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Kesper North posted:I need cat help. I'm thinking maybe your mother scared the cat one day and your cat is randomly reminded of it sometimes. I'm not sure it's anything to worry about if the cat's not being aggressive.
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Jul 29, 2016 14:45
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Catblog: Had the fluff for about a month now and she adjusted quickly. Eating and using the litter box within 24 hours, let her out of solitary when I was at work by day 3. She completely ignored greenies until just recently. She also just recently had a bout of 2-3 vomits so no more greenies for her. Tuna flakes though, those are her poo poo. The vomits just looked like normal food, mostly liquid at that point with very few kibble chunks no weird colors or anything. She eats about 1/3 of a cup of EVO dry a day for about two weeks now (switched from hill's grain free at the shelter, then taste of the wild chicken which gave her incredible death farts). Has slightly runny poops but they've gotten better since the switch to evo. Notes from previous owners said she got runs from grain food, not that I would give her that anyways. She normally ignores me when I'm cooking but the other day I opened a can and she was instantly at my feet so that's pushed me to get at least some wet food in her diet. Other than those tiny issues she's been great. Straight up lapcat when I'm home, friendly with visitors, but leaves me alone when I'm sleeping with the door open. Comes to the door and whines for attention when I get home and its so drat adorable. Chases dingle balls and rattle mice like a maniac, I've even seen one randomly flying through the air across the room a couple of times.
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Jul 29, 2016 16:08
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nuvan posted:So the OP is a bit dated now, are Armarkat trees still the cat's rear end in a top hat? Armarkat trees are a BILLION of $ cheaper than the crap they sell at pet stores and crazy designed for cat love, even down to the carpet they use. Try to get a premium one. You can also order extra parts and add them on. The weird 1/2 circle sacks are always full of cats, so get a bunch of those and add them on. I know it looks like a dick but here's mine currently  I've had this tree literally 8 years and it's as good as when I got it. There was some dude in Britain that built some enormous Armarkat-based cat tree, it was awesome. Armarkat =  E: today my cats were introduced to rap music. They have no idea what's going on. Lol. They're chill but waking around and sniffing each other and parts of the apartment like "wtf?", and they're super active. Way too funny. Thin Privilege fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Jul 29, 2016 |
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Jul 29, 2016 18:22
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My cats have a "NOT EVEN ONCE" attitude about the 1/2 testicle sacks.
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Jul 29, 2016 18:24
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Kesper North posted:I need cat help. When she hisses baby talk her like "you're a good kitty what a good kitty", get down to her level at a distance and baby talk more. If she's ok with it give your hand in a fist (a nice one, if you extend your fingers that's like cat releasing claws) so she can sniff. Start off slowly and gradually move closer to her as you feel she's more comfortable. Don't do ANY fast movements. It's probably the smell and movements that's bothering catte cause it's a new-ish environment. Just take it super slow.
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Jul 29, 2016 18:29
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When they're standoffish about things I sometimes turn into an ogre. I'm not above forcing them to enjoy themselves. I made a little cat shelf in my closet but they're both wimps about jumping up there, so I had to pick them up and lovingly shove them onto it. "Oh wow, this is a great cool new place to hang out." Won't eat the treat I just opened for him, that he saw me open, and is still meowing for. Pick him up, plop him down right in front of it, gently hold his snout near the treat. Suddenly, "Oh wow, I guess this is food." See? We're having fun dammit!
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Jul 29, 2016 18:45
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MrSlam posted:When they're standoffish about things I sometimes turn into an ogre. I'm not above forcing them to enjoy themselves. I made a little cat shelf in my closet but they're both wimps about jumping up there, so I had to pick them up and lovingly shove them onto it. "Oh wow, this is a great cool new place to hang out." Won't eat the treat I just opened for him, that he saw me open, and is still meowing for. Pick him up, plop him down right in front of it, gently hold his snout near the treat. Suddenly, "Oh wow, I guess this is food." LOVE FORCE. FEEL THE LOVE GODDAMN IT. NOW KISS.
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Jul 29, 2016 19:19
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MrSlam posted:When they're standoffish about things I sometimes turn into an ogre. I'm not above forcing them to enjoy themselves. I made a little cat shelf in my closet but they're both wimps about jumping up there, so I had to pick them up and lovingly shove them onto it. "Oh wow, this is a great cool new place to hang out." Won't eat the treat I just opened for him, that he saw me open, and is still meowing for. Pick him up, plop him down right in front of it, gently hold his snout near the treat. Suddenly, "Oh wow, I guess this is food."
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Jul 29, 2016 19:25
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Kerfuffle posted:Make a vet appointment, sudden behavior changes usually have some medical cause when it comes to cats. Thanks. I'm taking her in this afternoon. I appreciate the advice from other folks - we'll try all of that. Unfortunately, the hissing is stressing my mother out and making her cry, so it really is something I can't ignore.
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Jul 29, 2016 19:35
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Kesper North posted:Thanks. I'm taking her in this afternoon. This is probably beyond the scope of this thread but um perhaps there's more going on there
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Jul 29, 2016 19:58
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As I've posted before, my 17 year old girl Buffy is hyperthyroid. On Tuesday she got some Xanax then off on an hours trip to the small animal hospital outside Edinburgh to be assessed as an admission for Iodine 131 therapy. Shortly after they took her in she had an ataxic episode - wobbly fit was the laymans term used - from which she recovered in minutes. That metaphorically put the cat among the pigeons and a whole series of tests started. She stayed in 2 days and there were no more fits but she was off the program for the time being. Her thyroid reading was over 180 (13 to 48 is normal) so she's on double the Felimazole and test again in 2 weeks. A couple of blood pressure readings were very high so they took an ECG and found a small murmur (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). Then the neurology folk had a go at her but couldn't find anything obvious. Next up were chest CT and ultrasound - those found a 'mediastinal mass legion' near her heart which took us down the "poo poo it's cancer" road until the ultrasound showed it was fluid filled. A cyst then, panic over. Spinal CT showed some problems which might be causing the fits but could just be old age. Abdominal ultrasound showed kidney changes as per most old cats but blood work gave all kidney functions in normal areas. Liver also had some abnormalities on it and since they had an aspirate lined up for the chest mass which was no longer needed, they did it on the liver - no cancer. Some thickening on the small intestine as well. Basically bar unzipping her and having a feel around they tested just about everything which gave them enough data to go on. She goes back in 6 months for another heart scan and if she's got the hyperthyroidism under control with drugs by then and no more fits, they'll consider her for the Iodine 131 treatment. My wallet is going to take a pounding and Buffy has a fair number of shaved patches (I'll leave the obvious joke for the reader) by we have a good picture of her general health. Considering her age it's pretty good and all manageable. Onward to the 20s my dear cat.
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Jul 30, 2016 23:52
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Hi megathread! First time posting here. I'm going to be moving in with my girlfriend in the next couple months and getting a pet is definitely something I'm interested in when that happens. She already has a cat of her own but I want my own pet as well and now that I have a second person to help out, I think it's a great time to make the move. Anyways, my question is - am I a horrible person if I go the breeder route? I've been reading up on cats and the ragdoll seems the most appealing to me as they're apparently very dog-like, mellow and love to be on your lap which is what I'd want out of a cat. They're exceedingly difficult to find in a shelter and was thinking of the breeder route but feeling guilt about it. Anyone else get their cat from a breeder?
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Jul 31, 2016 03:53
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Look at purebred rescue sites i.e. http://www.purebredcatrescue.org/ragdoll
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Jul 31, 2016 03:56
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InFlames235 posted:Hi megathread! First time posting here. I'm going to be moving in with my girlfriend in the next couple months and getting a pet is definitely something I'm interested in when that happens. She already has a cat of her own but I want my own pet as well and now that I have a second person to help out, I think it's a great time to make the move. Cat breeds aren't nearly as distinct as dog breeds and personality isn't guaranteed at all. I don't think you'd be a terrible person for buying from a breeder but I think there isn't much point unless there's a particular look you're in love with. Otherwise you're better off adopting an adult rescue cat whose personality is known and settled and has the personality you want. If you want to be even more certain then adopt from a foster home since some cats act very differently in a shelter environment to a home environment. Just be sure to ask a range of questions about the cat's personality. When I adopted my second cat I specifically asked the rescue to find me one that's very good with other cats. They did that, but they failed to warn me that she was very shy with humans and its taken six months for her to let me pet her. Things are fine now but it was a bit of a shock to the system.
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Jul 31, 2016 04:21
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We're planning to get two kittens from the rescue next week and have already prepared & researched everything, except we are unsure on one thing: We generally wanna allow the cats in the bedroom, but we're worried about what happens if we get a human baby aka pregnant. In that case we wanna keep the cats out of the bedroom either way for fear of them SIDSing the baby. So the question is: do we allow the kittens/cats in the bedroom until we get pregnant and then lock them out from then on until the kid is old enough, or should we never allow them in the bedroom while we sleep, right from the start? Friends have put a mosquito net cage over their baby but that's not something we wanna do.
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Jul 31, 2016 19:46
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Quick question: I know the FAQ says to always adopt kittens in pairs, but does this apply to adult cats? Also, I'm in a very vertical house and any cat in it would need to be able to handle stairs. Is this something I should mention when looking to adopt?
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Jul 31, 2016 20:56
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Zwille posted:In that case we wanna keep the cats out of the bedroom either way for fear of them SIDSing the baby. Is there any evidence this is actually a thing? Deviant fucked around with this message at 21:02 on Jul 31, 2016 |
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Jul 31, 2016 20:57
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Gyre posted:Quick question: I know the FAQ says to always adopt kittens in pairs, but does this apply to adult cats? I've had two cats that never encountered stairs in their lives for 7+ years and when we moved into houses with stairs they didn't seem to have a problem with the stairs at all. Only when a cat got really old and having health problems did stairs become an issue whatsoever (mostly because of his distance to the water fountain probably).
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Jul 31, 2016 21:12
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Gyre posted:Quick question: I know the FAQ says to always adopt kittens in pairs, but does this apply to adult cats? Depends heavily on the individual cat(s). If you're looking to adopt, I suggest making up your mind whether you want one cat or two and then specifically asking the shelter staff about it. They'll be able to tell you if they have a bonded pair of cats that should be adopted together, or if they have a cat that for whatever reason would be best in a one-cat household. I volunteered for a few years at an animal shelter, and we had an adorable, friendly black persian or persian-looking mix who went through about four adoption failures. After talking with all of the would-have-been adopters, we figured out that while Oscar was very friendly with humans he was extremely timid around other cats and would get bullied relentlessly. We had to put up a notice on the website that Oscar would only be adopted out if he'd be the only cat in the home. On the other hand, some cats bond with each other well and for similar reasons we put a notice that they'd have to be adopted as a pair.
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Jul 31, 2016 21:41
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Since I'm a cat lover and would probably get another cat in the future anyway, I'll go for a pair of cats. I was originally looking at only adult cats, but I've decided to expand my search since it would be easier to get two kittens/adolescent cats that appeal to me and introduce them to each other on adoption, IMO, rather than having to get an already bonded adult pair.
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Jul 31, 2016 22:01
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So if I'm laying down on the couch and playing 3DS or whatever, and catte lies down on my stomach and starts extending/retracting her claws repeatedly (while they're on my shirt, mind you, and poking me quite handily) is that probably a sign that she's comfy, bored, angry, or what?
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Aug 1, 2016 00:47
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Ciaphas posted:So if I'm laying down on the couch and playing 3DS or whatever, and catte lies down on my stomach and starts extending/retracting her claws repeatedly (while they're on my shirt, mind you, and poking me quite handily) is that probably a sign that she's comfy, bored, angry, or what? Comfy and feels safe in your company. The kneading motion is a throw back to suckling from their mother - a good memory thing. You remind them of the comfort and safety of mother kitty.
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Aug 1, 2016 01:10
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That was kind of what I half thought too? But she's not really kneading with her paws, like with a pillow--she's just repeatedly extending and retracting her claws (which I keep forgetting to clip--ow) while keeping the paws more or less still.
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Aug 1, 2016 01:22
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Deviant posted:Is there any evidence this is actually a thing? There are some cases in the literature of cats curling up on babies, who are basically little heating pads, close to/on top of their faces and suffocating them. I don't know how common it is, but it has happened enough times that it's been documented. I generally tell people not to leave pets and babies (or toddlers and babies, or really anything that doesn't have a solid understanding of how fragile a human baby is and babies, for that matter) together unattended, and most people are not very attentive when they're sleeping. I would just kick the cat out at night from the beginning; that way you're not dealing with both cat complaints and baby cries all night when you switch it up post-baby. And close the bedroom door when baby goes down for her nap.
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Aug 1, 2016 01:34
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Dogfish posted:There are some cases in the literature of cats curling up on babies, who are basically little heating pads, close to/on top of their faces and suffocating them. I don't know how common it is, but it has happened enough times that it's been documented. I generally tell people not to leave pets and babies (or toddlers and babies, or really anything that doesn't have a solid understanding of how fragile a human baby is and babies, for that matter) together unattended, and most people are not very attentive when they're sleeping. A suffocating baby doesn't just lay there and die. It fights for breath and kicks and flails. Cats don't like that sort of behavior and will run away, so the cat suffocation stuff is largely bogus.
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Aug 1, 2016 01:46
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My moms gotten infested with toxoplasma gondii. She's HATED cats forever but I made her a dinner served at my house (despite meticulous cleaning there's ALWAYS gonna be cat dust) and now she's obsessed with cats, sending me pics and videos. 
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Aug 1, 2016 02:10
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Most cats don't like to be around babies anyway. Babies are loud. Cats sucking the breath from babies is just bullshit that they came up with long ago to explain SIDS. It's like fan death. "Oh, their baby died in the night and they also have a cat. Therefore, it must've been the cat."
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Aug 1, 2016 02:11
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We were worried about our cat doing that when we had our first kid, even bought one of those crib tent things. Turned out the cat was terrified of the baby and pointedly avoided my daughter until she was almost 4 years old.
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Aug 1, 2016 02:15
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Also, sleeping babies are warm. Most cats like to seek out sources of warmth and curl up on or next to them.
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Aug 1, 2016 02:20
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Cythereal posted:Also, sleeping babies are warm. Most cats like to seek out sources of warmth and curl up on or next to them. Most cats also like to avoid things that are intermittently loud and randomly grabby.
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Aug 1, 2016 02:29
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Deviant posted:Is there any evidence this is actually a thing? I don't know. It was supposed to be a joke as we both are kind of afraid something is gonna happen but couldn't find any advice that said, go ahead, don't worry. I think the cats are probably gonna stay away from a newborn but I'm not going to volunteer any test subjects. Besides, no idea what the cats are gonna be like and all that. Edit: oops, serves me right for leaving the window open so long. The vote seems to be split on "babies are little heating pads" and "cats hate babies and stay away". Guess we will just keep the cats out of the bedroom, then. Zwille fucked around with this message at 02:38 on Aug 1, 2016 |
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Aug 1, 2016 02:31
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Zwille posted:I don't know. It was supposed to be a joke as we both are kind of afraid something is gonna happen but couldn't find any advice that said, go ahead, don't worry. I think the cats are probably gonna stay away from a newborn but I'm not going to volunteer any test subjects. Besides, no idea what the cats are gonna be like and all that. If you're worried about it, keep the door to the nursery closed. Problem solved.
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Aug 1, 2016 02:37
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Deteriorata posted:A suffocating baby doesn't just lay there and die. It fights for breath and kicks and flails. Cats don't like that sort of behavior and will run away, so the cat suffocation stuff is largely bogus. Babies actually can have pretty terrible self-preservation instincts when they are very new. A six-month old? Sure; that cat is going to get a walloping. But a two-day old baby might very well just lie there. The idea that cats suck babies' breath has been thoroughly debunked, and obviously cats do not cause SIDS because SIDS is, by definition, an unexplained death. Nobody should get rid of their pet because they have a baby. But I think "don't leave your baby unattended with anything that doesn't understand how to be careful around a baby" is good common sense. I haven't taken a close look at whether or not there are significant stats on this, just passing along the info that there are case reports. I've never seen it in practice and neither have any of my colleagues.
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Aug 1, 2016 02:42
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Deteriorata posted:If you're worried about it, keep the door to the nursery closed. Problem solved. The baby is gonna be in our bedroom. If the kid gets its own room that would solve it, yeah, but by then it's gonna be old enough to fight off a cat anyway. Dogfish posted:I haven't taken a close look at whether or not there are significant stats on this, just passing along the info that there are case reports. I've never seen it in practice and neither have any of my colleagues. we weren't thinking it's gonna literally suck the breath away, but more like it's gonna lay on it and accidentally choke it out. It's reassuring you haven't had any direct experience with it or heard of it happen. Edit: to clarify, the question wasn't so much if a cat will accidentally kill a baby (even though the whole discussion is interesting, I'm grateful for everyone's input) but more how to handle it if you're possibly gonna lock out cats out of a certain room at certain times. Do it right at the start when the cats move in even though the occasion for the lockout (planning a baby) is just a faint speck on the horizon, or do it once the occasion is more real? Would the cats be irreversibly traumatized or is it a matter of enduring a couple nights of complaints by the cats? Zwille fucked around with this message at 03:04 on Aug 1, 2016 |
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Aug 1, 2016 02:45
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Ciaphas posted:That was kind of what I half thought too? But she's not really kneading with her paws, like with a pillow--she's just repeatedly extending and retracting her claws (which I keep forgetting to clip--ow) while keeping the paws more or less still.
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Aug 1, 2016 07:07
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I have a seven-year-old vacuous black hole. We feed him (and our other cat) dry food three times a day with wet food once at night. Our problem is, Scott has always been greedy, so he'll scarf his food, try to eat Wallace's, then throw everything up within five minutes. We've tried balls of various and increasing sizes in the bowl, spreading his food thinly on the floor, and presently it's a combination of the two, with all their toys, a towel, and two heavy obstructions on top of his food in a cat bed. I'm afraid we've created a swolecat because he can now move about six pounds of poo poo out of the way with his head. We take away his wet food when he's halfway done with it, and it's seemed to work so far with the exception of him drinking too much water afterwards. Scott throws up about once every seven times now. He threw up this morning. We're just so done with jumping through hoops in order to get this cat to stop overeating. Help us, goons.  Idiot in question
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Aug 1, 2016 08:18
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Hm, have you tried a puzzle feeder? I used just a box with holes cut in it and wide enough that a cat could just reach into the center. There's other shapes and designs you could easily cobble together from household items.
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Aug 1, 2016 08:33
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Zwille posted:Edit: to clarify, the question wasn't so much if a cat will accidentally kill a baby (even though the whole discussion is interesting, I'm grateful for everyone's input) but more how to handle it if you're possibly gonna lock out cats out of a certain room at certain times. Do it right at the start when the cats move in even though the occasion for the lockout (planning a baby) is just a faint speck on the horizon, or do it once the occasion is more real? Would the cats be irreversibly traumatized or is it a matter of enduring a couple nights of complaints by the cats? It would probably be a case of enduring a couple of nights of complaints while the cats adjust but it depends on the cat, some are very very persistent and hate change. I'd just not let the cats sleep in your room from the start to avoid the risk of them yelling at you all night forever when you try to switch to kicking them out.
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Aug 1, 2016 10:14
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Otoh it depends on the cats personalities. My cats have free run of the house but when my parents over the guest room is off-limits. They dont complain, but they do try sneak in when the door is open. They know they're not supposed to be in there though when the folks are around, because if they get spotted in there, they will quickly run out to sit at the door again.
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Aug 1, 2016 10:19
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Thanks, that makes sense. We will try and get them used to not getting into our bedroom while we sleep.
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Aug 1, 2016 11:20
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