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slidebite posted:What do you feed them? I switch them between Merrick Grain Free salmon and Canidae Pure salmon depending on what's on sale. They're both over 70% protein/fat.
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Nov 7, 2014 20:47
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Can kittens get used to new litter if they won't use it now? There was a good offer on big bags of World's Best and since it's pretty different from the last litter (non-clumping wood pellets) kitty doesn't seem to want to use it at all. Its new litter in a new tray and the tray is a lot bigger than what she's used to, but it's in her old spot and when she goes over she's all confused. I put the old tray with some old litter upstairs to give her a place to go there and she'll go in the old one but not the new. Maybe I should try putting the new litter in the old tray? I put all my eggs in one basket like an idiot and don't have any clean old litter left now, and I don't want to have to spend another £20 on this stuff  Any tips? Will she get used to it or just have a dirty protest all over the house?ed: actually it seems she thinks it's for eating. Stupid cat  vvv thanks, I did just that  put it back in the old tray for now. Hopefully she gets used to it!
LeafyGreens fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Nov 8, 2014 |
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Nov 7, 2014 21:05
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Octolady posted:Can kittens get used to new litter if they won't use it now? One of my cats also though clean World's Best was food. I found that mixing it in with the leftover clay litter I used helped. You could try that in the new tray and/or the old one (since its smell might help her). We still ended up back on the clay litter due to price, though.
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Nov 7, 2014 21:57
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One of my cats ate World's Best also, because it's made of corn and apparently corn is loving delicious if you're a cat.
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Nov 8, 2014 04:00
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Octolady posted:Can kittens get used to new litter if they won't use it now? Pick up some cat attract additive. Works peachy!
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Nov 8, 2014 04:14
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I think Toast has a UTI He's going to the litterbox a good deal more frequently than usual and peeing maybe half to a quarter the volume he usually does. He's also got a mild case of mudbutt. Vet seems to think it's a UTI, too, but couldn't get him in until Monday morning. They said to call the e-vet if there's a lot of blood in his pee, or if he stops eating or starts vomiting. Or, I guess, stops peeing altogether? He seems pretty OK other than that; he isn't showing any other signs of pain or illness. I think I caught it really early because I clean his litterbox so frequently. I guess I'm just worried Monday is too long to wait.
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Nov 8, 2014 17:37
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This is popping up a lot lately and it's getting to the point where it's really bothering me, so I just wanted to say this: cats with lower urinary tract signs (straining to pee, peeing more frequently, bloody pee, etc.) will only have a UTI 2% of the time. 2%! Cats really don't tend to get UTIs, and if they do, it usually means there's something else that's predisposing them to it (e.g. chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus). Unless there is definitive proof of a UTI (i.e. a positive urine culture) I would not jump to UTI. Seems like there's a rash of posters lately whose cats have feline lower urinary tract disease and for some reason they all get treated for UTIs.
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Nov 8, 2014 18:59
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So I got an ant infestation in a corner of my apartment and I used some Raid spray to kill them and try to kill their source. I put my cats in a separate room completely away from "ground zero" as I know that stuff is poisonous for them. What sort of precautions do I need to take in cleaning up that area before it's safe for them? Has anyone run into a similar situation? The room they are in is plenty big for them, so they can stay in there until necessary.
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Nov 9, 2014 00:20
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Braki posted:This is popping up a lot lately and it's getting to the point where it's really bothering me, so I just wanted to say this: cats with lower urinary tract signs (straining to pee, peeing more frequently, bloody pee, etc.) will only have a UTI 2% of the time. 2%! Cats really don't tend to get UTIs, and if they do, it usually means there's something else that's predisposing them to it (e.g. chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus). Unless there is definitive proof of a UTI (i.e. a positive urine culture) I would not jump to UTI. That makes sense, and it's something I'll discuss with my regular vet Monday — UTI is what I was told over the phone when I initially called. I did wind up taking him to the e-vet today, though, because there was barely any pee happening whenever he tried and I was concerned he was blocked/getting blocked. He wasn't blocked, though, and there was no evidence of anything on the x-rays, nor was his bladder inflamed. They pointed me toward special pee-collecting litter (??) to get a urine sample, because Toast was extremely angry at the world and the vet and he isn't in any immediate danger, so the e-vet didn't feel like it was worth getting a urine sample right then and there. They also said my regular vet may want to put him on a prescription diet, partly because he's pretty young (1.5 years) and experiencing urinary issues.
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Nov 9, 2014 00:39
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Rubella is going to attempt to lighten the mood a little in this thread by saying Hi from her new kitty cottage!
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Nov 9, 2014 03:57
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Is there anyway to curb a cat from wanting to go in and out so much? Since we live out in the country we can let out cats out during the day and not having to worry about traffic and neighbors. The problem is with our cat Dipper. Every time the door opens now though he will scoot out before we can stop him. Doesn't matter what time of the day it is, if he hears the door open he make a beeline for it. Is there any way to stop this or at least slow it down? On another note when he gets out he will usually want back in a few minutes later unless you go out with him. When you are out with him he follows you around like a dog. He likes it outside well enough but is like when he is in he wants out and when he is out he wants in.
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Nov 9, 2014 04:00
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Pendergast posted:Is there anyway to curb a cat from wanting to go in and out so much? Since we live out in the country we can let out cats out during the day and not having to worry about traffic and neighbors. The problem is with our cat Dipper. Every time the door opens now though he will scoot out before we can stop him. Doesn't matter what time of the day it is, if he hears the door open he make a beeline for it. Is there any way to stop this or at least slow it down? Dipper appears to be suffering from a severe case of felis domesticus, from which there is no known cure.
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Nov 9, 2014 04:03
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Pendergast posted:Is there any way to stop this or at least slow it down? Cat door? You can usually lock them at night if you are worried.
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Nov 10, 2014 14:46
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Braki posted:Seems like there's a rash of posters lately whose cats have feline lower urinary tract disease and for some reason they all get treated for UTIs. I think in some cases it's a lazy catch all that includes crystals etc.
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Nov 10, 2014 17:48
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Dogen posted:I think in some cases it's a lazy catch all that includes crystals etc. Well a course of antibiotics isn't going to do much of anything for a cat all clogged with crystals.
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Nov 10, 2014 20:15
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I don't let my SA life cross with my real life, so I was surprised and delighted to see someone in my feed share Jackson Galaxy's post about Trophyyyyyy  He posted this cat of the day page with Trophy from May.
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Nov 10, 2014 20:38
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CompactFanny posted:Well a course of antibiotics isn't going to do much of anything for a cat all clogged with crystals. Yup. It was indeed FLUTD per the regular vet visit this morning — not crystals though, after some testing was done, it's more of the inflamed urethra due to stress maybe? kind. He's got some medication to help chill and flush him out, as well as a new prescription food. First thing he did when I got him home was take a giant piss, so whatever they gave him works fast.
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Nov 10, 2014 21:21
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CompactFanny posted:Well a course of antibiotics isn't going to do much of anything for a cat all clogged with crystals. I agree, I'm just saying that's how a lazy receptionist giving phone advice might put it
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Nov 10, 2014 21:50
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What's the best way to teach a kitten how to chill the gently caress out at night? My girlfriend didn't sleep last night because she's a light sleeper and kept on waking up from the kitty using her butt as a trampoline to launch himself into the curtains. She, in turn, kept waking me up out of spite. Now I'm not only suffering grumpy, passive aggressive texts but am also severely sleep deprived. My older cat is a great sleeper, but I can't remember how that happened. Bonus kitty-pic:  Edit: I guess I should just really wear the cat out before bedtime, right? I'm so sleepy that it didn't even occur to me before posting. Phaeoacremonium fucked around with this message at 11:39 on Nov 11, 2014 |
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Nov 11, 2014 11:34
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Phaeoacremonium posted:What's the best way to teach a kitten how to chill the gently caress out at night? My girlfriend didn't sleep last night because she's a light sleeper and kept on waking up from the kitty using her butt as a trampoline to launch himself into the curtains. Either try to wear him out with playtime before bedtime, or just shut him out of the room at night. I am also a light sleeper and since one of my cats has recently decided that scratching the silicone sealant out of the bedroom windowsill is addictively entertaining I barely slept all last night. I should have shut him out, but then I would have had to disturb his sister who was the most serene little ball of fluff at the foot of the bed...
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Nov 11, 2014 12:24
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Does anyone have any experience with automatic pet feeders? Next month my wife and I will be doing some travelling for the holidays (one trip will be for the weekend, the other for five days). While we have resources that we will ask to feed/check on/visit with Mouse, we're also somewhat rural. Between other people's plans during the holidays and the possibility of a snow storm in Vermont in December, we don't want to unduly inconvenience or put anybody at risk. I was thinking about using an automatic pet feeder for those periods. How well or unwell do they generally work? Assuming they're ok, my plan is to set it up and run it for a week before our first trip for her to a) get used to it and b) verify that it works properly. The highest rated on Amazon is this: http://www.amazon.com/LeBistro-Port...atic+cat+feeder Do you have better recommendations?
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Nov 11, 2014 14:50
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I personally prefer a plain old gravity feeder with no timer or anything that basically free feeds them while I'm out of town, and I have friends drop in on the daily to give them wet food and meds, and to scoop the box. Obviously if you have a gorge-until-I-vomit cat that would not be ideal. I like it because it was only like 8 bucks at petsmart and I can wash all the parts easily.
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Nov 11, 2014 17:40
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My roommate's cat seems to be grooming every other second if we let it. They took it to the vet, who said it wasn't really an issue unless you see irritation or balding spots. I'm just wondering if it's because the cat is itchy, or bored, or what? There's no one place he grooms in particular, and he doesn't react in any particular way if we scratch the areas he grooms. Is it just a normal cat thing?
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Nov 12, 2014 17:46
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Not a Children posted:My roommate's cat seems to be grooming every other second if we let it. They took it to the vet, who said it wasn't really an issue unless you see irritation or balding spots. I'm just wondering if it's because the cat is itchy, or bored, or what? There's no one place he grooms in particular, and he doesn't react in any particular way if we scratch the areas he grooms. Is it just a normal cat thing? Overgrooming can be a sign that the cat is stressed. AFAIK grooming is a calming thing for cats and they often do it when they're confused or anxious as a way to chill out. I mean, they do spend a lot of time cleaning themselves but if it seems excessive to you then it's worth trying to figure out what might be causing it. If there's been any changes in the cat's environment(moved house, new furniture) or company(new housemates, new pets) then he might just be quietly freaking out about it. My Cinnamon has now recovered from her bout of pee-problems(one of the accompanying symptoms was overgrooming), which the vet diagnosed as cystitis brought on by the stress of recently moving house and buying some new furniture. Besides the painkillers that let her recover in peace, we made some changes around the house to help her relax - more hidey-holes, more space under the bed where she likes to chill out, a new water dish upstairs to keep hydrated - and that really seemed to help.
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Nov 12, 2014 17:59
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That was another thing that the vet suggested, but we have no idea what it could be. Apparently it's been happening long before I moved in (about 2 months ago) and before they moved here as well (about a year ago). He's friendly enough with me that I can't imagine I stress him out, yet if he's not engaged with anything (and sometimes even if he is -- he'll stop chasing the laser pointer to cram a few licks in) he'll go right back to it. He does spend quite a bit of time (around 8 hours a day) alone; could it possibly be related to boredom?
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Nov 12, 2014 20:21
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My understanding of it (from doing a lot of reading, having a cat with FIC myself) is that cats are really easy to stress out, and many of them just kind of deal with it. A select few have an abnormality that causes pee problems in reaction to stress. So all you can really do is eliminate things in your home that might cause cats stress, and add things that might let cats relax, and hope some of it works.
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Nov 12, 2014 21:17
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So, my upstairs neighbors abandoned the place, leaving behind a skeletonized duck in a back yard coop, an aquarium that looked kind of like it was full of green jello (with bonus barely visible 4" fish corpses!), and a desperately lonely long haired grey kitty with bonus garage full of variously aged cat crap. From the evidence left, she wasn't using the litter box (because it was tiny, covered, RIGHT NEXT TO THE BOILER THAT MAKES DEMON NOISES ALL THE TIME, and for bonus bad ideas, the entrance is obstructed by a diagonal run of metal wire conduit. From the shape of the couch left behind, she has a habit of trying to burrow into the magic realms of Undercouch, and her scratching post is so small relative to her she doesn't know anything other than lying down while scratching it. So, I've got another cat now. I'd like some advice about introducing the two, but also welcome your assistance in "judging the poo poo out of those previous owners". My first cat has never had to share her space, but seems less hostile after a few days of feliway diffuser. I've never introduced cats, so I'm kind of nervous about this. From the thread, I'm seeing that a lot of hissing/yowling/growling is normal, and swats are okay, but I also don't want these two to hate each other!
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Nov 13, 2014 01:40
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petecas posted:So, my upstairs neighbors abandoned the place, leaving behind a skeletonized duck in a back yard coop, an aquarium that looked kind of like it was full of green jello (with bonus barely visible 4" fish corpses!), and a desperately lonely long haired grey kitty with bonus garage full of variously aged cat crap. From the evidence left, she wasn't using the litter box (because it was tiny, covered, RIGHT NEXT TO THE BOILER THAT MAKES DEMON NOISES ALL THE TIME, and for bonus bad ideas, the entrance is obstructed by a diagonal run of metal wire conduit. From the shape of the couch left behind, she has a habit of trying to burrow into the magic realms of Undercouch, and her scratching post is so small relative to her she doesn't know anything other than lying down while scratching it. You called animal control, or the landlord did, right? Jesus.
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Nov 13, 2014 01:56
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That sounds like a really lovely situation and I'm glad you were able to take the cat in. I usually want to give people the benefit of the doubt when they do horrible things, but it sounds like they just abandoned all of their animals to die when they left - I just don't understand the kind of callousness that somebody has to have to do that. Unfortunately every situation is different and every cat is different. Some people have cats that take months to get used to each other (or years) and then other people have cats that are in kitty piles by day three. If there's going to be any drama at all, that's likely all it will end up being. Cats love to shout at each other but I've never had any of my cats hurt each other as long as they have someplace safe they can escape to. Most animals in the wild avoid fighting because injury means death. In the cat's mind, the same concept applies to the dining room. Give them reasons to be together when positive things (treats) are happening and make sure they're never forced to interact (like locking them in a room together or blocking off an escape avenue) and it should make things easier. Mirthless fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Nov 13, 2014 |
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Nov 13, 2014 02:05
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No, animal control didn't get called and I feel bad about that. I had no idea about the state of the animals until after they'd moved out, didn't even know they had anything other than a dog (who was let outside regularly, played with toys in the back yard and seemed happy). In this area, I'm not too sure how much anyone would even care about a duck mummy and a disgusting aquarium full of dead fish, anyways. Well, besides a  at why people would teach kids it's totally normal to ignore problems until they don't go away!Oh yeah, mental illness The house was owned by family of the upstairs people, got foreclosed on due to a string of unemployment, too many kids, a suicide with extra attempted insurance fraud.... a pretty awful thing all around, but hey, free cat?I've had her in her own room for a week now, not a single litter box accident for good news. I'll try releasing her into the main house for a bit tonight, and not freak out over hissing. Wish me luck!
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Nov 13, 2014 02:21
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 CAT KEEPING US UP AT NIGHT (PICTURED) I have a cat that spends most of its times outdoor (ex-stray). Lately, as is the case when it gets cold in winter, he comes in and out at more frequent intervals. The problem is that his manner of asking to get let back in involves jumping onto window sills and scratching the glass, making a frightening noise that wakes my girlfriend and I up, and his manner of asking to leave involves extremely loud meowing or even attacking the mirror in our room if we ignore him. Because of this we have been losing sleep as he will do this throughout the night. We wish to train him to stay either in or out for the nights. Any advice would be appreciated.
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Nov 13, 2014 23:28
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If given the choice between in or out at night, I'd go with in. My cats always get into yowling screaming matches on the odd occasion we forget to bring them inside for the night and it just isn't worth the risk of injury. Tire him out with Da Bird so he's sluggish, then just lock him inside. If he's an rear end in a top hat about moaning and scratching windows, lock him out of your bedroom as well.
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Nov 13, 2014 23:52
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Not a Children posted:That was another thing that the vet suggested, but we have no idea what it could be. Apparently it's been happening long before I moved in (about 2 months ago) and before they moved here as well (about a year ago). He's friendly enough with me that I can't imagine I stress him out, yet if he's not engaged with anything (and sometimes even if he is -- he'll stop chasing the laser pointer to cram a few licks in) he'll go right back to it. He does spend quite a bit of time (around 8 hours a day) alone; could it possibly be related to boredom? Or fleas.
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Nov 14, 2014 00:56
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Our poor little 1 year old 6.5 lb kitty started puking last night repeatedly so we took her to the vet this morning. She had sunk her tooth into an ibuprofen gel cap but didn't get any of the liquid out that we could tell, but we were nervous anyway based on her symptoms. She had a similar pukey fit when we first adopted her a few months ago and the vet had said it was likely due to a cold she had from the humane society. In any case, we had the vet run a full blood and urine panel this time to rule out ibuprofen toxicity, and it turns out she had a very bad UTI.  She never had any problems peeing anywhere but the box, and she always had small peeballs, but she's so tiny we figured she just had a small bladder. In any case, she got a bunch of fluids, an antibiotic shot, and a bunch of probiotics and antinausea pills in case the puking was multifactorial. They figured she just was hurting so much from the UTI that she started puking.  UGH I feel so bad, she probably had this infection when we got her 2 months ago, but since she never had any box issues, we had no reason to have her tested. I feel like a bad pet owner...she is feeling better now, and I'm so glad she happened to bite into that gelcap (while still feeling crazy guilty I left one in my coat pocket that they managed to get out), otherwise we would have never tested her urine for anything. POOR BABY 
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Nov 14, 2014 00:59
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OK! So, I posted some months ago about rescuing a cat from my work. We did it! It took some clever trapping but we got him out right before a sleet-ridden day, so we're very happy. He's an awesome little bugger, mostly black with a big thick mustache of white fur. Cat people, meet Lando Catrissian:  I took him straight to the vet, got him checked out for all of the biggies and he has a clear bill of health. Some fleas, but we got front line and they applied it for us. We've got another cat and we were told to keep Lando separated from him, so we're doing that for now. I do have some questions/concerns and would appreciate any feedback you guys may have. 2.) Again, we're not looking to rush him. He was a friendly cat on my campus, and even after I took him to the vet and he was handled he would only run away, but never bite, hiss, or scratch. My guess is, that means that deep down, he's got really good kitty genes and he's gonna be awesome eventually. The advice we got from the vet is to just hang out in the room we have him in, and let him come to us on his terms. We're good to do that. We'll be patient. But is there anything else we may want to do to help him realize we're not totally awful monsters? 3.) We've got another cat, Monty. He doesn't really like other animals. We don't know what the plan for Lando is going to be. If our current cat doesn't get along with him, we'll eventually find Lando a good new home. There are plenty of people that are already asking about him at work. But we'd like to try and encourage the two to get along. Unfortunately, Lando had another cat, a much older one, that he was bonded with at work. That other cat has been through lots of winters. Lando had not been, and we were worried that he would have a really slim chance at making it through the winters as he's so wee. I'm super bummed that we broke them up, but we didn't have much of a choice. Trapping the bigger one will be very difficult. So, anything we can do to help these two get along would be great. Boy did this end up being a long post. Lando really is a sweetie and hopefully he'll be less skittish and there will be better pics incoming. Chili fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Nov 14, 2014 |
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Nov 14, 2014 01:56
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crowoutofcontext posted:
May be a silly question but I'm guessing you can't install a cat flap for whatever reason? I recently had to keep my cat indoors for a week after surgery and much like yours he went apeshit being trapped inside the whole time. The only thing I found that calmed him down was setting him up a comfy seat on the windowsill so he could still look menacingly at birds and squirrels. Plus a bit of extra playtime to keep him stimulated and tuckered out doesn't hurt. If your cat normally poops outdoors it may also be that he is stressed out from needing the toilet? Mine really hates the litter tray and would only use it after badgering me for ages to let him out every single time he had to go. Not really any way around that one. If none of that helps I would just start shutting him out of your bedroom at night.
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Nov 14, 2014 03:56
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Captain Mediocre posted:May be a silly question but I'm guessing you can't install a cat flap for whatever reason? Yeah, he won't use a litter box except for the very rare occasion that my girlfriend and I are gone for the entire weekend and he's locked indoors. Gonna keep the bedroom door-shut, possibly wear ear-plugs, and hopefully he will eventually get used to it and become diurnal.
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Nov 14, 2014 05:12
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crowoutofcontext posted:Yeah, he won't use a litter box except for the very rare occasion that my girlfriend and I are gone for the entire weekend and he's locked indoors. Gonna keep the bedroom door-shut, possibly wear ear-plugs, and hopefully he will eventually get used to it and become diurnal. The key will be being able to ignore him. At first he will probably be furious and scratch and howl and drive you crazy. What he wants is attention, and will take whatever he can get from you. If you can refrain from responding in any way to him, he'll eventually catch on that you're unavailable at night and will knock it off. It may take a while, but it usually works. Behavioral conditioning is a pain. You have to be absolutely consistent in order to send the right message.
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Nov 14, 2014 05:20
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I think the new vet im seeing is way out of my price range, or did normal vet costs skyrocket in the last year? For 2 cat checkups + urinalysis + 1 partial + 1 full bloodwork + 1 respiratory panel im at almost $1000. And to treat whatever they found on the panel (brought her in for a sneeze that's been persisting) its Doxycyclin for both cats for 30 days, which, and I know this is Pfizer upping the price over the last year, is another $750. Without the meds the cats had pretty much the same things done last year and it was maybe $400, no respiratory panel but that wasn't too much. This is in the chicago area, i was previously in the western suburbs so its not really a significant change in the area.
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Nov 14, 2014 05:30
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So my cat is an rear end in a top hat who eats things. It started off as when he was a kitten eating cardboard. Now he's six months old and finds new and exciting non-edibles to eat. They include: *3 iphone chargers *a pair of ipod earphones *many toys *my hair *bites of my living room blinds *part of a pair of underwear Basically, if anything is string or string like, he must consume it. Luckily in all these cases, he was found in the act and only managed a bite or two. Still ruined all the electronics. He is also super rough on toys and will completely destroy them in a couple of days. He loves to carry around stuffed plush ones, but the only ones I feel safe giving him are plastic jangly balls since he hasn't figured out how to consume them yet. The worst is that he has woken me up twice now trying to pull on my hair and eat it. What the gently caress cat. So of course you cat proof by keeping all the electronics away or liberally dousing them in Bitter Apple, but you can't do that with everything. For instance, shoe laces of visitors. He will gnaw off people's shoe laces if given a free moment. A few minutes ago he was trying to pull strings out of the rug. I also cant keep his collar on because he keeps trying to chew on it and it gets stuck over his bottom jaw till the break away lets go. Why does my cat have pica? How can I make him stop eating like a goat? The rear end in a top hat in question, Mulder. Notice the bites on the box: 
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Nov 14, 2014 07:03
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