|
I've had my litter robot set up since Monday and the cats haven't even bothered to go in it yet. I put the regular normal one next to it and they still just use that. I stopped cleaning it hoping they'd move over to the robot but not yet. Would it be a terrible idea to throw some of their waste into the litter robot or would I be better off just removing the old box and hope they don't start using the floor or other areas of the house to go. They've never not gone in a litter box so it doesn't concern me a whole bunch but there is that chance.
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 15:19
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 03:36 |
|
|
Rotten Red Rod posted:Your kittens are super cute :3 Aww shucks thanks! quote:Kittens don't produce the dander that adult cats do, so yeah, it's common for kittens not to set off allergies. Unfortunately that means they may set them off once they're adults Yeeeahhh this is what I was suspecting. What I’m hoping is that they build up allergen-containing dander slowly so that my husband can develop a resistance to them. Also he really needs to see an allergist in general. We did buy the ungodly expensive German-made HEPA filter vacuum, so that will help mitigate dander and shed hairs floating around. And the cats are not allowed in the bedroom (much to my dismay - one of my favorite parts of having a cat is when the cat sleeps on your face and purrs loudly). Missionary Positron posted:Does anyone know why a cat might suddenly lose their ability to lift their tail? Since yesterday morning, our senior cat, who turned 14 just this month, has been seemingly unable to lift her tail even when she's happy and content. Otherwise, she seems normal: she's very social, purrs when she gets pets/skritches, her appetite seems normal along with her litterbox use, she cleans herself regularly, and her tail doesn't seem touch sensitive. She hasn't lost all use of her tail, I've seen the end of her tail moving as usual and she sometimes can lift her tail to be almost level with her back. But most of the time, the tail stays down. I’m not a vet, but my first thought was minor stroke. When cats have strokes, their back ends tend to be affected rather than their heads (like in humans). My childhood cat (who was very old at the time) had a stroke that paralyzed his whole lower body and was put down shortly after  .Definitely worth a trip to the vet to figure out what’s going on.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 15:58
|
|
|
Missionary Positron posted:Does anyone know why a cat might suddenly lose their ability to lift their tail? Since yesterday morning, our senior cat, who turned 14 just this month, has been seemingly unable to lift her tail even when she's happy and content. Otherwise, she seems normal: she's very social, purrs when she gets pets/skritches, her appetite seems normal along with her litterbox use, she cleans herself regularly, and her tail doesn't seem touch sensitive. She hasn't lost all use of her tail, I've seen the end of her tail moving as usual and she sometimes can lift her tail to be almost level with her back. But most of the time, the tail stays down. Like others have said, that could be worth a vet visit. Apart from health concerns, if she can't lift her tail at all then she can't lift her tail to poop. Which will lead to poop being embedded in the fur of her tail and butt area, possibly more poop than she can or should clean by herself.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 16:24
|
|
|
One of my cats wasn't eating any of the dry food, which is half of their food for the day (wet food in the mornings). I bought a new brand and he's kinda nuts over it. I'll put in a small amount with the old dry as I transition it in, and he'll go straight for it. The other cat likes it too but doesn't mad dash for it like the first does. I'm still left with 3/4 of a huge bag of the old stuff that I'd like to use, but not sure if I should. I have an automatic feeder that I could mix the new stuff into but maybe it's better to switch over 100%? They're older cats (going on 10yo) so I'm not sure if he's picky or developed an allergy to the old dry food.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 16:31
|
|
|
Queen Victorian posted:Yeeeahhh this is what I was suspecting. What I’m hoping is that they build up allergen-containing dander slowly so that my husband can develop a resistance to them. Also he really needs to see an allergist in general. I have (minor) cat allergies myself, and I have 3 cats including one with long hair, and I get by ok. I vacuum constantly (I got one of those cordless hand-vacs so I can do it daily without dragging out the big one) and wash all our sheets/pillowcases weekly. I also avoid getting the cats on my face, and if I do, washing my hands and face with soap and water seems to help get rid of the irritation. Eye drops help too on bad days, and very occasionally I need to take an OTC allergy pill. This is totally anecdotal, but it SEEMS like my allergies have gotten better over time... At least to my cats. I've noticed that after a certain friends' cat sits on my lap (who is a crazy shedder for some reason) my allergies tend to get set off way more than with my my cats, and I avoid touching/breathing near huskies at all costs (my true allergy bane). I can tell you right now that carpet is not going to do you any favors, allergy-wise. Cat hair sticks to carpet like glue - plus it's just asking for the cats to excrete any number of bodily fluids onto it and ruin the nice white color. You'd be much better off ripping that out and replacing it with laminate or hardwood. Rotten Red Rod fucked around with this message at 16:36 on Aug 28, 2020 |
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 16:32
|
|
|
Queen Victorian posted:I’m not a vet, but my first thought was minor stroke. When cats have strokes, their back ends tend to be affected rather than their heads (like in humans). My childhood cat (who was very old at the time) had a stroke that paralyzed his whole lower body and was put down shortly after We called the vet and they basically said to keep an eye on the situation and take the cat to the vet ASAP if the situation starts worsening. They also suggested that it might be a stroke of some kind, but they felt that as long she seems otherwise normal (can eat, poop normally) what ever is going isn't critical. Hopefully they're right. EDIT: I forgot to mention, that she is still as mobile as before. She's been climbing and jumping so her it doesn't seem that her coordination or legs have been affected much, if it indeed was a stroke. Facebook Aunt posted:Like others have said, that could be worth a vet visit. Fortunately, she can can lift her tail enough to poop and pee. We'll definitely keep an eye on the tail in case of poop nuggets, though! Thanks for the advice, everyone! Enjoy this pic of a sleepy senior catte: 
Missionary Positron fucked around with this message at 16:59 on Aug 28, 2020 |
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 16:36
|
|
|
Somehow I love senior cats more than kittens. Their fur gets softer and fluffier, and they become the best cuddlers. If only they didn't also start missing the litterbox and getting sick :/ This is super minor, but I'm always charmed by the casual affection my cats have with each other, like putting their paws on top of each others' while birdwatching: 
Rotten Red Rod fucked around with this message at 17:04 on Aug 28, 2020 |
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 16:39
|
|
|
Cheesus posted:Any recommendations for Chonky vs. Casual-grazer? As someone with two of those feeders, we haven't had any issues. There's an optional attack mode that you can enable, but that will result in any non-registered microchips triggering the door to close, allowing the intruder to perform denial of service attacks against the grazer.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 17:25
|
|
|
Missionary Positron posted:Does anyone know why a cat might suddenly lose their ability to lift their tail? Since yesterday morning, our senior cat, who turned 14 just this month, has been seemingly unable to lift her tail even when she's happy and content. Otherwise, she seems normal: she's very social, purrs when she gets pets/skritches, her appetite seems normal along with her litterbox use, she cleans herself regularly, and her tail doesn't seem touch sensitive. She hasn't lost all use of her tail, I've seen the end of her tail moving as usual and she sometimes can lift her tail to be almost level with her back. But most of the time, the tail stays down. This may seem really strange (and I am 100% not a vet), but have you changed her food recently? I lived with a cat for a few years who had a similar thing happen when she ate certain foods (Friskies, Whiskas, etc). Her tail would 'stop working' and she didn't seem like she could lift it, but with a diet change it went right back to normal. Oddly enough, she was a calico too.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 17:46
|
|
|
Rotten Red Rod posted:I have (minor) cat allergies myself, and I have 3 cats including one with long hair, and I get by ok. I vacuum constantly (I got one of those cordless hand-vacs so I can do it daily without dragging out the big one) and wash all our sheets/pillowcases weekly. I also avoid getting the cats on my face, and if I do, washing my hands and face with soap and water seems to help get rid of the irritation. Eye drops help too on bad days, and very occasionally I need to take an OTC allergy pill. Oh, the carpet is going away sooner or later. It is stained and grody bottom-of-the-barrel itchy crap that was shoddily installed (thanks previous owner!) and currently serves as padding for frequent wrestling matches and flying leaps off the cat tree and I give no fucks about the kittens scratching/barfing/peeing/pooping on it. The flooring underneath is pine plank that is painted and extremely beat up - original plan was to overlay with oak hardwood but the bay window is sagging pretty significantly so we don’t want to invest in flooring until that’s fixed and the floor is level. So the carpet remains for the time being. Luckily it’s only in three rooms (none of which are our bedroom), with the rest of the house being hardwood/pine. The vacuum has a head specifically for pulling pet hair out of carpeting, so I’m not terribly worried. But if it gets too gross I’ll pull it up. Would be a good excuse to move that dumb wardrobe to a different room, too. As for adjusting to your own cat while having allergies, several of our friends adopted cats despite being allergic, and now most of them have zero issues with their own cats except one who did the allergy shots and the whole nine yards and still has problems, but then again she has two extra fluffy longhairs in a one-room loft condo. Here’s to hoping my husband is in the former group.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 17:50
|
|
|
UPDATE ON PISSBABY: I was able to find this stuff at Target and it seems to have worked quite well without having to rinse the kitty. There are some reviews warning people of potential allergic reactions, but my dipshit has been totally fine. I've been acclimating him to paw-touching since I adopted him at 6 months old, so while he didn't like it, he didn't try to kill me or run away.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 18:47
|
|
|
wandler20 posted:I've had my litter robot set up since Monday and the cats haven't even bothered to go in it yet. I put the regular normal one next to it and they still just use that. I stopped cleaning it hoping they'd move over to the robot but not yet. Would it be a terrible idea to throw some of their waste into the litter robot or would I be better off just removing the old box and hope they don't start using the floor or other areas of the house to go. They've never not gone in a litter box so it doesn't concern me a whole bunch but there is that chance. I've got one cat going in the robot and the other isn't, i couldn't handle the uncleaned box anymore so i did clean it today though. I sung through Petsmart and god some cat attract and i'm hoping she starts using her new box. I found an ios app that can make an ipad take pictures on motion control so i set that up in front of the thing last night and can confirm she didn't use it overnight
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 22:20
|
|
|
Try putting one of her poops in the new box, that's how we convinced our cat to switch to the covered box. If you've got two cats, maybe they enjoy each having their own box?
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 22:57
|
|
|
Poop transplant worked for me!
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 22:58
|
|
|
Cheesus posted:Any recommendations for Chonky vs. Casual-grazer? https://www.amazon.com/stores/PortionPro/page/D83FABF0-9D53-4291-A4EE-08C13512587F?ref_=ast_bln We have this and it's amazing, works perfect with three feeders for three cats. But I don't know when they'll be back they were really affected by covid
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 23:02
|
|
|
pidan posted:Try putting one of her poops in the new box, that's how we convinced our cat to switch to the covered box. they've shared boxes for years though and i don't know how to tell which poop is hers. he's been using the robot for a week now and despite trying to figure out where it's taking his poop he's okay with it. shes' ambivalent
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 23:02
|
|
|
wandler20 posted:I've had my litter robot set up since Monday and the cats haven't even bothered to go in it yet. I put the regular normal one next to it and they still just use that. I stopped cleaning it hoping they'd move over to the robot but not yet. Would it be a terrible idea to throw some of their waste into the litter robot or would I be better off just removing the old box and hope they don't start using the floor or other areas of the house to go. They've never not gone in a litter box so it doesn't concern me a whole bunch but there is that chance. Honestly every time I’ve switched litter boxes/locations/litter type etc every cat has caught on right away. Wouldn’t hurt to throw an old turd in the litter robot (lol) but I would bet they figure it out either way.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2020 23:29
|
|
|
There's a cat at my local humane society who sounded perfect for me that I was scheduled to meet but I had to cancel. Some things came up and I wouldn't have been able to be home to get them settled. They disappeared from the adoption page and I was heartbroken but they have popped back up! I still need some time before I could adopt them but I really hope I get to, anyone would be lucky to have this guy:
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 01:06
|
|
|
gamingCaffeinator posted:This may seem really strange (and I am 100% not a vet), but have you changed her food recently? I lived with a cat for a few years who had a similar thing happen when she ate certain foods (Friskies, Whiskas, etc). Her tail would 'stop working' and she didn't seem like she could lift it, but with a diet change it went right back to normal. Oddly enough, she was a calico too. We haven't changed her diet so its probably not that. I'm starting to lean towards the minor stroke/some other episode-theory. She's started sleeping more in the last two days and her sleep seems deeper compared to before. She's also become more affectionate: she now sometimes demands pets loudly, and is constantly near us when she's awake.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 08:37
|
|
|
That's so strange... Can you stand it upright and it'll stay up or does it just instantly drop like she hasn't got control of it? (I don't have any insight, just curious.)
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 12:34
|
|
|
mistaya posted:That's so strange... Can you stand it upright and it'll stay up or does it just instantly drop like she hasn't got control of it? (I don't have any insight, just curious.) She retains some semblance of tail control, particularly in the tip and the part that's connected to her back. For example, she still is able to wrap the tail around herself when she's sitting and the end of her tail twitches whe she's annoyed. It's the middle that seems unresponsive, though not touch sensitive. Her tail also still puffs up the whole way when she's excited, which suggests that there are still functional nerves there. The whole thing is pretty bizarre.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 14:14
|
|
|
I'm at a loss. My normally sweet cat has gotten extremely aggressive towards my fiance and I. I walked past her last night to turn off a laptop in my office and she suddenly went nuts, growling hissing and attacking. Also went after my fiance, we managed to get to bed and since were still she was fine. By this morning she had calmed down and was sleeping at the foot of our bed and was very friendly. But after she ate she, back to it. If we move at all, she charges us growling, hissing and attacking. I bought some feliway spray and diffusers as well as some calming treats, but if I move I'm still attacked. My fiance won't leave the bedroom for fear of attack. What can I do? Right now the only way I can walk around is to spray her with some water when she tries to block my path or run at me, I've never had to do that to her at all before but I'm at my wits end.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 17:58
|
|
|
Quills posted:I'm at a loss. My normally sweet cat has gotten extremely aggressive towards my fiance and I. I walked past her last night to turn off a laptop in my office and she suddenly went nuts, growling hissing and attacking. Also went after my fiance, we managed to get to bed and since were still she was fine. I've heard of something similar. It turned out to be a dental abscess or something like that. Vet!
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 18:41
|
|
|
Pixelante posted:I've heard of something similar. It turned out to be a dental abscess or something like that. Vet! Any tips on getting a murderously violent and angry cat into a carrier? She is eating fine though when she's not directly in a rage. Ate breakfast as well as some calming treats I bought.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 19:17
|
|
|
Scoop her up in a towel or blanket and wrap it around her. Wear thick clothing and gloves. Put the towel bundle in the carrier. She'll get free on her own. I've never had to do it, that's just what I've been told, so take it for what it's worth.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 19:27
|
|
|
Yeah get that cat to the vet. Did you know they actually can prescribe psych meds for cats? If it's not something physical like someone else suggested, that can be a solution. And yeah burritoing the cat in a towel is the way to do it. Use a thick towel, wear thick gloves, etc. And a big carrier is also good, as it'll be easier to get the cat in. Those cardboard ones the shelter gives you are actually the easiest.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 20:34
|
|
|
Just echoing that sudden, drastic temperament changes like that are a sign something is wrong, cat needs to go to the vet.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 20:52
|
|
|
Yes I'll schedule an appointment, unfortunately our regular vet is no longer open on weekends due to COVID and the other closest one is booked up for two weeks. If things aren't better by tomorrow, emergency vet we go. We had a similar "misunderstanding" around Christmas. We had been gone for a few days, and had just unloaded a large box into our dining room that blocked her access under the table. My fiance tripped and shouted when she fell which set the cat off similarly to this but she got over that by the next day. Usually the cats constantly demanding belly rubs and affection or sleeping in her window perch in whichever room we're in. We've reached a detente for now, she's in the basement since a storm blew in and she hides in our laundry down there when it storms. Hopefully she calms down a bit while we're out of sight since it seems like it's us walking around that's triggering her.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2020 21:28
|
|
|
Step on a tail recently? That's the only other thing I can think of
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 00:44
|
|
|
DarkHorse posted:Step on a tail recently? That's the only other thing I can think of Maybe I did, or spooked her, when I moved the chair in my office but that was 24 hours ago. She's now come upstairs and was at first walking around low to the ground but now moving about normally but seems to get upset if we move at all or talk... Starts walking over and death glares till we quiet down. We haven't really tried getting back off the couch since she's come up, giving her as long as possible to relax and just wander. So I definitely now hear a cat meowing outside and I did find cat poop in our backyard recently, our cats never reacted like this if that's what's causing it. A family lost a cat a few weeks ago and it's been living on our block, they've been unable to catch her. Being in Baltimore we have a quite a few feral cats around as well but they don't seem to come near our house much. Wish she wouldn't take it out on us if that's the case, better then a medical issue but will still be taking her in once I can corral her and get an appointment. A few months overdue due to covid.
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 01:36
|
|
|
Litterbox positions switched. Robot where the current box is, current box where the robot sits. Fuckin Bean still using the old box. I'm really thinking about just removing the old box and leaving her only one option but that seems like a bad idea.
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 03:50
|
|
|
That’s what I do, honestly. Switch the boxes completely then just drop the cat into the new box so that I know she knows where it is. So far none of them have protests pooped on the floor.
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 04:53
|
|
|
Has anyone seen cats lose appetites because of conjunctivitis? We have a vet appointment scheduled for tomorrow to get her checked up because her right eye obviously is bugging her and looks like a lighter version of what I’ve googled on cat conjunctivitis, but she’s also very lethargic and not eating like she was just a few days ago (this has been happening since Thursday evening). More or less asking just for perspective and to work through my worst worries.
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 07:21
|
|
|
dorium posted:Has anyone seen cats lose appetites because of conjunctivitis? We have a vet appointment scheduled for tomorrow to get her checked up because her right eye obviously is bugging her and looks like a lighter version of what I’ve googled on cat conjunctivitis, but she’s also very lethargic and not eating like she was just a few days ago (this has been happening since Thursday evening). More or less asking just for perspective and to work through my worst worries. I'm pretty sure this can happen, it happens in people after all. The two big possibilities I see are: - her mouth or nose is also irritated and eating is uncomfortable for her - she has some sort of fever and is lethargic because of it Either way I'd see a vet, but as long as she's eating and drinking a bit, I think it's fine to wait until tomorrow.
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 12:52
|
|
|
Well, Ellie was sweet and nice to us this morning in bed but started up again when we got up. Purchased a plastic carrier, since I didn't trust her mesh one, and some deli turkey. She was her regular pleasant self when I got home and got into the carrier herself to get some turkey. On the way to the 24 hour vet she was desperate for us to pet and comfort her through the carrier. We're waiting for them to bring her back out to our car but they called to let me know she has a clean bill of health and was totally compliant with them. Guessing this is possibly behavioral or maybe she's over it. I purchased some pet CBD oil to supplement all the feliway I'm pumping into the house, maybe that'll chill everything out but also trying to find a behaviorist. I wasn't so lucky my self, one of the wounds from when she got me Friday became infected. Hands swollen up, had to get a tetanus shot and a round of antibiotics from urgent care. Fun weekend so far.
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 21:07
|
|
|
Ugh that's really horrible. Given the information you've shared if it's not a sneaky injury causing pain then the most likely explanation is hearing/smelling that other cat outside. Some cats really lose their poo poo when they feel like their territory is being invaded and get hyper aggressive, and once they're wound up it's going to apply to everyone not just the enemy cat. Finding a behaviorist is absolutely the way to go here, but if you do a quick sweep outside and see if there's any defecation/piss somewhere she could smell it that could be setting her off that might help. I had a stray in the neighborhood who thought it was funny to piss on my patio doors to antagonize my pampered princess for a while. Had to keep hosing it off. Yuck.
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 21:26
|
|
|
"Motion Photo" modes on phone cameras are so good for making your cat look dumb.  
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 22:26
|
|
|
explosivo posted:"Motion Photo" modes on phone cameras are so good for making your cat look dumb.  What up same nametag buddy?
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 23:21
|
|
|
Our cats started using the robot over the weekend. Apparently letting the old one get gross was enough for them to move over. Relieved that short battle is over.
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2020 23:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 03:36 |
|
|
We have a kitten now after a long catless period. She is a young one (ten weeks) and a lot (we also got a two year old, they were together) and she particularly likes climbing up me with her needle claws. It has stopped being cute. Any better ideas to discourage this than just the old squirt bottle every time she does it? I've never had a cat climb up people before, I am guessing she'll grow out of it but still.
|
|
#
?
Aug 31, 2020 00:07
|
|
