Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Superconductor posted:

Glad she got him seen about though, at least.

If she hadn't, I was tempted to pull out the trump card and quote scripture at her. Proverbs 12:10 - A righteous man cares for the needs of his animals. She's the one who claims to be a good Christian, so I figured throwing a little "God says you shouldn't let your animals suffer" at her might help. Thankfully I didn't have to have that lovely alienating conversation.

This isn't how my mom really is. She's so incredibly stressed out and unhappy right now that her head's in a bad place. There was a time when, sure, they were inside/outside cats and got cheap food, but they were well-loved, got vet care, and were allowed in the house most of the time. Now she's decided she has too many responsibilities and it's very easy to ignore a sick animal, since it can't confront you about it.

I'm still really upset about what my sister told me, that my stepfather basically thinks I murdered my cat, and that she was "happy" and "doing fine" and I'm an evil bitch for putting her to sleep. But whatever. I hate him anyway.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Sprue posted:

My instinct says I should catch the guy and take him to my local humane society, but if pet turtles do well in this climate I'd just as well leave him there as the pond isn't connected to any other body of water where he might become a nuisance to the native species.

Your instinct is correct. Chances are the little guy won't last long if he's a pet. Even if the turtle will do just fine in your climate, it's an introduced species, and those can be a serious problem, even if the pond isn't near anything else. Turtles can roam up to several miles and still be in their "territory." Even if he never leaves the pond, he could have parasites or diseases that might cause harm to local species.

Edit: Neglected to make my point: take him to the animal shelter.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

variegated posted:

Is this normal adjustment behavior? Is there a better way to introduce him to the box?

Cats will often "hold it" when they're nervous. The more medically-inclined PI goons can tell you better how long a cat can go before you should start worrying, but this is definitely within the realm of normal cat behavior in a new situation.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

MsJoelBoxer posted:

What does one use to get glue out of pet hair?

I don't think the orange oil will hurt him. What kind of glue is it? If it's superglue, get some acetone nail polish remover and use that, just make sure he can't consume any of it. Pretty much the same with most glue solvents. If he's smooth-coated (I'm guessing boxer from your username, but who knows), it might irritate his skin a little bit, but just clean the area thoroughly afterwards and dab a little bit of Neosporin or even just plain petroleum jelly over the irritation and it should do fine.

Can you tell I grew up in a house with a bunch of kids who liked to spill things on the cat? :)

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

MsJoelBoxer posted:

I'm fairly sure that his mouth cannot reach his ear, although it would be amusing to watch him try. Also, as much as I love boxers, he's quite the opposite: A very small sable and white sheltie.

Well then I don't think I'd be terribly worried about his skin, the fluff should protect him :xd:

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Dr.Khron posted:

Now, on to my grooming question: can you trim a cats nails?
I'm quite familiar with trimming dog nails, is it basically the same?

We've trimmed Charlie's before with no problems. I'd recommend getting some really sharp nail scissors or the kind of clippers designed for animal claws, though - we used regular nail clippers and they split the tips of his claws a little bit. Didn't hurt him, and he wore them down smooth pretty fast, but I felt bad. He was clicking too.

Be careful, though. Charlie's really laid-back and tolerant, and even though he doesn't like having his feet touched he didn't really struggle or anything. Some cats would probably scratch your face off.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Darodeth posted:

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with auto-cleaning boxes.

We have one for our cat, and my only serious complaint about them really is that they allow whoever's job it is to maintain the catbox to be lazy. Luckily Charlie is not a picky cat, or there'd be cat surprises everywhere - it gets pretty nasty. And the suggestion was made that we move the upstairs box into the storage room where the second box used to be, back before it broke. I put the kibosh on that, because a) it's asking Charlie to go pretty far to use the box, and b) it would get ignored ten times more than in its current home in the laundry room.

However! It works really well as long as you keep an eye on it and don't let the mechanism and tines get gunked up. It does have a tendency to break up the clumps and leave little tiny clumps in the box, so it will start to smell, but if you dump everything out from time to time and totally change the litter you can avoid this problem. My big concern in your situation is that they're heavy, and picking it up to dump it out might be a lot harder for you with a busted leg.

Some cats are also frightened by them and refuse to use them, so be prepared for that.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Dru posted:

How long can I wait them out before I have to give them wet food?

You can't. A cat shouldn't go more than 24 hours without eating. If they won't eat what you're offering them and a day goes by, you need to get them to eat something, even if it's stinky cheap nasty food.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

His Divine Shadow posted:

Oh yeah, can you change a cats fur somehow? Like it make it more coarse? My parents got this long hair cat and his hair is incredibly fine and soft, the problem is it clumps really, really easily. Requires loads of grooming and combing and even then with daily combings it's not enough to stop it. It would probably help if he had more coarse fur, thicker hairs that didn't clump together so easily.

Is it possible his fur will change over time as he ages? He's around 3-4 now.

I suppose they could start feeding him lovely food and throwing him outside in bad weather, that worked for my mom's cats. :(

But seriously, have they considered having him shaved down? You can't really alter the texture of a cat's coat, but you can keep it nice and short and it won't mat as badly.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Pineapple posted:

snapping turtles will happily eat ducklings and make a try at larger birds if they feel like it. There's a one-legged canadian goose at the local pond who will attest to that.

How does that goose do anything out of water? You have boggled my mind!

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

I would have her teeth looked at to make sure she's not experiencing any pain from them, that could be a cause for not chewing.

Do you feed at set times? She might be panicking because you're going to take the food away, even if she's not emptying the bowl. You might try free-feeding, though that has its own issues depending on the cat.

You might try larger kibble, though I'd be careful because if she doesn't decide to start chewing it she could choke on it. Softening the food slightly might encourage her to chew it (especially if her teeth are bothering her), and you could wean her off the softened food gradually.

If all else fails, you could try feeding it to her a piece at a time, like giving a treat, until she gets the idea.

But I'd definitely make sure there's no underlying dental issue before trying anything else.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

violet joy posted:

here is a question: is it legal/possible to keep goldfinches as pets

I know where I live it is illegal to keep any native species as a pet without a wildlife license. Even if it's not illegal where you live, I doubt there are many people breeding and selling them as pets, and keeping a wild-caught bird has both practical and ethical complications.

They are somewhat larger than the finch species that are kept as pets, which I'm sure would amplify the issues with mess and noise. I cannot imagine they would make good pets. They're social birds, so you'd want to have quite a few of them, and it would require a VERY large cage.

Plus, why would you want to keep a non-domestic songbird as a pet? They're so much nicer outside in the yard :)

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Shath Hole posted:

If I can save the kitten some pain and suffering, I am all for it, I just want to make sure 1) my family is free from the nice cat scratches and 2) my stuff doesn't get destroyed.

Good for you, first of all, for being open to other suggestions.

Kittens are jerks, especially when they're very young. If you're going to get a wee kitten, less than a year old, I'd say get two, or your lone cat will destroy everything you own. Okay, maybe that's exaggerating, but still. If you want a kitten but don't mind an older one, go for an adolescent. They're less destructive, less prone to gross stuff like kitten diarrhea, less fragile overall and much calmer. But if you get a younger kitten(s), just realize that a little bit of scratching and property damage can be expected while it learns.

It's totally possible to teach a cat not to use its claws except on acceptable materials. I've never used SoftPaws, but I've heard glowing reviews for the owners of stubborn kitties who won't redirect their scratching onto appropriate furniture (cat tree, scratching post, etc).

Trimming can be a little bit of a hassle, but it will make both you and kitty more comfortable. Even a total sweetheart cat will sometimes get to makin' biscuits on your leg, and a trimmed, blunt claw will make that less painful. Charlie gets his claws caught in things a lot when they're long, and he's not much of a scratcher, so I've clipped them from time to time.

I'm sure others will chime in here. I have absolutely zero experience with declawing or declawed cats, and I have only anecdotal knowledge of the negatives of the procedure, so I won't opine to heavily on it. None of our cats have ever needed to be declawed, not even the ones who were incredibly scratch-happy.

And be aware that there's a difference between "I'm a little kitty and I don't know how to control my claws and teeth yet" and "I'm going to kill you" scratches and bites. With patience and understanding, you can teach a kitten how to not do the former, and it's not a good enough reason to declaw a cat. The latter is a serious behavior issue, and in extreme cases I think it's better to declaw the cat than to have it put to sleep.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Captain Foxy posted:

But, now that Tom is around 8 months in age and roughly 9lbs in weight, my GF claims we no longer need to be so concerned about the seat being up, and freely leaves it up whenever she pleases. (Butch women can be a lot like straight men, I guess.) My concern is that he still loves to drink from the bowl, and he could potentially still fall in head-first, be unable to scrabble out of the bowl because of the slick sides, and drown.

We let ours drink from the toilet all the time when I was a kid, and never had any problems with them falling in, even when they were little kittens.

I've since been told that it's really dangerous to let cats drink out of the toilet, because of the possible (likely) presence of human waste and/or cleaning chemicals in the water.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Pointy_Stick posted:

To me that sounds like self mutilation. Cockatoos..... I have heard of people taking those in to the shower and they sit on shower bars but my little bitey friend... sounds like pain...
:aaaaa:

I met a gentleman at my exotics vet who had two birds, a cockatoo and a blue-fronted Amazon. The Amazon was unhandleable, though apparently still quite social. Instead of trying to bathe him or otherwise risk having the poo poo torn out of him, the owner put the bird in a smaller, otherwise empty cage and hung it in the shower. The Amazon would happily frolic in the water for a while.

I could see taking a bird into the shower with you being dangerous if you were naked, but with a swimsuit on or something there wouldn't be as much danger to the soft bits.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Hapax Legomenon posted:

Catnip covered dog. Has anyone tried this, and is this a good idea?

Most of the cats I've had attack the poo poo out of catnip toys, and if you put it on the rug they scratch there pretty hard. I think this sounds like a good way to get your dog torn up.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Meow Cadet posted:

I just noticed my cat has a broken tooth. One of her canines looks almost snapped in half. She's not having trouble eating, and does not show any discomfort. Her yearly check-up is in about 2 months. Should I be overly concerned about her tooth? Or can I just mention it the next time I'm at the vet?

There is a portion of the tooth that can be broken off without exposing nerves, and if she's eating fine she may not be experiencing any pain. I'd still bring it up with the vet - call their office and ask about it, and if they're concerned they may ask you to bring her in.

They may want to file it or do something else if the end is jagged. If it's broken off far enough that the nerve is exposed, she may need some pain management and other dental work.

Cats are really good at hiding pain. My old cat was missing all of her top teeth, including the canines (snapped off at the gum), and she still had a good appetite. She was also slowly starving to death because of diabetes, and was probably in agony, but my family had no idea. She acted pretty normally. I'm not trying to scare you into thinking your cat is suffering, I just want to point out that if she's hurting, she might not let you know.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Brucie Reference posted:

What would be the best way to change my cats sleep schedules? It seems like they sleep all day, and want nothing more than to play and be active beyond 9pm.

Cats are largely nocturnal animals. Ours certainly sleeps through most of the day unless someone is there to interest him, and then sleeps in bed with us much of the night, though he gets up to prowl around. He's pretty active in the evenings when we get home from work, so I'd say 5:30-11:30 he's awake and moving, and probably not much more than that. They're lazy beasts, especially older ones.

You might be able to adjust them by a few hours, but you won't be able to make them active in the daytime and sleepy at night, it's just not part of their nature. Encourage them to be up and playful earlier in the evening by using toys or treats, and maybe try to wear them out before it's time for you to go to bed so they're not running around when you're trying to get to sleep. Once you've gone to sleep, them getting up and being active won't be nearly as disruptive.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Fishbulbz posted:

I bought a trio of females from PetSmart that all ended up being male. Either that or females also flare and build bubble nests. All the containers were marked female and they were all dull coloured, but I think they were just too young to sex properly. Live and learn, I guess.

Did they kill each other? In species where the sexual differences result in social/antisocial behaviors, it's very upsetting that stores get it wrong.

When I did my mouse diet experiment in middle school, my dad went out and bought ten white female mice for me to use. I had an after-school thing and couldn't go myself - I really wish I had, because one of them turned out to be a boy. They were certainly old enough to be easily sexed. I wound up returning him and getting another female, but like a week later, and she was slightly older. The other four in her cage ganged up on her and made her miserable, and she got very sickly and died. All because someone didn't bother to look for little mouse balls. :(

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

whoopdeefuckingdoo posted:

Has anyone else heard of giving your cats yogurt for gas? I was kinda surprised by the prescription.

I personally go out and buy a container of probiotic yogurt every time I'm prescribed an antibiotic - prevents several unpleasant problems. Your little kitty may be gassy because he doesn't have enough good bacteria in his guts, and probiotic yogurt (which these days is most yogurt, actually) has live cultures that will promote healthy digestion. Plus kitties usually like it.

My rat was on antibiotics for several weeks and got very soft stools and a lot of abdominal discomfort, which cleared up almost immediately when I started giving him yogurt.

The vet also suggested Mylicon for the other rat who was having breathing problems, because his intestines were full of air bubbles from gulping air. It's made for human babies, so it's pretty mild stuff. Definitely ask the vet first, because I've never used it on a cat, but it might help him.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Crazedscot posted:

Is it normal for a cat, or female cat at least, to have some kind of loose hanging mass on their lower tummy down near their hind legs, sort of like two large soft lumps?

Yeah, lots of female cats get this.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Prune Juice posted:

How do I teach this little cat it needs to use the litter?

Put its poops in the litter box. If it's as young as you say, it's not necessarily going to figure it out right away. The burying instinct is pretty ingrained in them, though, so it should figure it out. You're lucky it's already eliminating on its own - my sister found a 4-week-old kitten a little while back that hadn't quite grasped that yet and still needed to be stimulated.

I wouldn't bathe it again. Little kittens are really bad at regulating their own body temperature, and if it was shivering that means it was cold. The purring might be a good thing and it might not, because cats also purr when they're scared.

I've never raised an orphan, but we've taken in plenty of young kittens who didn't have a firm hold on the concept of the litterbox. It's not going to get the hint from you placing it in the box. By putting the poop in the litter you're signaling that's where the poop goes. Make sure to carefully clean up any "accidents" he has. We used to just use white vinegar when I was a kid, but after reading suggestions here I've used Nature's Miracle in the (extremely rare) instances where Charlie goes outside the box.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Rather than trying to wash him with water, if he's still dirty, you can use a warm damp washcloth, and that way he won't have as much chance to get chilled - and it's kind of like what his mom would do to him, so it might comfort him.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Prune Juice posted:

Thank you, it worked, and the kitten seems to be using the litter box now on its own. One huge concern: the house smells like cat pee already (after only 2 days) and my sister says it's coming from the litter box, which, ironically, is filled with Arm and Hammer anti odor litter! And yes, we do scoop up anything new right away. Does having a cat automatically mean the house will smell or are we not doing something right?

Kittens seem to be stinkier than adult cats, and cats in general will have nasty urine if they're not well hydrated. Make sure he's getting plenty of liquids into him.

We've never had good luck with the Arm and Hammer stuff. I've always liked Tidy Cat, but I don't know if it's safe for little kittens - I've heard that clumping litter can be dangerous for the very little ones. Having not had a kitten in a number of years, it hasn't been an issue for me.

A covered box will help contain the smell, but you might want to find a better litter for odor control.

whoopdeefuckingdoo posted:

However, this morning, there seemed to be a poop accident on the floor. It was not diarrhea. It looked like a normal poop. I am pretty sure it was the kitten because it was smaller than my adult cat's. The litter boxes were scooped last night. This is the first time I have ever had a cat have an accident on the floor like that. Do you think it might be related to the yogurt? Or just an "Oops, I didn't make it. Sorry mom!"?

If he's having any kind of discomfort, he might associate the box with pain.

Or it may have just been an accident. He's young, and he was having intestinal issues. I don't think the yogurt caused the accident, but it might have helped get things moving. Unless it happens again I wouldn't worry about it.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Kela posted:

Something like that happened to me with an ex once. It didn't matter who fed, petted, etc the cat, the cat simply liked the person who had a lap available the longest in the house.

Charlie is so strongly bonded to Steve that even though I feed him, brush him, give him his treats, and let him sleep on me at night, if Steve snaps his fingers and pats his lap Charlie will all but teleport there. It's fine, since he's Steve's cat and I would hate to steal him.

Cats are funny sometimes about who they attach themselves to. My old cat who had lived with my mother for years and almost never saw me still recognized me and followed me around when I came home to visit. I had a friend whose cat fell so in love with his girlfriend that when she moved away for school, the cat got depressed and stopped eating. He wound up giving her the cat, who is apparently now doing quite well.

KilGrey, you can always try bribery, I guess.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

alucinor posted:

They're good for nothing. I have a huge bale of cedar in my garage right now that was "donated" to our rescue, and after a little research I found that NOBODY wanted it. Even the horse, goat, and llama rescues turned me down, because these animals can ALSO have bad reactions to the phenols.

Make closet sachets and drawer inserts and sell them on Etsy. Mention that you're using the money to fund your rescue efforts. At least then it won't just sit in your garage and collect dust.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

hitension posted:

But why does she just lie there sometimes? She has her eyes open too when she does this.

I don't know a whole lot about hamsters, but I know my rat has several spots in his cage where he'll just lie down and chill out, awake and aware but totally sedentary. He also sometimes sleeps on top of his house instead of inside it. I think a lot of small animal behaviors are beyond our ability to comprehend.

She might be too hot, though, and flattening herself out will cool her - thus the cage-pressing, if the corner feels cool to the touch or something. You could try putting something cold in the cage and seeing if she presses against it.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Cuddlebottom posted:

1) How are you supposed to keep humidity up in the tank? I know you wet your substrate, but after that, what do you use, sponges?

I've never kept hermit crabs, but I've become really fond of gel humidifiers (I use them for my cigar humidor). They come with two piecs: a metal plate that sticks on the side or lid, and the plastic "basket" with a magnet on the back to stick to the plate. The basket has little crystals that absorb and then release moisture. I wouldn't use propylene glycol (which is the recommend liquid for "charging" the humidifiers) with a living creature, but distilled water works just fine. They're fairly inexpensive, and come in different sizes. My 30-count humidor is about 10"x6"x3.5" and a single 50-count humidifier will keep the internal humidity at 65-70% for two weeks.

A humidor is a somewhat sealed environment, though, so you'd probably need to refill more often and possibly have more of them, but they should work. They're totally non-toxic and safe (otherwise cigar buffs wouldn't use them!), and not terribly expensive, plus they last a long time as long as you're not refilling them with tap water (which can cause them to mildew). They're less likely to rot or build up bacteria or mildew than a sponge or a foam humidifier.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Smam posted:

I gave my kitty's front claws a very careful trim for the first time today. Except for one case where he rolled over and tried swatting me, he was good about having it done and didn't fuss.

I did Charlie's earlier this evening and he bit on me a little while I was doing it - nothing painful, just him "warning" me by nipping on my hand. He hates having his feet touched.

quote:

Can a cat really be embarrassed by losing his scratching abilities? And how long will the adjustment take? It's sad seeing him halfheartedly bat at my hands with his newly soft paws and then sulk off to the couch to avoid me. :(

I think he'll get over it. The first time I did Charlie's he wouldn't even stand up for an hour. Were you sure to cut the edges smooth? Clippers meant for human nails can leave a rough edge, and I think it feels weird to them.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

alucinor posted:

Also, be careful about wetting your substrate, if it's to the point where you have standing water underneath it, it can breed bacteria. The problem with the sponges is that they breed bacteria too, so you need to change them fairly frequently.

That's why I suggested the cigar humidifier earlier. Unless there's a reason it needs to be down in the cage with them, like a sponge is? Do they honey up to the sponge?

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Cuddlebottom posted:

Excellent, thanks for all the advice. Never would've thought of a humidor humdifier. This is going to be fun to shop for. :3:

If you have a local tobacconist, just walk in and tell them you want to look at crystal humidifiers. A 100-count humidifier will probably run you around $20, and I think you'd want two, depending on the size of your tank. If you have need of a nice hygrometer/thermometer, they'll have those too. My backup humidor has a fantastic electronic one - I would have put it in my main humidor, but the analog one wouldn't come out without breaking.

I refilled mine and forgot to put it back in, so now it's all dried out again :( Thankfully the humidor is still around 60%. I've got like a hundred dollars worth of cigars in there that I don't want ruined.

If you do go this route, let the humidifiers soak up the water for about an hour the first time. That way when you turn them upright or upside down (side of tank or lid) they won't drip. After that first time, they should absorb it within ten or fifteen minutes. But definitely check before putting them in, you don't want them dripping into your substrate and puddling.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Women's Rights? posted:

I suppose I shouldn't complain, but I'm just curious as to why all of a sudden he'd have such nice looking fur. He has terrible eyesight and has some sort of neurological condition that makes it hard for him to groom hiimself since he has almost zero balance, so I'm used to him having slightly greasy fur...hell I kind of miss it.

Maybe one of the other cats is grooming him more?

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Cat feces are pretty stinky, less so if they're on a good food and in good health. But no matter how well you feed them or how healthy they are, cat poop smells.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

My question is for anyone here who has a JRT. They're high-energy dogs, way more than our lifestyle allows, but I was wondering about the possibility of an older dog. I've heard they calm down considerably at about 6-7 years old, and tend to be pretty chill in their later years. I like the idea of rescuing an older dog who might not otherwise find a home, but I was wondering: is that really true? I've also heard that some of them get along quite well with cats, while others are determined to chase them.

We have in no way settled on a breed, or even whether we actually want to get a dog in the near future, but this is something we were talking about the other night and neither of us knew for sure.

If we do end up deciding to get a dog, I'll probably post a "help me pick a dog" thread.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

eclectic taste posted:

My JRT is only 5 months old, and is really full of energy, but as a puppy that's to be expected. A neighbor has a 5 year old, and he jokes that the JRT only has 2 modes - On & Off. There really isn't a lot of middle ground. Getting along with other critters is iffy, they are bred to be vermin hunters, so anything smaller than them (cat, hamster, mouse, rabbit) can be a potential target. VERY careful introduction and close supervision MIGHT allow them to co-exist.

In my limited experience, the behavior traits descrbed here are fairly accurate

See, that's what I'd thought, but then someone was telling me "Oh, no, after about five years old they calm way down and just want to chase a ball once in a while!" and that a lot of them get along with cats as long as the cat doesn't run away from them.

On the other hand, there's an absolutely beautiful hound/spaniel mix at one of the nearby rescues that's totally bombproof, loves kids and cats and other dogs, and likes nothing more than to lay on the couch. Maybe more our speed.

I think the big problem is that my fiance has it in his head that small = good. He's a cat person. Anything much larger than a cat seems big and ungainly, and while he gets that some large breeds actually don't need a lot of room, he's still stuck in the small-breed mindset. I like the personalities of terriers, but I don't think we could give them enough exercise, and with an older cat and a caged pet (rat) in the house, I think it's a disaster waiting to happen.

Personally I love big dogs. There's a lovable gangly year-old Dane mix a few towns away that's over a hundred pounds and is pictured taking a nap with the foster family's two cats. I would love nothing more than to give him a good home. They say he's pretty low-key, content to have a good long walk or just run around the backyard chasing tennis balls for twenty or thirty minutes a day. That sounds awesome to me. But this is a dog I only outweigh by about fifteen pounds, so I can understand my fiance's reluctance to an idea like that.

I think we'll be able to compromise if we can find a medium-sized mixed breed of some sort who gets along with cats. I've already spotted a few on Petfinder.

I'm already in love with this little guy:


And he even likes cats! But they say he'd do better in a multi-dog home, so we'd probably have to pass. Still, what a cutie!

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

My friend just dropped off both her young cats for declawing. She's tried one or two things to stop them, but is too busy with her overdramatic life to really train them. She insists she told me about this before, but if she did I must have blocked it.

She's mad that I'm mad. And it's too late to talk her out of it. :(

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

Meat Street posted:

Every few days, my cat is nowhere to be found when I get home from work. A search of the apartment reveals her lurking under the couch or in the cabinets in my kitchen, sulking and reluctant to come out. Assuming I can coax her out, I've noticed that her rear end is almost always inflamed looking and, uh, moist. We got the cat almost six months ago from her previous owner (she's about two years old), and this didn't start happening until the last couple of months.

Hiding is generally a huge sign, and with the unhappy-looking anus she should definitely see a vet.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

aunt moneybags posted:

One day I will learn this. Right now I only recognize the "PLEASE let me go on the (screened in) porch with you" meow, which is always followed shortly by the "PLEASE let me back inside" meow.

Charlie has the "You just turned out the lights to go to bed so I have to go stand in the middle of the house and scream" meow. We call it "making announcements." He stands at the most central part of the house and hollers. Maaaaaaaahw. Maaaaaahw. Mrrraaaaahw. Then he stops, comes upstairs, and curls up in bed with us. It is so weird.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

TheNateLaw posted:

I adopted two kittens Sunday and bought a Drinkwell at the same time. They've been drinking a good bit from it, but it's growing mold already. I know that it needs to be cleaned periodically, but after 2 days? Is there some way to prevent it from happening so quickly?

Are you on well water or something like that? Our cat dishes would grow algae (not mold) really quickly when I lived out in the country and had well water. Here on city water, with chlorine and fluoride added, Charlie's fountain stays clean for a pretty long time.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

streborzil posted:

Anyone else have nightmares about their pets dying?

Whenever van Buren doesn't want to come out and be friendly I worry that he's sick. I'm neurotic enough that I put my ear to his chest every day to make sure his breathing isn't labored. Thankfully he's just old and grumpy, not sick. But I definitely know where you're coming from.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply