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Lanky Coconut Tree posted:Try trapping her body between your legs as you kneel on the ground. Firm but gentle pressure helps keep them in place. I do this, and burrito my cat in a towel at the same time, and do one paw at a time unless she is calm. I'm also really ginger when it comes to holding my cats.
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Aug 28, 2023 14:01
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If you got a second person that can help a lot too. They cradle the cat while you trim the nails. Usually you can get one paw done before they get frustrated and start squirming, but the specifics depend on the cat's willingness to be held.
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Aug 28, 2023 16:40
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I wait until my cat is very sleepy and then I trim a few claws while petting her. Usually I can get about a paw done before she wakes up enough to be upset, so I just rotate which paw I do.
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Aug 29, 2023 02:46
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One of ours doesn’t mind at all as long as she’s comfy so we usually trim hers during nap time on the couch. She actually needs it done, she doesn’t scratch enough and has trouble shedding the outer part of the claw so if we’ve waited too long some of them can be really thick. The other HATES being restrained. We’ve got her pretty used to us touching her paws but holding her leg is a hard no. We tried to towel her once but she panicked, so I want to wait a long time before we try that again.  Luckily she takes good care of her claws herself so they aren’t bothering her other than being very spiky for us. They both still seem to be getting along okay, they still wrestle and groom and cuddle despite the unfairness of the claws.Separate topic, but I bought a training clicker this weekend. Our cats blew me away and weren’t scared of it at all, which means we’re skipping right to the part where I teach them it means “you did good.” I realize training cats is less common because, well, their attention span, but that said does anyone have recommendations? I’m currently understanding maybe 30 seconds of focus is a good session, and that target training is kind of the default beginner trick (foam ball on a stick I guess?). I have no goals other than another way of communicating/engaging with them. Based on how they reacted to puzzles like “there is a treat in this toilet paper roll” I think at least one of them will enjoy it.
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Aug 29, 2023 06:30
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Taking the cats for walks has been... frustrating. One of them loves the walks, when she's by herself. Just a normal cat wandering around sniffing stuff, chasing bugs, a nice little walk to the end of the street and back. Doesn't want to go far, but its fine. When my family brings over their dogs, though, she changes completely - she wants to go wherever they go, we roam all over the neighbourhood, she checks out a bunch of stuff but comes when called, and she'll even run alongside me with my without any prompting at all, the only problem is that sometimes she gets distracted wanting to pounce on the dogs or something. The other cat desperately wants to be outside to the point where he begs to go out constantly, but as soon as we get out his preferred situation is to plop himself down and just sit there and he'll occasionally be willing to move a couple feet. If the dogs are around he will, grudgingly, sometimes trail along a ways behind them so long as the other cat isn't out. But the biggest problem is that if the cats are ever out together then they will do literally nothing except lay down so long as the leashes are held, even if the dogs are around, just refuse to go on the walk. If the boy notices the girl is out walking and the other cat is inside, he will meow until she stops walking and comes back, at which point she will lie in the yard watching him in the window and he will continue meowing at her. Which means the only way I can take her for walks is to sneak her out without him noticing, because if she notices he's noticed she'll refuse to go anywhere. Which isn't ideal! I don't know if I should try to take him out more often on his own, forget walking him and just focus on the one who actually enjoys it, or what.
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Aug 29, 2023 06:50
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GlyphGryph posted:But the biggest problem is that if the cats are ever out together then they will do literally nothing except lay down so long as the leashes are held, even if the dogs are around, just refuse to go on the walk. If the boy notices the girl is out walking and the other cat is inside, he will meow until she stops walking and comes back, at which point she will lie in the yard watching him in the window and he will continue meowing at her.
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Aug 29, 2023 10:29
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The reluctant cat sounds like what he wants is a catio of some type. And if he's rather reluctant to actually go anywhere, don't force it. Let the girl enjoy her outdoor adventures with the dogs. If you have a backyard you can put him while you go out the front door with the other cat, that's probably ideal. Sometimes you've got to accept the cat's preferences.
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Aug 29, 2023 15:26
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I do have a catio planned as soon as some other projects are done, so maybe he'll be happier then. Probably won't be finished until it starts getting properly cold though, so it may not be heavily used for a while, hah. I am amused by the extent to which he is committed to "if I can't be happy no one can be happy!" though.
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Aug 29, 2023 15:31
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kw0134 posted:The reluctant cat sounds like what he wants is a catio of some type. And if he's rather reluctant to actually go anywhere, don't force it. Let the girl enjoy her outdoor adventures with the dogs. If you have a backyard you can put him while you go out the front door with the other cat, that's probably ideal. Sometimes you've got to accept the cat's preferences. This. Phyrexian Obliterator has zero interest in walkies, but adores having a small, screened-in space with a couple catnip plants, a Coolaroo, and a water dish. She will spend an entire day out there watching birds and lizards if we let her.
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Aug 29, 2023 15:43
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Dienes posted:This. Phyrexian Obliterator has zero interest in walkies, but adores having a small, screened-in space with a couple catnip plants, a Coolaroo, and a water dish. She will spend an entire day out there watching birds and lizards if we let her. Man, that sounds like the way to have a wild time making vet appointments: "i need an appointment for my cat. Her name? Phyrexian Obliterator." 
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Aug 30, 2023 06:00
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I'm no cat expert and mine seem extremely tolerant, but when I walk my dogs, I'll bring one of them in a tote bag. The boy seems mostly ambivalent and just chills. The girl begs to go outside anytime I approach the front door and will hop into any bag I happen to bring out.
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Aug 30, 2023 10:51
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Aug 30, 2023 16:38
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kaom posted:Separate topic, but I bought a training clicker this weekend. Our cats blew me away and weren’t scared of it at all, which means we’re skipping right to the part where I teach them it means “you did good.” I realize training cats is less common because, well, their attention span, but that said does anyone have recommendations? I’m currently understanding maybe 30 seconds of focus is a good session, and that target training is kind of the default beginner trick (foam ball on a stick I guess?). I have no goals other than another way of communicating/engaging with them. Based on how they reacted to puzzles like “there is a treat in this toilet paper roll” I think at least one of them will enjoy it. judging by our two, cats vary a lot in terms of how long they like to train for, how quickly they learn tricks and how often they'll refuse to do them because you're not even their real dad. one of ours loves training to the point he comes and asks me if i forget, can do long sessions no bother, and picks up most stuff really easily. the other isn't that bothered and will sometimes wander off 3-4 treats in, though he has gradually learned stuff too. Albert and Mia is a good channel. I did 'follow the finger' first (equivalent of target training), then sit, come when called - this is actually really useful, especially if they're indoor-outdoor so you can yell their name into the dark and feel like a cool ranger when their eyes appear in the distance - stay, jump into carrier, then silly stuff like high five and lie down just for fun. you sometimes have to individualise things even for smart cats. eg for lie down, i had to figure out my own way to show the smarter of the two what i wanted cos he just doesn't naturally reach forward with his paws for a treat placed on the floor, and for jump into carrier (a backpack) i had to start with it flat and the front off and gradually tilt it further up each session until he felt safe to jump in the top
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Aug 30, 2023 23:48
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Question. Is discussing Gs-441524 and FIP treatments in general against any rules?
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Sep 1, 2023 02:46
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khy posted:Question. Is discussing Gs-441524 and FIP treatments in general against any rules? I don't see why it would be as long as you're not divulging any details about how you got the treatment. I'm currently fostering an FIP+ cat who I had fostered previously. He was returned by his adoptive family when he got sick, and it was heartbreaking to see him just skin and bones because he was the sweetest kitten ever. He's one month from the end of the treatment and he's totally turned around:  Tito is the best cat ever and I'm glad to have helped saved him. Rotten Red Rod fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Sep 1, 2023 |
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Sep 1, 2023 04:53
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OK, so apparently I've incurred the wrath of some loving deity or another and they've decided to take it out on my cats. Back in January I lost a cat due to complications after surgery to remove a FISS tumor. I got two new cats in March, a bonded pair. All has been well for a while. Cue yesterday, I notice one of them has been breathing heavily. I take her to the evet and she has fluid in her chest. Vet drains the fluid and warns us that FIP is likely. Cue 2+ hours of me researching FIP, researching GS-441524, joining a facebook group about it, making the above post, etc. while waiting at the Vet office. Vet comes back in - the fluid they drained was pink. FIP fluid is normally more of a yellowish color. Her lungs are also pushed back weirdly. They look closer, they find a mass in her chest. They also now say she tested FeLV positive. The removal surgery for the mass is expensive but they're saying removing it may not help much because being FeLV+ she'll just get more tumors. I'm kind of astounded at the sudden diagnosis because she's half of a bonded pair that came from a shelter 6 months ago. My cats are indoor only cats so the chances she got it after the shelter are about as low as it gets. Both cats were not separated from the shelter's general population of kitties and FeLV being such a transmissible disease I'm now wondering if the shelter cats are spreading this like crazy or what is going on. I'm concerned about the surgery but on the flip side I lost a cat in January and lost my father in June and I really can't take another loss right now. Kinda super frustrated with the world at the moment. khy fucked around with this message at 14:40 on Sep 1, 2023 |
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Sep 1, 2023 14:33
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I'm sorry we lost a beloved kitten a few years ago to a mystery stomach illness. It's heartbreaking, but it comes with sharing our lives with these lovable little bastards.
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Sep 1, 2023 15:59
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I’m really sorry khy I read your personal thread, too, I’m so sorry things turned out that way. It was my first introduction to FISS and I think we did a better job researching and asking our vet about risks because of that. I wish I had something more helpful to say, it’s awful you’re having to respond to another health issue so soonShogi posted:Albert and Mia is a good channel. I did 'follow the finger' first (equivalent of target training), then sit, come when called - this is actually really useful, especially if they're indoor-outdoor so you can yell their name into the dark and feel like a cool ranger when their eyes appear in the distance - stay, jump into carrier, then silly stuff like high five and lie down just for fun. Thanks! I’ll check this channel out.  These tricks sound very fun and your cats are amazing for picking them up, I’m blown away by your training success. Mine have kind of figured out “come when called” at least for bedtime snuggles. It would be great to reinforce that and make it an actual thing. Maybe also make the cue something less embarrassing than standing at the top of the stairs singing my own made up cat song at them. 
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Sep 1, 2023 21:09
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Well, today's news is that I'm waiting for a call from Oncology at the local vet specialist. The good news is that May, the bonded sibling to Rally (Rally's the one with the mass) has tested FeLV negative. So that's weird? Those two are so close, grooming constantly, share litterboxes, share food, etc etc etc. Yet May didn't get the virus while Rally did?
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Sep 1, 2023 23:21
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I would want a PCR on both cats at this point
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Sep 2, 2023 00:19
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apparently it’s a virus protein they test for in FeLV, so perhaps both cats got the virus but May’s immune system managed to clear it in the early stages? happens with serious viruses in humans at least. but like Carebear said a confirmatory test might be good in the circumstances. you’ve had to deal with a lot, I hope this is the beginning of some better luckkaom posted:your cats are amazing for picking them up, I’m blown away by your training success. Mine have kind of figured out “come when called” at least for bedtime snuggles. It would be great to reinforce that and make it an actual thing. Maybe also make the cue something less embarrassing than standing at the top of the stairs singing my own made up cat song at them. our cats are great, and I love them even though ‘don’t poo poo on the rug’ has proved the most elusive trick for the ginge. apparently my Franciscan powers have limits. imo it helps to make the voice commands tonally distinct so let the cat song ring out. most of mine are two-note ‘songs’
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Sep 2, 2023 10:31
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Ok, I need a bit of advice. So we had 3 cats: 14, 13 and 5. Long story short, July 2nd we adopted a stray cat who we are pretty sure was abandoned. Cat seems to be fully domesticated. Got him all checked up, good to go there, kept him in a separate room for a week, did slow introductions, etc. New cat is overall very people friendly , he has some bad habits like going into the sink looking for food, but whatever. He’s been out with the other 3 since mid July. Other than some hissing between him and the 5 year old, no issues. New cat (who is about 1) leaves the older cats alone. Starting like, 7-10 days ago, new car starts taking noticeable runs at the 5 year old. First just chasing away , now it’s gotten where it’s full out attacks. And when I intercept new car when this happens , he’ll slash me as well. Background on the 5 year old cat: 5 year old cat loves my wife and I, tolerates older cats , is scared of any other people. Def would describe as shy and not a dominate cat. So his reaction to new cat straight attacking him is def to run and hide immediately. Anyway, so I have new cat back in a separate room. We do let him out to feed them all together (they have set feeding times, no grazing). No issues at feeding time specifically. But I’ll try and let new cat out, and pretty quickly he will start stalking and prepping to attack the 5 year old cat. It’s weird because they got along fine (mutual tolerance) for about 1.5 months. So, long story short , I have to get new cat to stop outright attacking my one cat. He leaves the other two alone no issues.l, so I assume he sees the younger cat as a threat. I just got and out a calming collar on him. Advice on how to fix this ?
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Sep 2, 2023 16:03
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If there was anything to cause a change in smell, it can take a few days. Beyond that I am no expert. My last introduction involved a cat so affectionate and chill that I named her Molly.
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Sep 2, 2023 20:44
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Years ago our mainecoon did that to an our older female cat after a few months integrated with the rest of the cats of the house. He eventually outgrew it, especially if my wife's fave cat was nearby because he would step in and break it up. And we have a newer situation with our siamese doing it to one of our foster fail sister calico cats, and it started well over a year after we go him and integrated him. They are closer in age though. But that calico is overly sensitive. She hisses at her own siblings if they roughhouse too much with her. Sometimes all you can do is throw a flipflop or spray them with water. We can prevent any situation if we are in the room because we can tell when one is in pursuit. Once in a while we wake up to some screeching. I also trim the siamese's nails down on the regular and leave the calico's nails as sharp as possible so she at least has that advantage.
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Sep 5, 2023 19:46
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So last night at 5 AM I had to say goodbye to Rally. Her chest had filled up with even more fluid than before, in only 4 days. Fighting this would have meant oncology exam, chemo for who knows how long, chest surgery, etc etc etc. Weeks, months of stress and treatment and because of the FeLV virus even after all of that it could easily have been for nothing. All the meanwhile she's struggling to breathe. Putting a cat down is never easy but she was half of a bonded pair and now I'm utterly devastated not just for her but because of everything her sister's going to be going through now.
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Sep 5, 2023 20:11
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khy posted:Putting a cat down is never easy but she was half of a bonded pair and now I'm utterly devastated not just for her but because of everything her sister's going to be going through now.
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Sep 5, 2023 20:20
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So, I noticed a ... lump? scab? on my cat's head, slightly above one of her eyes. I'll put a picture at the bottom of the post in a spoiler. She's my first cat and has been extremely healthy with no injuries, so I'm sort-of out of my depth in terms of recognizing when I should be immediately alarmed. The location would make sense for a small injury from overly vigorous scratching, but I'm dumb and genuinely can't tell if it's a scab / little keloid scar. It doesn't seem to cause her any pain when I touch it, although she gets annoyed if I spend too long trying to examine it (in a way that is not really distinguishable from her just not wanting her head held for that long). Part of me wants to wait a few days, keep an eye on it, and see if it acts like a scab and falls off. On the other hand, I don't want to waste any time if it's a tumor or something else that's time-sensitive. I would really appreciate any opinions about how concerned I should be, especially from people with more experience than me. 
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Sep 9, 2023 10:11
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Our tuxedo cat has
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Sep 9, 2023 14:34
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Not sure what to make of this, but there's an outdoor cat that I think lives in the house next to me. Anyway, I saw it today and it's fur was all matted up and overall seemed pretty dirty. Now that could be he was just playing in the field or whatever, but some of the neighbors moved out or something on the first. I wonder if they just left the cat.
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Sep 9, 2023 18:01
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phosdex posted:Not sure what to make of this, but there's an outdoor cat that I think lives in the house next to me. Anyway, I saw it today and it's fur was all matted up and overall seemed pretty dirty. Now that could be he was just playing in the field or whatever, but some of the neighbors moved out or something on the first. I wonder if they just left the cat. Go knocking on doors? Only way to be sure
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Sep 10, 2023 04:23
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congratulations on your new catte
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Sep 10, 2023 05:37
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MrYenko posted:Our tuxedo cat has
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Sep 10, 2023 22:40
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Jayne Doe posted:Thanks for assuaging my cat-related paranoia, haha. It did turn out to just be a scab. Also, cat scabs are extra gross because they have fur embedded in them! Cat tax. 
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Sep 10, 2023 23:18
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I'm sorry, khy On the subject of trimming cat claws: I'm lucky enough that my two are compliant and okay with being handled, but also I've recently realised I can get the job done faster using a head lamp. The light's not so great at my place after the sun goes down, but a head lamp made it way easier to be sure what is nail and what is quick, and where to cut. Much recommended! Especially because I then also used it for some maintenance in my computer and darning something, both of which are kind of a pain without good light.
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Sep 11, 2023 02:19
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My (medium-hair) cat seems to have dandruff. When stroked or brushed there are lots of little flakes of black skin in the fur which slowly come out until it's smooth again. Seems to particularly originate along the spine. How concerned should I be? (other than giving her lots of petting and brushing to work it all out)
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Sep 11, 2023 03:22
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The Lone Badger posted:My (medium-hair) cat seems to have dandruff. When stroked or brushed there are lots of little flakes of black skin in the fur which slowly come out until it's smooth again. Seems to particularly originate along the spine. How concerned should I be? (other than giving her lots of petting and brushing to work it all out) My short-hair has dandruff, which seems to make him itchy. The vet gave me some oil to put in his food, but I didn't notice a difference. What did help a bunch was starting to feed him watered-down wet food once a day. I'm not sure if it has more to do with nutrients or with hydration. He gets about a quarter of a can of allergy food (my other cat can't handle anything else) a day mixed with maybe half a cup of water.
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Sep 11, 2023 20:37
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I took my 12-year-old cat to the urgent care vet because he was vomiting immediately after eating for over 24 hours and I was getting worried about him having enough nutrition. They gave him fluids and said he was doing okay, sending him home with FortiFlora probiotic supplements and Cerenia tablets for anti-nausea. I'd like to keep him on the probiotic long-term but it's on the expensive side. Several cheaper probiotics for cats and dogs are advertised on Amazon - does anyone have experience with these?
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Sep 12, 2023 20:07
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Took my 14 yr old cat in for a check up, vet thinks he's in great shape for his age but needs dental work to clean some significant plaque build up etc. It's a bit expensive but overall seems reasonable considering his age. My only hesitation is the risk of an otherwise healthy cat undergoing anesthesia for dental work as I've never been through this with a cat before. Is this a fairly common no big deal/low key procedure assuming his blood work and EKG indicate no issues?
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Sep 12, 2023 21:27
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So, uh, my cats just had a huge fight and I have no idea why. For context they were adopted as kittens from the same household, although different litters. They are now 4 years old. Til now, they have always gotten along absolutely perfectly, usually sleeping together and grooming each other and such. I usually keep my bedroom door closed, with them outside, because they like to jump on me at 2am. I was just going to bed, and I suddenly hear them running around the apartment. At first it sounded like just their normal playing, but then one of them started yowling like I've never heard before, and I heard them like slamming into walls and poo poo. I jumped out of bed and looked for them. I found them in the room with their litter boxes. One cat, the female, was hiding in the litter box. The other, the male, was sitting outside it. I got them separated by shooing the male out of the room. The female took some coaxing to get out of the litter box, and she's acting super timid. Her tail was bushed way out and practically curled under her. She wouldn't jump onto my bed (extremely unusual, it's her favorite place), but she let me pick her up and set her there. There were actually tufts of fur in the hall outside the litter box room, but as far as I can tell neither cat is bleeding or injured. The male cat is basically acting normal, but anytime the female even sees him she starts growling and hunching up. He is currently in the living room, while the girl is in my room. I'm not sure what happened, or how to proceed. My apartment isn't really set up to keep them separated for any length of time - nothing like this has happend in the 4 years I've had them, or in the 30+ years I've lived in multi-cat households.
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Sep 14, 2023 02:24
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:I took my 12-year-old cat to the urgent care vet because he was vomiting immediately after eating for over 24 hours and I was getting worried about him having enough nutrition. They gave him fluids and said he was doing okay, sending him home with FortiFlora probiotic supplements and Cerenia tablets for anti-nausea. I'd like to keep him on the probiotic long-term but it's on the expensive side. Several cheaper probiotics for cats and dogs are advertised on Amazon - does anyone have experience with these? I'm skeptical of pet probiotics, though the cat I gave them to regularly had so many health issues it was virtually impossible to tell if they helped (they didn't seem to, anyway). But for what it's worth: - This generally fussy cat liked FortiFlora at first. After I finished the first box, I ordered a second off Amazon and he refused to touch it. There are lots of similar reviews on Amazon suggesting they don't store probiotics properly, so based on that I'd recommend against buying anything from Amazon. - I switched to Proviable-DC. It's not any cheaper but supposedly better in that it has a wider variety of bacteria instead of just one strain. I never tried opening the capsules, I just pilled him, so I'm not sure if it's palatable enough to sprinkle on food. I gave it to him for months and didn't notice any particular adverse effects, but again it's hard to tell. - I tried Purina Calming Care with my other cat based on vet advice and he vomited twice the day after eating the first packet, so I'm hesitant to even try giving him another.
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Sep 14, 2023 02:39
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