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Franziska Von Karma posted:Thanks for the towel idea, I'll have to try that the next time the cat shows up. You can also try a pillowcase, if you have any that aren't all fancy and unable to tolerate being outside for a little while.  The oils from your face and head are ones that'll really smell like "you". When we go on a trip and have our ferrets stay with someone else, we give them dirty pillowcases.
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Dec 11, 2007 01:24
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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)
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Dec 27, 2007 17:10
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Mr Tan posted:No problem, thanks! 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 |
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Dec 28, 2007 07:22
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If there's always something in their bowls, or almost always, how on earth could you be underfeeding them?  If they were hungry, they'd eat more...
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Dec 31, 2007 02:42
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Didn't your husband ever have a dog when he was a kid? Geesh, whenever I'm petting a medium to large dog I know fairly well and they seem playful, I'll start slapping them on the sides, and they love it. The only things I'd worry about would be him trying to play too rough with other people who can't handle it (kids, for example) and him thinking that because he can out-wrestle you, you're not the boss of him anymore. If you make sure that you always "win" in the end, and he's still obeying your commands and not trying to challenge your leadership, the latter shouldn't be much of a problem... and a lot of the former will depend on just how you invite him to play and whether it's you or him that's initiating rougher play. Otherwise, I really don't see anything wrong with what you're doing.
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Jan 2, 2008 04:18
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VyperRDH posted:I have a 10 month old kitten. I was wondering if it is ok to start giving her adult catfood. Sad to say I have her on science diet kitten chow (vet talked me into it). I want to switch her to a better brand of catfood. Does she need to stay on kitten chow until she is one? Super high quality cat foods are generally suitable for both kittens and adult cats. The only real difference between Science Diet Kitten and Science Diet Adult Original is that kitten is 33/23/3 protein/fat/fiber and adult original is 30/20/2 and the ingredients are in a slightly different order. A decent food is going to have more protein than either. But if you're worried, look for one that says "for cats and kittens" on the bag.
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Jan 6, 2008 02:44
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Corridor posted:I've been having this problem too, what with a fatass stealing food not meant for him, except that he's perfectly happy with also polishing off his own. Hmmm... how about separate feedings of wet food for Skinnycat before you leave in the morning and when you get home at night, and one of those automatic feeders to let them have dry food several times throughout the day? This one says it'll let you have up to eight "mealtimes" per day.
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Jan 6, 2008 23:39
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He used to be a stray, and as such has no real sense of moderation. Thin cat free-feeds well enough, and when I put the food down he'll eat a few bites, wander off, then come back for more later when he needs it. Fatass, on the other hand, bolts it all down right away and then goes sniffing around for more, hence the fatness of his rear end. Right now I can just feed them both regulated small portions since I'm home most of the day, but lately I've acquired more of a social life and will soon be working full time, so there will be days when I'm just going to have to leave food out for them. Unfortunately, placing food on high places isn't going to work because Fatass is extremely active and agile, more so than my thin cat.
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Your dog has been refusing to eat or drink normally since last WEEK. You need to take her to the vet.
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Jan 7, 2008 00:47
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Kusaru posted:One of our regular customers has requested we get hamster seed and bedding for her to save her a trip to one of the larger stores out of town. For bedding, our distributor only carries cedar, pine (I know those two are bad), corn cob, and aspen. Which of those would be best? I THINK aspen is the best out of those. Hamsterpeople? Thoughts?
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Jan 18, 2008 08:52
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MkalDahl posted:I was wondering how to best introduce my kitten to my older scaredy cat. How long have you had Corinne? Do she and Cleo seem to be making progress at all, or are they getting along just as poorly as ever? Sometimes these things just take time.
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Jan 18, 2008 08:55
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Mr Plow posted:My dog chases flashlights. I searched the internet for some information about this but didn't find anything very reputable, just one post somewhere saying that this could give my dog OCD, and a whole bunch of youtube videos of dogs chasing flashlights. Is there a PI concencus on whether it's okay for a dog to chase flashlights? It's not entirely obvious whether my dog enjoys it or is frustrated by it. He gets very excited at the sight of any flashlight and wags his tail a lot and barks for me to turn it on, but I don't really know whether that's from happiness or stress. Since when do dogs wag their tails because of stress? Just make sure he doesn't get hurt by cornering too sharply and too suddenly, or run into walls or anything.
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Jan 18, 2008 22:15
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Mother Rucker posted:Always, actually. Most people think a wagging tail is a sign of happiness, when it's actually a sign of conflicting emotions. Your dog that wags his tail upon seeing you is probably excited or happy, but also a bit fearful. Not necessarily in a terrified "oh poo poo" sense, but in that of a dog lower in the pack order with some trepidation at approaching the alpha. Ok, did some googling here... while the idea that dogs are ALWAYS afraid when they wag seems to still be out of the mainstream, (the "more energy than they know what to do with" and "not-attacking-you signal" also appear to have a number of adherents) the scared "oh god don't hurt me" wag was also mentioned, which I for some reason didn't think of when I saw the word "wag". That's the one where the dog keeps his tail really low to the ground and only wags the tip. If THAT's what your dog's doing in response to the flashlight, then no, he probably doesn't like it. But the best way to tell would be to compare his behaviour around the flashlight to his behaviour when he's excited about something you KNOW he likes, like some other toy or game, treats, or going for a walk. If his posture, expression, and wagging are the same, then he probably likes it.
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Jan 19, 2008 06:55
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dispute posted:Chilli on my dogs penis? No, that would be a truly terrible idea. To understand why, put chili on YOUR dick and see what you think of the experience. Bitter Apple or other sprays designed to keep animals from chewing or licking spots on their own bodies might help.
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Jan 19, 2008 08:18
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Kantaris posted:My kitten is about 4 months old now (time to schedule a neuter), and I really really want to know if he will just CALM THE gently caress DOWN. Do you have any other pets he could play with? I know PI sometimes get a little bit overenthusiastic with the "GET TWO CATS" thing, but if he had a buddy to wrestle with all day, it would definitely tire him out. Otherwise, just try to play with him as much as you can - toy wands, laser pointers, whatever'll get him dashing and pouncing and going nuts when you AREN'T trying to sleep.
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Jan 29, 2008 00:44
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doublemint punch posted:Should I be freak-out worried about her? Should I find an emergency vet to take her to tomorrow or should I just try to get her to last until Wednesday evening? And on the eating/drinking situation... how should I gauge when to be worried? I don't necessarily think that we're at the syringe feeding point yet, but I also don't want her to starve herself. Is there anything I can do to make her feel comfortable? Try this thread for good kitty-cold advice, most of this is covered there.
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Mar 5, 2008 17:55
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There is nothing intrinsically wrong with tattooing as a process - racing greyhounds get identification tattoos, commercially-bred ferrets get tattoos to show that they've been spayed or neutered, and I'm sure there's more... I'd recommend an identification tattoo to anyone with an escape artist pet that can get out of collars easily, since you don't need a special scanner to tell that they're there like you do with a microchip, and some people will just assume a stray animal has no owner and not check for a chip. Skull tattoos, though?  Fundamentally, those people are spending money to have someone hurt their animal in order to make it look cooler. With the kind of attitude that allows that, I seriously doubt that they are awesome pet owners the rest of the time.
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Mar 9, 2008 18:12
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RazorBunny posted:I think if it's done under anesthesia it's not cruel. The aftercare on a tattoo isn't particularly painful, mostly just itchy. As long as the owner is committed to healing the tattoo properly, taking care of it like he would his own, I don't think it's an inherently bad thing. It's still stupid, in my opinion, but not a cruelty issue. Even BMEzine.com, while they do host pictures of it, puts up a big "HEY WE DON'T CONDONE THIS" notice... and most of the pics in that section are things like "my cat's feral-colony-member ear punch" and "my dog's racing tattoo" anyway. Of all the bad things you can do to an animal, this would not be anywhere near the worst on the list. But dear god it's stupid.
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Mar 9, 2008 22:22
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McFacertonmom posted:Help! I've never had a pet before in my life (my mother is terribly allergic to EVERYTHING) but my grandmother just went into the hospital (she'll be there about a month), and it has fallen upon me and my dad to take care of her two female adult cats. Try getting a couple of Feliway plugins from Petsmart, or ordering them online. (Though that'll take longer) They're like little Glade Plugins air fresheners, but instead of Spring Lilac, they release a synthetic version of the pheromone that cats give off when they rub their face on stuff. It reassures them that everything is okay, and is great for when they're stressed out because their routine has been disrupted. Kind of expensive, but seemed to really help when we moved. Our cat was most comfortable (relaxed more, yowled less) in the areas near the plugins, but now that we're not running them anymore, she's chosen new spots to hang out. Are the cats on wet or dry food? And do they free-feed throughout the day, or do they have specific mealtimes? You can try putting down a different bowl or small plate with a little bit of the new food in it and just leaving it there for them to investigate, or putting just a little on top of the old food in their food dish and seeing what they think. They're already stressed out, so it's not good to force them to change if you don't have to, but if the old food is really bad and the new food is really good, they'll probably like the new food better once they've been exposed to it for a little while. Prices for a checkup vary depending on where you live and the age of the cat, so try calling around... but until they've calmed down and started to trust you, I don't know if it's actually a good idea to take them in unless you think something is wrong with them. A vet appointment is stressful enough for most cats. A stranger taking them to a vet appointment when they've never been to one before, then bringing them home where their owner isn't there to comfort them, would probably make for some very unhappy kitties.
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Mar 11, 2008 19:55
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Loucks posted:This is Oscar: The Alaskan Malamute Rescue of New England recommends a 6-foot fence, and Central Coast Northern Dog Rescue says it's "an initial appropriate enclosure", i.e., your dog might escape anyway, but it's a good start.
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Mar 12, 2008 14:47
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If the theoretical-80s-sitcom bitch gets knocked up by a mutt dog that's much bigger than she is, there could be medical problems carrying the pups to term or giving birth to them.
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Mar 20, 2008 02:55
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bawbzilla posted:An acquaintance is keeping a new young bearded dragon in an open-top aquarium. It doesn't have a spot to bask, is in maybe four inches of sand or so, and she is continually pulling it out of the tank to "cuddle" with it, give it baths in the sink, and just generally play with it. She also bought it on a whim, probably to do with her being just a little bit impulsive (she got her nose pierced a few days later, then decided to move that weekend). Huh... is this a friend-of-a-friend sort of acquaintance? Like, is there someone you know that she trusts more than she trusts you, but who isn't a total idiot about animals and who might be willing to pass on advice to her? If not, I'd say try to remain on good terms with her if at all possible while occasionally saying something about how you think you might get a bearded dragon someday. If she gets bored with it before she kills it, she might give it to you.
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Mar 27, 2008 06:46
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RazorBunny posted:A lot of domestic cats have relatively poor predation abilities, I've noticed. The good mousers are more the exception than the rule. And unfortunately it doesn't seem to be entirely heritable. Our cat is an AMAZING mouser - the sight, sound, or scent of a mouse will send her into full-on stalking mode for days until she catches it, she kills them so quickly that the drat things just look surprised, and she once daintily placed one on top of a plastic grocery bag that had been left on the floor overnight... but her son is (from what we've heard) utterly hopeless.
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Mar 28, 2008 14:28
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sucks to ur assmar posted:That has nothing to do with whether it's genetic or not. It could be a recessive trait, you don't know anything about the genes of the other parent or any of the grandparents. [/petpeeve] You're right, you're right.... but apparently Dad was a decent hunter, too, and I've heard lots of "cat is a great/terrible mouser but parents were terrible/great mousers" stories. This is just the one I'm most familiar with. And I don't think dominance is that relative - if it were a dominant trait, two good mousers could still produce a bad mouser. Now, if it were recessive and you bred two good mousers....
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Mar 28, 2008 15:01
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Betty Coltrane posted:My question is, is there any consensus on how cats should be fed? All dry? All wet? Alternating? Mixing the two together? Dry food with no corn, no byproducts, no meat-of-unspecified-species and no weird preservatives is generally cheaper than equivalent wet food, and it stays fresh longer. Wet food has more moisture and doesn't NEED the binders and carbohydrates that are present in dry food. Most crappy wet food does not have corn and doesn't have much wheat (wheat gluten  ) but most crappy dry food does. Even with good foods... Innova EVO doesn't have potato because your cat needs potato. Nature's Variety Raw Instinct doesn't have tapioca because your cat needs tapioca. They need those ingredients in order for the kibbles to hold together, and the best those ingredients can be for an obligate carnivore is "not harmful".If you are very rich and don't go anywhere ever, you should probably feed your cats wet food. If you are rolling pennies to buy cat food and only come home once every three days, you should feed your cats dry food. If your cat has weird problems, you should do what your vet says. Otherwise, wet food once or twice a day and an appropriate, measured amount of dry food available to snack on in between is probably good. maplecheese fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Apr 16, 2008 |
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Apr 16, 2008 23:26
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Citizen Insane posted:We usually feed them Innova Evo dried, and he gobbles that stuff up like gangbusters (granted, this is the same cat that tried to eat a cork once), but he turns his nose up at the 'Iams Low-Residue Adult' like it's made of sawdust. Hah, somebody likes his fancy expensive food. You would be best off calling your vet, if they're still open this evening, and getting their advice. But if they're closed... hmm. If it were me, I would give him a little bit of his normal food, soaked in no-salt-added chicken or beef broth for extra flavour and moisture. And then call them when they open in the morning.
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Apr 19, 2008 00:25
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nationalism posted:How soon after birth can I declaw my cat? You shouldn't. That's why there are scratching posts, cat nail clippers, and SoftPaws. Declawing is unnecessary surgery that can have long-term physical and behavioural consequences for the cat if it goes badly. If you have a kitten right now, I'm sympathetic - kitten claws are SHARP - but there are better ways.
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Apr 26, 2008 20:00
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Dr. Housecat MD posted:Dude, you totally just fed the troll. V:)V It needed to be said anyway. And I don't think it counts as feeding if you don't get pissed off.
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Apr 26, 2008 23:03
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Crazedscot posted:I just caught my cat eating the foliage of a Madagascar Dragon Tree which turns out to be on the list of plants which are toxic to cats, i'd have got rid of it sooner if i'd known. My question is, should I be immediately concerned and take her to the vet or should I just keep a careful eye on her for now? She doesn't seem to have eaten that much of the foliage. Call the vet and talk to them about it. They'll probably just tell you to keep an eye on her (unless that kind of plant is super duper extra poisonous) but they might be able to tell you what symptoms to look out for, and if nothing else you'll be giving them a heads up that the cat has eaten this particular plant and MIGHT be coming in. As for the whiskers, that's normal.
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May 6, 2008 17:36
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Parsnip posted:Does this site http://www.montanacatnip.com/ belong to the person that was selling the catnip toys in PI a while ago? They came in stingray, spider, and some other designs. I was looking to buy some more but I wasn't totally sure on the name. I checked SA Mart (as much as I could since I don't have search) for catnip but found nothing. Yep, that's him. He was running a goon discount for a while, but I don't know if it's still on. It's GREAT catnip, btw, and I recommend buying it at whatever price. Our cat managed to get high off the box the drat stuff shipped in.
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May 7, 2008 07:04
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HyperGlitter posted:She's fairly old, yes she's spayed, no new roommates or anything. I touched her everywhere I could to try and make sure, she didn't seem to care, just want to get back under the bed. And the season hasn't particularly changed recently here (Santa Cruz). The cat is used to being outside and is now indoor only, but wouldn't she be clawing at the window/door if she wanted out? Unless that made her super depressed or something.. Hmm... then she should really go to the vet. Hiding and being all pissed off are normal behaviours for a cat who's just moved, and it's possible that she was excited at first, then realized she wasn't going to go back to her old place and got upset. However, hiding and being all pissed off are also how cats often indicate they feel really, really awful, and if it is something, it'll be easier and cheaper to treat it early.
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May 9, 2008 22:36
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pogoman posted:Has anyone used Petzlife to clean their pet's teeth? I would be very interested in this if it's ferret safe. One of ours has really nasty teeth, but can't be safely put under due to cardiomyopathy. We brush, and that helps, but it's pretty bad.
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May 25, 2008 00:54
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Authentic Jams and Jellies posted:ew litterbox gross What are you feeding him, and how old is he? Crummy food can cause nasty poop, and some cats are more sensitive to it than others... and kittens can produce some seriously foul odors. Also, does it seem to be the pee or the poop that's causing the smell?
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May 25, 2008 02:13
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Authentic Jams and Jellies posted:Figaro is 11 months old and is fed Solid Gold dry food. Box gets cleaned daily. New litter is now on my shopping list, but would you recommend a vet trip anyway? If the poop is runny or otherwise weird, yeah. If it's otherwise normal AND it's not bothering you that much, it can probably wait until the next checkup.
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May 25, 2008 07:33
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Firequirks posted:Any suggestions for pet-safe pesticides / ant bait / etc? If it matters for which products are available, I'm in Canada. If you want 100% pet safe (assuming you don't have pet scorpions or spiders or anything) go with diatomaceous earth. It won't poison nests or anything like that, but it'll slice up their horrible little exoskeletons and they'll dehydrate. It's not great to breathe, but you and your cat would be ok even if you ate a whole bunch. I got "DIO Bug & Slug Killer," made by Green Earth, in the garden section at Rona. Big white bottle, blue and yellow label, blue pointy top. If that doesn't work, or you want to bring the big guns out immediately, packages will usually tell you if they're pet safe or not.
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May 25, 2008 07:42
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Benzene posted:mystery cat You could try putting a cheap, breakable tag around his neck (think the kind that airlines give you to put on your luggage, paper on thin elastic) and writing "ARE YOU MY OWNER? Call [number]" on it. Or you could be less of a goon and just go and ask the guy if he knows who owns it.
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May 26, 2008 01:46
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Store locator not helping, or are you looking for a place to buy it online? That food definitely helps my friend's cat, who used to be ridiculously barfy. (now she is just somewhat barfy)
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May 30, 2008 05:31
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girlscoutdropout posted:So I brought home a new kitten today and she was infested with fleas. I washed her in some kitten flea shampoo. Not even thinking about it. I happen to read the back of the bottle and realized that it's not for kittens under 8 months old. Should I be concerned? I didn't wash her face, and I really don't think she ingested any. The only time she might have gotten a little bit is when she was cleaning herself after, I think i rinsed her well though. She is about 8 weeks old. Now this is the same shampoo I washed my other kitten in weeks ago and she was even younger, she was/is fine. I feel so irresponsible. Should I just watch her? Right now she's playing, but I only bathed her like 30 min ago. When do you it'd be safe to say I'm "in the clear"? I have to work at 9am tomorrow (that's about 10 and half hours away). I don't have anyone that could watch her tomorrow. You should be able to phone an emergency vet for an opinion.
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Jun 3, 2008 05:13
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Dru posted:My cats won't EAT! Dude(ette), just let me give you some of the Orijen that we have and you can at least do a 50/50 mix.
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Jun 4, 2008 04:55
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mr. nazi posted:Would you diagnose yourself over the internet and decide you have asthma, then let it go untreated (assuming you were correct?) without at least advice from a medical professional? Sort of a loaded question but the answer to it should decide your course of action. Yeah... you know how we make fun of people who decide they have Aspberger's because of what they read on the internet? This is like that, but worse.
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Jun 8, 2008 15:33
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Crazedscot posted:Are split claws something I should be taking my cat to the vet for? I've noticed two of her claws are split on one paw with bits of material from scratching the couch and probably the carpet stuck in them. She'll let me extend her claws gently but soon as I try to dislodge the material she'll get pissed off and sit with her paws tucked under her till I give in. Happens to my cat all the time. You can try using clippers to shorten the split portions so that at least they're not as easy to snag, but if they're not bleeding or getting infected or hurting her under normal circumstances, they should be fine.
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Jun 8, 2008 16:53
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