|
thuly posted:I read like 50 pages back and couldn't find anything about cat fountains. We got a cat fountain so we could stop getting up every five minutes to turn the tap on for our cat to drink from. She loves it. In theory it prompts cats to drink more which improves the health of their bladders; I have no idea if that's the case. Ours is made of plastic and we take it apart and clean it once a week. When it's stupidly hot like it is this week (35° today!!) I fill the reservoir with ice so it's like she is sipping from a cool mountain stream. It makes sense to me: I prefer to drink fresh water from the tap over water that's been sitting out all day.
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2016 01:57
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 00:43 |
|
|
Zeron posted:There's more to it obviously, but wet food is ultimately far closer to a natural diet for a cat than dry food. Doesn't stop my cat from being a fluffy little weirdo who demands both wet and dry, but then only eats the dry much to my chagrin.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2016 15:23
|
|
|
So if we get a third cat, would be better to get a male or a female, or does it not matter? (We have one of each). Also, I read that getting a kitten is easiest for introducing to an established household, but kittens are assholes. Is it really that much better to go with a kitten, or does it not matter that much?
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2016 18:20
|
|
|
I did the thing I posted about and adopted a kitten. She had an abscess and ear mites when I first got her on Sunday, but those things are clearing up with a vet visit and proper treatment. I was really afraid she and my older cat (2 years) wouldn't get along b/c my older cat has a history of not getting along with my parents' old cat, but now both cats are asleep in my lap at the same time. My older cat will still occasionally growl, or make rumbly unhappy noises, but in large part their interactions have been friendly, sniffing each other. Here is just kitten sleeping in my lap.  We're not really sure on names yet either. The floofy calico with turquoise eyes is named Mimi. We were thinking Maisie for the kitten (she has amber eyes but it's hard to get a picture when she's awake), but it might be too close to s/o's sister's name (begins with a "May" sound). Thoughts on other possible names? I like two syllable names with the -i or -y ending sound, because supposedly cats learn those names better. Any thoughts, goons? justFaye posted:So if we get a third cat, would be better to get a male or a female, or does it not matter? (We have one of each). asiperi fucked around with this message at 19:21 on Jul 14, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2016 19:16
|
|
|
asiperi posted:I was really afraid she and my older cat (2 years) wouldn't get along b/c my older cat has a history of not getting along with my parents' old cat, but now both cats are asleep in my lap at the same time. My older cat will still occasionally growl, or make rumbly unhappy noises, but in large part their interactions have been friendly, sniffing each other. This is generally the best way to do it, rather than introducing a second adult cat to a house already with an established adult cat. Kittens are assholes but not yet set in their ways and don't have the need for territory that adult cats do. Don't be surprised if there is occasionally growing or even the odd swipe - that's how adult cats teach kittens what is and is not acceptable.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2016 20:14
|
|
|
spregalia posted:An extension of my earlier question about moving cross-country with two cats. I bought this on amazon, but I'm worried it may be too small for two decent-sized (about 15 lbs each) cats (especially with a small litter box in the container). Can anyone recommend any other carriers to transport both of my boys together? From measuring my backseat, I can go up to 50 inches wide x 21 inches deep x 28 inches tall. Quoting this as it seems to have been buried. Any recommendations are still most welcome.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2016 22:05
|
|
|
Personally I think it would be fine, based on my experience of driving a cat from Chicago to Virginia. We took a stop halfway (not only did we have cat but we had a toddler, more than 6 hours in a day was impossible) and our cat Suzie had no interest in using a litter box until after we'd stopped at the motel and turned off the lights.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 00:03
|
|
|
justFaye posted:So if we get a third cat, would be better to get a male or a female, or does it not matter? (We have one of each). You're overthinking it. Go to a shelter or rescue and tell them you want to adopt a third cat and they'll point you towards cats who they think will be good in a house with two existing cats. There'll be some hissing and fighting at first probably no matter how carefully you introduce them but they should work their issues out eventually if you let them.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 02:42
|
|
|
asiperi posted:I did the thing I posted about and adopted a kitten. She had an abscess and ear mites when I first got her on Sunday, but those things are clearing up with a vet visit and proper treatment. I was really afraid she and my older cat (2 years) wouldn't get along b/c my older cat has a history of not getting along with my parents' old cat, but now both cats are asleep in my lap at the same time. My older cat will still occasionally growl, or make rumbly unhappy noises, but in large part their interactions have been friendly, sniffing each other. How about Mellori? It means 'honey' in latin, and that kitty looks like a spoonful 
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 03:40
|
|
|
Can you still buy non-homeopathic tapeworm medicine for cats without a prescription? I previously used pro-labs/bayer tapeworm tabs with Praziquantel, but they are now discontinued and out of stock in the surrounding 200 miles. I saw some third party sellers on amazon with inflated prices, but I was unsure how trustworthy they are.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 05:27
|
|
|
daspope posted:Can you still buy non-homeopathic tapeworm medicine for cats without a prescription? I previously used pro-labs/bayer tapeworm tabs with Praziquantel, but they are now discontinued and out of stock in the surrounding 200 miles. I saw some third party sellers on amazon with inflated prices, but I was unsure how trustworthy they are. I dont think so. One of my cats had tapeworms a few weeks ago and the only dewormers i found were for roundworm only. Fortunately I volunteer at an animal shelter so i was able to get Profender at their cost but your best bet is going to your vet.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 06:58
|
|
|
Cat food talk has reminded me that Jet has been on Science Diet for the entire time I've had him. When I first got him, I tried to switch him over to Blue Buffalo wet food, but he had absolutely no interest in it - then again, that was right about the time he was adjusting to the apartment. Should I try again? Would it be such a benefit to switch to BB wet food as to be worth it?
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 13:39
|
|
|
I don't know where else to post this. My local cat shelter just got a 3 month old kitten who was SET ON FIRE. I'm bawling my eyes out. I hate humans. This guy (pics are a little  if you dont want to see hurt cats, but not terrible, just burn cream) https://www.facebook.com/FelinesAndCanines/ I racked up some CC debt for the little guy.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 17:47
|
|
|
Thin Privilege posted:I don't know where else to post this. My local cat shelter just got a 3 month old kitten who was SET ON FIRE. I'm bawling my eyes out. I hate humans. i cant look.  did they find the fucker responsible and return the favor?
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 18:05
|
|
|
Are they going to be okay?
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 18:14
|
|
|
MrSlam posted:Are they going to be okay? Reading the page, it seems like probably they will, but will lose front legs for sure.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 18:18
|
|
|
SneakyFrog posted:i cant look. It seems like kitten was just dropped off. There's another cat that some piece of poo poo poured a pot of boiling water on him and posted as pride on Facebook the video. F&C rehabilitated him and he now has a home http://www.lifewithcats.tv/2016/02/18/driver-on-the-mend-after-scalding-scammers-trying-to-profit-from-cats-plight/ I'm sorry for depressing, here's some cats. FYI if you get an Armarkat (goon recommended!) cat tree you can customize it how you want, you can buy extra parts and everything. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 18:42
|
|
|
I'm at my wits end and hoping some goons might have some ideas. Our cat Freya, who is 9, has stopped eating. She had some issues a few days ago where she just started vomiting. We took her into the vet, who ran bloodwork, did x-rays, even a barium series. Her bloodwork was totally normal and there was no foreign object in her GI tract. She since then has perked up again, no longer vomiting, but still won't eat. She's periodically yowling for food and acts like she's starving, but every single thing I put in front of her she sniffs, turns her nose up at, and walks away to pout, only to come back 15 minutes later and yowl for food again. I've offered her the dry food she normally eats, 3 different brands of wet food (which she normally goes nuts for), even tuna. Most of the advice on the internet for cats that won't eat is "take them to a vet" but we've done that and even the vet is stumped. I'm hoping that we can finally find some magic combo over the weekend to get her to eat so we don't have to start drastic measures on Monday.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 18:57
|
|
|
Go to a different vet! Do it today! to be clear I'm not saying your vet is bad or anything but this already sounds like an emergency to me and you really need more ideas and/or a fresh pair of eyes and it sounds like you've done everything I would normally tell someone, my only other advice would be fortiflora or heating up stanky wet food. Also have they checked her teeth?
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 19:09
|
|
|
Thin Privilege posted:It seems like kitten was just dropped off. There's another cat that some piece of poo poo poured a pot of boiling water on him and posted as pride on Facebook the video. F&C rehabilitated him and he now has a home People are so hosed up. I'd go get the little poor guy if it were cfl local, but I just acquired another stray just a few weeks ago
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2016 19:14
|
|
|
Marchegiana posted:I'm at my wits end and hoping some goons might have some ideas. Our cat Freya, who is 9, has stopped eating. She had some issues a few days ago where she just started vomiting. We took her into the vet, who ran bloodwork, did x-rays, even a barium series. Her bloodwork was totally normal and there was no foreign object in her GI tract. She since then has perked up again, no longer vomiting, but still won't eat. She's periodically yowling for food and acts like she's starving, but every single thing I put in front of her she sniffs, turns her nose up at, and walks away to pout, only to come back 15 minutes later and yowl for food again. I've offered her the dry food she normally eats, 3 different brands of wet food (which she normally goes nuts for), even tuna. Most of the advice on the internet for cats that won't eat is "take them to a vet" but we've done that and even the vet is stumped. I'm hoping that we can finally find some magic combo over the weekend to get her to eat so we don't have to start drastic measures on Monday.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2016 02:02
|
|
|
I'm in need of something that'll keep my cat entertained when I have to be gone during the day. It's getting to the point where his behavior has been lovely due to the fact that he's a bored cat all day. I play with him when I'm at home, which I can always do more of, but just wondering if there's some sort of toy or gadget out there that he might enjoy using on his own when I'm gone.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2016 05:34
|
|
|
BurgerKingBathroom posted:I'm in need of something that'll keep my cat entertained when I have to be gone during the day. It's getting to the point where his behavior has been lovely due to the fact that he's a bored cat all day. I play with him when I'm at home, which I can always do more of, but just wondering if there's some sort of toy or gadget out there that he might enjoy using on his own when I'm gone. It really genuinely depends on the cat, what kind of things he likes to do and whether he gets bored easily with toys or not. Lots of cats will play by themselves with basically rubbish, I mean a straw with a knot in it or a piece of plastic packaging or a wadded up ball of paper (or al foil if you want to get fancy) but some won't. There's hundreds of different cat toys you can buy for cats to play with by themselves but it's going to depend on your specific cat whether he likes them enough to play with them or not. You might just have to try a few out and see. Does he have any nice windows to look out of? You could try convince some birds to visit them. Or you could get him a friend to play with! Or you could play with him more when you're home, or you could try taking him out on a harness for a little walk when you're home so he gets more mental stimulation from sniffing everything outside, or you could train him to do tricks with the same idea. Basically there's a ton of different options and it's really going to depend on your specific circumstances and the cat in question.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2016 05:54
|
|
|
Really, I feel like the best solution for that is usually a second cat.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2016 06:19
|
|
|
Khizan posted:Really, I feel like the best solution for that is usually a second cat. That's the solution I went with! Now the second cat follows the first cat around trying to headbutt her lovingly whenever possible and generally irritating the poo poo out of her but at least she isn't bored 
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2016 07:49
|
|
|
Update on Freya: she finally ate. Last night she started eating a little bit, but only if she was sitting on my lap while I petted her with one hand and held a food bowl under her nose with the other. This morning she was at the dish when I got up and ate normally. Vet is having me watch for diarrhea or other symptoms, we're going on the assumption that she has some sort of IBS-type thing and may need steroids.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2016 14:20
|
|
|
Really glad to hear it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2016 15:12
|
|
|
I have a long haired cat that needs frequent brushing or her hair knots. The problem is that she does not like being brushed. She loves sleeping on my arm so I can brush her for a while while she does that, but after a bit she gets restless (lashing tail, non-biting my hand). Currently I do a little bit of brushing several times a day as that's as much as I can't get away with doing it for longer. Quite a bit of fur comes out in the brush - does this mean I'm doing it wrong / pulling fur out, or is that correct and normal? Sometimes pre-knots seem to form deep in her fur, such that when I try to brush them out the brush just goes over the top of them without engaging. It usually then takes a lot of brushing to finally get them out. Is there a technique for this? Or do I need a different/better brush?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 02:01
|
|
|
The Lone Badger posted:I have a long haired cat that needs frequent brushing or her hair knots. The problem is that she does not like being brushed. She loves sleeping on my arm so I can brush her for a while while she does that, but after a bit she gets restless (lashing tail, non-biting my hand). Currently I do a little bit of brushing several times a day as that's as much as I can't get away with doing it for longer. Not sure about all of those questions but it's perfectly normal to get seemingly enough fur to make a second cat out of a good brushing session. No, we don't know where it comes from either. If you want your cat to like being brushed it's just a slow process of doing it a little bit every day so she gets used to it and giving her treats while you do it if you want her to get used to it faster.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 05:05
|
|
|
I've got a 2yo cat from a shelter and she's great. Kinda hyper, and I'm unfortunately out a lot of the day due to study and work. My friend has several cats whom he's needing to rehome and I'm looking at picking up one. But I'm not sure how she's going to react to another cat. They're all relatively old, 7 or so years, so I'm wondering what would be the best choice out of the ones below: Sezza posted:ok. gimme a sec here I'm looking at Flip or Pearl, since they're not super active, but I also wouldn't mind Sasha as an actual playmate. They're all desexed and microchipped, and any vaccinations they might need, he would pay for it. Do M/F cats get on better than F/F cats?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 07:03
|
|
|
Zeruel posted:I've got a 2yo cat from a shelter and she's great. Kinda hyper, and I'm unfortunately out a lot of the day due to study and work. Pearl sounds like the winner. What's not to love about a fat tabby?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 11:16
|
|
|
The Lone Badger posted:I have a long haired cat that needs frequent brushing or her hair knots. The problem is that she does not like being brushed. She loves sleeping on my arm so I can brush her for a while while she does that, but after a bit she gets restless (lashing tail, non-biting my hand). Currently I do a little bit of brushing several times a day as that's as much as I can't get away with doing it for longer. It's really really weird but my cats have all hated brushes until one day I decided to use my own. They LOVE it. It may have to do with the plastic thingies on the ends of the brushes. They go for like $5-20, try one plastic thingy-ended one out, like this one:  And the cats are SO SOFT after I use this thing, it's crazy. Thin Privilege fucked around with this message at 16:16 on Jul 17, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 16:12
|
|
|
I've heard quite a bit of debate on the internet concerning "raw-feeding" vs the conventional method of feeding store-bought cat food to your pet. I'm interested in adopting a black cat once I move out of my parent's house, and I've done research on things such as litterbox placement, cameras to take pictures of my cat doing stupid things and adding unfunny captions on it for the internet to devour, body language to ensure my cat is happy, but this new information leaves me a bit uncertain. Raw-fed pet owners claim spectacular health benefits, but the internet claims I can cure cancer by means of crystals so I'm unsure. Anyone know anything about this raw-feeding practice?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 16:50
|
|
|
So, after much investigation, the vet concluded my grumpy cat has asthma and a mild secondary bacterial infection. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting pills into cats? She's doing 10 days of amoxi-clav and a two-week trial of oral steroids before we switch her to a kitty puffer. We got her those pill pockets, which worked for three days until she figured out how to eat the pill pocket off the pill and leave the actual medicine behind. Now we're back to our usual method of pilling her by force, which we could continue indefinitely but which is very stressful for all concerned. So I thought I'd ask if anyone has any genius tips for getting medications into cats.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 17:04
|
|
|
I sit on top of them (kneel down and put cat between legs) , pull their head back a little, and put pill kinda between middle of mouth and throat. Usually works, but sometimes I have to rub the neck and some times I have to wait a minute till they swallow it, or both. Definitely feed/treat them immediately afterwards so they become OK with it in the long run. Most important part is treat/food afterwards. Then they're like "ok whatever I deal w this then I get foods!" Oh and talk baby talk to them. Good kitty you're a good kitty and such, whatever your cat likes. Thin Privilege fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Jul 17, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 18:31
|
|
|
Grind up pill with mortar and pestle, mix with water/milk/wet food watered down/wet food gravy, put in syringe (baby section of grocery store has them), plunge into cat. Seems easiest to do a batch of a few. Grind X pills, syringe X x 3ml of liquid into tiny tupperware, add pill dust, then shake up whatever container you put mixture in, syringe out 3ml + a tiny bit to account for volume of pill, align cat yap so nose points up, plunge liquid into yap. Swallowing should ensue. Pill is now in cat. Cat is now confused about stupid new method of eating you have invented, but probably will put up with it better than a solid pill.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 18:35
|
|
|
Dogfish posted:So, after much investigation, the vet concluded my grumpy cat has asthma and a mild secondary bacterial infection. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting pills into cats? She's doing 10 days of amoxi-clav and a two-week trial of oral steroids before we switch her to a kitty puffer. We got her those pill pockets, which worked for three days until she figured out how to eat the pill pocket off the pill and leave the actual medicine behind. Now we're back to our usual method of pilling her by force, which we could continue indefinitely but which is very stressful for all concerned. So I thought I'd ask if anyone has any genius tips for getting medications into cats. Hold the cat on its back in the crook of your left arm, like a baby, while sitting down. Rest the cat's back on your thigh and use your left hand then to hold the cat's feet. With the pill between the thumb and index finger of the right hand, pry the cat's mouth open and throw the pill to the back of its throat. Clamp its mouth shut and stroke its throat until it swallows. If your cat is resistant, you can burrito it in a towel. It also helps to have a second person available to help with the process. A third hand makes it much easier, but I've done it alone with a moderately feisty cat.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 20:09
|
|
|
I [url=https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3169030&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=551#post461990598]posted earlier] about thinking to adopt a cat. I did it. He, my first cat ever, moved in yesterday. PI, meet Sia.   After it took him a few hours to move out of his cave (he immediately found the spot I had arranged for him to retreat), everything went pretty quickly and smoothly. He ate, drank, used the litter box like a pro and went around discovering everything. Today we had a thorough cuddling session including some fur care (as far as he let me). Two things I will need to work on with him are: (1) Play: He appears to preferably play (i.e. scratch and bite) with my hands and my legs. He did not show much interest (if any at all) in the toys I got him. (2) Scratching: He has not yet realized that the big scratching post and cave (which he uses as a retreat and sitting spot) is the place to scratch. He hasn't destroyed anything yet, but sunk his claws into my couch and two doorposts. Except denying him these opportunities with wrap/foil, is there a good way to show him how great the scratching post is? Otherwise everything is love and happiness.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 20:58
|
|
|
Ridgewell posted:I [url=https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3169030&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=551#post461990598]posted earlier] about thinking to adopt a cat. I've heard catnip might be able to help with your scratching post, but that wasn't from a research article I read it was from a friend of mine. I highly recommend watching Jackson Galaxy videos, he can probably help you out with understanding cat behavior.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 21:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 00:43 |
|
|
Dogfish posted:So, after much investigation, the vet concluded my grumpy cat has asthma and a mild secondary bacterial infection. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting pills into cats? This worked for Joffre. Sit so that the cat is between your legs, preferably in a sitting position and facing away from you. With your left index finger pry open the mouth quickly, with your right hand dump the pill inside cats mouth before it has time to react. You have to be very quick and push the pill deep enough that the cat can't spit it out. Key is having the correct position so you can pry open the mouth and dump the pill immediately with one quick motion. After the pill is down you can just let go; Joffre calmed down almost immediately as no one was holding him down and there was no prolonged struggle. If there's several medicines to administer, put them into a gelatin capsule first so you only have to do this once.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 21:31
|
|
