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Any tips for dealing with pesky infections? We took in a stray with a nasty flesh wound on his... tarsal? From some time before he trusted me enough to come close, we'd seen him limping off and on for months. His first vet trip was when the wound seemed closed but his limp came back in a big way, xrays ruled out a fracture, a wait-and-see approach was taken. His second vet trip was for his shots, the vet's opinion was the leg was healing well. A week later he started limping again and the next day the wound swelled and oozed a bunch of gross stuff, back to the vet for antibiotics and ointment and a cone. A couple days later I find out the leaky way that he absolutely refuses to pee indoors and was holding it in with all his might, back to the vet for a catheter. A couple days later he was back to be neutered. Blood work showed he was a little anemic, which I chalked up to pre-surgery fasting and misery, I took his cone off after three days (the bare minimum vet opinion) hoping getting him back to regular eating and business-ing would help. However, after about a week of the wound looking and feeling good post-leaking, The swelling and limping and sensitivity is coming back so I assume in a day or so it'll leak again. Will being neutered make him get over the not-going-inside thing? What kind of cold-hearted jerk do I need to be to get this leg healed for good? If I have to I will never take the cone off and pay for a catheter whenever he needs, but the little guy has already been to the vet so much 
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Dec 25, 2019 01:34
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| # ? May 14, 2024 00:03 |
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So today sucks. Our family cat of three years escaped about two months ago, and around the time the skinny little thing started bloating, we knew what to expect. We'd been told, incorrectly, when we got her that she was spayed, but the vet gave us the good news that we instead had three kittens on the way. This wasn't our first rodeo, given that we've taken in a couple of strays in the past that had turned out to be pregnant, so we figured, hey why not. Let the foster kid play with some new kittens for three weeks then pass them off to friends and family. She was fairly lethargic and yowling this morning, but from past experience that is what you get with a pregnant cat in the lead up to giving birth. We let her nest, checked in on her every so often and everything seemed good beyond her just being zoned out. I had a half hour nap and woke up to our foster kid telling me she wasn't breathing. Long story short, my first pet as an adult passed away while giving birth and I am a sobbing wreck. gently caress 2019, seriously. gently caress this year.
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Dec 25, 2019 03:22
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Caros posted:So today sucks. That really is awful. I am so sorry you're having to go through it. I wish I could say something to make it better. I wish I could say something that would give you comfort. But I don't have any magical words that will do that. All I can do is say that I am so very sorry that it happened, and thank you for doing your best for her.
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Dec 25, 2019 03:46
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TofuDiva posted:That really is awful. I am so sorry you're having to go through it. Thank you. It's weird but I just really needed to hear something like that from a stranger. So I really appreciate it.
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Dec 25, 2019 03:52
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Caros posted:Thank you. It's weird but I just really needed to hear something like that from a stranger. So I really appreciate it. You did everything you could and made her life comfortable. She passed away in a house full of people who loved her and cared for her which beats the alternative. Did the kittens make it?
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Dec 25, 2019 03:55
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Len posted:You did everything you could and made her life comfortable. She passed away in a house full of people who loved her and cared for her which beats the alternative. Sadly not. My girlfriend is a farm girl who would have performed a c-section to try and save them, but by the time she got home our little one had been gone for long enough that the chance they would have made it was basically nil. It seemed cruel to try.
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Dec 25, 2019 04:03
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Well, I had the really fun experience of driving across the country with my cat last week. All the way from Maine to freakin' Los Angeles- it actually was quite a trip. It did get tougher and tougher with each successive day until the final day, though, when I could finally feel optimistic about not needing to stay in another damned hotel/motel. All in all, I can't say I'd recommend anyone take a ~52-hour/3200 mile trip across the full breadth of our uh, beautiful country. It was an interesting life experience, though. I'd rather do it with backup/another person to take over driving, next time. Having Jackie around was kind of the saving grace of the trip for me at least, because she traveled extremely well - she really is just the most amazing cat - and was always so happy and cuddly when we'd get into a nice comfy room every night. But man, she got devious. It was very cold most of the trip, and she would make it as hard as possible to leave. She'd be snuggling with me under the covers and purring up a storm, and I would have to get up at dawn to go out in the frigid windy cold and begin a minimum of 8-10 straight hours on the road with only the most marginal of breaks. Those were some desperate, DESPERATE moments.
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Dec 25, 2019 10:24
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kaworu posted:Well, I had the really fun experience of driving across the country with my cat last week. All the way from Maine to freakin' Los Angeles- it actually was quite a trip. It did get tougher and tougher with each successive day until the final day, though, when I could finally feel optimistic about not needing to stay in another damned hotel/motel. How did you set up the litter for her? Cats don't seem too good at holding it.
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Dec 26, 2019 00:01
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Now that Pequod is feeling better (still keeping an eye on her just in case), it's time to introduce new cat! Thread, meet Kaz (pronounced like cause)!
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Dec 26, 2019 08:54
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:How did you set up the litter for her? Cats don't seem too good at holding it. Well, there was basically exactly enough room in the crate I got for the backseat to fit the mini-litter box we got, a small-ish but ultimately normal-sized cat bed, and a little space just barely wide enough for the little stainless steel food/water dishes I bought specifically for the trip. I also put a nylon cover over the back seat, which did not totally protect from my own clumsiness in spilling *clean* litter, but still. The first day was definitely the toughest for Jackie, I think. We were both still getting used to everything, and finding our footing as well as the ideal way to go about the trip in many different ways. I also quickly learned I had to drive a good deal more conservatively and take corners much more slowly than I normally would, when driving with Jackie in the car, which was probably a good thing for my safety and lack of problems in various forms over this trip. Oh, and I would later become totally comfortable in letting Jackie roam around the car (generally the backseat) freely at any point we were on the road that I wasn't driving the vehicle - she was very fond of checking out the window at every single stop we ever took no matter what to just see where we were and what was going on. So anyway, she refused to use the litterbox the first day and the morning of the second day. I mean, she used it when it was in the hotel room that first night, which I think was important. But she was just as miserable the second day as the first, but after lunch she softened that day, and got a bit more used to things and happier. No more moaning meows (or any sort of angry/upset meow) for the rest of the trip. And while it took her a little bit to get used to it, she had no problem at all using the litter box in the car, even when the car was in motion - though she preferred to both use her litterbox (and eat/drink water) when the car was stopped if at all possible, and I did my best to indulge her in this as much as I could, particularly since I was driving alone anyway and didn't mind stopping at every other rest stop to just stretch my legs and get some visual and mental stimulation other than driving and whatever book I had on - and again, it gave me a chance to check on Jackie and maybe take her outside for a bit if it was warm or nice enough of. Very often it actually wasn't on the first half of the the trip, but the second half was much nicer.
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Dec 26, 2019 09:57
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So i just discovered my cat has whiskers on the back of her front legs... and this is a thing? What other unique/esoteric poo poo am I going to learn about this awful smelling furball?
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Dec 26, 2019 10:38
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Basically yes thats normal. Other unique cat features: the belly pouch. Your cat isn’t necessarily overweight, they just naturally have guts.
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Dec 26, 2019 12:13
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Yeah the leg whiskers are a trip. Now that you've seen them you can never unsee them. Look for them on other cats, you'll be surprised how easily your eye misses them.
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Dec 26, 2019 15:29
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Sometimes you get white leg whiskers on a black cat! I think that's the only reason I ever noticed.
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Dec 26, 2019 16:03
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Synthbuttrange posted:Other unique cat features: the belly pouch. Your cat isn’t necessarily overweight, they just naturally have guts. I learned recently that that is called a primordial pouch. The thinking is that it is an early feature that still exists because it has functions - it protects vital organs when cats bunnykick each other, it makes it easier for a cat to fully extendwhen running or jumping, and it provides room for when a cat eats a huge meal 
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Dec 26, 2019 17:54
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I don't have a gut, I have a primordial pouch 
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Dec 26, 2019 18:38
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TofuDiva posted:I learned recently that that is called a primordial pouch. The thinking is that it is an early feature that still exists because it has functions - it protects vital organs when cats bunnyk.ick each other, it makes it easier for a cat to fully extendwhen running or jumping, and it provides room for when a cat eats a huge meal You'll also sometimes see it referred to as a "hangbelly".
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Dec 26, 2019 19:13
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Two kittens got dumped outside our house area on Christmas Eve - one has been taken in by someone else and we've got this one in a bathroom for now. We already have a cat who was abused by the other cats she lived with in her foster home and I don't know if we can keep this one. Anyone have experience taking in outdoor cats and how they get on with an already present in door cat?
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Dec 26, 2019 19:49
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TofuDiva posted:I learned recently that that is called a primordial pouch. The thinking is that it is an early feature that still exists because it has functions - it protects vital organs when cats bunnykick each other, it makes it easier for a cat to fully extendwhen running or jumping, and it provides room for when a cat eats a huge meal But when you have an overweight cat with a primordial pouch (like I do) it can honestly get a bit silly. I'm wishing I had a gif of Jackie running down the hall to something or away from something because... Well, it's a bit of a sight! She just, well... Her primordial pouch is rather prominent and when she's standing, it is like just a few millimeters off the ground... Actually, it *was*, it's gotten better lately since we left Maine and she has a lot more clearance now. Regardless, it's that when she runs - which is already an interesting sight in some ways because she's extremely polydactyl, especially in her front paws where she has 7 big toes on each one. Honestly, it looks more like she has a slightly smaller mutant-paw growing off each of her front paws, is really how it kinda looks, and it makes her run with an interesting gait. In part because of this, her primordial pouch swings rapidly from side to side as she runs, and the effect is pretty funny, overall. It's actually kinda bad, I ended up totally losing Jackie's favorite toy a week or so before I left - it was just one of those wands with a string and feathers tied to the end, but she adored it because it would turn into a bit of a tug-of-war between us every time, and she always gets into it.
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Dec 26, 2019 20:04
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Thom12255 posted:Two kittens got dumped outside our house area on Christmas Eve - one has been taken in by someone else and we've got this one in a bathroom for now. We already have a cat who was abused by the other cats she lived with in her foster home and I don't know if we can keep this one. Anyone have experience taking in outdoor cats and how they get on with an already present in door cat? It's hard to say because cats can react differently but in my experience your best shot is to keep them seperate, take it really, really slow, really slow. I would keep them separate for at least a month, minimum, then let it out supervised for an hour or few until you feel it can be out all the time. Get the cat fixed as soon as possible too and don't let it free reign until then. Another thing you can do is buy a large cat cage on Amazon then put the new cat in there, put the cage in a common room, the cat's can see and smell each other and not worry about them fighting.
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Dec 26, 2019 21:36
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Jesus who would dump a cat on christmas
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Dec 26, 2019 22:17
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taqueso posted:Jesus who would dump a cat
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Dec 26, 2019 22:20
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I also wouldn't allow any interaction or let it wander the house without a vet visit first. Contagious diseases are a thing, and it is easier to sanitize everything in the bathroom if the abandoned cat has something.
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Dec 26, 2019 22:45
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After not having a cat for 10 years, and I'm old enough that I remember posting my first cat on the forums(who died at 16 years of cancer), I finally adopted two maine coone 6 month old sisters. Meet Lily and Pineapple(my kids named them).  And thanks for this megathread to refresh my memory on what cat foods and stuff are actually good. It's been so long that some things have changed since then.
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Dec 26, 2019 22:47
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Congratulations! Lily and Pineapple are great cat names.
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Dec 26, 2019 23:07
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Parasites are also a thing, if the poor kitten was dumped they definitely need to be treated for fleas and worms before you let them interact with your cats, and get checked by a vet for diseases like FIV. I'd strongly recommend you give them a bath with Dawn soap (which will kill existing fleas if there are any) in the meantime. As far as introductions go the tried and true method is to swap bedding (towels or blankets) so they get used to each other's scents and feed them on opposite sides of a closed door so they associate the other cat's scent/sounds with food and good things, but you really really want to get the kitten cleared for interaction by a vet before you start doing any of that.
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Dec 26, 2019 23:20
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taqueso posted:Jesus who would dump a cat on christmas This in breaking news: people suck
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Dec 27, 2019 12:29
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On the subject of cat vomit, our oldest (2-3 years old) started puking a fair bit over the last few days. A couple of times a day. It's been a mixture of clear liquid, light brown/orangey liquid, and "with bits of food in". It seems impossible to tell if it's serious or not by googling. She's still eating, and I'm pretty sure she's peeing and pooping too (but trying to keep an eye on that so I can rush her to the vet if she stops). Is this something I should be more worried about?
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Dec 27, 2019 22:41
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Surprise T Rex posted:On the subject of cat vomit, our oldest (2-3 years old) started puking a fair bit over the last few days. A couple of times a day. It's been a mixture of clear liquid, light brown/orangey liquid, and "with bits of food in". TWINSIES We've got our problem cat locked in the bathroom right now. She's eating for sure, and I'm forcing water down her face hole, but this seems like the easiest way to keep an eye on whether or not she's poopin' or peein'. Last time she was just constipated and the vet had us put mineral oil in her so I've been doing that as well
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Dec 27, 2019 22:51
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Can confirm horkin' cat has an appetite as she ate 1/2 cup of food over the last couple hours. She hasn't horked yet but also no poops.
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Dec 28, 2019 05:16
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taqueso posted:Jesus who would dump a cat on christmas I didn't get all the way through the New Testament, but I don't think he would.
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Dec 28, 2019 07:47
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Just woke up to pee, no poops but the bathroom is covered in hork Edit: she pooped! Len fucked around with this message at 11:23 on Dec 28, 2019 |
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Dec 28, 2019 10:10
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Mine too! Still throwing up though. Naturally, we reached the "this is now concerning" point just as the vets we're registered at shut down for the weekend. Fully changed her litter, food, water and going to see how she is until tomorrow, at which point it's an emergency vet trip.
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Dec 28, 2019 18:35
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Surprise T Rex posted:Mine too! Still throwing up though. We haven't noticed any new hork so I think she finally got out whatever was inside her. Gonna keep the laxatives up and we picked her up some wet food for more fluids. She stuck her tail in a puddle of hork last night and is currently glaring at me from the other side of the room because I had to wash her off Edit: god drat it Bean please don't make me go to the emergency vet I can't afford that Len fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Dec 28, 2019 |
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Dec 28, 2019 18:46
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Any recommendations for good (relatively inexpensive) puzzle feeders? We're in the market for one, to A) prevent this fine boy* from chonking up (more - he's already about 14 pounds), and B) give him more engagement and prevent boredom. * Fine boy in question 
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Dec 29, 2019 17:59
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Fighting Trousers posted:Any recommendations for good (relatively inexpensive) puzzle feeders? We're in the market for one, to A) prevent this fine boy* from chonking up (more - he's already about 14 pounds), and B) give him more engagement and prevent boredom. You can make your own pretty easily. Just cut a few holes in a cardboard box. Or use a TP tube sealed at both ends with a hole in it.
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Dec 29, 2019 18:04
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We use a treat-ball for lunch-time, get the adjustable kind and let him work a bit for his food. Sometimes we split her portion over that and one of these towers or this puzzle-board, she figures everything out super quick so we like to switch it up every now and then. https://www.zooplus.com/shop/cats/cat_toys/intelligence_toys/127442 https://www.zooplus.com/shop/cats/cat_toys/intelligence_toys/145684 https://www.zooplus.com/shop/cats/cat_toys/intelligence_toys/232810
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Dec 29, 2019 18:51
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We use this one for the cat's pre-bedtime snack to stop her from being so annoying. She figured it out quickly but it does keep her entertained for a good few minutes and getting the biscuits out of the hollows looks fairly challenging: https://www.zooplus.com/shop/cats/cat_toys/intelligence_toys/611777
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Dec 29, 2019 20:25
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The cups on the Trixie activity board took our Katya the longest to figure out, I think the transparency fucks with their vision. Bonus picture because she's been so sweet with all the guests that came over during the holidays, she's very social and loves showing off her tricks before settling on someone's lap for pets. We are truly blessed. 
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Dec 29, 2019 20:34
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My sister framed me a picture of my recently deceased cat for Christmas. I understand the thought behind it, and I feel bad shoving it in the bottom of a desk drawer, but I've cried enough tears already. I don't want to be reminded of him every day. Maybe in a year or something I'll put it up somewhere, but I just can't right now. Goodbye Bartleby. I miss you.
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Dec 30, 2019 00:55
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