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Rotten Red Rod posted:If you want your cats to be very happy, find the highest spot in your house and give them a way to get there. That place will be cat heaven. My house has a vaulted ceiling in the main living area so the walls around the kitchen are completely accessible if a cat jumps up on the fridge. I think my cats figured that out within a month of moving here. It’s not uncommon to come around a corner and see this: 
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Oct 15, 2019 12:30
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Slightly better camera picture of cat
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Oct 15, 2019 12:51
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Protocol7 posted:My house has a vaulted ceiling in the main living area so the walls around the kitchen are completely accessible if a cat jumps up on the fridge. High nooks like that are cat Nirvana. Your cats have ascended.
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Oct 15, 2019 13:14
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Rotten Red Rod posted:High nooks like that are cat Nirvana. Your cats have ascended. I always give them poo poo. I think I explicitly asked the cat if he was surveying his domain before taking that photo.
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Oct 15, 2019 15:14
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I gave my my normally incredibly high stress cat gabapentin before his vet visit (prescribed by the vet), and man this stuff works wonders. Normally a crying machine at the vet he's actually pretty chill: Hes somehow managed to put on a bunch of weight from his last visit and I dont know how considering I use a feeder for him to limit his intake and his food is low calorie too 
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Oct 15, 2019 16:54
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seiferguy posted:Hes somehow managed to put on a bunch of weight from his last visit and I dont know how considering I use a feeder for him to limit his intake and his food is low calorie too Has he figured out how to stick his paw into the feeder and get more food out? Mine did that until i taped a plastic tab over more of the opening. Alternatively is the calibration off on your feeder? Have you measured out what the feeder is giving him? If nothing else you could always just reduce what the feeder is giving until he starts losing weight. Assuming the vet doesn't find anything of course.
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Oct 15, 2019 17:29
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 Highest place in the room! And because this just happened while I was trying to show her off to instagram:   Damnit, Katya.
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Oct 15, 2019 18:14
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Spikes32 posted:Has he figured out how to stick his paw into the feeder and get more food out? Mine did that until i taped a plastic tab over more of the opening. Alternatively is the calibration off on your feeder? Have you measured out what the feeder is giving him? If nothing else you could always just reduce what the feeder is giving until he starts losing weight. Assuming the vet doesn't find anything of course. The feeder is one with 6 slots. I feel up each amount pre-portioned. I stopped feeling up slots 5 and 6 since they figured out how to get food early. I'm not really feeding them treats that often. The other thing is my other cat lost weight so I think they're switching who's eating more food.
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Oct 15, 2019 18:40
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massive spider posted:Slightly better camera picture of cat KITTEN! 
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Oct 15, 2019 23:30
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Fridge-kitten really is weapons grade cute.
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Oct 15, 2019 23:34
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I really need some advice about our boy Toro, he's worrying us quite a lot!! him:  He's about 8, 12ish pounds (he's on a diet) and lately he's been barfing after eating breakfast. He gets dry food (urinary crystal food, it's science diet or whatever) twice a day and a serving of wet food in the evening (Nutro). He begs a LOT for food, and he's especially crazy about his dry food...especially when it's a new bag right now. What seems to me, and I'm just guessing because I've had dogs that do this, is he's just bolting as much of his breakfast as soon as possible, upsetting his stomach (??) and barfing up everything he just ate. Sometimes some bile as well after his stomach is empty. Do cats even do that kind of thing??? I've had dogs all my life, and I've worked with dogs, but my experience with cats is really low. He has a normal appetite otherwise, he's begging for food/constantly thinking we have treats, he's drinking water and doing all his usual things. We will probably be taking him to the vet just to be safe, especially if he keeps doing this. We try to give him his food in smaller portions throughout the day but I forgot yesterday and he threw up. Are there like, puzzle bowls for cats? What the hell can we do for this boy? 
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Oct 16, 2019 00:40
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There are puzzle bowls and puzzle balls. Cats absolutely can bolt their food and vomit too, I've known several that do. The solution is lots of small meals or a puzzle feeder. Something like this could work, or this or puzzle balls. What you're looking for is called a slow feeder. Do check in with the vet, but it's likely he's just eating too much too fast like an idiot.
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Oct 16, 2019 00:48
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Yes, there are puzzle feeders for cats. I've got this one and it's alright even though only one cat really uses it. Although to be fair, I haven't stopped free feeding either because I got the food tree more as a test/secondary feeder. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D3NI31Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Oct 16, 2019 00:50
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Thanks, that's reassuring. I think I've actually seen that brand in stores around here, I just completely forgot about it. He's very dumb and very unmotivated, if you ask me. We definitely had a little treat ball for him before, but he'd only roll it enough to get a treat out, then immediately eat it, then roll it again five minutes later. I'll probably try and pick up one of those feeders this weekend.
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Oct 16, 2019 01:07
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I am missing the *hell* out of my cat. I'm in LA and she's back in Maine, and this is the first time since I adopted her in 2011 that I have been gone for as long as even one night... and this is my 7th of 10 days gone basically, so we're both feeling some separation anxiety. From what I hear Jackie is very listless and grumpy at home and only seems excited about eating. They are trying to be nice to her, but she is growling and meowing angrily when people approach her or touch her. This basically sounds like how she was before I adopted her.. I saw a picture of her from yesterday, and she just looked... in a bad mood and upset. Which I can totally understand, I mean, there is simply no established precedent for this.. I mean, Jackie gets annoyed and clingy if I'm even just gone for over 8-10 hours  I feel bad because I'm not entirely blameless, but it's just the way things are - she's just the kind of cat that gets very attached to a human.Anyway, I am certainly deeply missing my cat, she is actually just about the one thing I really DO miss. I keep thinking that she's on the couch behind me when I'm sitting on it... and then she isn't there. It'll be nice to see her again.
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Oct 16, 2019 01:36
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Rotten Red Rod posted:If you want your cats to be very happy, find the highest spot in your house and give them a way to get there. That place will be cat heaven. We have cat shelves alone the walls of the living room that connect several cat trees around the apt. The cats love them. One of our previous cats, Colonel Tigh, weighed 16 pounds and had one eye. He loved the shelves but always walked on them, never ran, because his depth perception was poo poo. He was so cautious we weren't worried. Right up until the day he tried to roll over on one and fell about 7 feet from the highest shelf onto where I was sleeping on the couch.
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Oct 16, 2019 03:22
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No issue here, but just something adorable. Percy has been with me since May, she’s a 2 year old tuxedo born on the street in the Bronx, with missing toes on her left paw so she’s only got one bean there. She’s the sweetest, most gentle cat I’ve ever owned, which is amazing considering she bites a lot. She’ll let me rub her tummy and stretch out, and then wallop my arm and bite and lick. She wants for nothing and it shows. Anyway, the story I want to tell: All I wanted was a cuddler, and while she’s very affectionate she much prefers to be in her hammock or anywhere else but my lap. This behavior took a fun turn when, while watching some TV, I couldn’t find her. I like to pick her up and plop her on my lap for extreme pats and she’ll hang for a few before dipping out. This time though, I couldn’t find her anywhere, until I finally grabbed her treats and called out. She appeared from inside her cat carrier, (I leave it out, and open, so that she can always know it exists, and feel safe in it) and I was amazed to find that she actually uses it that way. So I gave her the treat and she liked it and I went back to the couch and waited. She drank some water and then went back to the carrier. She crawled in, turned around, and made biscuits for 15 minutes while staring at me and blinking slowly. My heart melted. I hope that once winter arrives she’s a little more drawn to my lap or the couch, but for now, I’ll settle for an extremely relaxed and trusting kitty who had a very tough life before she came into mine. 
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Oct 16, 2019 17:49
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Every time we take our kitten to the vet they're utterly charmed by him, he has no fear and spends the whole time suckling on his Cookie Monster plushie: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=439727366652277
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Oct 16, 2019 18:04
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Catpost/crosspost: Whenever I visit my mom I make sure to take pictures of her cats. Here is Sweet Pea  True to her name, she is very sweet and chirps a lot. Here is Tommy   Tommy refuses to sit still for photographs as he is busy begging for the coveted Tummy Rub. Here is Smokey    Send help, baby cat bought a timeshare on my back, cannot move, stuck here for hours
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Oct 17, 2019 00:05
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My cat's hisser is so sensitive. She's docile for activities like ear cleaning and nail clipping, but the second she's comfortable on my lap and I move my foot she does a hiss. In my whole life of cat ownership, I've only ever heard my cats hiss at other cats. Is this the "tortitude" I hear so much about? 
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Oct 17, 2019 00:35
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computer angel posted:My cat's hisser is so sensitive. She's docile for activities like ear cleaning and nail clipping, but the second she's comfortable on my lap and I move my foot she does a hiss. In my whole life of cat ownership, I've only ever heard my cats hiss at other cats. Is this the "tortitude" I hear so much about? I cannot say. I only have a tiktok video. https://twitter.com/disharryland/status/1184564314591694850?s=19
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Oct 17, 2019 01:53
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CJacobs posted:
Tommy Rub
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Oct 17, 2019 02:32
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computer angel posted:My cat's hisser is so sensitive. She's docile for activities like ear cleaning and nail clipping, but the second she's comfortable on my lap and I move my foot she does a hiss. In my whole life of cat ownership, I've only ever heard my cats hiss at other cats. Is this the "tortitude" I hear so much about? Diagnosis: cat
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Oct 17, 2019 02:40
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I moved to the west coast recently and am aiming to bring my cat out next weekend by plane as my carry-on. Does anyone have recommendations for going about this? Main concern I have is her making a mess in the 6-some hours it'll take at the airport, on the flight, and getting home.
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Oct 17, 2019 03:20
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Cugel the Clever posted:I moved to the west coast recently and am aiming to bring my cat out next weekend by plane as my carry-on. Does anyone have recommendations for going about this? Main concern I have is her making a mess in the 6-some hours it'll take at the airport, on the flight, and getting home.  Get some from your vet. They'll sleep through the whole thing. They can last that long in a carrier without using the bathroom if they're not particularly nervous.
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Oct 17, 2019 03:35
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Bring a roll of kitchen towels, baby wet wipes. See your vet about a sedative pre-flight.
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Oct 17, 2019 03:35
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TofuDiva posted:I think it's a security thing. On some limbic level they just like to be on the highest thing in the room, so that they can survey it all and don't have to worry about some unknown/imagined danger attacking from above. In an empty room they can see the perimeter, so no need to be up high. Yeah, I guess. I'm probably just over-analyzing the whole thing. Anyway, my Henny gets his balls chopped off in the morning. Poor little guy.  He's the gray one.
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Oct 17, 2019 06:10
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Cugel the Clever posted:I moved to the west coast recently and am aiming to bring my cat out next weekend by plane as my carry-on. Does anyone have recommendations for going about this? Main concern I have is her making a mess in the 6-some hours it'll take at the airport, on the flight, and getting home. You can get a sedative from the vet but in my experience they advise against it unless it's a really long flight. Cats are pretty good at holding it, I take Mel from California to Chicago once a year when I visit my parents for Christmas, and she survives the whole 4.5 hour flight + a few hours of being too scared to come out from under the covers in a scary new place before finally using her litter again. My best suggestion would be to bring a towel with you on the plane and throw it over your cat's carrier once you're seated. This will block out the scary unfamiliar sights and provide a nice dark and enclosed environment for them to feel safer in. Your cat will still be stressed but there's really no great way of moving cats long distance without freaking them out.
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Oct 17, 2019 21:36
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Yeah I did a drive that ended up being 9-10 hours with 2 cats. They didn't like it, but they quieted down after about the first hour and didn't make a mess. Your cat can handle being uncomfortable for 6 hours, it won't traumatize them and they're not going to piss or poop everywhere.
Rotten Red Rod fucked around with this message at 22:30 on Oct 17, 2019 |
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Oct 17, 2019 22:04
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Unless they're mine who poops out stress nuggets both to and from the vet.
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Oct 17, 2019 22:24
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Well this answers the question of how our kitten is getting along with one of our older cats: https://imgur.com/a/bMZ03fQ
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Oct 17, 2019 22:31
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Spikes32 posted:Unless they're mine who poops out stress nuggets both to and from the vet. Yeah my longhair cat did the nastiest stinkiest poop during the 10 minute drive to the cattery. It got all in her fur too, extra gross.
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Oct 18, 2019 07:09
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Shroomie posted:I know cats like to be up high, but is it normal for them to just never ever want to be on the floor? Both of ours have been playing a perpetual game of The Floor is Lava ever since they came to my house 7 or 8 months ago. If they're on the floor, they're probably running full speed to leap onto something different. When my cats start doing this, it means I haven't noticed a flea outbreak. Get a comb and see if any fleas show up.
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Oct 18, 2019 17:06
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Need some recommendations on feeding an older cat. She’s about 12 years old and she’s having trouble chewing her current food (science diet senior hairball control). We have two cats and they’re both on a feeder with a schedule to eat twice a day. Since she’s having trouble eating, the other one usually swoops in and helps her out, so he’s gaining some weight as well while she’s losing a bit. Moving to wet food isn’t an option, but maybe there’s a softer kibble out there that would be softer on her teeth? These are my wife’s cats. I’m used to dogs and I fed them high end food which they always liked, so I’m fine with giving higher quality food to the cats-just need some options.
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Oct 18, 2019 23:16
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Why is wet food not an option? That was the only solution for our older cat. He started losing huge amounts of weight before we realized he just couldn't chew the food, and right after we switched to wet food his weight jumped back up. If it's a matter of the food you use not being available in wet food form, you could try blending it with some water to make it into wet food.
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Oct 18, 2019 23:36
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nwin posted:Need some recommendations on feeding an older cat. We have a bowl of dry food for all the cats to free feed from, but wet food we apportion individually. Each cat has its own spot and I chase them off if they try to steal someone else's food. They quickly learn where their spot is and will wait at it when they're hungry. Pick a spot that's easy to watch, near a desk you're at often, for example. Feed the older cat there and chase away the others if they try to steal it. If you have to leave the room, put the food up out of reach until you come back.
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Oct 18, 2019 23:46
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We used to do wet food and they went insane over it, couldn’t keep them on a schedule and they would wake us up at 5 am every day begging for it, so we stopped after a while and went back to only dry food. The other problem is sometimes we travel where we rely on the feeders. We do have someone come in and refill it every other day and change the litter, but with some upcoming travel, having someone come in twice a day (or even once honestly) would be way too expensive.
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Oct 19, 2019 00:28
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Well, you have an older cat now and she requires more care than a younger cat.
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Oct 19, 2019 01:09
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nwin posted:We used to do wet food and they went insane over it, couldn’t keep them on a schedule and they would wake us up at 5 am every day begging for it, so we stopped after a while and went back to only dry food. You don't need to feed them wet food every day. They can live on dry food while you're gone. I feed them the wet food as a treat at night. They don't bug us for it in the morning because they're not expecting it then. They will only bug you in the morning if they think it will get them something. Ignore them long enough and they'll get the message.
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Oct 19, 2019 01:14
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Deteriorata posted:You don't need to feed them wet food every day. They can live on dry food while you're gone. The ignoring part is important. My husband gets up or pets the cat whenever she asks for food in the morning, so she's learned to bug the him (which usually wakes me up too). When he's out of town I get great sleep because I ignored her begging long enough & she knows that I don't give in. The cats will learn wet food doesn't get left out all night long after a few days of you pulling it. They'll eat quickly enough so it won't spoil. You can also look into rfid chip feeders to help the skinny one eat their food and keep the fat one out. effika fucked around with this message at 01:57 on Oct 19, 2019 |
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Oct 19, 2019 01:53
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