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I recently got my cat what I believe to be a very comfy bed, however she won't even touch it. She prefers literally anywhere else to sleep, hard tile flooring, carpet, any piece of furniture that isn't occupied, she's not picky except when it comes to the bed. What's the secret to getting her to try this out?
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Jul 31, 2015 16:49
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| # ? May 13, 2024 22:09 |
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Cats and beds are funny ones. Sometimes they take, sometimes they don't. Trial and error, but if the cat isn't using it, just sell it.
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Jul 31, 2015 16:55
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Shoren posted:I recently got my cat what I believe to be a very comfy bed, however she won't even touch it. She prefers literally anywhere else to sleep, hard tile flooring, carpet, any piece of furniture that isn't occupied, she's not picky except when it comes to the bed. What's the secret to getting her to try this out? Sprinkle some nice catnip on there. It's how I got my cats to use their cat basket and now they're total bastards about fighting over who gets to sit in it.
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Jul 31, 2015 16:56
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Shoren posted:I recently got my cat what I believe to be a very comfy bed, however she won't even touch it. She prefers literally anywhere else to sleep, hard tile flooring, carpet, any piece of furniture that isn't occupied, she's not picky except when it comes to the bed. What's the secret to getting her to try this out? Is the bed placed in a strategic cat position? If you've already tried putting it in a place you know she likes to be a cat loaf, you could put a dirty shirt from a favorite human on the bed and see if that attracts her. Also, many cats tend to like beds that we would consider too small for them. That way they may attain maximum cat loaf.
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Jul 31, 2015 17:02
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Shoren posted:I recently got my cat what I believe to be a very comfy bed, however she won't even touch it. She prefers literally anywhere else to sleep, hard tile flooring, carpet, any piece of furniture that isn't occupied, she's not picky except when it comes to the bed. What's the secret to getting her to try this out? The above suggestions are good but also she may just never take to it. Or she might start using it four months from now. Cats are weird like that.
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Jul 31, 2015 17:04
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Oooh, I know! Try reading a book that's in the cat bed.
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Jul 31, 2015 17:09
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Thanks for the suggestions. I've put it in a couple different places over the past week, and nothing yet, but I'll look into incentivizing the bed if I can. What's difficult is that she loves lying directly in the middle of the most trafficked areas of the house and under the dining room table so the bed can't reasonably go there. It was inexpensive so if she never takes to it then it's not a big deal.
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Jul 31, 2015 17:11
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We had a cat at our clinic who refused any and all bedding or cage liners, he'd kick it all into the litterbox and poop on it within 5 minutes. I guess he likes sleeping on bare metal?  His new adopted owners say he only sleeps on bare wood, concrete, and (rarely) berber carpet. Some cats just like the firmer/cooler surfaces to sleep on.
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Jul 31, 2015 17:12
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Shoren posted:Thanks for the suggestions. I've put it in a couple different places over the past week, and nothing yet, but I'll look into incentivizing the bed if I can. What's difficult is that she loves lying directly in the middle of the most trafficked areas of the house and under the dining room table so the bed can't reasonably go there. It was inexpensive so if she never takes to it then it's not a big deal. I know it's awkward (if not sometimes dangerous) that she likes to sleep in those places, but what if you put the bed there temporarily? If she starts using it (for loafing and not pooping) then you could try gradually moving it to a more human-convenient spot. Anecdote 1: I buy Luther cheap beds from Dollar General and, as one starts to wear out, I buy a new one for his corner at the top landing and move the old ones to another spot he uses less frequently. The first bed swap I did like this, I put the ratty bed (they start to tear apart in spots after a few washings) at the bottom of the stairs where he waits for the mail carrier. Got home from work and found that he dragged it upstairs into the bathroom to a spot between the sink and the door. There it remains. Anecdote 2: My last cat could be displaced from any chosen spot by my putting down a sheet of paper. It HAD to be sat upon, no matter how near to or far from her current position. She's dead now, so that trick doesn't work anymore.
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Jul 31, 2015 17:56
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More cat bed anecdotes: My mom got my cats a really nice small dog bed (since I have large cats) for Christmas about 3 years ago. They used it happily after an initial few days of warming up to it and then suddenly around a year later they stopped using it entirely for many months. Then randomly started again! Tldr cats are weird as poo poo
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Jul 31, 2015 19:06
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Read back through the last couple pages and couldn't find anything, so. This is Max.  He's a huge sort-of-Siamese of unknown origin (his mother is a torby). He's a little over 2 years old. About three weeks ago he managed to scratch his cornea somehow and has been getting regular antibiotic treatments, but while it's improved somewhat, it was a long way from fixed. So today the vet debrided it and stitched his third eyelid shut to help it heal. So far, so good.  That little line on his right eye is a plastic tube or something. If he hooks a claw in it and decides to pull, he'll probably rip his lid and then we'll really be in for a good time. So he's wearing the cone for now, which he hates. I've never had to cone a cat before, and the vet wasn't really very helpful about whether I'd be able to take it off or not. He has antibiotic ointment and a serum derived from his blood  to be administered twice a day until his return visit in a week. So I guess the big questions are:1. How do I feed him? 2. Can I take the cone off? (I'm worried about getting it back on) 3. What are the odds he fucks up his eye if I do take the cone off?
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Jul 31, 2015 19:40
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I wouldn't take that cone off at all until the return visit. Yeah it sucks, but I wouldn't want to risk the cat doing more damage to itself.
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Jul 31, 2015 19:43
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 At the vet today. Clyde has always been picky about food, but this week he's been throwing up once every other day, and I've been finding runny poo in the littler box. I have two cats so I wasn't sure it was Clyde, but when today he utterly refused to eat breakfast today, I was like gently caress it, you're going to the vet. He is way mad at me now. He's been acting totally normal other than the food and barf stuff, but I know cats can be sneaky about feeling bad. As soon as we got in the car though, he was VERY CLEAR about his unhappiness. I hope he is okay 
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Jul 31, 2015 19:47
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Malmesbury Monster posted:Read back through the last couple pages and couldn't find anything, so. Leave it on until the next visit. You may need to switch to a smaller, more shallow bowl he can fit his cone over to eat, but he can eat with it on. Knowing cats, the odds of him hurting his eye if you take the cone off are about 100%.
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Jul 31, 2015 20:23
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Yeah, definitely keep the cone on. I have a shallow raised dish and my cat was able to eat with the cone on if she angled it right. Also, it's hilarious to take pictures of them while they look like miserable little desk lamps. 
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Jul 31, 2015 21:34
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Clyde is okay, and probably just has a little stomach bug. Went home with some anti-nausea meds. Now I just feel bad that I put him through the torture of going to the vet. 
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Jul 31, 2015 22:54
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Thanks for the suggestions. I was hoping to take it off, but I'm not seeing any way he won't do something terrible, so he'll just have to deal with it. He's acting very depressed, but that might be the sedative lingering. The vet said he fought the anesthesia the whole way. If he doesn't perk up, may have to track down some Feliway. I'm depressed too because I found out that the family/my parents' cat is probably dying. 13 years old, stopped eating and only drinks a little when prompted. Lays around all day, doesn't move except to avoid people. Pitched a holy fit at the vet, but all the tests (bloodwork, x-ray) came back normal. Vet is stumped and we're all very sad.
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Aug 1, 2015 00:49
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Ask for a referral to get an abdominal ultrasound, if your family is willing to keep pursuing it. What did they take x-rays of?
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Aug 1, 2015 02:33
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Braki posted:Ask for a referral to get an abdominal ultrasound, if your family is willing to keep pursuing it. What did they take x-rays of? Stomach and intestines, looking for any blockages/tumors. They at first thought maybe he was constipated because he was acting like his stomach hurt, but that didn't seem to be the case. They did bloodwork and kidney, liver, pancreatic function all checked out. Edit: I should add that the cat isn't vomiting, which is what has the vet really stumped, because apparently that's an expected symptom for just about everything.
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Aug 1, 2015 03:12
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If your cat(s) are having re-directed aggression, get these. They are window clings that are designed to look like stained glass, and are super easy to install. So far, my cats don't sit in the bedroom, or office windows just to look for oncoming cats. They still get sunbeams, and there are other windows they can look out of. However, if your cat(s) are always fighting, you may need to invest in some visual blockers.
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Aug 1, 2015 03:19
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Just told my housemate/landlord I'm moving out after he flipped out on me suggesting that shaving my cat wouldn't help control fleas. Pretty sure he let my cat out and caused the infestation anyway. Don't ever live with someone who thinks chem trails are real!
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Aug 1, 2015 06:32
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Puppy Galaxy posted:Just told my housemate/landlord I'm moving out after he flipped out on me suggesting that shaving my cat wouldn't help control fleas. Pretty sure he let my cat out and caused the infestation anyway. Don't ever live with someone who thinks chem trails are real! Well, they are real. They're filled with the chemical H2O. 
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Aug 1, 2015 16:29
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I'm looking for some advice from people who know how much it costs to keep a cat. My girlfriend, who I don't live with, told me she's getting a cat today to help her in a therapeutic sort of way. This is cool except for the fact that my girlfriend doesn't have a job at the moment. She's been applying to jobs for the past month with no luck, and she gets $600 per month assistance from the military. $400 of this goes to her rent (she lives with a roommate and the roommate's 3 kids.). Essentially she has $200 per month to spend. I don't think she's financially stable enough to care for a cat. I feel like a dick saying it because the cat is meant to help her cope with something she's been going through for a while, but the numbers say it all in my opinion. I already helped her pay her phone bill this month because she had an unexpected medical expense. From what I've heard, the cat has already been vaccinated. I don't know if it's been neutered or not. She didn't have to pay for the cat itself and I'm not sure if she got any free toys/litter box/anything else as well. The way I see it, I can keep my opinion to myself as we don't live together, but I have a feeling that her having the cat is going to be a burden on her that's passed on to me ("Babe, I need help with my phone again."). When she told me on the phone, I asked how she plans to afford the cat, and she just said with a budget. Her roommate is also getting a lab/pitt mix at the same, which I don't think she can afford either (the roommate works full time at ~$16/hour, and gets welfare for food for the household.) I think the whole thing is a recipe for disaster. Thoughts?
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Aug 1, 2015 21:27
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Fun Times! posted:I'm looking for some advice from people who know how much it costs to keep a cat. It probably will be too expensive for them, but part of the problem seems to be that they're not real good terms with reality at the moment. They're not going to want to believe what you tell them, as they're convinced they can afford it. Register your complaint, but don't harp on it. It's their decision and they have to live with the consequences. Maybe you're actually wrong and they really will be able to pull it off. It might be worth your while to investigate new homes for the animals ahead of time, though, so you'll have some good suggestions if it does prove too much for them to handle. Overall, don't be obnoxious about it. Be helpful and supportive whichever way it goes.
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Aug 1, 2015 21:34
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She could surprise you. Financially I work part time whilst studying so I don't have the greatest income either and I guess just from doing some mental calculations I have a little more disposal income per month than your girlfriend, if I take into consideration travel costs. However I do own a cat. I have been told by a million people to get rid of him because he is a bleed on my money, and perhaps he is, but I budget for him. To me, having my buddy is totally worth not being able to buy new clothes or go to the cinema or whatever. I budget meticulously to afford his food, toys, treats, litter, insurance etc. In exchange he is my best friend and mentally I would be in a far worse place than I am if I did not have this little jerk who loves me.  So maybe she can pull it off!
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Aug 1, 2015 22:51
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Since her cat is for therapy, maybe there is a veteran program/charity for helping out with pet startup costs. She really does need to figure out if it's fixed, though. That's an up-front cost that can't be ignored. I'm more worried about the lab that the roommate with a full-time job is getting, though. I wonder which of you will end up spending more time and attention on meeting the dog's needs.
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Aug 1, 2015 23:46
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Well after 4 weeks I can assure you that living with a cat thats got perpetual squirty bum is no loving fun at all. We've ruled out parasites after we did a 2 week shotgun of antiparasitics and antibiotics, have had fecal cultures done that have come back clear and now we're onto food intolerance, so they're on nothing but dry Advanced kitten food (9 month old cat with poopybum and 8 month old girl with mental issues but a bum that works) and water. Feeding him any wet food causes a massive wet turd, but he will also randomly spray the litter with poo poo when hes had nothing but advanced for 2-3 days. Im over it, Hes over it and developing a complex because since he cant pinch off a clean nugget his arse is filthy and generally so is the base of his tail and back of his legs, so every time he goes for a poo poo, we have to grab him and wipe his arse for him. He's also stepping in it while trying to bury it, so then we get to follow the little trail of lovely footprints to wherever hes decided to postage stamp and then take him off and clean him. Vet thinks it COULD be IBS (which is hilarious since my partner has Ulcerative Colitis) We've got another week of trying him on just the hard food before we go for a prescription diet, which is going to be SO MUCH FUN with two cats and trying to keep them fed separately. I know i shouldnt think this way, but im starting to wonder how many cray pots you could bait with him...
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Aug 2, 2015 16:01
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Ferremit posted:Well... Given how he had antibiotics, I wonder if his gut flora are out of wack and if some sort of probiotic supplementation might be in order. I am not a cat, nor am I a vet, but I know that antibiotics disturb my system for a while and I have to eat more yogurt and saurkraut than usual and (usually) take anti-fungal meds before things go back to normal.
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Aug 2, 2015 17:11
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about poop
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I'm pretty worried about our little guy and could use a little perspective. We went away on vacation and had my family look after Emilio (11 year old domestic short hair) for the week. They fed and watered him and hung out with him for a while. He's scheduled for dental surgery on Tuesday, so he had blood work done about 2 weeks ago which came back perfectly normal. We got a call from my Mom on Thursday morning that he seemed a bit listless, vomited a few times, and wasn't eating much of his food. We got home yesterday morning and he seemed pretty off. He hadn't eaten anything that was in his bowl from the night before so we took him to the emergency vet. They checked for blockages (of which there were none), took blood, and an xray. Everything checked out ok and they diagnosed him with gastroenteritis, gave him Cerinia for the nausea and some fluids under the skin and told us to feed him a bland diet for the next few days. As far as we can tell he still hasn't eaten. I checked his litter box this morning and he'd peed but there wasn't any poop. I'm starting to get really worried. We had another cat who passed last year that went through the same thing except in his case it turned out to be kidney failure and he went downhill really quick. The thing that has me the most nervous is that the whole thing seemed so inconclusive. I'm not sure what other diagnostics are available (and how much they'll cost) but I'd really like to know what exactly is going on so we can treat it. The vet said we should bring him back if he isn't eating in 24-36 hours but that seems pretty extreme, especially since he hasn't been eating normally for at least a few days. Does it make sense to bring him back today? What sort of questions should I be asking the vet?
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Aug 2, 2015 17:30
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Hi Penisland, Are there people in here that can commentate on the experience of owning a cat dog pair? Will this help fill the social needs of both animals? I recognize the best solution for a cat is to adopt two but I expect that is not an option and that my sister will also likely be adopting a puppy in the near future.
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Aug 2, 2015 21:16
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Ferremit posted:Pooptalk I hear you, my kitten shat liquid for about 3 months before we found something that worked. When the vet put him on Advanced it did exactly zero and caused him to spray even more liquid poo poo everywhere. It was just horrible and I personally don't put any stock in advanced because that was meant to be the superbland formula. What DID fix him was Hills I/D. Completely reset his tum, gave him normal crap again and then we finally weaned him off it. Give I/D a try before you give up the fight
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Aug 2, 2015 21:38
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TheKingofSprings posted:Hi Penisland, I rescued a 4 week old kitten and introduced her to a 3 year old black lab and its gone well. The kitten in now 5 months old.  Sort of the reverse of your situation.
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Aug 3, 2015 01:34
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TheKingofSprings posted:Hi Penisland, Getting them at a similar time may help. I have 2 cats, 1 dog; dog tries to play with cats, cats want none of his poo poo.
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Aug 3, 2015 03:03
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With a year under my belt as a cat owner, I'm feeling a slight urge to modify my litter management. I use World's Best, scoop daily, clean every two weeks. At the end of each cleaning cycle the litter is...ripe. After I scoop session, I dust both the litter box (and shake the box so the cats aren't freaked out) and covered trash can with baking soda. Should I also be adding litter (the amount removed from clumps) back to the box?
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Aug 3, 2015 19:37
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Cat thread Back in mid July a young black cat, very much in heat appeared out of the ether meowing at my friends and I. She came up and jumped into my lap and long story short I now own a lanky black noodle cat. Got her checked out the following Monday, and besides being pretty thin, she had no fleas, worms,wounds or microchip on her. The vet thinks she's probably a little under a year old, very calm with people (she barely cared getting blood drawn or shots). We got her caught up on all her shots and de-wormed just in case, and she's been happily devouring catfood and biting cat toys to death in my house since. The problem is, she was super attached to me, but once I got the all clear from the vet I brought her home and had to go away on a business trip for a few days, so my roommate was watching her. He did fine taking care of the cat, but it seems like she has bonded to him completely. She'll sleep in his bed right up next to him, follow him around when he's home and jump into his lap constantly. I've been feeding her and trying to play with her as much as possible when I'm home, but since he's got classes and I work a 9-5, he usually has way more time to kill with the cat while I'm working. I know this is a super petty problem, as she does like to sit with me when I'm in the living room, and chirps at me when I come home but I'm kind of bummed that the only time she's in my room is to sleep under my bed or tolerate me until my roommate is home.home. I've always been a dog person, so I'm used to a pet that pretty much wants your attention 24/7. Am I just overthinking this, or did I damage my cat bond right out of the gate?
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Aug 3, 2015 21:29
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Atomic Collins posted:Cat thread It's pretty normal in my experience for cats to latch on to one particular person as their favorite. Nothing you can really do about it, there's no such thing as a "cat bond." They're weird, independent-minded little critters that act according to their own bizarre logic.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:36
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I had my current cat for 7 years before meeting my boyfriend. In year one she would cry when I left the house and basically ignored him. Now, in year three, she likes each of us for different things. I am a soft pillow for her to sit on and knead, but he's the one she runs to see after work. She follows him around but usually ignores me. Cats are just weird sometimes, you can't blame yourself for not being the favorite.
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Aug 4, 2015 02:28
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Atomic Collins posted:Cat thread She'll like you better once you or your roommate moves on and you're the only familiar person in the house.
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Aug 4, 2015 02:38
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Yep, he pays more attention to her because he's around more, so she hangs with him more. One of my cats largely ignores my husband because I'm the one that showers him with affection. I get rushed and shoulder changed in the shin and screamed at to be picked up when I get home, husband gets a tail-twitch in greeting.
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Aug 4, 2015 02:43
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| # ? May 13, 2024 22:09 |
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Tamarillo posted:Yep, he pays more attention to her because he's around more, so she hangs with him more. One of my cats largely ignores my husband because I'm the one that showers him with affection. I get rushed and shoulder changed in the shin and screamed at to be picked up when I get home, husband gets a tail-twitch in greeting. Whoever gets home first needs to pet the cat for a few minutes, gets lots of purrs and kneading, lots of yelling if you stop to take off your shoes first, etc. Whoever comes home second doesn't get acknowledged at all. I guess she's happy that people still exist and is over it after the first one comes back. Cats!
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Aug 4, 2015 17:32
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