|
Eh, possibly unpopular opinion but if he hates the collar he'd probably just slip it as soon as he got out - one of my cats has a habit of that. Unless it's a legal requirement in your area then his microchip should at least identify him if necessary. If you want to get him used to it then give him tons of treats just for getting near it until he associates it with nice things and then start putting it on for short periods while stuffing his face with treats. Like harness training basically. As for taking him out, does he seem bored inside? When one of my cats was an only cat she would get super bored and any new toy would only amuse her for a day or a week at most before she tired of it. She'd then start stalking the house looking for trouble and getting into things she shouldn't. I started taking her out on a harness every evening and just letting her sniff stuff around the house before we went back inside for dinner and that seemed to do the trick. It was a pain though and getting her a buddy to play with was much simpler (ymmv there if your cat hates other cats).
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2019 15:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 10:57 |
|
|
Another thing to consider is how likely your cat is to want to roam or avoid wanting to come back inside. I could take my old cat that I had to get put down last year outside and just stand around while he roamed nearby without a leash. He wouldn't wander very far from me and when I wanted to bring him back in he wouldn't try to get away. I don't think I could do that with the other three cats I currently have (maybe DD, the girl cat, could handle it) since I know LT, the fluffy one, would want to climb poo poo and Oscar might bolt if he got spooked. Also, my neighbor used to do the same thing with her old cat, so it's something that really depends on the cat. And it's not an age thing because that neighbor was bringing her cat, Rocky, outside since I moved in here over 15 years ago. I don't think I've ever put a collar on a cat that I've owned. I know some cats don't mind them or get used to them, but I've just never bothered trying to get to that point.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2019 15:37
|
|
|
rear end in a top hat hated his when we first put it on him and would break it off constantly. We just caught him and put it back on. Now if it falls off he sits still and lets us pop it right back on like a good kitty. It's an early alert that someone is about to get hunted.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2019 15:39
|
|
|
I walk both my cats occasionally, weather permitting, and they both react very differently to it. It does help with boredom, but it basically amounts to standing around for fifteen minutes holding one so he can see while the other wanders around and sniffs everything. Harness training can take weeks as well--ideally, treats to associate the harness with good things, using treats to lure them through it so they see it's nothing bad, and practice wearing it inside. Some cats will hate it and then go outside and realize harness means 'oooo outside time!!' and tolerate it because they want to see the outdoors even if they otherwise hate wearing a harness. Personally, I prefer step through harnesses over the ones you strap them in. It is also useful to do some training to make sure if for some ungodly reason the cat ever manages to get off harness, you can get them back---Lucky knows sit and stay and come fairly well, to the extent he responds to them when we are out and about with the appropriate cue. Won't matter if he's spooked and manages to get loose, but it helps my peace of mind. Also training will help them be less bored, as it's a puzzle. The same practices in 101 Dog Tricks by Kyra Sundance work just as well with cats, and are what I've used/use for my cats. Puzzle feeders are also good, if your cat can work them out.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2019 15:42
|
|
|
Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll look into some training and enrichment options for him. I've been meaning to get a puzzle feeder cloth mat for him too for when I give him dry food (his diet is basically 50/50 wet/dry right now) and that might help as well.Organza Quiz posted:As for taking him out, does he seem bored inside? When one of my cats was an only cat she would get super bored and any new toy would only amuse her for a day or a week at most before she tired of it. She'd then start stalking the house looking for trouble and getting into things she shouldn't. I started taking her out on a harness every evening and just letting her sniff stuff around the house before we went back inside for dinner and that seemed to do the trick. It was a pain though and getting her a buddy to play with was much simpler (ymmv there if your cat hates other cats). Yeah, he seems pretty restless a lot of the time. Same situation with toys - the most attention he's paid to one ever since getting bored of the laser pointer is that scratching thing he's lounging on in that photo, and even that wore off after about a week. He loves to cuddle and be a lap buddy but won't really engage with toys (and I've tried a lot). The shelter I got him from had him in a separate "one-cat area" (there was another open area for the cat-friendly cats where they free roamed) so I'm hesitant to get him a buddy, especially since I don't make a ton of money and double the food/litter/etc plus an additional apartment fee makes that a pretty nonviable option right now. Said apartment is also the reason I can't really just let him roam outside, even if I'm out there with him. They have a strict indoor-only pet policy so leashes or strollers are really the only option for getting him outside.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2019 17:28
|
|
|
Oh my god. Put the baby in a stroller! 
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2019 17:41
|
|
|
My wife and I are at our wits end after this weekend with our new cat Skippy. We adopted him at the end of June. He's a very sweet almost 9 month old. He was extremely shy for the first week and we kept him in my bedroom before introducing him to his sister Jezebel, our 9 month old cat. He warmed up to us finally during that week and has been pretty happy. He loves Jezebel (who really can't stand him, but she manages to put him in his place more or less gently), and everything was going good. He liked getting pets and purred and was coming out of his shell. Then yesterday was his vet checkup appointment. In addition to the checkup, we were going to have the clinic insert the microchip the shelter we got him from gave us, and get his nails trimmed. Somehow he knew what was up, even though we left the carrier in the bedroom the entire time and he would go in it when we left treats in there occasionally over the past few weeks. It took us about 30 minutes (and the lifting of a mattress and box spring) to somehow corral him into the carrier, especially since if we try to pick him up he flails around with his claws. After getting that done and getting him to the vet, he was so scared there they couldn't weigh him, get the chip installed, or trim his nails. The vet was able to hear his lungs and heart and those were OK, and got samples from his ears. Turns out he has an ear infection, so we are supposed to put drops in his ears twice a day for the next two weeks. The vet said starting today would be OK since he was so traumatized by yesterday's events. We got him home, and he regressed a lot, and hid under the bed for the rest of the day. Earlier today we tried to put the drops in his ears while he was eating, and we got a few in before he flipped out and hid. We figured we'd just have to wrap him up in a blanket and do it that way this evening. So we just got done with that ordeal which took forever since he is very fast and knows we are up to something, and ran all around the small room we had him in trying to hide everywhere he could. We finally cornered him, put the drops in his ears, and now he is hiding once again. I feel like we are scaring this poor cat to death. We have to put these drops in another 26 more times over the next couple weeks, I don't know how we are going to do that. Is there anything we can do to make this easier? Here is this nervous jerk. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 02:35
|
|
|
My cat is now roided out. His velvet jellybean testicles will probably get even smaller.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 02:47
|
|
|
Countblanc posted:Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll look into some training and enrichment options for him. I've been meaning to get a puzzle feeder cloth mat for him too for when I give him dry food (his diet is basically 50/50 wet/dry right now) and that might help as well. Have you tried a small bouncy ball? The only toy/game Pepper has never gotten bored with is if she sits in a corner and I roll the ball at her and she plays goalie.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 03:03
|
|
|
CapMoron posted:We have to put these drops in another 26 more times over the next couple weeks, I don't know how we are going to do that. Is there anything we can do to make this easier? He's beautiful. Sorry you're having such a time with him. I'd suggest two things: 1) swaddle him, both for comfort and your safety. A good swaddle can really help a nervous cat calm down. and 2) warm the drops. Drops at room temperature feel really cold and painful going into an ear, and can even make a cat dizzy. (People too, for that matter.) If you tuck the bottle under your arm for 10-15 minutes to take the chill off, that could help a lot. Towel-swaddling really helps with anxiety as well as control. There are lots of instructions online. They're not all great, but basically, you give the cat his own nice big old soft bath towel, for his use only so that it becomes a comfort item. To swaddle, you place the cat diagonally on the towel, head toward one corner. (Note, you don't have to flip the cat on his back for this - paws down works better.) Bring one side over, then fold the bottom of the towel up and over, then bring the other side over, tucking and folding as you go to make it snug enough that the cat cannot flail or get a paw free. You especially have to make sure that the neck area is snug - not so snug that it presses too hard, but snug enough that he can't wriggle out. You now have a cat bundle. Warning: it will be adorable, so use that. Don't go right for the medicine; hold him close and soothe him for a bit. In my experience, even the most furious cat will acquiesce pretty quickly. Some will actually come to demand their towel time. In time, you can get to the point where you can swaddle securely while even leaving one paw out at a time to clip nails. Good luck!
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 04:38
|
|
|
Max scared the crap out of me last week with a goopy eye. She's always had allergies where one of her eyes will get a little leaky but this time it was yellow instead of clear discharge and within 24 hours her eye had gone from kinda bad looking to welded shut. She was a little trooper though and let me poke and prod and eventually rinse it repeatedly with vet eye-drops for a few days. This week she's totally back to normal and I still don't know if it was an infection or she just got something in there that I managed to get out. Cats! I just wanted to share a funny thing from last night since there's been sad stories lately. We bought a new house and it has a nice screened porch that we can let the cats go chill on (they love this) and while I'm in the kitchen making dinner the husband goes to let them in and he starts complaining to me that he can't get the cats off the porch. I put down my spatula, go over to the porch door and say "Hey, get-in-the-house!" They both look up and slink on inside without any fuss. I'm not sure when get-in-the-house became a proper command but they sure know it. Also we bought a primarily black rug for the office and the giant chonker black cat loves to be invisible on it, but then he ruins the stealth by meowing every time. e: Just noticed the drops post above- Any time you do medical stuff to the cat, treat it. Especially if they're food motivated, they'll learn to tolerate the unpleasant ear drops with pets and treats if you give them right away. Mine are a little over 10 years old now and at this point they don't even run off after eye drops or pills, they just sit there and give me the "I was good, where's my cookie?" look. mistaya fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Jul 29, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 17:14
|
|
|
Thanks for the replies all! We did try the swaddling, he was just too smart for it. We'd put the blanket we were using down, and he knew we were up to something and wouldn't walk on it. We're going to try again, but he is a pretty smart cat for avoiding what he thinks is danger. Also, we definitely use treats anytime we need to do anything that is going to be unpleasant for him, or when he does something we want him to do. I've been trying to get him more comfortable with being picked up by starting with just lifting him off the floor and onto the bed and then immediately giving him a treat, which was going pretty well. The vet visit just traumatized the poor little guy so much that he has regressed a bit and even treats now seem like they might be a trap to him. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 17:22
|
|
|
Dropped my furry rear end in a top hat at the vet this morning, he’s been ignoring the litter box for the mat in front of it/random places in the house for about two weeks now. Thought it might have been a territorial thing with the neighborhood strays (despite being neutered and a strictly indoor cat for three years now) but I’d rather be safe than sorry. If it turns out to be bladder crystals, what’s the treatment method that y’all have used that’s easiest on both cat and person? In some 25 years of having cats in my life I’ve never had this issue crop up before, so I was hoping to get some pointers from those who may have gone through it. (Note that there’s another cat in the apartment and no real way to be able to separate one’s food from the other.) Obligatory cat tax: 
ShadowedFlames fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Jul 29, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 17:31
|
|
|
Rotten Red Rod posted:I'm worried about one of our cats, and I wanted to see if anyone in this thread has seen something similar. And yes, before anyone asks, he's already been to the vet once and they couldn't find anything seriously wrong, and he's going in today for an x-ray. I'd love to hear what the diagnosis is when you get it. I wouldn't expect it to be cancer since he's so young, but of course it's possible. Our senior cat who started losing weight rapidly got a diagnosis of "either IBD or cancer" but she's so fragile that we don't want to put her through the biopsy to determine for sure, and the treatment is the same for both in her case anyway. ShadowedFlames posted:Dropped my furry rear end in a top hat at the vet this morning, he’s been ignoring the litter box for the mat in front of it/random places in the house for about two weeks now. Thought it might have been a territorial thing with the neighborhood strays (despite being neutered and a strictly indoor cat for three years now) but I’d rather be safe than sorry. He's your cat, so you get to decide how you approach things like this, but your cat was probably not peeing outside the box because of a "territorial thing." Eliminating outside the box is a classic sign of a health problem in cats. It is very rarely a behavioral thing. Ignoring it for two weeks, especially in a male cat, is very dangerous. The treatment is going to vary a lot depending on what's wrong. It might be a bladder infection, which would require antibiotics and painkillers every day (painkillers for a few days so he doesn't feel pain when he pees, antibiotics for at least two weeks, sometimes longer if the infection is stubborn). If you need antibiotics, you should make sure the antibiotic is matched to the specific infection he's got, don't just do a broad antibiotic and "wait and see" if it helps. Antibiotics may cause nausea and diarrhea so you have to monitor him really closely for those, too. If it's crystals, he may require a special wet food diet for the rest of his life. No treats, no sneaking other cat's food. Otherwise you risk him getting crystals again, and urinary crystals can kill a male cat pretty quickly and painfully by blocking the urethra. He may require surgery if it's really bad. There are some supplies that you can buy that make pilling a cat less torturous if you have trouble medicating him, but you need to know what you're up against first. mistaya posted:e: Just noticed the drops post above- Any time you do medical stuff to the cat, treat it. Especially if they're food motivated, they'll learn to tolerate the unpleasant ear drops with pets and treats if you give them right away. Mine are a little over 10 years old now and at this point they don't even run off after eye drops or pills, they just sit there and give me the "I was good, where's my cookie?" look.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 21:29
|
|
|
LoreOfSerpents posted:It's awesome that you've been following up on this with specialists. It sounds like you're already doing the right thing - getting more diagnostic info and trying to identify what is really going on with the vets. Lethargy and weight loss are hugely concerning so hopefully you caught it early. You knew to keep an eye on his food intake, which is great. If you weren't already aware, you should also keep an eye on litter box habits - is he pooping regularly, does it look normal, that sort of thing. Since they found a bunch of gas, I wonder if his litter box habits changed along the way. Thanks, he's going to get an ultrasound on Thursday (soonest we could get him in). In the meantime, we're giving him wet food twice daily and mixing in some nutrients given to us by the vet. Nothing has been especially worrying about his litterbox habits.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 21:39
|
|
|
Rotten Red Rod posted:Thanks, he's going to get an ultrasound on Thursday (soonest we could get him in). In the meantime, we're giving him wet food twice daily and mixing in some nutrients given to us by the vet. Nothing has been especially worrying about his litterbox habits. Our anorexic cat had elevated white blood cells for one vet trip which made us worry about cancer, but it was while she had a bladder infection. After we got rid of the bladder infection, her white blood cell count thankfully returned to normal. We also did an ultrasound for her, which was great - they imaged everything. Her stomach, kidneys, liver, intestines... we got so much info from that trip. We had to not feed her for 8 hours in advance, though, which was such a horrible experience that we actually called the ultrasound place as soon as they opened and asked if we could bring her in early. She was also incredibly hyperactive when she was younger, and I had given up on her ever being that way again, but she rebounded really well once we got the nausea/diarrhea/nightmare combo under control. We also put her on a hemp supplement at our vet's direction (there's a vet company that makes them for pets), and oh my god that made a huge difference in her activity level. Poor old kitty was probably in a lot of pain. Now she's back to kicking the poo poo out of all of her oversized stuffed toys and launching herself off the cat tower at speed like her one goal in life is to break her hip. That's with a diagnosis of "might still be cancer," so even if you get rough news, there's still hope. And remember, if you really don't like the news you get, you can always get a second opinion!
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 22:37
|
|
|
Yeah they did all those blood + fecal tests on the first vet visit (pre-xray). So the ultrasound discovered the bladder infection? Hopefully it turns up something treatable like that and he can get back to his normal self. Interesting to note about the hemp supplement - I'll keep it in mind.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 22:57
|
|
|
LoreOfSerpents posted:This is kind of like when people go to BFC and say "I want to have lots of money but I also want to keep spending $500 a month on Puzzles & Dragons." Having multiple cats gets a lot harder when one of them starts having health issues, and that usually means your life is going to suck a little (or a lot) more. I’m still waiting on a diagnosis from the vet; I just wanted to look at what I thought was the worst-case scenario so I knew what the worst to prepare for would be. Figure that if I expect the worst, and it’s not as bad, I know I’d be mentally and emotionally ready for it regardless. As mentioned, I’d never seen this behavior before in any of the other cats I’ve had in my lifetime. Other cat owners I know and talked to in my local area had the same thought as me, that it was territorial because of the strays. Being that he was a former stray, I thought it likely and took steps to prevent that factor. Today was the earliest I could get him in and afford the services thanks to a lot of car repair bills in the last week, after ruling out territory issues. (Why does everything have to always fall apart all at once?!  )That’s why I left him at the vet, so they could get what they need for a urinalysis and make their diagnosis. They offered to let me bring him home and treat him as if he had a UTI, but I shut that down because I didn’t want to try treatment for something he may not even have. Find fault with me if you want for not knowing territorial vs. medical problems due to my personal ignorance, but even I know better than to try to treat for something that may not even exist.  Trying to figure out how to keep him away from my roommate’s cat’s food (in a one bedroom apartment) may be the tricky part because of available space, but at least knowing ahead of time that it may be needed gives me time to start planning that out just in case. I appreciate the no-nonsense reply; it’s been more informative than most of my Google-fu on the subject matter.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 23:13
|
|
|
Rotten Red Rod posted:Yeah they did all those blood + fecal tests on the first vet visit (pre-xray). So the ultrasound discovered the bladder infection? Hopefully it turns up something treatable like that and he can get back to his normal self. Interesting to note about the hemp supplement - I'll keep it in mind. The ultrasound ruled out problems with multiple organs, and confirmed our vet's existing suspicion. It was helpful because it covered a lot of organs, with a lot of info that we couldn't get from basic X-rays. Our vet knew from palpating the abdomen that our cat's small intestine didn't feel thin like a normal cat's, and she knew from the blood and urine tests that liver/kidney/heart/lung/etc. function was pretty normal and she probably hadn't ingested something toxic. The ultrasound confirmed the small intestine walls were thickened, and that the other organs' internal structure looked normal, with no strange pockets of fluid or anything similar that would be missed on an X-ray. So basically our cat could have cancer in her small intestine walls, or she could have IBD. A biopsy would tell us for sure, but she's too old for surgery to be an easy decision, and it wouldn't change the treatment in her case. Her case is different from yours, since she was nauseous every time she went near food, had diarrhea any time she managed to not throw up immediately, and eventually stopped eating entirely. We were expecting a worse outcome. But problems in the small intestine can cause a cat to lose weight even when they're eating well, which is the case with her now that the infection is gone and nausea isn't stopping her from eating. ShadowedFlames posted:I’m still waiting on a diagnosis from the vet; I just wanted to look at what I thought was the worst-case scenario so I knew what the worst to prepare for would be. Figure that if I expect the worst, and it’s not as bad, I know I’d be mentally and emotionally ready for it regardless. Cats can develop bladder infections just by being stressed out. I even had a cat pee blood for two days after a vet trip because she was so freaked out. It's possible that your cat was stressed out by seeing the strays, but the damage could've already been done - if he developed a bladder infection, removing the stressor wouldn't be enough to fix it. Keeping their food separate may be required if he has crystals, and may still be recommended if he has a bladder infection, although I'm not sure if a vet would decide to restrict his diet based on a single incident. As someone with three cats who all eat different diets, I can say it sucks just as much as you expect. You can buy microchip feeders that only open for the right cat (if the cats are microchipped), or you can diligently supervise feeding times (  ), or you can feed them in separate rooms/boxes/whatever until they're finished eating and remove the dishes after they're done. None of those are really easy for you or the cat.People laugh about horses killing themselves over the least little thing (too many apples? DEATH. too much grass? DEATH. scary shadow? DEATH.) but after everything I've seen, I'm not convinced cats are any better. Anyway, it's also possible that nothing is wrong with him. Maybe the vet doesn't find crystals and his urine is beautifully free of infection. The most common reasons why cats pee outside the litter box:
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2019 23:44
|
|
|
When one of my cats got crystals, I had to give up the automated feeder and go back to manually feeding them at specific times and keeping an eye on both cats til they finished their meals. Sucks but that's what you have to do. Better than a cat shredding up his pee pee with tiny jagged crystals.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 02:20
|
|
|
He refused to eat this morning so my wife is taking him into the pet ER where we were scheduled to have an ultrasound Thursday
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 15:48
|
|
|
(Apologies in advance for the length, trying to provide complete info and context) I need advice integrating our cats. I moved in with my partner recently, and brought my cat (male, 7 yrs, Gonzo). She has two already (both male, 7 yrs is Wilson, 4 yrs is Louis). We have a 2-bedroom, so for starters when Gonzo arrived (Sunday June 21) he was quarantined in the second bedroom, which also has a bunch of my stuff that’s familiar to him, his box, his scratching post, etc. Louis is small and very timid. Long before Gonzo was here, Louis would spend most of his time hiding under the bed. He comes out to eat and cuddle, but is easily startled. Wilson is active, a total ham who will purr loudly any time he’s touched (even at the vet). He spends much of the day outside but knows to show up at the door to be let inside each evening. Gonzo is weird, clumsy, needy, and very curious. Also important to note here how he came to be mine. A friend found him as a kitten and had him for 5 years. Then his fiancé (now wife) moved across the world to be with him and brought her two cats. Gonzo bullied them relentlessly (humping and sometimes biting while humping) until finally my friend had to find Gonzo a new home. The hope is that if we are careful, and with Gonzo being the newcomer instead of having other cats invade his space, that we can avoid a repeat scenario. Alright so one week in, Gonzo is quarantined in his room most of the time. We let him out to explore the house while Wilson is outside and Louis is under the bed (with that room closed off). We’ve let them all meet face to face, with supervision. Wilson and Louis both hiss at Gonzo if he gets close (which he seems like he’s always trying to do) In recent evenings we’ve had Gonzo and Wilson both roaming the house supervised. Sometimes Gonzo will seem to follow Wilson, but he also acts scarred when Wilson hisses at him. Last night they were all in the living room, and Louis went back towards the bedroom. Gonzo appeared to stalk Louis, sneak up behind him and swat at him. We quarantined Gonzo for the rest of the night. My gf is worried Gonzo is reverting to the same behavior as last time he lived with other cats. We’ve been trying to follow the advice in the OP about intros, but maybe we’re moving too fast? One concern is it’s difficult to get Gonzo and Louis used to each other’s scent through the door because the latter spends most of his time hiding under the bed. Wilson cries to be let outside often now, seemingly trying to avoid this new intruder. Is Gonzo’s behavior showing signs of trouble? Any advice would be appreciated. Edit: here’s some pics for context. Typical Gonzo, sitting weird and staring at nothing.  Louis the gremlin  Wilson in inside mode: lazy  Years ago it took Wilson awhile to warm up to Louis, but now they’re buds 
bawfuls fucked around with this message at 20:50 on Jul 30, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 20:39
|
|
|
My personal advice would be to let them sort it out themselves, although I suspect Louis will always be the lowest cat on the totem pole. Unless the cats start making incredibly loud screams then I would just ignore them. Don't worry about the hissing and swatting because that is how cats figure out the pecking order. I don't know if you've ever seen/heard a serious cat fight before, but once you have then you'll realize that some hissing/growling/swatting is nothing compared to the sounds cats make when they are really distressed or fighting. I didn't see it mentioned in your post, but you could try Feliway to help reduce their anxiety, but it doesn't always work in these kind of situations.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 20:57
|
|
|
There's so much advice out there about how to introduce cats, and in my previous situation I tried all of it to get one of my cats, Batman, used to a roommates' cat. Almost nothing we tried worked, and he was extremely anxious all the time and sprayed EVERYWHERE. Like, every day I would come home and the TV stand, the all our shoes, all our bookcases would be drenched and stinking. What FINALLY seemed to help was that we put him on Xanax and kept him separated from the other cat for about a week - he still never really got along with him, but at least the spraying finally stopped. After that roommate situation ended, we just knew that he probably wouldn't do well with any cat that he hasn't known since it was a kitten, and there's nothing we can do to change that part of his personality. Will they work it out on their own? Maybe. But just as easily, one of your cats could always be terrified of the other cat. Cats' personalities just seem to vary too much for there to be any reliable methods for successfully introducing them, in my experience. TMMadman posted:I didn't see it mentioned in your post, but you could try Feliway to help reduce their anxiety, but it doesn't always work in these kind of situations. I spent a lot of money on Feliway for absolutely no effect.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 21:08
|
|
|
Rotten Red Rod posted:I spent a lot of money on Feliway for absolutely no effect. I've been recommended Feliway on at least 3 different occasions and in all of those situations it failed to alleviate the problems at all.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 21:10
|
|
|
Thankfully no one is spraying right now. Gonzo just likes to rub his face on absolutely everything.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 21:11
|
|
|
Yeah if there's no spraying and no really severe fights you might be fine. They might just never really like each other and avoid contact, and that might be the best result.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2019 21:13
|
|
|
We had to put down our cat. The ultrasound was inconclusive and they wanted to do an endoscopy, but his bloodwork showed he was anemic and possibly bleeding in his intestine, so they would have to do a blood transfusion before it was safe enough to put him under, and and and... It was all too much. It was clear he was just getting worse and it was pretty futile.  Bye Robin.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 04:29
|
|
|
Posted this in a chat thread I'm part of, but thought I'd come here too: We have a 4 year old cat who was adopted, we don't think she's happy with the amount of attention she's getting, likely largely due to being in the house all day alone, and this is ending up with her occasionally taking a swipe or a bite at us. She knows it's wrong immediately, often as she's reaching for us, she pulls the claws back or clearly tries to cancel the move, but it still happens, etc. Read a few things online saying getting a younger cat, maybe a kitten, or up to a 5 month or something, might be good as then they'd have each other for attention/play, but it would let the older one stay the dominant (she's poo poo scared of all the neighbourhood cats when we do let her outside.) Does this sound like it might work? Only other concern we have is she occasionally takes a funny turn. As I said above, if she takes a swipe at us, she seems to understand it was wrong and/or regret it, but sometimes she'll end up with a funny look on her face, and it's like she's not herself any more, and if you get to close to her (she doesn't move far when she's in these moods, but she sometimes ends up in them on the stairs, so it's hard to avoid) she'll take a proper swipe for you, and doesn't react after the attack in the same way as she normally would. I'd best compare it to someone bipolar taking a manic turn, but that's maybe not a fair comparison. So with that, we're a touch concerned about bringing in a kitten in case it gets hurt for not understanding boundaries. Thoughts? Additionally - (to answer some questions I got in the chat thread) We're already using felliway, and we've had our cat for about a year now, and whilst she is better than before, it's still at least once a week if not more that we have this issue. There's no dogs nearby, though maybe she finds one when she's out occasionally, and she does hiss and jump about when other cats are in our garden and she's inside, but she's not stressed by it for long. We are aware we'd need to be careful introducing them to one another. We'd probably keep the new one in one room for a few days to get the scent into the house, then the living room has a glass door, so we could let them see each other through the glass, before letting them interact directly. As someone has said though, if it doesn't work, then we've got an extra cat we'd either need to find a new home for, or we've got two upset cats instead of one. The current cat is definitely neutered, btw. She's also always desperate to be let outside, actively pawing at the door if we're near it in the kitchen, which is another reason we suspect boredom. We only have so much time/energy to give ourselves (yes, I know, the answer to that is probably "don't get a cat in the first place")
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 07:06
|
|
|
Rotten Red Rod posted:We had to put down our cat. The ultrasound was inconclusive and they wanted to do an endoscopy, but his bloodwork showed he was anemic and possibly bleeding in his intestine, so they would have to do a blood transfusion before it was safe enough to put him under, and and and... It was all too much. It was clear he was just getting worse and it was pretty futile. Rest in peace Robin, you were a wonderful kitty
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 09:13
|
|
|
I posted in the thread earlier, we adopted our first cat a little over a month ago. She's about 4 years old, and at first we thought she was just an incredibly scared cat, but more and more we started realising that she is mostly just scared of me. It's not like she becomes super social when I'm gone, but when I'm not in the house she at least will play a little with my wife. When I'm around she will not leave her little hiding hole under any circumstance, no matter how hungry she is or how badly she needs to go to the toilet, she will hold it up until she's certain i'm either gone or sleeping. When I try to pet her she usually purs a lot and she seems to push her head against my hand in an encouraging way, she also likes to gently press her claws in my hand, nowhere near piercing the skin, just testing the waters I guess? She will also eat from my hand when i'm petting her, but she'll be too scared to stick her head out of her hole to eat when I'm around, even when i'm in a different room. She has never done any kind of playing with me, or even when I'm around, but she will play with my wife when I'm not around. We had to take her to the vet because of an ear and eye infection and I noticed she was pretty relaxed with the (female) veterinarian so I'm almost starting to think our cat just hates men. I guess my question is if I'm doing the right thing reaching out to her? If she's hiding in her cave, should I even be petting her or should I just leave her alone, even if she does seem to enjoy it?
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 11:21
|
|
|
Rotten Red Rod posted:
So sorry
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 11:26
|
|
|
kanonvandekempen posted:I guess my question is if I'm doing the right thing reaching out to her? If she's hiding in her cave, should I even be petting her or should I just leave her alone, even if she does seem to enjoy it? Better to let her come to you. Sit in a way that she can make eye contact with you, but has plenty of escape routes if she wants to come out, then try to coax her out with treats and toys - but don't reach into her hiding spot. Watch the way Jackson Galaxy does it on My Cat From Hell.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 13:53
|
|
|
Good news is, it’s not medical for mine. Just got the call, no infection or crystals. Bad news is now trying to break him of these “new” habits. Feliway is going to be on order and maybe some mothballs for by the back door of the apartment (vet’s suggestion). Been using Nature’s Miracle since this started but that hasn’t seemed to work as well as I’d thought it would. Amount and cleaning frequency of boxes is already optimal, might have to figure out a spot for a fourth? Time to go back to searching for other suggestions!
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 13:59
|
|
|
kanonvandekempen posted:I guess my question is if I'm doing the right thing reaching out to her? If she's hiding in her cave, should I even be petting her or should I just leave her alone, even if she does seem to enjoy it? I found the best way to attract a shy cat is to sit still in a chair with your arm/hand dangling near the floor, maybe wiggling the fingers a little bit, and preferably with your feet propped up as well. Then if/when the cat starts sniffing or inspecting your fingers, you just keep sitting still and give them some scritches if you can do it by just moving your fingers a little bit. After a few times, you can start moving a little bit more and hopefully the cat starts to realize that you aren't a threat.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 14:53
|
|
|
TMMadman posted:I found the best way to attract a shy cat is to sit still in a chair with your arm/hand dangling near the floor, maybe wiggling the fingers a little bit, and preferably with your feet propped up as well. I'll second (or third) this - sit still, be totally nonthreatening and let the cat come to you on his/her terms. True story: many years ago there was a beautiful cat I really wanted to adopt, but the rescue said no one could get near him and therefore he was unadoptable. I asked and got permission to go in the room, and I sat down in the middle of the floor and read my book. (I also stuffed my pockets full of catnip, just in case it might make him curious enough to investigate.) Eventually the cat came out from hiding, inched closer, booped my hand, and climbed onto my lap. We had 16 years together. I didn't expect results as fast as I got them, but the "be still and non-threatening and let the cat choose" thing is really good IMHO. Cat tax: this is him, years later. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 15:56
|
|
|
Aw, that's sweet. I had a super shy kitty too - I was the only one he trusted, and the only time he would sit on my lap was when I was alone in the house playing video games, so I wasn't trying to force him - it was on his terms. Then he would climb into my lap, purr, and fall asleep.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 17:07
|
|
|
Terry is normally pretty chill when I'm in the apartment with him but when I play video games on the couch it's PLAY WITH TERRY time whether I'd like to or not. I know that giving him attention when he does annoying stuff (he scratches the couch, jumps up to places he shouldn't be, or pretends he's going to piss on my bookshelf) is going to reinforce the bad behavior but it doesn't feel like I have much choice, because I really don't want him destroying my stuff. Even if I've been cuddling with him for hours, when I get on the couch he goes nuts. Anything I might do to get him to relax and sit quietly with me instead?
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 17:34
|
|
|
What a beautiful cat. I'm so sorry for your loss. It definitely sounds like you did the right thing, considering how bad it had gotten. Thank you for posting the update, even though it must be very difficult.mehall posted:We have a 4 year old cat who was adopted, we don't think she's happy with the amount of attention she's getting, likely largely due to being in the house all day alone, and this is ending up with her occasionally taking a swipe or a bite at us. Before getting a second cat, I'd suggest talking to a vet about whether she might have anxiety, and try varying her indoor enrichment options. More cat scratchers/towers, crinkle tunnels, cardboard boxes with crinkly paper to explore, etc. Give her things to do and play with while you're gone, and change them up frequently so she doesn't get used to them. Food puzzles can also be good for cats, just make sure you get one that's safe to leave out while you're gone (no stabby parts). If you have your heart set on a second cat, consider asking the shelter if you can try introducing your cat in a neutral location first. I don't really like this option because of the (unlikely) possibility of disease transmission and the likelihood of stressing out your cat, but I've known some people who used this method to find a good match that let them skip the slow introductions. Some cats do fine with same-sex or opposite-sex cats, some are fine with older or younger cats, others are fine with any cats, and others just hate all cats ever. ShadowedFlames posted:Good news is, it’s not medical for mine. Just got the call, no infection or crystals. Vivian Darkbloom posted:Terry is normally pretty chill when I'm in the apartment with him but when I play video games on the couch it's PLAY WITH TERRY time whether I'd like to or not. I know that giving him attention when he does annoying stuff (he scratches the couch, jumps up to places he shouldn't be, or pretends he's going to piss on my bookshelf) is going to reinforce the bad behavior but it doesn't feel like I have much choice, because I really don't want him destroying my stuff. Even if I've been cuddling with him for hours, when I get on the couch he goes nuts. Anything I might do to get him to relax and sit quietly with me instead? For example, if he jumps up somewhere you don't want him to, you could try attaching contact paper sticky-side-up on that surface, or use a motion deterrent so you aren't the one reacting to him. Same with the bookshelf - a motion deterrent or other barrier near it could help. Scratching the couch is difficult. You can/should trim his claws about once a week or so if you want to minimize damage to your furniture, but you can also place cat scratchers nearby that may be more appealing. Use catnip on the approved scratchers and try to determine what his favorite scratching material is. You can also put something over the couch to make it less appealing to scratch. I use an old comforter over our leather couch, which immediately stopped our cats from scratching it. I guess loose synthetic fabric is less interesting than animal skin. Combine ideas like that with attempts to make sitting on the couch more appealing to him, like maybe you give him treats while you're on the couch, or you play with him while you sit on the couch using a distance toy like a feather or Da Bird. If he likes to sleep on towels or blankets or in cardboard boxes, you could put one of those on the couch for him to enjoy, too.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2019 22:56
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 10:57 |
|
|
Neighborhood cats are still coming over to eat the nuts I put out for birds and squirrels, why is this happening?
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2019 01:31
|
|