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The best way to get rid of Motor when he starts being clingy and annoying is to whip out the nail clipper....
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# ? Jul 17, 2020 21:38 |
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# ? May 28, 2024 00:40 |
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Facebook Aunt posted:Not sure if this applies, but in general I've found indoor only cats to be emotionally needier than indoor/outdoor cats. If cat that is allowed to go outside gets bored they'll go outside and chase some bugs or whatever, so they aren't as dependant on attention and entertainment from their housemates. He's a rescue who was born and lived outside for at least the first year of his life so he loves darting for the doors, yeah. He also refuses to wear a collar and we live by a busy road and bears and whatnot show up now and then since it's rural so I don't want him outside even though he wants to be. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he just vanished one day, or came back all ripped up or was dead on the road. It's hard too because he doesn't seem to 'play' like other cats do. Throwing paper balls, waving around whispy sticks, etc, he ignores it all. He goes apeshit for a laser but I thought that was bad to do since they never actually get the 'reward' of grabbing it so to speak? And he will play with strings but then he tries to eat them which is also not allowed. The closest I can do to play is rub my hand around under the bed covers and such and since he's not declawed it's a very painful way to play. Kitfox88 fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Jul 17, 2020 |
# ? Jul 17, 2020 21:47 |
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joebuddah posted:Our cat Sophie, was really sick a few months ago. I had to syringe feed her food from the vet. She's back to about 90%. Every night, our old man cat tramps across my SO's pillow, stands between our heads, and licks my head (or beard, or both) for a few seconds, and then he walks down to my stomach/waist and nestles himself between my body and my left arm and faces my feet. I don't have the heart to do anything about this ultra-adorable behavior.
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# ? Jul 17, 2020 23:31 |
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poolside toaster posted:Every night, our old man cat tramps across my SO's pillow, stands between our heads, and licks my head (or beard, or both) for a few seconds, and then he walks down to my stomach/waist and nestles himself between my body and my left arm and faces my feet. If it was only a couple of seconds I wouldn't care. I have to move to get her to stop. She is the sweetest and still has the kitten look of wonder
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 00:28 |
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Rotten Red Rod posted:Outdoor cats also tend to have way shorter lifespans, depending on where you live. We've lost enough cats to coyotes to be vigilant about them being indoor only. Oh yeah, obviously. I'm just saying cats behaving differently now from how you remember or imagine cats behaving back in the day could partly be because there are a lot more indoor only cats now. As their world gets smaller you become a bigger part of it.
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 01:44 |
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You can try to redirect the hair licking but it might be easier to just wear a nightcap for a couple nights (or a bandanna/towel/whatever) to deny her lickable hair and see what she does instead.
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 06:26 |
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joebuddah posted:If it was only a couple of seconds I wouldn't care. I have to move to get her to stop. She is the sweetest and still has the kitten look of wonder Lucky will do this, and I just redirect him to lick the back of my hand instead.
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 07:57 |
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kw0134 posted:You're going to have to trust that your cat won't kill herself when you're gone. And at some point the cat has to learn you're not going to be there 24x7. It's a bit tougher with kittens (which is why people say get two) but if they have the necessities and don't need active monitoring for life functions then it's safe to leave them in a close space. I adopted a pair of kittens, fussed over them for the first day, then left them a litter box and food and water and went to work (you know, during the Before Times when you could leave the house). They're fine. She'll be fine. We came back home today, and the cat is fine. She didn't even destroy anything. She's been meowing a lot since we came back, and she's a bit more hyperactive than she used to be, but she still likes us.
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 20:46 |
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I wish I got to stay home at any point during all this, nothing has changed for my schedule except I'm sometimes home early. The cats took my fiancee going back to work fine as far as we can tell. Also the bigger food dishes worked and rear end in a top hat is no longer flipping his food to the floor where he refused to eat it because it's on the floor
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# ? Jul 18, 2020 20:53 |
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I forgot how much I love cats and missed having them. This little guy is such a silly dork.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 00:56 |
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HungryMedusa posted:I forgot how much I love cats and missed having them. This little guy is such a silly dork. What a cutie. When I brought my cat home from the shelter, they told me that she'd been scratching her ears but had been checked for mites and fleas and had neither. Yeah... turns out that she did have fleas. And hopefully no longer does, after two baths with flea shampoo and a topical treatment, but oh my god I'm so annoyed that I kept telling myself "no, there's no way she has fleas, they checked for that!" when I suspected she did. Poor thing had to put up with being itchy for way longer than necessary because I was too much of a novice cat owner to recognize what was going on. (I swear to god I'm going to go insane if I see another flea after the second round of flea shampoo. I've already treated/cleaned everything fabric in my apartment but have been (hopefully psychosomatically) itchy and uncomfortable) Wet cats are hilarious and I have no idea how she still likes me. It only took about ten minutes of post-bath sulking before she was back to demanding to be pet.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 01:45 |
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Look at these two. They're so spoiled now that I'm home all the time but I still love em This picture pretty perfectly encapsulates their personalities. Leela (in the back, scowling) is not to be trifled with. Finn is a chill rear end dude.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 06:30 |
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Here's our new kitten and he's a total brat! He climbs all over everything and claws the poo poo out of us. Despite all this I still love the hell out of him and am looking for suggestions. We're trying a squirt bottle for when he's being naughty and climbing things he shouldn't or getting into the couch which could be dangerous for him. He also likes to attack us when we are loving on him because he's just so excited to have a home. We're thinking of getting him a tall cat tree to climb since he adores climbing things. What's a good cat tower that's got plenty of things to play with but will also let him get really high up? Cheaper is better but I don't want something that would fall apart if we look at it funny. The other thing is how do we get him to stop clawing us at every opportunity? When he starts attacking us when we pet him we usually just put him down and ignore him or try to redirect his attacking to a cat toy if it's nearby. He's a real sweetheart despite all this.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 14:29 |
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Cowman posted:
Is a second kitten an option? That's the usual recommendation. The only thing that can keep up with a kitten is another kitten. And introducing kittens is iirc much easier than integrating adult cats. As far as cat trees, a lot of people buy Armarkat, I think. You can also build one from 2x4s, carpet, and rope easily. After my hand-me-down cat tree started to fail, I built one that's ugly as hell but is still standing.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 14:40 |
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Direct negative reinforcement doesn't work on most cats, it just teaches them to do whatever the thing is when you aren't there, or to do it quickly when you aren't looking so maybe this time they can get away with it. The only way to really stop them getting onto things you don't want them to is to make the thing unpleasant to get onto by itself so they decide they don't want to. Or at the very least make it uninteresting and other places very interesting so they take preference. It's usually easier to cede most things in the house to them and block off routes to everything else, but depends how creative and athletic the little bastard is.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 17:05 |
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Any suggestions for an automatic water fountain, ideally metallic, easy to clean, and (optionally) with filters? I used to have the Catit fountain, but its motor just burnt out all of a sudden or something, so now it's totally broken. I've been considering getting a new one anyway, and my experience with the Catit was that it was kinda difficult and finicky to clean and accumulated grime really easily. Plus, I dunno how I feel about plastic as a water bowl material. Basically, the main points are:
Are there good alternatives out there? My cat's just drinking out of a soup bowl for now Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Jul 19, 2020 |
# ? Jul 19, 2020 17:19 |
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- Age: 13 - Sex: male - How long have you had your cat? 13 years minus the first few months - Is your cat spayed or neutered? Yup - What food do you use? Hill’s diabetes - When was your last vet visit? 2 weeks ago - Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both? Indoors - How many pets in your household? Just this giant baby - How many litter boxes do you have? One giant litter box This is Meneer de Ruyter, but he listens to any name if I use the right tone so it’s something new every 3 days. I got him at probably 6 months old, a rescue from a shelter. I think this is where his bad behaviour with food started. When I adopted him I was in extremely poor health myself, and he was in almost as bad a shape. We both got back to good health together, and we have had an amazing bond ever since. Most of the time he is the sweetest, most affectionate cat. Wants nothing more than to sit on my lap, to lie next to me, press his body close to me for hours. But when it gets to food he becomes an unholy terror. It has been this way from the start, and I propably hosed up there 13 years ago by caving in to his behaviour, giving him food so I could just go back to sleep. About 6 months ago the consequence of all those years of overfeeding presented itself in the form of diabetes. He now gets 2 shots of 8 iu insulin a day, and is on a diet of 60 grams of Hill’s Diabetes a day. Last 2 check ups his glucose was 6.2 and 5.9, so it’s under control. But before the diet he would eat up to 200 grams a day, and still want more. 30 grams twice a day has him howling, literally. He starts most days between 03:00 and 04:00. Non stop screaming, banging the kitchen cabinet doors, knocking stuff down. I don’t give in: he gets his shot at 5:30, and then he gets his kibbles in his ‘feeding ball’ (the toy he has to keep hitting to get a few kibbles each time). After several months of being strict and consistent, his behaviour only seems to get worse. I have not had a decent night’s sleep in so long, it is become a very serious issue in every aspect of my life: my health, work, social life, even that very special bond between the two of us. Something has to change. Any advice would be very appreciated, thanks!
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 17:21 |
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Get an automatic feeder so you're not associated with food anymore. Note, it may take months for him to come to this realization and he may learn he can knock it down so you might have to build stronger bases for them.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 18:11 |
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CherryCola posted:Hi this is Bowser Bowser is cute! The patch could be ringworm. There are anti-fungal shampoos made specifically for cats/dogs/horses that you can buy if you (understandably) don’t want to go to the vet for a woods lamp test during the plague. Don’t use lotramin or other human topical meds.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 19:09 |
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Pollyanna posted:Any suggestions for an automatic water fountain, ideally metallic, easy to clean, and (optionally) with filters? I used to have the Catit fountain, but its motor just burnt out all of a sudden or something, so now it's totally broken. I've been considering getting a new one anyway, and my experience with the Catit was that it was kinda difficult and finicky to clean and accumulated grime really easily. Plus, I dunno how I feel about plastic as a water bowl material. I have two of these stainless fountains and they've been great. They'll start making noise long before they're empty so its kinda a good notice to top them back up. All of the parts are pretty large and come apart easily for scrubbing. I throw everything except the pump in the dishwasher. The pump is fairly standard so you can get replacements but mine have been going strong for 2 years now as long as you clean them out once in a while. Cat's slobber has etched the finish a little bit in some places but that's not a big deal. Pioneer Pet teardrop. Chewy has them too. https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Pet-Stainless-Fountain-Raindrop/dp/B0037NKDSG
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 19:15 |
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Sarern posted:Is a second kitten an option? That's the usual recommendation. The only thing that can keep up with a kitten is another kitten. And introducing kittens is iirc much easier than integrating adult cats. We already have 2 other cats and they're both like 7 or 8 years old. Getting another kitten isn't really an option unfortunately. I think my dad might build a cat tree since it's super easy to do and cheaper than the low quality stuff you find at PetSmart or wherever. Organza Quiz posted:Direct negative reinforcement doesn't work on most cats, it just teaches them to do whatever the thing is when you aren't there, or to do it quickly when you aren't looking so maybe this time they can get away with it. The only way to really stop them getting onto things you don't want them to is to make the thing unpleasant to get onto by itself so they decide they don't want to. Or at the very least make it uninteresting and other places very interesting so they take preference. It's usually easier to cede most things in the house to them and block off routes to everything else, but depends how creative and athletic the little bastard is. I get that and we can put some double sided tape on the tables pretty easily. The thing I'm concerned about is the couch. I don't want to hurt the little guy and he just loves to climb in it. It might just be "new house" syndrome but I want to kill the habit ASAP so he doesn't get caught in the leg rest mechanics or squished by my fat rear end. Any suggestions on how to make the couch uninteresting?
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 19:25 |
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Pollyanna posted:Any suggestions for an automatic water fountain, ideally metallic, easy to clean, and (optionally) with filters? I used to have the Catit fountain, but its motor just burnt out all of a sudden or something, so now it's totally broken. I've been considering getting a new one anyway, and my experience with the Catit was that it was kinda difficult and finicky to clean and accumulated grime really easily. Plus, I dunno how I feel about plastic as a water bowl material. I recently upgraded to the Petkit Eversweet 3 fountain for pretty much the same reasons you state. It's kind of pricey and I had to order it from China but the design is excellent, the reservoir is metal and the whole thing lifts off a plugged-in base like an electric kettle. A+, would recommend.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 19:32 |
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Armarkat trees are very HQ and you can order replacement posts for when your little assholes shred the sisal instead of having to buy a new tree, so they're very cost-effective over time. See if you can get one on sale. They make trees up to 7 feet so you can go as tall as you want to. Do not squirt bottle your cat, it doesn't teach them anything. Positive reinforcement, redirecting their attention, or giving them an alternative that's more enticing than the unwanted behavior are the ways to go. With a young kitten they're going to climb, they are programmed to climb, so getting a good tree is an excellent idea! If they end up scratching you what you do is what other kittens do. Yelp in a high pitched voice and then ignore them for 5-10 minutes. "Scratching = Playtime over" will sink in and they'll learn to have better manners with their claws. You have to be consistent with this or it won't work. The other thing is remember that hands are NOT toys, bitey-face should always have a toy shoved into its mouth. Also if they get ahold of your hand press INTO them, as pulling away is prey behavior and they will only hang on harder.
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# ? Jul 19, 2020 19:38 |
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Cowman posted:
In addition to what others have said, occasional clawing will be less unpleasant if you trim his nails regularly. As soon as Pip gets a good poke in I know it's time to trim those tips again. Obviously the younger you start the easier this will be because restaining a tiny kitten is easier than restraining an adult cat. Kittens are also used to their moms holding them down for aggressive grooming. Personally I've always used the slightly unorthodox position of putting the kitten upside down on my lap. Usually I do all the nails on just one paw and then release them and give them treats. It doesn't take long for them to realize enduring a couple minutes of indignity gets them treats. JUST THE TIP! If you are new at this aim for taking like 1/10th of an inch off the end. It's better to have to redo it on a weekly basis than to risk taking too much, cutting the quick and hurting the cat. If the cat learns the nail clippers hurt then you have a hell of time retraining them to tolerate it again.
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# ? Jul 20, 2020 00:23 |
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Such Fun posted:- Age: 13
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# ? Jul 20, 2020 02:34 |
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I have a lynx point Siamese that has just recently discovered the joys of standing under the running faucet in the bathroom sink, which he now demands to do at least once a day in this hot summer weather. He flops over in the basin, lets the water run all over his belly, uses his paw to help spread it around, maybe licks a bit of it up, then when he's had enough he jumps down onto the bath mat to sprawl out and go to sleep. What a nice catte
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# ? Jul 20, 2020 18:01 |
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So these are the two pet fountains i'm currently looking at to replace this gross plastic one: https://www.amazon.com/PETKIT-Stainless-Automatic-Ultra-Quiet-Auto-Shut/dp/B07X8MHYSS https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Pet-Stainless-Fountain-Raindrop/dp/B008AZ4OLI Any other thoughts/suggestions? I'd like high capacity so I don't have to fill it as often, which pushes me towards the Pioneer, but i'm not entirely sure what the Petkit brings to the table. Also, petkit's filters seem to be pricy. It does however seem to clean very easily. Edit Edit: Now i'm eyeing petkit's auto feeder too. I have a gravity feeder but it gets stuck and I have to shake it about once a day. Deviant fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Jul 20, 2020 |
# ? Jul 20, 2020 18:10 |
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Deviant posted:So these are the two pet fountains i'm currently looking at to replace this gross plastic one: The Petkit one is absurdly silent. You basically don't notice it. The actual drinking tray is plastic but I haven't noticed any griminess accumulate on it. Cleaning is a breeze since you can remove the drinking vessel from the base without any wires dangling, it also has a filter timer, and lights up when it's low on water and stops rather than burning out the pump. I have to fill the Petkit one about every third day with 2 cats, so the reservoir is nice and big.
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# ? Jul 20, 2020 19:03 |
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Tiny Tubesteak Tom posted:I have a lynx point Siamese that has just recently discovered the joys of standing under the running faucet in the bathroom sink, which he now demands to do at least once a day in this hot summer weather. He flops over in the basin, lets the water run all over his belly, uses his paw to help spread it around, maybe licks a bit of it up, then when he's had enough he jumps down onto the bath mat to sprawl out and go to sleep. What a nice catte
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# ? Jul 20, 2020 19:44 |
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Tiny Tubesteak Tom posted:I have a lynx point Siamese that has just recently discovered the joys of standing under the running faucet in the bathroom sink, which he now demands to do at least once a day in this hot summer weather. He flops over in the basin, lets the water run all over his belly, uses his paw to help spread it around, maybe licks a bit of it up, then when he's had enough he jumps down onto the bath mat to sprawl out and go to sleep. What a nice catte I won't believe this is real until I see video of it.
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# ? Jul 20, 2020 20:15 |
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mcmagic posted:I won't believe this is real until I see video of it. It's real, friend! I will try to take a video next time the opportunity strikes
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# ? Jul 20, 2020 21:04 |
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Need more pics of lynx-points
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# ? Jul 20, 2020 21:12 |
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Boogalo posted:Need more pics of lynx-points here is our friend himself!
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# ? Jul 20, 2020 21:22 |
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Tiny Tubesteak Tom posted:here is our friend himself! My boy has also slept in the sink but he'll bolt the second I turn the water on....
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# ? Jul 21, 2020 03:30 |
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After over a year of living with us, Luna let me pet her yesterday!!!!
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# ? Jul 21, 2020 07:27 |
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Fleta Mcgurn posted:After over a year of living with us, Luna let me pet her yesterday!!!! Awww I like to imagine you're making the same face as your avatar.
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# ? Jul 21, 2020 07:39 |
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Dirt Road Junglist posted:Awww I WAS AND STILL AM! Also, now Aleta is JEALOUS. She slept on top of me all night and has been shadowing me all morning. I bent down to say good morning to Luna and Boo jumped in my face demanding pats, which she has never done before.
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# ? Jul 21, 2020 07:43 |
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Fleta Mcgurn posted:After over a year of living with us, Luna let me pet her yesterday!!!! Yaaay congrats! That's the best feeling.
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# ? Jul 21, 2020 08:41 |
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Boogalo posted:Need more pics of lynx-points Here's Bishop at about 3 months old: And here he is at about 2 years:
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# ? Jul 21, 2020 18:16 |
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# ? May 28, 2024 00:40 |
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B33rChiller posted:As mentioned before, an automatic feeder might work. Setting it to spit out a small portion of the daily ration in the middle of the night has convinced our cats to not wake us up at 5am to get fed. Not sure if your kitty needs an injection before feeding? That might complicate things. Do they make feline insulin pumps? I’m gonna talk to my vet about this, thanks for the suggestion! I’m currently at home for 3 weeks for a mandatory ‘roni vacation, and it seems to make his behaviour worse. Of the approximately 6-8 hours a day he’s awake, he spends at least 5 hours screaming and nervously running around. As much as that grinds my nerves down and keeps me from sleep, it just guts me to see him so hungry all the loving time. When he’s not hungry he is like a 7.5 kg kitten, and I believe he’s really happy. I want him to have more of those times. I also want to sleep. You guys, i,m so tired Edit: big chungus! Such Fun fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Jul 21, 2020 |
# ? Jul 21, 2020 19:52 |