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So about 6 months ago, I adopted a cat that needed to be rehomed (other cats in the house didn't like him). I know there's some abuse issues in his past, and that he was likely separated from his mother way too early. That said, he's incredibly sweet, generally awesome, and always wants to cuddle or keep a lap warm. He warmed up to me the same day we got him, and would come out of hiding for me pretty easily (he hid from everyone else for a few weeks; he no longer hides unless the dog is playing Sniff A Butt a bit too much for his liking). One thing that I've wondered about though - and also gets irritating when he's decided to curl up next to me in bed - is anytime he's really content, he starts sucking on his paw. Left or right doesn't matter, it's whichever one is easier to get to - and uh, waking up to "slurp slurp slurp" fucks with my dreams enough  . He's also kneading at the same time. I know this isn't anything really harmful (his paws aren't irritated or raw, and the friend I got him from said he's always done that), I was just wondering what causes the paw sucking. He was estimated to be about 5 years old when I got him, the friend I got him from had him for about 2 (I think?) years.(also he's a loving ninja when it comes to stealing food, I've all but given up on breaking him of that)
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May 12, 2015 07:51
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demota posted:
Kittens often eat litter so it is better to start them out with a non-clumping type until you can confirm they are not having a snack. Other recommend using the same litter as the breeder and transiting them to something else later. You might want to add something she can cuddle. Mine used those dishes when she was a kitten.
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May 12, 2015 08:25
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So we're having a slight problem with our 7 year old cat. The problem is that he's growing increasingly obnoxious around meal times. He will typically start around 1-2 hours before the scheduled meal, start screaming his head off, running around the apartment and trying to "lure" me or my girlfriend to where he gets his food. Is there any way to combat this problem? It doesn't bother me that he meows every now and then obviously but some days he's really meowing... a lot... and very loudly. You can also see how tense he is and when he eats, he gulps it down casting sideways glances as though someone will come and take the food from him. Which... has never happened ever. He has always been the type of cat where one can't just leave a bowl out filled with food for the day as he will shove it all down at once. And, he has always been pushy when it comes to feeding him but for the last few weeks he has become rather unbearable. A few random things: -He has been de-wormed -Though it's usually not recommended, we've tried to switch up his mealtimes a bit and feeding him once more during the day. This seemed to throw him off for a while but when he learns the new routines, he starts the screaming again. -He gets a good amount of food. We weigh him fairly often and he's not gaing nor losing weight at the moment. And he's at *slightly* higher weight than the vet recommended. -We've trained him to sit before he gets to eat. This works well and he does this with no real problems. The problem is always before the actual feeding time when he's trying to call for our attention to get him the food. -Also, before anyone asks, I'm sure that the meowing is to call attention to the food. We've learned to recognize his vocalizations and patterns. -He is a healthy cat according to the vet. -While he used to like being outdoors, that urge in him has waned quite a bit the last year or so. Now he almost never takes the initiative to go out himself except maybe during the late evening (though we don't allow him to be out at night). He has also always been extremely hard to play with, showing little interest in cat-toys or just anything play-related. You can play with him for a very short amount of time but he quickly gives up on it and goes to do something else. -Once he has fed, he's very nice to deal with and will come and cuddle and purr. Anyone with any ideas?
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May 12, 2015 10:17
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[/quote] -We've trained him to sit before he gets to eat. [/quote] How did you do this ^^ Have you tried using an automatic food dispenser
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May 12, 2015 10:46
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Don't put the food down until they sit while also saying sit. We did this with our cats too, eventually they catch on.
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May 12, 2015 14:22
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Gorgar posted:Go, cat. I should probably rephrase that. The guy who was hitting my cat is the biggest rear end in a top hat and I've often told him so. However, I still think cats are assholes by nature. I've had a lot of cats in my life and always treated them well. Yet, I can't count the amount of time they have thrown stuff on the ground and broke them, or messed with me in ways that made me wonder if their goal is to kill me. I love cats, but they can be assholes at times. It reminds me of the old joke: A dog looks at its owner, "He feeds me, gives me shelter, takes care of me.. He must be a god!" A cat looks at its owner, "He feeds me, gives me shelter, takes care of me.. I must be a god!" Dalael fucked around with this message at 15:02 on May 12, 2015 |
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May 12, 2015 14:59
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I wish I could record this, but it happens maybe once a day. Has anyone ever had their cat meow in a way that sounds similar to "Hello" ? Like a two tone meow that sounds like the word. Curious to know whether he's attempting to mimmick us.
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May 12, 2015 15:17
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Dalael posted:I should probably rephrase that. The guy who was hitting my cat is the biggest rear end in a top hat and I've often told him so. I've had cats pee and poop outside their litter boxes as a way of sending a message that they were pissed (ha) about something. One time I was having trouble getting the kids to do their job of changing the litter boxes, and they were getting pretty rancid. One cat came into the kitchen, looked me straight in the eye, and dropped a deuce right there. The boxes got changed in a hurry. So sometimes it's just a way of getting your attention.
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May 12, 2015 15:30
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Deteriorata posted:I've had cats pee and poop outside their litter boxes as a way of sending a message that they were pissed (ha) about something. One time I was having trouble getting the kids to do their job of changing the litter boxes, and they were getting pretty rancid. One cat came into the kitchen, looked me straight in the eye, and dropped a deuce right there. The boxes got changed in a hurry. Yeah it depends on where they do it. When my cat is annoyed about something she'll piss where I'm like 100% guaranteed to step in it (in the hallway to the bathroom, in front of the kitchen sink, &c).
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May 12, 2015 17:34
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Are cats okay with collars and nametags? I wanted to get the kitten chipped, but I feel like an additional layer of security would be good.
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May 12, 2015 20:26
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The blue bunny posted:
Basically what Drythe said. We also taught him to wait for a "go ahead" signal before he actually gets to eat (after putting down his food bowl on the floor) because he was a monster if he didn't get those boundaries, heh. But yeah, we've thought about the automatic food dispenser. I guess that might be worth a go. I think it might be a good idea in that it disassociates me and my girlfriend from the idea of us being in the kitchen = feeding time. I'm just worried the drat cat will stand in front of the machine all day, just waiting for the food to come out. Anyone have good experience with the automatic food dispensers?
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May 12, 2015 20:33
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demota posted:Are cats okay with collars and nametags? I wanted to get the kitten chipped, but I feel like an additional layer of security would be good. Get a break away collar so they don't hang themselves on something in the house. They are made to snap open if it gets pulled hard enough.
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May 12, 2015 20:45
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Drythe posted:Get a break away collar so they don't hang themselves on something in the house. They are made to snap open if it gets pulled hard enough. Definitely get a breakaway. I know people who literally did come home one day to find their cat hanging off a fence. You will lose a few collars over the years but it's worth it.
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May 12, 2015 21:23
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demota posted:Are cats okay with collars and nametags? I wanted to get the kitten chipped, but I feel like an additional layer of security would be good. We have a breakaway collar and a Boomerang tag because the collar they gave her at the shelter was one with a buckle and the tags that dangled off would end up in the water fountain when she drank from it and then her chest would get wet and she'd be pissy. The tag is awesome, doesn't budge and doesn't bother her/us. Her collar does have a bell on it because otherwise she's a ghost and we'd never find her, but without the bell she'd be silent because the tag doesn't jangle against anything.
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May 12, 2015 21:34
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SpaceAceJase posted:I wish I could record this, but it happens maybe once a day. Has anyone ever had their cat meow in a way that sounds similar to "Hello" ? Cats can definitely have greeting vocalizations. One of mine does a "mrah-oh!" when I get home and when coming inside from hanging on the porch. The other does a "murr". I greet most animals with a "hello!" when they approach me, so it could be a mimic. Some of our shelter cats will do similar things, and it tends to be the more well socialized ones.
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May 12, 2015 23:04
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My cat makes a little pokemon noise when I come home from work.
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May 12, 2015 23:06
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Pizza makes a cute chirp. Ozma screams and screams as if my coming home was the arrival of death itself (while begging for belly rubs)
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May 12, 2015 23:08
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My cat makes his "Feed me now" noise when I get home.
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May 12, 2015 23:14
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One of mine will emit a sort of declarative, sometimes almost petulant "myah." when he wants to be petted where he is, and a questioning "miaow?" when he wants me to follow him somewhere and pet him. Another has definite different noises for "it's play time, make the toys go" and "this treatment is horrible" (empty food bowl, closed door, got picked up). No human words, but the first one is pretty expressive really.
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May 13, 2015 00:20
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My cat rookie sounds like she's saying "NOW!!" when she is demanding kibbles 
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May 13, 2015 02:01
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I have an automatic feeder and it's the BEST THING. No longer am I forcibly awoken at 6:45 because the cats know my alarm goes off at 7 and alarm = breakfast. Now as long as the hopper is full, we never have to interact re: foods. Things to note: try to find one where, if the bowl separates from the hopper, it stays firmly connected. The one i have is very loosely connected to the hopper (possibly broken) and my cat used to make a habit of yanking the bowl away from the hopper for reasons I never fully grasped. If I hadn't replaced it by the time food got dispensed, the food would drop down under the body of the machine and they wouldn't be able to get to it.
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May 13, 2015 02:46
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My cats are still only half-eating their food. I mix two cat foods together (a cheap one and a less cheap one) and I swear they're somehow picking out the kibbles they want and leaving the other in the bowl. I never noticed this before. But they've had this Nurture food before, so suddenly they hate it?  But treats? There's always room for treats.
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May 13, 2015 04:47
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Gorgar posted:and lately it doesn't happen at all so long as I don't leave clothes on the floor or a comforter on the bed. haha disregard that couch is full of Nature's Miracle.
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May 13, 2015 07:03
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I'm having trouble with my cats. I have two of them and last week on Thursday the older (8 years old) one went to the vet. She got a lion cut for her matting, checkup, etc etc. When she came home the little guy (almost 6) started his growling and hissing. They got into it right away and were separated. Classic non-recognition aggression. However, we've had no success trying to introduce them again. The best we got was last night, they were sharing the living room and the little guy was curled between my wife and I and the girl was sleeping on her post. It all broke down when the guy went to lay down in her path off the perch. They went face to face and started howling and hissing so we separated them. This AM it looked like they were OK, but they both came around the couch at the same time from opposite sides and the howling and hissing and growling was gong off and the little guy took off and hid under the bed. I have them separated but I'm really getting discouraged. This can't be a typical case can it? EDIT: Spoke with a friend of mine who has had cats her whole life and she said they used to let them settle it themselves. I read this is what you should NOT do but I am running out of ideas. We've tried the separation and feeding on the opposite sides of the door and and room swapping, etc. At first he was the aggressor but now it looks like they are both hissing and growling but not really engaging each other in a fight. Funkysauce fucked around with this message at 16:05 on May 13, 2015 |
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May 13, 2015 15:51
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Funkysauce posted:I'm having trouble with my cats. I have two of them and last week on Thursday the older (8 years old) one went to the vet. She got a lion cut for her matting, checkup, etc etc. Just had this issue last week. Took one to the ER vet for peeing blood (yay crystals) and when he came home the other cat decided they were mortal enemies. What worked for us was rolling the cat around in a blanket he likes and getting him all messy and getting his fur all disheveled and then letting him lick himself for an hour. They still wouldn't go near each other but they were able to sit in the same room. After a few days they were fine and back to being best friends. It was probably the most stressful part of the vet.
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May 13, 2015 16:53
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darkforce898 posted:Just had this issue last week. Took one to the ER vet for peeing blood (yay crystals) and when he came home the other cat decided they were mortal enemies. Well it seems that the little one is OK with her scent. I used a glove and pet her with it then brought it to him and he started sniffing it but rubbed on it. Then when I brought it back to her she was growling and hissing at the glove, so now it seems that the one who went to the vet is not pleased with the one that stayed home. Regardless, I'm just not sure this should be going on for a week...
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May 13, 2015 17:07
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Took the cat to the vet ($124, ugh) and he's as healthy as a horse. Whatever's bothering him probably stems from lack of stimulation and possible trauma from the last cat I kept for a friend a few months ago. We're gonna try setting him up a separate litter box somewhere else, putting some Feliway out, and getting him some toys to play with that are safe to leave out when I'm not around. Does anyone have any recommendations for toys your cats absolutely love and can be trusted to play with unsupervised?
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May 13, 2015 21:52
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Pucklynn posted:Took the cat to the vet ($124, ugh) and he's as healthy as a horse. Whatever's bothering him probably stems from lack of stimulation and possible trauma from the last cat I kept for a friend a few months ago. We're gonna try setting him up a separate litter box somewhere else, putting some Feliway out, and getting him some toys to play with that are safe to leave out when I'm not around. Fuzzy pom balls are a perennial favorite with mine, but he will mine the garbage for plastic things (ignoring leftovers) and go batshit over a stray shred of cardboard, too. Play style is the important thing, IMO. Luther gets very concerned when a toy is trying to hide from him. It sets his head on fire. He likes to shove things inside of other things, too, so I think I need to make him an activity center where he can push and pull toys in hidey-holes and find the occasional random treat. How does your cat like to play? Re: Feliway... I think it's a great product and had success with it. For my home, though, I need several units and it's expensive to do month-after-month. I've opted for the Sentry Calming Collar and I can tell when it's wearing out (~3 weeks) because Luther has more aggro incidents. Hope this helps.
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May 13, 2015 22:23
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Pucklynn posted:Does anyone have any recommendations for toys your cats absolutely love and can be trusted to play with unsupervised? Another cat, decent sized stuffed mice, pom balls.
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May 13, 2015 22:37
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Arriviste posted:Fuzzy pom balls are a perennial favorite with mine, but he will mine the garbage for plastic things (ignoring leftovers) and go batshit over a stray shred of cardboard, too. Play style is the important thing, IMO. Luther gets very concerned when a toy is trying to hide from him. It sets his head on fire. He likes to shove things inside of other things, too, so I think I need to make him an activity center where he can push and pull toys in hidey-holes and find the occasional random treat. How does your cat like to play? Awesome, thank you. Ares loses his poo poo when I give him the plastic pull-tabs out of milk cartons, but he spends most of his play time chasing my other cat around until she gets mad. I suppose smaller chase-able things would be best, as long as they're not so small they get lost in whatever vortex hole has eaten the rest of the pull-tabs.
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May 14, 2015 00:31
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My cats favourite toys are rubber bands/hair ties and old shoelaces, respectively. My wife can't leave hair ties out because our cat absolutely will steal them. Spend $50 on a sweet toy designed by experts? Meh. Literal Garbage? GOTTA GET THAT poo poo NOW GOGOGO. Also, we have a tub of dried catnip that I occasionally leave some smaller toys in, so when I pull them out they're covered in delicious  and make them wig out.
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May 14, 2015 05:05
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some texas redneck posted:
I have a cat that does something similar. Whenever she gets really comfortable she sucks on the blanket/pillow/shirt that she's laying on while kneading it at the same time. It can be kind of annoying because sometimes she'll slobber a little or the thing she decides to suck on is my arm but you get used to it after a while and it just becomes part of their personality. She also had a really traumatic experience as a kitten (she was the only surviving member of her litter when someone let an aggressive dog into the cat area and the mom deserted her afterwards). People that visit my house love it when she decides to suck on their t-shirt, though.
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May 14, 2015 05:29
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My cat humps blankets and clothing, he is a sexual deviant. He also drools a lot when you pet him, like a gross amount that makes you go wash your hands afterwards.
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May 14, 2015 05:43
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Three weeks ago, a stray cat that lives at my workplace gave birth to EIGHT KITTENS. We captured them and they are currently living at my boss's house. But wait! There's more! Mom cat always hung out with another cat, and it is still living in/under a storage shed at work. Current plans are to TNR momcat and hidey cat, and adopt out the kittens (there are already people asking for them). I would like to add momcat and hidey cat to the semi-feral "colony" (two fixed cats a former neighbor cared for) at my house, and have done some research into doing this, but don't know if it would be a good idea. Their current living area is not ideal (next to wood and auto shops, constant traffic, etc.), and I have an outdoor cat enclosure to house them. I would like some advice on caring for nursing cats, and whether relocating momcat and hidey would be a good idea. I'm already in contact with http://kittenrescue.org and http://fixnation.org but if any goons have recommendations for rescue groups in Los Angeles, that would be greatly appreciated as well. vids Teen Mom Runaway https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXOMFGGaepw Babies FOURever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qkY-Zxwkxw Horrible blurry photos of little stray cats   Projection of a kitten as a cat   Unfortunately I took a ton of kitten pictures on a work camera, so I can't post more kit pics until Saturday. STEAK FOR BREAKFAST fucked around with this message at 07:14 on May 14, 2015 |
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May 14, 2015 06:47
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Pucklynn posted:
I purchased a few toys when my cat was a kitten, and she need to be entertained while i was finishing an essay. When she was a kitten, i use to go to sleep with the sound of her batting the ball around her track. I have watched her today, spend hours playing and pouncing across it. She now loves it, if a blanket or towel is partly covering the track. Videos of cats that act similar to mine using the toy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIpPU1Z0Bhw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmSiPfFlxsY I have also tried the auto laser things. It is a bit slow, runs for 15mins and it did worked at first. In the end, she would just sit and watch the laser move around the room, with one or two great pounces. I do recommend it, but buy it on sale or second hand, mine cost Aud $40 and was not worth that cost. It is not recommend for people who don't want their cats touching the walls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blwWob3WmBQ the laser dart version might be better purchase https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MCwhUeNJaQ if you can a cat bed, window and bird feeder or view.
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May 14, 2015 07:24
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Spalec posted:
We learned early on that Tali does batshit crazy for the little tables that come in pizza boxes to keep the box from touching the top of the pizza. We have them scattered around our apartment because nothing gets her more excited than hearing one skittering across the hardwood floor. And tin foil/paper balls. I feel like we have to warn people "no, it's not garbage, just things the cat likes to play with, please don't throw them away or she'll get bored and play with feet next".
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May 14, 2015 13:17
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What should I do about this cat? There are a shitload of cats running around my neighborhood, but most of them have collars or I know which neighbors they belong to. There's this one orange cat that's been hanging out on my porch recently though. No collar, and its coat looks and feels kinda rough, not too bad but a lot less soft than pet cats that belong to my friends (I'm allergic so I don't know a lot about cats). It's let me pet it and seemed to enjoy some skritches so I assume it's not rabid. It hangs out curled up on this one chair that has a seat pad and a towel on it. And no, I can't adopt it. Lutha Mahtin fucked around with this message at 15:39 on May 14, 2015 |
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May 14, 2015 14:38
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Update on Trigger: So after I was told here EMERGENCY VET, because I'm poor and have no car and I would have had to take a special doubly-expensive pet cab or walk 6km in the middle of the night in the cold to get her there, I called the vet before leaving. The vet basically said that it didn't sound like an emergency yet, as Trigger was still eating/drinking/peeing (albeit in the wrong place), and that trigger is female. I guess that similar symptoms in a male cat would have been more  . Her energy was on the lowest end of what I'd call normal (getting up and doing stuff, but barely, and she's not a terribly active cat, and how do you tell if a cat is "lethargic" or "lazy"?) For the rest of the weekend we watched her closely for any sign of getting slightly worse in any way, such as even hesitating to come get food, but that didn't come.In the meantime we got an extra litter box and put it where she had been peeing on the floor. She started to use it almost immediately after we filled it up. Cats are weird. Sunday at 3:00, almost on the dot, like flipping a switch, she perked up and became herself again - swatting at my arm while I type on the computer, clawing at stuff that she shouldn't, chatting with me, scratching her face on my stubble ( ) and so forth.Tuesday she had her scheduled vet visit. She did not enjoy that. The vet took a urine sample, but it came up clean. From the symptoms that I described, and given that it cleared up on its own after ~5 days she said it was possible that Trigger had a lower urinary tract infection, but of course there's now way to confirm that now. Last night she started using her old litter box again. Cats are weird.
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May 14, 2015 14:39
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CommonShore posted:Cats are weird. No poo poo. Now in my place, it has been 7 days since Freyja went to the vet. She and Loki still are needing to be separated but she's becoming the aggressor it seems. He slinks around and gets defensive/puffed up when she starts hissing at him. Other than that, he's ok around us or at a distance (from her) but when she hisses/growls he bolts under the bed or if that's unavailable, into the bathroom. He calms quickly, so does she for the most part but I'm really getting nervous that they'll never get along again.
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May 14, 2015 14:52
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Funkysauce posted:No poo poo. Now in my place, it has been 7 days since Freyja went to the vet. She and Loki still are needing to be separated but she's becoming the aggressor it seems. He slinks around and gets defensive/puffed up when she starts hissing at him. Other than that, he's ok around us or at a distance (from her) but when she hisses/growls he bolts under the bed or if that's unavailable, into the bathroom. He calms quickly, so does she for the most part but I'm really getting nervous that they'll never get along again. I would stop separating them unless they fight with claws and fur flying. Cats are idiots and it's probably a whole new confrontation every time you put them together.
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May 14, 2015 15:26
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