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Found out we have fire alarm testing scheduled for Friday, first time since the cats came home. Does anyone have advice? I think our cats are more likely to hide than to dash out any doors. I’m debating if we can feasibly get them into their carriers and into the car, maybe, instead of having to be actually here for the alarms going off. But we have a solid 8-hour window for when they might test our unit.  Better to be in a place they know is safe with a horrible sound, or better to avoid the sound but be in a scary place?
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Feb 14, 2024 22:57
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I would say that trying to move them would be much more traumatic than a loud noise for a couple minutes. They’re also much more likely to get loose if you actually remove them from the home, you’re already doing half of the work for them. Just make sure they have a place to hide and be ready with treats and soothing things.
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Feb 15, 2024 00:26
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You'd have to put your cats in carriers for literally 8 hours? Yeah, no, don't do that. Even if you knew the time exactly I think you're better off not putting them in carriers.
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Feb 15, 2024 00:47
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Our cat never really cared overly much about the fire alarm tests when we lived in an apartment honestly. We also lived at the corner of a super busy intersection with a police station and fire station nearby though so she was pretty used to sirens in general? She definitely would've hated having to stay in a carrier for a long time a LOT more than a loud noise for ten minutes or whatever, though I understand wanting to make it less stressful!
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Feb 15, 2024 00:59
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I'd probably take mine out for the day, but mine are also the type of cats that actually enjoy a day out (or at least one of them does, the other merely tolerates it) and we worked our way up to those sort of outings gradually over time. It would also be like a trip to the local library or playground or something where they could wander around outside exploring, not an extended time in a car carrier in the car which seems like it would be horrible for them compared a fire alarm in a place where they presumably already have a safety bolthole of some sort you've set up where they can feel comfortable.
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Feb 15, 2024 04:44
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Ours were feral so they’re probably not destined to be adventure cats sadly, but we’re doing everything we can to build their confidence so who knows. Maybe! Unfortunately we don’t have anywhere we could take them for the day, friends and family will be working, or have allergies, or have a renovation going on right now. It’s reassuring to hear other people have had their cats home for alarms going off without issue. It’s so loud, I can’t imagine how bad it must be for them. But seems like it’s best to let them hole up in one of their hiding spots. I still feel bad about that as an experience, but hopefully it’s the less stressful option.  (And just to reassure people no I wasn’t thinking to put them in their carriers all day! It would have required me spying on how close the crew was getting to us and hoping I could get them corralled in time, which they’re usually good about but who knows how much they’d cooperate if they’re already hearing other alarms sounding…)
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Feb 15, 2024 07:05
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Maybe you can make a hiding place for them that is also a bit sound isolated? Like a blanket fort. Stack up some styrofoam boxes if you have them. Now the next question is how to make the cats go in there....
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Feb 15, 2024 14:03
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Anyone with cats on chlorambucil? My cat doesn't have cancer but got prescribed it on top of his budesionide for treating his IBS. When he went on budesionide it was because the prednisone spiked his blood sugar. It's better but my vet internist said his b12 levels are still low and he's not absorbing nutrients well hence the additional treatment. I'm still giving him b12 shots weekly too. It's a strong drug, and one of the side effects is reduced appetite, and he's not eating as much. I'm wondering if this might be a bit too much for him to handle.
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Feb 15, 2024 17:13
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seiferguy posted:Anyone with cats on chlorambucil? My cat doesn't have cancer but got prescribed it on top of his budesionide for treating his IBS. When he went on budesionide it was because the prednisone spiked his blood sugar. It's better but my vet internist said his b12 levels are still low and he's not absorbing nutrients well hence the additional treatment. I'm still giving him b12 shots weekly too. Jet was on chlorambucil for a solid year or so, up until his death. In general he tolerated it well, at least he was certainly more tolerant of a single pill once every two weeks compared to twice daily heart meds  I didn’t notice reduced appetite, and towards the end I moreso noticed him being obviously hungry but being in too much pain and discomfort to tolerate eating.I’m very sorry to hear about your cat and his IBD. It’s a difficult condition to handle. Do keep an eye on his quality of life and his appetite, and make sure you’re watching his litter box use too. The more proactive you are, the better. And you must be prompt and on time for every dose - make sure you schedule orders promptly and with reasonable time padding to allow for the long it takes to compound and sup the medicine. Trust me, you really don’t want to miss a dose because you ordered the meds too late and it’ll take two weeks to fill and skjslflaeufbsklfifaofooirhngpakbxjvoeuutacshdkgjaljfhwif fuckin. Whatever.
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Feb 15, 2024 17:57
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Pollyanna posted:Jet was on chlorambucil for a solid year or so, up until his death. In general he tolerated it well, at least he was certainly more tolerant of a single pill once every two weeks compared to twice daily heart meds Right now he's on a pill every other day for it, so I'm hoping the vet can reduce the overall dosage to less frequently. His litter box use has been mostly fine since he went on budesionide. His lead up to finding out he had IBD was much worse than IBD itself. Diarrhea almost every day, with my regular vet saying "oh just give him aome additive in his food." 2 ER visits later, second of which he was given a 50/50 chance. Now that he's being treated, its not bad. Just give him a pill once a day, and a B12 shot weekly.
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Feb 15, 2024 18:11
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I’m glad he’s in a good place now! It seems like you’re following a very different path with chlorambucil than Jet and I did, so now I’m not sure how much help I can be  but regardless I’m hoping for the best for the two of you.Make sure to give him a whooooooole bunch of hugs from me, BTW ❤️
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Feb 15, 2024 18:23
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Our new cat has a little lump (smaller than pea sized) on his leg where he got a vaccine about ~3-4 weeks ago. Vet said it was most likely a reaction to the shot, and wait another month or so to see if it goes away or obviously if it gets bigger. I know cats can get vaccine site cancers. Is it reasonable to wait another month? Should we have pushed to get a biopsy already? Unfortunately it's too late we'd have to just make another appointment anyway. Any advice on how much longer to wait to raise a stink? If it IS one of those vaccine-site cancers, are they super fast and aggressive or will another month not make a big difference?
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Feb 15, 2024 18:58
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What's it like moving cats long distance? I may be moving from nm to mn, just thinking ahead of ways to move my 2 cats. Flying seems like it would be easiest to me but scary as hell to them. Or I can drive it, make a spot in back seat and hope they just sleep through it.
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Feb 15, 2024 18:58
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Rescue Toaster posted:Our new cat has a little lump (smaller than pea sized) on his leg where he got a vaccine about ~3-4 weeks ago. Vet said it was most likely a reaction to the shot, and wait another month or so to see if it goes away or obviously if it gets bigger. Get a second opinion if you want, but I wouldn't trust the advice of a bunch of idiots on the internet over your vet.
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Feb 15, 2024 19:00
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I guess it's more that the vet's motivation seemed financial (biopsy is like $100) and my wife was tired and just went along with it. Whereas I'm thinking... it's just money do the biopsy now while he's in there. All our cats have always been stressed as hell by the vet, so it always drives me crazy when things get pushed off to extra visits if they could have just been done then and there.
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Feb 15, 2024 19:15
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phosdex posted:What's it like moving cats long distance? I may be moving from nm to mn, just thinking ahead of ways to move my 2 cats. Flying seems like it would be easiest to me but scary as hell to them. Or I can drive it, make a spot in back seat and hope they just sleep through it. If you have the option, I’d say drive them. I drove my cat 16 hours when I moved and it wasn’t so bad, but she is very polite and we didn’t have to stop overnight. I don’t think a stay at a motel would be very bad though, just bring a small litter box for them to use. Plus road trips are fun!
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Feb 15, 2024 19:32
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phosdex posted:What's it like moving cats long distance? I may be moving from nm to mn, just thinking ahead of ways to move my 2 cats. Flying seems like it would be easiest to me but scary as hell to them. Or I can drive it, make a spot in back seat and hope they just sleep through it. Depends, cats can be chill or cats can freak out. Only way to know is try! We did a two day drive last year when we moved and it was fine. The vet can give you sleepy drugs to chill them out but it tastes so bad it was impossible for us to get into the cat's mouth. We ended up putting them both in a large crate and covering it with a blanket, they were weirded out but stayed quiet. We did find a pet friendly airbnb along the way for a one night stay, they did the typical cat in a new place investigation then chilled out under a bed all night. After a couple days in the new home they were pretty much back to normal. I would never fly with cats given the option. Only way I'd consider it is if I bought an extra seat so they didn't have to go in the hold.
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Feb 15, 2024 19:36
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phosdex posted:What's it like moving cats long distance? I may be moving from nm to mn, just thinking ahead of ways to move my 2 cats. Flying seems like it would be easiest to me but scary as hell to them. Or I can drive it, make a spot in back seat and hope they just sleep through it. We had a cat ~10 years ago who was really bad with even short car trips to the vet. So we did a test run ahead of time of some of the medicine to help them relax and it seriously hosed him up, like couldn't hold himself upright or sit still just like faceplanted, rolling around, crying for hours and hours, it was honestly pretty horrific. IF you want to try the medicine (either for flying or car trips) please, please try a half dose first at home and see how he reacts, and then a full dose at home to see how that goes. So my wife did the ~4 hour car trip without the medicine, and he chilled out after about ~45 minutes of crying and was OK after that. Thankfully the trip was short enough they didn't really need a litter box or food/water.
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Feb 15, 2024 19:42
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There's no real great solution to transporting cats, but I worry too much about the unknowns to ever attempt to fly them. Just make sure you get an oversized carrier - I got a soft car seat kennel, and that was a much better option than shoving them in a tiny carrier.
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Feb 15, 2024 19:56
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Rotten Red Rod posted:There's no real great solution to transporting cats, but I worry too much about the unknowns to ever attempt to fly them. Just make sure you get an oversized carrier - I got a soft car seat kennel, and that was a much better option than shoving them in a tiny carrier. As long as the cat isn't too big, you can get a carry-on size carrier that can fit under the seat in front of you. I had to take one of my now deceased cats down to Florida with me last July and that's what I did. She was pretty chill about the whole thing. Edit: you do have to pay a fee for the cat, and some airlines need medical info ahead of time.
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Feb 15, 2024 20:38
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One of my cats has decided to start depositing their toys into any open source of water they can find. It was bad enough when it was just cleaning out their drinking bowls, but now I find myself needing to watch my own drinks while I'm drinking them like a hawk or she'll drop something (sometimes a toy, but sometimes just some lint or a piece of paper she was playing with). Why, cat? I was sick this week and every time I stirred from my fevered rest to drink some water it had something gross in it, come on!
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Feb 15, 2024 22:19
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GlyphGryph posted:One of my cats has decided to start depositing their toys into any open source of water they can find. It was bad enough when it was just cleaning out their drinking bowls, but now I find myself needing to watch my own drinks while I'm drinking them like a hawk or she'll drop something (sometimes a toy, but sometimes just some lint or a piece of paper she was playing with). Maybe your cat has been hanging out with a racoon? They do this to wash their food IIRC.
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Feb 15, 2024 22:20
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I think the most commonly suggested explanation is that it comes from the instinct to hide their kills by masking the scent, and since they don't have anywhere to dig, water will do. But then my cat that leaves toys in the water is the same one who refuses to cover her poop, so who the hell knows what neurons are firing in their brains.
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Feb 15, 2024 22:35
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phosdex posted:What's it like moving cats long distance? I may be moving from nm to mn, just thinking ahead of ways to move my 2 cats. Flying seems like it would be easiest to me but scary as hell to them. Or I can drive it, make a spot in back seat and hope they just sleep through it. But this is like a 15 hour drive so it’s way harder to picture.I was leaning toward flying with them, possibly with sedation. We got a couple of under seat carriers and the cats will fit in them (no way are they going in the hold). But in December Merlin had an allergic reaction to one of his vaccination updates, there were complications and he almost died, so we’re not enthusiastic about drugging him. Can this work without sedation? I don’t know what we’re going to do yet. Really appreciate the stories shared so far and would love to get more.
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Feb 16, 2024 12:38
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gloom posted:I need to move our two cats from WI to GA at the end of April and I’m extremely worried about it. They seem to do ok on car rides up to 2.5 hours to stay with my partner’s parents. As soon as they realize they aren’t going to the vet they settle down We drove a cat like.. 12 hours in a day and it was fine. I mean, she didn't really like it but she had a cozy blanket and a comfy carrier. At rest stops we let her out of the carrier with her litter and food and water so she could stretch her legs and peek out the windows at people and stuff We had to do it for a few days though, so she really did NOT like the carrier after that. But other than that she was totally fine
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Feb 16, 2024 13:52
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gloom posted:I need to move our two cats from WI to GA at the end of April and I’m extremely worried about it. They seem to do ok on car rides up to 2.5 hours to stay with my partner’s parents. As soon as they realize they aren’t going to the vet they settle down My partner and I adopted a cat from Connecticut, and she flew out there from California to fly her back. We were suggested to use a soft cat carrier, as it took up less space under the seat, and while we had the option of sedating our cat for the flight beforehand, we opted to not do so, and had gabapentin on hand as a mild sedative in case the cat needed it. Turns out, our cat dealt with the flight perfectly fine without needing any sedation despite the flight being long with a layover. It really depends on how well you feel your cat will do with flying and their anxiousness level. The cat we adopted was about 4 years old, so she was pretty chill about the whole situation, and she's generally pretty chill on car trips, and her nature was why we adopted her in the first place. If you opt to go the flight route, I can ask my partner for more details about it so you have a better idea of what to expect and things to consider doing beforehand. HamburgerTownUSA fucked around with this message at 14:35 on Feb 16, 2024 |
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Feb 16, 2024 14:32
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It really depends on how you're traveling, what else you're traveling with, and the temperament of the cats involved and with that many factors it's practically impossible to make predictions on what you'll experience yourself. Even skittish cats might be fine on an airplane if the cabin is quiet and you keep the carrier dark, because then they'll simply go to sleep given the lack of stimulation. Conversely even the most blase cat might feel the need to piss in your luxurious carrier if there's some unexpected noise or if he's cooped up too long in there, or because gently caress you, that's why. Probably the best advice is to get some sedatives for if they are needed, surround the cat with comfortable scents like some of your old clothing that you've worn and not washed, and keep the carrier covered if traveling by air or exposed to a window if traveling by car while on the interstate. Let them out only in small enclosed spaces like inside a hotel room or enclosed back seat/covered bed in an SUV. And pray to whatever deity you believe in that there are no significant delays on your trip.
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Feb 16, 2024 14:54
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We moved our 2 cats from WY to GA a few years ago by car and they did fine in an XL wire dog kennel. I used a t-shirt tied to the sides to create a hammock, had another bed under that, cage cups for food and water, and a small litter box that they didn’t end up using. We covered the kennel with a sheet when the sun got too strong. We used tranquilizers on the first day but not on day 2 or 3. As long as they have enough room to move around they should be fine in the car.
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Feb 16, 2024 15:15
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Driven a cat from Georgia to Maryland in a car, Cat did ok after realizing that nothing bad was happening.
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Feb 16, 2024 16:32
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My cat screams her little head off whenever she's in a car, she's chill on public transport and only mildly discombobulated on a bike though.
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Feb 16, 2024 17:03
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gloom posted:I need to move our two cats from WI to GA at the end of April and I’m extremely worried about it. They seem to do ok on car rides up to 2.5 hours to stay with my partner’s parents. As soon as they realize they aren’t going to the vet they settle down When we flew them we did not give them any medications and they just huddled in their travel carriers without a peep for about a 10 hour travel time counting layovers. They also flew back just fine about a week later without freaking out when being put back in their carriers. I also had a cat recently have a reaction to her vaccination. She has since had other medications without any difficulty and I suspect a vaccine reaction would mean Merlin could take gabapentin without any issues
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Feb 16, 2024 17:33
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I moved about eight hours via UHaul. My cat was a champ - she was much more disturbed by spending a night in my empty apartment (we packed the UHaul, slept overnight in a hotel, and left a 6AM the next day so we could get to my destination in time to pick up the keys to my new apartment) than by the drive. In retrospect, I wish that I had insisted on sleeping on the floor with her rather than leaving her alone while we slept. I also wish one of my parents hadn't let her out of the closet where I set her up with all her stuff because they thought she'd be unhappy in a small space. It was ... not fun getting a scared cat out of the drop ceiling the next morning. After collecting her from the ceiling, I put her in a soft carrier on my lap and she mostly loafed silently after a few "what the gently caress??" meows. We ate lunch outside and she actually really enjoyed the fresh air from inside her carrier. I tried offering her food and water, but she had zero interest. She's generally an extremely chill cat, though, so I think I'm mostly cat-ing on easy mode.
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Feb 17, 2024 10:01
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Jayne Doe posted:She's generally an extremely chill cat, though, so I think I'm mostly cat-ing on easy mode.
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Feb 17, 2024 17:19
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I've flown with three different cats and while they were all fine in the end (even trans-Pacific with a senior), the last time I had one cat panting in the car on the way to the airport and the other was very agitated and had a solid meowing session every 10-15 minutes. The latter cat has also gotten less chill about being in a carrier and going to the vet, unfortunately, and even 100mg of gabapentin isn't enough to calm him down so we figure he's better off without it now...
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Feb 18, 2024 00:05
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Rotten Red Rod posted:I think the most commonly suggested explanation is that it comes from the instinct to hide their kills by masking the scent, and since they don't have anywhere to dig, water will do. But then my cat that leaves toys in the water is the same one who refuses to cover her poop, so who the hell knows what neurons are firing in their brains. Interesting, every once in a while I'll find the 'lure' end of a fishing toy in one of the fountains. That's particularly T&T's favorite toy so I'm pretty sure it's her doing it   She's also the one that will try to dig around in the bigger water fountain, like all the way up to her shoulder  https://i.imgur.com/YZ1OBUt.mp4
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Feb 18, 2024 04:24
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I hope you keep the lids of your toilets down
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Feb 18, 2024 05:05
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Wii Spawn Camper posted:I hope you keep the lids of your toilets down I once had a foster kitten jump fully into the toilet while I was peeing. Others since then nearly have too, and one of our current adult fosters who spent time on the street keeps trying to drink out of it.
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Feb 18, 2024 05:16
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Appreciate the experience sharing, thanks all! Still not sure if we'll fly or drive, but it helps a lot to visualize the details of each option. Our cats are not at all chill about going in the carrier, so I'd like to minimize that if we can. One issue for driving is that the car that still needs to get down there is pretty small, an older Honda Civic. It's also loud on the highway, not great for cats or really people. We do have a big soft carrier that can hold both of them together and fits in the back seat, but stuff like blocking off the rear section to let them out inside the vehicle or setting up a litter box in there doesn't seem workable. Stopping overnight and letting them out then would probably be OK. If we're flying, the ordeal would certainly be shorter, about a 90 minute drive to the airport, plus security and waiting, then a two hour direct flight, then another hour or so to our apartment. The big unknown is how much they'd freak out in the airport / on the plane. In any case, lots of good tips for covering the carrier and putting in some articles with a familiar scent. Ravenfood posted:I also had a cat recently have a reaction to her vaccination. She has since had other medications without any difficulty and I suspect a vaccine reaction would mean Merlin could take gabapentin without any issues 
gloom fucked around with this message at 05:37 on Feb 18, 2024 |
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Feb 18, 2024 05:33
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I need my cat to stop chewing on the ropes that are holding up her bed, no matter how adorable she looks doing it. Maybe its time to invest in chains.
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Feb 19, 2024 03:20
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GlyphGryph posted:I need my cat to stop chewing on the ropes that are holding up her bed, no matter how adorable she looks doing it.
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Feb 19, 2024 07:27
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