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Tumblr of scotch posted:My girlfriend and I both have cats (my cats are bigger, but hers is older), and we're thinking of moving in together, but into an entirely new space that has neither of our cats' scents in it yet. What would be the best way to introduce our cats to each other in such a situation? Should we do it beforehand, so they're not getting used to both each other and a new place at the same time? Moving to a new place with new smells etc might reset their progress getting to know each other anyway, so you may as well introduce them from scratch in the new place.
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Sep 29, 2017 11:23
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Took our extremely timid buddy Catspurr to the vet for a checkup. Apparently he is the 'perfect image of health, except for one small thing...' Vet couldn't hear his heart beat because as soon as she touched him he was purring full blast.  He hates new places but loves petting so he's ok at the vet as long as the vet pets him. At home he likes lay on the carpet and drag himself along while you pet his other side. We've tried having up to three people pet him at the same time and he's totally OK with it. He was an orphaned kitty after his old lady died so we think he just sat in her lap all the time. Thanks for reading my cat story, I love the little guy.
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Sep 29, 2017 13:27
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kaworu posted:That was part of it, yeah. I had a lot of pressure to give her up from other places in my life, too. Oh gosh this situation sounds horrible. I don't know what your particulars are, but it would have to be a pretty serious situation like my kid getting cancer and having to live out of my car due to medical bills or something to make me give up a cat. I would never let someone else make me or make my animal go through this. Talk about sociopaths.
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Sep 29, 2017 13:40
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Milly was an owner surrender due to her previous people losing their home. Wish I could tell them somehow that she's in a good place and is doing just fine being a spoiled diva. A nice person/people will come along and give Sardine another good home. Where are you located and can you post a pic? Maybe throw info in the yospos picture thread and another forumgoer will claim her.
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Sep 29, 2017 13:53
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Well... Part of it is that she is a cat I adopted just a year ago from the previous tenants of the apartment I've been living in (I don't know how they could give her up). And she isn't an easy cat, it's really true. It took both me and Jackie (the cat I've personally had for 7 years and before that she was my parents' cat but still kinda mine in a way). I didn't actually expect things to work out with Sardine because Jackie was such an "only cat", while Sardine is like a cat's cat - she really needs another cat around to be friends with. And things basically were all worked out by 4 months or so, and at the 6 month point we were all friends and I'd even see Jackie and Sardine cuddling. The last couple of months things got much better, with both cats just really getting along and being really adorable - they're both very big Tabby Cats with dark brownish fur, Jackie being a more plump classic Tabby and Sardine being a really big and athletic Mackeral tabby - but at a glance they almost look the same. And they just, really got along well in the end. No fights, just playful wrestling on occasions. They even took turns eating out of the same dish. Very cute. But, I mean, basically... I need to move into a new apartment right now that is actually going to ultimately cost more than this one, and it's a 1-bedroom that's very small, it's more like a cross between a normal studio apartment with a kitchen and bathroom and a proper 1-bedroom in terms of size. But it's really perfect in every other way and I could not find any other *remotely* acceptable place that was nearly as good in terms of price and location and size and parking and all of that. This is all not to mention that two cats indoors more or less 100% of the time in a small apartment in winter in Maine can be... stinky, no matter how hygienic you are... Plus the place does only allow one cat and a second pet deposit would end up being *MUCH* more expensive than the first was the sense I got. I'm basically regurgitating a lot of the reasons my mother gave as to why I should let Sardine go. And she did help - her and her partner make donations regularly to the Animal Refuge League here (a no-kill shelter) and they were good and fine on taking Sardine in and they're not the kind of place that lets just anybody walk in and adopt a cat, either, they do their due diligence on checking these people out and making sure they can provide good homes. So that's good, and I should feel good about that... I'm waiting for her to show up on the site.. I just can't... I know she would be so much happier with her FAMILY basically and I feel like I've done this terrible terrible thing and the only real reason I went through with it was because... Well, I don't have the freaking money to properly support her or find a good enough place, I guess, and that's that. But it utterly, totally, breaks my heart and I keep crying every time I think about it. I don't really think I will ever get over this completely, to be honest. At best I'll forget about it for long periods of time, maybe  The other thing is, oddly, I don't really feel guilty about keeping Jackie. I actually thought giving up Sardine would be easier than it was! That after a year, I wouldn't really be all THAT attached to her, I had no clue I'd be bawling uncontrollably for 2 hours. kaworu fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Sep 29, 2017 |
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Sep 29, 2017 19:26
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I find it odd that your mother would talk you into breaking up a pair of cats who like each other rather than finding a way to lend you money to handle the expense, giving it to you for Christmas, or whatever. Donating money to shelters is great, but loving homes like you were providing are the best. Sounds like you did something you really didn't want to do, for reasons that were not your own. That's about how I'd react at the end of it too. I guess I'd have dealt with less space, or worse parking, or a worse location, rather than getting rid of the cat. But I also kept a cat who refused to use the litter box consistently, and rejected all advice to get rid of her, so I guess I'm a little hardcore about cats. I scooped the box multiple times a day and cleaned up after her religiously, because gently caress if I was letting someone else decide she was unadoptable and had to go, or even trust anyone else to adopt her at all without getting pissed off and abusing her. You're super attached to Jackie, and it sounds like you were getting there with Sardine. If it were me, I'd say gently caress everything else, go get her back, and find a way to make it work. The situation sucks, and I'm sorry you and your cats are in it.
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Sep 29, 2017 22:21
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I've never posted in this thread and I wish my first one could be a great one introducing you to my amazing catte. This is not one of those posts. We had to say our final goodbyes to our work kitty today. I spent the last five years feeding him and caring for him as though he were my own. I am completely devastated at having lost him. Is it wrong that it seems that I'm hurting more over this loss than some of my own human family members?   Rest in peace, Tony.
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Sep 30, 2017 09:05
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paperwind posted:Is it wrong that it seems that I'm hurting more over this loss than some of my own human family members? I think it can be pretty understandable. I feel like grief for animals can be less complicated, for lack of a better word, than grief for humans, just because our relationships with animals are usually so much simpler; it's easier to just be purely sad for a being who loved you and was loved in return, without the more complex and difficult dimensions of interpersonal relationships. However you're feeling, you're not wrong, and I'm sorry for your loss.
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Sep 30, 2017 09:22
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SSJ_naruto_2003 posted:Took our extremely timid buddy Catspurr to the vet for a checkup. Apparently he is the 'perfect image of health, except for one small thing...' My younger cat is a little less cuddly with people she doesn't know, but when I took her to the vet the first time after getting her from the shelter (for shots and suchlike) the vet had to hold her next to the sink and turn it on to get her to stop purring.  Cayenne was just so happy to have a non shelter home.
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Oct 1, 2017 01:09
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Anyone have any experience with dealing with a kitten who doesn't like to be touched. There's two of them in the litter and one hides and hisses and spits, the works. His brother is the world's friendliest kitten, in contrast. I just don't know what to do about the hissy one because if I don't turn his attitude around somehow he's not going to be eligible for adoption and the best I could probably do for him is neuter him and let him outside...
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Oct 1, 2017 06:57
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Bribery. How long have you had them? How old are they? Did you find them or adopt them or are you fostering them? We're missing a lot of details
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Oct 1, 2017 07:01
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Synthbuttrange posted:Bribery. How long have you had them? How old are they? Did you find them or adopt them or are you fostering them? We're missing a lot of details He's about 7 weeks old. He's been indoors for 2 weeks, separated from their very feral mother right about when they were able to eat mushy solids + kitten milk.
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Oct 1, 2017 07:08
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Forced cuddles. Hold him lightly by the scruff and pet both his belly and up in his armpit. He's young enough that with enough holding, playtime, and treats, he'll come around with time.
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Oct 2, 2017 03:26
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Snazzy Frocks posted:Anyone have any experience with dealing with a kitten who doesn't like to be touched. There's two of them in the litter and one hides and hisses and spits, the works. His brother is the world's friendliest kitten, in contrast. I just don't know what to do about the hissy one because if I don't turn his attitude around somehow he's not going to be eligible for adoption and the best I could probably do for him is neuter him and let him outside... 1) Keep handling him here and there anyway 2) Be the one that gives him food, do not use an autofeeder
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Oct 2, 2017 06:26
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Yesterday my fiancé adopted a 7 year old domestic short hair who is either a ham or a cliche meant to be this is what rescue dreams are made of cat. He was super friendly from the cage and within minutes in the playroom he had climbed up onto my shoulder to hug me. According to the rescue he was a surrender after his owner passed. So I want to introduce you to Sancho Panza(formerly Coby), renamed because of his enormous paunch. I’m guessing he lost some weight in the shelter. Everything is going great, he’s using the litter, eating food, drinking water, currently sleeping on my chest. Fantastic cat. Only question I have is I’m not a huge fan of animals in the bed when I’m sleeping, I sleep with a cpap and I get very hot so the extra heat wouldn’t be great. So we have the bedroom door shut at all times right now. Last night I went to bed before my fiancé and she said he was mewing quite a bit when she went to bed and had to shut the door in his face. Is this the best way to go about no cat in bed? He seems very curious about the bedroom or what’s going on behind doors in general(at the shelter any movement behind the playroom door drew his attention).
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Oct 2, 2017 14:53
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What a cutie If you want to keep him out of the bedroom at night then banning him all the time certainly works - with any luck the mewing and scratching when you go to bed will stop once he realises that you're not going to let him in and you will come out again in the morning. He will probably stay fascinated with the bedroom though. As soon as I close a door to my Cinnamon she becomes absolutely obsessed with seeing the other side, whether it's the bedroom door, the front door or my wardrobe's door. When I go into the bathroom for a shower and shut the door behind me, she sits on the rug outside the door and waits impatiently(meowing) for me to return.
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Oct 2, 2017 15:06
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floofyscorp posted:What a cutie Agreed. He'll get the message sooner or later, but closed doors are a perpetual source of mystery and anxiety to cats.
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Oct 2, 2017 15:31
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This morning I found some blood in Shelly's urine, she also peed twice while I was getting ready for work. This is the first time I've noticed blood in her pee and I've been paying more attention than usual since I just changed the liner on her litter box. Taking her to the vet today just to be safe. I guess I should take a sample of her pee/poo just to be sure? 
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Oct 2, 2017 15:44
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Animale posted:This morning I found some blood in Shelly's urine, she also peed twice while I was getting ready for work. This is the first time I've noticed blood in her pee and I've been paying more attention than usual since I just changed the liner on her litter box. Taking her to the vet today just to be safe. I guess I should take a sample of her pee/poo just to be sure? Could be a urinary tract infection or a bladder cyst. The vet probably will want fresh-ish samples. Going through that right now with my little one; he had a tremendous spray at the vet, which pleased the vet very much.
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Oct 2, 2017 16:42
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Quick question about scoopin up cat litter. Does anyone use any sort of holder for plastic bags to keep them open as you dump scoops in? I'm wondering if I should basically get a bag dispenser thing like at the supermarket. I've been using these generic shop bag anyways: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017D3RIQ
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Oct 2, 2017 18:55
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peepsalot posted:Quick question about scoopin up cat litter. Does anyone use any sort of holder for plastic bags to keep them open as you dump scoops in? I'm wondering if I should basically get a bag dispenser thing like at the supermarket. I don't use anything to hold them open, but just as a tip, I use these, and they're a little cheaper per bag, and probably produce less waste: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B5JJZG0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 e: I looks to be a little smaller than the one you're using, so if you're already having problems nevermind. My scoop is pretty big, and I have no issues. I just pull it open and let it hang before I'm ready to scoop inside it Raimondo fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Oct 2, 2017 |
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Oct 2, 2017 20:03
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I and many other goons use a litter genie. It is a continuous bag contraption that traps poops and smell after you dump it in there and you don't have to empty it until it is full, and emptying it just means cutting off the bag and tying a knot so its really easy. For my one small cat I only have to empty it every week and a half or so. No bad smell either. Highly recommended. https://www.amazon.com/Litter-Genie-Disposal-Odor-System/dp/B0085TVBK6
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Oct 2, 2017 20:21
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KidDynamite posted:Yesterday my fiancé adopted a 7 year old domestic short hair who is either a ham or a cliche meant to be this is what rescue dreams are made of cat. He was super friendly from the cage and within minutes in the playroom he had climbed up onto my shoulder to hug me. According to the rescue he was a surrender after his owner passed. So I want to introduce you to Sancho Panza(formerly Coby), renamed because of his enormous paunch. I’m guessing he lost some weight in the shelter. Good on you guys! Sounds like you won the cat lotto. I tried to close the door on my old man cat once but he had pretty significant abandonment issues and I couldn't watch his little kitty heart break like that again. We worked it out where he slept on a blanket at the foot of the bed and not on my head. If he gets really worried (not just curious) about the shut bedroom door and you guys disappearing on him for hours, maybe try letting him in but not letting him sleep on you? Or maybe he'll sleep on your fiance instead? It's still a bit early - he might just be really stoked to have a home again and could chill out with the nighttime face hugs with some more time.
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Oct 2, 2017 21:52
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peepsalot posted:Quick question about scoopin up cat litter. Does anyone use any sort of holder for plastic bags to keep them open as you dump scoops in? I'm wondering if I should basically get a bag dispenser thing like at the supermarket. Back when I had those types of bags (my area went to no-plastic-bags-best-bring-your-canvas-bags-everywhere-you-go a few years ago), I simply had a small garbage can I used expressly to hold a bag when doing the thing. These days, I use a Litter Genie (see Boogaloo's recommendation). listrada posted:Good on you guys! Sounds like you won the cat lotto. I tried to close the door on my old man cat once but he had pretty significant abandonment issues and I couldn't watch his little kitty heart break like that again. We worked it out where he slept on a blanket at the foot of the bed and not on my head. Basically this. Once Sancho Panza figures out you aren't abandoning him to the cold dark house every night, he'll chill. Our cat lies on my chest for as long as I'll let him, but once I push him off me, he goes to the foot of the bed.
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Oct 2, 2017 22:51
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KidDynamite posted:Yesterday my fiancé adopted a 7 year old domestic short hair who is either a ham or a cliche meant to be this is what rescue dreams are made of cat. He was super friendly from the cage and within minutes in the playroom he had climbed up onto my shoulder to hug me. According to the rescue he was a surrender after his owner passed. So I want to introduce you to Sancho Panza(formerly Coby), renamed because of his enormous paunch. I’m guessing he lost some weight in the shelter. Just keep him locked out and ignore him, he'll still try to get in when he can because cats are jerks, but if you ignore the meowing/scratching he'll eventually learn that tactic doesn't work.
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Oct 2, 2017 22:59
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my adult cat has rubbed on the door frame to my bedroom (that i keep closed) so much its turned black from the oils
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Oct 2, 2017 23:08
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Snazzy Frocks posted:my adult cat has rubbed on the door frame to my bedroom (that i keep closed) so much its turned black from the oils yeah I have to regularly clean this spot because our greasy old lady cat will get it real manky with her cat oil
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Oct 2, 2017 23:52
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Could be a urinary tract infection or a bladder cyst. The vet probably will want fresh-ish samples. Yea she has bladder cysts. She's got some medicine and the vet wants me to feed Shells more wet food which is gonna make her happy. Gotta go back in two weeks to get her checked out again.
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Oct 3, 2017 01:47
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Boogalo posted:I and many other goons use a litter genie. It is a continuous bag contraption that traps poops and smell after you dump it in there and you don't have to empty it until it is full, and emptying it just means cutting off the bag and tying a knot so its really easy. For my one small cat I only have to empty it every week and a half or so. No bad smell either. Highly recommended. http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-diaper-pail/ I use the third one on the list (for diapers) and it works pretty well; i think it'd probably be fine for litter, as would the first one, and you use your own trash bags so no long term cost issues
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Oct 3, 2017 02:29
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So, my household has been dealing with a cat foot problem for the past two months... Two months ago, soon after moving into a new place, our cat Sam developed an infection between the toes and around the pads on her left front foot. It was red, had lost some of the hair, and had a bunch of little black scabs. A trip to the vet and skin cytology showed a lot of cocci, no yeast or fungi. She got an antibiotic injection and I was out $200. The infection cleared up rather quickly. Once the two week in-dwelling time on the antibiotics were up, the infection came back but on her opposite foot! Back to the vet, more antibiotics (they were clueless about cause). Since finishing those up, her feet have been fine. Today, I noticed my other cat, Mulder, had developed a small area of the same symptoms on his front right foot. I threw a cone on him and applied some ointment I got from my professor (a vet, I'm a vet tech student). It's a neomycin/nystatin ointment to cover infections, abrasions, and possible fungal. Hoping it'll clear up. Now, what the hell can be causing this? It's obviously something environmental since they've both gotten it on their front paws. The litter box is cleaned and changed monthly, and we don't use harsh cleaning chemicals in the house. I'm wondering it's caused my the slight stink bug problem we have. They're currently everywhere outside and a few have gotten through the doors and windows and into the house, much to the delight of the cats. They bat at them and attempt to eat them without much luck. Wondering if their excretions is causing irritation, leading to licking and scabbing? I couldn't really find any sort of info like that online, but I'm a bit clueless as is my vet. Any ideas? We have a dog too but he hasn't been affected by anything outside of his usual seasonal allergies. Forgot to mention, they are both 100% indoor cats. Lava Lamp Goddess fucked around with this message at 21:52 on Oct 4, 2017 |
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Oct 4, 2017 21:43
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Stray kitty update! Momma kitty and her four adorable babies have been taken in as happy, warm and spayed/neutered barn cats by the neighbor. They have a warm kitty house for the winter and they're being fed well.
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Oct 8, 2017 03:09
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kaworu posted:That was part of it, yeah. I had a lot of pressure to give her up from other places in my life, too. That's a lovely situation and I feel for you. Man, now I feel guilty because our house technically doesn't allow pets either, but we tenants have been ignoring this for years (our landlord doesn't give a poo poo, he probably wouldn't notice if we had dinosaurs here, considering the menagerie of dogs, cats and other animals we all had/still have in our apartments). Edit:  My cat chilling on her cat tree, picture from this Summer. My old lady is now on blood meds for basically forever. After multiple tests and other poo poo it turned out she is perfectly fine, just plagued by too high blood pressure. My vet says it's because she is old. (She is ca. 13-15 years old.) The Winter 2015/2016 was when I noticed this, because I came home one Sunday and her right eye was bloodshot as if she had hurt it really bad. In my panic attack I didn't wait until Monday and instead ran immediately to our local animal clinic -they have an emergency room for those cases. So now she is feeling fine again, but the bloodshot eye was a sign for a sever infection caused by the high blood pressure and even though her eyes got better, her eyesight didn't. She can see for poo poo and is basically lost outside her accustomed environment. She is like a grumpy little senior citizen. Libluini fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Oct 8, 2017 |
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Oct 8, 2017 18:00
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  I've had this idiot rear end in a top hat for two weeks now. He is a piece of poo poo but I love him.
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Oct 9, 2017 05:28
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One of our two 10y old cats suddenly decided to change her grooming routine from licking to biting off pieces of fur. In a week he managed to "shave" his belly and proudly exposes his nipples when he flops down on the couch. He's now starting working on his legs and I'm pretty sure he will look like a prepared rotisserie chicken in no time if he keeps up the pace. I should get his blood results today and kinda hope something shows up there and it's not a psychological issue. There has been no change in diet or in his environment. If it works out to be only psychological: how do you reprogram cats showing this behavior? If it was some weird non grooming related action I would get one of those remote controlled collars that make an annoying sound (or spray him with water). But I wouldn't want to discourage him from a healthy grooming routine. I'll post some pictures later. If it wasn't so concerning it'd be quite hilarious.
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Oct 9, 2017 07:54
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Tearing up a bit over the Sardine story, not going to lie. Meanwhile, I bought one of those cat rocketship backpack things. I've been thinking about getting one for a while for the next time I need to get a kitty to the vet, so I can put them on my back and cycle there rather than deal with the outrageously oversized and heavy cat cage and dickhead taxi drivers who make up some excuse half the time about why they can't take my fare. Anyway, I was holding off getting one because I've seen them online for several hundred dollars. I just happened to see one at a local pet shop for $80, so I decided to go for it. It's currently lying opened out on my table, to encourage sniffing-of and lying-in, hopefully to (slowly) build up to maybe taking one of them for a brief explore.
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Oct 9, 2017 13:30
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I said come in! posted:
I would read this cute little guys stories in his sleep. Stories about how special he is.
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Oct 9, 2017 15:50
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Looking for advice on how to deal with a new cat at the 1 month+ mark. Meaning: we've done pretty much all the standard introduction things. Couple weeks quarantined in separate areas. Slowly introduced. They know each other's smells. They are now loose in the same environment. But they still absolutely hate each other. She hisses then he rushes her. Old cat: 13-year-old male. New cat: 3-year-old female that we only took in to keep her from going back to the shelter. New cat mostly sticks to her original quarantine room. Old cat patrols the rest of the house and will chase/attack her if he catches her outside of her room. Lots of yowling, no blood, but that’s mostly because of her armor-like fur. The worst part is she’s really weird and cute.
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Oct 9, 2017 19:22
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el_caballo posted:Looking for advice on how to deal with a new cat at the 1 month+ mark. Meaning: we've done pretty much all the standard introduction things. Couple weeks quarantined in separate areas. Slowly introduced. They know each other's smells. They are now loose in the same environment. If there's no blood, it's social and completely normal. Relax. Most likely they're just vying for dominance, which will settle out after a while. I've got a pair that still chase each other around and rassle and yowl after about two years together. They're also good buddies who will touch noses and groom each other at times.
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Oct 9, 2017 19:33
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CoolCat posted:I would read this cute little guys stories in his sleep. Stories about how special he is. He scratches me a lot, and gets poop on his paws and then gets onto my bed. I love him but he is a gross nerd. His favorite thing is to greet me in the morning when I wake up with head rubs, and to take naps in my lap.
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Oct 9, 2017 21:25
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Deteriorata posted:If there's no blood, it's social and completely normal. Relax. Yeah, this. If anything, the play-fighting will actually help. Our second cat, who was 1.5-2 years old at the time, would get into these sorts of spats with our older cat (around 10 at the time) all the time. When we got our second cat, she was very keen on using our hands as playthings and had very, very sharp claws. After wrasslin' with the older cat for a while (who is now gone, sadly - pancreatitis is a real killer), she no longer boops our hands with claws (she boops our hands, but keeps her claws back) and her gentle bites are immediately followed by grooming. To try to demonstrate the cause/effect - both of these behaviors (boops/gentle bites followed by grooming) are exactly how she was interacting with our older cat after a while.
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Oct 9, 2017 22:09
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