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Sure, I don't let her out now when the vet has said that she should stay inside, but when she's back to her healthy, old self again, we will probably let her wander around outside, just as our vet recommends, and just as her mother and siblings. We live outside a rather small town, so there's not much traffic here, the only things that can get to her is the other cats, since foxes has stopped coming near our neighbourhood for some reason. They were all over the place in the early 90s, but by the late 90s, they were more or less gone, and the cat doesn't wander into the forest either. She stays near our house, or the neighbours'. And since it's about 50 / 50 with dogs and cats around here, she always comes back (and is let in / lets herself in through my open windows) when a dog barks. I've read the OP and many a indoor / outdoor debate, and I take it's just a culture thing. Just like the part about whether the cat should have dry or wet food (here everyone seems to say dry food is the best, wet food is an unhealthy luxury they should get once a week or so, or when they deserve a treat, but I've read that other places, dry food is considered a big no no, and that they should always get wet food). e: I do play with her all the time, when she's up to it. When in her body suit and collar and doped down on morphine, she's obviously more interested in recuperating, but when she's healthy, I throw a rubber cap which bounces around and she chase, I have some crumbled up newspaper on a string which she loves to hit around, laser pens, yarn, and what have you. That way, she gets her exercise when it's too cold to go outside, or when there's lots of snow et cetera. Datasmurf fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Nov 23, 2014 |
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Nov 23, 2014 18:25
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My cat came back from the vet the other day, and so far so good. He keeps trying to go up stairs and run around so I assume all is well. He's moving around like a champ so at least he's not in major pain. Though the cone seems to be annoying him, he keeps walking into more things than usual with it. He takes pills really well though so that's great.
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Nov 23, 2014 23:08
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Nuebot posted:
I haven't had to try pills with our cat yet, but we've done eyedrops now for a bit (previous eye infection, current minor injury) and it's such a pain in the rear end. It makes me feel terrible too because she clearly does not enjoy the experience. Fortunately, she doesn't seem to hold it too much against us. But man, I dread having to give her any medicine if it ends up being as tough as eyedrops. It'd be a relief to know that that's as hard as it gets.
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Nov 23, 2014 23:24
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My old cat, the one who was attacked by a dog, had to take pills and it took two of us to do it. Sometimes three and even then, once the cone came off we found pills that he spat out well after we thought he'd swallowed, tangled up in his chest fur. Most cats are a pain in the rear end to medicate. I will never stop being happy that Panda is so easily drugged.
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Nov 23, 2014 23:30
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I use those mushable Pill Pockets. My cat loves them. She tries to eat my hand after I give her them. Definitely worth checking out for anyone who has cat pill problems.
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Nov 24, 2014 00:00
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My cat takes medicine daily and Pill Pockets are great. Just don't take them out of the foil bag they come in (the zipper breaks a LOT lately I've noticed) or they turn into pebbles.
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Nov 24, 2014 00:07
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Datasmurf posted:I've read the OP and many a indoor / outdoor debate, and I take it's just a culture thing. Just like the part about whether the cat should have dry or wet food (here everyone seems to say dry food is the best, wet food is an unhealthy luxury they should get once a week or so, or when they deserve a treat, but I've read that other places, dry food is considered a big no no, and that they should always get wet food). Look, I come from a country where outside cats are the norm (although they really shouldn't be and that's changing now, less because of cat safety and more so they don't massacre the local wildlife) and I've had outside cats and I am the very last person to yell at people to keep their cats inside as a matter of course. But if my cat was getting injured on a regular basis by other cats when she went outside I would keep her in. At that point it's not the usual argument that involves weighing hypothetically getting run over or stolen or whatever vs wanting to let the cat enjoy being outdoors, it's about stopping a cat who is getting repeatedly hurt from being hurt. It's not rocket science. You know why it happens, you know it's going to keep happening whenever the cat stays at your place, how can you justify letting it happen when it's relatively easy to prevent?
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Nov 24, 2014 09:05
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He's a handsome boy!  Poor bald butt. Thank you for updating us. I hope he heals up well!For others with nigh unpillable cats, I've got one technique that seems to work for the cats that hold the pill and spit it later. Once you're sure you've got the pill in the mouth (rather than the cheek), immediately start stroking from the chin down the throat with some vigor (not hard, you ain't trying to strangle the cat). If your cat licks her nose and no pill pops out, then she's probably reflexively swallowed it. Haven't found any spat out pills when I've done this.
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Nov 24, 2014 14:34
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I always stick the pill in half a teaspoon of liverwurst (you may use another spreadable meat product for this purpose) when my cat has to take medicine. She's so greedy she never even notices the pill.
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Nov 24, 2014 17:21
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Anoulie posted:I always stick the pill in half a teaspoon of liverwurst (you may use another spreadable meat product for this purpose) when my cat has to take medicine. She's so greedy she never even notices the pill. Hm. I wonder if that would work. For kicks I let our cat smell everything I end up cooking but she doesn't go for any of it. She just loves her dry food and only recently did she start eating her wet food (but just chicken and tuna). She didn't even go for a bit of rotisserie chicken. I suppose she just has to get used to the house and us, not that I want her to try to eat our stuff, but I figure she'll get bolder with time. She's hard to photograph being a dark tortoiseshell, so her little colors don't come out too easily but since I keep posting here and getting good responses I might as well show you Marnie. Probably the worst room mate I've ever had seeing as she does nothing, no matter how many times you ask her.   
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Nov 24, 2014 17:45
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Marnie is adorable.  Anoulie posted:I always stick the pill in half a teaspoon of liverwurst (you may use another spreadable meat product for this purpose) when my cat has to take medicine. She's so greedy she never even notices the pill. My little monsters eat the meat/pate and leave the pill. Bastards.
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Nov 24, 2014 17:53
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Torties are objectively the Prettiest Cats  When I was a kid we had a cat who was an absolute terror about taking pills. If we crushed it up in his food, he wouldn't eat anything. Hide it in some tuna? He'd eat around it and leave a perfectly clean dish with the pill in the middle. Forcing it into his mouth and holding his jaw closed til he swallowed it was the only solution, and he hated it and would scratch and bite(well, gum: he was a rescue and had very few teeth left when we got him) and howl but really, cat, what alternative did you leave us? I really miss that grumpy old bastard cat.
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Nov 24, 2014 18:36
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RedTonic posted:Marnie is adorable. We are super happy with her. Despite her bad habit of hurting her left eye. Also she scratches a lot but has no fleas according to the vet. I guess it's just a thing? What a goof.
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Nov 24, 2014 18:46
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I use a Pill Gun  It helps get the pill behind their tongue where they can't spit it back out. It took some trial and error, but now I can do it in one smooth motion before she knows what hit her. Helps that I'm giving my cat 8 pills a day, and she's super chill.
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Nov 24, 2014 18:59
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More in the adventures of my poor, woefully clumsy cat; he managed to pull one of his stitches. The vet said it should be fine as long as it doesn't open or start leaking. And it's not, the wound looks perfectly closed so far. But it looks like he managed to get it caught on something and just kept pulling until it pulled out. I love Panda to death but he can be so dumb.
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Nov 25, 2014 03:54
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Can any of you cat folk help me figure out a good cat repellent for my situation? For about 2 months now since a new family moved in next doors, every single night(sometimes more than once a night) their cat decides to have a romp around my roof, which drives my dogs ballistic, and wakes everyone up. He/she also sometimes has 'conversations' with another cat right outside my window. I don't mean any harm to the cat, but I very much wish to keep him out of the limits of our yard, particularly focused on the roof.
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Nov 25, 2014 11:00
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Have you tried talking to your neighbors first? This is also why we don't let cats outside, I'm betting not everyone would be as kind.
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Nov 25, 2014 14:55
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Hey, catgoons! I am going to visit my parents for Thanksgiving, and so the cats are in the kennel this week. My oldest cat (about 11 years old) has been through all this before and submitted to the carrier ride and subsequent new hotel cage with only minimal yowling. My younger cat (a little more than a year old) has never ridden in a carrier, except when I brought her home to live with me. She is the sweetest, softest, most gentle, most pure creature on the planet. I had to spend fifteen minutes chasing her out from under pieces of furniture. When I managed to grab ahold of her, she hissed, and screamed. She never screamed or hissed at me before. She clawed and bit me and I had to physically wrestle her into the carrier. She shat on the floor. Again, she has never bit or scratched me ever, or terror-pooped. On the car ride, she was stress-panting and crying, and when I took her out so she could go see her new temporary cage, she was silent and too afraid to move. She didn't even acknowledge me stroking her or offering her water. I'm worried for her. I know I shouldn't be, because the kennel has an on-site vet and a ton of experienced workers, but I am an obnoxious cat owner and my own happiness is contingent on my cats' wellbeing. Goons-- have I broken my sweet, loving little cat? I guess I just need reassurance that she's not going to be damaged forever and/or become a shell of her former strange, charming self. Bonus: picture of the scaredy-cat in question and her big brother (not actually related, but they act like brother and sister), cuddling. 
JollityFarm fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Nov 26, 2014 |
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Nov 26, 2014 04:05
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^^ I would think she'll be okay, but consider a petsitter next time maybe.
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Nov 26, 2014 04:26
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I'm sure she'll be fine once she comes to the realization that she wasn't harmed in any way. It never ceases to amaze me just how freaked the hell out cats can get about the seemingly littlest things. Like everything in the world is out to get them at all times. It's crazy, adorable, and heartbreaking all at the same time.
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Nov 26, 2014 05:24
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JollityFarm posted:Hey, catgoons! Leave the carrier's out and create a safe sleeping place by putting blankets and pillows inside. I have a carrier in my bathroom. My cat stands on the carrier, to head butt me when i am on the toilet. Your little cutie probably thought she was going back to the shelter to live.
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Nov 26, 2014 11:27
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Charles Martel posted:freaked the hell out cats can get about the seemingly littlest things. Cats are cute little furry drama queens, with paws, that have delicate feelings.
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Nov 26, 2014 11:36
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Drythe posted:Have you tried talking to your neighbors first? Yes, they do not wish to keep the cat inside. They said they will try to keep him away, but I am not sure how they could actually do that.
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Nov 26, 2014 12:26
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Yeah, most cats recover and once the boarding facility starts giving them food they're like "Oh this place isn't that bad I guess." Of course some cats just get angrier but I like to think that's the minority. Just see how it goes this time at the facility and go from there. She'll be fine. If the people working are decent they'll try a few different things to keep her as relaxed as possible.
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Nov 26, 2014 12:38
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I recently went on a week-long trip as well. Both of my cats are rather older, but one I have had less than a year after adopting her from a rescue. She gets really wall-eyed every time we crate her for transport. They were both fine when we got them back from the boarding agency and were actually super affectionate for almost a whole week after. I doubt you've permanently broken your scaredy-cat, but now you know which one is the top of the heap drama queen. It might be worthwhile to give her a little kitty sedative and/or not feed her for 8 hours before the next transport if she's a nervous shitter.
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Nov 26, 2014 13:52
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Basic information - 2 cats, litter mates - Age: 2.5 years - Sex: both female - How long have you had your cat? since kittens - Is your cat spayed or neutered? Both spayed - When was your last vet visit? February 2014 - Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both? Indoors - How many pets in your household? Just the 2 cats - How many litter boxes do you have? 1 Our cats have always had differing personalities. Pegasus is fearless and explores everything, Galactica has always been more shy and scares more easily in new situations or with new people. We just moved on Saturday, and got one of the pheromone plug-ins since it really seemed to help last time. We thought it was working again this time, as Galactica was noticeably nervous, but exploring the house within 15 mins and wandering around comfortably within a few hours, as opposed to hiding for hours behind anything available as she's done in the past. However, just yesterday and again this morning she's been sporadically acting aggressively towards her sister. We woke up to hissing and growling this morning, but then 20 mins later they were fine. I've seen her do that a few times in the past when she's been really stressed (we brought her to stay with us at the in-laws house last year over the Christmas holiday and she absolutely hated the car ride and the shower that had to follow as she'd pooped on herself on the ride over). I don't understand, she was fine for the first 3 days and now suddenly seems more stressed out. Is it just an adjustment period or should I be concerned that her strange behavior is symptomatic of something medically bothering her?
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Nov 26, 2014 15:43
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Medieval Medic posted:Yes, they do not wish to keep the cat inside. They said they will try to keep him away, but I am not sure how they could actually do that. I can't think of anything that would actually help, your yard is a very large area to cover, unless you want a tinfoil house 
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Nov 26, 2014 16:03
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Medieval Medic posted:Yes, they do not wish to keep the cat inside. They said they will try to keep him away, but I am not sure how they could actually do that. This is going to have to be something you handle yourself. Suppose it was a squirrel or raccoon? How would you keep it away (short of shooting or trapping it)? How is the cat getting on your roof? You may be able to solve your problem as simply as sawing off a branch or putting a sheet of aluminum foil in a strategic place.
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Nov 26, 2014 16:10
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Deteriorata posted:This is going to have to be something you handle yourself. Suppose it was a squirrel or raccoon? How would you keep it away (short of shooting or trapping it)? I don't know what I would do in case of a squirrel or raccoon, the first are very scarce around these parts, and the second straight up don't even live in this country, especially a large metropolitan capital. We certainly would not harm it unless it actually caused us physical danger. As to how he gets on our roof, he gets on the wall that connects both our houses, walks along the length to the opposite side where the wall connects to a sort of covered outdoor garage, and there onto the roof. You think putting a big sheet of aluminium on different intervals along the wall could keep him from walking along it? Edit: Have a bad image  Purple is how he gets up to the roof. Medieval Medic fucked around with this message at 16:35 on Nov 26, 2014 |
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Nov 26, 2014 16:23
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Perhaps some sort of blockage on top of the wall that the cat can't get around or over? What I meant was what would you do if it was just a wild animal of some sort and not your neighbor's cat? Ed: Maybe something as simple as a mirror or reflective metal would be enough. Cats freak out over their own reflection, often. Deteriorata fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Nov 26, 2014 |
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Nov 26, 2014 17:30
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Remove your garage, the answer is obvious.
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Nov 26, 2014 18:08
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As per the thread title we adopted two assholes from the local shelter. They tolerate each other fairly well (as evidenced by this photo) but sadly they don't actually get along very well, despite a promising start. Was wondering if any catgoons have advice for us for, at the very least, not making it worse (by inappropriately reacting to their occasional squabbles, for example) We adopted Harry first (the one on the left, 4 year old male) and then Leyla two months later (2 year old female). Both cats settled into the flat and with us very easily, and to begin with (when we were keeping them separated) they completely ignored each other's presence. They seem entirely happy with the other's smells (sleeping in the other's beds when we swap them) and there was no change in behaviour from Harry when Leyla arrived and no territorial behaviour from either of them. So far so good, so after a month we let them meet each other. Harry was at most just slightly curious, and would usually go in for a sniff. On occasion Leyla wouldn't mind, but usually she swipes and hisses at him, then goes off to sulk (usually watching from a distance and growling). Harry is a slow learner but he's now (mostly) learned to keep his distance, and if Leyla walks too close he puts up his paws in defence (which usually causes Leyla to react, even if she was just trying to squeeze past). Harry just wants to play and be friends, so occasionally he goes off to sulk too whenever Leyla swipes at him. But he never growls or hisses or anything, he's just the epitome of a sweet, affectionate cat. I don't know what Leyla's problem is, but it's probably "because cats" Anyway, currently we keep them separated when it's feeding time so they don't go after each others' food (which they would do because they're both terribly greedy) and whenever Leyla swipes we put her back in her bedroom (partly as a mild punishment and partly to allow Harry to feel safe). Is this right, and is there anything in particular we could do to encourage Leyla to be more friendly with Harry? (for what it's worth, a friend of mine has an anecdote in which two cats in a similar situation started off by fighting (moreso than Harry and Leyla) but a few months later were best of friends... so that gives me hope)
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Nov 26, 2014 18:42
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I'd let them fight a little. If they're going to get along they need to work out who is the top cat of which rooms/perches, etc., and that's going to mean tussling. If you hear screams of actual pain or blood drawn or anything super violent, definitely separate them, but for the odd swipe or wrestle or bodyslam, let it be. They need to establish their pecking order. That order may even change back and forth over time. My cats are super besties and they still squabble. If the fights are getting really violent or nasty or too frequent, keep an eye out for what triggers it. Oz and Pete used to fight really aggressively over a perch in front of a specific window (no other perch in all our other windows would do apparently), so I moved the cat perch to a different room and now they share it again. Don't ask me why. 
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Nov 26, 2014 18:51
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Deteriorata posted:Perhaps some sort of blockage on top of the wall that the cat can't get around or over? Would pigeon spikes work or would it be too violent? There's some on our balcony (for pigeons) and they definitely prevent the cat from going past them. She doesn't even risk it, so maybe she's just clever, but she can tell that they're a dangerous obstacle without actually hurting herself.
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Nov 26, 2014 19:37
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Well, I'm kind of pissed now. So I don't live alone and Panda, the cat that got hurt, technically isn't even my cat. His owners haven't really been that attentive after his surgery, and they've even made fun of me when I kept telling them to block off the stairs so the cat would stop climbing them as per the vet's orders. Cue this morning. Cat tried to climb or jump up something because they decided not to just let him roam the house last night. He can't walk now, he can't even sit up anymore and they're all upset and talking about getting him put down if he has to get more surgery. But this is all their own drat fault, it could have been completely avoided just by following the vet's instructions to keep him from climbing.
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Nov 28, 2014 01:31
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Ok, I've posted about this before, but things aren't getting better and we're running out of ideas. My girlfriend's cat is simply not adjusting to the new house/having another cat around. We've had her secluded in the second bedroom since moving her in (August). After initially trying to rush the integration we reset and went back to closed doors, after a while she seemed to warm up to the idea of the other cat so we got a gate so we could keep her in there but she should see/hear/smell what was going on around her. She's gotten better about hanging out in her room and not running away when my cat comes up to the gate.We've also brought her into our bedroom a few nights to spend the night with us, which she seems to enjoy. But she's developed a nasty habit of peeing outside of the litter box. It's not every time, because there's still stuff in her box (which I've started scooping every day). For a while moving her food bowl to onto the bed seemed to stop it, but itt's started back up again. Anecdotally it seems to happen if she's left alone for too long in there (we try to go in and hang out with her when we can). While annoying to clean up, my plan was to basically just start leaving the gate open when we're home to let her come out if she wants, closing it when we go to work/out and at night to give her "safe" time. Tonight we got home from being gone since yesterday (went to my gf's parents for Turkey Day) and we went in to see her for a bit then when we climbed into bed to relax before sleep she started whining. I felt bad so I went and scooped her up to let her hang out with us before we went to sleep. Plopped her down on the bed, where she hung out for a second before going over to a pile of laundry and promptly starting to pee on a towel that I'd been putting on the bed in her room (which she's peed on before). I'm guessing it had something to do with it being that towel, but it was sprayed and washed with a cat pee cleaner and wasn't where it normally is. I don't know what to do at this point, if the cat was less skittish I'd be more on board with the getting rid of the gate, but I'm afraid rushing it she'll just never come out. I'm starting to worry she's just never going to be ok here. I love her cat, she's very sweet when she's out and my girlfriend is obviously very attached to her, what the hell can we do here? My current thinking: - Get a new litterbox, her's is small, shallow and basic and I think she'd take to one that had high sides to it - Move the litterbox, maybe she doesn't like the corner it's in (it's in a corner that backs up to a building next door that has bands practicing some nights and can be kinda loud) - Start leaving the gate open more like I had planned, she needs to start getting used to the rest of the house We could try secluding my cat in the room, but that seems weird to do as he's totally comfortable in the house?
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Nov 28, 2014 03:18
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Cat Army
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Has she been to the vet recently? Peeing outside normal places (i.e. the litter box) is often the first sign of a medical issue. If she gets a clean bill of health, the vet might be able to give you ideas on how to get her better acquainted to the house. If the situation gets desperate, they can even give you something to help chill her out.
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Nov 28, 2014 03:24
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Nuebot, that sucks. That poor cat.  Ouhei, a second box in a different place might be a good idea. Is the current box covered? While a cat would never leave you unprotected while you pee, they tend to want a lot of privacy lest they get jumped while having a dump. Your girlfriend's cat might be too chary about your cat's presence to feel good about peeing in the box. Maybe band practices make her extra jumpy, or she really hates that kind of music. Also, she might have started associating towels with places one would have a piss. When I was a kid, we used those plastic bag kitty litter liners. All that ended up doing was training our cats that plastic bags were for peeing on. Cats are pretty easily conditioned to adopt behaviors, but it is hard to discourage them from established patterns.
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Nov 28, 2014 03:27
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aghastly posted:Has she been to the vet recently? Peeing outside normal places (i.e. the litter box) is often the first sign of a medical issue. RedTonic posted:Nuebot, that sucks. That poor cat.
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Nov 28, 2014 03:37
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Ouhei posted:We took her to the vet the first time it started (pre pet gate) because there was blood in her pee. I went through 2 blockages with my cat and wasn't about to wait on that poo poo again. But, she had a clean bill of health and the vet chalked it up to stress. She may be stressed. Have you tried the feliway plug-ins? We inherited my mother-in-law's cat after she passed and she took much longer to get use to our home than our others. She wouldn't leave our upstairs guest room even after we removed the gate. It took her a year to walk into the loft and now, after 2 years, she will finally come downstairs when she wants something. We have another cat that is easily stressed and won't use the box if we are even in the hallway. And yes, he will pee on a towel or blanket after giving us fair warning (if he starts crying a lot, we leave the area). We moved our box to a more private location that doesn't get a lot of traffic and the accidents have decreased significantly. So I'd say don't put the litterbox on a bed, move it to a part of the room that gets the least amount of traffic. As long as you show her where it is she should be fine.
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Nov 28, 2014 04:38
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