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pandy fackler posted:She hasn't ever used one in her lifetime and I'm nervous about making too many changes since she's always been litterbox perfect, but maybe I'm overthinking it. If you’re worried about this maybe put it out as a secondary litter box for a bit and let her get used to it? FWIW, my cats have always made this switch without issue and it solved all the litter-kicking and butt-overhanging issues instantly.
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Oct 8, 2023 00:53
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One of my cats is supposed to eat prescription Hill's and it's the #1 favorite among the others.
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Oct 8, 2023 00:58
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Back in September one of my cats had to be put down for a mass in her chest that was causing her to fill up with fluid and be unable to breathe. She was part of a bonded pair and I worry constantly that I'm not around or active enough for my other cat to be happy. How long should I wait before getting my cat a new friend to keep her company while I'm at work or asleep?
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Oct 10, 2023 17:26
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How has the cat's behavior changed since the passing of her pal? If she's suddenly clingier and much more talkative, more destructive then okay, maybe she needs a new friend. But if she's largely the same then maybe she's fine? One of the hardest things for us as cat caretakers is to not project our own feelings onto our pets, especially with cats since they're often pretty inscrutable and end up reflecting our own biases. As far as time is concerned, a month isn't a ton of time for a human, but it's a decent amount of time for a cat and they're pretty in-the-moment anyway. As long as you're emotionally ready to open your heart to another animal -- and there's no right answer for this, this is as deeply personal as it gets -- then now is probably as good a time as any.
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Oct 10, 2023 18:14
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The other issue your cat may not enjoy their new friend! You can mitigate this by getting a cat of a similar age who is known to be good around other cats, but there's still no guarantee.
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Oct 11, 2023 04:48
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Is there a go-to dry food I can get shipped that isn't like >$5/pound? My oldest passed away yesterday and since she was eating only prescription c/d, our 4 year old was as well since they were impossible to keep separate. But that bag will run out in less than a month and I wanted to look at options. It seems like every single cat me or my parents or people I know have had always end up on prescription c/d eventually though, so I guess something that's not terrible for urinary health? I don't know... Any concerns transitioning her from c/d back to a more 'normal' food? I don't want to suddenly gently caress up her urinary PH or w/e and cause a problem.
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Oct 13, 2023 00:38
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How far from civilization are you? Last year I had a real bad sad and the cheapest delivery cat food for my boy was weirdly from food delivery apps, so if you're in that range might be good to investigate.
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Oct 13, 2023 00:45
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kw0134 posted:How has the cat's behavior changed since the passing of her pal? If she's suddenly clingier and much more talkative, more destructive then okay, maybe she needs a new friend. But if she's largely the same then maybe she's fine? One of the hardest things for us as cat caretakers is to not project our own feelings onto our pets, especially with cats since they're often pretty inscrutable and end up reflecting our own biases. As far as time is concerned, a month isn't a ton of time for a human, but it's a decent amount of time for a cat and they're pretty in-the-moment anyway. As long as you're emotionally ready to open your heart to another animal -- and there's no right answer for this, this is as deeply personal as it gets -- then now is probably as good a time as any. Clingier yes, though not by much. She's never been much of a cuddler. Not really more or less destructive. And she's always been super quiet but now she does squeak more than she used to... Also, now that I think about it, she went from grooming my arm (Uncomfortable for me because cat tongue sandpaper on my arm but IDGAF because it makes her happy) once or twice a week to multiple times per day. She did come from a shelter with lots of other cats mingling around with her back in March, so I would hope she'd be used to being around other cats? And if I get a cat that also was used to being around other cats... I dunno. Personally I'm of the opinion I could always adopt and be happy with animals. Only reason I don't have 5 already is because I don't have a big place, and I feel like 2 is the max I should stick with. But I'm more worried about making sure I do right by her, because I know I'm the easy one to please and she (and a new cat I get) may not be as welcoming as I am. khy fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Oct 15, 2023 |
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Oct 14, 2023 09:20
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Our week-long trip ended up okay. We had a neighbour come and cat sit, checking on them twice a day. They hid from him every time.  But they were happy when we came home, at least, and seem to have settled back to normal quickly.Anyway, an actual question… I’d like to get more stuff for our cats, cute edition. What brands out there have a good mix of ~*~aesthetic~*~ for humans and quality for cats? We have a cat tree from Agile Designs for example where most of the cushions are removable so we can wash them and the screw ends are well hidden (our other tree settles for a plastic cap over the only exposed screw and our cats just make a game of removing it and chewing on it every day, it’s not great). I looked at Happy & Polly which have the look nailed but otherwise it seems kind of weird, like they’re US-based but half the descriptions look like a machine-translated Amazon listing. Less effort to make cushions removable, and it’s a much higher price point than Agile (since we’re in Canada and there’s currency conversion involved). Are they legit?  I’m mainly interested right now in a second cat fountain, more food dishes in different designs to see if our licky girl has a preference, and some kind of bed or hammock large enough for both cats to use it. BUT CUTE. At the shelter they spent a lot of time snuggled up in a giant cactus hide, I wish I could find something like that. I’m happy to shell out for quality, but idk what’s actually good and what’s a scam online. Or just insulting - I was looking at a cat wheel on Amazon that helpfully informed me “even girls can build it!” thanks. Hoping some good word of mouth here can help!
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Oct 15, 2023 22:33
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Hi thead, got four cats now: Two old guard and two new kittens. The kittens spread upper respiratory infections to everyone which resulted in antibiotics for everyone but now there is a special development! Someone puked this up:  We don't know who since it happened while the humans were away. Initially I thought someone just ate some synthetic fiber off of something and puked it up. Wife felt it was worms. Anyways we put 'em in a small bowl and added some water. Movement happened but it could've been the fibers hydrating and mechanically moving as a result. Nah, an hour later and they are moving. So, what do I do now? Ivermectin for all mammals in the house?
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Oct 19, 2023 06:30
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Our cats turned out to have worms as well, which we also discovered when some got puked up. Apparently pretty common, they can even pick them up as nursing kittens from their mom. We sent a photo to our vet and got a broad spectrum dewormer which we administered to both our cats. They come either as pills or as creams you can rub in. It wasn’t a huge deal in our case, since IIRC it was roundworm, so we just had to do the treatment twice across a specific time window (the first dose won’t kill worms that are still in egg form, they have to hatch and develop mouths to die in the second round) and wash/disinfect stuff around the house. Some types of worms are more serious than others so IMO you’ll want someone who knows what they’re talking about (not me) to identify what you’re dealing with to at least rule out the nasty stuff. (But it looks a lot like what we had to me, too.)
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Oct 19, 2023 07:14
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Weird Pumpkin posted:We're so blessed that we've only ended up with cats that aren't picky about food Congratulations on your Trump Cat  mines like that, he wants McDonalds not filet mignon.
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Oct 21, 2023 14:33
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Rotten Red Rod posted:I recommend the larger soft travel carriers for cats on long trips. Not as convenient to carry, but much better in a seat on a long trip. If you mean what I think....i tried one and my cat clawed his way out minutes after being put in it. Fortunately before we even got in the car.
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Oct 21, 2023 14:40
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Hey there, cat thread! It’s been a while since my last post, so I thought I’d just check in case anyone was curious how Jackie was doing, I seem to recall posting quite a bit in this threads, once upon a time. So, Jackie is reaching her 17th birthday next week, and on the whole I feel really happy and pleased with how well she’s doing, with a few caveats. She has lost a fair amount of weight lately, to the point where she’s honestly a little on the skinny side by most cat standards, and certainly by what her body type used to be like, But the vet assured me there’s nothing wrong with her aside from the same issues she’s had for years - and I actually do find that believable, mostly because the weight loss seems to be the only negative symptom. I mean, aside from that one thing she’s really thriving and living her best life at the moment. She’s more active than she’s ever been lately, has a healthy appetite, and drinks a normal amount of water (generally from our aquariums). She’s quite social with both humans and the other cats here, and has bonded especially with a young feral we adopted a few years ago named Mini-Scratcher. And just in general I’m really pleased that she’s made it to such a venerable age and continues to live such an active and happy life overall. She gets a lot of love and attention out here too, where she’s the most people-friendly and outgoing out of all four cats we have here, and everyone is always fascinated and impressed by the ridiculous 7 toes on each of her front paws. Speaking of the aforementioned Mini-Scratcher, the feral my roommate adopted nearly 3 years ago? Despite my roommate’s best efforts Mini will still barely let him (or any human aside from myself) even come within a foot of touching him before bolting away at top speed. Yet when I walk up to him, he accepts my pets gratefully before rolling onto his back and purring while I rub his belly. He’s this incredibly adorable little Lynx-Point Siamese with silvery-grey fur (it was mostly white when we first adopted him and we think he was between 6-12 months old) and these strikingly pretty blue eyes. Anyway, attached is a little pic from a few days ago of Mini and Jackie hanging out, like always. My kitties 
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Oct 22, 2023 10:43
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It occurs to me that despite being with him for over a decade, I still have no idea what exactly Jet wants when he meows at me while I’m at my desk. If I get up and follow him, by default he walks to his food bowl (which is rarely if ever empty). As far as I can tell he either wants me to watch him eat, or to pet him while he eats??? I wish I could know exactly what he’s asking for.
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Oct 25, 2023 15:13
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Best I got is meowing is a reminder that it's time for the next scheduled activity of the day. Cats love their routine and humans are bad at it so I always get some bawling when it's time for the morning meal or the mid morning hugs or lunchtime patio or bedtime. Unfortunately they aren't perfect about time keeping and can be off by 30 minutes. They get real bad at it in the winter too because I think they tell time by when it gets dark and this means dinner time creeps earlier and earlier as we approach the solstice. And it reverses after December. I've also had it suggested that meowing is just them saying "hi." So when you say hi back it's just this infinite loop of cats and humans saying hi to each other.
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Oct 25, 2023 15:32
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My cats are pretty chatty and like to come by and meow meow meow when I'm in an active conversation (e.g. a work meeting). I think they like to participate. I have deciphered one of the meows; it's definitely "get off my chair". 
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Oct 25, 2023 22:57
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How do I stop my 5-6 month old from getting in the kitchen sink? It's mostly a problem when I'm using it, which is when he is most interested in getting there -- I assume for both attention and access to running water. It is really annoying when I'm trying to do dishes. I have to pick him up and put him down, over and over - 6 times yesterday within a few minutes. Sometimes he responds to a "no" or a hiss or something, but usually not. Once or twice he's gotten up there immediately after me putting dirty utensils, which isn't great but not a big problem (yet). He also got quite close to the stovetop once and I assume he will go there if I leave food uncovered (when I am there but sitting down). When and how will it stop? Could a fountain be a solution? The culprit:  
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Oct 25, 2023 23:20
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His raccoon tail 
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Oct 25, 2023 23:28
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A fountain is probably a good idea anyway, and if it makes the sink less enticing, even better! He is extremely cute 
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Oct 25, 2023 23:29
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mawarannahr posted:How do I stop my 5-6 month old from getting in the kitchen sink? It's mostly a problem when I'm using it, which is when he is most interested in getting there -- I assume for both attention and access to running water. the baby just wants to help you with the chores
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Oct 25, 2023 23:33
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Yeah, I'd definitely get a fountain if he's interested in running water, just for hydration. Not sure it'll draw his attention away from the sink completely, though -- "something I like + a person is there" is a big enticement for a lot of cats. He's adorable!
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Oct 25, 2023 23:40
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mawarannahr posted:When and how will it stop It will never stop. This is your life now. Source: Still turning the bathroom faucet on for this goober every morning:  
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Oct 25, 2023 23:45
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They might grow out of it, ours were super interested in a running shower for the first year before deciding getting water in the face every time wasn't actually that fun and stopped doing it. One of them still jumps in and licks water off the floor when I'm done though. Cats gonna cat.
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Oct 26, 2023 00:47
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I adopted a feral rescue, he spent the first month living inside my recliner. While he has come around to me, and is very loving, he still hides from most people. I bought a LitterRobot, and it's been worth every freaking penny. Those first few weeks, the alerts on my phone from the Litter Robot were the only reason that I knew he was still alive. And eventually gaining some weight! (he was SKINNY, but looks great now) Anyway, LitterRobot 4, recommended. Almost perfect.  I have named him Gilligan, because he is my Little Buddy.
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Oct 26, 2023 01:47
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mawarannahr posted:How do I stop my 5-6 month old from getting in the kitchen sink? It's mostly a problem when I'm using it, which is when he is most interested in getting there -- I assume for both attention and access to running water. Love the cat, fountains are MANDATORY for cats so they even have a chance at drinking enough water. Please get one right away, the eversweet ones on Amazon are great. I have the v2, the v3 is good also. Make sure you're using ceramic or metal feeding bowls also so kitten doesn't get an infection from the bacteria that plastic bowls retain. My black cat never goes near the sink when it's in use but goes foraging in it if it isn't left empty every single night. Part of their behavior pattern to look for food at night.
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Oct 26, 2023 06:27
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Fountains are not mandatory.
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Oct 26, 2023 13:49
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VelociBacon posted:Make sure you're using ceramic or metal feeding bowls also so kitten doesn't get an infection from the bacteria that plastic bowls retain. Not specifically a question for you, VelociBacon, but I’ve heard this advice a few times and I’m kind of confused about it. If you’re buying food-grade plastic or melamine, why wouldn’t that be food safe? Is this more about low quality stuff on Amazon or is there something I’m missing?
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Oct 26, 2023 20:56
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kaom posted:Not specifically a question for you, VelociBacon, but I’ve heard this advice a few times and I’m kind of confused about it. If you’re buying food-grade plastic or melamine, why wouldn’t that be food safe? There is some limited evidence that plastic can exacerbate cat based acne, but not sure what more than that. I personally also avoid plastic for my cats, at least for regular eating serving stuff. We mostly use ikea bowls for wet food (the really wide ones), and we use baking trays for dry kibble. We just throw their dishes into the dishwasher with the rest of our stuff. VelociBacon posted:Love the cat, fountains are MANDATORY for cats so they even have a chance at drinking enough water. Please get one right away, the eversweet ones on Amazon are great. I have the v2, the v3 is good also. xzzy posted:Fountains are not mandatory. I mostly agree with xzzy. Every cat is different, so your milage may vary. Fountains can sound like running water, and cats are more likely to want fresh water. At least one good friend of mine, they have to leave a sink running in the house so that the cat will come drink the water. They will only play with their drinking water otherwise. Making sure you change their bowls frequently is enough for our 4 cats. We gave up on fountains as the additional maintenance to clean the fountain pump properly was more work than just changing the water frequently. Honestly, if you've got any concerns about plastics, a fountain is probably straight out as their pumps are just plastic.
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Oct 26, 2023 21:07
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I just have an earthenware fountain that I rinse every few weeks, works great. Holds a couple of liters, so I don't have to refill it every day, just every 3-4 days or so.
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Oct 26, 2023 22:42
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One of our cats has a hard time licking up food in a deep bowl, so we use these ramekins for wet food. They're a bit less than an inch high.
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Oct 26, 2023 23:34
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kaom posted:Not specifically a question for you, VelociBacon, but I’ve heard this advice a few times and I’m kind of confused about it. If you’re buying food-grade plastic or melamine, why wouldn’t that be food safe? The material is porous allowing gunk and bacteria to build up and most people don't wash their cat's dishes that frequently. It's easier to just use a nonporous material like glass or metal. One of my cats had a really bad chin acne problem until I switched her bowls to stainless steel.
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Oct 27, 2023 00:01
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Arsenic Lupin posted:One of our cats has a hard time licking up food in a deep bowl, so we use these ramekins for wet food. They're a bit less than an inch high. This is a great reminder I need to track down our ramekins still, they’re in a box somewhere. Also these look like something we should try for licky girl. hypoallergenic cat breed posted:The material is porous allowing gunk and bacteria to build up and most people don't wash their cat's dishes that frequently. Ah, okay, so we are being the weird ones giving our cats 6x clean dishes daily (we have a small dishwasher so we fill it up and run it every day which makes this very little effort for us). I asked this question because I’ve been wanting to try one of the tall, tilted dishes but everything seems to be plastic in that design. Maybe it’s worth a shot and we’ll keep an eye out for any acne issues… I swear this cat cannot figure out how to eat normally and it’s so weird because her sister is fine so why doesn’t she just copy her? I’m just going to keep trying to crack the code I guess, at least she manages her dry food A-OK as long as she can chase it into a slope.How she was successfully living in the woods, I’ll never know.
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Oct 27, 2023 00:26
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My cat drinks fine from his large coffee cup, the only thing he will drink out of, i'm guessing he saw his humans drinking coffee in the morning every day and said "yes this is the way"
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Oct 27, 2023 01:00
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an iksar marauder posted:I just have an earthenware fountain that I rinse every few weeks, works great. Holds a couple of liters, so I don't have to refill it every day, just every 3-4 days or so. If it has a pump, and you haven't disassembled it to clean, it, please do so soon. Those things pick up dirt, grime, and other poo poo and hold onto it forever.
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Oct 27, 2023 01:16
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Rawrbomb posted:If it has a pump, and you haven't disassembled it to clean, it, please do so soon. Those things pick up dirt, grime, and other poo poo and hold onto it forever. Get a silicone brush or brush for straws, it'll make cleaning the pump super easy.
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Oct 27, 2023 05:28
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What about this thing? He does have his own bathroom with sink, and minimal cleaning is appealing. https://aquapurr.com
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Oct 27, 2023 05:40
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mawarannahr posted:What about this thing? He does have his own bathroom with sink, and minimal cleaning is appealing. I'd feel a lot better about this one, since its not recycling the water that is just sitting in the fountain. But for people who are worried about plastic, its not really an option again.
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Oct 27, 2023 15:48
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Rawrbomb posted:If it has a pump, and you haven't disassembled it to clean, it, please do so soon. Those things pick up dirt, grime, and other poo poo and hold onto it forever. I have a brush you use to clean metal straws and just use that, works fine. Sometimes I flush it. Maybe I should take it apart
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Oct 27, 2023 19:21
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I got this ceramic fountain and found it requires a lot less cleaning and gets a lot less gross than plastic ones https://miaustore.com/uk/ The pump is good too, pretty durable. It claims it lasts a lot longer than plastic ones, idk.
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Oct 27, 2023 22:31
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