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effika posted:Also, save some dirty sweaty laundry to put around the house if she is not seeming very comfortable with it after a while. That helped our cat explore the new rooms. (Mr. effika still leaves his dirty socks in the living room for her to find & snuggle with even though the cat is fine. I think I trained him.) Great idea, she loves to sleep on Mr. lizard_phunks dirty clothes. Ms Adequate posted:Hello pretty girl! Thank you. Any really big works (new flooring, bathroom upgrade, etc) are some years into the future. Ms Adequate posted:Won't hurt! Also if you're concerned you could ask your vet to prescribe her some cat valium for a week or two, so you can dose her through the parts most likely to stress her out. It's a good suggestion, but I think it's best if she feels "normal". Car rides are stressful, but she has gotten much better at it - she knows the drill. She is extremely curious, so I'm hoping that she will go into explorer mode if she feels alert and relatively safe.
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Feb 25, 2018 10:00
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I think you probably have the right idea, disruption is stressful to cats so minimize it where you can, and get any big work done in the new house before she moves in if at all possible. You won't be able to totally avoid some disruption for her of course, but getting the new place into a reasonably steady situation from the start (from her perspective) will probably help her a bit; she wouldn't want to get to a new place, just start getting used to it, and then it all starts changing again around her.
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ThisIsACoolGuy posted:She just got her second shot on Friday and once again she went into a irate grumpycat kinda mood. Thing is it hasn't worn off really. Today it's actually gotten worse? I think? She's now moving in slow motion and refusing to go near anyone or eat her usual food. She accepts getting pet but after awhile she'll shake to her feet and *very* slowly walk a few steps before deciding it's enough and laying back down. If she's sitting up she's not looking forward but just staring at the ground with this sleepy look on her face. She lets me near her but none of the other animals (Sunny or my tiny old dog) Will she take her favorite food? My cat got a mystery illness about two years back where she acted like this. When I gave her strips of turkey ham (her favorite), she wanted to eat it but couldn't - she was salviating a lot and couldn't chew. That was a sign she was really not doing well, and we took her directly to the vet. It's hard to know if it's a reaction the shot or not. It could be something else. I would take her to the vet - it sounds like she is in pain or at the very least really not feeling well.
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Feb 25, 2018 10:05
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ThisIsACoolGuy posted:So I'm really worried about my cat Samantha. There is nothing worse than dealing with a sick pet on the weekend when the vet is closed. After my cats get their annual rabies shots they are usually a bit slower and have a bit lower appetite for about 12-24 hours. They are probably having an immune reaction (they are supposed to). This is like getting a bit sick after you get a flu shot. The injection site could also be painful. You could offer a small amount of cooked chicken breast with some water or another food that they usually love. If it lasts much longer into tomorrow evening it may be time to be concerned, but sometimes cats just need to sleep it off. If you can make up a bed in a quiet room it could help to let her feel safe. It’s nerve wracking but she will probably be ok. If she develops any other signs like vomiting, hives, diarrhea, or labored breathing then you should probably take her to the vet. Hope she feels better soon!
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Feb 25, 2018 11:24
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Alright, thanks for the advice. I've had cats all my life and it's kind of the first time I've seen a reaction like this that lasted as long so was just really concerned. I'll try and schedule something monday morning if she's still acting funny and I have some chicken I'll try giving her as well. Loves chicken and the like, not much else. lizard_phunk posted:Will she take her favorite food? My cat got a mystery illness about two years back where she acted like this. When I gave her strips of turkey ham (her favorite), she wanted to eat it but couldn't - she was salviating a lot and couldn't chew. I put out chicken for her but she never eats what's not in her food bowl. Not even treats so it's kind of hard to judge on that front. When she was growing up a lot of my other pets at the time (including the dog) would shove her outta the way and just stuff their greedy faces so she has this "wait until no ones around" habit even though she's bigger and our other cat is more than happy to go last. Edit: Just wanted to give a update but Sam seems to be getting over it finally. Gave her some chicken and left the room and by the time I came back it was gone. Now she's walking around like normal with her tail straight up and is content to hop around. Guess I was worried over nothing ahah... ThisIsACoolGuy fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Feb 25, 2018 |
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Feb 25, 2018 11:41
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One of our cats seems to be a bit constipated. We just saw her straining in the litter box with the poop doing the ole in 'n' out before plopping a tiny turd in the tray. What can we do to help her? Or is it time for the vet ASAP? We got two cats: siblings, rescue, female, 2 1/2 years old, European short hair, neutered, wet food (with dry food as an occasional treat - like 1 handful between the two of them every other day), 3 litter trays, indoors, cleaned twice daily one is about 7 pounds, the other is 9-ish pounds. They've been a different weight ever since they left the tiny kitten stage. It's the 9-pounder who's having trouble pooping. Miss 7 pounds just recently started eating her whole serving, while before she'd leave about 1/4 to 1/5 of it for her 9-pound sister. They both wolf down their wet food fine and don't seem to have trouble with it. I tried giving them some more malt paste and the internet says to add some olive oil to their food which we're still pondering. They already have some grass to chew on. We have some dried flowers standing around on the kitchen table and we caught both of them nibbling on them. Might this be the cause? Cat tax, linked for fear of huge (though no poop shown): no trouble pooping https://imgur.com/OVRuuDI troublepooper https://imgur.com/heGj6PR
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Feb 26, 2018 11:18
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If you're using wet food, try sprinkle fibre on it, like metamucil/psyllium. It'll help out their guts anyway. https://www.petmd.com/cat/care/8-ways-help-your-constipated-cat
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Feb 26, 2018 11:32
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There are oils you can add to the food that'll help it slip out, if the cat will eat it. I would call your vet's nurse lines and describe the symptoms. You sound like you're in a situation where you'll have to take him/her in if it continues much longer or doesn't improve. Pooping is important.
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Feb 26, 2018 17:34
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Glory to Italia!
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This is a bit late, but I just wanted to post some thanks to all the supportive posters here who had such kind things to say. I'm still working through my grief, still trying not to beat myself up and all that fun jazz, but it's getting a little easier each day. Thank you for reassuring a nobody lurker -- none of my friends own cats, so I felt ridiculous being so torn up over her, but I'm glad there's at least this little community that can relate.
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Feb 27, 2018 01:32
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Bufoh posted:This is a bit late, but I just wanted to post some thanks to all the supportive posters here who had such kind things to say. I'm still working through my grief, still trying not to beat myself up and all that fun jazz, but it's getting a little easier each day. Thank you for reassuring a nobody lurker -- none of my friends own cats, so I felt ridiculous being so torn up over her, but I'm glad there's at least this little community that can relate. It's not ridiculous - my two cats are the only friends/family I have, and they mean the world to me. Animals are innocent and they give us great comfort with their trusting affection. I am sorry for your loss. It does get easier, but you will also always miss them. That's not a bad thing. It means they touched your heart. SA has some bad parts and posters, but the people in this thread are good, caring, and love their cats.
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Feb 27, 2018 02:12
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Nthing the “pets are family” sentiment. I don’t always pipe up with condolences but I gotta say almost every (ok, every) death in this thread makes me tear up a bit when I read it. Anyway in less exciting news the salesperson at the pet shop told my girlfriend they didn’t have cat laxatives but to try a spoonful of milk. She tried it right away and what can I say, someone probably slid below the 9-pound-mark tonight.
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Feb 27, 2018 05:23
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Glad the poop is flowing. I think I read somewhere that most cats are lactose intolerant so milk will act as a laxative in cats much like it does in humans who are lactose intolerant. Some of the hairball remedy gels like laxatone can be considered an option as well. Some people like them, some don’t. It’s a nondigestible oil/fat that helps lubricate the digestive tract. A 1/2 inch ribbon every day or every other day can help with constipation caused by hairballs, but I think it also works in other cases too. It can cause diarrhea if they get too much of it though so be aware of that. Increasing water intake will help too and may be the better long term solution. You could start by adding 5-15 mL extra water in with wet food (some cats don’t like too much water in their food so you’ll have too see how much they tolerate).
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Feb 27, 2018 05:58
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Laxatone worked great on my old cat, all the vets here stock it OTC but it's pretty expensive for a huge tube compared to a little spot of milk.
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Feb 27, 2018 06:04
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Zwille posted:Nthing the “pets are family” sentiment. I don’t always pipe up with condolences but I gotta say almost every (ok, every) death in this thread makes me tear up a bit when I read it.
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Feb 27, 2018 07:45
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I'm getting worried about Todd. He's lost a lot of weight in the past year, but his blood work all came back okay when we took him. Next step is a urinalysis and possibly an X-ray, but neither my wife nor I have a good feeling. He hasn't been quite the same since Quiggs passed; I almost wonder if he's just given up.
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Feb 27, 2018 16:47
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D34THROW posted:I'm getting worried about Todd. He's lost a lot of weight in the past year, but his blood work all came back okay when we took him. Next step is a urinalysis and possibly an X-ray, but neither my wife nor I have a good feeling. He hasn't been quite the same since Quiggs passed; I almost wonder if he's just given up. Poor Todd. Depression is real in animals, too, and he lost quite a companion.
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Feb 28, 2018 01:11
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My Reina suffers from Struvite crystals. She's been on hills c/d for as long as we've had her, but I noticed today she was going frequently to the bathroom and was producing very little urine. I think part of this was the case of food we got; it's normally pretty wet, but this case had dryer food. We just got a new case for her today and the food is wetter, but I don't know if I should wait to see if it works or take her to the vet. Any advice?
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Feb 28, 2018 02:10
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Hiro Protagonist posted:My Reina suffers from Struvite crystals. She's been on hills c/d for as long as we've had her, but I noticed today she was going frequently to the bathroom and was producing very little urine. I think part of this was the case of food we got; it's normally pretty wet, but this case had dryer food. We just got a new case for her today and the food is wetter, but I don't know if I should wait to see if it works or take her to the vet. Any advice? Urinary blockages are not really something to wait around on. If she is urinating frequently and still actually passing urine it could be just a UTI, but either way a vet visit is still warranted. A UTI could also develop into a blockage if she is prone to crystals. I would take her to the vet as soon as you can. If she is still eating her wet food I would add some extra water to it.
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Feb 28, 2018 02:32
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Our cat and kitten just got into the dry cat food and ate a lot - we don't know how much. Should we stop giving them water? If so, for how long? Is overnight too long?
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Mar 1, 2018 12:47
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Why would you stop giving them water because of that? I’m seriously curious. (Ours got into a cat snack jar when they were young and all that happened was that their poop turned yellow)
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Mar 1, 2018 13:20
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Yeah that's like the one thing that cats can get into and eat a ton of where nothing is going to happen and you don't have to do anything or be prepared for anything except probably more whining than usual next time they get hungry.
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Mar 1, 2018 14:16
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I didn't know what to do and my flatmate said if they drank water it would make the kibbles swell up, which would be bad. We gave them water and they seem fine now. Thanks for your advice!
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Mar 1, 2018 14:38
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Yeah, if your cat is not at all used to eating kibble or lots of dry treats, and does so somehow, you REALLY want to give that cat as much water as that kitty could want to drink. As a general RULE you should always, but ALWAYS make water available to your cat, almost no matter what the circumstance. I've never seen nor heard of a cat suffering anything as a result of "drinking too much water," so that ought to be the first of your priorities and the least of your worries. Ideally speaking cats should get most of their water from the food they eat - as Obligate Carnivores this was never an issue in the past generally, but cats simply did *not* evolve in an environment that had an abundance of easily accessibly water or much edible vegetative matter/cellulose to consume, either. Hence they got the vast majority of their hydration from their prey. Grains and cellulose and abundant water are *relatively* very, very new things to felis catus, relatively speaking. As strange as it may sound. I mean... Ever window why cat urine smells so incredibly drat strong? Well, part of the reason is their incredibly efficient renal system (kidneys, urinary track, bladder, etc). Cats are very good at absorbing as much moisture as they possibly can, which leads to urine that tends to be HIGHLY concentrated - and highly smelly - as a result. My understanding is that the drawback is a higher probability of urine crystals or urinary tract infection - in part just as a result of how the feline renal system works. I am NOT a vet so it's not like I'm a total expert or anything, but as I recall that's more or less some of the gist. You gotta remember that cats were originally adapted to survive in the desert, and even with all the different breeding and all the different types of cats out there, they all have essentially the same renal/urinary system which (in my opinion) is inevitably going to break down before its time if a cat is constantly eating kibble every day, I just.. I dunno. I really don't think cats were meant to consume such a limited diet, and it inevitably has repercussions. I'm not saying that wet food is the answer to everything either, I just honestly have a difficult time believing that we're currently smart enough to go against more millennia of natural history than we can even fathom. kaworu fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Mar 1, 2018 |
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Mar 1, 2018 17:15
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Since d8's been retired for a while, I've been trying some other catnip brands, but nothing I've tried has come anywhere close to the sheer wrecking power of that montana stash. Is there a goon-recommended brand/grower I should be on the lookout for?
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Mar 2, 2018 02:27
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kaworu posted:Yeah, if your cat is not at all used to eating kibble or lots of dry treats, and does so somehow, you REALLY want to give that cat as much water as that kitty could want to drink. As a general RULE you should always, but ALWAYS make water available to your cat, almost no matter what the circumstance. I've never seen nor heard of a cat suffering anything as a result of "drinking too much water," so that ought to be the first of your priorities and the least of your worries. Ideally speaking cats should get most of their water from the food they eat - as Obligate Carnivores this was never an issue in the past generally, but cats simply did *not* evolve in an environment that had an abundance of easily accessibly water or much edible vegetative matter/cellulose to consume, either. Hence they got the vast majority of their hydration from their prey. Grains and cellulose and abundant water are *relatively* very, very new things to felis catus, relatively speaking. As strange as it may sound. always have water for your cats, cats need to drink lots of water or they'll get crystal dick and that's no fun
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Mar 2, 2018 04:54
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cat pee pee crystals is the worst give them all the water they want.
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Mar 2, 2018 05:04
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Why do cats like when I change my bedsheets? I change them every two weeks so I can’t imagine they smell that bad. I shower every day. So.... why? They always play the “attack your hand while they sneak under the blankets” game. It is very cute but seriously, why?
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Mar 2, 2018 06:30
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Thin Privilege posted:Why do cats like when I change my bedsheets? I change them every two weeks so I can’t imagine they smell that bad. I shower every day. So.... why? They always play the “attack your hand while they sneak under the blankets” game. It is very cute but seriously, why? Just a cat thing. Our youngest one likes to run and hide under the sheets when we're putting them on the bed.
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Mar 2, 2018 06:42
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Thin Privilege posted:Why do cats like when I change my bedsheets? I change them every two weeks so I can’t imagine they smell that bad. I shower every day. So.... why? They always play the “attack your hand while they sneak under the blankets” game. It is very cute but seriously, why? Stimulates their 'small creature rustling under leaf litter' senses.
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Mar 2, 2018 06:55
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Apparently they also like to poke a ton of holes in them for no reason. Come on, guys. I’m trying to sleep and I just feel claws poking holes in the sheets. Cats, man 
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Mar 2, 2018 06:57
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Cats! I learned that Gizmo can't be allowed to nap on the back of the couch or the elevation makes her think that she's king poo poo of hell mountain. She'd been oddly aggressive for several days but investigation didn't turn up any of the usual mean cat causes. Then I realized that the only change in the environment was that I'd laid a coat she's taken to sleeping in on the back of the couch. Coat nap privileges were revoked a few days ago and she has only thought about napping in the coatless high spot once. She has reverted to being a snuggly playful purr monster instead of a mad stalking ankle biter. Cats.
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Mar 2, 2018 07:20
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I can’t believe how much cats and birds are exactly the same.
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Mar 2, 2018 08:36
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I adopted this adorable buzzsaw from a local no-kill shelter last month. Meet Chell She was given up because she was badly bullying the other cats in her previous home, so I was told she should remain in a single cat household.  When I first let her loose she immediately started exploring the house.  She's a little weird for a cat. She has no interest in human food (beyond sniffing it), she's not picky at all about her cat food, and she doesn't care about boxes at all.   It took her a couple of weeks but she'll curl up in my lap and snooze.  Here she is not using either of the boxes on her cat tree. 
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Mar 2, 2018 15:42
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Synthbuttrange posted:cat pee pee crystals is the worst give them all the water they want. Seconding this. Even if you give them the water, they may not drink enough and still get pee crystals anyway 
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Mar 2, 2018 19:41
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My cat only drinks from the shower. My husband showers in the morning and I shower in the evening to ensure clean puddles of water. She will not drink when watched. She will refuse any other water if possible, and when we have tried to change this (fountains, bowls, etc.) I have caught her halfway down the toilet slurping away. edit: obviously we mainly feed her wet food (and wet food "soups" which she loves).
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Mar 2, 2018 21:48
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YAAAAAAY!!! Somebody finally adopted Sardine in the last few months!!!  I really truly hope she wound up with a happy home with people who love her... I had been worried because 4 or 5 months had passed and I'd been checking the (no kill) Shelter's webpage waiting for her profile to go away, but it never did... Until just now. I hope she made a really good and close kitty-friend at the shelter, and they got adopted together. She's a cat whose... like, purpose in life is to follow around and watch another cat at all times, to groom and lick said cat at least once a day proficiently - sleep when that cat sleeps, eat when they eat, poop when they poop, etc. I can't imagine Sardine living alone and I tried to make that totally explicitly clear to them, but they just saw her immediately behaving skittishly and freaked out, and I would bet she was like kept in the back by herself - it would say which room which cat was in and for the longest time she was in like, "Cat Colony 2", perhaps 3, with like one other cat sometimes or no other cats.The last time I checked on her she had been moved to "the kitten room" and was adopted shortly thereafter. She *is* really excellent with other cats and probably kittens, so my dream is she's in some big rich house playing the big sister to some cute and feisty Tortie or Maine Coon mutt Makes me happy to think about.
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Mar 3, 2018 19:45
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My cat passed away last night. She had been urinating outside her litter box so I took her to the vet. They did a lot of blood tests, urine tests, etc. They diagnosed her with diabetes and she was scheduled to start insulin in a couple of days. It apparently wasn't severe enough to be needed urgently. The next morning she could hardly move. We took her to the emergency vet where she was diagnosed with DKA and given a 50/50 chance of survival. Her blood pH was 7.01. They ran a central line and started hydration and a tonne of drugs. She was improving until suddenly her heart stopped. They revived her and she arrested again a few minutes after. We managed to get to the hospital at that point to sit with her. They said she was likely going to arrest again shortly, but she held on for several more hours and things were looking up again. Then she stopped breathing and was put on machines to breathe for her. Then her heart stopped again, they revived her. An hour or so later she became completely non responsive, no pupil reactions, nothing. At this point her chance of recovery was zero and I made the decision to euthanize. She wasn't in there anymore  I miss my cat and don't know how to get through this. She was my best friend. She sat on my desk on a blanket every day while I worked, she helped me get through the stress of finishing a PhD, she made everything worthwhile. I keep trying to figure out what I could have done differently to save my friend. Edit: the emergency vet thinks she also had cancer and a UTI which made things worse. She was visiting the vet monthly at this point for checkups and management of a skin condition. It keeps coming back to that for me, she was getting monthly check ups. I want there to be a reason that this is my fault. Maybe if I'd driven faster to the emergency vet
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Mar 5, 2018 03:31
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It's not your fault. You did the right thing in taking care of her and it sounds like you went to great lengths on her last day. It's good that you could be with her in the end. Be kind to yourself and think about the happier times.
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Mar 5, 2018 04:25
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yoloer420 posted:I want there to be a reason that this is my fault. Maybe if I'd driven faster to the emergency vet I know how you feel, but this isn't your fault. You gave her all the love and care you could, more than a lot of people would have done, and the only "mistake" I can see you having made is trusting the vet's diagnostic decision that her diabetes wasn't an emergency when it actually was. That's nobody's fault, just a mistake. Please don't feel guilty.
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Mar 5, 2018 04:47
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I didn't even know they have life support machines for cats
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Mar 5, 2018 06:48
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| # ? May 16, 2024 16:02 |
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Snazzy Frocks posted:I didn't even know they have life support machines for cats They're the same ones they use on infants
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Mar 5, 2018 07:02
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