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I think my cat still needs to learn to not use its claws. The cat will be sitting on me and then it starts play biting and putting its claws on my face. Either it's treating me like another cat or it's planning sneak attacks...
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Mar 9, 2022 07:40
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quarantinethepast posted:I think my cat still needs to learn to not use its claws. The cat will be sitting on me and then it starts play biting and putting its claws on my face. You need to trim the cat's claws if you're not already doing it. Look up a tutorial online and get a proper tool, because the cat will be very mad if you actually cut the flesh. If the claws aren't trimmed, even the gentlest cat will sometimes misjudge and prick you a bit. If that's not the problem, then you need to set the cat down and stop playing when the claws come out. Cats are capable of understanding "if I scratch, the fun stops" and they'll generally be gentler if you're consistent about it. It's also a bit weird to call your own cat "it", why not he or she?
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Mar 9, 2022 07:56
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pidan posted:It's also a bit weird to call your own cat "it", why not he or she? Sure, the cat is a he. I was under the impression that cats shed their claws by scratching.
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Mar 9, 2022 08:14
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quarantinethepast posted:Sure, the cat is a he. I was under the impression that cats shed their claws by scratching. They do, but that doesn't trim them or make them less sharp...it just sheds the outer layer of keratin. If you want them not-sharp, you have to trim them.
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Mar 9, 2022 08:34
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The outer layer sheds, but they also sharpen them by scratching. They are tiny knives made for stabbing after all. We spent a long time teaching Katya not to use her nails on us during play-time and trim her nails regularly, but unfortunately she decided to use this information against us and will now wake us up with a single gentle pat with all nails extended.
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Mar 9, 2022 08:35
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I was just woken up by my cat very enthusiastically licking my big toe. Not the worst way she could have woken me up, but weird to try to make sense of while your brain is mostly still offline.
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Mar 9, 2022 09:02
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My cats understand "ow?" and will instantly stop nipping or retract claws.
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Mar 9, 2022 09:06
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I love my cat
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Mar 9, 2022 12:11
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InvisibleMonkey posted:The outer layer sheds, but they also sharpen them by scratching. They are tiny knives made for stabbing after all. Mine does this to let me know he is hungry and it is extremely aggravating to be playing a video game and suddenly have that sensation on the back of my thigh. He is a monster.
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Mar 9, 2022 21:28
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When I lay down if Harry lays down with me he very gently reaches a paw out and rests it on my arm for a while before curling up into his actual snooze position 
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Mar 10, 2022 08:42
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I'm a proud new owner of two very lovely brothers, Pepsi (the black one) and Price! (White patterns) Sadly, Price was having some diarrhea issues. After testing and checking for allergies, it turns out he has Giardia. They're both now on a cure and I'm working on cleaning my entire house. I was wondering if other people have experience with dealing with Giardia in kittens and have any tips for me?
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Mar 10, 2022 10:54
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Autodrop Monteur posted:I was wondering if other people have experience with dealing with Giardia in kittens and have any tips for me? When we had a kitten with it, we:
It was probably overkill, but we never had a reoccurance.
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Mar 10, 2022 13:40
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Dienes posted:When we had a kitten with it, we:[list] Thanks for the tips, I'll keep it in mind. Better safe than sorry!
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Mar 10, 2022 17:45
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Giardia is transmitted by ingesting the cysts that's excreted with feces, so you want to make sure you clean everything that can get in a kitten's mouth. This is a surprisingly large subset of things, because it could get on the kitten's feet after they do their business, then track it all over the home, then get ingested because they clean themselves by licking their body. So anything that could have feasibly in contact with the kittens since you got them needs to be washed or thrown away. It's probably not necessary to sterilize everything, since the act of washing will mechanically remove the cysts it relies upon to spread disease, but it does mean you'll have to scrub all your surfaces that your kittens have stood on at some point, especially food prep stuff for yourself!
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Mar 10, 2022 19:01
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Just got back from a vet check up for Buddy Cat, and he's got a clean bill of health, hooray! The vet did mention it might be a good idea to start brushing his teeth - any recommendations for good kitty toothpaste, or hints on how to get the most out of the process (because I know he's not going to love it)?
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Mar 10, 2022 20:13
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Does anyone have cat grass that grows back? My cat really likes it but he eats it all and then I have to buy more. E: also my cat knocked over the box of kitty litter and this stuff is a pain to vacuum, it'll just leak out of the vacuum. America Inc. fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Mar 13, 2022 |
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Mar 13, 2022 00:35
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My 2 cats have gotten tapeworm, at least I'm pretty sure. Not sure how, they are both inside cats and I have never found a flea in here. However one cat is a somewhat recent arrival(Maybe 4 or 5 months?) and he could have brought it with him possibly. I dunno. Anyway, how big a deal is this? Can the vet give them meds to just knock it right out? Neither of them are acting sick or losing their status as little fatties, other than one of them likes to puke every few days. The only reason I'm sure it's tapeworm is I found little sesame seed or rice looking grains stuck to the fur around their butts. Is the OTC medicine any good to give a try first, or should I just call the vet tomorrow when they open? How expensive is the treatment usually? So far most of the stuff the cats have gotten hasn't been anywhere near as expensive as my brain likes to imagine, but I like to be prepared. The OTC was cheap, I went ahead and ordered it to be here tomorrow, but if they really need the vet visit pronto, I can do that instead. Drunk Driver Dad fucked around with this message at 19:38 on Mar 13, 2022 |
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Mar 13, 2022 18:45
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I adopted my cat during Covid, so I wasn't doing any of my usual semi-regular travel for work. Now that travel is starting to pick up again, I'm curious about how to judge what's a reasonable vs. cruel amount of time to be away from my cat. I did a week long trip in the fall, with someone checking in on her daily to scoop her litterbox / try to play / check that the autofeeder wasn't malfunctioning, etc. She seemed to survive that, although was clearly unhappy when I got home and pretty clingy for the next week or so. This summer, I'm looking at slightly longer trips - at least one two week trip, maybe a three week trip. Is that too long to leave her at home with someone checking in? Should I be looking at boarding her somewhere instead? I figured it would be least stressful for her to stay in her familiar territory, but 2-3 weeks feels like an awfully long time for her to spend mostly alone and I don't want to be unintentionally cruel or unfair to her.
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Mar 13, 2022 21:32
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Jayne Doe posted:I adopted my cat during Covid, so I wasn't doing any of my usual semi-regular travel for work. Now that travel is starting to pick up again, I'm curious about how to judge what's a reasonable vs. cruel amount of time to be away from my cat. I did a week long trip in the fall, with someone checking in on her daily to scoop her litterbox / try to play / check that the autofeeder wasn't malfunctioning, etc. She seemed to survive that, although was clearly unhappy when I got home and pretty clingy for the next week or so. Definitely too long, in my opinion at least We have a lot better luck with having a cat sitter come over and check on them though. Boarding always seems really stressful for the cats
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Mar 13, 2022 21:39
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Yeah definitely keep her in her territory but if you can get a sitter to stay with her that would be ideal.
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Mar 14, 2022 01:32
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I apologize if there's already content on this that I'm missing, but I can't see the nutrition thread without archives. I have two 10-month-old kittens that I am about to transition over to adult food at my vet's recommendation. Since I got them back in September, I've been feeding them Instinct dry kitten food: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XDDDBJG/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_9G0WQHKVFJC7HYMVH8R0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 I was wondering whether it was worth transitioning over to the same brand of adult cat food, or whether this brand is unnecessarily expensive for its quality. Would anyone here recommend an alternative, or is it worth sticking with this brand?
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Mar 14, 2022 18:06
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All cat food is more or less fine, quality-wise. Barring any medical or dietary requirements, feed them the food they like and that you can afford. Also, FYI, the only difference between kitten and cat food is that kitten food is more calorie-dense.
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Mar 14, 2022 19:33
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You still want to transition to adult food because that caloric density can easily lead to obesity. It's probably also cheaper, pound for pound.
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Mar 14, 2022 19:45
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Rotten Red Rod posted:All cat food is more or less fine, quality-wise. Barring any medical or dietary requirements, feed them the food they like and that you can afford. I'm not worried about whether the cat food is sufficient, I'm interested in what brands users actually consider high quality. Are you also saying that there's zero benefit to something with a higher protein content than the bulk store brand, for example? Why bother buying anything besides the cheapest option then?
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Mar 14, 2022 20:22
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There Bias Two posted:I'm not worried about whether the cat food is sufficient, I'm interested in what brands users actually consider high quality. If your cat will eat the cheapest option, there's no real reason to buy anything else.
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Mar 14, 2022 20:30
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There Bias Two posted:I'm not worried about whether the cat food is sufficient, I'm interested in what brands users actually consider high quality. I buy royal canin wet food for Quill and it's about 200 bucks a month in food (CAD). When I open the cans it smells like actual food and some of them smell like a roast in the oven. I know intellectually that the super cheap stuff is supposed to be fine for her too but I want her to have the best and since I don't live somewhere in which I have to pay extortionist health insurance every month it doesn't seem like that much of an expense. I'm curious if it'll get more or less expensive when she's into adult food.
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Mar 14, 2022 20:34
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Organza Quiz posted:Yeah definitely keep her in her territory but if you can get a sitter to stay with her that would be ideal. Elvis_Maximus posted:We have a lot better luck with having a cat sitter come over and check on them though. Boarding always seems really stressful for the cats
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Mar 14, 2022 20:34
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saintonan posted:If your cat will eat the cheapest option, there's no real reason to buy anything else. So the entire cat food industry is just marketing lies with zero basis in quality whatsoever? And my vet only recommends any brands at all for arbitrary reasons or financial kickbacks? At least with human food, there's a difference between a hungry man meal and something home-cooked, so I figured the cat food nutrient profile actually mattered to some degree. 
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Mar 14, 2022 20:37
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In the US at least, all cat food is supposed to be nutritionally complete and is federally regulated. Cat taste and budget probably goes in that order in importance.
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Mar 14, 2022 20:41
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There Bias Two posted:So the entire cat food industry is just marketing lies with zero basis in quality whatsoever? More or less. quote:And my vet only recommends any brands at all for arbitrary reasons or financial kickbacks? If your vet prescribes specific food to help treat a specific disorder, that's a different question. If you're just looking for regular food though, kw0134 posted:In the US at least, all cat food is supposed to be nutritionally complete and is federally regulated. Cat taste and budget probably goes in that order in importance.
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Mar 14, 2022 20:46
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There Bias Two posted:So the entire cat food industry is just marketing lies with zero basis in quality whatsoever? Cats don't buy cat food. Marketing is aimed at the people who do. Marketing has also convinced people to pay more for bottled water than they do for gasoline, even though it's virtually free from the tap.
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Mar 14, 2022 20:48
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Deteriorata posted:Cats don't buy cat food. Marketing is aimed at the people who do. Well yes, but it's one thing to say that there are overly-priced "premium" brands that aren't worth their cost, and another thing entirely to say the entire industry is effectively that. Also, with respect to federal regulations, the average consumer might be inclined to expect that there is some conceivable health benefit (even for cats with no restrictions) in going beyond the minimally accepted standards with respect to their pet's food.
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Mar 14, 2022 21:00
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VelociBacon posted:When I open the cans it smells like actual food it smells like human food, it's marketed to you because you're the one making the purchase. What smells good to a cat is probably totally different, at least based on how excited my cats get when I open a can of gross smelling fish pate.
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Mar 14, 2022 21:02
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There Bias Two posted:Well yes, but it's one thing to say that there are overly-priced "premium" brands that aren't worth their cost, and another thing entirely to say the entire industry is effectively that. There might be health benefits, but there's no evidence of any. It's all marketing mumbo-jumbo. It's heavy on implying there are without offering any actual evidence. "Meat by-products? Eww! I'm not feeding my precious cat that!"
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Mar 14, 2022 21:03
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There Bias Two posted:Also, with respect to federal regulations, the average consumer might be inclined to expect that there is some conceivable health benefit (even for cats with no restrictions) in going beyond the minimally accepted standards with respect to their pet's food. You're welcome to buy whatever you like, of course. There's no consensus on what going "beyond the minimally accepted standards" really means, or what health benefits there might be (if any) for your pet in doing so.
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Mar 14, 2022 21:07
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I mean, if your cat likes it that's a plus, and some cats do not do well on some foods and get dandruff or diarrhea or things like that. But some cats prefer the cheapest food and some prefer more expensive brands - if it's marketed as nutritionally complete then cats in general can live on it.
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Mar 14, 2022 21:16
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I buy cat food based on whether the smell makes me retch when I open it.
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Mar 14, 2022 21:29
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If you want to filter brands, go for one that has a low incidence of recalls.
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Mar 14, 2022 22:08
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Jayne Doe posted:Thanks for the thoughts! That jives with my thoughts - I'll have to see if I can find someone she's at least a little comfortable with who would be willing to stay over during the longer trips. I'm a little nervous about just getting a pet sitter that she hasn't met before to stay, because she tends to hide when there's a stranger around. I guess she would probably at a bare minimum still come out to eat + drink + use the litterbox when they left to do things during the day. Our cat sitter, before we moved (and then covid hit so we haven't needed one since) was actually one of our vet techs! We'd leave the keys with her, and she'd pop over once a day to give the cat her medicine, play with them, give them brushings and treats and stuff for an hour and a half or so So you don't need someone there full time really (unless there's a medical problem that would require that of course), just someone swinging by to check in on the cat and give them a little attention seemed to be enough in our cases
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Mar 14, 2022 22:16
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Elvis_Maximus posted:So you don't need someone there full time really (unless there's a medical problem that would require that of course), just someone swinging by to check in on the cat and give them a little attention seemed to be enough in our cases
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Mar 14, 2022 23:08
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