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VikingKitten
Jan 19, 2003
Two questions:

How do I cat-proof my toilet paper? Obviously, I quit putting it on the holders because Curtis would just unravel it all for me. How considerate of him. So I stuck a roll on the back of the vanity by the mirror, and while I showered today, Curtis knocked it down where Cersei (the puppy) could eat half of it. And I take quick showers. :rolleyes:

Also, am I psychologically damaging my dogs by sticking them both in the same crate? They're crated between 2-8 hours a day. I have a wee little crate for the puppy, but she seems less upset if I let her go in the big crate with Jaime. I'm thinking of just getting a huge Great Dane sized crate, instead of a separate medium sized crate, as she gets bigger.

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larasndar
Nov 30, 2006

by Ozma

VikingKitten posted:

Two questions:
Also, am I psychologically damaging my dogs by sticking them both in the same crate? They're crated between 2-8 hours a day. I have a wee little crate for the puppy, but she seems less upset if I let her go in the big crate with Jaime. I'm thinking of just getting a huge Great Dane sized crate, instead of a separate medium sized crate, as she gets bigger.

Keeping two adult dogs in a very enclosed space, unsupervised, for lengthy periods of time is asking for disaster. No matter how well your dogs usually get on, fights can and do kick off between dogs who have always been best buddies, and can turn very nasty very quickly. One of the positive aspects of crates is that they give the dog its OWN personal space, where it can fully relax. Two adult dogs in the same crate would each be totally on edge as they were in each others' personal space, making fights even more likely to kick off.

Adult dogs are very tolerant of puppies, because they pose no threat to them. Getting the puppy used to her own space (ie crate) now would be beneficial, as if she becomes too attached to Jaime now she could suffer from seperation anxiety in the future.

maplecheese
Oct 31, 2006
Disturbingly delicious.

Mr Tan posted:

barfy cat

Sorry nobody replied to you earlier...

What kind of food are you feeding her? Some foods are easier on the stomach than others. My friend's cat was super-barfy on grocery store wet food, less barfy on Innova EVO, and is hardly barfy at all anymore on a mix of low-calorie Innova and Royal Canin Special 33. (their food for barfy cats)

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.

VikingKitten posted:

Two questions:

How do I cat-proof my toilet paper? Obviously, I quit putting it on the holders because Curtis would just unravel it all for me. How considerate of him. So I stuck a roll on the back of the vanity by the mirror, and while I showered today, Curtis knocked it down where Cersei (the puppy) could eat half of it. And I take quick showers. :rolleyes:

Also, am I psychologically damaging my dogs by sticking them both in the same crate? They're crated between 2-8 hours a day. I have a wee little crate for the puppy, but she seems less upset if I let her go in the big crate with Jaime. I'm thinking of just getting a huge Great Dane sized crate, instead of a separate medium sized crate, as she gets bigger.

Close your bathroom door?

Mr Tan
Aug 2, 2007

tan

maplecheese posted:

Sorry nobody replied to you earlier...

What kind of food are you feeding her? Some foods are easier on the stomach than others. My friend's cat was super-barfy on grocery store wet food, less barfy on Innova EVO, and is hardly barfy at all anymore on a mix of low-calorie Innova and Royal Canin Special 33. (their food for barfy cats)

No problem, thanks!

The person who originally rescued her had her on some crappy "junk food," maybe because she really needed some fattening up ... but when I adopted her the current foster home was trying to work her over to Verus dry food, which is what I was feeding my first cat, so after the first day or so I switched her straight over to that. It's supposed to be high-quality stuff (I think), and she's been eating it for about a month now, but maybe she's still adjusting to the new food?

Thanks for the response. I could check with the owner of my little pet store, and see if she can recommend another kind of food for her. My other cat seems pretty flexible, so I could probably switch them both over to something new if I needed to.

BrutalDumpTruck
Aug 2, 2006
If you aren't angry, you're blind.
Ok, just got back from the Christmas gluttony. My parents live in a subdivision, and their neighbors' house is like 10 feet away. The neighbors in question have 3 dogs, who are left outside pretty much 24/7. (2 standard poodles and a little one or a puppy; only seen them in glimpses over the 6ft fence) These dogs let us know of their plight by barking. Constantly. Anyway, my mother is fed up with the barking and wants to get one of those ultrasonic anti-bark machines to put on the side of the house. The neighbors have done nothing to curb the barking, and don't seem to pay very much attention to the dogs at all.
OK, so here's the question; has anybody used one of these things before?

http://www.ultimatebarkcontrol.com/ds_pro.htm (the first example google spat out)


Is it cruel? Does it work? I don't know what I think about using what is supposed to be a training aid on somebody else's dogs, but there you go. Any advice is welcome; I'm gonna pass it along to the 'rents.

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.
Call Animal Control. If the dogs are being neglected, they need more than passive "training" from next door.

maplecheese
Oct 31, 2006
Disturbingly delicious.

Mr Tan posted:

No problem, thanks!

The person who originally rescued her had her on some crappy "junk food," maybe because she really needed some fattening up ... but when I adopted her the current foster home was trying to work her over to Verus dry food, which is what I was feeding my first cat, so after the first day or so I switched her straight over to that. It's supposed to be high-quality stuff (I think), and she's been eating it for about a month now, but maybe she's still adjusting to the new food?

Thanks for the response. I could check with the owner of my little pet store, and see if she can recommend another kind of food for her. My other cat seems pretty flexible, so I could probably switch them both over to something new if I needed to.

Verus looks very good to me, so she shouldn't be barfing due to the quality of the food... do you know if she was a barfer on the junk food?

Your local hippie pet food store owner could probably help you find a sensitive-stomach food that's good for you, so I'd say ask! The only one I have experience with is Royal Canin Special 33, and while it unfortunately has corn and wheat in it, (not high on the list, but not super low either) it really did seem to help a lot. The friend with the barf machine cat originally got a coupon for it from a friend of HIS, who's a Royal Canin rep... She'd obviously be only repeating the stuff that makes them look good, but she said that she'd heard a lot of "miracle" stories with that food. V:)V

There's also the possibility that she has a food allergy, in which case Royal Canin probably wouldn't help, and you'd need to go with food that has substantially different ingredients. (Both Verus and Royal Canin are chicken-based, so you'd probably have to go with beef or duck or lamb or something.)

maplecheese fucked around with this message at 07:30 on Dec 28, 2007

Mr Tan
Aug 2, 2007

tan

maplecheese posted:

Verus looks very good to me, so she shouldn't be barfing due to the quality of the food... do you know if she was a barfer on the junk food?

Your local hippie pet food store owner could probably help you find a sensitive-stomach food that's good for you, so I'd say ask! The only one I have experience with is Royal Canin Special 33, and while it unfortunately has corn and wheat in it, (not high on the list, but not super low either) it really did seem to help a lot. The friend with the barf machine cat originally got a coupon for it from a friend of HIS, who's a Royal Canin rep... She'd obviously be only repeating the stuff that makes them look good, but she said that she'd heard a lot of "miracle" stories with that food. V:)V

There's also the possibility that she has a food allergy, in which case Royal Canin probably wouldn't help, and you'd need to go with food that has substantially different ingredients. (Both Verus and Royal Canin are chicken-based, so you'd probably have to go with beef or duck or lamb or something.)

Thanks for the advice! I'll have to investigate as soon as I get the chance... (out of town for the holidays at the moment)

Myok
Apr 8, 2005

Technology on the brain.
Pillbug

flynt posted:

I just got a Feliway room plug in to help introduce my cats to each other. Is it normal for it to make a chemically odor? I thought it was supposed to be unnoticeable by people but the smell is starting to give me a headache. Is it supposed to make my apartment smell weird?

The Feliway diffuser I used was noticeable in a confined room. It smelled a bit musky.

Saveremreve
Dec 30, 2004

An easy way to reduce the fun of toilet paper is to put it on backwards so that the paper dangle from the back, that way when the cat bats at it its rolling up rather than out.

Its hard to explain, but just trying putting the paper on backwards and roll it the way a cat would and see what I mean.

vikingstrike
Sep 23, 2007

whats happening, captain

Saveremreve posted:

An easy way to reduce the fun of toilet paper is to put it on backwards so that the paper dangle from the back, that way when the cat bats at it its rolling up rather than out.

Its hard to explain, but just trying putting the paper on backwards and roll it the way a cat would and see what I mean.

The paper will still eventually dangle (if I understand you correctly) with enough hits or if they just pull from the back. I would just shut the bathroom door unless there is anything in there that the animals need to access. You could always try a different holder that did not hold the paper horizontal but vertical and move it up the wall a little.

Bunnicula
Mar 22, 2007

skish skish
I was wondering how often to clean my dog's toys. Do you clean them on a schedule or do you just wait for them to get icky? I have a pom, so he's not slobbering all over his stuff, but I do wonder if bacteria will build up in his stuffed toys if I don't clean them every so often. Also, can you use antibacterial soap on rubber toys or can that be harmful? I'm a bit of a germaphobe so I need to know how far I should go with the cleaning.

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.
I throw soft toys in the washer every time they look a little manky. Rubber toys can probably go in there too.

SubponticatePoster
Aug 9, 2004

Every day takes figurin' out all over again how to fuckin' live.
Slippery Tilde

Bunnicula posted:

I was wondering how often to clean my dog's toys. Do you clean them on a schedule or do you just wait for them to get icky? I have a pom, so he's not slobbering all over his stuff, but I do wonder if bacteria will build up in his stuffed toys if I don't clean them every so often. Also, can you use antibacterial soap on rubber toys or can that be harmful? I'm a bit of a germaphobe so I need to know how far I should go with the cleaning.

If it won't make you barfy, wash rubber toys in the top rack of the dishwasher after scrubbing off any food/solids.

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.
Also, go easy on the antibacterial stuff. Bacteria is your friend, in the right doses and kept in the right places.

Corridor
Oct 19, 2006

Is it normal for a kitty on antibiotics to act a little bit woozy and unsteady on his legs? :(

VikingKitten
Jan 19, 2003

notsoape posted:

Keeping two adult dogs in a very enclosed space, unsupervised, for lengthy periods of time is asking for disaster. No matter how well your dogs usually get on, fights can and do kick off between dogs who have always been best buddies, and can turn very nasty very quickly. One of the positive aspects of crates is that they give the dog its OWN personal space, where it can fully relax. Two adult dogs in the same crate would each be totally on edge as they were in each others' personal space, making fights even more likely to kick off.

Adult dogs are very tolerant of puppies, because they pose no threat to them. Getting the puppy used to her own space (ie crate) now would be beneficial, as if she becomes too attached to Jaime now she could suffer from seperation anxiety in the future.

That makes perfect sense. After I read that, I started crating them separately, with the pup's crate facing the other. (it's a dinky little plastic-sided crate that will be repurposed to a cat carrier when she outgrows it.)

Dr Housecat MD posted:

Close your bathroom door?

Smartass. But you win this round!

CalamityKate
Dec 4, 2004

Bunnicula posted:

I was wondering how often to clean my dog's toys. Do you clean them on a schedule or do you just wait for them to get icky? I have a pom, so he's not slobbering all over his stuff, but I do wonder if bacteria will build up in his stuffed toys if I don't clean them every so often. Also, can you use antibacterial soap on rubber toys or can that be harmful? I'm a bit of a germaphobe so I need to know how far I should go with the cleaning.

One tip that works for pillows, so I would imagine that it would also for stuffed toys is to throw them in the dryer for 10 minutes on high. Just make sure there's nothing that would melt or be otherwise affected by the heat. For the rubber ones, hot water plus dish soap should be fine.

After you wash the stuffed ones, to get them smelling "good" (in the dog sense), stick them in your dirty clothes basket for a day or so. They will keep some of your stink on them, which most dogs seem to like. :)

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.

Corridor posted:

Is it normal for a kitty on antibiotics to act a little bit woozy and unsteady on his legs? :(

Not that I'm familiar with. I'd call your vet or the e-vet just to be sure.

Bunnicula
Mar 22, 2007

skish skish
Thanks for the good ideas. I wish I hadn't just done all the laundry... I just got a hide-a-squirrel too and want to put that in the hamper before I give it to the pups.

Leper Residue
Sep 28, 2003

To where no dog has gone before.
Two questions about a three month old kitten.

1. My roommates cat has this thing where he chews my shirt whenever he is purring and sitting in my lap. He only does it to me as well. It's kind of annoying, sounds gross, and gets kitty drool all over my shirt. How can I stop this?

2. The cat has developed this thing where he attacks my face whenever I'm laying down and under the blankets. I'm just laying there trying to sleep, and the next thing I know my face is getting batted by this little bastard. Is this just a kitten thing, or am I gonna have to put up with this forever?

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Residue posted:

Two questions about a three month old kitten.

1. A lot of cats who were separated from their mothers young do this. We had a cat who would only suckle on a specific blanket. You may never break him of the urge to do it, but pushing him off your lap and protesting might teach him it's not acceptable.

2. He's pretty young, so his bad behavior is probably baby craziness. Kittens are right bastards. Again, pushing him away and making an upset kitty sound will help teach him it's not nice.

Dru
Feb 23, 2003

they were smoking MARIJUANA! in the CHURCH!
What are the signs that I am underfeeding my cats?


Heres the reasons I ask this

I feed my four cats four bowls( about 4.5-5 cups) of their food (Solid Gold Katzenflocken) each day. I do not moniter who eats what, but I have three "teen" kittens and a 3 year old, so I notice the kits eating more than the Gent. My fiancee and I sometimes worry Alfie doesn't get enough food, but at the same time he has a tendancy to get porky, as his previous owners told me. She slimmed him down from 16 to 11 lbs and I don't want him fat again. He also MUST eat everytime I fill the bowl, so I like feeding them ONCE so he doesn't gorge.

Also, please tell me this because my fiancee always fed his cats lovely food before(as that was all his mom would buy) and they ate a LOT more than my kits eat of the super awesome super premium food they now eat so he worries I am denying the herd food they need. I was taught that my SG has tons more protein and good for cats stuff so they don't need as much as they would of Meow Mix. This makes my fiancee overfeed them on treats and I want to tell him that I'm not so he'll STOP.

Ugh. Please tell me.

koblenz
Dec 18, 2007

Myok posted:

The Feliway diffuser I used was noticeable in a confined room. It smelled a bit musky.

It could be upside down. Container of fluid should be on the bottom; diffuser on top.
I had it upside down when I first used it -- and the smell gave me a headache too.

mr. nobody
Sep 25, 2004

Net contents 12 fluid oz.
Adopted a cat 2 weeks ago, and he loves to be groomed/brushed. One thing that is strange is that, so far without fail, after 10-20 good brushstrokes, this cat acts like it must get up and go eat about 5 pieces of food. Then he comes back for more brushing. I've tried brushing him in rooms other than the one his food is kept in, and it doesn't make a difference.

He's not a fatty cat or anything, but this seems like a strange ritual and makes giving him a full brushing time consuming. Is this just a quirk of my cat or do other cats act like they have an overwhelming urge to eat when they get "too happy" from playing/grooming/etc. He loves to be brushed, can hear him purring from across the room.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Dru posted:

What are the signs that I am underfeeding my cats?

Ugh. Please tell me.

Not to be pedantic, but a male engaged person is a fiancé, and the female is fiancée.

Anyway, as to your question, if your cats are beggars, it may be hard for your fiancé to realize they're not starving. If your male really is prone to fat (I don't know if I'd trust what the previous owner says, unless you absolutely know what they were feeding him and what kind of exercise and stimulation they were providing), you might not want to free-feed, which would be the easiest way to make sure they're getting enough. Depending on the age of the kittens, if you're feeding adult food that may not be quite enough nutrition for them, but you may have problems with your older male eating the kitten food (which might be more likely to make him fat). If he's just eating when you fill the bowl, like a little off the top, get a larger bowl and fill it once, and he'll wolf down food when you first fill it and might leave it alone the rest of the day. This will let the younger cats browse.

A way to know for sure, and put both your mind and that of their "daddy" at rest, is to take them all in for a well-cat visit to your veterinarian and talk to him/her about their nutrition.

It's true that feeding a higher-quality food will usually make a cat eat less. Foods with less filler are more satisfying. If your cats are hungry but are getting enough food, consider switching treats to something healthy and decreasing their food ever so slightly. My mom found that this helped trim down my old cat, and her other cats love it. Or you could try feeding them something like romaine lettuce, which many cats like. It's high-bulk and has lots of fiber, but won't make your big boy fat, and it satisfies the feeling of an empty tummy. YMMV.

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.
For any animal, if you have questions about health or feeding, get a scale. Get a scale that reads down to the lowest possible number (tenth of a gram, for my ferrets) while still reading high enough to fit your animal. Taking a weight reading once a week (or more, if you want) and writing it down takes maybe five minutes, if you're slow about it, and it can give you an idea of the health of your animal. If you think your pet is sick and go to a vet with a log of weight changes, the vet will be impressed and have something to work with.

SubponticatePoster
Aug 9, 2004

Every day takes figurin' out all over again how to fuckin' live.
Slippery Tilde

mr. nazi posted:

Adopted a cat 2 weeks ago, and he loves to be groomed/brushed. One thing that is strange is that, so far without fail, after 10-20 good brushstrokes, this cat acts like it must get up and go eat about 5 pieces of food. Then he comes back for more brushing. I've tried brushing him in rooms other than the one his food is kept in, and it doesn't make a difference.

He's not a fatty cat or anything, but this seems like a strange ritual and makes giving him a full brushing time consuming. Is this just a quirk of my cat or do other cats act like they have an overwhelming urge to eat when they get "too happy" from playing/grooming/etc. He loves to be brushed, can hear him purring from across the room.

Sounds like a personality quirk of your cat. Hey may be getting over-stimulated by the brushing and stops to take a little break. Or it could've been something his previous owners did (depending on his age) where maybe they got him to hold still for brushing by giving him food or treats and now he associates one with the other and thinks that he has to have both at the same time :)

Dru
Feb 23, 2003

they were smoking MARIJUANA! in the CHURCH!

RazorBunny posted:

Not to be pedantic, but a male engaged person is a fiancé, and the female is fiancée.

If he's just eating when you fill the bowl, like a little off the top, get a larger bowl and fill it once, and he'll wolf down food when you first fill it and might leave it alone the rest of the day. This will let the younger cats browse.

A way to know for sure, and put both your mind and that of their "daddy" at rest, is to take them all in for a well-cat visit to your veterinarian and talk to him/her about their nutrition.

I am essentially doing the large bowl approach. They get all the bowls filled once per day. The time vary because I wait for the bowls to be empty. Sometimes it takes them 24 hours to empty the four bowls, sometimes it takes up to 36. This is why I don't think I'm underfeeding. The kits graze, but Olivier still worries.

I've also been weighing Alfie. He has gained a little weight, but I attribute that to him being much healthier due to a now corn free diet(he has corn issues).

I tried the vet approach. I got told I wasn't feeding my cats good food and had I heard about the wonders of Science diet for indoor kitties. WHen I objected I got told that I was putting my cats health at risk by not feeding them a scientificly balence formula. When I told him Alfie has issues with Corn, diagnosed by his previous vet, the vet told me I was overreacting. Ugh.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Frankly, Dru, sounds like time for a new vet.

Dru
Feb 23, 2003

they were smoking MARIJUANA! in the CHURCH!

RazorBunny posted:

Frankly, Dru, sounds like time for a new vet.

Oh gently caress yes. I'm just broke right now and theres no point in going to the vet when there is nothing wrong. When I go to the vet again it will be a much better vet who might still push SD, but won't pooh-pooh alfies allergies. I ask only to be able to answer my fiance and his worries about underfeeding. I don't think I am. But he wants to know what the signs WOULD be.

maplecheese
Oct 31, 2006
Disturbingly delicious.
If there's always something in their bowls, or almost always, how on earth could you be underfeeding them? :confused: If they were hungry, they'd eat more...

Cuddlebottom
Feb 17, 2004

Butt dance.

Dru posted:

Oh gently caress yes. I'm just broke right now and theres no point in going to the vet when there is nothing wrong. When I go to the vet again it will be a much better vet who might still push SD, but won't pooh-pooh alfies allergies. I ask only to be able to answer my fiance and his worries about underfeeding. I don't think I am. But he wants to know what the signs WOULD be.
You could check the back of the bag of food - most (if not all) brands have some guide to how much food you should feed per lb. of cat. While only a rough guideline, it should at least prove you're not starving them to death.

district 12
Oct 19, 2004

muscles griffon~~
why is my dog panting so much?

there's always water in his bowl, he drinks, it's not that hot in my apartment (maybe it's hotter for him) but sometimes he'll just lay around and pant. he's a very svelte mini schnauzer, weighing about 11lbs.

Juice_Mouse
Apr 18, 2006

Roguesmith
I can only assume they count as exotic animals, and are thus off-limits to the general public.. but is it possible to aquire any breed of penguin as a pet? Yeah, I know I should probably know this already.. just wanted a definitive Goon answer. Thanks.

Pineapple
Jan 14, 2003

by Fistgrrl

Juice_Mouse posted:

I can only assume they count as exotic animals, and are thus off-limits to the general public.. but is it possible to aquire any breed of penguin as a pet? Yeah, I know I should probably know this already.. just wanted a definitive Goon answer. Thanks.

I don't know about the legality, but providing a proper habitat and diet would be difficult unless you're quite flush and can build a dedicated pool with rockwork etc. And I don't think you can really keep them solitarily as they're very social birds.

Not to mention the absolutely vile stench of penguin poo poo, and like all sea birds they have permanent liquishits.

Crab Ran
Mar 6, 2006

Don't try me.

Juice_Mouse posted:

I can only assume they count as exotic animals, and are thus off-limits to the general public.. but is it possible to aquire any breed of penguin as a pet? Yeah, I know I should probably know this already.. just wanted a definitive Goon answer. Thanks.

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/penguin/conservation.htm has everything you need to know.

gross
Jan 7, 2006

Well, here's your problem!

Customer Service posted:

What would be the best/easiest sorts of snails to breed as food for my dwarf puffers? Would snails need a very complex set up to breed? How many would I want? I figure I want a sort that are hermaphrodites...

I don't know much about dwarf puffers, but are plain old pest snails all right for them to eat?

I keep a small unheated tank with a couple of floating plants and an under-gravel filter where I toss the pest snails I pick out of my other tanks. They breed endlessly in there whether I feed them or not. I doubt you would need anything more complex than a container of water with a light shining on it - just toss in a cheap, tough plant from a tank at the store that has snails in it, and you will get more snails. As far as I can tell, they just breed faster in warmer water, and grow larger in cold water.

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RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Pineapple posted:

I don't know about the legality, but providing a proper habitat and diet would be difficult unless you're quite flush and can build a dedicated pool with rockwork etc. And I don't think you can really keep them solitarily as they're very social birds.

Not to mention the absolutely vile stench of penguin poo poo, and like all sea birds they have permanent liquishits.

It's my understanding that in some countries the Blue Fairy Penguin, which is a cute little bugger, can be kept as a pet. Sounds impossibly difficult to me, but they're friggin adorable.

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