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Croisquessein posted:So we just adopted two more cats, surrenders by a coworker who couldn't keep them, and they're both pretty chill and settling in well after only a day or so. But one of them, Athena, is a weirdo. She's friendly, not very skittish, loves pets, sleeps a lot, explores, and growls constantly. She's not showing any signs of agression, like I said she's really chill for having just moved in, she just growls. It's really confusing, and hard not to flinch away until you get used to it. It's probably fine but you should take a video so we can all see just in case  SneakyFrog posted:eh you just are socializing her slowly. You are doing fine. Some just are more aggressive and non touchy at first. They usually all come around sometimes reluctantly. I know it's all probably a matter of time but it's really hard to let things be a matter of time and not look for ways to make it faster or smoother. She definitely isn't being aggressive and non-touchy, she comes and asks for petting pretty much constantly if she's awake. She just gets spooked easily or something.
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May 31, 2016 02:30
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Croisquessein posted:So we just adopted two more cats, surrenders by a coworker who couldn't keep them, and they're both pretty chill and settling in well after only a day or so. But one of them, Athena, is a weirdo. She's friendly, not very skittish, loves pets, sleeps a lot, explores, and growls constantly. She's not showing any signs of agression, like I said she's really chill for having just moved in, she just growls. It's really confusing, and hard not to flinch away until you get used to it. It's definitely possible that Athena just purrs weird, especially if her body language indicates that she's relaxed. My cat (who also happens to be named after a Greek god) has a growl purr and it took me an entire year to be sure it really was a purring noise and he wasn't just telling me to back off.
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May 31, 2016 02:46
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Organza Quiz posted:It's probably fine but you should take a video so we can all see just in case I've tried but my phone mic isn't really getting it, it sounds like purring on the video, though really it is distinct growly and doesn't seem to have the rumbly quality. Here's a picture though. She's so pretty and soft as a bunny. 
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May 31, 2016 06:20
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Croisquessein posted:I've tried but my phone mic isn't really getting it, it sounds like purring on the video, though really it is distinct growly and doesn't seem to have the rumbly quality. lol i also have a torty white that does this little growl thing. I find she does it when she really isn't fully sure of her environment, as the first time i saw it was at the vet office. When we moved 6 months ago, she checked everything out and giving it the smell test while wondering around low level growling. I think it is because she is vocally opinionated The blue bunny fucked around with this message at 18:51 on May 31, 2016 |
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May 31, 2016 17:15
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Princess growls a lot, but mostly when she's playing. When I would bring home a new toy and start playing with James she'd run up, yank the toy away, start growling, and run off with it. We eventually found a little pile of conquered toys behind the couch. She too thinks everything is alive. If I picked up around the house she'd probably be a lot less stressed out.
MrSlam fucked around with this message at 18:03 on Aug 7, 2016 |
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May 31, 2016 17:21
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Short update on Athena, she purred this morning and then went back to growling for a bit, so it's two separate noises. But no problems really. She's totally trying to get out of the room now, I think she wants to meet the other cats
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May 31, 2016 18:17
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I've just discovered that scallions/spring onions are poisonous to cats. A few nights ago I let my cats eat the discarded outer skins of some spring onions. How hard should I be panicking right now? Do I need to rush home and get them to the vet?  e: just phoned the vet. They said keep an eye on them, and only bring them in if I see problems. Phew. Hyperlynx fucked around with this message at 02:37 on Jun 1, 2016 |
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Jun 1, 2016 02:20
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Hyperlynx posted:I've just discovered that scallions/spring onions are poisonous to cats. A few nights ago I let my cats eat the discarded outer skins of some spring onions. How hard should I be panicking right now? Do I need to rush home and get them to the vet? From what I've heard they'll just throw them up, but yeah, keep an eye on them. It's not a sin or anything but try not to give them fast food meat either since those contain onion/garlic powder. My cats can eat tiny bits of KFC white meat with no problem though.
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Jun 1, 2016 02:39
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We just adopted two 3 year old male cats last Friday. They're neutered and we were told they're littermates and their papers seem to show that. They seem to have skipped the hiding under furniture for days part entirely so that was nice but we're running into an issue. The one cat chases the other around in a way that doesn't seem reciprocal or fun for the other at all. It seems like bullying. He doesn't try to move to prevent the other cat from eating or block access to litter boxes or anything like that but at least once or twice a day he decides its time to harass the other cat. We've got two litter boxes, two food bowls, two scratch boxes, and like five toys. We make an effort to show both equal attention and keep the stress levels low in the house. Is he acting out due to the new situation? Trying to establish dominance in a new place? Is there a way I can tell if he's always been this way?
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Jun 1, 2016 04:38
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FadedReality posted:We just adopted two 3 year old male cats last Friday. They're neutered and we were told they're littermates and their papers seem to show that. They seem to have skipped the hiding under furniture for days part entirely so that was nice but we're running into an issue. The one cat chases the other around in a way that doesn't seem reciprocal or fun for the other at all. It seems like bullying. He doesn't try to move to prevent the other cat from eating or block access to litter boxes or anything like that but at least once or twice a day he decides its time to harass the other cat. Cats are assholes. Yes, they're probably setting up some territorial/social boundaries. If they're litter mates and have been together for three years, it is unlikely to be new behavior.
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Jun 1, 2016 04:41
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Deteriorata posted:Cats are assholes. Yes, they're probably setting up some territorial/social boundaries. If they're litter mates and have been together for three years, it is unlikely to be new behavior. I was planning on picking up a cat tree soon. Should I wait for this to calm down so it doesn't become a king of the hill deathmatch situation? Or is that probably inevitable?
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Jun 1, 2016 05:05
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FadedReality posted:I was planning on picking up a cat tree soon. Should I wait for this to calm down so it doesn't become a king of the hill deathmatch situation? Or is that probably inevitable? Don't worry about it. Most likely they'll both ignore the cat tree for about 6 months, regardless. They'll fight over the box it came in, though.
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Jun 1, 2016 05:08
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Deteriorata posted:Don't worry about it. Most likely they'll both ignore the cat tree for about 6 months, regardless. The painful truth of being a cat owner.
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Jun 1, 2016 11:05
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Deteriorata posted:Don't worry about it. Most likely they'll both ignore the cat tree for about 6 months, regardless. Three-tier cat-tree Hideyhole cat-tree Box cat-tree Suction-cup Window Shelf Fabric covered PVC box I've bought so many cat-items that got completely ignored for a few months to the point I considered throwing them out when suddenly they become the hottest new place to lie in the sun. Speaking of incidental cat furniture, one problem we ran into is when I moved back into my dad's place I had a bunch of furniture but not enough room to store it all. So I had to store a small armchair on its back on top of an old desk. This armchair has become Princess's Dreamhouse and she will viciously guard it with her life from the bigger cat to the point that he doesn't even bother walking on it. I've brought up to my dad many times that we can just get rid of the armchair since it's an eyesore, but he's grown to love the cats so much he thinks it should stay til I move out.
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Jun 1, 2016 15:54
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So Tuna's been settling into his new home quite nicely! There is a small "I am a new cat owner" concern, though--he's suddenly developed some very slightly matted spots of fur right on top of his head, as though he somehow managed to get into something just slightly sticky. Do I need to brush that out, or is that something he can deal with himself?
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Jun 1, 2016 16:54
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The Lord of Hats posted:So Tuna's been settling into his new home quite nicely! There is a small "I am a new cat owner" concern, though--he's suddenly developed some very slightly matted spots of fur right on top of his head, as though he somehow managed to get into something just slightly sticky. Do I need to brush that out, or is that something he can deal with himself? wet wipes
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Jun 1, 2016 16:55
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My three orphan kittens are about two months old now and I've run into an issue with one of them. When are out of the house we keep them sequestered away in the bathroom (they are staying with my mom, who has a senior cat that is taking none of their poo poo, want to avoid incidents) with their bed, their toys, their food, and litter box. The problem now seems that when we left them out into the living room the calico has 0 foresight or impulse control over when she needs to use the bathroom. Rather than go back to her litter box in the bathroom she starts crying, swinging her tail around, and making for a dark corner to squat and poop in. We've been good about catching her when she starts this and calmly ploping her down in her litter box no more than 12 feet away. She has no qualms pooping in her box otherwise. It's there anything else we should be doing in this situation or is that a sign of a bigger problem. For the record, this is also the kitten that is such a food bully that we had to buy a chicken feed trough so that she can lay down in the food to body block and the other kittens can just eat around her. DeathSandwich fucked around with this message at 15:19 on Jun 3, 2016 |
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Jun 3, 2016 03:19
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Is there an inexpensive cat litter that is dust free and clumps? The kind I usually get just changed and now smells like an over-perfumed grandma. I once bought her natural litter and she ate it. I spend enough on her food, so I need cheap litter she won't slowly die from.
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Jun 3, 2016 18:49
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vaginadeathgrip posted:Is there an inexpensive cat litter that is dust free and clumps? The kind I usually get just changed and now smells like an over-perfumed grandma. I once bought her natural litter and she ate it. I spend enough on her food, so I need cheap litter she won't slowly die from. World's best is pretty low on dust overall.
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Jun 3, 2016 19:06
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vaginadeathgrip posted:Is there an inexpensive cat litter that is dust free and clumps? The kind I usually get just changed and now smells like an over-perfumed grandma. I once bought her natural litter and she ate it. I spend enough on her food, so I need cheap litter she won't slowly die from. We use Precious Cat Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter. Clumps, no dust, and does a good job controlling odor.
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Jun 3, 2016 20:03
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duckfarts posted:For reference, how is the smart sift with long term use and clumping on the grille itself? As long as you take it apart to clean it regularly it should be ok.
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Jun 4, 2016 02:00
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Just got home late, 11pm, when kitties are usually fed at 6pm. Fed them, everything is good. Then I happen to drop my keys on the floor. Suddenly, food goes EVERYWHERE.
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Jun 4, 2016 14:04
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So Newly moved in with my girlfriend who brought along her two cats with her, both about ten years old. Trying to work a few issues out, but one thing is the cat litter. She uses fresh step right now and it's fine for the most part and the cats are used to it, but what sucks is how they track litter around the room and house. We've got a mat we got from pet smart but it's small and doesn't capture much. Any recommendations for a good mat that will capture most of the stray litter from their paws? We're also open to a different kind of litter if necessary. One of the cats is a long hair so I think we might be kinda hosed regardless, but we're open to suggestions. We do want something that clumps and dust free is also great. nwin fucked around with this message at 14:13 on Jun 5, 2016 |
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Jun 5, 2016 14:11
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My family has always owned dogs, and I've had a parakeet before. But my parakeet died several years ago, and I'm not allowed to have a dog in my apartment. For the past three years I've enjoyed spending time with my (now-ex) boyfriend's cats. But since he dumped me, I've really missed them. So I'm thinking about getting my own. I'm planning to adopt from a shelter or through the Cat Network here (I'm in South Florida). I'd like to get two cats, especially if they're siblings or otherwise bonded. I think it would be nice for them to have each other for company when I'm at work. Does anyone have any advice for what I should be looking for? Or is there a thread for this somewhere that I didn't see? Thanks!
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Jun 5, 2016 19:24
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spend time with the cats and take home the cat that chooses YOU, not the cat you like. its how we ended up with Isaac and Smudge, Isaac had been there a LONG time because hes not the "Classic" look (his face is really off balance in his markings) but he is a really affectionate sweet cat.
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Jun 5, 2016 22:39
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SMDFTB posted:So Newly moved in with my girlfriend who brought along her two cats with her, both about ten years old. I have the large version of this mat which works pretty well, although it's the first mat I bought, so I can't really compare it to anything else. Every week or two I run the dust buster over it to clean out the bits stuck in the holes and any stray bits that made it to the floor..
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Jun 5, 2016 22:56
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SMDFTB posted:So Newly moved in with my girlfriend who brought along her two cats with her, both about ten years old. I have given up on litter mats-- it always seems to travel about 8 feet from the box no matter what's on the floor for me. Instead, I suggest investing in a really nice vacuum. I have a Shark Rotator Lift-Away Pro and it is absolutely great at picking up litter (and embedded cat hair).
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Jun 6, 2016 00:19
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Even with pellet litter the cats still drag bits around occasionally, but at least most of it falls near the box. The cleanest situation I had was with an open top entry box so the cats had to do a bit of climbing and jumping and that got a lot off but there would still be bits around the house.
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Jun 6, 2016 01:52
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SMDFTB posted:So Newly moved in with my girlfriend who brought along her two cats with her, both about ten years old. The bigger the grain size, the less the litter will track; if the litter it too big to stick to their paws, it's less likely go with them to another room. Bigger grains are also easier to clean up if they do track. You should probably have a decent cordless hand vacuum, actually, pretty much all cat owners should have one handy. I'd recommend using pellet litter if possible (not all cats are down with this though). I'm not a fan of clay litters because the smell of it (even unscented) tends to stick to cats' fur. I've heard good things all over the place about World's Best, but it's not available where I am, so I dunno For the mats, I'd suggest ones that look like grates and have holes in them to let the litter fall through. I'm using some version of this right now:  Currently, that's in front of the litter box, and I have a mat made out of this stuff in front of the door:  Apparently it's called 3M Z-Web something something, and don't get it from Amazon because it's really expensive from there (it was not that expensive when I got it from Costco in some 2-pack). It works well enough and is easy to clean because you can just spray through it. Originally, I wanted to get one of these:  but couldn't find one. It seems like it'd be good for clay litter. This mat is dogshit though:  I've had them in the past and they barely help. I also tried golf-grass/astroturf material before, and it worked okayish, but my cats tried to jump over it because they didn't like walking on it, and it was a pain in the rear end to try to clean out.
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Jun 6, 2016 03:15
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duckfarts posted:Originally, I wanted to get one of these: I have one for my cat and it works fantastically for her litter(standard issue Tidy Cat).
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Jun 6, 2016 03:35
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My old girl had a bit of a funny turn this morning. I woke up at 7am hearing scraping/scratching noises so I got up and found Buffy walking like a drunk sailor. Her back legs were splayed and lowered like they had no power and she was wobbling something awful. By the time she got down the stairs though she was barely wobbling and standing straight. I took her to the vet of course, they took bloods and thanks to having their own lab gear I got results in 30 minutes. Hyperthyroidism. I was given 5 options to mull over 1) An iodine free diet 2) Anti thyroid pills 3) Anti thyroid gel (same effect as the pills) 4) Surgery to remove the affected thyroid part(s) 5) Radiotherapy to kill the thyroid We've had cats with Thyroid problems before and I know the pills controlled it. Buffy is pretty easy to get tiny pills into as she's a real pig - wrap it in a little cheese and she'll just wolf it down. I'm a bit wary of surgery on a 17 year old cat, even if she is in superb health otherwise. Radiotherapy sounds nifty but she'd be away for a month and I know she'd hate it (and it's not like you can explain to them that it's for their own good). Do any of you have experience with treating older hyperthyroid cats? I'd be particularly interested to hear how things other than the pills work. Should I consider surgery if my vet is confident she can take the stress?
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Jun 6, 2016 23:25
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This is my first post to Pet Island. I have two cats. They are very happy, aside from having a mutual, casual hate of each other (this is important, read later). They're well-fed, go to the vet, get a lot of love, are generally well cared-for. There is a cat in my apartment complex. She is extremely sweet, friendly, wants love. She is also filthy, and declawed front and back. Based on this, I assume she's obviously is both abandoned and very ill-equipped for life on the street, especially in the blast furnace that is Phoenix, AZ. She hangs out on my landing a lot, lays around outside my building, and tries to come in when we open the door. I suspect she was abandoned when someone moved, but I don't know, and honestly, I don't give a gently caress because anyone who declaws a cat and then shoves it outside doesn't deserve this loving cat. We are planning to heist cat tomorrow. We're going to snatch it when it it's lolling like an idiot in front of my apartment like it does every day. This is decided. This is the part I need help with: We're (my wife and I) going to pick the cat up, I'm going to call out from work, pick up the cat (she's already proven okay with this), and move it into our spare bedroom. It will have a litterbox, water, and food. We'll wait until the vet opens and then put the cat in a cat carrier and go there. From there, it depends on the vet. Assuming a clean bill of health - or treatment - my wife wants to sequester her in the spare bedroom again (i'm okay with this), then follow the Humane Society Plan. Which is: Sequester the cat in it's own room for three days. During those three days, feed them all close to the same door so they can acclimate to each other, rub washclothes on the cats and switch them so they can all smell each other, then slowly introduce them. She says this will make the current cats not hate the newbie. I've never done any of that - I just bring the cat to the vet then plop it down at its new home, show them food, water, and poo poo area, and call it good. I've only ever had strays. Is this the right way to do it? Or is hers the best way? Since she's declawed, I'm concerned that a.) the other cats will bully her and b.) when she gets pissed, she can only bite - much worse than the usual cat slapping. Solid Poopsnake fucked around with this message at 01:25 on Jun 8, 2016 |
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Jun 8, 2016 01:13
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Solid Poopsnake posted:She says this will make the current cats not hate the newbie. She is correct, go with the slow mixing method she told you. I've had 5 cats in a house before and my mother runs a rescue so she has a house full (9 currently) of cats too old, too weird or too damaged to get another home. You can get really lucky, just chucking cats together and they make do but more often than not it goes horribly wrong. Cats share their social spaces by scent so the method described to you lets the new cats scent add into the houses cat funk mixture which will generally prevent strong reactions when they finally meet face to face. For instance my mother has a room in the house with a small mesh wire door (it's usually used for kittens) which she uses to introduce new cats. They stay in there for a few days, the incumbents wander past exchanging hisses, growls and scents but no violence can take place. It works. You can still get problems say with a younger new cat which pesters older ones trying to get them to play but letting their scents mingle before they meet seems to be the proven way to do it with minimum fisticuffs.
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Jun 8, 2016 01:34
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Thank you, I'll do it. So I've never had three cats before - I always considered more than 2 to be the Karman line toward crazy cat lady. Should I go with two litterboxes, or keep emptying the one every day? E: I already bought a second, just curious if I need to deal with it or if they'll be okay on one.
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Jun 8, 2016 02:01
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Standard is one more litter box than number of cats. Anecdotally, I've 2 had cats share one (large) litter box no issue. And I don't know any one with more than one litter box for one cat.
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Jun 8, 2016 02:31
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The vet found mast cells in my cat's blood test, they did an x-ray this morning and say he has an enlarged spleen. Now they are recommending an ultrasound for further diagnosis. So I'm wondering what I should do. He's about 13, I grew up with him and am very attached, the last thing I'd want to do is put him through pain. I'm wondering what his prognosis will be if I decide not to treat it versus a spleen removal. He seems fine. He's eating also, weighing in at about 18 pounds ass struggle fucked around with this message at 03:36 on Jun 8, 2016 |
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Jun 8, 2016 03:32
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Solid Poopsnake posted:Sequester the cat in it's own room for three days. During those three days, feed them all close to the same door so they can acclimate to each other, rub washclothes on the cats and switch them so they can all smell each slavatuvs posted:The vet found mast cells in my cat's blood test, they did an x-ray this morning and say he has an enlarged spleen. Now they are recommending an ultrasound for further diagnosis. So I'm wondering what I should do.
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Jun 8, 2016 03:42
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duckfarts posted:This is some pretty specific poo poo; you should ask your vet about this exact question if you can. Sorry, I heard mast cell tumors were pretty common and wanted to know if anyone had dealt with it and what I should expect going forward.
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Jun 8, 2016 03:54
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Solid Poopsnake posted:
a bit late but great av/post combo there Hope your cat heist went well.
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Jun 8, 2016 13:01
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slavatuvs posted:The vet found mast cells in my cat's blood test, they did an x-ray this morning and say he has an enlarged spleen. Now they are recommending an ultrasound for further diagnosis. So I'm wondering what I should do. I'm hoping for the best, man. Good luck. Keep us posted. MrSlam fucked around with this message at 16:04 on Jun 8, 2016 |
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Jun 8, 2016 15:39
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