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Gorgar posted:Depends on how they get along. I did exactly that, adopt the sister too, and it turned out they didn't really like each other. well the brother does chase the smaller sister a lot, so she hides - but that could be because I live in the city and there are loud noises. Even he hides sometimes. I have them both over now pet sitting. Is there a sure-fire way to tell if one doesn't like the other?
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Mar 11, 2018 19:50
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Hiding is not probably a good sign. Mine did that too. She was afraid of people, noises, other cats. Her brother was fearful too at first, and they'd hide together, so I didn't see the problem for a while. When he got comfortable, he started evicting her from her favorite perch, and bullying her at feeding time. It took a lot of work to make her confident enough to stand up for herself. He's been nice to the other two cats since she passed, so I think it was just her. She was a sad, broken little cat. Yours probably aren't, right? But if she hides from him and doesn't chase back, it does not sound like she enjoys this. I would look at this closely, see if she's afraid of or irritated by him.
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Mar 11, 2018 20:18
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Do they groom each other at all or sleep together? If they do they probably like each other enough to be adopted together. Most cats enjoy having a partner around when humans are at work.
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Mar 11, 2018 22:07
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Conventional wisdom is that a single cat is always worse than a pair in terms of training your cats to play non violently, avoiding the depression, especially if you commute to work, and generally getting exercise. Kitten behavior is rarely an indication of adult behavior. The fact that the cats already know each other is good and introducing new animals is stressful and equally likely to produce comradeship. Might be you just have a hider.
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Mar 11, 2018 22:10
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Glory to Italia!
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There are some cats who are genuinely better off alone, but if you really want just a lone cat, your best bet is going to a shelter and asking the staff. Not applicable in this situation, though.ILL Machina posted:Kitten behavior is rarely an indication of adult behavior. The fact that the cats already know each other is good and introducing new animals is stressful and equally likely to produce comradeship. Might be you just have a hider. Also this. Cats are generally pretty social, on their own terms, but it's hard to predict what an adult cat will be like when it's a kitten. And yes, some cats just love to hide and don't come out much so it's not necessarily a sign of timidity or being unhappy. Grooming is a good sign. Some amount of chasing and tussling is a good sign - but not if they're drawing blood. Cats, especially young cats, will fight and tussle and play, so don't be concerned unless it gets really bad. Also remember to get them spayed and neutered when they're old enough if they haven't been already.
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Mar 11, 2018 23:00
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Is there a good non-prescription food for cats with urine crystals? This came up on a search but I have no idea if it would do the trick: https://www.chewy.com/wysong-uretic-dry-cat-food-5-lb-bag/dp/55339
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Mar 12, 2018 02:04
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Most of them don't require prescriptions I don't think. I use the Royal canine UR wet food with just a teensy bit of their urinary SO dry food. Not the cheapest but way cheaper than that first vet visit was, and he's been a healthy boycat ever since we swapped him over.
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Mar 12, 2018 06:28
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Today I was feeling very lousy and down and when I called for one of my cats, (who ignored me and laid there like a blob) the other one bounds off the cat tree and into my arms and just let me hug her while she purred for 20 mins until I put myself back together. Normally she would fuss and demand to be put down if I held her close like that but today she just knew what I needed. This is why you get to live here, cat.
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Mar 12, 2018 11:39
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ILL Machina posted:Most of them don't require prescriptions I don't think. I use the Royal canine UR wet food with just a teensy bit of their urinary SO dry food. Not the cheapest but way cheaper than that first vet visit was, and he's been a healthy boycat ever since we swapped him over. The science diet the stuff my vet gave is prescription only. He only seems to be interested in dry food. Both cats been drinking a lot more water since I got a water fountain installed (their pee balls are huge and I see them lapping on the fountain water a lot now) so I don't feel as worried about him getting crystals if I do a less potent food, but I'll keep him on the prescription stuff till I find an acceptable alternate.
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Mar 12, 2018 14:48
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Raimondo posted:I bought these: Just wanted to thank you for this recommendation! I got mine yesterday and can already see the difference it's making. Definitely going to look into buying a second one for our other litterbox now. 
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Mar 12, 2018 15:57
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Hmm. I'm gonna get those cat mats. Should I get brown to match the floor, or grey to match the litter that will inevitably sit on it?
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Mar 12, 2018 16:04
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I have a similar mat, different brand. Litter does tend to get stuck in it, and having one big one makes it sort of hard to clean. If you can take it outside, or you're using flushable litter, it's less of a problem. I'm not sure how I'd deal with it if it was clay litter in an apartment though, as you don't want clay in the pipes. It does a pretty good job of reducing litter tracking, but I still have to vacuum or sweep a few times a week with three cats.
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Mar 12, 2018 17:25
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Does anyone have a recommendation for a lead harness for walking/hiking? How does the thin adjustable strap style compare to the solid panel jacket style?
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Mar 12, 2018 19:27
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Anyone have suggestions for a kitty that...doesn't quite play rough, but does have some unwanted behaviors like licking my arm, and then immediately gnawing the poo poo out of it. He's not really grabbing any skin, but just grinding his front teeth on the bony part of my arm/hand when I go to pet him. Kitty is about a year old.
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Mar 12, 2018 20:55
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Wicaeed posted:Anyone have suggestions for a kitty that...doesn't quite play rough, but does have some unwanted behaviors like licking my arm, and then immediately gnawing the poo poo out of it. Licking is kinda cute but not so much the biting. Make a loud yelp/squeal/mreow and and end playtime for a while any time it happens which should tell them its not ok.
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Mar 12, 2018 21:10
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slave to my cravings posted:Do they groom each other at all or sleep together? If they do they probably like each other enough to be adopted together. Most cats enjoy having a partner around when humans are at work. Cythereal posted:Also this. Cats are generally pretty social, on their own terms, but it's hard to predict what an adult cat will be like when it's a kitten. And yes, some cats just love to hide and don't come out much so it's not necessarily a sign of timidity or being unhappy. Haven't seen them groom yet or cuddle, but sister cat is taking part in the chasing and is no longer hiding as much. I'm thinking that there is no way in hell my friend would let me adopt both because his wife is very attached to the sister. She wouldn't be alone at his house since their two dogs have taken a liking to her. If I adopt the brother, it would be good to get a kitten to pair with him down the line right? A different friend just found a pregnant momma kitty at his back porch and took her in.
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Mar 13, 2018 00:00
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Lube banjo posted:If I adopt the brother, it would be good to get a kitten to pair with him down the line right? A different friend just found a pregnant momma kitty at his back porch and took her in. Generally a good idea, but far from guaranteed. If you do adopt the brother, it will be worth seeing if he seems to need a friend or not. Many, even most cats like having a buddy, but some don't.
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Mar 13, 2018 00:46
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Boogalo posted:Licking is kinda cute but not so much the biting. Make a loud yelp/squeal/mreow and and end playtime for a while any time it happens which should tell them its not ok. Yeah, the chomping is love (You'd know if it was an angry bite because those little buggers have incredible jaw strength) but you want to discourage it, and Boogalo's advice is the right way to do it. A loud yelp of 'pain' and then ignore them for a little bit, they should get the message.
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Mar 13, 2018 05:35
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taqueso posted:Does anyone have a recommendation for a lead harness for walking/hiking? How does the thin adjustable strap style compare to the solid panel jacket style? My cat hated the thin straps but loved the jacket and I’ve heard similar about other cats. Just be aware that uh. Walking a cat is not like walking a dog, it’s more like following while they explore. I guess if you had the right cat you could probably train them to walk alongside you like a dog but they don’t really default to it.
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Mar 13, 2018 05:46
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Boogalo posted:Licking is kinda cute but not so much the biting. Make a loud yelp/squeal/mreow and and end playtime for a while any time it happens which should tell them its not ok. Will this work on older cats that may have developed some bad habits pre-adoption? My female cat has a bit of a biting habit when she starts feeling hungry.
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Mar 13, 2018 05:53
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It should work on anything eventually, it just might take more time.
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Mar 13, 2018 05:57
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Organza Quiz posted:My cat hated the thin straps but loved the jacket and I’ve heard similar about other cats. Just be aware that uh. Walking a cat is not like walking a dog, it’s more like following while they explore. I guess if you had the right cat you could probably train them to walk alongside you like a dog but they don’t really default to it. Yeah, definately going into it with a 'hey maybe this could be cool' attitude. Glad you said that, I just got a jacket type off etsy.
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Mar 13, 2018 06:10
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Terry, a 7-year-old male, has been living in my apartment with me for a month and he's developing some bad bathroom behaviors. Yesterday he peed in a cardboard box I had out for him to play in. I threw out the box and cleaned up, and then I got some new litter and made his litterbox pristine in the hopes he'd return to pee there. But he just pissed on the couch next to me, gross. Any ideas for getting him back to his litter box? I don't think he's spraying because he's stressed out; I think he's just unhappy with the current bathroom arrangements. This is a different type of litter than he'd had before (it's the lighter-weight stuff) so that might be part of it. Anything I can do to get him more adjusted to this new litter, or do I just need to find the old kind? Thanks for any advice you can give. e: His litterbox is in the bathroom and it's easy for him to get to. But I also feed him in there, could that be part of the problem?
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Mar 13, 2018 06:12
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Potentially. The normal bad peeing advice goes: get n+1 boxes and find a litter they like, remove materials that are making them pee (like some rubbers/plastics), if you're transitioning litter try to do it gradually, try to leave them visibility so they feel safe but also kinda boxed, remove stressors like crystals or other animals, make sure he's not doing it for attention, do your best to rush him to the box so he associates peeing with the spot, remove old pee spots with enzymatic cleaner (try to treat carpet padding too), then talk to your vet about behavioral meds or live with it forever or burn the house down and disappear.
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Mar 13, 2018 07:01
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At one point I had a rubber mat that was supposed to catch loose kitty litter around the tray, but my cat would just urinate on it. I’m not sure if it was a dumb product or a dumb cat.
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Mar 13, 2018 07:18
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ILL Machina posted:Potentially. The normal bad peeing advice goes: get n+1 boxes and find a litter they like, remove materials that are making them pee (like some rubbers/plastics), if you're transitioning litter try to do it gradually, try to leave them visibility so they feel safe but also kinda boxed, remove stressors like crystals or other animals, make sure he's not doing it for attention, do your best to rush him to the box so he associates peeing with the spot, remove old pee spots with enzymatic cleaner (try to treat carpet padding too), then talk to your vet about behavioral meds or live with it forever or burn the house down and disappear. Yeah, makes sense. One thing I realized is that the litter was probably too deep in there -- I dumped out like half of it so it's back to 1-2 inches depth. He might be happier with that, I hope.
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Mar 13, 2018 07:36
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ILL Machina posted:Potentially. The normal bad peeing advice goes: get n+1 boxes and find a litter they like, remove materials that are making them pee (like some rubbers/plastics), if you're transitioning litter try to do it gradually, try to leave them visibility so they feel safe but also kinda boxed, remove stressors like crystals or other animals, make sure he's not doing it for attention, do your best to rush him to the box so he associates peeing with the spot, remove old pee spots with enzymatic cleaner (try to treat carpet padding too), then talk to your vet about behavioral meds or live with it forever or burn the house down and disappear. I know this is about silica litter crystals (they can be sharp), but I am cracking up at the image of an owner surrounding the litter box with too many New Age crystals to enhance the aura and freaking kitty out.
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Mar 13, 2018 14:11
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Raimondo posted:I bought these: i picked up a 3M mat very very very similar to this (was just all that weird surface and not cross-hatched) at costco for other reasons, though I might try it for the litter now. Still, seems like a pain in the rear end to clean out
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Mar 14, 2018 08:42
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duckfarts posted:i picked up a 3M mat very very very similar to this (was just all that weird surface and not cross-hatched) at costco for other reasons, though I might try it for the litter now. Still, seems like a pain in the rear end to clean out I have one in this style. Normal vacuum with a beater brush or upholstery attachment works fine. For the super stuck things, hold it upside down and let it hang in a U shape, working your hands alternately up and down can work out anything super stuck but i stopped doing this since a few still stuck stuff after the vacuum doesn't really matter. If you use a flushable litter like world's best you can just wash it when you do the boxes and stuff will dissolve out.
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Mar 14, 2018 16:38
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I need some cat help. The problem: She wakes me up almost every day between 4 and 4:30 AM. I think the reason she does it is because the first 2.5 years we had her I had to wake up at 4 AM for work, but now I don't have to wake up until 7 so it is a MASSIVE drag. And I have always been a light sleeper and always been especially terrible at falling back asleep once I wake up, so it's actually a kinda big problem. She wakes me up by repeatedly meowing loudly in my ear and/or literally crawling on my head. The background: She's five years old. Spayed. We found her ~4.8 years ago in a vacant lot near our house and didn't intend to keep her but no one responded to craigslist or animal services type postings so we ended up keeping her. We live on the edge of town, I think she was almost certainly dumped there for whatever reason. She definitely didn't come from any of the neighbors within a half mile or so because we know all of them. She exhibits the prime behavior of a cat that was separated from her mother too early, suckling on blankets/pillows/my shirt/etc. Pretty sure she identifies me specifically as her mother. She also seems to have some form of pica. We can't leave one of those fleece cat whip things on the floor because she will literally eat it. Not just chewing on it until it disintegrates, more like 6"+ of cat whip in her gullet. She ate the little wires on the wifi antenna attached to my computer. Couple days ago she was eating the plastic edge protectors on our new couch. If there are cat versions of Down's syndrome and autism I'm pretty sure she has those too. And I'm not really joking. Things I have tried: 1. Yelling at her very loudly. 2. Shoving her off the bed, over and over and over again. 3. Spraying her with a squirt bottle of water. 4. Paying more attention to her during waking hours and especially right before bed time. Literally petting her for as long as she'd stay there. 5. Trying to "tire her out" with play. It didn't think this would work but I tried it for a week anyway. She gets a lot of play time by randomly attacking the other cats and running around the house like a crazed person, which is why I didn't think this had a chance of working. Now that I think about it though I might actually try this again just because it was the first thing I really tried and that was so long ago it might be worth another shot due to her being older now. 6. Keeping the door to the bedroom shut. This resulted in: A. My wife's cat throwing himself repeatedly against the door. And he's a big beefy lad. Absolute unit. Not only would wake me up but would prevent me from falling asleep. Plus I just kinda feel bad for the non problem cats either getting locked in or locked out (and we'd rather not have them locked in because we'd rather not have a litter box in the master) B. Carpet damage outside the door. But probably not from the problem cat, probably from the previously mentioned big one. Any other ideas?
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Mar 15, 2018 02:55
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She sounds pretty similar to my cats honestly. Is she hungry and demanding food at 4am or just wants to play? If it’s food then you could try an auto feeder, if it’s play then it might be harder. I think I read somewhere that cats are nocturnal so getting them to adapt to human schedules can be hard. My cats will chew on stuff and wake me up at 4am but it’s pretty much only hunger related. I’ve just accepted it at this point. Exercise and play during the day is probably the only other thing you can do. You could also try to mess with her sleep schedule by keeping her awake during the day to force her to sleep at night. You could try to get a white noise machine as well just for yourself. If she is eating electrical cords or other sensitive items you could try rubbing some hot sauce on it. That usually deters my cats pretty well.
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Mar 15, 2018 03:28
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veiled boner fuel posted:I need some cat help. Basically, you have trained her to be a pest. She wants attention from you and has learned how to get it. You have to untrain her. You can leave the door open, but must absolutely ignore her and not respond in any way to anything she does. She has to learn that when the humans are in the bed, she's not going to get any attention no matter how hard she tries. Eventually (like maybe after a couple weeks) she'll figure it out and find something else to entertain herself with.
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Mar 15, 2018 04:39
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effika posted:I know this is about silica litter crystals (they can be sharp). I was glossing over the obvious potential health problems like urine crystals causing peetime stress and pain.
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Mar 15, 2018 04:43
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LIVE AMMO ROLEPLAY posted:At one point I had a rubber mat that was supposed to catch loose kitty litter around the tray, but my cat would just urinate on it. I’m not sure if it was a dumb product or a dumb cat. Naw it's something about the plastic...polyurethane or something. I've heard some can mimic the triggers in their "I've peed here before" brain parts the way the ammonia does, but I'm no cat scientist. I can't have any rubber mats anywhere. When he was younger (even after the life threatening crystal scare and pee pain, followup box aversion, and subsequent lifetime Prozac sub) rex started peeing on them within two hours, even the ones with rubber bottoms and carpeted top. We got rid of them and now I'm scared to try them again. ILL Machina fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Mar 15, 2018 |
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Mar 15, 2018 04:48
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veiled boner fuel posted:I need some cat help. When she does this pick her up and drop her in a bathroom and close the door behind her. She stays in there till it's time for you to wake up. Ideally a bathroom far enough away her meows are muffled.
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Mar 15, 2018 06:37
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Spikes32 posted:When she does this pick her up and drop her in a bathroom and close the door behind her. She stays in there till it's time for you to wake up. Ideally a bathroom far enough away her meows are muffled. This is exactly how we do it. We did it with a couple of cats who are now adults and they don't wake us up in the morning any more. A kitten we have just started doing this and it took 2 mornings in the laundry room for him to learn his cat lesson. If they've been doing it for longer they may need more laundry mornings. edit: this is for cats who wake us up 2 hours early by pushing stuff off shelves in our bedroom, jumping on us, jangling things hanging on the wall when they want morning food. It's not for pica. redreader fucked around with this message at 08:42 on Mar 15, 2018 |
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Mar 15, 2018 07:41
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This is all well and good, but I've learned that smarter cats will start running from you to dodge the bathroom, persistent ones will gently caress up your door, and troubled ones can get stressed from the imprisonment. My dad's cat used to run into the bathroom before my dad until my dad started locking the door behind him. Then the cat stopped rushing in and was getting picked up and put in there, but he's still tried to wake my dad up. Then he started staying out of reach and the arms race to punish or isolate the cat didn't stop until after something like two months of sleepless mornings laying unresponsive in bed until the alarm went off. Never had a problem afterward, even if the cat would show up and wait by the alarm in anticipation, he wasn't loving with the blinds and poo poo anymore.
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Mar 15, 2018 22:03
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It’s definitely an attention thing and not a food thing. Thanks for the tips. Think I’ll try locking her in one of the bathrooms that has a litter box in it and leaving her there until 6:30 or 7. Thinking I should put water in it, but maybe not food?
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Mar 15, 2018 22:29
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veiled boner fuel posted:It’s definitely an attention thing and not a food thing. Your cat sounds a lot like one of mine. She was a feral cat found by an owner running around their yard. Only 4 weeks old, and got socialized with adult cats. She's 6 now, exhibits destructive behavior (every drat cable I have contains some teeth marks on it). She's a sweetheart otherwise! I've managed it at night by putting a ssscat at my bedroom door after I close it, so she won't claw my door. My other cat seems okay with it. I realize this may or may not work for you but it's something to think about.
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Mar 15, 2018 23:04
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veiled boner fuel posted:It’s definitely an attention thing and not a food thing. Yeah, she'll need some water, but no need to put food in there I shouldn't think. She'll probably go nuts at first, but putting a crazy cat in a room of their own for a while should calm them down.
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Mar 16, 2018 12:32
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