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Redeye Flight posted:I am going insane. Was the cat pooping outside the box before you moved in? If not, sounds like a territorial/marking issue. Otherwise, locking her in the bathroom for a day or two (with food and water, of course) until she starts using the box again is the only thing I can think of. Understanding the circumstances that led her to abandoning the litter box will help toward a solution. Perhaps putting the box in a different place or using a different brand of litter pissed her off initially.
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Jun 22, 2016 20:55
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Boogalo posted:3.5 years old, adopted her from the local spca yesterday afternoon and she's super snuggly, seems to have an infinite tolerance for manhandling, belly rubs forever, playing with feet etc. I kept her in my room last night and other than a little prodding at bedtime, she let me sleep through the night. Tortie girls are the best (I have a 17 year old one so I *may* be biased). Don't panic about the eating, it's not uncommon for freshly rehomed cats to take a few days to settle in and feel comfortable enough to eat. She may be slightly fussy, did the home give you any hints as to what she was used to being fed? If the bowls are still untouched, try her with some treats just to make sure she's not hurt her mouth or something (ie that she can actually eat). If the litter hasn't been used the same thing applies, cats new to a place can hold it in a fair while but she may also pick a spot somewhere else if it smells right or she doesn't like the litter. Keep an eye (and nose) out for errant toileting. Good luck.
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Jun 22, 2016 21:09
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Onca has an appointment for his ball-ectomy in a fortnight. Here he is looking apprehensive.
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Jun 22, 2016 21:16
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As I understand it (this happened before I moved in) she had a spell of diarrhea or some other poop issue that I guess made her leery of the box? She still uses it to pee. The box is in the basement-level bathroom--it's an apartment with basement space. She handles the stairs just fine as far as I can tell.
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Jun 22, 2016 21:31
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The Lord of Hats posted:I should probably be a little less gleeful about spraying water in Tuna's face when he jumps up where he's not supposed to, but dammit it works and is strangely satisfying. I do make sure to give him scritches once he stops doing the thing, though. Update: Tuna is fully aware of what the spray bottle does, and will scrunch up his face preemptively as soon as he sees it, but has not yet made the connection of "jumping on computer=spray in face".
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Jun 22, 2016 23:11
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The Lord of Hats posted:Update: Tuna is fully aware of what the spray bottle does, and will scrunch up his face preemptively as soon as he sees it, but has not yet made the connection of "jumping on computer=spray in face". I've never had success with spray bottles. By the time I reach for it my cats have already forgotten what exactly they were doing that they're being punished for. It doesn't help that sometimes they just run up and start licking the end of it for some tasty water.
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Jun 22, 2016 23:19
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Redeye Flight posted:As I understand it (this happened before I moved in) she had a spell of diarrhea or some other poop issue that I guess made her leery of the box? She still uses it to pee. Could be. I had the opposite problem with my little weirdo a couple years ago: I switched litter brands to some new stuff promising me to neutralize all smells with science! and it really ticked her off. She refused to piss in her box and instead pissed into my shoes, around the toilet and under my desk. After a while this and her wild mewling and fur bristling every time she had to go to her box (she still used it for making GBS threads) combined to make me understand that the litter was the core of the problem. I switched back to the old brand of kitty litter and she immediately calmed down and started pissing into her box again.
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Jun 23, 2016 00:03
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Argyle posted:Seeking advice: UPDATE: cat still has fleas. Also, my neighbors got (found? acquired?) a second cat, who really doesn't like strangers. What I find alarming is that they closed the window that OG cat used to come in and out of. OG cat was pretty desperate to get into my apartment tonight -- meowing at the window, and sleeping on my front porch. He's so friendly and loves to visit all the neighbors, but I can't have him in the house when I know he has fleas. I think I'm going to just get some Advantage and give it to him next time I see him.
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Jun 23, 2016 10:33
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Argyle posted:UPDATE: cat still has fleas. Also, my neighbors got (found? acquired?) a second cat, who really doesn't like strangers. What I find alarming is that they closed the window that OG cat used to come in and out of. OG cat was pretty desperate to get into my apartment tonight -- meowing at the window, and sleeping on my front porch.  you could acquire the cat 
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Jun 23, 2016 13:12
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Ratzap posted:Tortie girls are the best (I have a 17 year old one so I *may* be biased). Don't panic about the eating, it's not uncommon for freshly rehomed cats to take a few days to settle in and feel comfortable enough to eat. She may be slightly fussy, did the home give you any hints as to what she was used to being fed? If the bowls are still untouched, try her with some treats just to make sure she's not hurt her mouth or something (ie that she can actually eat). If the litter hasn't been used the same thing applies, cats new to a place can hold it in a fair while but she may also pick a spot somewhere else if it smells right or she doesn't like the litter. Keep an eye (and nose) out for errant toileting. Good luck. 24 hours since coming home she caved. Ate half/half old/new food, and used the box just fine. Half of the litter ended up on the floor but the important stuff stayed in. She feels at least half a pound lighter plus got in some good playtime finally afterwards. Litter everywhere is understandable with the basic small pan I got to start out and a bigger highwall will be going downstairs where there's more space. She's been very good so far not getting into cabinets or anything but I definitely need to get a tree as she's definitely a percher. For some reason she feels softer this morning too   Not a fan of Virginia morning thunderstorms 
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Jun 23, 2016 13:56
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I'm dealing with a serious case of poopbutt this morning that my vet's office figures is likely stress related. And trying to figure out how to deal with it. Cat in question: Wheatley, 6 year old male, neutered. Long hair. Indoor only. Eats Orijen Cat and Kitten, free fed. Whiskas Temptations for treats, five to seven biscuits as per bag, once every two-ish days. No other treats except quality cat drugs from dee eight. Access to water fountain, drinks and eats heartily. While dingle berries have been an issue in the past because long haired cat, this is far more severe. We moved apartments within the last six months and the neighbors have a cat with free access to their balcony who frequently leans around to peek onto our balcony to cheek rub the bricks and be very vocal when it sees us or our cats through the door. We've been leaving the door open (with the screen closed) for air flow, but I am not opposed to keeping it closed for Wheatley's sake. I was also considering writing a short letter to the neighbors to ask if they could possible block their cat's access to that particular corner of their balcony, and/or putting up a partition of our own. Vet visits are being booked accordingly and there will be Feliway on order by tonight. Have I missed anything, PI? Please tell me if I have. Food or treat recalls, other stress relievers, anything!
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Jun 23, 2016 18:13
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SneakyFrog posted:orrrrrr...... I would risk the fleas, get her in a cage and take her straight to the vet, or lock her in your bathroom until you can get her there. Imo it's cruel to leave her out when she's begging to come in, and it's making me really sad  but I'm a crazy cat lady (I highly recommend it)
Thin Privilege fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Jun 23, 2016 |
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Jun 23, 2016 18:20
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Boogalo posted:24 hours since coming home she caved. Ate half/half old/new food, and used the box just fine. Half of the litter ended up on the floor but the important stuff stayed in. She feels at least half a pound lighter plus got in some good playtime finally afterwards. Litter everywhere is understandable with the basic small pan I got to start out and a bigger highwall will be going downstairs where there's more space. She's been very good so far not getting into cabinets or anything but I definitely need to get a tree as she's definitely a percher. For some reason she feels softer this morning too She's gorgeous, quite a lot lighter than my girl but sounds familiar. I use covered trays to cut down on the scratching mess and Buffy also climbs everything . Vet visits often end up with Buffy on my shoulder, me hunched down and the vet working on her there. Don't try to stop her if she insists on climbing you, one of the local vets got some nasty scratches and a hole in her ear from Buffy engaging 4 wheel drive and going up.
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Jun 23, 2016 18:41
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SneakyFrog posted:orrrrrr...... Believe me, if my housemates weren't very allergic, I would. Slight update: so they do have a new window open for the cats to come in and out after all -- they cut a hole in their screen, so it wasn't obvious from my perspective. However, the black cat seems to be asserting dominance over the orange cat. I watched black cat jump into the window, followed by orange cat, but orange cat wasn't going all the way in -- black cat was blocking the way. Orange cat kind of paced the windowsill for a little bit before jumping down and looking for other ways into the apartment. So I guess it's not just negligent owners, but also this bully cat thinks he owns the place. No wonder orange cat is outside so much
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Jun 24, 2016 03:22
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Jet got an ultrasound yesterday, and it confirmed that he has thickened heart walls. They said they didn't really see a heart murmur (which I've been notified of before with other vets), but coupled with his elevated protein levels and the results of the echo, Jet definitely has some form of heart disease. The good news is that they said they didn't find any actual complications at this point in time, and that he's asymptomatic - so as of right now, he's okay, but they want to check up on it in 6 months to make sure that it isn't progressing. I've had him for over three years and have known about the heart murmur for about as long, and he's never really shown any symptoms at all - a small barfing session once a year or so, but he's active and has acted normally for that entire time. I'm torn between not worrying about it because he shows no symptoms, and worrying about it because oh god my baby. I don't really want to think about his mortality right now because even though he's seven years old, that's still pretty young for a cat, and he's probably gonna be around for at least another six years. Still hurts to think about, though.
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Jun 24, 2016 16:14
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Braki posted:Step 1: Don't panic. Following up on this post - the echos confirmed the thickened walls, so it looks like it is the worst-case HCM scenario. Judging from your post about its progression, it's like living with a bomb. Normally I'm happy-go-lucky about this stuff, but the fact that it's impossible to pin down a prognosis is loving me up. What do I do now? If nothing, then it's just make sure his remaining time is as nice as possible, then?
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Jun 24, 2016 17:24
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Was just told today that one of my cats of 11 years had to be put down today due to pancreatic cancer. I feel terrible because I'm half a world away bringing my grandmothers ashes back to her homeland and I couldn't have been there for him, especially since his last two days was stuck in a cage at the vets office as far as I'm aware. He looked perfectly fine when I left two weeks ago however my mother had noticed the past week a distended belly and his spine was sticking out. I know that he's in a much better place now and that whatever pain was there is gone now but I should have been there for him. I'm not sure how his "brother" cat will be like or ever our family dogs as wel but returning home is not a thing I want to do now.
Tenchrono fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Jun 24, 2016 |
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Jun 24, 2016 18:18
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Pollyanna posted:Following up on this post - the echos confirmed the thickened walls, so it looks like it is the worst-case HCM scenario. Judging from your post about its progression, it's like living with a bomb. Normally I'm happy-go-lucky about this stuff, but the fact that it's impossible to pin down a prognosis is loving me up. What do I do now? If nothing, then it's just make sure his remaining time is as nice as possible, then? It's not the worst case scenario! Far from it! He has what sounds like mild HCM, asymptomatic, no medications indicated, no arrhythmia, and no significant secondary left atrial enlargement. In the world of veterinary cardiology, that is about as boring as it gets. That is good news! The prognosis can be a bit difficult but there's no point worrying about it because there's nothing you can do. He's had the murmur for a long time - it's possible he's had mild HCM for a long time too. For now, all you can do is keep giving him an awesome life and try not to worry. He doesn't even know anything's wrong, and he could potentially live for years and years and never go into heart failure. Give him the benefit of the doubt until the rechecks show evidence otherwise.
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Jun 25, 2016 08:35
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mick ohio posted:About a month ago, my cat stopped pooping in his litter box. He still pees in the box, and he poops juuuuuust outside the box. I've tried changing the litter a few times in case he was being picky, but I'm thinking its something else. The only running theory right now is that maybe he has outgrown the box and we need to find a bigger one? Has anyone else gone through this with their cat? Any thoughts or suggestions? UPDATE on this! My partner was able to observe cat habits for a few days and noticed that Otis doesn't like to go in the box if there is already something in it-- meaning, if he has to pee AND poop in a single box visit, the poop goes outside the box. I picked up one of those Tidy Cats boxes with the pellets and the grate to let pee go in a separate place and we're in the process of weaning him over to it right now. Otis peed in one box and pooped in the other last night, so I'm hoping we can switch over to the one box and see how he does in the next week or so.
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Jun 25, 2016 19:45
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So at my dad's house, which is quite a ways into the mountains here, a cat has shown up at the woodpile. My stepmother has fed it, so I am fairly sure they now have a new feline overlord. However, he or she ( they're not quite able to get close enough to tell yet) now needs a name! Obligatory cat photos   I was thinking with the gray 'cape' and fangs, if male he would make a good Vlad. 
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Jun 25, 2016 20:16
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Definitely looks like a vampire of some sort. Scary vampire eyes
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Jun 25, 2016 23:19
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Braki posted:It's not the worst case scenario! Far from it! He has what sounds like mild HCM, asymptomatic, no medications indicated, no arrhythmia, and no significant secondary left atrial enlargement. In the world of veterinary cardiology, that is about as boring as it gets. That is good news! Yeah, I know he's in a relatively good position right now - the diagnosis just kinda fucks me up, because I feel like I've only had him for a very short time even though it's been over three years. Thinking about the long term ramifications and the fact that it can worsen at any point in time is what's getting to me But I know he'll be okay.The murmur is apparently difficult to notice too, so it isn't severe or anything. Crossing my fingers, but for now, it won't help to worry. It'll be fine.
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Jun 26, 2016 00:53
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FAT CURES MUSCLES posted:Was just told today that one of my cats of 11 years had to be put down today due to pancreatic cancer. I feel terrible because I'm half a world away bringing my grandmothers ashes back to her homeland and I couldn't have been there for him, especially since his last two days was stuck in a cage at the vets office as far as I'm aware. He looked perfectly fine when I left two weeks ago however my mother had noticed the past week a distended belly and his spine was sticking out. I know that he's in a much better place now and that whatever pain was there is gone now but I should have been there for him. I'm not sure how his "brother" cat will be like or ever our family dogs as wel but returning home is not a thing I want to do now. I'm sorry for your loss, doubly so because you couldn't be there for him. Cancer in cats can go very fast. I lost one of mine to colon cancer that developed from nothing to fist sized in 6 weeks. You can't blame yourself and your mother seems to have caught it once it became apparent. If the other cat and dog were close, they will react to his being gone. It's 6 years since Frankie died now but Oliver still occasionally stands at the top of the stairs calling for him (he moped around a lot crying in the beginning) but they recover fairly quickly. Just love the hell out of the brother cat once you get home, it'll help you both.
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Jun 26, 2016 01:11
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Pollyanna posted:Yeah, I know he's in a relatively good position right now - the diagnosis just kinda fucks me up, because I feel like I've only had him for a very short time even though it's been over three years. Thinking about the long term ramifications and the fact that it can worsen at any point in time is what's getting to me I will say that murmur severity doesn't correlate with the severity of the heart disease. The echo tells you that it isn't severe so I would trust in that. Heart disease is scary and you're allowed to be scared and upset initially! At the end of the day though he's in a good position.
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Jun 26, 2016 05:41
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Male cat that I've had for 10 years and with the wife for 14 (he was about 17 and we euthanized him at home after he started having convulsions while dying of kidney failure - don't ever let it get there if you don't want to be traumatized yourself, not getting that out of my head) passed a couple weeks ago and he was pretty well bonded to our female cat. For anyone that feels bad about euthanizing their cat with terminal illnesses, be glad that your pet didn't have to suffer and that you didn't have to watch it stripped of its personality as it wastes away. It's difficult not to anthropomorphosize your friend in those final days. Contrary to what you might think as a human being, a companion is what an old cat probably doesn't want when it loses a friend. And an old female cat almost certainly will not get along with a young male cat. We got a 1 year old stray boy cat from the humane society that was really passive and nice to people contact expecting a chill, cool cat... and he turned into the fastest cat I've ever seen with ADHD and the social awareness of a toddler with autism. All the stuff about introducing cats to each other slowly and with scent and all that is bullshit if the cats want completely different things in their lives and have basically nothing in common it seems (by the time progress could be made with our two cats, we might as well have locked him up in a room like the Hunchback). So after asking our vet folowing an exhausting week of almost no sleep trying to wear him out with play for 5+ hours / day for a week straight to socialize our new buddy, we decided that our specific home is just not right for this fundamentally kind but party-loving cat. The question I've got is can we expect signs of affection beyond an occasional mouth rubbing and the slow blink from a young cat when it seems pretty adjusted? The cats I have were claiming me within two days of meeting me and this cat never, ever wanted to do anything like that. Does that typically only happen after social maturity? Possibly relevant but this is the first cat I've seen that prefers cold, hard surfaces (my desk, tile, hardwood - closest to the vent ducts) and generally dislikes soft, warm places like a bed, sofa, or fresh out of the dryer clothes.
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Jun 27, 2016 02:11
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necrobobsledder posted:The question I've got is can we expect signs of affection beyond an occasional mouth rubbing and the slow blink from a young cat when it seems pretty adjusted? The cats I have were claiming me within two days of meeting me and this cat never, ever wanted to do anything like that. Does that typically only happen after social maturity? Possibly relevant but this is the first cat I've seen that prefers cold, hard surfaces (my desk, tile, hardwood - closest to the vent ducts) and generally dislikes soft, warm places like a bed, sofa, or fresh out of the dryer clothes. Some cats are cuddlier than other cats, some cats get cuddlier as they get older, some cats are cuddly from the day they're born and some never are. Some are super friendly at the shelter but then standoffish when they're out of that environment. Also yeah, an older established cat who wants to lie in the sun all day is almost never going to get along with a young new cat who wants to play 24/7. I mean, even if you were going to anthropomorphise, imagine getting a strange 18-year-old kid to move in with your recently-widowed grandmother to keep her company.
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Jun 27, 2016 02:20
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Would they do better with another older female cat, Golden Girls style? Might be a good opportunity to help out a senior kitty at a shelter.
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Jun 27, 2016 15:57
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necrobobsledder posted:Contrary to what you might think as a human being, a companion is what an old cat probably doesn't want when it loses a friend. And an old female cat almost certainly will not get along with a young male cat. We got a 1 year old stray boy cat from the humane society that was really passive and nice to people contact expecting a chill, cool cat... and he turned into the fastest cat I've ever seen with ADHD and the social awareness of a toddler with autism. All the stuff about introducing cats to each other slowly and with scent and all that is bullshit if the cats want completely different things in their lives and have basically nothing in common it seems (by the time progress could be made with our two cats, we might as well have locked him up in a room like the Hunchback). So after asking our vet folowing an exhausting week of almost no sleep trying to wear him out with play for 5+ hours / day for a week straight to socialize our new buddy, we decided that our specific home is just not right for this fundamentally kind but party-loving cat. I have a similar high-energy, cold-seeking boy cat. He likes sinks, tile and wood floors, etc, though he will sleep on cat furniture and the bed. Also have a shy, small girl cat. She dislikes him when he wants to chase her, but they do ok otherwise. She does seem to like to watch him play. It's been a couple years and he's mellowing out. My guess is yours will learn to value quiet times. Mine has, and while I considered letting someone adopt him from me early on while he was pure turbo-sperg, I'm glad I didn't.
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Jun 27, 2016 17:54
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I posted a while back about my buddy Macready, who is bitey. He is still bitey, but I've realised it's just because he is literally the highest energy cat I've ever had. All he wants to do when I'm in the house is play play play - he's kitten brained in a 5kg cat body. Not fat either, he's perfect body condition, just big. I don't mind spending time playing with him but we're talking a solid 6 hours a day of cat entertaining or he starts bouncing off the walls and stalking me - and 5kg of solid cat body slamming my shoulder out of nowhere hurts even when he doesn't decide to go claws out. He has a ridiculous amount of toys and I've just put up a massive wall mounted cat tree to expand my admittedly pretty small flat, but part of the problem is he just doesn't like to play alone - he's only interested in toys if I'm holding/poking them. I think part of it is that he gets bored and lonely while I'm at work, so I'm much more interesting than anything else in the house. Ideally I'd get another cat but it's not feasible in my current living situation. The good thing about him is that he's remarkably chill about new situations and places - he gave less than no fucks about the vet both times even though they stuck multiple needles in him. He likes to explore and sniff all the things so I feel like he'd be a good candidate for walking on a leash, and it might help him relieve some of his literally endless energy. I've never leashed a cat before though, so I have no idea what I'm doing. Any advice? Harnesses, learning resources etc.?
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Jun 27, 2016 17:58
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Werong Bustope posted:I posted a while back about my buddy Macready, who is bitey. He is still bitey, but I've realised it's just because he is literally the highest energy cat I've ever had. All he wants to do when I'm in the house is play play play - he's kitten brained in a 5kg cat body. Not fat either, he's perfect body condition, just big. I don't mind spending time playing with him but we're talking a solid 6 hours a day of cat entertaining or he starts bouncing off the walls and stalking me - and 5kg of solid cat body slamming my shoulder out of nowhere hurts even when he doesn't decide to go claws out. Sounds like he needs a buddy to work off his energy with. 
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Jun 27, 2016 18:40
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Deteriorata posted:Sounds like he needs a buddy to work off his energy with. Yeah, I know. It would be the best solution. But my flat is really small (which doesn't help the situation) and the only room that closes properly is the living room, which is cat palace. So if I got another cat I'd either have to keep Macready locked in the living room for a while and have him go crazy town, or lock the other cat in and have Macready bouncing around my bedroom all night. And if they ultimately didn't get on it would be carnage because there's nowhere they can really go to hide from each other. I dunno. I really would like to get him a friend but I just don't know that I can. Either way, I really do want to try taking him out on a leash! I think he'd enjoy it regardless.
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Jun 27, 2016 18:46
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Our 13,5-year old persian rescue Joffre died two days ago. He came to live with us when he was six years old due to a divorce. From the moment he first crawled from underneath a sofa and came play with my jacket sleeve we were sold. We were supposed to leave for summer cottage for three weeks on Saturday. Friday evening his breathing starts to become shallow and he develops a dry cough. He was still social, went out to hunt a bird, very active. Ate a can of tuna in the morning. Then at about 11 AM his condition took a dive for the worse, and wife wanted him taken to a vet. Joffre was an older cat with a variety of chronic illnesses, he had kidney problems (for 4 years) and HCM (2 years). Both of those were being treated with the best we could. In April we had to bring Joffre to a vet because his breathing was shallow. Vet gave oxygen and a shot of cortisone. After 15 minutes or so breathing returned to regular. Vet gave a mild opiate to Joffre. For 45 minutes we watched Joffre take oxygen, then decided to let the vet take x-rays to find out more when the breathing didn't return to normal. When the pictures came she wouldn't allow us to leave with our cat anymore.The picture showed Joffres lungs floating in liquid, and the shallow breathing was our dear cat slowly drowning. The only available options given to us were a puncture to find out what the liquid was and an operation under narcosis to drain the liquid, or to end it right then and there. Doctor said the prognosis for operation was very poor, with significant risk of dying from the narcosis alone. In any case Joffre would have to remain sedated at a hospital, the medication used would likely kill him and in any case the lungs might fill back up with liquid within a day, depending on the root cause. We went with euthanasia as we saw no alternative to end the suffering. I read about a small dog, about the same size as Joffre, where the owner took the different route when faced with exact same disease and options. The op took two days, with lungs slowly filling back up within the next two. It convinced me that we had made the right choice and there was nothing we could have done differently without causing great suffering with little to no benefit. And yet, for two days now I can't stop thinking if there could have been something we could have done at that particular moment or if it would have been better not to go to vet in the first place at that Saturday. That if we hadn't gone it would have passed on its own and we would have had a few more weeks, few more months with our Joffre. Intellectually I understand there's nothing but my heart says something went wrong and this is not how it was supposed to end. We were supposed to have three great weeks at the cottage with plenty of outdoors time and perhaps the last great summer adventures. The last two days have been horrible. Wife cries almost constantly. Neither of us can stop thinking about Joffre as everything reminds of him. I constantly turn my head and expect to catch him napping on the couch before I understand the futility. He was a great persona, with both friendly and stubborn aspects we learned and loved. There was no stopping Joffre when he wanted something; he would climb back into your lap if he wanted human time and that was end of discussion as far as he was concerned. In his final years he learned of the great wide outdoors and all the excitement that comes with being outside. Every night he would go to our front door and yell until either of us went out with him for half an hour or more. How satisfied he was, when we had circled the yard and sniffed at all the interesting places! Then he would watch my wife until she went to bed and come wait for me. Even if it took hours, he would lie on the carpet. When I finally went to bed he would join me, wait until I lied down, jump over me and park his chin on my wifes forehead. Then all three of us would sleep there a bit, or at least until Joffre thought us both asleep. After that it was dinner time and whatever it was he did at nights. When morning came he would be staring at us, waiting for either to wake up and come serve him more tuna. Thinking back for the last 7,5 years I can not remember a single bad day with him. I've never felt this bad about losing anything, ever. How long does it take until we are ready to take another cat? We don't want to be without one, but it isn't fair to the newcomer if we still miss Joffre intensely. We want to love our new friend for who he is, not who we lost. Sorry about the rambling. We haven't slept much. http://imgur.com/gallery/xygk4jq
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Jun 27, 2016 21:51
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Milly had her first vet checkup last Friday, it went well and she was given a clean bill of health. Only issue was one eye a little puffy and some goopiness, but it didn't seem to be bothering her at the time. Yesterday evening I noticed her squinting in that same eye, minus the goop but back to the vet we go tomorrow. Probably nothing major. Other than that she has adjusted well and already has run of the house, eating, drinking, and using litterbox just fine. Squeaks for attention every hour or so for petting sessions where she drools and farts like an idiot. Farts smell like roast death and from what I've read, she needs to be switched off the chicken based food I bought in a hurry on adoption day since it doesn't agree with some cats. Picture of course required. I declare it nearly impossible to take good pictures of dark critters. 
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Jun 27, 2016 22:05
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Hob_Gadling posted:How long does it take until we are ready to take another cat? We don't want to be without one, but it isn't fair to the newcomer if we still miss Joffre intensely. We want to love our new friend for who he is, not who we lost. The grief is fresh and raw. It will heal in time and you both will know when to bring a new cat into your home. Thanks for adopting him, and there'll be another cat in need sometime in the future and you'll know its the right moment. Also drat that is a pro cat.
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Jun 27, 2016 22:12
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Hob_Gadling posted:
as long as it takes friend. Deep breaths. Patience with yourself. Its totally ok to be completely a wreck. It just means the kitteh meant that much to you and you cant ever replace that. they are all different and complete little puzzles at first. never to be repeated. I would advise against getting a new one at first, wait till the raw pain is more of a dull thud when you think about it. I just think its important to not have expectations of something new. my 2 cents though. Sorry for your loss, tis a magnificent looking catbeast and its very obvious how much it meant to you and your wife.
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Jun 27, 2016 23:07
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Hob_Gadling posted:How long does it take until we are ready to take another cat? We don't want to be without one, but it isn't fair to the newcomer if we still miss Joffre intensely. We want to love our new friend for who he is, not who we lost. For what it's worth, my wife and I were probably feeling worse grief for the loss of our cat than our own grandparents for about a week and after we adopted a new cat he's helped us recover overall. Looking at other cats may hurt while you're still grieving, but there's a chance you'll find a new friend that can help you out. It's not fair to call it a "rebound" relationship either though as long as your intent to take a new one is genuine. Gorgar posted:My guess is yours will learn to value quiet times. Mine has, and while I considered letting someone adopt him from me early on while he was pure turbo-sperg, I'm glad I didn't. Reik posted:Would they do better with another older female cat, Golden Girls style? Might be a good opportunity to help out a senior kitty at a shelter.
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Jun 28, 2016 00:03
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Werong Bustope posted:The good thing about him is that he's remarkably chill about new situations and places - he gave less than no fucks about the vet both times even though they stuck multiple needles in him. He likes to explore and sniff all the things so I feel like he'd be a good candidate for walking on a leash, and it might help him relieve some of his literally endless energy. I've never leashed a cat before though, so I have no idea what I'm doing. Any advice? Harnesses, learning resources etc.? This is a good idea! I have a cat who doesn't really play with toys and before I was in a position to get her a friend to play with I would take her out for about half an hour a day (probably could have gotten away with every second day but it was easier for me to set a routine for myself). I used one of these vests but I suspect that the cat might have been able to wiggle out of it if she tried hard enough, so be warned. She just liked it a lot more than the strappy type harnesses you see around. There isn't really any kind of learning required to do it, you can't really train a cat to walk on a leash like a dog does (or maybe you can but I can't see the point). I just let Pepper explore around the front and back yards of the house and she'd basically do a circuit of the place sniffing everything and then be happy to trot back inside for dinner. Get into the habit of feeding the cat after you come back inside again to stop him from being grumpy about having to go back in.
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Jun 28, 2016 02:42
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Werong Bustope posted:I posted a while back about my buddy Macready, who is bitey. He is still bitey, but I've realised it's just because he is literally the highest energy cat I've ever had. All he wants to do when I'm in the house is play play play - he's kitten brained in a 5kg cat body. Not fat either, he's perfect body condition, just big. I don't mind spending time playing with him but we're talking a solid 6 hours a day of cat entertaining or he starts bouncing off the walls and stalking me - and 5kg of solid cat body slamming my shoulder out of nowhere hurts even when he doesn't decide to go claws out. not related to your request, but handle the gently caress out of your cat now to get him used to it so you can clip his nails later or you'll be sorry. for walking, better to get a flat strap leash than a round cord (cheap) one, even better if you can get a vest/thundershirt looking one. make sure you're up to date on shots(notably FELV and rabies, maaaaaaaaaaybe FIV), and you may need to advantage up if you have fleas in your area (flea collars are poo poo).
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Jun 28, 2016 02:54
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duckfarts posted:not related to your request, but handle the gently caress out of your cat now to get him used to it so you can clip his nails later or you'll be sorry. Hah, yeah clipping his nails right now would be difficult. It's not that he's hard to handle - he's actually pretty sweet and malleable when he's not in kill-murder mode and doesn't mind being messed with, but he interprets any foot touching as play time and starts rolling around and trying to wrestle fight my hands. He's a super sweetheart who loves attention and just wants to be around me all the time, but his old owner did a lovely job of teaching him boundaries and he's about 2 years old now so it's going to take a while and probably a few bitemarks for him to get the message. Also don't worry, he's vaccinated, neutered, gets deflea'd monthly etc. Thanks for the advice about vests and leashes! Organza Quiz posted:This is a good idea! I have a cat who doesn't really play with toys and before I was in a position to get her a friend to play with I would take her out for about half an hour a day (probably could have gotten away with every second day but it was easier for me to set a routine for myself). I used one of these vests but I suspect that the cat might have been able to wiggle out of it if she tried hard enough, so be warned. She just liked it a lot more than the strappy type harnesses you see around. There isn't really any kind of learning required to do it, you can't really train a cat to walk on a leash like a dog does (or maybe you can but I can't see the point). I just let Pepper explore around the front and back yards of the house and she'd basically do a circuit of the place sniffing everything and then be happy to trot back inside for dinner. Get into the habit of feeding the cat after you come back inside again to stop him from being grumpy about having to go back in. Thanks for the recommendation and the advice, especially about feeding him when we get back in. How long did it take Pepper to get used to the harness when you first started? MacReady is a chill baby about being picked up etc. but I don't know how he'll feel about having something attached to him.
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Jun 28, 2016 21:32
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| # ? Jun 6, 2024 14:26 |
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Werong Bustope posted:Thanks for the recommendation and the advice, especially about feeding him when we get back in. How long did it take Pepper to get used to the harness when you first started? MacReady is a chill baby about being picked up etc. but I don't know how he'll feel about having something attached to him. It's hard to say! She never liked the strappy harness, it always irritated her to wear it. As soon as I switched to the vest harness she acted like she didn't even notice anything was on. A couple of times she wouldn't let me take it off her (putting it on and taking it off requires a lot of fiddling at her stomach which she's generally good about but sometimes antsy) so I just left it on her for a few hours until she calmed down and she would go about her normal cat business perfectly happily.
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Jun 29, 2016 09:03
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