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Spikes32 posted:To my knowledge (having one) it's still the best. No need for the wifi nonsense one though. Let us know if you want a referral code, it should save you $25 and get 25 for whoever generated it. Ok thanks! I’ll post in a few days when I do. The stray cat non profit my S/O found has not been very communicative.
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Sep 23, 2020 17:07
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necroid posted:yeah I was thinking the same thing, that looks like it'd be better in the sun compared to clear plastic shells. I can't not see the reflected camera lights on the backpack's dome as the eyes of a deranged cat
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Sep 23, 2020 22:35
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necroid posted:yeah I was thinking the same thing, that looks like it'd be better in the sun compared to clear plastic shells. 
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Sep 23, 2020 22:46
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Hello Cat Experts, Two weeks ago I've finally fulfilled my lifelong dream of adopting a cat of my own. He's 13 years old and a good and handsome boy. But he is very persnickety about his food. The animal shelter I got him from gave me some left over wet food that they say he's been eating but he's barely touched it. I got him to eat some kibble for a couple of days but he stopped eating that. For another couple of days he would eat a spoonful of the wet food on top of the kibble, but now even that is considered unappetizing. At this point all he will eat is treats varying from glorified oversized kibble, freeze dried chicken, and pureed chicken and salmon. I don't think it's good for the cat to only be eating treats, but I don't actually know. I've tried going a day or two without giving him treats and trying to force him into eating his regular food but it just looks like he'd rather go hungry. He's gotten noticeably skinnier since I've gotten him. What should I do? I'm taking him to the vet this week for a checkup so I'll be asking them as well. Here's a picture of my new bff  
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Sep 24, 2020 05:20
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Ask your local pet store if they have a ton of samples you can try. There are small sizes you canget and some stores will buy back things your pet doesn't eat and writes it off as a donation to the local shelter, etc. If you do get a hit on a sample, grab the smallest size of it and work your way up. Also make sure the vet checks for tooth problems, especially tooth resorbtion, etc. Those eyes though 
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Sep 24, 2020 05:39
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Boogalo posted:Ask your local pet store if they have a ton of samples you can try. There are small sizes you canget and some stores will buy back things your pet doesn't eat and writes it off as a donation to the local shelter, etc. If you do get a hit on a sample, grab the smallest size of it and work your way up. Also make sure the vet checks for tooth problems, especially tooth resorbtion, etc. Thank you so much, I'll give that a try  I know right? They're gorgeous, I love the two colors.
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Sep 24, 2020 07:00
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effika posted:I can't not see the reflected camera lights on the backpack's dome as the eyes of a deranged cat lol yeah I thought the same, high five!
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Sep 24, 2020 08:21
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Any tips on removing matted fur (at least I'm pretty sure it is, I can feel two lumps in his coat) from a cat who definitely doesn't want to be picked up or held and has become somewhat distrusting of the brush?
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Sep 24, 2020 09:31
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Blackhawk posted:Any tips on removing matted fur (at least I'm pretty sure it is, I can feel two lumps in his coat) from a cat who definitely doesn't want to be picked up or held and has become somewhat distrusting of the brush? Unless you can build a cow brush for him and get him to use it, I don't see a way to do this without picking him up. If he sleeps in an accessible location, you could try to surprise him and cut the offending fur off with scissors before he has time to be offended. But a skittish cat probably won't like that either.
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Sep 24, 2020 09:41
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I was playing video games in my office yesterday when I noticed a cat walk by on my porch outside. Only gave it a cursory glance; we have a lot of neighborhood outdoor cats/strays and they tend to congregate near our porch/front yard for shade. About twenty minutes go by and the cat strolls by again and is now stopped in front of the window, staring right at me. I look up and it’s my cat, the same one who ate string last week. He jumped up and pulled down on the front door’s handle to let himself out, explored a bit and decided he was bored and wanted to come back inside. 
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Sep 24, 2020 15:53
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Blackhawk posted:Any tips on removing matted fur (at least I'm pretty sure it is, I can feel two lumps in his coat) from a cat who definitely doesn't want to be picked up or held and has become somewhat distrusting of the brush? How about a dematting comb from petsmart or petco? They don't even look like brushes and will scythe out the mats without pulling
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Sep 24, 2020 21:25
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If you do use a scissors make sure to put something (comb or your fingers) between the scissors and his skin, cats have very loose skin and you don't want to cut him on accident. This is the sort of thing where having a partner to hold him down while you deal with the mats may be significantly easier than trying to do it as a solo job.
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Sep 25, 2020 01:10
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Anyone have issues with hardwood floors? My apartment is nothing but hardwood and my guy goes slipping and sliding when we play or I toss treats for him to hunt down. I try to play around his scratching post at times so he has something to grip on to. My apartment isn't shaped very well for rugs/carpets and smaller ones would probably just slide around.
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Sep 26, 2020 05:15
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You can put anti-slide mats under the rugs. But I have hardwood floors and my rugs don't slide to begin with. Probably because they all have heavy furniture on them or are up against the wall. I play with the cat on the rugs, or on the couch. Bed might be another option. How do you deal with his claws scratching up the wood? My cat doesn't really attack any furniture, but loves to scrabble across the floor with her claws out.
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Sep 26, 2020 06:29
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Corte posted:Anyone have issues with hardwood floors? My apartment is nothing but hardwood and my guy goes slipping and sliding when we play or I toss treats for him to hunt down. I try to play around his scratching post at times so he has something to grip on to. My apartment isn't shaped very well for rugs/carpets and smaller ones would probably just slide around. Maybe this makes me an evil person, but I see this as a feature rather than a bug. Wolfgang scrabbling madly at the floor while trying to do a 180 turn to chase the laser is intensely funny to me, and I view it as one of the perks of cat stewardship.
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Sep 26, 2020 07:26
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Corte posted:Anyone have issues with hardwood floors? My apartment is nothing but hardwood and my guy goes slipping and sliding when we play or I toss treats for him to hunt down. I try to play around his scratching post at times so he has something to grip on to. My apartment isn't shaped very well for rugs/carpets and smaller ones would probably just slide around. In my previous place I had hardwood floors and my cat wasn't a fan of playing on it. I got a cheap $10 rug and he was really a fan of it.
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Sep 26, 2020 07:34
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Hyperlynx posted:Maybe this makes me an evil person, but I see this as a feature rather than a bug. Wolfgang scrabbling madly at the floor while trying to do a 180 turn to chase the laser is intensely funny to me, and I view it as one of the perks of cat stewardship. it's also funny when you play with them and you start the chase, they do a little run on the spot before they can get a really good grip. this is all I hear : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utyhLoRxhWM
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Sep 26, 2020 07:42
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Hyperlynx posted:Maybe this makes me an evil person, but I see this as a feature rather than a bug. Wolfgang scrabbling madly at the floor while trying to do a 180 turn to chase the laser is intensely funny to me, and I view it as one of the perks of cat stewardship. They also sometimes miss jumps which is funny too.
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Sep 26, 2020 17:21
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Thanks for the input, it can have some hilarious results but seems like it might be discouraging him from chasing my wands around at times. Also when I throw treats the sliding can cause him to run into walls and other things which may be harmful, doesn't seem to be so far but maybe they'll develop CTE later in life. I'll see if I can get a carpet/rug for my office to play on perhaps. Another thing I've noticed is that whenever I go towards my kitchen they tend to follow me, get in my way, tangled up in my feet and meow a lot, even if they are in another room, even if I don't end up in my kitchen. I imagine this is in part because I have put his treats and food on top of my fridge where he can't reach so he associates the area with those things. I also had put his dish in that area but have moved it to my office to hopefully disassociate it from the kitchen. I have an automatic feeder coming, I plan to put it in my office which has a balcony I've put his tree in front of, an old chair he seems to enjoy which was scratched up by an old family cat and some toys. He doesn't seem to care about cardboard boxes at all, I've tried a number of different sizes to no effect. I've come across the suggestion of putting a bird feeder on the balcony, is there anything else I could add to entertain him? I'm planning to store his food in a cupboard and am tempted to forego wet food to completely take me out of equation. My vet has said they prefer a mixed diet given cats don't drink a lot of water. She said a fountain hasn't been proven to increase their intake. I have considered getting one simply for aeration in situations where I'm away for a while and a friend cannot visit every day necessarily. I know I need someone here regularly when I'm away to ensure the automatic feeder is working, litterbox is sifted and water replaced but I was hoping every other day sometimes would be sufficient so I'm not demanding as much from whoever is doing me the favour. Currently I put out two bowls in different areas apart from their food dish and rinse/replace every day or every other day. The treats are a bit trickier, he knows almost immediately if I've picked up the container and if not is alerted the second I open it to pour some out. This brings him racing to me and yapping incessantly which makes it tough to reward him for being quiet. Any suggestions on this would be appreciated. Maybe I could throw a bunch in a ziploc and hide it somewhere he's unaware of?
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Sep 26, 2020 21:33
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necroid posted:Is this a bad idea? Does anyone have any suggestions on what leash/backpack would suit me best? When you take a cat outside, you want to control the environment as much as you can, simply because things can go south very, very quickly. My concern with hikes through woods would be other animals--dogs, especially. One dog off leash running toward a cat is either chaos or tragedy, if not both. I have indoor cats and have tried to get a few to walk on a harness with limited success. Nothing like your proposed hikes--just up and down the sidewalk in front of the house. I use a harness that goes around their neck and chest so if hell breaks loose and they get caught on something before I can get to them, they won't hang themselves. My experience with cats and harnesses is that they're cool with it until they're not, and then it's not fun for anyone. I think it's great you want your cat to experience the outdoors, but I just don't think hiking in a woods is a good idea. Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be way too much that can go wrong.
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Sep 27, 2020 18:47
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Any suggestions for dealing with fur that gets matted constantly? I try to brush him regularly but he only tolerates it in short bursts. I did get him groomed once but he really hated the experience and the groomers didn’t love it either. I’m scared to try and clip them out because his fur is super thick and I’m worried I might knick him. pictured: long haired rear end in a top hat in question 
Puppy Galaxy fucked around with this message at 19:21 on Sep 27, 2020 |
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Sep 27, 2020 19:19
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Corte posted:Thanks for the input, it can have some hilarious results but seems like it might be discouraging him from chasing my wands around at times. Also when I throw treats the sliding can cause him to run into walls and other things which may be harmful, doesn't seem to be so far but maybe they'll develop CTE later in life. I'll see if I can get a carpet/rug for my office to play on perhaps. Katya used to slide around on our laminate flooring all the time, she still does but she compensates for it now. I do feel bad when she smacks into a door-frame or something but cats are sturdy, man. It's probably fine, especially if he's new to the house. We started to keep our treats in a dresser drawer for the same reasons, but trust me, it just redirects a food-motivated cat. Just try not to kick them and ignore him until you're ready to put down the bowl, I've been training Katya to shush before she gets her food and since the reward is immediate it seems to be working. I wouldn't recommend foregoing wet food, I find that even one pouch a week does a lot for Katya's water-intake, and that's with a fountain.
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Sep 27, 2020 21:14
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InvisibleMonkey posted:Katya used to slide around on our laminate flooring all the time, she still does but she compensates for it now. I do feel bad when she smacks into a door-frame or something but cats are sturdy, man. It's probably fine, especially if he's new to the house. Hemingway does seem to be catching on and adapting to the flooring, which actually might be laminate for all I know. I still might get an area rug for my office for playing but that's helpful to know, thank you! You're not kidding about having to actively try not to kick them. I don't mean resisting the urge, though sometimes that sure, he just continually stops right in front of my feet while I'm walking which makes it challenging to navigate throughout the apartment at times. It's a bit frustrating to have to constantly be conscious of where he is, stop and move around or over him. Honestly if I can somehow redirect his focus so he isn't constantly following me around and meowing whenever I move towards or within the kitchen that would be loving fantastic. I don't want to deprive him of anything he needs but I've considered just cutting off treats for a while because it can get a bit much. With respect to your training approach to clarify are you just holding their dish and ignoring them until they quiet down? If so how long do you wait, should I aim for X seconds of silence before putting the dish down? Do you find it's teaching Katya to be quieter when you're preparing their food or when they try to beg for food? I appreciate your point regarding wet food and will continue with it, maybe I'll try to be more scheduled/regimented and serve it at an exact time each day or reduce the frequency to make it not part of his routine. I'm praying this automatic feeder helps a little at least. I've considered getting a harness to talk him outside but wonder if that will just give him another thing to cry for, also with winter coming it might make sense to wait until spring.
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Sep 27, 2020 23:51
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Puppy Galaxy posted:Any suggestions for dealing with fur that gets matted constantly? I try to brush him regularly but he only tolerates it in short bursts. I did get him groomed once but he really hated the experience and the groomers didn’t love it either. I’m scared to try and clip them out because his fur is super thick and I’m worried I might knick him. Have you tried one of those brushes that attaches to a door frame so the kitty can rub themselves on it? My lil guy likes to rub on brushes more than he likes to be brushed, he gets a little over stimulated pretty quickly and gets a bit bitey. If they'll tolerate a short amount of brushing, perhaps hit them with a furminator first so you remove some undercoat and take as much out as possible, then theres less to mat.
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Sep 28, 2020 00:08
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Who is dis boi? I cannot find them anywhere on social media. I need to know more. 
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Sep 28, 2020 03:58
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Corte posted:Hemingway does seem to be catching on and adapting to the flooring, which actually might be laminate for all I know. I still might get an area rug for my office for playing but that's helpful to know, thank you! Consider sneaking a few treats in your pocket and only giving them to the cat after he's settled down, he might associate the reward with good behaviour instead of "ah, I have successfully screamed at the human until food fell out". Constantly being conscious of where the cat is is something we learned very quickly, and we still step on her tiny feet sometimes when she throws herself at ours, thankfully we don't wear shoes in the home. Corte posted:
Katya is very food-motivated and clever so it's been relatively easy to teach her some commands. I make her sit down before I put down the bowl and will sternly say "SHUSH" until she stops screaming, then she gets her food. This does not help with her yelling her head off during meal-prep at all, and I doubt that will ever change because she's a hungry lil trash-cat. Try an automatic feeder for dry food or otherwise stick to a schedule so he knows it's useless to scream at you for food at other times, otherwise I'm not sure what to tell you. Living with cats does require some sacrifice and both of you need to adapt to living with each other, just try to stay patient and don't worry about it too much!
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Sep 28, 2020 06:50
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Robot Wendigo posted:When you take a cat outside, you want to control the environment as much as you can, simply because things can go south very, very quickly. My concern with hikes through woods would be other animals--dogs, especially. One dog off leash running toward a cat is either chaos or tragedy, if not both. All this post is very good, but I especially want to second this. When I was taking just Lucky on a walk once, who is very good and chill about walks, some lady in our building had her dog off leash. The dog went absolutely wild, Lucky freaked out because this dog much bigger than him was trying to grab him, and I ended up stuck on an elevator when I tried to carry Lucky away on my head with the dog trying to jump up me to get to him because, again, the dog wasn't on a leash and had slipped inside right as the doors were closing. It could have ended soooo much worse than it did, but people will absolutely have off leash dogs even if it's against the rules and the dogs absolutely will try to go for the cat. This is true even when dogs are on leash, and it sucks every single time. My solution has generally always been to go at times I'm unlikely to run into dog walkers, as well as areas they won't go. And now that I have two cats, I have the stroller they can and do jump into for safety. What's more, there are bound to be a couple feral cats and what not--I know exactly where all the ferals are around where I live because I have zero desire to find out what happens if they run into my cats, and this way I can be on the look out for them during walks and escort my cats away as needed. I thought pretty hard about taking Lucky on hikes, but there's just way too many variables that far from home, no matter how chill he is 90% of the time and that's *with* strongly training him to come when called and see me as his safety tree to climb up. And he likes walking way more than backpacks or strollers--he wants to walk--so that's out. I think if the cat is willing to stay in and not get mad at being in container for long stretches that *might* work out better and it would certainly be a lot safer. Local walks and training together are pretty much absolute musts if you want to take your cat out for long periods in strange environments, and that training needs to be rock solid never ever doubt your cat will come with called, because *something* will spook them.
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Sep 28, 2020 09:04
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InvisibleMonkey posted:... Thanks for all the input and advice. You're right, it's only been a 3-4 weeks and I need to learn to accept this just might be who he is. I'll definitely try all your suggestions and hope for the best.
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Sep 28, 2020 17:44
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Bina posted:Who is dis boi? Google "polydactyl cat".
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Sep 28, 2020 20:12
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Corte posted:Thanks for all the input and advice. You're right, it's only been a 3-4 weeks and I need to learn to accept this just might be who he is. I'll definitely try all your suggestions and hope for the best. I speak from experience, as a first time cat-owner I was a huge helicopter-parent for the entire first year and we still spoil the poo poo out of her compared to most people. It took time to realise a cat is a pretty adaptable and independent, I'm still glad we took her to the vet a few times too many because you never know, but we also have pet-insurance so ymmv. As long as the cat is healthy and not bored, give it time and feel free to ask more questions!
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Sep 28, 2020 20:51
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pidan posted:Unless you can build a cow brush for him and get him to use it, I don't see a way to do this without picking him up. If he sleeps in an accessible location, you could try to surprise him and cut the offending fur off with scissors before he has time to be offended. But a skittish cat probably won't like that either. I thought I was being facetious, but I have since discovered that there are actually a variety of cattle brushes for cats. I have never tried them, but they might be useful for people whose cats don't like being brushed.
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Sep 28, 2020 20:52
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Robot Wendigo posted:When you take a cat outside, you want to control the environment as much as you can, simply because things can go south very, very quickly. My concern with hikes through woods would be other animals--dogs, especially. One dog off leash running toward a cat is either chaos or tragedy, if not both. FelicityGS posted:All this post is very good, but I especially want to second this. When I was taking just Lucky on a walk once, who is very good and chill about walks, some lady in our building had her dog off leash. The dog went absolutely wild, Lucky freaked out because this dog much bigger than him was trying to grab him, and I ended up stuck on an elevator when I tried to carry Lucky away on my head with the dog trying to jump up me to get to him because, again, the dog wasn't on a leash and had slipped inside right as the doors were closing. thanks, these are all very valid concerns and if it reassures you it's all stuff that I've already thought about extensively somehow. even though I don't have a real plan I'm trying to approach this new adventure very carefully, which means the more outside input I can get the better it is. today I received the other harness (bought separately on Amazon) and I'm happy to say that I've managed to make her put it on and walk around a bit (chasing treats). I'm not a big fan of the fit but I'll wait to see if the one in the backpack bundle is any better, for now I consider it a small success! it sounds cruel but I couldn't help but laugh when she started chasing a treat I'd thrown, got confused halfway there and started walking in reverse trying to escape the unfamiliar touch of the harness. in spite of my low expectations she seems to have gotten used to it surprisingly quickly, so I'll try to introduce it again to her every day in small amounts, in order to avoid stressing her too much.
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Sep 28, 2020 20:56
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This is Peach, a fine cat! I recently noticed some bluewhite discolorative fog (picture #1) in his right eye while I was brushing him; I do not currently live with him so I am unsure when or where it came from. While I do have a vet appointment is scheduled for tomorrow, I still would like to ask any doctors in the house to review the pictures and tell me if they could tell me what to expect when I take him in; most of what I’ve read says he’ll need at least some opthamological butter/gel while it heals, although I also read that could be something that gets worse over time. Please also enjoy some heckin’ cute peachpics.   
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Sep 29, 2020 01:21
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pidan posted:I thought I was being facetious, but I have since discovered that there are actually a variety of cattle brushes for cats. I have never tried them, but they might be useful for people whose cats don't like being brushed. We have these in like three different corners in the house because Sweetheart loving LOVES the things.
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Sep 29, 2020 02:43
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Our old little guy passed away last week and my GF and I are planning on adopting another cat fairly soon. I have a question about cats and balconies. To what extent is it necessary to net the terrace in? Does it just depend on the cat? Doozer was happy just staying on the terrace which is on the 3rd floor, but he was very old and no longer good at jumping. The cat will spend most of its time here in the city but also up to our little cottage in the mountains so will be able to go outside up there. It looks like our terrace will need to be netted at one end so there's no way to get onto the neighbour's terrace, but can a cat be trusted not to get off the terrace side? Thanks!
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Sep 29, 2020 11:16
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knox_harrington posted:can a cat be trusted I guess the answer is always no
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Sep 29, 2020 11:28
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necroid posted:I guess the answer is always no Look, you can absolutely trust them to always make bad choices
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Sep 29, 2020 11:30
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Depends on the cat and the terrace, I think. I was nervous when we moved into this flat(third floor) that the cats would leap off the balcony but they haven't even tried to jump up onto the railing, and they're young agile cats who climb just about everything else in the place. Possibly it makes a difference that the 'wall' of the balcony is glass so they can just sit and watch the birds through it and don't feel a need to try and perch on the railing. The balcony sticks out of the side of the building and there's nothing even vaguely within leaping distance from it either(no nearby trees, roofs etc) so I guess they're just about smart enough to realise there's nowhere to go anyway. They do squeeze under the partition and go explore our neighbours balcony sometimes but luckily they've never caused any trouble over there and they generally come back in when I call them. We're looking at moving soon(assuming anyone wants to buy our flat, things have been distressingly quiet on that front so far) and having outdoor space, whether a garden or a balcony, is an absolute requirement. How catproof it'll be remains to be seen. If we end up with a garden I'll harness train them so they can have supervised outside time. With enough space I could build a catio even.
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Sep 29, 2020 11:33
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I live on the 1st floor. I don’t know about other cats. But when my cats were between 4-8 months old. I witnessed one of them fall off the balcony into the neighbors backyard and witnessed my other cat jump out of the balcony to join her sister. I put nets on my balcony since then 
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Sep 29, 2020 11:34
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I once had a cat, since departed, that never saw an open egress he wouldn't explore. Even if it was three stories up and the other side was a sheer drop. Lots of "is this your cat" knocks on the door because I left a window open somewhere in the home.
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Sep 29, 2020 14:04
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