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Len
Jan 21, 2008

Pouches, bandages, shoulderpad, cyber-eye...

Bitchin'!


The day fuzzbutt sprayed a thing was the day I called to get his appointment to cut his balls off.

I got lucky he sprayed the inside of a plastic tote and nothing of value was in it. Just chucked the whole thing

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GenericGirlName
Apr 10, 2012

Why did you post that?
Basil got snipped at 3 months old and if 13 pounds at 14 months old is small then oh well I guess (he is crazy bigger than my roommate's cat who didn't get neutered until she was caught as a stray with a liter of kittens.).

Macichne Leainig
Jul 26, 2012

by VG
My cats have officially figured out a wake-up system when they want their wet food.

Salem will chew on my hair, and if that doesn’t work Binx will jump on the bed and head butt my face for pets until I get up.

I’m definitely a slave in this house.

Organza Quiz
Nov 7, 2009


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.

She should have warned you for sure, but it's not at all unusual for cats to get neutered/spayed shortly before being adopted out, also not unusual for them to be doped up and loopy coming out of that, and also not unusual for them to have a respiratory infection from the shelter, so it really might just not have occurred to her that the combo of those things would freak out an inexperienced owner. Just keep making sure he at least gets something down and he should be okay in the end. Plain chicken is awesome for coaxing cats to eat, just keep shoving things into him.

Ratzap
Jun 9, 2012

Let no pie go wasted
Soiled Meat
Common practice in a lot of places in the UK now (which I disagree with) is neutering at 10 to 12 weeks. I've seen plenty done at that age and they grow up fine although personally I think 6 months is minimum (or when they start trying to hump their siblings for boys. Girls try and make sure they're done before their first season).

kaworu
Jul 23, 2004

Thank you for the advice about transport, guys!

I'm going to do a test-run, since I'm not actually going across the country for a few more months. I've never actually taken Jackie on any extended driving trips; nothing farther than half an hour away, or so. So I'm going to run some tests, in the meantime. I'm making a trip to visit a friend in NH about 3 hours away, so I'm hoping that will just give me an idea of how relaxing -- or how stressful and difficult -- driving with her in the car tends to be.

Also, query about driving solo with a cat... Should I keep her in a carrier WHENEVER I am moving? It seems like a cat roaming through a car without a second passenger to corral them if they curiously decide to inspect your feet interacting with the pedals could, uh... cause problems. So I am supposing that even on long car trips that'd have to be the case, and you'd have to pull over to let your cat out in a harness and leashed to at least get fresh air every few hours... And I am totally cool with that! I think making repeated pit stops every 2-3 hours when you're driving all day is just... totally necessary, even without a cat. But then, I have a bizarre affection for those "interstate plazas" you see on the sides of major highways, which are accessible ONLY via the highway. I like those places - they have this bizarre vibe/charm to them that I find fascinating. Even architecturally they're interesting, and depending on what region in the country you're in, they can also be VERY different and yet always exactly the same, still.

Frankly, I'm beginning to like the idea of driving 'cross country with Jackie. I know for a fact that a lot of hotels are at least cat-friends, since when I was between apartments here in Portland and spent 2 weeks in hotels/motels, nearly every one in that sorta $90-$130 a night range like Howard Johnson or Days Inn or La Quinta seemed to be cat-friendly - I was surprised. Of course, ownership of those kinda places is like often in flux and franchise names are meaningless in terms of ownership, so some planning is a good idea. But with smartphones, it doesn't seem like it'll be too difficult to find cat-friendly places along i70 most of the way... just as long as I don't get stuck in the middle of Nebraska looking for a hotel where there's just cornfields for miles.

Deteriorata
Feb 6, 2005

kaworu posted:

Thank you for the advice about transport, guys!

I'm going to do a test-run, since I'm not actually going across the country for a few more months. I've never actually taken Jackie on any extended driving trips; nothing farther than half an hour away, or so. So I'm going to run some tests, in the meantime. I'm making a trip to visit a friend in NH about 3 hours away, so I'm hoping that will just give me an idea of how relaxing -- or how stressful and difficult -- driving with her in the car tends to be.

Also, query about driving solo with a cat... Should I keep her in a carrier WHENEVER I am moving? It seems like a cat roaming through a car without a second passenger to corral them if they curiously decide to inspect your feet interacting with the pedals could, uh... cause problems. So I am supposing that even on long car trips that'd have to be the case, and you'd have to pull over to let your cat out in a harness and leashed to at least get fresh air every few hours... And I am totally cool with that! I think making repeated pit stops every 2-3 hours when you're driving all day is just... totally necessary, even without a cat. But then, I have a bizarre affection for those "interstate plazas" you see on the sides of major highways, which are accessible ONLY via the highway. I like those places - they have this bizarre vibe/charm to them that I find fascinating. Even architecturally they're interesting, and depending on what region in the country you're in, they can also be VERY different and yet always exactly the same, still.

Frankly, I'm beginning to like the idea of driving 'cross country with Jackie. I know for a fact that a lot of hotels are at least cat-friends, since when I was between apartments here in Portland and spent 2 weeks in hotels/motels, nearly every one in that sorta $90-$130 a night range like Howard Johnson or Days Inn or La Quinta seemed to be cat-friendly - I was surprised. Of course, ownership of those kinda places is like often in flux and franchise names are meaningless in terms of ownership, so some planning is a good idea. But with smartphones, it doesn't seem like it'll be too difficult to find cat-friendly places along i70 most of the way... just as long as I don't get stuck in the middle of Nebraska looking for a hotel where there's just cornfields for miles.

Yes, keep her in the carrier at all times. Not only may she try to dive under the pedals, she may also decide to hide under a seat where her claws make her inextricable. Additionally, she may bolt the instant you open the door, never to be seen again.

Stuff some towels or pads in the carrier to give her something to cuddle up in and she'll be fine. We've moved a couple times with cats and had them in the car with us for multiple hours and they all did fine.

You'll want to plan your itinerary in advance to make sure you have reservations at cat-friendly motels, as in my experience they're not all that common.

mick ohio
Sep 24, 2007

So I says to Mabel, I says...
I need some reassurance/advice for myself here. Back in May, I met a cat at a shelter who I thought was super sweet. I fantasized about adopting her when my housemates and their dogs moved out, but sat on my hands about it for a while. I was nervous about it because I have another cat who I am incredibly bonded to, if I ever have to move from where I am now, it'd be super hard to find another place with two cats, and a couple of other anxiety-brain related things. At the same time, though, my cat seemed sad and lonely after the dogs moved out, and I kept thinking that having another cat friend might be good for him.

Toward the end of July, I learned this cat was still in the shelter. I decided to go visit again and spend some time with her to see if I really wanted to bring her home. I got to talking with two other visitors at the shelter that day and they generously offered to pay the cat's adoption fee. I thought about it for another day or so, took a look at my finances and housing situation to give myself a reality check, and everything pointed in the direction of adopting her.

New cat came home on Saturday. It's only been a few days, but I find myself so anxious wondering if I did the right thing or not. My first cat is upset with me and not as cuddly as usual, but the two cats are tolerating each other well (they were separated for a few days and I switched out who would be where so they'd pick up on each others scents). I'm just really struggling with this anxiety and sometimes feel like I just want it to be me and my first cat together. Reading the OP about having multiple cats has helped relieve some of this, but I wanted to reach out as well and ask if my anxiety over this is normal. Any advice or suggestions on what I can do for myself in this scenario? I feel terrible that I'm having second thoughts about this after bringing a new cat friend into my home. :(

zakharov
Nov 30, 2002

:kimchi: Tater Love :kimchi:
Edit: I misread the post

Blackchamber
Jan 25, 2005

mick ohio posted:

I need some reassurance/advice for myself here. Back in May, I met a cat at a shelter who I thought was super sweet. I fantasized about adopting her when my housemates and their dogs moved out, but sat on my hands about it for a while. I was nervous about it because I have another cat who I am incredibly bonded to, if I ever have to move from where I am now, it'd be super hard to find another place with two cats, and a couple of other anxiety-brain related things. At the same time, though, my cat seemed sad and lonely after the dogs moved out, and I kept thinking that having another cat friend might be good for him.

Toward the end of July, I learned this cat was still in the shelter. I decided to go visit again and spend some time with her to see if I really wanted to bring her home. I got to talking with two other visitors at the shelter that day and they generously offered to pay the cat's adoption fee. I thought about it for another day or so, took a look at my finances and housing situation to give myself a reality check, and everything pointed in the direction of adopting her.

New cat came home on Saturday. It's only been a few days, but I find myself so anxious wondering if I did the right thing or not. My first cat is upset with me and not as cuddly as usual, but the two cats are tolerating each other well (they were separated for a few days and I switched out who would be where so they'd pick up on each others scents). I'm just really struggling with this anxiety and sometimes feel like I just want it to be me and my first cat together. Reading the OP about having multiple cats has helped relieve some of this, but I wanted to reach out as well and ask if my anxiety over this is normal. Any advice or suggestions on what I can do for myself in this scenario? I feel terrible that I'm having second thoughts about this after bringing a new cat friend into my home. :(

Give it more time. Ginny did not like having a kitten show up either and it took a while for them to buddy up. I thought I was a horrible person at first too.

EDIT: and now I get twice the cat cuddles.

LoreOfSerpents
Dec 29, 2001

No.

GotDonuts posted:

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.
This got lost on the last page. Hopefully some other folks have some more advice for you, too.

Cats are very scent-driven. Some cats stop tolerating each other after something as simple as a vet trip because the returning cat now smells like the vet. Mild cases usually fix themselves within a day or two, but your situation sounds a lot more severe, and honestly if I were you, I'd start going through "new cat introduction" steps in the second post of this thread. Don't skip ahead to the introduction phase. Take it very slowly, let each of them have their own room for a while, slowly swap things like blankets and towels that they sleep on, and gradually the house should start smelling like both of them again.

And since you mentioned Feliway... assuming you're using the diffusers, Feliway claims that it takes a while to become effective, up to a month in some cases, and scientific studies have shown mixed results from it. If you're trying it anyway, make sure you get the multi-cat version, not the basic "don't spray my poo poo" version, and plan to have it set up for at least 2 months to see if it helps. Also note that open windows likely reduce its effectiveness, and one diffuser probably isn't enough for a whole house. It's definitely not a quick fix.

kaworu posted:

Also, query about driving solo with a cat... Should I keep her in a carrier WHENEVER I am moving? It seems like a cat roaming through a car without a second passenger to corral them if they curiously decide to inspect your feet interacting with the pedals could, uh... cause problems. So I am supposing that even on long car trips that'd have to be the case, and you'd have to pull over to let your cat out in a harness and leashed to at least get fresh air every few hours... And I am totally cool with that! I think making repeated pit stops every 2-3 hours when you're driving all day is just... totally necessary, even without a cat. But then, I have a bizarre affection for those "interstate plazas" you see on the sides of major highways, which are accessible ONLY via the highway. I like those places - they have this bizarre vibe/charm to them that I find fascinating. Even architecturally they're interesting, and depending on what region in the country you're in, they can also be VERY different and yet always exactly the same, still.
I once had a drugged cat wedge itself under a brake pedal on a 6-hour drive. You do not want that experience. Keep her in the carrier if you're alone.

Remember that your cat may be stressed out, even if you're enjoying yourself. She may not be interested in your pit stops, and she may be scared when you leave her alone to use the restroom, or when the elevation changes as you cross mountain passes. Pay extra attention to her. When we moved our three cats across the country, they did nothing but sleep until we stopped for the night. No eating, drinking, or using the litter box while on the road. For days. One time, we stopped to let them try to use the litter box, and one of the cats decided the litter box was her new bed. It was the most depressing thing. Every day, it got harder and harder to get them back into the carrier.

We stayed exclusively at La Quinta Inns because most of them are pet friendly. You still want to check in advance because you'll occasionally come across one that isn't, but the majority of them are.

I suggest driving only during daylight. If you're a few months out from your trip, you may be driving in the middle of deer season, so you need the visibility. Mountain passes also should be done at the beginning of the day, after you've checked online to make sure they're not closed or really icy. Mountain passes are not something you want to gently caress around with, especially when most of your neighboring traffic will be giant semi trucks.

mick ohio posted:

New cat came home on Saturday. It's only been a few days, but I find myself so anxious wondering if I did the right thing or not. My first cat is upset with me and not as cuddly as usual, but the two cats are tolerating each other well (they were separated for a few days and I switched out who would be where so they'd pick up on each others scents). I'm just really struggling with this anxiety and sometimes feel like I just want it to be me and my first cat together. Reading the OP about having multiple cats has helped relieve some of this, but I wanted to reach out as well and ask if my anxiety over this is normal. Any advice or suggestions on what I can do for myself in this scenario? I feel terrible that I'm having second thoughts about this after bringing a new cat friend into my home. :(
Seconding that you need to give it more time. If they're tolerating each other, you've already done better than a lot of people. Enjoy your new title as World's Biggest Sucker for getting tricked into a second cat.

Rotten Red Rod
Mar 5, 2002

My long-haul cat travel tips - get yourself one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L36K7EE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Enough room for 2 cats and a small litter box. You can easily unzip a small part if you need to get in there without letting the cat out, and you can put the flaps down so they can't see out.

Strap it in securely - we surrounded it with other luggage so it wouldn't fall off the seat. I also put some food in there, and each time I stopped I would give them a small dish of water to drink (and then take it out again when we started moving). They might not touch any of those the whole trip, but it's good to do it anyway. Don't let them out at any point, even when you're stopped - you don't know how they'll react.

We put them in there with a blanket and some catnip, and they meowed a bit, but calmed down after an hour and either slept or just stayed still and quiet. No, they didn't like it, but they weren't traumatized. It worked well for the whole 10 hour drive.

And yeah, they might use the litter box as a bed. Cats do weird things when they're stressed.

Coolspaz
Feb 26, 2004
And so it came to pass, and so it was told, quoth the raven "never more"
Long time reading of PI but just had to put one of my cats down. He had liver/gall bladder issues and the quality of life was not there. I'm not worried about my 2nd cat. She was bonded very strongly with the one who is now gone and is starting to get anxiety and being very clingy. I know this is part of the mourning process for her but if it starts to effect her quality of life, should I consider getting her someone to bond with. I'd probably go adult cat as she's 6 and would not be able to keep up with a kitten. This is not a replace cat, it would be getting my existing cat a play mate and the side effect being another cat in my home

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Sorry about your loss, Coolspaz. Max was similar when our college roomies moved out with their cat. She got very clingy and demanded attention at all hours, which was weird because her and Kimi had never been friends and often fought (seriously enough that Kimi had to go to the vet afterwards a few times.) I decided to get Sam with the express intention of giving her another cat to play with but I explained her issues with Kimi to the rescue I went to and asked if they had a cat that was tolerant of some mean-girl behavior.

The shelter lady laughed and took me into the multi-cat room, pointed at a tiny striped female cat who was sitting on a post licking her paw. "That's the queen of the room," she said. I nodded. Then she pointed at a chubby black cat who was wandering over to her. "That's the cat you want," she said. We waited about thirty seconds for Sam to approach the boss cat, get smacked in the face for it.... and then walk back up to get smacked again.

"Put him in a box," I said. :D

Almost ten years later they are not cuddle-puddle friends but they do tolerate each other well and keep each other entertained, and Max has never fought Sam to the point where I had to see a vet (unlike with Kimi.) So my advice is go for it but be able to talk to your rescue/shelter about your current cat to find a playmate who will click with them. It's important to have meshing personalities.

---

TRAVEL TIPS
I've done 2300 miles three times with cats in a car (Phoenix > Raleigh > Phoenix > Raleigh) and this is what you need to know.

1) Get tranquilizers from your vet. This is non-optional. Drug the cat when you wake up so they're sleepy by the time you pack up to go.

2) Have a TOP-LOADING carrier, they sell these at any pet place and they're a godsend. Front loading carriers suck.

3) DO NOT take the cat out of the carrier at any point during the trip that is not inside of a locked hotel room. Period. For any reason.
-They can get stuck under pedals and kill you both
-If god forbid you crash the car, they can be killed because they were not secured
-Some kind of terrible mess involving pee/poo/food/litter can occur that you are not prepared to deal with
-They can get out of the car if they aren't secured when you open the door and never be seen again
-Your cat is not going to enjoy this road trip. They will at best tolerate it quietly. You basically want to keep them still and secure and let them sleep through it.

3a) Your cat is not a dog. It does not need bathroom breaks or to stretch at any point. Carrier > hotel > carrier > hotel. Safety first!

4) Build yourself a travel kit.
-Bring a small litterbox, use a garbage bag as a liner and you can just zip it and toss it in the morning. No Scooping!
-Bring the food and water bowls, obviously
-Bring a roll of paper towel and some stain remover for accidents

5) Check the hotel room for stupid holes before you let them out. No seriously we had a hotel once where Sam tried to climb in the gap under the vanity sink and disappear into the loving walls. :argh:

"Practicing" a moderate length car ride is only going to stress them out, really, and if you're not going to drug them for it then it won't be a real indicator of how well they travel anyways so I would advise against it.

Dienes
Nov 4, 2009

dee
doot doot dee
doot doot doot
doot doot dee
dee doot doot
doot doot dee
dee doot doot


College Slice

Coolspaz posted:

Long time reading of PI but just had to put one of my cats down. He had liver/gall bladder issues and the quality of life was not there. I'm not worried about my 2nd cat. She was bonded very strongly with the one who is now gone and is starting to get anxiety and being very clingy. I know this is part of the mourning process for her but if it starts to effect her quality of life, should I consider getting her someone to bond with. I'd probably go adult cat as she's 6 and would not be able to keep up with a kitten. This is not a replace cat, it would be getting my existing cat a play mate and the side effect being another cat in my home

I had this happen with Khan when we lost Torgo to cardio myopathy. She would pace, "look" for him, vocalize a lot more, overgroom, etc. I ended up getting a kitten for her and she latched on. Couldn't keep up with him in play but they ate together, slept together, groomed each other, etc. Her appetite and behavior went back to normal pretty much immediately once she had the little one to take care of.

GotDonuts
Apr 28, 2008

Karbohydrate Kitteh

LoreOfSerpents posted:

This got lost on the last page. Hopefully some other folks have some more advice for you, too.

Cats are very scent-driven. Some cats stop tolerating each other after something as simple as a vet trip because the returning cat now smells like the vet. Mild cases usually fix themselves within a day or two, but your situation sounds a lot more severe, and honestly if I were you, I'd start going through "new cat introduction" steps in the second post of this thread. Don't skip ahead to the introduction phase. Take it very slowly, let each of them have their own room for a while, slowly swap things like blankets and towels that they sleep on, and gradually the house should start smelling like both of them again.

And since you mentioned Feliway... assuming you're using the diffusers, Feliway claims that it takes a while to become effective, up to a month in some cases, and scientific studies have shown mixed results from it. If you're trying it anyway, make sure you get the multi-cat version, not the basic "don't spray my poo poo" version, and plan to have it set up for at least 2 months to see if it helps. Also note that open windows likely reduce its effectiveness, and one diffuser probably isn't enough for a whole house. It's definitely not a quick fix.

I haven't bought any of the diffusers but that was defiantly going to be my next step. I will give the guide a read over with the misses when we both get home from work tonight. We have both cats mildly interacting with each other through the crates but I am sure we have been doing things wrong in trying to reintroduce one another.

Grimdude
Sep 25, 2006

It was a shame how he carried on

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?

Another update, he ate so much dry food today I was honestly shocked. First time was this morning; I was trying to give his oral medication and he jumped out of the chair and just sat by the bowl and ate. Then when I got home from work he was scarfing down a fair bit more. I stopped him after a bit though because the last thing I want now is for him to throw up all that progress.

Thanks everyone!

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Sounds like he's feeling better! :D

Gaj
Apr 30, 2006
Hey just checking but is this one of the largest tail:body ratios you guys have every seen?

Only registered members can see post attachments!

Macichne Leainig
Jul 26, 2012

by VG
Why yes, that is a very fine cat attached to an even finer bottle brush.

TMMadman
Sep 9, 2003

by Fluffdaddy
LT might be pretty close, although this picture probably doesn't do it justice.

Len
Jan 21, 2008

Pouches, bandages, shoulderpad, cyber-eye...

Bitchin'!


It's a big cat from a zoo but



Fabulousity
Dec 29, 2008

Number One I order you to take a number two.

Len posted:

It's a big cat from a zoo but





Of course all cats are good cats.

Snow leopard?

There probably should be a dedicated zoo thread.


HAY GUYZ!

TofuDiva
Aug 22, 2010

Playin' Possum





Muldoon

Fabulousity posted:

Of course all cats are good cats.

Snow leopard?

There probably should be a dedicated zoo thread.

Snow leopards are majestic and dignified cats



I would totally read a dedicated zoo thread.

explosivo
May 23, 2004

Fueled by Satan

This is probably a real dumb thing to say but it wasn't until I got cats that I realized that big cats are actually the same as small cats but also big.

Len
Jan 21, 2008

Pouches, bandages, shoulderpad, cyber-eye...

Bitchin'!


explosivo posted:

This is probably a real dumb thing to say but it wasn't until I got cats that I realized that big cats are actually the same as small cats but also big.

Any excuse to post their videos

https://youtu.be/J11uu8L8FTY

Fabulousity
Dec 29, 2008

Number One I order you to take a number two.

Len posted:

Any excuse to post their videos

https://youtu.be/J11uu8L8FTY

I like how it proves all cats like boxes but it also shows as cat size decreases expertise in boxing increases. Those lions and tigers could use some coaching. The cheetah repeatedly scaring the poo poo out itself was great.

Part of what makes house cats so fun is they're essentially scale models of some of the most perfected mammalian killing machines on Earth. Here's a specimen killing the undersides of an Ikea beast:

Gaj
Apr 30, 2006
Cats are majestic, graceful predators.

Only registered members can see post attachments!

Whybird
Aug 2, 2009

Phaiston have long avoided the tightly competetive defence sector, but the IRDA Act 2052 has given us the freedom we need to bring out something really special.

https://team-robostar.itch.io/robostar


Nap Ghost
My cat (Leeloo) forgot how to walk for a few minutes today.



- Age: Rescue cat, 6-7 years.
- Sex: Female
- How long have you had your cat? Almost her entire life, we got her when she was 6 months.
- Is your cat spayed or neutered? Yes.
- What food do you use? 15g of dry Purina biscuits, three times a day
- When was your last vet visit? About a year ago
- Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both? Mostly indoors; we let her roam outdoors supervised.
- How many pets in your household? Just her
- How many litter boxes do you have? One

An evening about 3 months ago she suddenly fell over in the middle of the room and lay there in what looked like an unnatural, uncomfortable position. When we checked to see if she was OK, she tried to get up and walk and couldn't -- it was as if she was trying to avoid the use of some of her legs, and ended up half-dragging herself to where she wanted to go. After about five minutes she seemed to get back to normal, was comfortable walking, and seemed entirely happy (most notably she didn't try to hide or go anywhere private) so we wrote it off as maybe having pulled a muscle or something like that.

Today pretty much exactly the same thing happened: she fell over and couldn't walk properly. She was trying to drag herself towards a secluded space behind the sofa so I picked her up and took her to my partner's room (it's one of her safe spaces, and where she retreats when she feels threatened) but by the time I'd put her down, she was walking normally again.

Is this something that longhair cats are known to do, is this worth a vet visit, or is my cat just weird?

Deteriorata
Feb 6, 2005

Whybird posted:

My cat (Leeloo) forgot how to walk for a few minutes today.



- Age: Rescue cat, 6-7 years.
- Sex: Female
- How long have you had your cat? Almost her entire life, we got her when she was 6 months.
- Is your cat spayed or neutered? Yes.
- What food do you use? 15g of dry Purina biscuits, three times a day
- When was your last vet visit? About a year ago
- Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both? Mostly indoors; we let her roam outdoors supervised.
- How many pets in your household? Just her
- How many litter boxes do you have? One

An evening about 3 months ago she suddenly fell over in the middle of the room and lay there in what looked like an unnatural, uncomfortable position. When we checked to see if she was OK, she tried to get up and walk and couldn't -- it was as if she was trying to avoid the use of some of her legs, and ended up half-dragging herself to where she wanted to go. After about five minutes she seemed to get back to normal, was comfortable walking, and seemed entirely happy (most notably she didn't try to hide or go anywhere private) so we wrote it off as maybe having pulled a muscle or something like that.

Today pretty much exactly the same thing happened: she fell over and couldn't walk properly. She was trying to drag herself towards a secluded space behind the sofa so I picked her up and took her to my partner's room (it's one of her safe spaces, and where she retreats when she feels threatened) but by the time I'd put her down, she was walking normally again.

Is this something that longhair cats are known to do, is this worth a vet visit, or is my cat just weird?

Probably a seizure. There may be treatment for it, although if it's only every few months it may be better to just live with it. Take her to a vet for a proper evaluation, at any rate.

It may be a symptom of a serious disease (like a tumor), so be prepared for bad news. Or it may be nothing.

Organza Quiz
Nov 7, 2009


Whybird posted:

My cat (Leeloo) forgot how to walk for a few minutes today.

Is this something that longhair cats are known to do, is this worth a vet visit, or is my cat just weird?

Definitely not normal, definitely vet.

TofuDiva
Aug 22, 2010

Playin' Possum





Muldoon

Whybird posted:

My cat (Leeloo) forgot how to walk for a few minutes today.



- Age: Rescue cat, 6-7 years.
- Sex: Female
- How long have you had your cat? Almost her entire life, we got her when she was 6 months.
- Is your cat spayed or neutered? Yes.
- What food do you use? 15g of dry Purina biscuits, three times a day
- When was your last vet visit? About a year ago
- Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both? Mostly indoors; we let her roam outdoors supervised.
- How many pets in your household? Just her
- How many litter boxes do you have? One

An evening about 3 months ago she suddenly fell over in the middle of the room and lay there in what looked like an unnatural, uncomfortable position. When we checked to see if she was OK, she tried to get up and walk and couldn't -- it was as if she was trying to avoid the use of some of her legs, and ended up half-dragging herself to where she wanted to go. After about five minutes she seemed to get back to normal, was comfortable walking, and seemed entirely happy (most notably she didn't try to hide or go anywhere private) so we wrote it off as maybe having pulled a muscle or something like that.

Today pretty much exactly the same thing happened: she fell over and couldn't walk properly. She was trying to drag herself towards a secluded space behind the sofa so I picked her up and took her to my partner's room (it's one of her safe spaces, and where she retreats when she feels threatened) but by the time I'd put her down, she was walking normally again.

Is this something that longhair cats are known to do, is this worth a vet visit, or is my cat just weird?

That's not something that longhaired cats just do; it's definitely something your vet should evaluate.

20 Blunts
Jan 21, 2017
I'm an arborist and about once a year I get a "do you guys get cats out of trees?" call. Of course usually these calls come in the middle of a busy week where theres no way I can divert any machines or climbers for a cat rescue. Any recommendations on what to tell these folks?

TMMadman
Sep 9, 2003

by Fluffdaddy

Autistic Edgy Guy posted:

I'm an arborist and about once a year I get a "do you guys get cats out of trees?" call. Of course usually these calls come in the middle of a busy week where theres no way I can divert any machines or climbers for a cat rescue. Any recommendations on what to tell these folks?

There are only two directions a cat can go in most trees: up or down. My policy is to just wait for the cat to come down. As long as the tree has a branch that is somewhere in the 8-10 feet high range, the cat will be able to jump to the ground.

20 Blunts
Jan 21, 2017

TMMadman posted:

There are only two directions a cat can go in most trees: up or down. My policy is to just wait for the cat to come down. As long as the tree has a branch that is somewhere in the 8-10 feet high range, the cat will be able to jump to the ground.

Yeah I was thinking to recommend picking up a 10-15' 2x4 and leaning it up against the base of the trunk. Probably cheaper than the hourly rate on our $300,000 backyard lift + man hours for a skilled arborist.

Boogalo
Jul 8, 2012

Meep Meep




It still might be worth calling local fire department to see how bored they are.

computer angel
Sep 9, 2008

Make it a double.
While we were visiting my inlaws, my husband fed a skinny dirty stray some ham and afterwards she did the incredibly intelligent tactic of planting herself outside their house and never leaving. So we took her to the vet, made sure she was fixed, and checked if she was chipped (she was, but no info). Now she's an inside cat in our house and we call her Lump after how she looked the first night we found her sleeping on the picnic table. Her belly is nude from being spayed which at first I thought meant recent surgery but now I think it's just like that permanently. She loves being inside and is incredibly easy to handle, which leads me to believe she was dumped by her previous owners which is not uncommon in our city. I kind of wanted a Ragdoll cat but I guess having a garbage one from off the street is ok too. Anyways that's my story.

baka kaba
Jul 19, 2003

PLEASE ASK ME, THE SELF-PROFESSED NO #1 PAUL CATTERMOLE FAN IN THE SOMETHING AWFUL S-CLUB 7 MEGATHREAD, TO NAME A SINGLE SONG BY HIS EXCELLENT NU-METAL SIDE PROJECT, SKUA, AND IF I CAN'T PLEASE TELL ME TO
EAT SHIT

Hey cat thread - does anyone have any experience with K-Laser therapy or anything along those lines? It's the kind of thing where they use the beam to stimulate the soft tissues and it's meant to help with healing and pain relief, reduce inflammation, that kind of thing

My vet recommended it because Gizmo has that chronic gingivitis issue where his gums and the back of his mouth get inflamed, and his saliva starts to smell. I take him to the vet and they usually give him antibiotics and/or steroids and he's fine after that for a few weeks or months, but it always comes back. I've been giving him some enzymatic toothpaste (on his paw to lick off, he ain't letting me brush in there) and that does seem to slow it down, but then it ends up inflamed again and I can tell it's bothering him (like when yawning hurts)

So yeah she recommended three or so sessions of the laser to help, anyone know much about it or if it helps? thanks!

cat receipts:

Deteriorata
Feb 6, 2005

For a more complete discussion of the subject, you might want to ask in the Pseudoscience thread: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3100175

From what I've seen, the low-level laser therapy does not have any demonstrated benefits. Lots of hype (Lasers! Hi Tech!) and anecdotes, but no clinical evidence of effect. I suspect it's prime mode of action is just in warming the tissues, like a hot water bottle.

It probably won't do any harm, but it's unlikely to help, either.

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baka kaba
Jul 19, 2003

PLEASE ASK ME, THE SELF-PROFESSED NO #1 PAUL CATTERMOLE FAN IN THE SOMETHING AWFUL S-CLUB 7 MEGATHREAD, TO NAME A SINGLE SONG BY HIS EXCELLENT NU-METAL SIDE PROJECT, SKUA, AND IF I CAN'T PLEASE TELL ME TO
EAT SHIT

It's something that's been trialled here and the NHS's clinical guidance body has approved it so I'm not really worried that it doesn't do anything, it's more about if anyone's run into any complications with it, or any stories about it helping with this condition (which is apparently really common and something you just have to manage forever? poor lil dude)

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