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Hi Friends! We rescued a nice adult cat several years ago and he was really PTSD'd for whatever reason. He's really cool now, but it took like, years of patience. Recently we bought a new, MUCH larger house and are therefore thinking of getting another cat. Thanks to this thread, I am on board with getting 2x cats, and there are a bonded pair of tabbies, 7 months old, at the adoption center that are very cute. I just had a few questions if yall don't mind: 1) Is there anything I should keep in mind considering our cat is a little protective and weird from whatever horrible home situation he was exposed to before we got him? I want to make sure the cats get along... 2) Litter boxes range from "literally a thing that holds litter" to "I don't know what the gently caress this thing even does but it's $700". Money isn't an issue, per se, but if I wanted to buy a $700 litter box I would have to like... have a reason prepared for my partner. So my question here is, is there a consensus litter box for cats? We'll be separating these cats from our existing one, to get them acclimated (luckily we are very much able to do that as we have 3 floors and my man lair is the basement floor). So I was just going to keep the cats in the basement until they can co-exist. The problem is I live there and work in the basement, as I work from home, and I don't want the entire floor to reek of piss and poo poo. I am prepared to pay for the privilege, but what are my best options? 3) Is there a single goon recommended food source for 6-12 month old cats? 4) How much would these 7 month old cats need in terms of playtime when we have two, and they're bonded? That would probably decrease the amount of play they would need right? (of course we would play with them a ton; I'm just curious how much I can have them hanging out by me while I'm working, so they'll be in proximity but I can't really play with them 24/7). Thanks and much appreciated friends!
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Nov 19, 2022 18:11
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There's no way to be sure that new cats will ever get along. Usually they learn to tolerate each other, worst case they hiss and fight all the time and best case they become super friends. If you take new ones in you'll need some kind of back out plan if it doesn't work.. I feel like cats that have never been around other cats have the hardest time, but again it's impossible to predict. As for the litter box, the only way to keep smell down is religiously clean and have good air circulation. Other than that it all comes down to how you want to maintain it. The $700 litter robot is nice and automated, makes cleanup easier on you. But a big high walled litter box works fine too if you don't mind scooping a few times a week.
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Nov 19, 2022 18:19
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Thanks! I guess my question regarding the litter boxes is like... if money is not necessarily a factor, but you also don't want to waste money for no reason, is there some consensus like... best price/performance model that I could just grab a few of so the cats had options and then not worry about it? Do the expensive ones really change your life? How much less work is it? If it's not clear by now, my partner takes care of our cat- it's hers and I inherited it when we got married. The cat is definitely "her" cat socially and she does all the legwork with it; choosing food, litter, litter box, vet etc I will have to help out more with the new ones so I just want to make sure I'm a good cat dad. I'm ready to spend the money for them to live their best life but don't really know where to start so any help on that would be very appreciated. Our basement is completely separate from the rest of the house, and there's a door to get to it, so our existing cat and the 2x new ones (bonded pair! This thread helped me understand that I need two cats, I assume that's still recommended? If I didn't research, I would have taken in just one cat due to ignorance) so anyways this feels like an ideal environment to get the cats used to each other. They'll be able to smell and hear each other but will be physically separated for as long as it takes). Is there anything else I should keep in mind? e: I would be keen on hearing any ideas for awesome products to get them. For example I have empty space on the far well next to a giant window. That would be a good place to put a, um, "cat playhouse" right? Is there a recommended model? Super curious about literally anything I should buy for my cats. Right now I know we need at least one more litter box (any thoughts? This one is on Slickdeals right now: https://www.walmart.com/ip/ScoopFree-Classic-Self-Cleaning-Cat-Litter-Box-Odor-Control/825468231?athbdg=L1100) Open to a cat shopping spree for sure Taima fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Nov 19, 2022 |
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Nov 19, 2022 19:00
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Other people have more experience with this but for automated boxes Litter Robot seems to be best hands down. That’s maybe less of a luxury for your cat and more of a luxury for yourself (scooping piss and poo poo sucks!). You don’t need to jump to the most expensive litterbox immediately, you can settle them in with the cheapest things you can find. Really comes down to how clean they need the litterbox vs how much you’re willing to scoop it. 2 littermates/a bonded pair is best if you’re getting really young cats. Their energy levels are nuts AND young cats will teach eachother how to play nicely with claws & teeth. 15 mins interactive play (think wand toys) before feeding times is probably a good start. Get them Da Bird wand, every cat loves that thing!!!
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Nov 19, 2022 21:54
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I think the consensus is to not get a self cleaning litter unless it's the litter robot. I've had mine for about a year and it's quite good. Only issue is really that you still need to clean it sometimes (of course), and if you don't have a yard to hose it down in you're kinda reaching into the thing with wet paper towel to clean it. I have the one that's a generation back from the new ones. If it broke, I'd buy one of the new ones.
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Nov 19, 2022 22:00
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My question dovetails with that, so might as well post now! My partner and I are moving next month into a bigger place that can accommodate pets and plan to adopt a bonded pair of cats from a shelter in January - after holiday and moving chaos has settled down a little, and once a bonded pair is available. He’s had cats before but I haven’t due to family allergies (not mine). I’d love some input on what we need to have ready for the cats to settle in as comfortably as possible. Here’s what I’ve thought of so far:
Are there any glaring misses here? They’re going to be indoor cats and we’ll have them chipped, but I’m inclined to get collars as well just in case. Eventually we’d like to build a catio for them, and if they escape it our backyard is easy to get out of. Re. litter boxes, our main issue is going to be placement. The new place is either open concept with no discreet corners to tuck one away in, or small rooms (bathrooms, den) where I’m worried about smell lingering. The ModKat top-entry litter box looks like it might work okay to stick in one of the open areas without drawing too much attention to itself, but it’s quite expensive and might not be a good fit depending on age/mobility of the cats… Is this something anyone else has run into? Edit: I guess also if anyone has a recommended guide regarding household hazards? I still need to do an assessment of our plants to make sure none of them are poisonous to cats, for example. I’m not sure if we own anything else that could be bad news. kaom fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Nov 19, 2022 |
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Nov 19, 2022 22:05
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I'd consider a fountain for drinking water, I know Ferdie wasn't at all interested in bowls of water, but he drinks well from his Miaustore ceramic fountain. I recommend that fountain so often I probably sound like a bot, but it is so awesome. Expensive, but it'll last, and their customer service is top notch. Keep the boxes the toys and beds came in, they'll play with them more than the actual toys kaom posted:Edit: I guess also if anyone has a recommended guide regarding household hazards? I still need to do an assessment of our plants to make sure none of them are poisonous to cats, for example. I’m not sure if we own anything else that could be bad news. Cables were my big worry, I got a whole lot of cable protectors and boxes to store the majority of it, tied a lot of cables together so they didn't dangle (ie at the back of the TV where all the consoles are plugged in). Plastic cable protectors on my laptop cable, anything that goes out into the room, because they love chewing that poo poo. Ferdie's really good about them now but when he was a baby he did have a big cable chewing phase, so the protectors were really vital. He didn't get through any of them. eating only apples fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Nov 19, 2022 |
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Nov 19, 2022 22:53
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Thread, I could use some help. A few pages ago I posted about integrating our new cat, Freddie (1.5-2 years old), with our old cat, Taters (15 years old). We kept them separated for a week or so after my last post, during which period we:
Got a Sentry collar on Freddie Upped Freddie's food - I may have been underfeeding him a little, making him hungrier and thus more playful Played with Freddie more using toys We fed them on opposite sides of a gate made of wire shelving so they could at least see the others' existence. The closest they ever got was maybe 7 feet apart. Taters would eat some of her food but then move off and expect the food to be moved elsewhere, but this is standard behavior - she was like that when Cecilia was still alive. If she saw Freddie, she'd hiss and growl a little some times, others just a little mumble, other times just watch him. On Wednesday, I left the house for an errand. Freddie pulled the gate aside and they had interacted by the time I got home. Everything seemed OK - Taters was on the bed where she'd normally hang out, Freddie was walking around the bedroom. I thought everything might be OK since Taters would otherwise be chased down if Freddie was left to his druthers, and in the past she'd pee herself in fear/anger. Turns out she did just that - we Nature's Miracle'd the sheets/blankets/mattress. From Thursday onward we did supervised encounters. We'd ensure they both ate and Taters was settled in a spot - usually her corner of a bedroom closet - then let Freddie in. When they made eye contact, Taters hissed and growled slightly, but if we distracted Freddie with a toy she'd ease off, but still be a bit growly if I pet her scratched her. If I keep up the scratching, she'll let me keep doing it, so it's not like she's in total fight-or-flight mode. We didn't allow Freddie to come within more than 2 feet of her before distracting him or picking him up and moving him away. If he did it more than twice, we'd end the session. Figure two or three of these per day in different rooms, usually lasting no more than 5 minutes. Taters' reaction to him hasn't improved at all. We had another one or two of these sessions today. A few hours after the second session, I smelled urine in the bedroom and found that the blanket had been peed on in nearly the same spot. Freddie did have some time when he was exploring the area with Taters safe in another room behind a closed door, but I was around him most of the time he was exploring. I think it was Taters, and I'm pretty sure it was a behavioral response. She's normally perfect about the litter box. At this point I think it's strike 2. Freddie doesn't instantly pounce at Taters looking to play anymore, I'm guessing thanks to the food + Feliway + calming collar + extra play time. She just can't stand his proximity. If strike 3 happens, we're going to consider Freddie to be an upstairs-only cat. It's a way way way better solution than rehoming him. Since Taters is so old, and since her life was spent with Ceci, I'm guessing this integration just may not happen. Given Taters' medical crisis after the first integration and her response now, neither my wife or I want to pressure her into an early grave. The question is now whether there's any way to convince Taters that he's all right. She might be OK with a collar, so I can try a calming collar on her. We're also going to cease his visits into the bedroom at all; any further supervised visits will be in other parts of the house. Maybe she felt fully cornered in the closet and expressed her frustration with the peeing. I'm also going to grab some Cat Attract for both the upstairs and downstairs litter boxes, just to be sure. Anything else I can try here? It's not the new guy being energetic, it's the old girl just not wanting to see him. Freddie's been with us for two months, with several weeks of zero interaction during Taters' medical problems. Should we look at anxiety meds for Taters? Distract Freddie if he even comes within a yard of Taters? Or are we at the point of "you have a downstairs and an upstairs cat until the old one's time comes"? MJP fucked around with this message at 23:31 on Nov 19, 2022 |
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Nov 19, 2022 23:16
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kaom posted:Re. litter boxes, our main issue is going to be placement. The new place is either open concept with no discreet corners to tuck one away in, or small rooms (bathrooms, den) where I’m worried about smell lingering. The ModKat top-entry litter box looks like it might work okay to stick in one of the open areas without drawing too much attention to itself, but it’s quite expensive and might not be a good fit depending on age/mobility of the cats… Is this something anyone else has run into? The XL box can be side entry or top entry. While I love my box, there are probably other attractive boxes that cost less. I’m annoyed that last year the XL ModKat box was $139.99. How has it gone up so much?!? They had a 20% of Black Friday sale last year so fingers crossed they have another one. 😤 I took Niko in for his first vet exam yesterday and he has GIARDIA!! Hasn’t shown any symptoms but they ask for a stool sample and he tested positive. They said it’s really common in the damp seasons in PNW? Poor kiddo also has a mild yeast infection in his ears. I’m out of town for Thanksgiving for 4.5 days so I can’t really administer meds… gently caress! I told my cat sitters and am getting nitrile gloves for them to use with the litterboxes. Told them to take off their shoes/wash hands/it’s transferred through fecal matter. I’m going to launder what I can & vacuum but idk how much I can do with being gone so soon? Vet only wants to treat Niko atm but Sinjin grooms this little goober!!! Was already planning on getting de-humidifiers for Black Friday. Need to make a shoe-cleaning station I guess? This sucks!
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Nov 19, 2022 23:24
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kaom posted:My question dovetails with that, so might as well post now! Baby latches on the counters and cabinets are probably overkill, too. Keep cleaning fluids tightly closed and the cats will ignore them. Cat Springs are cheap and make many cats happy.
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Nov 20, 2022 01:43
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Arsenic Lupin posted:A laser pointer, Agree with your post mostly except this. I've read nothing but negatives about laser pointers and the obsessiveness they can cause. I'm not an expert of course but just from how Ferdie reacts to light reflected on the ceiling I can see where that view comes from. I don't have one for play with Ferdie and he isn't missing out.
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Nov 20, 2022 01:59
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Depends on the cat! Laser pointer was great for making friends with Peridot as the least scary interactive toy possible but some cats can't handle them. Agree that childlocks are overkill unless you have a very clever and persistent cat. I've never heard of a cat not enjoying a cat tree so one seems like a safe bet.
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Nov 20, 2022 02:43
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Organza Quiz posted:Depends on the cat! Laser pointer was great for making friends with Peridot as the least scary interactive toy possible but some cats can't handle them. Agree that childlocks are overkill unless you have a very clever and persistent cat. I've never heard of a cat not enjoying a cat tree so one seems like a safe bet.
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Nov 20, 2022 04:07
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kaom posted:My question dovetails with that, so might as well post now! The litter boxes also seems like overkill, just making a whole lot of extra work for yourself. I have no idea where the cats+1 recommendation came from, but I see it all over now and it seems quite silly to me. We've always had 3 or 4 cats sharing one litter box and have never had a problem. Start with one. If they really can't share it, add another. Odds are very high everything will be fine, though.
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Nov 20, 2022 06:03
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MJP posted:Anything else I can try here? It's not the new guy being energetic, it's the old girl just not wanting to see him. Freddie's been with us for two months, with several weeks of zero interaction during Taters' medical problems. Should we look at anxiety meds for Taters? Distract Freddie if he even comes within a yard of Taters? Or are we at the point of "you have a downstairs and an upstairs cat until the old one's time comes"?
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Nov 20, 2022 06:37
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one of our strays ate like the corner of a chip from a bag of chips that has garlic powder as an ingredient. should I be concerned for that small of an amount? he seems fine but I'm not expert on this.
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Nov 20, 2022 07:59
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Organza Quiz posted:Depends on the cat! Laser pointer was great for making friends with Peridot as the least scary interactive toy possible but some cats can't handle them. Agree that childlocks are overkill unless you have a very clever and persistent cat. I've never heard of a cat not enjoying a cat tree so one seems like a safe bet.
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Nov 20, 2022 16:49
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Light Gun Man posted:one of our strays ate like the corner of a chip from a bag of chips that has garlic powder as an ingredient. should I be concerned for that small of an amount? he seems fine but I'm not expert on this. I wouldn't worry. Wednesday got into a full bowl of KFC leftovers and picked the bones clean overnight and was absolutely fine.
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Nov 20, 2022 17:36
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kw0134 posted:At this point? Yeah. I kind of danced around this a bit, but Taters is 15. If she has a particular way of living her life, it's not going to change at that age. Cats are often adaptable but that often declines with age, as with so many other things. Sometimes you just can't convince a cat to accept another cat into their lives. It's a tough blow, yeah. I had a lot of thought about that right after Cecilia passed. "Should we even adopt another cat? Will Taters be OK?" Stuff like that. When the first integration failed and Taters had her week of E-vet visits, I blamed myself hardcore for not insisting that we let her live with us solo. We just had no idea an 18-month old cat would be energetic and investigative if they were presenting as chill, especially since we took so much time to interact with Freddie. We figured he was used to other cats from being around them all his life, but as someone pointed out several pages ago, 18-24 months can still have residual kitten power. I've basically had cats all my life, and since 2007, I've always had two cats at a time. There were various integrations - none of them outright failed like this. The idea of our little family being separated like this is lousy and makes me feel like I've failed everyone - me for not having the cats love me back, my wife since Cecilia was a big lap cat and Freddie seemed like one, and now she's gotta go to him for comfort if it's not a workday in our upstairs office. I failed Freddie because he's basically a sorta-prisoner and won't be able to explore and feel comfortable in the whole house at any time, and Taters because I couldn't find the right match for her to live out her time with us. I mean just look at this guy. He does this all the time. Having an upstairs-only cat is not great but he's just such a nice handsome chap.  We might still try to integrate, maybe like one visual range-only visit per day and assertively keep him at a 6-foot distance. I guess the temporary Berlin Wall now gets replaced with a taller semi-permanent one. It gets real once you have to drill holes in walls to mount countermeasures.
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Nov 20, 2022 18:15
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Really appreciate it yall!  <3
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Nov 20, 2022 18:17
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Bollock Monkey posted:I wouldn't worry. Wednesday got into a full bowl of KFC leftovers and picked the bones clean overnight and was absolutely fine. hopefully yeah. thanks for the reassurance.
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Nov 20, 2022 18:25
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Light Gun Man posted:one of our strays ate like the corner of a chip from a bag of chips that has garlic powder as an ingredient. should I be concerned for that small of an amount? he seems fine but I'm not expert on this. Katya once ate part of a spanish tortilla with onion, the vet didn't even know what to do with that because she'd never seen it before. I would google the symptoms (I think maybe discolouration of the eyes or something?) and not worry about it too much for such a tiny amount. MJP posted:It's a tough blow, yeah. I had a lot of thought about that right after Cecilia passed. "Should we even adopt another cat? Will Taters be OK?" Stuff like that. When the first integration failed and Taters had her week of E-vet visits, I blamed myself hardcore for not insisting that we let her live with us solo. We just had no idea an 18-month old cat would be energetic and investigative if they were presenting as chill, especially since we took so much time to interact with Freddie. We figured he was used to other cats from being around them all his life, but as someone pointed out several pages ago, 18-24 months can still have residual kitten power. This sucks, and I feel bad for you guys. As a first-time cat-owner I was so worried about getting a second one, ours didn't really get along until Kimchi lost that rear end in a top hat kitten energy (mostly, she's 2 y/o) so here's hoping that will still happen. But I think it's likely Taters is just too old for a big change like that and as long as you have the space to guarantee her comfort, that's probably the best thing you can do.
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Nov 20, 2022 19:59
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 My cats have autosorted by fur length and color!
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Nov 20, 2022 21:55
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Thanks to everyone who replied with advice. Hadn’t thought about securing cables, and it sounds like we should start slow with the cat furniture until we learn their preferences. Appreciate it!
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Nov 20, 2022 23:07
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Going through a crazy time and figured I'd share. After 13 years of basically no issues but some dental extractions my old lady, Punkin, lost 3 of her 12lbs between 6 month checkups. Blood and urine showed no hypothyroidism, diabetes, or kidney disease so we did a GI panel and a follow-up ultrasound which showed negative for pancreatitis (GI panel made that a possibility) but positive for some small intestine thickening/chronic enteropathy. Scheduling an internist to do some endoscoping and biopsies took over three weeks. Grateful I got insurance so I didn't just have to punt through all of this and we could actually try to determine the right treatment. My wife and my other cat, Rex, really wanted another kitten and I went with it because I want one too and they need to meet Punkin. I'm not sure it was a good idea though. The little gremlin came with some ringworm and it spread to Rex because they love wrestling and sleeping together. The oral antifungal is being given to all three now, and we hope it's eradicated by the end (1 week on, 1 week off, x3 on-weeks). The results from the biopsies show small cell lymphoma in the small intestine. This might be one of the more treatable of the remaining options, as the small-cell/low-grade type tends to respond to chemo, and the other options would be auto immune conditions. This is a problem for punkin who doesn't have ringworm symptoms yet -- because she's on the antifungal meds, she has to delay the cancer meds because they won't work with the steroids/chemo treatment since those are immune suppressors. Rex also just got over a wicked ear infection after a flea outbreak (we're on the 4th floor...) and has had a recent raspy meow and was swallowing weird. They're chalking that up to a kitty cold for now, but bringing him in for that and the ear infection follow-up revealed the ringworm spread under the Woods lamp. Been a fun couple months. Luckily the new kitten is sweet and amazing and exactly who Rex has always wanted in his life. My old lady baits the gremlin into a chase or a slap and then hisses at her, same as she did Rex. Her version of play, I suppose.    
ILL Machina fucked around with this message at 07:16 on Nov 21, 2022 |
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Nov 20, 2022 23:51
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Glory to Italia!
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xzzy posted:We have one with fur about the length of the one you're getting, and the equigroomer is the best cat brush I've ever used. It makes a huge mess but cats love it and unlike slickers you can actually tell when loose hair is gone because it stops producing fur piles. The furminator does this too but you can overgroom with it and end up with thin fur or scabs.. you should only use it once or twice a month. But with the equigroomer you can slide it over their fur every day if you wanted. Holy poo poo you were not kidding about that part. Mine got here yesterday and Winston has, on at least one occasion, knocked it off the table where it lives and brought it to me to brush him with. 
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Nov 21, 2022 15:17
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one of the strays died overnight. not absolutely sure how, probably cold I guess but that one had other problems too I think. poor guy. wish I could do more for em. the others all seem to be doing fine, at least. edit: lemme cheer it back up a little, here's a pic of Nutmeg sleepin on my bed again. to be clear, this cat is one of the strays too, but he's quite alive and friendly to humans. i've been letting him hang out in the house a few times a night since he's been well behaved and just wants to chill out/warm up. 
Light Gun Man fucked around with this message at 09:07 on Nov 22, 2022 |
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Nov 22, 2022 01:21
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Baby  get him some shots and medicine, he deserves it.Sorry about the other stray  did they have a name? I hope they were comfortable as they passed at least.
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Nov 22, 2022 15:13
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Nutmeg here was apparently previously owned by someone who used to live a few houses down. So that's probably why he's so friendly. The others don't have names that I'm aware of, and seem pretty feral. Hopefully I can get some kind of medical assistance going for them. Thanks for the kind words.
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Nov 22, 2022 17:19
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Disclaimer: I'm going to take him to the vet for a check-up, but just want to source some opinions beforehand. Our 11-year-old cat Gordon has started random bouts of aggression. Yesterday, my husband was sitting next to Gordon on the couch (not touching him in anyway) when Gordon sprung from what looked like very relaxed sleep into biting my husband in the side, hard. Nothing had changed in the last 15 minutes. This has happened a few times before - sleeping on sofa and then suddenly biting someone sitting next to him. I've also noted that his back claws tend to slightly extended when he is laying down or almost fully extended when he is sitting. Could it be arthritis pain that makes him react so suddenly and seemingly without external stimulus?
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Nov 22, 2022 21:16
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When you say biting hard do you mean like normal annoyed bite or proper puncture wound from fangs bite? If it's the second one then your husband needs to go to the hospital to deal with the horrible infection he's about to have. Cats! Pain is probably as good a guess as any for why it's been happening though.
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Nov 22, 2022 21:49
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I'm a bachelor living in an apartment and I've wanted a cat for a while but I've just kept putting it off for one reason or another. Recently I've encountered a kitten at a pet store that gets their cats from rescues and for some reason when I look at this kitten I feel like it's the cat I've been waiting for. I know the OP recommends getting two kittens or one adult cat but is there anyway I could make a solo kitten work for someone who spends most of their day at work? If not , I won't bother. I wouldn't want the kitten to have a bad quality of life because of me.
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Nov 23, 2022 01:53
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Lucinice posted:I'm a bachelor living in an apartment and I've wanted a cat for a while but I've just kept putting it off for one reason or another. Recently I've encountered a kitten at a pet store that gets their cats from rescues and for some reason when I look at this kitten I feel like it's the cat I've been waiting for. I know the OP recommends getting two kittens or one adult cat but is there anyway I could make a solo kitten work for someone who spends most of their day at work? If not , I won't bother. I wouldn't want the kitten to have a bad quality of life because of me. Cats are very adaptable. A kitten in an apartment will do just fine. Just plan on having your apartment wrecked now and then when you get home. Kittens have a lot of energy and get bored easily. It will mellow out as it gets older.
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Nov 23, 2022 01:56
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I live in a small gooncave that has no visitors so my cats entire world is me and this apartment. Sometimes I feel bad she has no friends or at least could go outside, but there are tens of thousands of cats out there in bad situations. Imo as long as you are a good owner, cat life could be worse v v
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Nov 23, 2022 01:59
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If the kitten is under 6 months make sure to leash train it. It can be done when they get older but it is much, much harder. Can probably do it up to a year but the younger it is, the easier. And if you can leash train a cat a small apartment doesn't matter as much, take them outside to sniff at grass a few times a week and feel good about making them happy. For a young squirmy kitten I'd recommend something a full vest such as https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KAYPSQ/ Once older you can get something such as https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OBIW9Q/
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Nov 23, 2022 02:28
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I can also confirm that I loved having just my kitten and me in my apartment before I got married and she still seems like she liked the old quiet life more. That being said, having more cata gets her more interaction and cat-time and exercise. And all cats are different. I'd say go for it, but also look up techniques to avoid separation anxiety. Hard to know ahead of time if that'll be an issue, but you won't know if you're out unless you have indoor door cams. One rec I have is not to give a lot of attention right when you come home, but there are more ideas out there. My wife's cat was not as happy on his own. Was slightly happier when we mixed houses, but much more so with this new kitten who wrestles with him like he wants. It's hard to imagine, but you could try your best, but still need to consider surrending a cat that needs more attention than you can offer and hope for a more compatible choice for yourself and your cat in the future. It sounds harsh, but there are a lot of rescues in need and there's room for compatibility errors, especially if the surrender docs aren't about aggression. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but this has been my experience
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Nov 23, 2022 03:46
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Any advice on making a decision for older cats w/ arthritis? She generally is getting around and doing all the cat stuff she normally has done, but just walking funny (rear end up higher, presumably doesn't like bending her knees as much?) The vet says she's definitely in some pain and is going to try that new Solensia arthritis drug. We're also waiting for labwork that would help inform a decision, if she has any other problems like kidney failure or anything going on. It's tough, with our other cats it's been more obvious they aren't enjoying their regular routine, but with her it's been tough because cats always hide pain, so it's really hard to know how much and where the balance is.
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Nov 23, 2022 17:50
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If she's doing all the normal cat stuff she's probably enjoying her life. Maybe you can just get some pain meds / anti inflammatory meds for her, that shouldn't be too expensive. Give them for a week or two and if she seems happier, that's your solution imo.
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Nov 23, 2022 18:03
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Get some stairs. My 16 year old cat has a little arthritis, and absolutely loves using them to get in and out of bed. I had some cheap ones at first, from Aldi she didn't like, so I ended up with some from Armacat that is more like a stepped cat tree. Also some well placed boxes (we just moved) or an ottoman, helps a lot.
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Nov 23, 2022 18:23
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If you're comfortable with running one full time, try out a heating pad wherever kitty's favorite sleep spot is. It soothes arthritis a bit. They make low wattage pet specific ones if you hunt around.
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Nov 23, 2022 18:25
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