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My cats love foil balls, balled up paper, and felt balls. The felt balls last the longest and dont make much mess til the end.
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Sep 1, 2016 04:54
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Moving across the country with my two cats by Westjet. I'm checking them because they only let you take one in carry on and that would just be sad and not fair. Reading up on their pet/carrier regulations. In one section: quote:Kennel must: Have food and water containers In another: quote:Containers with food and water are prone to spilling during the course of checked kennel-handling and transportation. For the comfort of your pet, WestJet recommends that you empty all food and water containers before transferring the kennel to WestJet during check-in. So it must have an empty food and water container. Thanks, guys, real great information. It's only a four hour flight so I'm thinking not to bother with food and water, but if they give me poo poo about it I'll be annoyed. Also in 'famous last words', I'm moving shitloads of stuff back home with me and am way over the baggage limit. Since each pet carrier counts as a single piece of checked baggage, I'm trying to put them both in one carrier because bringing a second one would cost me an extra 150 bucks in baggage fees. Putting two in one carrier is explicitly allowed by the airline. I'm using a carrier that's frankly huge for cats, it's probably intended for mid to large sized dogs. There's enough room in there for them to walk around, sit up, and both lie down without touching each other. They normally get along pretty well, but I'm gonna trim all their claws tomorrow just in case because if they try to kill each other when they're locked up together I'm gonna feel like a loving horrible person. I know in a perfect world they really should be in separate containers, but I'm really hoping that we can make do with this setup for now.
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Sep 1, 2016 20:48
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attackmole posted:Also in 'famous last words', I'm moving shitloads of stuff back home with me and am way over the baggage limit. Since each pet carrier counts as a single piece of checked baggage, I'm trying to put them both in one carrier because bringing a second one would cost me an extra 150 bucks in baggage fees. Putting two in one carrier is explicitly allowed by the airline. I'm using a carrier that's frankly huge for cats, it's probably intended for mid to large sized dogs. There's enough room in there for them to walk around, sit up, and both lie down without touching each other. They normally get along pretty well, but I'm gonna trim all their claws tomorrow just in case because if they try to kill each other when they're locked up together I'm gonna feel like a loving horrible person. I know in a perfect world they really should be in separate containers, but I'm really hoping that we can make do with this setup for now. I don't know your cats but I'd hope in a scary situation like an airplane ride they'd find comfort in cuddling with each other til the plane lands. Unless they poo poo and piss on each other. For comfort though they can also eat and drink...oh wait
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Sep 1, 2016 20:52
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My cat is really picky about toys (well, she's picky about EVERYTHING because cats), and I had managed to find one fishing pole style toy that she really liked but it broke yesterday. I remembered suggestions for Da Bird from this thread and picked one up and holy poo poo this thing is apparently magical. She never takes her eyes off of it when it's out, and she went from 0 to 60 and leapt out of her bed to play when I waved it nearby. A++++++ recommendation, thanks thread
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Sep 2, 2016 04:47
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I'm adopting two kittens tomorrow from a friend's litter. would I be better off going with two males, two females, or a mix of both? I've never owned a cat before, what exactly have I gotten myself in for?
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Sep 2, 2016 05:53
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Fun times. How old are they? Pick two that are similar in activity levels and play together, thats the most important bit.
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Sep 2, 2016 06:03
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Sharzak posted:I'm adopting two kittens tomorrow from a friend's litter. would I be better off going with two males, two females, or a mix of both? I've never owned a cat before, what exactly have I gotten myself in for? I've heard two males or a mix fight less, but in my experience littermates generally get along alright regardless.
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Sep 2, 2016 06:13
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What you've gotten yourself into: 1) Cute as gently caress kittens 2) Kittens never run out of batteries 3) Regular feedings every couple of hours 4) Poops and litterbox training 5) Training them not to claw 6) Training them not to bite 7) Training them to accept paw handling to make claw trimming easier 8) Training them to accept toothbrushing 9) Cute as gently caress kittens 10) Playing with them for hours til they're tired enough to sleep for 2 hours.
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Sep 2, 2016 06:17
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They're 7-8 weeks. I'm worried about them chewing wires and poo poo under my computer desk and worried about the apartment smelling like poo poo (you can only take the garbage out once a day here) but these kittens are fuckin cute fam. The only bad thing is the two females are the same color (grey) and I really wanted a black fur blue eyed kitty and the litter owner is adamant about keeping the sisters together. Sorry for that mess of a sentence. I'm excited thanks thread
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Sep 2, 2016 06:27
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Once a day garba wha. Thats okay just get a sealable bucket/tub to hold a plastic bag you dump any waste litter into, dump the whole lot every few days. Hang a pine tree scent in there if you'd like. In my experience litter only stinks if it isnt covered properly. They're kittens so accidents are inevitable, but daily cleaning of the pans should keep on top of smells. Cats eyes change color when they get older than a few months. Get a bitter spray for your cables. If you have old electronic poo poo you dont use anymore i.e. broken mice etc spray the cords and leave them in your kitten containment area so they get the idea not to mess with them. Synthbuttrange fucked around with this message at 06:58 on Sep 2, 2016 |
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Sep 2, 2016 06:56
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Litter Genie works pretty well at keeping odors down. Alternately, use Swheat Scoop and just flush.
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Sep 2, 2016 06:58
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Sharzak posted:They're 7-8 weeks. I'm worried about them chewing wires and poo poo under my computer desk and worried about the apartment smelling like poo poo (you can only take the garbage out once a day here) but these kittens are fuckin cute fam. For chewing: bitter apple stuff, also telling them not to do it for apartment smelling bad: if you scoop daily you will have absolutely zero problem in most cases
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Sep 2, 2016 13:43
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Gorgar posted:Litter Genie works pretty well at keeping odors down. Alternately, use Swheat Scoop and just flush. Ugh, I think Swheat Scoop smells worse than just plain urine and feces. Scooping it made me almost heave.
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Sep 2, 2016 14:54
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I like paper pellet litters. They just smell like wet paper.
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Sep 2, 2016 14:57
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I use this arm and hammer stuff, it basically smells like nothing. Unless we feed him too much tuna and it gets ripe in there
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Sep 2, 2016 15:06
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Travis343 posted:I use this arm and hammer stuff, it basically smells like nothing. Unless we feed him too much tuna and it gets ripe in there I use the same stuff, it's real good
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Sep 2, 2016 15:08
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I've been happy with world's best litter. It's corn based and just smells like....corn. Clumps well and is flushable.
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Sep 2, 2016 15:09
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attackmole posted:Moving across the country with my two cats by Westjet. I'm checking them because they only let you take one in carry on and that would just be sad and not fair. Reading up on their pet/carrier regulations. You may want to check out Guaranteed on Board. http://www.flygob.com/ They sell quality carriers that are guaranteed OK to fly with WestJet. My customers have had good luck with them in the past. You can always sell or donate the carrier you have, frankly if it was me I'd rather not risk being turned away at the gate for such an important flight. Also re: cat litter. I've tried every litter under the sun for my 2 large male cats and World's Best lives up to its name. Also, if you're environmentally conscious, read up on clay mining 'cause it's terrible for the earth. I used Arm & Hammer for years because I was paranoid about the odor, but honestly WB lasts longer, smells just as good, and is better for the earth so I feel extra proud of myself. WB makes a lavender variety and it's very pleasant, I live in a very small apartment and it works nicely (and I only scoop every other day, because I suck). porkswordonboard fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Sep 2, 2016 |
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Sep 2, 2016 22:18
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Happy Friday everyone Here's a cat video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8UTGPdsZPY
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Sep 2, 2016 23:36
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MrSlam posted:Happy Friday everyone Hope just does not give a poo poo about catnip and this video makes me very sad that that is the case
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Sep 2, 2016 23:38
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We tried that corn litter and it smelled fine until the cat poo poo in it, then it smelled like corn and cat poo poo. It didn't hide the stank at all.
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Sep 3, 2016 00:03
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Oh boy guys, have I got cat issues  Though to be fair, things are improving.OK, so background. Most of the regulars here know that I've had a cat named Jackie for about 5-6 years (I've known her for 10 years, her whole life, since she was my parents' cat) but I ended up taking her in for various reasons. For the past 6 years there's been no problem, because Jackie is very happy as an only cat. Jackie has never been in a shelter, never been a stray, and is a total sweetheart to humans and gets along with some cats, but has had issues with kittens in the past. She can have food anxieties. That's more or less Jackie's story, but I'm very closely bonded to her, we truly communicate effectively with one another on a rudimentary level, she's never scratched or bit me in 6+ years, etc. So, a month ago I moved out of my little studio apartment where me and Jackie were pretty cramped, into a much much nicer and much bigger 2-floor apartment with 2-3 bedrooms (I have a roommate moving in at the start of October). The family that lived in this apartment prior to me were very nice, and they had a gorgeous female tabby named Sardine whom they could no longer keep themselves after they moved - and ironically, they were only moving two doors down, on the same street. I figured that I could take on a second cat, and while Sardine was rather skittish she did seem very nice. Plus, they could find *nobody* else, so I agreed to at least give it a try for a few weeks. When me and Jackie moved in, Sardine was obviously freaked out - all of her people had just taken off and abandoned her, there was all this furniture moving around - I can only imagine. Thankfully it was a two-floor apartment, so I *tried* to keep Jackie sequestered on the second floor for the first week or so with Sardine on the first floor, but that sort of fell apart. Jackie is very willful and early on she did wind up encountering Sardine for the first time in uncontrolled circumstances, resulting in a lot of chasing and growling and hissing. Sardine was so freaked out she stayed in an open cupboard on top of the fridge the whole time. She *still* stays there in the daytime often. Anyway, I tried to do this properly and introduce the scents but it was a rough time, with the moving and several other things, and I ultimately had to sort of let the cats sort it out themselves, as it felt at the time there was little I could do but feed them separately and allow them separate litterboxes and such, and do my best to be nice and do the right thing. So, things were really tough for a few weeks there - the main issue was Jackie chasing Sardine around and Jackie being just very bossy and territorial, even though it was originally Sardine's territory. I got along good with Sardine as long as I approached her carefully, or pet her while she was in her cupboard above the fridge. But there would be the occasional chasing and growling and hissing, and I figured nobody had any wounds so it was OK, though I was frustrated at Jackie being so goddamn mean. But this all stopped in the last week+, and there is no more chasing! In fact, Jackie and Sardine can be on the floor together a foot apart and not fight, at this point! And at night, Sardine is walking around the kitchen and dining room now and letting me pet her for a bit, with Jackie around, and purring happily, before running away again. There is still the occasional hiss or meow/growl from Jackie, but I figure that's fine and that this is serious progress for a month, with two adult female cats. Am I right? I want to add some backstory about Sardine and why I want to keep her: Kathleen, Her previous human, had taken Sardine in 4 years ago as a stray in Manhattan - so Sardine is a Manhattan street cat (and she is a big muscular cat who I am sure is tough but is a total sweetheart to me). After she adopted her, Kathleen and her husband noticed that she had trouble breathing, so of course they took her to a vet specifically about that. Turned out, all of her organs were jumbled up and in the wrong place and putting all this pressure on her lungs (and causing god knows what else pain). Apparently this happens sometimes when cats are thrown repeatedly, very hard, because it's pretty impossible for that to happen otherwise, I guess.. Which is just heartbreaking. So anyway, Kathleen paid $1800 that she didn't have to give Sardine surgery (she paid it back in installments over like a year). I can strongly relate to that, since it's exactly what I'd do if something were wrong with Jackie. The only reason why they had to get rid of Sardine was because of their 2-year-old kid, I think, but I am unsure. Anyway, I learned this backstory from her mother, who told me all of this as she was trying to convince me to give up on the cat, and send her to a shelter! Obviously she is not a cat person and the conversation had the opposite effect, and now I don't want to give up on this big skittish shy kitty who is really a sweetie when you pet her. So..... I am sorry for all the text, but it's a complicated situation, kinda I am encouraged, but I am also a bit worried that Sardine will never really get comfortable with us. But I know she must be happier here, cared for, in a familiar place, with room to spread out, than she would be in a shelter, most like. She shows no interest in going outside, and is just so skittish - but like I said, when she's in a safe place she's fine with letting you pet her and she totally gets into it.There have been other issues - Jackie was overeating and throwing up for a little while, when Sardine was starting to eat some of her food. I think I've worked it out, and Jackie has stopped vomiting. Plus, some of it was just that Jackie can go outside now sometimes, which means tons of grass to eat and then vomit up onto my rug! Thankfully she only did that once. tl;dr: I ended up adopting another adult female cat while I already had an adult female cat and due to the move was too occupied and stressed to properly separate them for long enough, so they had a rough introduction. Things seem to be slowly getting legitimately better but I am still concerned a little, and could use advice on dealing with situations like this. Does Feliway help at all? Any other tools I am overlooking that might be helpful? kaworu fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Sep 3, 2016 |
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Sep 3, 2016 00:19
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Oh, I forgot something! Jackie:  Sardine: 
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Sep 3, 2016 00:48
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That's a lot of text to say that everything is basically fine. Sounds like they are getting on just fine and being great cats. There are always going to be little squabbles but if they can hang out and relax in the same space then congrats you have a successful multicat household.
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Sep 3, 2016 03:36
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Feliway has helped us with cat stress somewhat, but I agree that things sound okay, there was stress for both cats but it sounds like they're coming to terms with the new situation. Just keep working with them, make sure they both get pets, and break up anything that sounds too serious. e; extremely pretty ladies btw! Ms Adequate fucked around with this message at 07:03 on Sep 3, 2016 |
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Sep 3, 2016 07:00
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kaworu posted:But there would be the occasional chasing and growling and hissing, and I figured nobody had any wounds so it was OK, though I was frustrated at Jackie being so goddamn mean. But this all stopped in the last week+, and there is no more chasing! In fact, Jackie and Sardine can be on the floor together a foot apart and not fight, at this point! And at night, Sardine is walking around the kitchen and dining room now and letting me pet her for a bit, with Jackie around, and purring happily, before running away again. There is still the occasional hiss or meow/growl from Jackie, but I figure that's fine and that this is serious progress for a month, with two adult female cats. Am I right? Yeah this is pretty much what I have with my cats who've been together two years now. Congrats you have a two cat household!
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Sep 3, 2016 08:05
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 First time cat owner here, checking in after our first visit to the vet. Poor Leela did not have a good time. My heart just can't take it  Edit: I also wanted to ask for some advice - at night she's been going under our dressers and climbing up the back and into drawers of the dresser 2 or even 3 up. It hasn't been a massive problem because we keep her in the room at night so if we wake up and say "Where's Leela?" the answer is probably "in the drawer". I think it's fine letting her chill underneath the dresser at night if she wants to get some privacy but was trying to figure out a way to prevent her from climbing up the back of the dresser which is open from the bottom just in case she gets too high up and can't come down. Generally it seems like if she can get up, she can get down fine but didn't want her to get scared one night and start peeing in my sock drawer or something  Edit: VV She's fine! Just a standard checkup. I'm not totally sure of her background, I adopted her from a friend who had her for about a month but had to give her up because she wasn't jiving with her dog, and the doctor said it seems like she has a bit of a "feral streak" judging by her reaction to him trying to take her temperature. He said that should go away after a few weeks of being in the house with us so hopefully next time won't be so bad. explosivo fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Sep 3, 2016 |
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Sep 3, 2016 21:16
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explosivo posted:
Vet visits are hard. It's best to have a friend who hates cats do it. Is Leela okay?
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Sep 3, 2016 21:23
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I just wanted to thank you guys for the assuring words. And I know it took me a huge block of text to make some simple points, but I am generally too lazy to stop writing once I start. I'm awful at tweeting, as one can only imagine. I am very encouraged, though. I should add that someone did get hurt, I think - about 2 weeks ago, Jackie had some rough-looking scratches on her back that were scabbing over; they didn't look worse than a bad cat scratch I might have gotten, and since I had started letting Jackie out I wasn't *sure* it was Sardine... But given how Jackie had been chasing Sardine around and bullying her, I rather hoped it *had been* Sardine fighting back. Because the funny thing is, Jackie and Sardine are from totally opposite backgrounds, as I said. Jackie was pampered by all the humans, was never abandoned, abused, treated cruelly, or anything - as a result Jackie is *awful* and hilariously inept when it comes to hunting, fighting, or dealing with other cats in general. She can make some loud noises but that's really it. Jackie can barely jump and is pretty overweight, and can only manage a pathetic wabble with her pouch of fat swinging back and forth when she wants to run. She can't even jump onto the counter! But I still love her. Sardine, on the other hand, survived on the streets in Manhattan or god-knows-how-long and had god-knows-what done to her by god-knows-who. She might have been feral initially - we don't even know her age, except that she was an adult 4 years ago when they adopted her. She's big but it's almost all muscle, and she can make insane jumps that Jackie would never be able to attempt, and can move at speeds Jackie is unable to keep up with for long. And of course, she's got to be far, far better at defending herself than Jackie. I don't think Jackie has *ever* scratched anyone. She was getting beaten up by 6-month-old kittens at her last home, no kidding. So I'm pretty sure Sardine was being polite for a while with her until she finally got annoyed and did some actual damage to Jackie. Because I actually think it was shortly after Jackie's little wound that Jackie stopped chasing Sardine around all the time for no good reason. So it really sorta feels like they worked it out.. After that was the food issue with Sardine starting to eat Jackie's wet food so I gotta put them both on wet food now.. That's why Jackie was throwing up for a bit, I really think - she's just rather overeat and make herself sick than let Sardine have anything. I think I will try Feliway, I mean it's worth as it can only improve things.
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Sep 3, 2016 22:54
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If you took in Sardine as an adult, there's no way she was truely feral as a kitten. There are a couple of important socialization windows for kittens to get used to humans; without them they develop the anger and shear terror that ferals have.
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Sep 4, 2016 04:17
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I'm worried about Hope's mouth, some rash or redness has been developing over the last two weeks, on her chin and between her upper lip and nose. Anyone have any idea what this might be? She still seems to be eating and drinking ok, and isn't in any obvious pain. Using the same metal bowl she always has (well, changed to a plastic water fountain last weekend, but that was after this started developing) hard to get her to look at the lens without looking like i'm chokeslamming her I really can't even afford a vet visit right now, let alone any major problems, but I hope she's not hurting
Ciaphas fucked around with this message at 01:31 on Sep 5, 2016 |
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Sep 5, 2016 01:27
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Could it just be kitty acne or something similar? It doesn't look like anything super-bad, and Jackie has had bumps/a bit of a rash in the same area that turned out to be kitty acne, and it was cured by just getting her a more shallow food-bowl (which definitely was not plastic) and washing it more thoroughly. But *generally* speaking any sort of rash or skin issue in that area is usually pretty minor, and it usually has to do with their eating habits, i.e. food/food dish. (unless I suppose they are repeatedly rubbing/putting their face/nose on/in or around something else with regularity).
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Sep 5, 2016 01:35
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I guess I'll replace her food dish (and water fountain--again) and see if she still has the rashing in a week or so, I'll be better off financially by then. What are cats least likely to have an allergy to material-wise? Her new fountain is plastic, but her food bowl and the old fountain are stainless steel. Ciaphas fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Sep 5, 2016 |
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Sep 5, 2016 01:39
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Plastic is the worst for allergies and harboring bacteria unfortunately. Steel and ceramic are both better. Still, I have a plastic fountain and find it doesn't cause our four any trouble
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Sep 5, 2016 02:18
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Alright, got her a ceramic food bowl and a larger ceramic water bowl. We'll see how that works for her rash over the next week. Hopefully she hasn't been spoiled by having a fountain all this time and having to go back to a static pool 
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Sep 5, 2016 03:01
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There are some stainless fountains out there, as well
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Sep 5, 2016 03:34
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Dogen posted:There are some stainless fountains out there, as well Yeah, my old fountain was stainless steel; replaced that with the plastic one when the motor broke. She'd already had a bit of redness under the jaw, it just got worse over the last week, so right now my guess is her skin reacts badly to both materials. We'll see next weekend or so.
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Sep 5, 2016 04:03
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Ciaphas posted:Yeah, my old fountain was stainless steel; replaced that with the plastic one when the motor broke. She'd already had a bit of redness under the jaw, it just got worse over the last week, so right now my guess is her skin reacts badly to both materials. We'll see next weekend or so. How old is she? When was her last vet visit and has she had a dental done ever? If they pick up a gum infection or have dental problems it can cause some swelling. Is it affecting her eating at all? Does she tilt her head to eat? Try and smell her breath if you can't lift her gums to look. Cats with dental or gum problems can have horrific bad breath which is easier to detect than peering into a struggling cats mouth. Something else that comes to mind: is she using a catflap or pushing a door open (or trying to push one open)? Ie could it be self inflicted physical damage causing the swelling?
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Sep 5, 2016 05:03
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Strangely she's always been totally chill with me looking at her teeth; not sure why. But at any rate her gums look like they always have, whitish pink (or is it pinkish white), and her breath smells like, well, cat food, so not infection but kinda gross anyway! No catflaps or closed doors, though she's been a lot more active around the apartment at night lately--usually quickly dashing from one room to the other and up and down her cat tree a couple times. Wonder if she's banging her face or something. At any rate her eating and drinking appeared normal this morning (I haven't seen her try her new dishes yet) though I admit I haven't paid 100% attention to her eating and drinking appearance before Last vet visit was last December for a checkup, as I recall.
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Sep 5, 2016 05:28
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My cat just woke me up with painful sounding yowling and liquid vomit in the middle of the night. He was dead by morning. Was there anything I could have done?
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Sep 5, 2016 13:46
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