|
Boogalo posted:I like world's best. It's corn based instead of clay. Still a little dusty but flushable. I find the green bag clumps better but the red bag is less dusty and smells slightly of raisins for some reason. Better than poo smell. Flushable sure sounds nice. Odor isn't a big problem with my 1 cat if I clean his litter box frequently, but how well does it work at clumping and preventing tracking?
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2020 21:22
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 17:58 |
|
|
I tried paper strips/ recycled paper litter recently (vet wanted it to ensure an incision didn’t get infected by clay dust) and I hated it. Still got tracked everywhere, doesn’t clump, the whole house smelled like piss, and its pretty difficult to tell what has or hasn’t been used unless I’m standing there watching him go, so I ended up just throwing the whole contents of the litterbox out every day. Regular litter still tracks, but you can get low-dust formulations.
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2020 21:29
|
|
|
rt4 posted:Any recommendations on alternative cat litter? I don't care too much for the standard clay stuff because of the dust and have been out of the cat lifestyle for a few years. I just got a 7 year old calico yesterday and want to do the best I can for her I like the silicon crystal litters. They control odours very well and last a long time. Unfortunately most cats hate them.
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2020 21:35
|
|
|
We use a corn-based litter called Siria. It's only available in some European countries, but I think cat's best is similar. It clumps, doesn't smell more than regular litter and can be composted. The packaging says you can flush it down the toilet, but I'm not willing to risk it. It tracks a bit less than other litter, because the grains are bigger. But it still tracks quite a bit. For us, a big selling point is that the grains are softer than the clay or sand ones, so they don't scratch up the floor. Our cat uses it willingly, but our cat is really not picky about anything.
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2020 22:39
|
|
|
don't flush cat litter/waste unless you want to spread toxoplasma through your community
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2020 07:05
|
|
|
Buff Hardback posted:don't flush cat litter/waste unless you want to spread toxoplasma through your community It apparently has been found in marine mammals, so even if your neighbors are lovely, please don't destroy dolphin brains.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2020 17:52
|
|
|
Dienes posted:It apparently has been found in marine mammals, so even if your neighbors are lovely, please don't destroy dolphin brains. Dolphins like cats too?
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2020 18:30
|
|
|
You know the answer to that question. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rynvewVe21Y
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2020 19:03
|
|
|
Buff Hardback posted:don't flush cat litter/waste unless you want to spread toxoplasma through your community If you have an indoor cat they're basically not going to be shedding toxoplasma.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2020 19:24
|
|
|
BaronVonVaderham posted:You know the answer to that question. rear end in a top hat club transcends species.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 04:29
|
|
|
Isn't people poop full of gross organisms too? What's different when you flush cat poo poo?
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 04:37
|
|
|
BaronVonVaderham posted:You know the answer to that question. Maybe I’m too paranoid but I would be a little frightened of an apex predator in the ocean playing with my cat
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 04:42
|
|
|
Vivian Darkbloom posted:Isn't people poop full of gross organisms too? What's different when you flush cat poo poo? Buff Hardback posted:don't flush cat litter/waste unless you want to spread toxoplasma through your community Buff Hardback posted:don't flush cat litter/waste unless you want to spread toxoplasma through your community Buff Hardback posted:don't flush cat litter/waste unless you want to spread toxoplasma through your community Edit: Humans infected with toxo can't spread it via their poo poo. Cats infected with toxo can spread it via their poo poo. Toxo kills marine life. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/07/seals-endangered-species-health-disease-oceans/ https://www.livescience.com/63868-beluga-whale-cat-poop-toxoplasma.html Dienes fucked around with this message at 04:47 on Dec 27, 2020 |
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 04:43
|
|
|
BaronVonVaderham posted:You know the answer to that question. I feel old hearing someone in the back say "I've run out of photos!"
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 07:59
|
|
|
Muffin Update: I've talked to Brother-in-Law and we are looking to find a good home for Muffin, but it'll take a while we think. In the meantime I gave some tips for training the behavior with Mom and explained about the declawing thing and how it probably made it worse. She's big on spoiling animals over punishing them. Which is why I was shocked to hear yesterday that she thinks they have found the solution: Muffin loves playing fetch. She's bought him some new toys and says he'll come out and play while she's watching tv or something, and that she thinks he is doing much better because of it. He even came out to give me a sniff before hiding when I visited! If she keeps this up maybe he won't have to be re-homed after all. She's got some bitter apple spray in case he starts trying to feast on her flesh or whatever but this might be the ticket to a happy little cat family. Her resident old lady catte seems to give 0 fucks and continues to hog all the prime sunbeam space while they play.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 15:38
|
|
|
That's great! Not surprising, come to think of it, since 99% of the time on My Cat From Hell the solution is "play with your cats more". Along with "more litterboxes" and "give them lots of high places to perch".
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 15:49
|
|
|
Rotten Red Rod posted:That's great! Not surprising, come to think of it, since 99% of the time on My Cat From Hell the solution is "play with your cats more". Along with "more litterboxes" and "give them lots of high places to perch". This is very true. I had to get used to regular play and buy a cat tree for the first time ever since our kitties are so far indoors only (didn’t get around to harness training before it got cold - kinda glad we didn’t because fleas were horrible this year). I had grown up with indoor/outdoor cats, so we didn’t have any cat furniture other than cat beds and didn’t regularly play with toys because they got all their exercise and stimulation outside, so when they were inside they mostly wanted to eat and rest (and then when they were being hyperactive dicks we could toss them back outside). There was one My Cat From Hell where the cat was exhibiting neurotic licking behavior, like would lick the owners’ ankles nonstop and their faces while they slept, etc. It turned out the cat was severely understimulated - they never played with him and his room was empty except for the litter box. The bulk of the solution was getting some cat furniture and playing with him regularly. Very happy that things might work out with Muffin.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 17:47
|
|
|
His heated cat bed is two feet to his right You rear end in a top hat
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 17:51
|
|
|
So I was thinking about making one of those outdoor cat shelters (its basically a storage tote with insulation) since I sometimes see a cat or two wandering around outside from time to time. I thought it be kinda a cool project to try. Only problem I'm running into is the straw. Basically every guide I see says you need to use straw for the bottom/bedding of the shelter. But I'm having a really tough problem finding straw around me. Are there any decent substitutes for straw for this? I'd like to use something I can buy nearby in case I need to replace it at some point.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 19:24
|
|
|
Do you not have a pet store? I bet they would have something suitable, lots of folks use hay and straw for rodents, hamsters, etc. if not, a farm supply/garden store will but it’s likely to be a large quantity. Pet store will be a little more expensive but smaller portions.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 19:32
|
|
|
Heroic Yoshimitsu posted:So I was thinking about making one of those outdoor cat shelters (its basically a storage tote with insulation) since I sometimes see a cat or two wandering around outside from time to time. I thought it be kinda a cool project to try. Only problem I'm running into is the straw. Basically every guide I see says you need to use straw for the bottom/bedding of the shelter. But I'm having a really tough problem finding straw around me. Are there any decent substitutes for straw for this? I'd like to use something I can buy nearby in case I need to replace it at some point. Is there a feed or ranch store near you? They'd have straw year round. Maybe a good pet store too. Straw is really good for the purpose so I dunno a good alternative. I use straw in my own 'guest house'
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 19:33
|
|
|
Bollock Monkey posted:we utterly betrayed her by tempting her into the carrier with axolotl food that she loves then shutting her in and bringing her to this alien planet. InvisibleMonkey posted:Aww, great job! Moving with pets can be so stressful for both them and you, seeing them get comfortable in their new home is the best tho. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 19:43
|
|
|
MAKE NO BABBYS posted:Do you not have a pet store? I bet they would have something suitable, lots of folks use hay and straw for rodents, hamsters, etc. if not, a farm supply/garden store will but it’s likely to be a large quantity. Pet store will be a little more expensive but smaller portions. By extension, if you really can't find any straw, "hamster cage filling" might be a good direction to look for alternatives, e.g. the sawdust or cat-litter-like grainy stuff.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 19:44
|
|
|
Pet stores around me have hay, not straw. And apparently hay is really bad to use for this?
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 20:51
|
|
|
pidan posted:By extension, if you really can't find any straw, "hamster cage filling" might be a good direction to look for alternatives, e.g. the sawdust or cat-litter-like grainy stuff. I'm not sure about sawdust. The aromatic phenols in cedar and pine aren't great for breathing long term. Cedar discourages insects but can also aggravate breathing problems and increase miscarriage and infant mortality in mammals. Sometimes you can find aspen which doesn't have the volatile organics, but I think it would get matted into cat fur. I wonder if cardboard would work? Tear it into strips so the cat can arrange it. A thick layer of cardboard scraps should provide good insulation. Not as good at managing damp as straw though.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 21:10
|
|
|
Dienes posted:Edit: Humans infected with toxo can't spread it via their poo poo. Cats infected with toxo can spread it via their poo poo. Toxo kills marine life.  I don't suppose there's any way to test whether my cats are carriers, so that I could tell whether it's safe to keep flushing?Alternatively, and I realise this is a silly question, but how do you actually deal with waste without flushing it? Buy lots of tiny plastic bags and use one each time? Accumulate the stuff in a standard garbage bag until it's full? (Ew). It feels weird and wasteful to use plastic for the purpose. Are there alternatives?
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 22:22
|
|
|
Slightly outside of the usual thread demographic in that "my cats" are a group of shelter cats I help care for. Most of them are good cats. Some are shy, some came from bad home situations.  Corky is a bastard cat hiding his face in shame after peeing on me for having the gall to sit on the floor. This ain't the first time, he's a territorial little man. Wish I knew what to do to help him, but at this point he's an old cat (almost 11) with some mental/behavioral issues that I only see a few hours a week, not sure there's much I can do in 2-4 hours that sticks for the other 164-166 of the week.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 22:52
|
|
|
Hyperlynx posted:
We use small plastic bags. Alternatively, if you have plant based litter, you might be able to use small compostable bags and compost it or put it in the green waste bin. The small plastic bags full of cat litter do smell a bit, so we're considering buying a "litter locker" / diaper disposal system for the purpose. Does anyone have experience with that?
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 23:02
|
|
|
Hyperlynx posted:
I have a zero-waste obsessed friend, who actually does pretty well at it from what I can tell (and how much it annoys the rest of us sometimes). She has a cat. She uses plastic bags recycled from anything she can scrounge them up from for cat litter. She figures it's worth not spreading toxo and it's reusing something that would have gone straight to the landfill.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 23:09
|
|
|
Hyperlynx posted:Alternatively, and I realise this is a silly question, but how do you actually deal with waste without flushing it? Buy lots of tiny plastic bags and use one each time? Accumulate the stuff in a standard garbage bag until it's full? (Ew). I use biodegradable dog poop bags when I scoop the litter boxes out. They go in the bathroom bin, and I live in an apartment with a bin store downstairs so I can exorcise the stinkbin whenever necessary.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 23:11
|
|
|
https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departm...oplasmosis-catsquote:Newly exposed cats usually begin shedding oocysts three to 10 days after consuming infected tissue, and continue shedding for around 10 to 14 days Cats don't permanently shed infectious toxoplasma and especially if they haven't been outside recently they're not going to be doing it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 23:29
|
|
|
knox_harrington posted:https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departm...oplasmosis-cats That page does say the illness usually lasts ten days but can become chronic, which is the same thing they say about the calicivirus that my poor cat baby has been suffering from all her life.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2020 23:36
|
|
|
So the adorable tiny kitten I posted a picture of earlier? He has the shits. He really has the shits and makes almost no effort to get to a litter tray when he needs to go. I have taken him to the vet and he is on antibiotics but whilst he is super friendly and affectionate he has also liquid shat himself in my lap three times today and is destroying my carpets, my bedding, my furniture. Pretty much everything. I had no choice but to confine him to the bathroom with food/water/litter tray and blankets, but now he is crying and shouting without pause and it is breaking my heart. Goddamit.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2020 01:15
|
|
|
pidan posted:That page does say the illness usually lasts ten days but can become chronic Right, but at that stage the cat isn't crapping out the oocysts: quote:The life cycle of T. gondii is complex and involves two types of hosts — “definitive” hosts in which the parasite reproduces and forms eggs (called oocysts), and “intermediate” hosts in which it reproduces by making clones of itself, which cluster inside cysts. Wild and domestic cats are the only definitive hosts for T. gondii. When a cat ingests infected prey or raw meat, the parasite is released from cysts into the cat’s digestive tract, where it reproduces and produces oocysts. Infected cats then excrete these oocysts in their feces by the millions. Newly exposed cats usually begin shedding oocysts three to 10 days after consuming infected tissue, and continue shedding for around 10 to 14 days. Oocysts are very hardy and may survive in the environment for well over a year. Additionally, some of the T. gondii released from cysts from the infected meat will penetrate more deeply into the wall of the cat’s intestine and multiply as yet another form, called a tachyzoite. This form then spreads from the intestine to other parts of the cat. Eventually, the cat’s immune system forces the parasite into a dormant or “resting” stage where it forms cysts in muscles and the brain. These cysts contain slowly multiplying Toxoplasma organisms in yet another form, called a bradyzoite. Since my boys haven't been outside for years, and don't eat prey or raw meat, they should be fine. Which is great, because flushing their turds is waay more convenient. quote:which is the same thing they say about the calicivirus that my poor cat baby has been suffering from all her life. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2020 11:52
|
|
|
Patrat posted:So the adorable tiny kitten I posted a picture of earlier? He has the shits. He really has the shits and makes almost no effort to get to a litter tray when he needs to go. I have taken him to the vet and he is on antibiotics but whilst he is super friendly and affectionate he has also liquid shat himself in my lap three times today and is destroying my carpets, my bedding, my furniture. Pretty much everything. You should get a second opinion because that is not normal and your cat sounds ill.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2020 14:24
|
|
|
We had a classic "cats are fuckin weird" thing on Christmas Day. We were just unwrapping some presents and I heard a guttural, vicious yowl from my cat in the other room. I go in there and he's kinda hunched over, lays down like dead weight and growls fiercely when I try to touch him, then goes and hides under the couch...I thought "crystals again? fuckin HOW!?!? am i gonna have to put him down on Christmas!??!" I had seen this show before and I was horrified. We go the (social distancing) vets office and wait in the car and they call us. No blockage whatsoever. Maybe some minor irritation in his urinary tract they'll give us an antibiotic for. "But is he still in pain?" I ask. "He's in here arching his back getting pet, licking his chops hanging out with us." I guess he was completely normal the entire time he was in the office. So they ran a few hundred dollars in tests and I just heard today he's fine. Helluva a Christmas surprise, felt bad I even took up the Vet's time on Christmas. pictured: angry christmas boy on a better day 
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2020 17:45
|
|
|
MAKE NO BABBYS posted:You should get a second opinion because that is not normal and your cat sounds ill. He is, currently on antibiotics so hopefully he will be on the mend and back to attacking his new big sister's tail in a few days. Right now my bathroom is a poo apocalypse zone though containing a very shouty little boy. Unfortunately cuddling him leads to having to change clothes because he shits himself when relaxing. Washing machine is getting to work all day this holiday season. Patrat fucked around with this message at 17:54 on Dec 28, 2020 |
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2020 17:45
|
|
|
See if the vet will give you some probiotics; we always have to get some Fortiflora for our cat if she takes antibiotics. Should help get things back to normal sooner.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2020 19:52
|
|
|
Can kittens be given pumpkin puree? That worked for our adult cat.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2020 20:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 17:58 |
|
|
Hey guys! Been a little while. Jackie (my polydactyl tabby cat of 10+ years) and I have migrated from Los Angeles to Colorado, and we are now staying at a friend of mine's place, accurately nicknamed "The Cat Ranch". It's this nice place up a canyon on the Front Range at about ~9000ft, really intensely beautiful. The name is both a reference to the Mountain Lions in the area - and the number of normal cats who live here. At the *very moment* for example, there are a total of six cats in this house, seriously - though that is slightly more than usual. The yard here is just massive - it's a half-mile to walk the (mostly cat-proof) fenced-in perimeter, so cats can wander around outside as much as they want to without fear of ever escaping to the road - as long as the gate on the driveway stays shut. A truly motivated and athletic cat could get through it, though. The normal cats who live here are Murfy, a very long and lanky silvery-grey 6-year-old male who is half Savannah Cat, and Dutchez (pronounced like Duchess) who is a 12-year-old long-haired female. Here's a pic of the two of them looking adorable:  Murfy is a prolific hunter and warrior, who actually got into a legitimate fight with a bobcat in the backyard a few weeks before I arrived. He was ultimately OK, but apparently did have to go the vet with some serious wounds. He's a tough one! Duchess is much more interested in finding comfortable places to sleep and doing her thing, but she is also fairly tough. Another cat comes here now and then (he is here right now) named Maverick, who belongs to a friend who visits a fair amount, and Maverick is a spotted black-and-white 4-year-old male, who I admittedly haven't gotten to know too well. On top of those cats, we also have two outdoor cats who have been hanging around outside the last couple weeks - a white tabby who looks a bit like Murfy, and a brown classic tabby who looks a bit like Jackie. We finally got a real trap at Home Depot last night, and as of tonight we have *both* cats safe and secure inside, though they're pretty sketched out. We're taking them both into the humane society tomorrow to get spayed/neutered, shots, tests, etc. We don't really know if they're feral or stray or what, but nobody in the area seems to be missing them, and we've been posting their pics around in the last week since they've been more or less living in the yard, realizing we will feed them extraordinarily well, heh. I don't know if Chad (the friend of mine whom I'm staying with who greatly prefers cats to humans) is going to wind up adopting them, but I guess we will see! So yeah, into this ocean of cats comes Jackie, the eldest cat out of them all at 14, as many years as she has toes on her front paws  I really had no clue how she would respond to all of this, I mean.... the last time she lived with more than one cat it was an absolute disaster, and it was a big reason why I adopted her in the first place, way back when. But that *was* like an entire decade ago, and I guess that cats, like people, do change to a certain extent. Jackie is handling everything really quite well, and far from being bullied she is like managing to somehow assert *dominance*! It's impressive, she even has Murfy a bit scared of her, we all find this hilarious because Jackie (whose alternate name here is 'Fatpaw') is this big chonk of a cat whose belly waggles when she runs, and this athletic young hunter cat who gets in fights with mountain lions is scared of her - it's really too much. I don't think Jackie has ever even successfully killed a mouse by herself, before! I guess it goes to show that even with cats, toughness has a lot more to do with confidence and poise, sometimes.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2020 03:02
|
|
