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Is there a trick to making Bitter Apple work? Because the cats are still chewing on poo poo. Can I get some recommendations for things they can safely chew? I'd like to give them some kind of treats and/or toys that focus that energy away from dangerous/expensive things.
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Aug 23, 2020 18:35
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This is only tangentially related to the thread, but it seemed the best fit for a question to people who love lost or troubled animals. Here's my friend hanging out in the garage: This would be just fine if I actually owned a dog. A pit bull ran at my wife when she was unloading groceries and tried to follow her in the house. I'm sure it was a happy/excited run but... you know. Having no idea of the dog's temperament, and with two small children in the house, the dog being allowed to hang out was obviously completely off the table. I'm not particularly an animal person and tbh I'm absolutely unreasonably mortified of dogs bigger than a corgi so we waited and hoped for the dog to just go home. After 20 minutes and a couple times of yelling at him, it became clear the dog wasn't going anywhere. He had no tags, just a collar. I honestly wanted less than nothing to do with him but I put out some water since it's a hot day (I'm not a monster) and called animal control. A dude in a truck came and grabbed the dog and carted it off to wherever they take dogs (I hear they all go to heaven). Hopefully it had a chip. Now I feel bad for involving AC. This poor dog was just hot and lost but... I just plain didn't want it anywhere near my house. Here's the question: Are there alternatives to animal control that wouldn't involve A) housing an unwanted animal for an indeterminate amount of time, or B) driving them somewhere? My almost complete lack of animal experience failed me in the moment and I'm not sure whether to kick myself or not. Any thoughts would help me be better prepared if something like this happened again, so thanks for reading my big dumb scared baby question.
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Aug 23, 2020 21:37
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Honestly probably depends on your area - where I currently live, the local humane society is a great no-kill shelter and Animal Control drops off strays there. In the town where I grew up, AC took all strays to the city pound where they were held for 7 days with no attempt to notify owners and then sent across the rainbow bridge if they were still unclaimed. Google in general is your friend to see what organizations are in your region and how well-received their efforts are. When it's a recognizable breed, there's a good bet you can search for "[breed] rescue" and find out if there is a local organization that will take them in. Edit: Also, you did good here. Despite your aversion to large dogs, you did your best to make sure this one was safe and comfortable. Sometimes that's all you're in a position to do.
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Aug 24, 2020 01:07
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NerdyMcNerdNerd posted:Is there a trick to making Bitter Apple work? Because the cats are still chewing on poo poo. Can I get some recommendations for things they can safely chew? I'd like to give them some kind of treats and/or toys that focus that energy away from dangerous/expensive things. I use this stuff: Nutri-Vet scratch not. It has roesmary extract and denatonium benzoate (the stuff the coated nintendo switch cartridges with so kids won't eat them) and it's worked great so far. I got it on my hands once it tastes fkin awful A+ reccomended product. https://www.amazon.com/Nutri-Vet-Scratch-Spray-Cats-8-Ounce/dp/B0058QQVXQ
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Aug 24, 2020 01:17
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Pissed Ape Sexist posted:This is only tangentially related to the thread, but it seemed the best fit for a question to people who love lost or troubled animals. Here's my friend hanging out in the garage: yeah for "not a dog person" you did alright. especially given your circumstances. Id echo the previous poster with "breed rescue" because thats a good way to get them help. though from your picture (and having 3) thats a good puppo at least from a 1 picture body language eyeballing. Id never go out of my way to get a pitbull for sure im just not "the pitbull guy" but thats what peoiple dump outside so i have a bit of familiarity with em.
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Aug 24, 2020 12:58
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NerdyMcNerdNerd posted:Is there a trick to making Bitter Apple work? Because the cats are still chewing on poo poo. Can I get some recommendations for things they can safely chew? I'd like to give them some kind of treats and/or toys that focus that energy away from dangerous/expensive things. I saw a Youtuber use something similar to these for her extremely chew-happy cat (to keep him off her very expensive camera cables, natch). No personal experience, but could be worth a shot?
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Aug 24, 2020 13:07
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Thanks for the recommendations. If you also have some cheap/good cat toy recommendations aside from like, the usual jingly-ball things, that'd be cool, too. Especially if it's something that would keep them active and tire them out. Another quick question: is there anything I can do to keep them / train them not to run outside? I'm always worried someone'll open an exterior door when I'm not expecting it and they'll bolt. They'd probably come back but I'm not happy with 'probably'. Pissed Ape Sexist posted:Now I feel bad for involving AC. This poor dog was just hot and lost but... I just plain didn't want it anywhere near my house. Here's the question: Are there alternatives to animal control that wouldn't involve A) housing an unwanted animal for an indeterminate amount of time, or B) driving them somewhere? My almost complete lack of animal experience failed me in the moment and I'm not sure whether to kick myself or not. Any thoughts would help me be better prepared if something like this happened again, so thanks for reading my big dumb scared baby question. Depends. I can't blame you for being wary around a pit. I love dogs, but a big dog ( pit or not ) can be dangerous. Even a Golden Retriever can gently caress your day up if it's badly trained or feels like it. That dog's body language and the way it was acting, though? I wouldn't have been too worried. Dog language isn't too hard to understand if you're familiar with them or just watch enough youtube. I've recovered and sent home three loose dogs in the past eight months. Two of them, I just walked around and asked people, hey, who's dog is this. The third one had tags, and was named 'Rocky'. There are two vets within a three mile radius, so I called both and asked if they had any clients who had a dog named Rocky and lived nearby. One did. They couldn't give me any information tho. No problem. How about you call them and ask them if their dog is missing? Their dog was missing. The owners came and got the dog, and I called the vet to let them know the dog made it home safely.
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Aug 24, 2020 16:53
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The only other option that I thought of is going to a neighbor and ask them to take the dog because of your kid situation.
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Aug 24, 2020 17:37
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Local animal control is the first place most people call if they can't find their pet so you did fine, really. It's much better for the doggo to be inside somewhere cool with food and water than wandering the street in danger of being hit by a car.
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Aug 24, 2020 18:13
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Thanks for the thoughts and input, everyone! Turns out my local AC works closely with a volunteer no-kill shelter, which is great to know. Thankfully, the cops and AC both put the dog on their facebook feeds and he was returned almost immediately to a very relieved family. 
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Aug 24, 2020 18:21
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NerdyMcNerdNerd posted:Thanks for the recommendations. If you also have some cheap/good cat toy recommendations aside from like, the usual jingly-ball things, that'd be cool, too. Especially if it's something that would keep them active and tire them out. For toys, mine love the little springs and fuzzy balls. You can buy a lots of either one very cheap on Chewy. Your mileage may vary. I would try a bunch of different kinds and see. Those are usual jingly ball recommendations, but for self entertainment you can cut holes in the lid of a cardboard box ( I used the lid and the bottom 3 inches of an old comics box) and put the toys in there. Whenever my cats want a new toy they go and fish one out of the box. They seem to like it. Whenever I straighten things up I just return the toys to the box and rotate what's available every few weeks. However, even their favorite springs are third place behind 2) plastic bottle caps and 1) each other. For doors, I trained mine to stay away from the exterior door with an SSScat. It's a sensor that you plug an air duster can into and it shoots a puff of air whenever it detects anything in its cone. Normal air duster cans work as refills and are cheaper than the branded ones. I think I got my SSScat on Amazon but I'm phone posting. However, I did have to keep the device in place because they quickly figure out it's gone, so that's a permanent thing for me.
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Aug 24, 2020 19:20
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NerdyMcNerdNerd posted:Thanks for the recommendations. If you also have some cheap/good cat toy recommendations aside from like, the usual jingly-ball things, that'd be cool, too. Especially if it's something that would keep them active and tire them out. Oh, this one I can do a personal recommend for. You might be able to find them cheaper or on a Not Amazon store but they're these ones. The smell lasts a long time and my cat goes absolutely apeshit for them. They're light enough to be batted around easily which is good, altho my cat also likes the bigger ones to grab and fake-disembowel.
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Aug 24, 2020 19:55
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Sarern posted:For toys, mine love the little springs and fuzzy balls. You can buy a lots of either one very cheap on Chewy. Your mileage may vary. I would try a bunch of different kinds and see. The other thing you do is make the doors super uninteresting. Don't pay attention to them while leaving or entering, only pay attention to them once you've completely entered and shut the door.
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Aug 24, 2020 20:14
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For cat toys, I've found that mine have enjoyed fresh tennis balls. Something about the scent or texture makes them interesting to bat around and do the grapple death-kick thing, then chase after they roll out of their paws from the push of getting death-kicked. Your mileage may vary.
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Aug 24, 2020 20:23
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Tie a couple of knots in a drinking straw or 20, never found a better/cheaper toy than that.
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Aug 25, 2020 15:57
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get a pack of pipe cleaners, bend some into interesting shapes and toss them around. knot a few together to make a long rope and drag it along the ground for some co-play 
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Aug 25, 2020 19:08
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She's getting adopted today and I'm not super happy about it....
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Aug 26, 2020 16:17
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Doesn't look like she's thrilled about it either
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Aug 26, 2020 16:28
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How is TimTam? 
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Aug 26, 2020 16:48
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basicblack posted:How is TimTam? He's doing fine, seems to be basically over his flu now , still a few sneezes every now and then when exploring, but eating well and active. We took him to the vet a few days ago for a vaccination booster and he's apparently quite healthy, really good weight and perfect teeth. Here's a pic of him from last night:  He's still insanely timid and nocturnal. He'll hide under the bed and sleep most of the day and only come out around when we're eating dinner. When he does come out he's been exploring more of the house and will come up to us for pats, but if we make any sudden moves while he's out in the open he'll bolt either under something or to the laundry. He seems to be getting better though, every day we see a little bit more of him and he seems slightly more relaxed in another part of the house, we also got a feliway diffuser for the living room yesterday so hopefully that helps him feel at ease.
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Aug 26, 2020 23:55
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TimTam sounds like my experience with Butters once Milly stopped trying to kill her and I gave her free roam of the house( I'd had her 4-5 months at this point). Once all doors were open she'd rarely leave her room and it was a huge breakthrough when I saw her exploring. It took probably a year before she was 100% comfortable and hanging out downstairs. She'll still bolt if you walk toward her and only allows petting in specific petting places. TimTam is definitely making faster progress though.
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Aug 27, 2020 04:28
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TimTam is gorgeous and I love him. On a scale of "tree bark" to "chinchilla", how soft is his fur? From the pictures I would guess on the side of the latter.
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Aug 27, 2020 16:00
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Thank you for the TimTam updates. I had shared his story with a colleague who is EXTREMELY fond of that cookie brand, and she was asking about him ("hey, how is that catte from the internet doing?").
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Aug 27, 2020 16:06
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  Might look cute, but what you're not seeing is that if I don't snuggle him like that he scratches the christ out of my nose until I do.
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Aug 27, 2020 19:34
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Chili posted:Might look cute, but what you're not seeing is that if I don't snuggle him like that he scratches the christ out of my nose until I do.
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Aug 27, 2020 21:10
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Chili posted:
Then obviously you should never stop snuggling the butter. Seems simple to me.
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Aug 27, 2020 21:40
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Thanks for all the interest in TimTam! I guess all things considered he's doing really well, spent all day yesterday asleep under our bed but at night we had a really good patting session on the couch in the living room, he even played with a fishing rod toy and scratched his scratching post for a bit, so definitely feeling more confident in that space than previously. When we first got him his fur was kinda coarse and oily feeling but now it's much nicer, fairly soft and really smooth right after he's been brushed.
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Aug 27, 2020 23:53
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Chili posted:
OMG, that's precious. 100% worth any scratches necessary to initiate The Snuggle™
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Aug 28, 2020 10:38
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Chili posted:
Butters continues to be the best cat. How's his weight now?
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Aug 28, 2020 21:38
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Crossposting this from the vet thread since it was mentioned this thread is a good source of advice. My girlfriend and I are bottle raising an orphaned kitten. His mother was a young and tiny stray that was having a lot of difficulty, had an emergency c-section, she didnt make it and the rest of the litter was stillborn. He's currently 6 days old and has been doing mostly well (just over 4 oz weight, good appetite, no problems feeding), but we've run into some problems today. I suspect now that he had some level of diarrhea the last couple days (consistency and color was decent but frequency was about every other feeding), and today his stool has gotten more firm but he's straining to pass it, and due to the frequent cleanings his butt is quite raw, which means even gentle stimulation just results in him screaming. We get some formed poop out each time but it definitely hurts him and its heartbreaking to do and listen to. Kitten blogs suggested non-zinc diaper cream or preparation H to sooth but even light applications result in more screaming. He acts fine otherwise: healthy appetite, sleeps well, though tired this evening from fighting us. Mostly I'm looking for how to keep him clean without continue to accidentally torture him. Possibly relevant: We gave him a probiotic mixed with pedialyte this evening, and his current diet is mostly KMR with variations of nutrical, pedialyte, and colostrum mixed in.
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Aug 29, 2020 04:31
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Maybe find something damp to stimulate the kitten with instead of whatever you're using right now? I haven't had this issue so I'd ask the vet or whoever is helping you through this about the soreness. Also use less pressure too. Good luck with it!
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Aug 29, 2020 06:16
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I should have mentioned we're currently using unscented Huggies baby wipes. There was no problem with them at first but yea, I guess they could be too dry given the frequency of his poops.
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Aug 29, 2020 07:30
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That could be contributing to the issue. Switch to a damp washcloth and see if it helps.
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Aug 29, 2020 08:09
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Your vet can also probably give you some dermalone/animax/etc to soothe the area
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Aug 29, 2020 10:59
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Momcats have tongues made of sandpaper and will lick bums frequently so I have a sneaking suspicion whatever soap is on the baby wipes is causing the irritation. Washcloth or wetted paper towel is probably your answer here.
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Aug 29, 2020 12:27
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Did a picture dump of the cats, so, if any of y'all offering advice have been wondering how they're doing:    What is with your posture in this picture cat what are you doing    They're fine. They like the springs, by the way, and I bought more of the jingly balls. The only problem is that I put out a scattering of toys and then they just disappear, and I have no idea where the gently caress they went. I see them carry them around from time to time so I'm sure they're taking them somewhere. There's a ribbon on a stick that they loved. One day I went into the room and it's just. Gone. A two foot stick with a four foot ribbon is just 
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Aug 29, 2020 19:47
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Anybody have any tips about how to make TimTam less nocturnal? He hides/sleeps all day under the bed and only emerges at around 6pm but spends all night while we sleep roaming around the house, playing and generally making a ruckus. The last two nights we've actually managed to get him to sleep on our laps at night while we watch tv for about an hour or so, but he's still terrified of us if we're standing up and walking around while he's in the open, which makes it hard to play with him.
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Aug 29, 2020 20:35
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Get a laser pointer. Least threatening cat toy possible, you can be across the room and don't have to move at all. Worked wonders with Peridot when she was in the stage of hanging out in the open near me but not letting me anywhere close to her.
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Aug 30, 2020 02:35
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Is there a recommended guide for cat/kitten-proofing a house? I'd like to start leaving them out more when I'm asleep, but I know there are things I haven't even thought of that might hurt them.
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Aug 31, 2020 17:09
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NerdyMcNerdNerd posted:There's a ribbon on a stick that they loved. One day I went into the room and it's just. Gone. A two foot stick with a four foot ribbon is just Friend of mine had two cats that like to play with her Bic lighters. When she moved they found lighters everywhere.
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Aug 31, 2020 17:19
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