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LeninVS posted:I have tried cat attract, feliway defusers, new litters, multiple Litter boxes, removing the cushions, waterproof cover, putting the cats food bowl on the couch, and putting the cats snuggle planet on the couch. This sounds like one of mine. I've tried everything you've listed except the last one, whatever that is. Also have tried a couple anti-depressants, which would help for a bit, then not work. She is very shy, came from some hoarding situation, and it took her a couple months to be willing to even be seen by me, mainly because I forced the issue by moving soon after I got her. I haven't found an answer yet, and it's been over four years. Nature's Miracle is great poo poo and will help you save the couch and make it not smell like pee to her, but it doesn't do anything about her apparent intent to continue the behavior for other reasons. One thing I have noticed is that she tends to follow new breakthroughs (more affection, braver about something) with peeing somewhere wrong. I get the feeling that as she feels more confident, she's trying to claim territory. It's not spite or vengeance; she's learned to come sit on my chest for treats, she'll lay down with her face against mine and purr and get petted, she miaows to greet me, we exchange slow blinks all the time. But no matter what I do, she pees.
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Aug 3, 2017 02:52
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If it is territorial, maybe an extra box or two plus some kitty furniture -- like a scratching thing or cat condo -- could help by letting her put her scent and claws on stuff that belongs only to her. Thirding enzymatic cleaners. Do a really thorough job and maybe hit everything after with some Feliway spray.
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Aug 3, 2017 03:18
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Also try rearranging the furniture and putting the couch somewhere else. Kitty may simply be pissed (pun) that the couch is there and won't mind something else in that spot. Or kitty may continue to pee in the same spot, or move over and continue to pee on the couch. Either way, you have another data point to suggest what to try next. Cat brains work in odd ways. We have one that will pee on anything left lying on the floor, anywhere. It's forced us to be scrupulous about picking things up, anyway. She's a sweetie so we live with it. Good luck. Get creative and try to figure out why your cat is behaving so. The fix may be really simple, but completely unobvious.
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Aug 3, 2017 03:24
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Can you put a litter box next to the couch? It's kind of a stretch, but might be worth a shot. My cat started pooping on the floor in the corner and once I added a box to that corner, she happily started pooping in the box instead. She just liked that corner, I guess. Cats, man.
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Aug 3, 2017 11:47
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Let's Play: Talking About Dumb Things Cats Do https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WzkdlNYz0Q
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Aug 3, 2017 18:09
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We recently got a 13-14 week old kitten, Henry, and already had a 4 year old cat, Max. The introduction went better than we hoped and they seem to be doing well. Except Max has found out the kitten food tastes better than his food. Then Henry decided when ever Max eats the weigh loss food he should too. When we have the bedroom door open we put Henry's kitten food up out of reach. During the day Henry is locked in the bedroom and has full access to just his food. For the last few days, when we see Henry go to eat Max's food we take him to the bedroom and put down his food dish with kitten food. He eats then goes on his way. It's not too bad now since we still keep them separated during the day. I'm thinking it's probably not the best to have a kitten eating more than a little weight loss food. My idea was to switch Max to an all ages regular food and give Henry some kitten food ,when we are home, when they will both be together all day. Hoping Max will be more active and keep his weight down, he did good on the weight loss food and has been consistent for a while. Are there any other options I'm not thinking of or a reason these are bad ideas? After chasing each other around the apartment. 
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Aug 3, 2017 19:57
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is kitten food really necessary? I give them Solid Gold sardines and tuna and Nature's Variety Instinct Original grain-free chicken dry kibble, both for all ages.
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Aug 3, 2017 20:03
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Depends on the food. Kitten food is formulated with higher protein levels for growing kittens and pregnant queens. A lot of super premium foods have higher protein levels than typical grocery store food so they're appropriate for all life stages. I think Acana's food varieties are mostly all life stages, for example. Did your vet recommend a weight loss formula or did you decide that on your own? Just asking in case they were on a weight loss plan. I'd check the pet nutrition thread and the links therein for finding an appropriate high quality food for both of them. It sounds like you are free feeding. Maybe switch to timed, monitored meals so you can make sure they eat their own food?
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Aug 3, 2017 20:38
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Lava Lamp Goddess posted:It sounds like you are free feeding. Maybe switch to timed, monitored meals so you can make sure they eat their own food?
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Aug 3, 2017 21:00
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Thirding, if you're already putting in the effort of separating them it isn't much (or any) harder to feed them twice a day.
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Aug 4, 2017 11:36
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Wonder if anyone might shed some light on a wound my cat has appeared with. He has a vet appointment on Monday morning, but I'm really scratching my head as to how he wound up with it. For background info he is 11 years old, indoors only and he is perfectly fine in himself. The wound is a decent sized bald patch on his right side which looks TO ME as if the top layer of skin has been removed. It was weeping clear fluid but not bleeding and has scabbed over. He is on metacam and zodon for some teeth surgery he had three days ago. At first I thought he might have pulled out the fur with his teeth and hurt himself but it is so close to his neck that I don't think he can get to it. If he has done it to himself I then thought that he might have scratched it with a back leg but it's not really the sort of wound I would expect from that? It looks, to me, like it's been scraped off. So I thought THEN that maybe he might have gotten caught or stuck on something in my flat and torn it out trying to get free. But I've scoured the flat looking for clumps of his fur anywhere suspect and I can't find anything. Zilch. Nada. So what, he ate it? My flat has white stone flooring throughout and there is only the odd hair floating around. Where has all this fur gone? There's no chance he could have had contact with another person. I work nights and went to sleep at 8am this morning and he was fine and then when I woke up at 3pm this had appeared. I was not disturbed by any noise whilst I slept so I don't think he was yowling or fell off something - nothing has been smashed or pushed off or about on my shelves or windowsills. I'm absolutely stumped as to how he has gotten this. And what's more is this is the second time it has happened. About a month ago a very similar wound appeared on the back of the neck but it was tiny - no bigger than my little fingernail if that. It scabbed over and the fur is almost back in now. I can post pics of the wound if needed but I'm not sure if that is a bit TOO grim for the thread. I plan to ask the vet's opinion when he sees it but since the cat is already on medicines and it's not infected and not bothering him at all we decided to wait until his check up to have a look and I'm keeping an eye on it. Here's a photo of him enjoying his favourite spot anyway. 
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Aug 4, 2017 20:39
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I would be on ringworm (which is a fungus, not a worm).
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Aug 4, 2017 20:45
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Operation Juicebox posted:It was weeping clear fluid but not bleeding and has scabbed over. He is on metacam and zodon for some teeth surgery he had three days ago.
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Aug 4, 2017 21:03
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I will give them a ring tomorrow as they are closed now about the heating pads but having googled ringworm what he has looks extremely similar and I'm definitely swaying in that direction.
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Aug 4, 2017 21:23
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Ringworm is usually kinda scabby/stiff, not open, unless the top layer got picked off. Snowflake had it when he was a kitten. There's an easy test the vet clinic can do. Dealing with ringworm is hell, so I hope it's not that. If you think it might be, be very careful to not spread it around. It's highly contagious.
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Aug 4, 2017 22:36
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I haven't been able to read up on this thread except the first few pages, so sorry if this is old news, but I wanted to share that I got a SureFeed rfid bowl for my older grazer so my semi-neurotic younger cat doesn't scarf all her food. It's worked wonders and took less than a week for her to get used to it.
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Aug 4, 2017 22:43
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Glory to Italia!
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My beautiful fat idiot cat has little bald spots on his front ankles- they're not scabby, there's no skin irritation, and doesn't seem to be painful, but I'm worried nonetheless. I've set up an appointment for him next week, but I'm wondering fi I'm over-reacting. I'd only noticed because he's a black cat so the bald spots were very obvious when I was petting him this morning. there's no other bald spots on him- just his front ankles.
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Aug 7, 2017 19:52
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Your not overreacting. "The ASPCA recommends bringing your cat to the veterinarian, as hair loss can be caused by fleas, food allergies, a bacterial infection or even an autoimmune disease"
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Aug 7, 2017 20:44
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TO THE VET WE GO
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Aug 7, 2017 23:45
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Speaking of going to the vet, is this a silly thing to get worried about? My 10 year old cat seems to have lost her voice. She tries to meow, but it just comes out as a sort of short squeak. And she was a loud meower before. At first I thought it was maybe because she's been hissing so much lately at the new kitten, but the more I think about it the more worried I get. She eats and drinks just fine and didn't seem to be acting oddly at all aside from the squeaking. Still hisses just fine, too. Note: The kitten has been around for two months. We did the slow introduction but the older cat's still leery so we keep them mostly separated. They lounge together sometimes but once kitty gets too playful and close... hissing happens.
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Aug 8, 2017 15:46
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Bufoh posted:Speaking of going to the vet, is this a silly thing to get worried about? does she have less energy now than when she last meowed a bunch? it could just be getting old and curmudgeonly, but i'd say it's worth asking your vet or maybe taking her in for a general checkup
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Aug 8, 2017 15:52
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Update: Momo is fine, he's just been anxious and licked the fur from those areas. The vet said he might have some arthritis there too, causing more licking. Not super surprising for an older cat, but I'm just relieved that he's okay. The vet said the anxiety would stop with time and quiet, he just didn't handle this last move super good. The arthritis I'm helping by giving him a new bed with a cat-safe pressure activated heating pad, lots of loves, and a little kitty painkillers when it gets cold. Poor little buddy. I'm just happy he's okay. He's the best cat and I love him.
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Aug 8, 2017 18:13
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Sociopastry posted:Update: Momo is fine, he's just been anxious and licked the fur from those areas. The vet said he might have some arthritis there too, causing more licking. Not super surprising for an older cat, but I'm just relieved that he's okay. The vet said the anxiety would stop with time and quiet, he just didn't handle this last move super good. The arthritis I'm helping by giving him a new bed with a cat-safe pressure activated heating pad, lots of loves, and a little kitty painkillers when it gets cold. Poor little buddy. I'm just happy he's okay. He's the best cat and I love him. Yay!
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Aug 8, 2017 19:16
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Bufoh posted:Speaking of going to the vet, is this a silly thing to get worried about? My googling tells me it's probably ok buuuuut http://m.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/ken-tudor/2015/february/voice-changes-pets-more-serious-you-think-32462
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Aug 8, 2017 19:17
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Sociopastry posted:The arthritis I'm helping by giving him a new bed with a cat-safe pressure activated heating pad, lots of loves, and a little kitty painkillers when it gets cold. Poor little buddy. I'm just happy he's okay. He's the best cat and I love him. My old lady cat spent most of her last winter in a milk crate with a hot water bottle, and a blanket draped over the crate to keep heat in. It was her "nope, can't even" box after I brought Snowflake home.
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Aug 8, 2017 19:19
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one of my cats has just been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I have another cat (I've had them for 11+ years) who lives in my (admittedly small) studio. I don't have any doors in said studio so there's no way to keep them in separate rooms; should I fritter about it a bunch or just take Cat 2 into the vet to get her tested and hope for the best? ...in other news what's some good end-of-life care for her? I just got the news today about her leukemia and I'm still kinda processing it but I want the last month or two she has left to be comfortable and as stress-free as possible.
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Aug 11, 2017 03:07
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the escape goat For end-of-life care, the best thing to do is basically to give Cat 1 as much comfort as you can. Keep her warm, fed, and safe, and let her do whatever she most enjoys. Avoid disruption as much as possible, ensure she has her favorite blanket or whatever to sleep on, all that kind of thing. Really your job is to ensure any medication or what have you is properly administered, and keep an eye on her situation so you know when the time has come. Beyond that, let catte be catte. I'm sorry for your bad news   So anyway my folks spotted this extremely skinny cat yesterday by the supermarket and grabbed him because he obviously needed help. He's fine with humans and obviously stray rather than feral - we assume he was abandoned or his owner died or something of that nature. They took him to the vet today, who estimate he is between 12 and 16 years old, and he weighs 2.4kg, which is VASTLY underweight (Cat should be about 4 to 5kg usually). You can see and feel every one of his bones, and he is so weak his legs quiver when he stands, and he fell backwards into his own poop earlier because standing and doing the business exhausted him so much. Despite that, he's a bright and curious beastie! He's going to a different vet for a FIV test next week. If he's negative, mom's keeping him, as at his age going to a shelter would mean either being put to sleep or, if it's no-kill, most likely staying there for the rest of his life. If he's FIV+ there's a hospice mom plans to give him to. Either way, hopefully he has a few more years in him, and now he'll be able to enjoy them in peace, warmth, and comfort. Yesterday he was trying to escape into the living room and my mom said, without thinking about it, "Archie, stop that!" so we know his name now at least! Anyway that's what's going on in this house right now. e; timg'd
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Aug 11, 2017 21:34
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Update on mute cat! Her voice is back and she's meowing as loud as ever. Thank you for the reassurance and advice. She could probably stand a vet visit anyway; that was a strange and sudden development.
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Aug 12, 2017 20:33
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the escape goat posted:one of my cats has just been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I have another cat (I've had them for 11+ years) who lives in my (admittedly small) studio. Easing her into a high-calorie recovery food might not be a bad idea. You don't wanna suddenly throw it at her and upset her tummy. Try to keep Cat 2 out of it because it'll make a healthy cat fat really quickly. Otherwise, warm sleepy spots near you, an easy path to the litter box, and lots of towels to reduce your stress if she makes a mess.
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Aug 13, 2017 03:34
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the escape goat, if you're asking because you're worried about Cat 2 also getting sick, you have nothing to worry about. ALL isn't caused by the FeLV virus.
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Aug 13, 2017 09:03
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thanks for the help, y'all! an update- Cid is eating and drinking; she's on prednisone which is definitely helping with her appetite. she's still incredibly skinny and lethargic but seems to be in decent spirits? I'm not sure how to tell if she's getting sicker or maintaining, to be honest. should I start to really worry when she loses her appetite? Lynx, my other cat, has been bullying Cid. she's been hissing and swatting at Cid as well as giving her a pretty wide berth. I switched Cid from awful cherry liquid medicine (seriously vets, what the gently caress NOBODY likes cherry-flavored syrup) to pills so hopefully if it's the medicine smell, Lynx will stop being a poo poo. Cid doesn't seem perturbed by it but I'm sitting here cryin' like an idiot because I'm worried that Cid's feelings are hurt because the constant companion she's had for 11+ years is suddenly turning heel on her. last thought- Cid has a few little dark hiding places in my apartment which I'm totally cool with. some of the hiding places I've put little blankets in and stuff to make them more comfortable; she seems to still be hanging out in some of them but should I take the blankets out and leave things as they were? I feel like an rear end but I've made a couple of the places inaccessible, mostly because I need to be able to pick her up to give her medicine and... well... I don't want to have to move furniture to retrieve her should she pass while I'm not home. thanks for reading this, answering questions, etc!
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Aug 15, 2017 05:13
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the escape goat posted:thanks for the help, y'all! Loss of appetite and change in drinking are really worrisome signs and if your cat is already ill or acting differently pretty much mean you should go to the vet. Hiding when that sort of stuff is going on is another bad sign (change in behavior etc). How long has it been since Cid has gone to the vet? It's possible that Lynx is acting out because of the vet smell, or, like you noted, the med smell. You might need to do a little reintroduction. It's a good idea to block off difficult-to-access hideyholes. Don't feel guilty. Your cat needs her meds in a regular, timely fashion, and you need to be able to monitor her eating, drinking, and litterbox use. Hiding spots that are hard to watch or get into make that much more challenging. When I went through something similar recently, I set up a sort of central hiding spot with food, water, litter box, and blankets within fairly easy reach, plus plenty of cover so my cat felt more secure without being isolated or difficult to reach.
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Aug 15, 2017 05:26
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the escape goat posted:thanks for the help, y'all! Prednisone in of itself works as an appetite stimulant, odds are when it wears off or runs out she'll go back to not eating, given the previous signs and other stuff you've posted it seems she's very close to the end of her life.
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Aug 15, 2017 06:09
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Cid was at the vet for IV fluids and observation on Friday, so that could definitely be a factor. Alteisen, when you say "very close" do you mean months or a hell of a lot sooner? I've never dealt with this sort of thing before and I can't tell if she's just kinda ill or legit fading fast. She sits up and moves around on her own but when she sits up she's not super stable, she wobbles a bit like she's been at the pub for a few hours. She still purrs a lot of the time, but I have no idea if that means anything. The vet gave her a month, maybe two so far as expectancy goes but... yeah. eta- Cid has lost a lot of weight; she's bony and her pelvis is pretty visible. she has the energy to throw a shitfit when I'm giving her her meds, but otherwise is really low energy. She's able to hop up onto a shelf to hide behind my books, but unless she's moving from hiding place to hiding place with occasional trips to get food and water she pretty much keeps to those locations. If I pick her up and put her in my lap she'll snuggle a while, but she doesn't do so of her own volition. I've read a couple of things that say if she's hiding a lot, not snuggling, and not really making eye contact that it's time to let go. She hopped up onto my pillow last night and slept by my head for a while, but at this point I think I may be reading into things and grasping at any hope there could be. the escape goat fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Aug 15, 2017 |
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Aug 15, 2017 20:10
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I'm sorry.  When Poyo reached that point, it was maybe a couple weeks until the end. My regret is that I thought she might recover and didn't take her in for euthanasia until she showed respiratory distress. I took her in the very next day, which was the earliest available time. Everybody's got to make this decision for themselves. I feel like I unnecessarily prolonged my cat's suffering. I didn't understand that she didn't have a chance so I did everything short of blood transfusion. I don't know yours and CID's full circumstances, but when prolonging life, don't discount the quality of that life. Now I'm gonna go cry a bit
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Aug 15, 2017 21:39
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The weight loss indicates she's had a lack of appetite for quite awhile now, the wobbling is sign of that to, either due to the weight or not getting enough food, it sounds to me like she's very close to the end of her life, weeks at most. Just ensure you give as much love as you can in the time she has left.
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Aug 15, 2017 22:18
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Prednisone is actually very good at killing certain cancer cells, at least in the short term. Cats also don't tend to experience as many side effects (such as an increased appetite) from prednisone the same way that dogs do, so if her appetite is improving she probably is feeling better. The problem is that prednisone only works for a few weeks, and eventually she'll start to feel really crummy again. Unfortunately, acute lymphoblastic leukemia is not a cancer that usually responds well to treatment, and I think your vet is right in that you probably don't have very long left with her. In response to your earlier question, acute lymphoblastic leukemia is associated with the feline leukemia virus. Your other cat can't "catch" Cid's leukemia, but I would recommend testing her for the presence of the virus.
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Aug 16, 2017 00:45
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I feed an alley cat (I knowwww...) Been doing it for awhile. She stays outside because my girlfriend is deathly allergic. Has a heated little cat house for winter. Gets brought in if it's too cold out. Gets brought in if there's a bad storm. She chills, she's great. Most of the time she doesn't even want to come inside when it's cold or storming. Anyway, what's the best flea treatment? Especially something I can get on Amazon for not too much $$$. Had the creamy stuff you put on her skin around her shoulder blades before. Seemed to do the trick. But even when distracted with her wet food she's not down with the application. Basically have to jab it in there and drop it quickly the best I can. Then calmly chase her down and try to rub the stuff in so it can get on her skin. On her fur doesn't really work I know. Anyway, what's the best stuff to order? She's chill af: (Her name is Charlotte.) Crazy old guy neighbor adopted her but she looked like poo poo so I fed her when she showed up on my back upstairs balcony late at night. Then the old guy moved so I takes care of her. 
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Aug 16, 2017 00:54
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fartzone_42069 posted:I feed an alley cat (I knowwww...) Been doing it for awhile. She stays outside because my girlfriend is deathly allergic. Has a heated little cat house for winter. Gets brought in if it's too cold out. Gets brought in if there's a bad storm. She chills, she's great. Most of the time she doesn't even want to come inside when it's cold or storming. Sounds like she's yours now, sucks that she can't stay in due to unfortunate girlfriend choices (I kid, a little, we can't help the allergies of the ones we love). You could put a flea collar with a tag on her, but usually the petrx promos are good for 20% off an order and advantage is cheaper there than at your vets. You'll probably want to do an occasional ringworm and "other outside stuff" visits at least yearly if you can. My understanding from outdoor cats, aside from then being susceptible to more things in the world, is that their unusual afflictions usually need emergency treatment.
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Aug 16, 2017 03:08
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Gorgar posted:One thing I have noticed is that she tends to follow new breakthroughs (more affection, braver about something) with peeing somewhere wrong. I get the feeling that as she feels more confident, she's trying to claim territory. It's not spite or vengeance; she's learned to come sit on my chest for treats, she'll lay down with her face against mine and purr and get petted, she miaows to greet me, we exchange slow blinks all the time. But no matter what I do, she pees. This kind of sounds like one of mine. He had flutd as a young kitten so was acting out whenever he had to use the box, no matter the otherworldly stress. Both he and I got lucky that Prozac solved the issue. We held off medicating his crazy rear end till after his puberty, but drat if he didn't 180 his insanity as soon as the meds kicked in (oh God don't miss a dose).
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Aug 16, 2017 03:15
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