The Cat FAQ/Megathread: buying a second, clean broom just to use on him

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > The Cat FAQ/Megathread: buying a second, clean broom just to use on him

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TofuDiva: Aug 22, 2010; Playin' Possum; Muldoon

Happy International Cat Day

# ? Aug 8, 2019 23:39

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# ? May 15, 2024 18:02

BaronVonVaderham: Jul 31, 2011; All hail the queen!

TofuDiva posted:

Happy International Cat Day

Rexie has her best dress on for the occasion.

# ? Aug 9, 2019 00:17

felgs: Dec 31, 2008; Cats cure all ills. Post more of them.

Lucky and Toaster are ready

# ? Aug 9, 2019 00:25

Macichne Leainig: Jul 26, 2012; by VG

Why does my cat open every cabinet door that he can get his paws on when he wants wet food?

Wake up in the morning, cabinets are open. 5:00 rolls around and I haven't fed the cats their dinner yet, cabinets are open.

gently caress off, cat!

# ? Aug 9, 2019 00:51

GenericGirlName: Apr 10, 2012; Why did you post that?

I've been informed that Peach was caught opening the pizza box and eating all the Pepperoni's. She's having a good international cat day I guess.

# ? Aug 9, 2019 01:11

Duckman2008: Jan 6, 2010; TFW you see Flyers goaltending.; Grimey Drawer

I have a one year old cat who meows a good bit. As of yesterday, cat def lost his voice, so his meow is super hoarse like if a person lost their voice.

I�m assuming his voice will come back on his own, I�m just making sure this is a correct assumption?

# ? Aug 9, 2019 12:37

Ratzap: Jun 9, 2012; Let no pie go wasted; Soiled Meat

Protocol7 posted:

Why does my cat open every cabinet door that he can get his paws on when he wants wet food?

Wake up in the morning, cabinets are open. 5:00 rolls around and I haven't fed the cats their dinner yet, cabinets are open.

gently caress off, cat!

You adopted the cabinet inspector. He's obviously trying to inform you that your installations are not up to code.

# ? Aug 9, 2019 15:19

jimmychoo: Sep 30, 2008; creepin n rollin

Who wants to help me make a decision � I have Healthy Paws insurance for my cat right now, I pay $40/mo for 80% unlimited reimbursement after a $250 deductible and it covers nothing preventative at all, or dental! But if he ever gets sick then it'll cover 80%.

I keep getting Instagram ads for Wagmo, which is significantly cheaper and basically the opposite of the Healthy Paws plan. It covers everything wellness-related and preventative. My cat is pretty healthy.

WHAT TO DO? Cat insurance is fraught.

# ? Aug 9, 2019 16:03

TofuDiva: Aug 22, 2010; Playin' Possum; Muldoon

Protocol7 posted:

Why does my cat open every cabinet door that he can get his paws on when he wants wet food?

Wake up in the morning, cabinets are open. 5:00 rolls around and I haven't fed the cats their dinner yet, cabinets are open.

gently caress off, cat!

Any chance you have a mouse?

# ? Aug 9, 2019 16:32

Macichne Leainig: Jul 26, 2012; by VG

TofuDiva posted:

Any chance you have a mouse?

Possible, I guess? But there's no other evidence like droppings or anything, and it's only the one cat, not my other.

# ? Aug 9, 2019 16:47

Rotten Red Rod: Mar 5, 2002

Duckman2008 posted:

I have a one year old cat who meows a good bit. As of yesterday, cat def lost his voice, so his meow is super hoarse like if a person lost their voice.

I�m assuming his voice will come back on his own, I�m just making sure this is a correct assumption?

He's probably fine but you should watch him for any other signs of sickness, and take him to the vet if you suspect anything. Cats are real, real good at hiding their pain.

# ? Aug 9, 2019 17:51

CancerStick: Jun 3, 2011

jimmychoo posted:

Who wants to help me make a decision — I have Healthy Paws insurance for my cat right now, I pay $40/mo for 80% unlimited reimbursement after a $250 deductible and it covers nothing preventative at all, or dental! But if he ever gets sick then it'll cover 80%.

I keep getting Instagram ads for Wagmo, which is significantly cheaper and basically the opposite of the Healthy Paws plan. It covers everything wellness-related and preventative. My cat is pretty healthy.

WHAT TO DO? Cat insurance is fraught.

How old was your cat when you signed up for Healthy Paws? Mine was a year old when we got her in January and I pay $13 a month for $100 deductable and 90% after that. No preventative or wellness check coverage also though.

# ? Aug 9, 2019 21:57

Fabulousity: Dec 29, 2008; Number One I order you to take a number two.

Not a Children posted:

My cat played with da bird for like 5 seconds and now ignores it

I hope my cat is not broken

code:

public bool isCatHavingFun(Box box = null, Cat cat = null)
{
     DateTime catTime = DateTime.Now;
     DateTimeOffset playWithBird = catTime.AddSeconds(5);
     if (box == null && cat == null)
     {
         return false;
     }
     return true;
}

Regardless of time does the cat exist and have a box? If so then cat has fun. CAT.EXE working as intended.

Despite probably around $150 in toys and platforms my two cats are having the times of their lives with a loving box from some random Amazon order. We just leave it on the ground and reinforce it with packing tape every once in a while. The two princes battle endlessly for who will be the King of the Box.

Protocol7 posted:

Why does my cat open every cabinet door that he can get his paws on when he wants wet food?

Wake up in the morning, cabinets are open. 5:00 rolls around and I haven't fed the cats their dinner yet, cabinets are open.

gently caress off, cat!

Haha, look at this goon. Their cat is gonna kill them in their sleep.

Fabulousity fucked around with this message at 08:02 on Aug 10, 2019

# ? Aug 10, 2019 07:44

Macichne Leainig: Jul 26, 2012; by VG

Fabulousity posted:

Haha, look at this goon. Their cat is gonna kill them in their sleep.

It is a risk we all take as cat owners, friendly goon.

# ? Aug 10, 2019 20:20

GenericGirlName: Apr 10, 2012; Why did you post that?

I stopped paying for the kitnip box bc it turns out making weird caltrops out of cardboard and spraying them with catnip spray is just as good lol.

I still spoil the hell out of basil.

# ? Aug 11, 2019 02:53

dissss: Nov 10, 2007; I'm a terrible forums poster with terrible opinions.

Here's a cat fucking a squid.

GenericGirlName posted:

My roommate had to throw away all her cactuses when I got basil. The cactuses were nearly dead, but Basil decided that was Good and he kept trying to collect them as though they were strange toys.

Why is my cat more defective than most?

Mine is defective too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INE_jWTdegQ

# ? Aug 12, 2019 08:07

kaworu: Jul 23, 2004

Sometimes, I am just downright shocked at how bossy and entitled Jackie has gotten these days.

Yesterday, I was watching TV and petting her, and at one point I had started scratching the underside of her chin (what cat doesn't love that?) and then something exciting happened in the show I was watching and just a couple seconds after I started petting her I stopped and went to pay attention to the screen, and a few seconds later I feel a hard poke on my leg right where Jackie was. I reflexively say "hey!" and look over to see her with an unmistakable angry glare on her face. Jackie has just kicked me - hard - for diverting my attention before I was properly done petting her, apparently.

She's been doing stuff like this a lot lately, and she's also a good bit more temperamental and, clearly, is no longer at all reluctant to voice displeasure. I kinda like it, but it's so funny because was such a sweet and perfect cat those first four years - she never, ever complained about a single thing, was always happy no matter what the situation... But the interesting thing is that before she had been exhibiting all the annoying behavior she's doing now, except worse. Then it was because she was living in too crowded of a place, and she got better when it was just me and Jackie, alone. Now it's me, Jackie, and 4 other people in an apartment smaller than the one we used to live in by ourselves. So I get it, why she's cranky... I'm kinda cranky too, these days

The *good news* is that I'm (hopefully, probably) moving in ~3 months or so, I think. It's still a little bit up in the air. I've lived here in southern Maine my whole life, barring a brief few years in Colorado; but 31 of my 34 years have been spent basically here in "the other Portland", that being the one in Southern Maine. I'm (hopefully) going to be moving to Los Angeles (a nice neighborhood in the actual city) and it's extremely exciting. I'm a little worried about what the best way to transport Jackie is. I'm very likely going to be driving really across the breadth of the country from Maine to Southern California, and taking that journey with a cranky cat sounds like it might be a bit too much, even for me. Would that be easier than I think, or am I about right that it'd be kinda rough...

The other option is that my mother can basically use some miles to fly out there *with* Jackie and meet me a couple days after I arrive. That sounds a bit more reasonable. Based on what I've read, it sounds like the risk with flight is that it's sort of... more stress concentrated in less time, and it is of course probably a bit easier on the owner. So it sounds like it has to do with the overall health and age of the cat. Jackie is a little on the heavy side still, but she is no longer obese or especially unhealthy as a result of weight, at least. Jackie is also exceptionally tolerant of stress, usually. Vets are consistently amazed at how pliant and calm she stays while they give her shots, clip her nails, examine here - I guess it's standard to usually have to strap a cat onto the table so they don't just scampe

# ? Aug 12, 2019 13:25

TofuDiva: Aug 22, 2010; Playin' Possum; Muldoon

kaworu posted:

Sometimes, I am just downright shocked at how bossy and entitled Jackie has gotten these days.

Yesterday, I was watching TV and petting her, and at one point I had started scratching the underside of her chin (what cat doesn't love that?) and then something exciting happened in the show I was watching and just a couple seconds after I started petting her I stopped and went to pay attention to the screen, and a few seconds later I feel a hard poke on my leg right where Jackie was. I reflexively say "hey!" and look over to see her with an unmistakable angry glare on her face. Jackie has just kicked me - hard - for diverting my attention before I was properly done petting her, apparently.

She's been doing stuff like this a lot lately, and she's also a good bit more temperamental and, clearly, is no longer at all reluctant to voice displeasure. I kinda like it, but it's so funny because was such a sweet and perfect cat those first four years - she never, ever complained about a single thing, was always happy no matter what the situation... But the interesting thing is that before she had been exhibiting all the annoying behavior she's doing now, except worse. Then it was because she was living in too crowded of a place, and she got better when it was just me and Jackie, alone. Now it's me, Jackie, and 4 other people in an apartment smaller than the one we used to live in by ourselves. So I get it, why she's cranky... I'm kinda cranky too, these days

The *good news* is that I'm (hopefully, probably) moving in ~3 months or so, I think. It's still a little bit up in the air. I've lived here in southern Maine my whole life, barring a brief few years in Colorado; but 31 of my 34 years have been spent basically here in "the other Portland", that being the one in Southern Maine. I'm (hopefully) going to be moving to Los Angeles (a nice neighborhood in the actual city) and it's extremely exciting. I'm a little worried about what the best way to transport Jackie is. I'm very likely going to be driving really across the breadth of the country from Maine to Southern California, and taking that journey with a cranky cat sounds like it might be a bit too much, even for me. Would that be easier than I think, or am I about right that it'd be kinda rough...

The other option is that my mother can basically use some miles to fly out there *with* Jackie and meet me a couple days after I arrive. That sounds a bit more reasonable. Based on what I've read, it sounds like the risk with flight is that it's sort of... more stress concentrated in less time, and it is of course probably a bit easier on the owner. So it sounds like it has to do with the overall health and age of the cat. Jackie is a little on the heavy side still, but she is no longer obese or especially unhealthy as a result of weight, at least. Jackie is also exceptionally tolerant of stress, usually. Vets are consistently amazed at how pliant and calm she stays while they give her shots, clip her nails, examine here - I guess it's standard to usually have to strap a cat onto the table so they don't just scampe

Congrats on the impending move! I love LA. I hope it works out and you get to go.

YMMV, but I would travel with a cat by car anytime, and I will never again fly with one. I've done both. Personally I'd never fly any pet as cargo - there are too many mishaps. If you decide to have your mom fly her out in the passenger compartment, it'd be good to check carefully the airline's rules before booking. Many airlines have a rule that there can only be one pet in the passenger compartment of any given plane, and of course the pet has to fit in a compliant carrier in the underseat area. That doesn't sound so bad, it just means reserving well ahead, and making sure you have a compliant carrier that the pet fits in.

But what they don't tell you is that flight attendants are not always well-versed in accommodating pets, and they can do things you didn't anticipate. All you need is for one of the passengers in your vicinity to declare that they are allergic to cats, and the flight attendant will decide unilaterally to move your cat (but not necessarily move you) to some other part of the plane. Also, even the most compliant cat can get stressed by the unfamiliar surroundings, noise, smells, vibrations, and scads of people, leading to a cat that does not stop crying for the whole flight. Or worse. Tranquillizers may or may not help. A dopey cat can still meow, or lose control of functions because he's so scared.

There's also the breathing thing in a plane's lower air pressure to consider, especially if your cat is still a bit chubby.

Whereas by car, all you have to do is find pet-friendly lodging along the way - there are plenty of resources online for that - and pack your own food (or better, have someone like your mom drive with you to trade off on food/bathroom breaks so that you don't leave the cat alone in the car), and figure out your best way to give the cat some walking around room if you can. For many trips I used a good harness, a tether, and a blanket on the back seat with a disposable cat pan on the floor in back, and the cat happily camped out back there, looking out the window or sleeping his way across country. With a less chill cat a couple of times, I gave her the biggest crate that would fit in my back seat, and covered it mostly with a blanket to help her feel secure (left one side uncovered so that she could see me and vice versa), and I took her out on leash at rest stops for exercise. She too settled in and slept.

The car was easier on them, and much, much easier on me. As I said YMMV, but this has been my experience based on a lot of traveling and moving over the years. Good luck with the move!

# ? Aug 12, 2019 16:02

Fleta Mcgurn: Oct 5, 2003; Porpoise noise continues.

I have had the opposite experience- driving with cats who screamed for hours, whereas even NeurotiCat did just fine drugged on a plane from Montana to New York- and she would cry if she SAW a lemon (I dunno), so I expected the absolute worst. I asked everyone around me if they were allergic; the one time it was a problem, the other person offered to move and no one seemed annoyed. The only issue was taking her out of her carrier to go through security- she did NOT like that part.

Tranquilizers definitely help, either way.

# ? Aug 12, 2019 17:32

Sydin: Oct 29, 2011; Another spring commute

Oh god taking cats through airport security is the loving worst:

1. Spend 15 minutes getting Mel, screaming and hissing and scratching, into her carrier, which she would rather die than get inside.
2. At the airport, in a line full of impatient people, spend five minutes trying to get Mel out of the carrier, which she'd no rather die than leave.
3. Walk through security with a panicked cat in my arms, try to keep her wriggling rear end steady while the security guy insists he swipe my palms for bomb materials or whatever, it's kind of hard to hold a cat without using my hands dickhead!
4. At least it ends well because Mel is finally very happy to get in the carrier for once.

Getting her to and through the airport is 99% of the stress. Once I'm on the plane I throw a towel over her carrier to reduce as much scary stimuli for her as possible and she doesn't make so much as a peep the whole flight.

# ? Aug 12, 2019 19:44

seiferguy: Jun 9, 2005; FLAWED
INTUITION; Toilet Rascal

My parents' geriatric cat (15 years old) has fleas

they comb him to grab a few off of him but I was wondering about topical treatments. I know advantage II and revolution are strong and have worked on my (young) cats but I'm a bit worried about a side effect and him being old.

# ? Aug 12, 2019 20:01

Sydin: Oct 29, 2011; Another spring commute

As akways, talk to your vet. All tropicals have potential allergy and side-effect issues, but I dont know if the cats age has any bearing on that.

FWIW I was recommended Paradyne for my cat's fleas and it's worked like an absolute charm for over two years now.

# ? Aug 12, 2019 20:35

effika: Jun 19, 2005; Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.

seiferguy posted:

My parents' geriatric cat (15 years old) has fleas they comb him to grab a few off of him but I was wondering about topical treatments. I know advantage II and revolution are strong and have worked on my (young) cats but I'm a bit worried about a side effect and him being old.

Talk to your vet, for reasons above and also for local flea & tick knowledge. Our 14 year old cat is on Catego (topical) and HeartGuard ("meat" flavored heartworm chew) because she likes Catego better for the awful ticks we have here. The fleas here are practically immune to Revolution, etc. The vet will have a good idea if what to try.

# ? Aug 12, 2019 22:40

Gaj: Apr 30, 2006

More posts by proxy for my friend who is a first time cat owner.

My friend rescued a cat recently and she is pretty tame and adorable, she is much more cuddly then her kitten-raised cat. New cat and old cat get along fine, no fights, they share food, they play.
But new cat has one wierd habit, she pees in the tub. She uses the litter box to poop but any time my friend uses the bathroom so does new cat, new cat goes and pees in the tub.
Suggestions, thoughts? Why does this happen.

Edit: this may be a learned behavior because Peaches sits just above the drain to do this.

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Gaj fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Aug 13, 2019

# ? Aug 13, 2019 06:39

Fleta Mcgurn: Oct 5, 2003; Porpoise noise continues.

Aleta is about eight months old now. The cat fuckers told me to get her spayed around now, but she's still growing and I don't know if the surgery would affect that. Thoughts?

(She'll be getting spayed either way, it's just a matter of this month or next month, basically.)

# ? Aug 13, 2019 07:02

Antivehicular: Dec 30, 2011; I wanna sing one for the cars
That are right now headed silent down the highway
And it's dark and there is nobody driving And something has got to give

Fleta Mcgurn posted:

Aleta is about eight months old now. The cat fuckers told me to get her spayed around now, but she's still growing and I don't know if the surgery would affect that. Thoughts?

(She'll be getting spayed either way, it's just a matter of this month or next month, basically.)

If she's over two pounds, which I'm guessing she is at eight months, she's ready to be spayed, and it's probably better to do it before she starts getting heavy into heat cycles. IIRC fixing doesn't affect growth in any meaningful way; the size requirements are mostly so they'll be large enough to tolerate anesthesia well.

# ? Aug 13, 2019 07:08

Deteriorata: Feb 6, 2005

Gaj posted:

More posts by proxy for my friend who is a first time cat owner.

My friend rescued a cat recently and she is pretty tame and adorable, she is much more cuddly then her kitten-raised cat. New cat and old cat get along fine, no fights, they share food, they play.
But new cat has one wierd habit, she pees in the tub. She uses the litter box to poop but any time my friend uses the bathroom so does new cat, new cat goes and pees in the tub.
Suggestions, thoughts? Why does this happen.

Edit: this may be a learned behavior because Peaches sits just above the drain to do this.

One of our cats used to do this. Never really understood why, but didn't really worry about it since it's a cinch to clean up. He's stopped doing it now.

It's probably a territoriality thing, or maybe just "I hear water running in there, I guess it's where my pee is supposed to go." Don't sweat about it.

# ? Aug 13, 2019 15:04

Thumposaurus: Jul 24, 2007

Gaj posted:

More posts by proxy for my friend who is a first time cat owner.

My friend rescued a cat recently and she is pretty tame and adorable, she is much more cuddly then her kitten-raised cat. New cat and old cat get along fine, no fights, they share food, they play.
But new cat has one wierd habit, she pees in the tub. She uses the litter box to poop but any time my friend uses the bathroom so does new cat, new cat goes and pees in the tub.
Suggestions, thoughts? Why does this happen.

Edit: this may be a learned behavior because Peaches sits just above the drain to do this.

One of our guys used to pee in the tub too right down the drain. He preferred to go out side to poop too but if he couldn't go out would poop in the tub. It wasn't that big a deal to pick it up with some tp and spray it out with the shower head.
Litter box stayed cleaner longer :iiapa:

Cats gonna cat

# ? Aug 13, 2019 16:56

Sydin: Oct 29, 2011; Another spring commute

Put the litterbox in the tub, problem solved nerd.

# ? Aug 13, 2019 18:33

Gaj: Apr 30, 2006

Welp guess she has to deal. She went from 0 cats last may to possibly 10 this month.

# ? Aug 13, 2019 20:47

Grimdude: Sep 25, 2006; It was a shame how he carried on

Alright guys buckle up, just adopted a cat (about a year or two old male) and I need advice. It's long but I'm high and super stressed about this as a first time owner.

My manager at work volunteers at an animal shelter. For her that means spending about as much time there as her actual job; she's on the board and everything. She finds this cat in our parking lot at work. It had been roaming the neighborhood for a couple weeks and kept just walking up to people in the lot, accepting food and such. So my manager carries him through the building and puts him the courtyard until her shift is done and she can take him in to the shelter. This happens, and a week and a half goes by.

My name was the top of the list, so she was gonna tell me when he was ready. This last Friday she tells me "Yeah he could be ready today, but you'll have to probably give him some meds. You can wait until Monday though." So at first I say wait until Monday, and we leave it at that. She texts me after she's left and I'm still working and says "He's ready." I ask if I should just come by after work and she says yeah. So I drive straight there and guys this cat was practically loving dead. Our definitions of "ready" must be vastly different.

So he had JUST had surgery like an hour before that. Neuter I think, but I'm not sure why it was that long after getting him there. Anyway my manager carries out this cat that looks barely alive and mentions he just got out. They get this little box ready to carry him home and make sign all this poo poo, answer questions, etc. The only instructions I was really given were for the after surgery portion. Said he'd be out most of the night, keep an eye on him, might vomit, etc. Also two medications: one oral liquid and another for eye drops. Because he had an UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTION, a topic I've now spent hours researching. So they say one dose a day for 8 days and eye drops are like every 4 to 6 hours for the same time. Now, the rage of this didn't set in until last night. So at first I was just like okay whatever I'll do what I gotta do, this is being a pet owner. After the first night and he was able to walk around and pick a chair to sit in, I kept an eye on his eating. He wasn't doing it. Not pooping either so it's not something I missed. Drinking sure, and peeing in the litterbox all the drat time. Wants nothing to do with the food. Dry obviously not, cold wet food nope, warm wet food nope, warmed up tuna nope. Though with the tuna he lapped it for a while and I think he only drank the water from it. He also took a sip or two of some lactose free milk this morning. But yeah I can't even put warm stuff that he should love right in front of him he just looks away. Physically recoils if I try to force it in his mouth.

Alright so the situation as it sits is that he hasn't eaten since presumably Friday morning/afternoon. He threw up Friday night anyway so let's assume he's got nothing in him (minus maybe a tiny amount of milk/tuna juice). I'm getting the medicine done fine, and the infection honestly seems a lot better. He's got his eyes open more and he's not constantly blowing snot bubbles and getting nasty poo poo on his face that he hates letting me clean off. I'm not worried about that really though, because I know that takes like up to ten days or some poo poo. I do hate it though, as he obviously does. I'm real loving stoked my first days with this cat are me making it hate me every few hours. A problem that could maybe be remedied if I could, you know, bribe him with food.

The internet vastly seems to think that after 3 days of not eating he's basically already dead. And yeah I saw the bold bit about the not eating in the OP I'm just covering bases. So I go into work Monday morning and I'm asking right away what the hell to do about this and my manager and a co worker are like "nah he won't let himself starve it's just all the moving/stress/meds." I knew about that kind of thing though, the new habitat and anxiety or whatever. What I didn't know, and feel my manager/shelter should have told me assuming it's true is that he might literally starve himself to death if he can't smell food properly. Whereas my irl interactions are saying he can go until like Thursday or Friday before taking him in and that he'll probably eat by then.

I am so goddamned stressed. I'm raising this cat alone and he's so sweet and nice but I'm always pissing him off with medication and I'm constantly thinking about how he might get even more sick and die after being here for like a week and send me spiraling into depression as a result. I wanted a pet but Jesus H I would have liked either a heads up that I'd practically have him on hospice care for a week or just a pet that was more ready to have a home. Maybe I just blast some more of that lactose free milk into his mouth every few hours? It's got to have something in it he can use to get more energy/hungry maybe.

TL;DR is that my newly adopted cat has an infection and won't eat. He also is recovering from surgery and moving a few times. How long before I actually need to take him in? What can I do myself to help this?

# ? Aug 13, 2019 23:07

TMMadman: Sep 9, 2003; by Fluffdaddy

I'm just going to say that I personally think your boss is kind of an rear end for putting this animal on a first time pet owner.

Now with that said, you should probably pick up some 'lickable' treats. They essentially a gravy sauce in a packet. The hope is that the cat maybe isn't interested in chewing given all the stress and poo poo, but might be interested in licking up something. *edit - if the cat doesn't seem interested because it's having trouble smelling then just put a little bit on your finger and wipe it on your cats upper lip (don't go too high) which should make the cat lick the area and hopefully realize that it's tasty.

Try not to worry too much about the cat hating you as they tend to forget about that kind of stuff fairly quickly. Just be sure to give him lots of pets and praise when you give him the medicine/eye drops.

And just be sure to leave some food out for him because cats are weird and he might eat if you're not sitting there watching him.

TMMadman fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Aug 13, 2019

# ? Aug 13, 2019 23:32

LoreOfSerpents: Dec 29, 2001; No.

Grimdude posted:

TL;DR is that my newly adopted cat has an infection and won't eat. He also is recovering from surgery and moving a few times. How long before I actually need to take him in? What can I do myself to help this?

He needs to go to a good vet if he hasn't eaten since Friday. Like, today. Cats can and will starve themselves to death. If they don't eat regularly, their organs stop working and they get conditions like fatty liver disease that make them feel like poo poo and want to eat even less.

The vet will probably prescribe something like an appetite stimulant and anti-nausea meds. You may be told to force-feed him with a food syringe. You may also be given cat-safe painkillers since he was just neutered (they really should've given you painkillers to give him at home after his neuter, but your boss is an rear end).

Keep in mind that a lot of medications have side effects like nausea and GI tract upset. If your cat feels nauseous, he won't want to eat. Often this means you need to stagger the meds with food, so any time you're given any meds for your cat, ask if it should be given on an empty or full stomach.

Try smelly awful wet food, like Fancy Feast. You might have to pick up a few different types of food. The most important thing is to get him eating something.

As for the infection, nearly every cat carries something that can lead to an upper respiratory infection, so don't be too upset that your cat has one. A shelter should get a cat's upper respiratory infection under control before rehoming it, but whatever, your boss is still an rear end. Check with the vet about how you're treating the URI, too. URIs can be caused by several different things and not all treatments are equally effective depending on the cause.

# ? Aug 13, 2019 23:57

Boogalo: Jul 8, 2012; Meep Meep

Ditto on the vet ASAP.

And ditto on your boss being a dick for foisting a special needs animal on a first timer. It seems ridiculous to pick the cat for the adopter and not letting the cat/adopter pick each other.

# ? Aug 14, 2019 03:47

Grimdude: Sep 25, 2006; It was a shame how he carried on

So like an hour after I posted that I got him to eat a little piece of rotisserie chicken I brought home from work. Just on a whim I heated it up and ran it in front of his face a few times and he licked it a bit before just chomping it down. Didn't want more though. Made some weird noises just then but I haven't heard/seen it thrown up yet so that must be okay news. I'll probably just keep bribing him with that just so he has some amount of solid food in him.

If that keeps up at least and he eventually eats more, I'm probably in the clear right? Assuming the infection is gone after the 8 days, I'd think the major crisis is currently under control.

Also I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought my manager hosed up.

# ? Aug 14, 2019 05:22

GotDonuts: Apr 28, 2008; Karbohydrate Kitteh

So long story short I had to have my place treated for bedbugs, which included washing two cats and removing them from the house for the treatment (superheating the house no chems). On returning the cats to the house they started aggressively attempting to end one another lives, fighting until I break it up with a water bottle. Both cats act like they don't know the other and are hostile as gently caress to one another... these cats are siblings from the same litter. I am not sure what happened but is there any way to mend their broken relationship? I have purchased some Feliaway in an attempt to use it to calm them down but it doesn't seem to be helping. I currently have both cats locked in kennels with food/water and a litter box and attempt to reintroduce them when I am (or the wife is) home from work. Any ideas to help me would be greatly appreciated, I really just want to return to life as normal.

# ? Aug 14, 2019 07:15

mistaya: Oct 18, 2006; Cat of Wealth and Taste

Grimdude posted:

So like an hour after I posted that I got him to eat a little piece of rotisserie chicken I brought home from work. Just on a whim I heated it up and ran it in front of his face a few times and he licked it a bit before just chomping it down. Didn't want more though. Made some weird noises just then but I haven't heard/seen it thrown up yet so that must be okay news. I'll probably just keep bribing him with that just so he has some amount of solid food in him.

If that keeps up at least and he eventually eats more, I'm probably in the clear right? Assuming the infection is gone after the 8 days, I'd think the major crisis is currently under control.

Also I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought my manager hosed up.

URI's are not usually that serious (it's a kitty version of a cold, and yeah it sounds like your boy can't smell anything due to his snot-bubbles and that's a major contributor to the not eating.) If no one has said this, put kitty in the bathroom and run the shower/tub to steam the hell out of the room and it may help him breathe (same as you when you have a cold). Do not put kitty in the wet just let him cower in a corner and snort steam for 20-30 mins.

He won't hate you for any of this, honestly he has no idea what is going on right now except "feels bad man", and until he gets past that anything you can do to help him is at worst a mild annoyance. I'm sorry this is your first experience with a kitty! Poor little guy.

So yeah, as others have said ignore your family members who are talking out of their asses and take him to a vet. Cats not eating for more than 2 days is potentially life-threatening and he needs to be checked out. The vet will be able to clear him of anything extremely bad so you can sleep at night, and that peace of mind is worth the minor cost to have him seen, especially if they can help you with the cold symptoms. They can also check his teeth and make sure he's not failing to eat due to tooth pain which happens occasionally.

The URI is not at all life-threatening, but organ failure due to not eating can be. So really it comes down to that. It probably seems overwhelming right now but you can handle this, and he's going to be fine. It's like 90% likely he's just too snotty to smell his dinner and once you get that under control he'll be totally fine again. I don't think your boss should have given you this cat in this condition but like, neuter is a super easy surgery that only has a few days recovery time usually and URI's are like, so ubiquitous with shelter cats the only thing I can think of is she just didn't consider it unusual.

# ? Aug 14, 2019 09:53

His Divine Shadow: Aug 7, 2000; I'm not a fascist. I'm a priest. Fascists dress up in black and tell people what to do.

It's soon time for our cat boys to get neutered, they're almost 6 months now. But I told my mom and she said no we should wait until 9 months, if we neuter them too soon they might stop growing and might not reach their potential full size. Anyone know if this is true?

I want them to grow as big as they can without you know being fat.

Edit, pics

His Divine Shadow fucked around with this message at 11:52 on Aug 14, 2019

# ? Aug 14, 2019 11:49

felgs: Dec 31, 2008; Cats cure all ills. Post more of them.

Get them spayed at six months, and earlier if you want as long as they hit the weight requirement. There's some evidence that neutering will actually make them grow a little bit bigger, but it's negligible either way.

By 9 months they will be spraying on everything in sight and you'll hate life; usually they start spraying around month 6 to 7.

# ? Aug 14, 2019 12:01

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# ? May 15, 2024 18:02

kw0134: Apr 19, 2003; I buy feet pics🍆

I had my pair spayed at 6 months and good thing because the male was getting horny and was trying to mount his sister whenever he had the chance. He's a chunky 17 pound cat that is bigger than any other cat I've ever had; she's a healthy 12 lb adult.

# ? Aug 14, 2019 13:49

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > The Cat FAQ/Megathread: buying a second, clean broom just to use on him

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