Dr Christmas posted:

So how do I fix this and what the hell do I tell my dad?

gandhichan posted:

painted bird posted:

Are we seriously suggesting putting a cat to sleep over what amounts to an inconvenience to the owners? What the gently caress.

IuniusBrutus posted:

I've had her for just over a week now, and am taking her for her first vet appointment tomorrow. She's very comfortable around me, but super skittish and scared in general. What is the best way to get her into her carrier for the appointment? I have a hard-sided one that opens on top. Should I put her in there with her shelter blanket? Or is it best I don't in case she has an accident? And should I lure her in with food, or just drop her in through the top? She doesn't like being held, but doesn't fight. Just don't want to stress her out more than I have to.

SynthOrange posted:

Counterpoint: Cookie pooped himself on the way back from his first vet visit.

IuniusBrutus posted:

What is the best way to get her into her carrier for the appointment?

Khizan posted:

Since you have a top-opening carrier, lay her down on her back when you put her in there; this will prevent her from bracing against the edges of the carrier when you try to put her in it.

Tendai posted:

Idiot Pisscat (the artist formerly known as Kiska) update: Vet said she couldn't find any fleas and nothing else looked out of place and so her best guess was that Kiska probably just pulled something and some motion in getting off that windowsill kept irritating it. No licking today or anything like that, nothing showed up on the x-ray (the vet said she was so friendly they almost didn't need to sedate her at all Good kitty), and welp the diagnosis seems to be "is (somewhat dumb) cat, can't fix"

painted bird posted:

That's a relief!

Also, I keep wondering: are you Russian? "Kiska" is Russian for "kitty", after all.

Puppy Galaxy posted:

Do vets get mad if you bring in your cat and he poo poo in the carrier? My cat loves doing that for some reason !!!

Tendai posted:

I'm pretty sure every vet has been covered in poo poo/puke/pee or all three at once at some point in their career.

Dr Christmas posted:

I've written about my summer-spanning battle to get my cat to stop peeing in the foyer, and I think I've lost. b two cats, a 15 year old female (Missy) and 14 year old male (Bobo). This summer Bobo had a brush with diabetes, one of the symptoms of which was peeing in the foyer, an L-shaped area about 18 square feet. We gave him insulin and orbifloxacin for a possible UTI, and he stopped. A bit more than a month later, we were told we could stop with the insulin, and he started peeing there again. Follow-up appointments and a bladder culture revealed no problems.

Removing a shoe tray that he seemed to favor just got him used to peeing on the carpet. Laying down plastic got him to go on the plastic. Feliway didn't work. It's a puddle, not a spray, which suggests Missy, but we've caught Bobo going there so we know it's him. Repellents and citrus smells either don't work, or have to be applied every few hours.

For most of the cats' life, they shared a single litter box in the basement, but I got a second one before the diabetes became a thing. Many sources suggest that stress is a source of these problems, and getting jabbed with needles twice a day and having their diet changed certainly provides a lot of that. However, other than the toilet problem, their behavior is about the same. He's always been a friendly cat and still is. He still uses the litter boxes downstairs, but now he'll use the foyer if it's convenient. I can't block access to that area due to the way our house is set up unless I lock him in the basement. Down there, there's a tv room, a bathroom, and the laundry room. And since the laundry room is the only place dad will allow their food and litter boxes, I'd also have to lock Missy in the basement. Missy has never liked Bobo, so that's a bad idea. The three litter boxes we have now are about as far apart as they can get.

Dad won't let me put a litter box in the problem area. At the beginning of August, well over a month into the resurgence, we went on a short family vacation, and I was given an ultimatum to come up with "a solution" because he didn't want the cats having the run of the house. I actually managed to let me him to put a litter box, but only because I could cite the advice of my late mom's bff who also had a diabetic cat, and I still had to endure some yelling. My sister stayed home for her own reasons and cleaned it. Bobo used the box just fine. But it was a smelly eyesore so Dad made me move it to the basement two weeks later, and Bobo went right back to peeing on the carpet. Now there are three litter boxes down there. I clean them whenever I notice something in them.

All I've been able to do is clean up after the incidents I've been using an enzymatic cleaner on the carpet, but it's been a bandaid. I dab up the urine, soak it for a few minutes with the cleaner, and then soak that up a lot of paper towels until it's dry. Bobo will go to a slightly different area of the carpet and pee there. My sense of smell is shot, so I just get brief whiffs of I-can't-tell-what-anymore. There aren't any stains, but people still comment on the smell. I've gone over the area with a blacklight and haven't been able to get rid of the smell. After cleaning the few odd particles of litter tossed out of the litter box when it was in the foyer, the air from the vacuum's outtake now smells like stale cat urine.

Before Bobo's troubles, there were some incidents where Missy peed in dad's room after being accidentally closed in when he left for work, and Dad never liked the cats in the first place, so he was ready to be rid of them when Bobo got sick. I had been saving money from a temp job, and my sister who was at home was broke, so I paid for all the medical expenses. When Bobo started peeing in the foyer again, I naively thought getting him to stop would be as quick as it was when I first gave him insulin, and I promised to take care of it. So now I share the blame for every spot of urine, vomit, hair, or glimpse of a cat sitting on the furniture. With my mom's death a year and a half ago and my youngest sister moving away yesterday, the family cats are now my cats. It had been a few days without incident, but Bobo peed in the corner, dad found it, and I had another round of lectures, cursing, and vague ultimatums. Suggesting the litterbox again today just made him angrier. It's been three months of that on top of our already lovely relationship, and I'd have moved out if I hadn't decimated my savings on the cat.

So how do I fix this and what the hell do I tell my dad?

SpaceGoatFarts posted:

Hello catte thread.

A few weeks ago, I noticed 2 abandoned kitties hanging out near my apartment. I don't know if their mother is dead or something else but it was obvious they were on their own. Winter is coming so I decided to take care of them so they can survive through it.

After checking online what I could do to help them, I built a shelter out of a styrofoam box and blankets, putting it on my terrace with food and water.



Now they adopted this new housing and hang out there pretty much all day, but they are still very timid and wild and flee every time I try to come close to them. What I want to know is if there's anything I can do to make them more familiar with me or if it's already too late to try to make them more tame. Thanks!

Maggie Fletcher posted:

I don't think I saw an answer for this, but a few things:

1. You are a very good person for taking care of these kitties.
2. No, it's not too late. They may spend the winter out there before they warm up (heh) to you, or once it gets cold enough, may decide to trust the warm food bringer sooner than later. Feral cats make excellent pets once trust is established, and while some cats prefer being feral, most of them prefer the comfort of a warm lap and a predictable dinner.

Here are a few things that can help. These kitties look almost old enough to reach puberty, which means they need to be TNRd ASAP. Contact a local feral rescue (Feral Friends is good, so is Alley Cat Allies). Even if you're not local, they can give you tips or resources that can help you. TNR is best left to those with experience and a humane trap and some really smelly food (like tuna or sardines). The vet will ear tip or tattoo them during the spay/neuter so they won't have to be opened up twice. It's best if you can get them to trust you before you TNR them, but the priority should be TNR as soon as they reach sexual maturity (between 4 and 6 months). That way they won't contribute to kitty overpopulation any more.

Also, is that milk in the bowl? Some kitties can't digest milk, though some can, and in general cow's milk isn't particularly good for them, and they're old enough to not need milk any more. Milk should be an occasional treat for those cats who can stomach it. What they really need is water, though of course I'm sure you're giving them water. As winter comes, check the water bowls often--you can give warm water in the morning so it doesn't freeze as fast. Watch them carefully for signs of frostbite or dehydration, even if they won't let you come near them.

You did a great job with those shelters--that may be their biggest chance at surviving the winter, if they don't "adopt" you first. Please keep us posted. You are such a great person for helping them out and you'll probably end up saving their lives.

IuniusBrutus posted:

Apricot did pretty great at the vet. By pretty great, I meant she was scared stiff and so just laid there shaking while the vet did her thing, although she did start purring once the vet started touching her. :3 just scooped her up and dropped her in the carrier with zero issues, and once we got home she was back to normal. I'm leaving the carrier out, open, and covered, with some of her bedding inside, so she's using it as a nap spot. Hopefully that'll keep her a bit more relaxed next time she has to go.

Tendai posted:

That would be a nipple, unless I'm misjudging what part of the cat the picture is of.

Scroto Baggins posted:

I'm betting that somewhere in this 500 page thread, this has been covered, but: any advice on giving your dumb bitchy cat a pill?

My cat has a UTI and needs to take half a pill of Zeniquin a day. I'm a stupid pile of trash and I can't hold her down long enough to shove the pill down her throat, so I tried hiding it in her favorite food. She snubbed it. I wrapped her favorite food in bacon. She snubbed it. I rolled it in catnip. I yelled at her. I gave her $50. None of this has worked. How do I trick this idiot animal into taking a pill that is good for her? Can I crush it up and mix it with a liquid? Is there a treat that puts even the most particular of cats at ease?

Here she is, begging you strangers to help with her pissing problems and generally being an idiot.



e: Hello Tuxedo Cat Friend. I haven't tried those because I couldn't get to Petco today. They're going to close in 15 minutes and I won't get there in time. I plan on getting some tomorrow and maybe also praying to the dark lord satan because anything helps.

Danith posted:

his hind legs are the grey areas at the back and the white area is his fat belly. Maybe it is a nipple.. I never noticed that patch there before and with my cat acting like a bully towards the dog it kinda concerned me. Haven't seen blood drawn but I think it's because of the dogs thick coat and not the cat being careful.

Tendai posted:

That would be a nipple, unless I'm misjudging what part of the cat the picture is of.