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What's a good product to block off the bottom of my bed and still allow me to store stuff there that isn't a new frame?
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Oct 15, 2014 04:43
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A few months back, my cat Stella had pee problems ("improper eliminations," as they say) and we took her to the vet. Turned out she didn't have a UTI but probably had Feline Interstitial Cystitis, which is stress-induced bladder inflammation. I was given some buprenorphine to shoot at her gums for a couple of days and told that if it happened again try to modify her diet and reduce her stress levels. It didn't happen again, fortunately... ... until we moved earlier this month. And I think she's added marking to her repertoire. AND it's not just me moving, but moving in with my girlfriend, who Stella sort of knows but also seems to not trust. Now she's being kind of a pee nightmare. I realized that her litter box needs to be deep cleaned, and I'm going to do that tonight. She was actually doing OK before the Feliway Diffuser I bought ran out. First she peed on one of her beds, which I tossed. Then she peed along the side of a bookshelf, and we cleaned it up with Nature's Miracle. She went in that spot again last night, so I REALLY cleaned that spot off with Nature's Miracle, figuring I missed something. But then later last night she peed in the bed. While we were in it. So we cleaned THAT up thoroughly (and she is banned from the bedroom today because c'mon, cat) and there were no issues until this morning, when I finally caught her in the act of peeing up against the same bookshelf, and she was absolutely marking; standing straight up, tail up in the air and quivering, and only a tiny amount of pee. So I think it's all stress-induced. I think I also need to fix her diet, but I'm not sure what changes to make. She gets 1/5th of a cup of Wellness Core in and 1/5th of a cup of mixed treats (Greenies and Temptations Naturals) in the morning, and another 1/5th cup of treats in the evenings because she's a grazer and usually has wellness left. Am I giving her too many treats? I want to add something for her urinary health to her diet, but I'm not sure what to add. When I talked to the vet about this last time it happened, I think she recommended Science Diet (whichever variety is geared toward urinary/bladder health). Is that actually good or is there a better alternative I should look into? I have tried to give Stella wet food and she just looks at me like "wtf is this". If I leave it out will it increase the chances she'll actually come around and eat it? I've pretty much given up right away when she refuses to eat it so I don't know if giving it more time would help. I have also tried coating her food with Cosequin, which I'm told will reduce her bladder inflammation, and she has the same reaction. Should I just leave it out for her and see if she'll go for it given enough time? I'm worried about her bladder health but I'm also worried that she's too stupid to eat different food  The other things I'm doing for this: - Tonight: Trashing the litter currently in the box and washing the litter box out with soap and warm water, then refilling it with 100% fresh litter. (edit: Which I should have done sooner, but we've been moving and there's just not enough time in the day sometimes) - ... then adding some Cat Attract to the litter. - Ordered another bag of Dr. Elsay's Precious Cat litter - Ordered 3 more Feliway Diffusers and 1 refill to cover as much of the new apartment as possible - Making it a point to play with Stella more and give her more attention overall (this is difficult because she gets fed up pretty quickly). Fortis fucked around with this message at 16:16 on Oct 15, 2014 |
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Oct 15, 2014 16:14
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Fortis posted:She gets 1/5th of a cup of Wellness Core in and 1/5th of a cup of mixed treats (Greenies and Temptations Naturals) in the morning, and another 1/5th cup of treats in the evenings because she's a grazer and usually has wellness left. Am I giving her too many treats? If I read this correctly, 2/3 of her food consists of treats? Yes, that's too many treats. Don't be afraid to leave the wet food out. I put it out for mine twice a day. It doesn't disappear right away, but it's always gone before the next feeding. If she'll tolerate it, put just a very little in her mouth, and she may change her mind. quote:- Tonight: Trashing the litter currently in the box and washing the litter box out with soap and warm water, then refilling it with 100% fresh litter. (edit: Which I should have done sooner, but we've been moving and there's just not enough time in the day sometimes) Do this now. Also, the diffusers will probably help. quote:- Making it a point to play with Stella more and give her more attention overall (this is difficult because she gets fed up pretty quickly). Try giving her attention for shorter periods of time more frequently, and try to stop before she gets fed up. She'll want to interact for longer periods of time once she gets used to this.
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Oct 15, 2014 17:59
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Gorgar posted:If I read this correctly, 2/3 of her food consists of treats? Yes, that's too many treats.  I don't know why I didn't think about it like this and in retrospect I'm not sure why I thought I had to ask; the answer is pretty obvious. I'll cut way back on the treats.quote:Don't be afraid to leave the wet food out. I put it out for mine twice a day. It doesn't disappear right away, but it's always gone before the next feeding. If she'll tolerate it, put just a very little in her mouth, and she may change her mind. I'll give it another shot. I guess I'll also see if she goes for the cosequin-coated food one more time too by the same principle.
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Oct 15, 2014 19:02
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Sampson managed to pee a little again today, and doesn't seem to be straining. Also he loves the painkillers. I thought it'd be a nightmare getting a syringe under his tongue but he opened right up and waits for his sweet 'kitty morphine', as the vet called it. Little junkie cat.
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Oct 15, 2014 19:37
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Do scratching posts with whatever type of rope that is get worn out? If so, how do you tell when that's happened? My cat's always been very good about using the post, but in the last couple months she's started scratching other things - ottoman, carpet, backpack, etc., so I'm wondering if the post just isn't satisfying for her anymore.
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Oct 15, 2014 21:22
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Consider getting a horizontal scratching surface too. Some cats prefer one or the other. Some use both.
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Oct 15, 2014 21:29
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Got my female cat spayed one week ago, everything went great and she's back to normal. What I find weird is that her personality changed a bit. She's now constantly purring (only when I'm petting her, so I'm sure it's not a sign of pain). She also meows softly a lot when I'm petting her, or if she sees me looking at her. Is this normal? Am I missing something? She's eating, drinking, everything normal as always. I have no real complain, although I feel she's talking to me and I have no idea what she wants haha. I'm just curious if anyone had a similar experience? She's only 10 months, so maybe her personality is changing... She was very sweet with everyone before as well, but didn't usually purr and meow.
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Oct 16, 2014 05:32
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hooah posted:Do scratching posts with whatever type of rope that is get worn out? If so, how do you tell when that's happened? My cat's always been very good about using the post, but in the last couple months she's started scratching other things - ottoman, carpet, backpack, etc., so I'm wondering if the post just isn't satisfying for her anymore. It's sisal rope, and yes it wears out. You can tell it's worn out when the rope literally disintegrates and it looks all stringy like the top of a corn cob. Good news is that you can probably buy sisal rope by the metre at your local hardware store to replace it.
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Oct 16, 2014 07:54
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Its not a war stopper (and I couldn't find the answer in the FAQ), but when my cat eats her dried cat biscuits, she will only eat half of the biscuit and leave the inside. She will have a full bowl of half eatten biscuits in the morning and will expect more. Is this normal? I know it's not too concerning. I just find it weird (plus she is my first cat).
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Oct 16, 2014 08:15
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rookiethenewguy posted:Its not a war stopper (and I couldn't find the answer in the FAQ), but when my cat eats her dried cat biscuits, she will only eat half of the biscuit and leave the inside. She will have a full bowl of half eatten biscuits in the morning and will expect more. I wanna know what you mean by cat biscuits
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Oct 16, 2014 13:41
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Don't make cats into biscuits please.
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Oct 16, 2014 14:06
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Drythe posted:Don't make cats into biscuits please. Only burritos
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Oct 16, 2014 15:01
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When I hear cat biscuits I think cat farts.
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Oct 16, 2014 20:26
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I think "cat biscuits" is a british term for "dry cat kibble" Imagining a bowl of half-eaten kibble pieces is pretty entertaining.
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Oct 16, 2014 20:57
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Tali is 6 months old today and she's finally been allowed to sleep with us in the bedroom (until she decides it's face stepping/nose nipping time, then she gets kicked out). We're hoping kicking her out when she wakes up and bothers us will teach her that if she wakes up and leaves the door will stay open. Any other suggestions for teaching the kitty to leave us the gently caress alone at 3am?
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Oct 16, 2014 21:46
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duckfarts posted:I wanna know what you mean by cat biscuits Google it
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Oct 16, 2014 21:57
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rookiethenewguy posted:Google it 
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Oct 16, 2014 22:08
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I don't know why she's putting extra weight on as well
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Oct 16, 2014 22:09
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rookiethenewguy posted:Google it Yeah, the part about "dried cat biscuits" "only eat half the biscuit and leave the inside" is still confusing and I can't tell if it's because of your English or if this is some kind of cat food that comes in giant chunks. Are you free-feeding your cat, or are you using scheduled feedings? If you're worried about weight problems, you should really be using scheduled feedings and playing with her more if you can.
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Oct 17, 2014 02:20
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Ginny posted:What I find weird is that her personality changed a bit. She's now constantly purring (only when I'm petting her, so I'm sure it's not a sign of pain). She also meows softly a lot when I'm petting her, or if she sees me looking at her. Probably a personality change. One of my cats started getting more vocal after she turned a year and vocalizations have been increasing in fits and spurts. I'm sure the lack of hormones can't hurt either. ilysespieces posted:Tali is 6 months old today and she's finally been allowed to sleep with us in the bedroom (until she decides it's face stepping/nose nipping time, then she gets kicked out). We're hoping kicking her out when she wakes up and bothers us will teach her that if she wakes up and leaves the door will stay open. When you kick her out she's getting entertainment and attention. This is what she wants. Unfortunately the only sure-fire way to stop the behavior is to ignore her without slipping up for as long as it takes to break her of the habit. Which is a huge pain in the rear end when you're trying to sleep.
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Oct 17, 2014 06:56
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I live with my Fiance and we have a cat. He's obnoxious long hair'd and we're pretty sure has a healthy mix of Ragdoll. This is when he was young. It was until just before he was 6mo that we finally started leaving the downstairs door open at night. it was of course winter and he learned rather quickly that the meatsacks exhale warm air. I never had a cat-on-face problem. The Fiance was not so lucky. (Works out in the end for her, Fiance's JRT loves me. Obnoxious, snuggle all the time let me help you pee, loves me.) He eventually grew out of this problem but ultimately he was a kitten, and therefore an rear end in a top hat. The big thing is we didn't want him thinking that cords were playthings, and we quickly learned that the most effective method was squirt bottle. Trial and error has taught us that it only works directly in the facehole. As he has so much fluff he can sit in a sink with the water running and not realise he is getting wet. He's also a little bit of an idiot. Ultimately, picking the cat up and placing him at the end of the bed repeatedly might help, as the only 2 cat's I've had my whole life learned after two or three moves to either bugger off or sleep down at the feet. (Which is protected by a horribly attached JRT, so he moves or fights, which upon retrospect still wakes me up, rear end in a top hat.) Good luck!
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Oct 17, 2014 08:29
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Our cats are starting to vomit more than usual. Baxter normally does so every so often because he'd wolf down his food too fast and just barf it back up, but now Raja is starting to vomit as well. Raja's vomit doesn't have any food in it, just liquid, and he's never really done this before. Possible causes are: Raja just got done with a antibiotic regiment for his lost tooth/sinus infection. As part of this, we fed both of the cats wet food for about a week so it was easier to mix in Raja's medication, whereas before they were solely dry food eaters. I would mix in some dry food with their bigger wet meals as well. I don't know if it is the transition back to purely dry food from wet food, or the end of the antibiotics, or just that they are ingesting too much hair while grooming with the changing season. Besides getting some of those food bowls that intentionally slow pets down, does anyone have any suggestions?
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Oct 17, 2014 15:49
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tentawesome posted:Yesterday morning we had discovered a small little bald spot that was bleeding next to Sigma's ear. We thought he had just gotten caught on something and accidentally scalped himself, except it was bigger when I got home later that afternoon. I took him to the vet where we determined it was not ringworm, and she gave me some wipes to help him heal faster. Today, though, it's bigger than when it started. He is acting completely normal aside from being more snuggly than usual, but I switched his cat food (which he immediately scarfed down) in case it might help. I figure I'll wait a couple of days to see if it gets much worse, but has anyone else dealt with this before? This happened to my cat, except on her cheek. We don't really know what caused it, but we had to put a cone on her for a few weeks until it healed. Otherwise she'd scratch at the scab and peel it off. I guess I'm surprised your vet didn't give you a cone.
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Oct 17, 2014 18:06
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ATP5G1 posted:When you kick her out she's getting entertainment and attention. This is what she wants. Unfortunately the only sure-fire way to stop the behavior is to ignore her without slipping up for as long as it takes to break her of the habit. Which is a huge pain in the rear end when you're trying to sleep. Thanks. That's what I'm afraid of. I'm alright with her bothering me, but my boyfriend gets frustrated really easily and is stressed enough from work that being woken up by the cat will just give him more things to complain about. Gonna stick with letting her in the room on the weekend and keeping her out by default when we have to get up for work.
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Oct 17, 2014 19:26
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FISHMANPET posted:This happened to my cat, except on her cheek. We don't really know what caused it, but we had to put a cone on her for a few weeks until it healed. Otherwise she'd scratch at the scab and peel it off. I guess I'm surprised your vet didn't give you a cone. I am too. We went to another vet and they concluded it was a bacterial infection. He looks a million times better after just two days of steroid cream and antibiotics.
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Oct 17, 2014 21:34
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Klungar posted:Our cats are starting to vomit more than usual. Baxter normally does so every so often because he'd wolf down his food too fast and just barf it back up, but now Raja is starting to vomit as well. Raja's vomit doesn't have any food in it, just liquid, and he's never really done this before. I just want to say that when my cat vomits it's a huge exception, even in the summer when I let her outside (well, there isn't really anything to do for a cat in the other seasons, so I guess that's a dumb detail). I'd be worried if she started vomiting regularly... I guess mine does it maybe once or twice a year. Am I a lucky owner?
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Oct 17, 2014 22:35
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I'm moving this weekend with my cats, are there any general tips to make the transition go well? Should we segregate them to a room or two in the new place for a while?
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Oct 18, 2014 02:24
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I'm gonna drag e/n into this forum for a second. My brother hates me right. Why does my sister hate me right now? Because I used generalizations. I told her a adult cat is less likely to tear up our house than a kitten and that taking care of kittens takes a lot more attention. Why did I say that? BECAUSE I READ THIS THREAD. "Not in every case." he says "A adult cat from a shelter is just as likely to tear up our brand new Chair!" "Yeah" pipes in his girlfriend "Kittens are easier they are more adaptable to new places because they are so young!" I sigh and roll my eyes. I mention one of the cats that we saw at the shelter that was laying around the entire time, a massive fat ragdoll that nearly fell asleep while we were in the room looking at cats. "That cat couldn't possibly destroy everything." I say to them. "How could you even know?" They go on. "Well if it happens it happens; i'll buy a new Chair geeze!" "THAT'S NOT BEING RESPONSIBLE!" I sigh again and lean back he's taking this way too loving seriously. "How is that not being responsible? I'm taking responsibility for the Chair that's the very loving definition of responsible!" "Responsible is preventing the chair from getting damaged in the first place!" he goes on. I can not hold back the amount of contempt I feel. "I can't believe how non-chalantly you're talking about this! Like it's no big deal!" I'm non-chalant because he's the one obsessing over it. "It's just a Cat. It's not a loving Puma." "I realize that it may be "just a cat" but a cat is still a big responsibility!" "I'm not saying it's not a big responsibility just that if the Cat you adopt is crazy it's not the end of the loving world!" The conversation went on for a while. I think I really don't want a Cat anymore. What do you suggest?
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Oct 18, 2014 06:38
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Triple Helix posted:I'm moving this weekend with my cats, are there any general tips to make the transition go well? Should we segregate them to a room or two in the new place for a while? They were a bit nervous and skittery for about a day or so, but by the end of day 2 Cinnamon was charging around like she'd been here forever and Loki didn't take much longer to relax.
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Oct 18, 2014 09:34
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England Sucks posted:I'm gonna drag e/n into this forum for a second. kitten = will probably gently caress up your furniture I think maybe they just want a kitten That said, when you adopt a cat, you should probably consider your furniture* forfeit, so that Chair is dead *and everything you own
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Oct 18, 2014 11:33
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It sounds like they like kittens more because they are cute and also they've convinced themselves they are pet experts and resent you for not accepting their conclusions as fact. Do they live with you? Are they sharing responsibility? If not then gently caress them. A kitten is high energy and prone to destruction and if you don't have plenty of time to play with and teach it during the day it'll get into mischief. My friend adopted two kittens years ago and her couch is in ribbons to this day. I adopted Pete as a young adult cat and he has never raised a claw against any non-approved piece of furniture. Some people will have the opposite experience. All cats are different. The great benefit of adopting an adult is, they already have a personality you can see. A kitten is a wild card - it may be cuddly now but grow aloof. It may be mean now and grow affectionate. I had a kitten growing up who loved sleeping on your lap and sitting on your shoulder and being close to you. She grew up into a wild, skittish thing that preferred to hide and wait and ambush your ankles. With an adult cat you have a better idea of what they're like (and whether they'll gently caress up your stuff) Get what you want. Cats and kittens are great and your pet is your choice.
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Oct 18, 2014 13:51
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Lol my sister went to the shelter without me; saw the right cat; and got it. So much for kittens.
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Oct 18, 2014 18:57
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My cat broke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiK5Jbsql8o
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Oct 18, 2014 19:59
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Toxsyl posted:My cat broke. Seems to be functioning normally to me.
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Oct 19, 2014 02:20
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Hello folks! I hate two cats. Both are about 2 years old. They're both female. They get along pretty good. Neutral is how I'd describe it. They aren't BFFs or anything but they aren't enemies either. Sometimes they play chase with each other. Sometimes when it's really cold they'll sleep together. Anyhow, tonight the black cat has been "growling" and hissing at the white cat. I'm not sure why. The black cat is treating her like she treats the dog (with the utmost disgust and disdain). Is this likely a temporary temper tantrum or a more meaningful change in intercat relations? What could have caused such a rift? PS: White cat looks a lot like toxsyl's cat.
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Oct 19, 2014 05:04
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I tried hard, but in the end couldn't resist.TheReverend posted:I hate two cats.  Sorry, I don't know anything about this topic otherwise. Oh, I guess to avoid wasting space I'll ask whether anything recently changed in the household, and whether the cats have access to the outside, and how long the change in relations has been going on. 
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Oct 19, 2014 12:10
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Hi folks! This is Ozzy. We found him in a box on the street with his siblings at the beginning of September. All his litter-mates now live with trusted friends of ours. We took him to the vet last week and got him all his shots, and the vet estimated his age at around two or three months. Now all that's left is to get him neutered, but I've heard conflicting reports about when the best time for that is. Some say three to six months is the best window, others say any time from six months up to a year old. What would you recommend? After living with an insane woman who refused to neuter her intact cat, I never want to go through that hell again. I'd like to get the procedure done with as soon as possible. Is there any reason I shouldn't do this? Thanks!
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Oct 19, 2014 15:23
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fozzie dunlop posted:Hi folks! This is Ozzy. No, not really. If you wait until he starts spraying to get him neutered, he will likely continue spraying. As early as your vet is willing to do so is when I'd do it.
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Oct 19, 2014 15:28
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| # ? May 27, 2024 16:09 |
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fozzie dunlop posted:After living with an insane woman who refused to neuter her intact cat, I never want to go through that hell again. I'd like to get the procedure done with as soon as possible. Is there any reason I shouldn't do this? FWIW, I got my two neutered as soon as they hit about 1kg in weight(basically, as soon as they were big enough for my girl kitten to undergo the surgery safely), on the recommendation of both the vet and the RSPCA who I adopted them through. They were about 4 or 5 months old at the time and they bounced back very quickly afterwards. They're a little over a year old now, and just as I was thinking it's time to book a checkup we noticed that Cinnamon has been straining to pee  She tried to have a go on top of our drawers this morning, which is very unusual since it's a very exposed spot and she's never had an out-of-box incident before, but she only managed a little dribble, the poor thing. Booked into the vet next weekend, I just hope she's not in too much discomfort in the meantime. Luckily, her brother is still pissing like a champ.
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Oct 19, 2014 15:52
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