waiting it out.
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Aug 9, 2014 18:07
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Here are my girlfriend's cats, Buffy and Faith: They are seven years old and don't have any major health problems to speak of. They're neutered and live exclusively indoors, eating some fancy pro-health wet food (Evo). They had a really exciting trip to the vet today that ended with a recommendation for ~$1200 worth of preventative followup treatment. This was the first trip to this vet (new neighborhood) and they seemed friendly enough, but that's so much money I'm trying to get a sense of whether this is a total gouge, and whether it's worth getting a second opinion. (I realize that PI is not a good source of veterinary advice; I'm just kind of skeptical because of the enormous upsell, so I'm looking for more experienced cat havers to weigh in.) They're recommending that one cat (the bigger one) get a dental cleaning and possibly some extraction, and then there is a small subcutaneous mass that they might as well send for a biopsy while she is under anesthesia. Everyone seems to agree that regular cleanings are really beneficial, but the price point (to keep it vague, a clear majority of the $1200 figure) seems insane to me. Is that insane? There's also the subcutaneous mass. It's so small the vet lost track of it and neither my girlfriend nor I could find it. Every cat I ever had growing up had some lump or other, and the vets always waved it away on the basis that it's only worth bringing the cat in if the lump gets noticeably bigger. Is it nuts to remove and biopsy it at this point just because she'll be under anesthesia? On top of the existing vet bills, these are bank-breaking amounts of money. (Speaking of anesthesia: Buffy's pretty chubby (~15 lbs). Is anesthesia a big deal?) On the extreme end: Does anyone have experience with the kind of treatment a cat gets for an early-stage melanoma? Like, if it is both malignant and treatable, do they just snip if off, or are we talking kitty chemo? It's basically agreed that it's hideously cruel to subject an animal to chemo, right?
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Aug 10, 2014 20:02
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So I just adopted two cats: Mulder and his mom Sam. lovely cell phone pic of adorable cats: They're doing great except for one thing. Mulder was born back in May and he still nurses from Sam. So far, she has shown no resistance and hasn't kicked him off yet. Is he okay to do this? Will she eventually get annoyed enough to cut him off? She's not even a year old and he's almost as big as she is. She was spayed last Monday so I don't even know if she is producing milk still...
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Aug 10, 2014 20:27
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So our new cat Slinky hasn't bonded with our current cats as well as we hoped. We did all the usual cat-introducing steps and after less than a week they were quite chill around each other, no hissing or growling or anything. In the last couple of weeks however, Slinky has been hissing, growling at and occasionally going for our other cats. Not constantly and they can sometimes chill out in the same room together. She almost always instigates it - there's never any real danger signs like the ears going way back or anything, but she is less and less tolerant towards them. Part of the problem I think is that she has basically taken the front room as her territory - she rarely leaves it except to use the litter tray or go and sit up on my fiancée's lap when he's at home alone and upstairs on his computer. Our other cats pretty much share the entire house, they have been together since kittens and are comfortable in every room although aren't super affectionate towards each other. I wonder if she sees them as threats towards her territory? We've tried to encourage her out with food and playing but she's reluctant... In another complication we are moving house in a couple of weeks. I'm wondering whether to do anything now to try and a) entice her out of her comfort zone and get her exploring the house or b) going through the re-introduction process again with the other cats. Or, should we wait til we move house and then maybe try re-introducing them then? Or just cross our fingers and hope that as it's a new house for all three of them they will work it out amongst themselves?
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Aug 10, 2014 20:47
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Lava Lamp Goddess posted:So I just adopted two cats: Mulder and his mom Sam. lovely cell phone pic of adorable cats: What part of May? Nursing up to 12 weeks isn't uncommon. Is the nursing tapering off at least? If it is slowing down, I wouldn't be worried.
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Aug 10, 2014 21:01
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TheAngryDrunk posted:What part of May? Nursing up to 12 weeks isn't uncommon. Is the nursing tapering off at least? If it is slowing down, I wouldn't be worried. Their foster mom was unsure, but she got them around the middle of May and they seemed to be around 9-10 days old. He is happily eating solids, but still likes to suckle. Every time Sam stops moving or lays down, he'll go nurse. She's totally fine with it. Just hoping they don't turn like those creeps who breastfeed their children till they are in late elementary school. Lava Lamp Goddess fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Aug 10, 2014 |
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Aug 10, 2014 21:24
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The cost really depends on what is happening. Does the cat need full mouth extractions? That price is just fine. Is it a simple cleaning with no extractions? That price is not fine. Vet dental cleaning varies widely depending on what the vet does - some vets don't believe in dental x-ray or don't do them, which is wrong. But, that can drop the price by $100-$200. Some vets don't even observe dentals and techs do the whole thing - it makes it cheaper, but the doctor should be involved. Some vets don't use IV catheters or fluids during anesthesia - drops the cost, but it adds risk to the patient. Melanomas in cats are really rare. Skin masses in cats are usually something else. Those other things could be malignant, or could be benign. Biopsy is the only way to know. Some people are fine with sitting and watching, some are not. The best thing to do is to remove - but it is not a bad thing to watch it. A vet should recommend the best thing to do - and the client can say, "Nope, can't do because xxx" and tell the vet so that new plans can be discussed. Chemotherapy in animals is not cruelty because it is not done the same way as it is in people, and nasty adverse effects are much less common in animals than people undergoing chem - though they can happen. A 15 pound cat doesn't have significantly more risk than a normal cat, but there are considerations the vet will keep in mind.
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Aug 11, 2014 05:48
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Quick update on Rubella: Today is the last day of her meds and she has been doing a lot better the last couple of days. I put her litter box in the back of the bathroom where the area is cool and quiet and she's started using it again and has more solid stools now. I've never been so happy to see feces in my life, especially now that she's keeping out of the back of the entertainment center since I scrubbed the living daylights out of the carpet with Nature's Miracle and spray her if she gets near that area. I think she finally got the hint, thank god.
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Aug 11, 2014 07:32
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HelloSailorSign posted:The cost really depends on what is happening Ah okay. Thanks for the insight. I will pass this along.
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Aug 11, 2014 14:43
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How often should you change the litter? I've been having problems with a really gnarly litterbox smell (which isn't helped by the bucket of clumps next to it), and I make sure there's always fresh litter in it, there's deodorizer in it, it's cleaned out, etc. - but over time, it just gets gross. Is buying a new box of litter like every month or so typical?
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Aug 11, 2014 17:59
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Been a while, but IIRC you want to scoop daily and replace weekly? Something like that, I think.
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Aug 11, 2014 18:16
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Goddamn. I have completely failed to do that correctly.  A complete change every week, then? About how much litter should be in a litterbox? i tend to fill it up about 5-6 inches high.
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Aug 11, 2014 19:13
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Surely the bucket of clumps is your problem. I just got a cat, so maybe I didn't think about it enough, but I just scoop clumps out into a plastic bag and then take them to the outside trash immediately. It's literally cat piss. Also 5-6" sounds excessive. I do like...two inches? Maybe less.
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Aug 11, 2014 19:17
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If it's not deep enough, then the piss clump gets stuck to the sides and bottom of the litterbox. Do they make a non-stick spray for litterboxes?  The bucket of clumps is loving gross. That will have to go.
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Aug 11, 2014 19:23
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I think you can just spray Pam down. I think I read that somewhere? Also, maybe replace the bucket with a small lidded trashcan? That's what we do and it's fine for a few days before emptying. Once I forgot to close the lid and holy only what a stink - my money's on the bucket being your issue.
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Aug 11, 2014 19:28
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Litter genie is pretty handy.
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Aug 11, 2014 19:31
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A good policy to have is "no pee/poo clumps in the house" - throw that poo poo in the outside trash right away. I clean daily, top off the litter weekly, and replace it all monthly (with either a water or diluted vinegar rinse first).
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Aug 11, 2014 20:19
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I use Worlds Best and just flush it daily. One large bag, scooped 2x daily (since it's in the bathroom, i scoop when i wake up and before bed) will last my 2 cats 45-60 days before i have to clean/empty the box .
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Aug 12, 2014 00:11
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5-6 inches? Are you trying to bury bodies in there?  I just do an inch and change weekly with crystal litter. Poops go into a lidded bin that gets emptied every few days (or when extra stanky).Wait where do you even get a litterbox with 6" high walls?
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Aug 12, 2014 01:59
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toplitzin posted:I use Worlds Best and just flush it daily. I thought you're not supposed to flush clumping litter.
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Aug 12, 2014 03:12
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It's that monster that's spreading toxo to sea mammals! Get im!
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Aug 12, 2014 03:14
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SynthOrange posted:It's that monster that's spreading toxo to sea mammals! Get im! I was thinking more about damage to his plumbing system than to sea mammals.
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Aug 12, 2014 03:51
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Never have I been more happy that the garbage chute/room is two doors down from our apartment than reading the phrase "bucket of clumps". I bought a pack if 120 bags with cats on them from PetCo when I bought Tali's carrier because using plastic grocery bags was so wasteful (such big bags for so little pee and poo), gets scooped every day when I get home from work and is immediately dumped down the chute. And 6" seems super excessive. My bf's sister bought us litter box liners that I'm going to start using next time I change her litter, hope they work because washing a litter box in the tub isn't too fun.
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Aug 12, 2014 03:55
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*ahem* https://www.worldsbestcatlitter.com/clearing-the-air/2014/07/is-worlds-best-cat-litter-flushable/
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Aug 12, 2014 04:17
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toplitzin posted:*ahem* Ahhh...okay. Cool. Edit: But it's true that you shouldn't do it with clay clumping litters. TheAngryDrunk fucked around with this message at 04:42 on Aug 12, 2014 |
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Aug 12, 2014 04:34
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The cat social situation has gotten much better but one problem still remains: this kitten stinks. It's extremely jarring when you have a sweet little kitten in your lap and she makes such a terrible smell. How do I fix her farts?
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Aug 12, 2014 05:05
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I have learned a lot about cat poo poo today. I think I'll try out World's Best once I get off from work tomorrow. Thanks guys!
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Aug 12, 2014 05:24
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Do you not use a plastic liner in your box?
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Aug 12, 2014 05:29
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I dont, my cats dig deep enough to shred any liners.
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Aug 12, 2014 05:31
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