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Also Evo has some good canned products for allergic kitties that are relatively new. They make a 90% Duck, 90% Beef, and 90% Venison if I remember correctly. If you can't do a single protein source, usually eliminating grains and all fish products is a good place to start with cats. I have an IBD kitty, which is along the same spectrum as a food allergy, and she has improved a lot on Evo dry + Wellness turkey canned. And vomiting 3-4 times a week isn't normal for any cat. If your vet is shrugging that off, it's time to find a new vet in my opinion.
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Apr 4, 2009 20:29
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mr. nazi posted:Hairball or something else, what do you think? That's pretty typical hairball posture. One of my cats never pukes anything up either -- sometimes they just need to hack enough to dislodge the hairball so it can be swallowed properly. Mt cat only does this about once or twice a month. Once a week doesn't sound too terrible, but if it's worrying you or becoming more frequent, I'd take him to the vet. Kitties with asthma (or really any lung issue) will cough in that same position. Is he a noisy breather? Your vet could probably tell you or rule out a lot just by listening to his chest.
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Apr 5, 2009 14:02
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mr. nazi posted:edit: that picture of zeus is the pose he makes, but way closer to the ground, and he breathes out really hard a couple times (sometimes 8-10) and it sounds like it would if you or I breathed all of the air out of our lungs while making noise doing it, it tapers off at the end in like a wheeze/sigh That sounds like it should be checked out. With a hairball cough, when the cat doesn't actually vomit the hairball, the coughing is usually pretty wet/phlegmy sounding, and a lot of times you'll actually see them gulp it down at the end. It could be all sorts of things, but if your vet recommends x-rays to check out his lungs and heart, I'd go for it. The most common culprit is asthma, which is certainly serious, but it's very manageable in cats when it's mild.
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Apr 5, 2009 17:29
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Megalodon posted:Also, I did a quote, but there was no section for current/previous issues. She currently has a spinal infection that will need to be treated for 6 weeks. Is this likely to be covered or will the next 6 weeks be up to me to cover? I'm pretty sure they aren't going to cover any current or preexisting conditions, so the infection wouldn't be covered. Like you can get your diabetic pet insured, but unless the diabetes is diagnosed after you already have the insurance, they aren't going to pay for anything having to do with diabetes. Even so, I think pet insurance is great if you can afford it. Hopefully you'll never have a really sick pet, but if you do, you can spend your energy worrying about your pet instead of whether or not you can afford a particular test or procedure.
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Apr 6, 2009 04:02
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RazorBunny posted:From everything I've seen on the boards so far, she's probably developed an allergy. Is she on a flea preventer? Even inside cats can get fleas, and a lot of cats are allergic. There's also a good chance it's the food or an environmental allergy. A food allergy is a definite possibility, but the fact that it's on her feet and belly makes me wonder about a contact allergy. Food allergies can look like anything, but with cats faces and ears are pretty standard. Have you changed her litter recently or treated your carpets with anything? EDIT: But whether or not it's food related I would change her diet, as Iams is pretty crappy.
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Apr 6, 2009 13:46
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RazorBunny posted:Today he is not eating on his own... If his kidneys have been a problem in the past, I would take him in for labwork sooner rather than later. Also they should be able to send you home with something to stimulate his appetite, as force feeding cats really sucks. If it is his kidneys, look into doing sub-Q fluids at home. A lot of cats tolerate that better than syringing lots of pedialyte by mouth. Also, I think the pepcin you mentioned is probably pepcid. It's the same stuff you get for people at the drugstore - active ingredient famotidine - and it tends to work really well for barfy and renal cats. Ask your vet first of course, but that's an easy/cheap thing to give at home if he ever starts acting under the weather like this again. And also, Charlie is totally badass looking. He looks like he stole his fur off an Australian shepherd. I hope he starts feeling better soon!
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Apr 7, 2009 15:59
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RazorBunny posted:Edit: Okay, so we have a question, and hopefully someone has an answer. We think Charlie is constipated, which is probably aggravating (or possibly causing) the other problems. The grocery store is all out of canned pumpkin, which is what we usually give him. I don't trust human laxatives because of the size difference when it comes to dosage, and I don't want to irritate his system with a chemical laxative. Would it be safe to mix up some Metamucil or Fiber-con or whatever and give him that? Fiber supplements are going to be less harsh than laxatives. There are a number of prescription meds (Cisapride, Lactulose) that can help with this if you ask your vet. The OTC treatment we use for cats where I work is Miralax, which comes in a white, flavorless powder that cats usually tolerate mixed into their food. I believe the usual dosage is 1/8 teaspoon daily, but since I'm not sure on that, I'd ask your vet. As the previous poster suggested, hairball remedies can definitely help things move along, too.
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Apr 8, 2009 01:20
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con posted:I got a 10 month old cat about a month ago from a no kill rescue shelter. He is the friendliest animal I have ever been around, besides my chinchilla. The first 2 weeks I had him everything was fine, but now he has a little patch of hair he keeps biting or licking away on the joint of his left hind leg. The skin isn't swollen or abnormal compared to the rest of his skin. We took him to a vet to get his last rabies shot and they checked him for fleas and every other common disease prior to this. He is also deaf if that has anything to do with this. Some cats will overgroom from stress, but with a new shelter kitty, it could be ringworm (which your vet probably didn't check for if he wasn't showing any symptoms at the time). You're probably going to have to take him back to the vet for a definitive answer.
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Apr 8, 2009 07:54
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bee soup posted:pee issues If he's eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom, it's unlikely that he's blocked. I also doubt he'd be marking on your bed where he's sitting - when male cats spray, it's usually against a wall or something else vertical. He could have crystals. Actual bacterial bladder infections are very rare in cats under 8-10 years old, but if he's older, that's a possibility too. There's also a condition in cats that's not too uncommon where stress can trigger an uncomfortable inflammation in the bladder that will make them pee frequent, small amounts, sometimes outside the litter box. We see it most often in multi-cat households where a cat is getting picked on, but I suspect a new home could be stressful, too. As long as he's eating, drinking, acting normal, and producing a normal amount of urine, it's probably not an emergency. Your vet should be able to run a urinalysis when you take him in on Saturday which should provide some answers.
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Apr 9, 2009 02:34
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Local Yokel posted:Our dog, a 16 month old shih-tzu, is suddenly very irritable. For the last two day or so he doesn't want to be touched, or he will growl angrily (not a playing growl, but a genuinely angry growl). He's also less animated than usual, and just isn't acting like the dog we are used to. It's possible that your dog is just grumpy or stressed about something, but this really sounds like something may be wrong. Pain of any kind could make him act like this, or he could just feel crappy. Hopefully the vet will be able to figure it out tomorrow.
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Apr 10, 2009 04:02
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Worlds Best Grandma posted:My cat Poop has had an unusual amount of "eye-boogers" ever since he was little. Is this most likely a drainage problem in one of his ducts? If so, is it harmful? He doesn't seem to mind it. Assuming the boogers are a normal dark brown sort of color, it's fine. Blocked tear ducts are pretty common, and while a vet can go in and attempt to open it up, this practically never works in my experience.
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Apr 13, 2009 14:12
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IDemandSatisfaction posted:My dog has been puking constantly today. Other than puking twice an hour, she seems fine. Is there anything I can give her to curb the vomiting? You could give her pepcid, but if she's puking twice an hour she's not going to keep it down long enough to help. Take her to the vet. Even if it's not something serious, they can give her injectables to help with the vomiting. She's probably dehydrated by now, too.
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Apr 13, 2009 18:16
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If she's only five months old, chances are she's not spayed. If she is, it had to have been done when she was really tiny (otherwise she'd still have short fur on her tummy). All they can do to see if she's spayed is shave her tummy and look for a scar, which should be pretty obvious on a 5-month old cat. My bet is she's not spayed. I really hope you're able to locate her family soon, but don't get your hopes up. Skinny kitten with no microchip isn't very promising. Have you tried letting Satchmo see the kitten? Shelter cats are sometimes more comfortable with stranger cats, and a lot of cats will be pretty mellow with a kitten when they might not like another adult cat around. Satchmo certainly knows she's there, but if he's not growling and hissing by the door, she's probably not bothering him too much. I've had the experience (and heard of others) where a resident cat is growling outside the door, all upset over a new cat, and when the door opens and the cat sees that it's a silly little kitten and not a huge monster, they really chill out. I would suggest that you go in on Wednesday for the basics - just testing and prevention for things she could give Satchmo - maybe just a combo test + deworming and check to see if she's spayed. As for vaccines, Elvis doesn't sound very rabid. And for distemper/FVRCP/whatever, a vaccine isn't going to give her immediate immunity to those things either if she already has them. If Satchmo is vaccinated, I think you'd be in the clear letting them mix after a negative combo test (assuming she's not sneezing, itchy, having diarrhea, or anything else abnormal). You can probably hold off on vaccines (and possibly a spay!) for a while longer, in case her family turns up.
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Apr 14, 2009 16:20
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My friend adopted a shelter dog who had this same piddling problem, so I'll tell you what worked for her: No negative reinforcement. Praise good behavior, and redirect the bad. If she's on the bed and not supposed to be, move her off the bed without saying anything and put her in timeout if you have to. My friend's dog also peed if you reached for her collar, so you may have to avoid things like this too. My friend kept the dog leashed while inside for the first while so if a behavior needed to be corrected, she could move the dog without having to grab her collar. The dog also peed when she was just too excited, like if she had been alone a few hours and someone got home. To fix this, they would come inside and not make eye contact with dog, not talk to her, not pet her - just put on the leash and go outside. Once she had peed in the grass, she got lots of praise and hellos. In short, stop doing whatever you're doing that triggers the peeing. Also, if she's that scared it wouldn't hurt to work with her on other basic commands/training (with lots of positive reinforcement) to help build up her confidence and make her more comfortable with you.
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Apr 15, 2009 00:58
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Did he swallow it whole or broken? How big? If it was broken/splintered and he just ate it, I would call an emergency vet and ask their opinion. Trying to get him to vomit up something sharp is risky, but a lot better than having it perforate his intestine. If it was whole and not very big, I would just keep a very close eye on him until you see it in his poo. Any vomiting, diarrhea, bloody anything, lethargy, weird behavior, coughing, gagging, not eating -- straight to the emergency vet.
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Apr 16, 2009 02:17
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For cleaning it up, flea combs work really well for degunking fur (YMMV depending on your dog's coat type). But really, shaving the butt is the way to go if you ask me. A vet or groomer can do it for you for not much money, or you can invest in a set of clippers to keep it trim all the time.
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Apr 16, 2009 03:55
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Is there seriously no grass in your backyard at all? Even a tiny patch is way better than pee pads or asphalt. Two problems with peepads: One, you dog is going to associate going to the bathroom with a location and routine, not with a little pad on the floor. Your dog is going to see that it's fine to go potty anytime as long as it's in the corner of your kitchen or whatever. Two, the majority of the associations your dog is managing to form with the actual pad are related to the texture and feel of it. Just like cats are naturally attracted to litter and litter-like substrates, you're training your dog to piss on anything and everything that feels kinda like a peepad - cloth, paper, carpet, whatever makes your pup happy. Stop the peepads ASAP. Have a chat with your puppy and let her know it's never okay to potty indoors, period. Take the puppy outside at least every 2-3 hours during the day and stay outside until she goes to the bathroom. If she's still sneaking off to poop inside, put a leash on her and keep her close to you 24/7. As soon as she makes a move for one of her poop spots, starts sniffing around, etc - outside! While you're waiting on vaccines, don't take her anywhere with other dogs or dog poo poo on the ground. This really only applies to dogs and poo poo from dogs you don't know - i.e. your friends' vaccinated healthy animals aren't going to get your puppy sick. If your backyard is private, that's totally fine - you're just as likely to track Parvo into your house as into your backyard (read: not likely).
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Apr 17, 2009 04:41
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RazorBunny posted:I wouldn't think that an antibiotic would help with diarrhea Metronidazole is the standard first choice drug for cats with diarrhea. It has a lot of gut-soothing, anti-diarrheal properties, as well as being effective against bad bacteria and giardia. Not a weird med choice at all. As for the food, I/D is gross. I've only met a few cats who will go near it. It's really nasty looking and I suspect it doesn't taste much better. W/D is also good for diarrhea (high fiber), and is way more palatable. As everyone else has said, getting your cat to eat is important. At the same time if you start offering him all sorts of weird stuff, it's just going to make the diarrhea worse. I would try feeding him his old food for a while longer. Cats, unlike dogs and people, can only go about 3 days without food until their liver starts to shut down, which is very very serious. Eating is always the #1 priority in a sick cat, no matter what the food is, but with simple diarrhea I wouldn't freak out too much. Give your kitty a little while to start feeling better, and maybe the metronidazole will help. If your cat wants greenies, let him have them. No matter what he's eating, if he can keep some sort of food down without vomiting, that rules out a lot of serious illness possibilities. If your cat's appetite hasn't gotten better in the next 24 hours, ask the vet about an appetite stimulant or anti-nausea drug. If your vet carries it, mirtazapine rocks for getting cats to eat. dAPER posted:plastic bag licking cat I know two different cats who do this. One is senile and will stare off into space while she licks for like 30 minutes at a time. It's seriously weird. The other licks for a while and then starts eating them. Eating plastic is bad.
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Apr 18, 2009 04:43
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coolhandsarrah posted:This isn't really an animal question, so much as a pet owning question. How feasible is it to get/own a dog while still in college? I've wanted to get a dog for a very long time, but I've been told to wait until after I'm finished school, when I'll have the time to properly train it and give it more attention. I'm in college now, and I'm not really a party-goer, I prefer to stay in most of the time. I think I would have more time to devote to the dog now than I would after graduating and getting a full-time job. But perhaps I'm being naive, I really don't know. I just want a dog. I can see how you might have more free time now than after you graduate, but time isn't the only issue. I assume you're living off campus. That said, does your lease allow pets? Do they require a pet deposit? When your lease is up and you have to move, are you willing to significantly narrow down your options by only choosing a place that allows dogs? Many places have weight limits, as well as breed restrictions. Do you have a steady source of income, or will your parents be covering all the dogs expenses? How do they feel about this? Could you come up with $500-1500 on short notice for vet bills if there was a serious emergency? What will you do with the dog when you go on vacation, or go home to visit your family? When you graduate and decide to move across the country, will you take the dog with you? When you graduate and don't have a job yet, will you be able to afford a dog? Are you going to decide in 2 years to move to Thailand for a year, or join the peace corps, or study abroad? If after answering these questions honestly, you still believe you're prepared for 10+ years of dog ownership, no matter what life throws at you in the meantime, then sure, look into getting a dog! But you have to adopt from a shelter and post pictures.
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Apr 20, 2009 23:28
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Helanna posted:they made up for it by being crazy while awake. This. As long as your kitten is rowdy and zooming around when she's awake, this sounds totally normal. As for gum color, ask your vet about it when you go in, but I suspect you're just a paranoid new kitty owner. We've all been there. 
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Apr 23, 2009 00:44
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Probably not the advice you were hoping for, but if your cat hasn't kept any food or water down in 48 hours, he needs to go back to the vet, preferably a different one. Unlike dogs and people, cats can't go without food for more than about 3 days before their livers get totally clogged with fat and start shutting down -- this is very serious and very hard (and expensive) to correct. If someone else knows otherwise please correct me, but I've never ever heard of spirochetes causing vomiting, and certainly not with that frequency. I think you're right in being suspicious of that diagnosis -- we usually find spirochetes in newly aquired kittens/strays presenting with diarrhea. He is probably dehydrated. Has he continued vomiting, or is he just not eating? That much sudden vomiting on top of the lethargy and not acting right really worries me. Could he have gotten into something other than a mouse (string, rubber bands, any ornamental plants, any anything)? If your cat doesn't seem way better tomorrow (eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, and moving around), I would definitely get him back into the vet.
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Apr 24, 2009 04:52
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somethingawesomer posted:My cat is constipated, I think. "[ELP posted:"] One of my cats likes to be obnoxious in the middle of the night, and when this happens, I kick her out of my bedroom and shut the door. I used to feel bad about it, but I realized that she's just rowdy, and if she hating getting kicked out, she'd probably learn to not be obnoxious at night. Is there an area you can restrict her to that's not quite as small as a bathroom? Either way, I don't think you're being mean. And if your cat has been getting put up at night her whole life, she probably is used to it. As long as she has cozy spots to sleep and all her necessities in the bathroom, I think it's fine. And yeah, she probably does miss her buddy. After one of the cats who lived at the clinic where I work died, his buddies kept going and hanging out around his usual bed and sniffing around for about a month. I know they just missed him and wondered where he was. 
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Apr 26, 2009 16:52
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Hellblazer187 posted:If I take a trip for a week and I kennel my cats, will they remember me when I get back? I've left them for 4-5 days and they seem to be fine but I've never left them longer than that, so I want to kennel them while I'm gone. They'll be going from a kennel to a new home, because we're moving right before the trip. Will this stress my cats out too much? Your cats will definitely remember you. A story: I took care of my sister's cat for 6 months starting when he was about 8 months old. (My sister was dealing with a lot of crap including moving cross country.) By the time the cat went back to live with my sister, he had known me for almost as long as he had known my sister. His first night back with her, she opened the drawer in her nightstand where she used to keep his treats (in a totally different apartment, 6 months before) and he came tearing down the hallway and jumped onto the bed. It was cute. 
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Apr 27, 2009 04:49
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Women's Rights? posted:So I was playing with Poko on sunday, pretending to bite his feet and what not, and I noticed that there was skin being sloughed off his pads. I took him into the vet today, and while the vet didn't see any sores or notice any pain with him (it's hard to tell since he doesn't like being touched anyways), her best guess was that it's pillow foot. I read over the documents that she gave me, and it's associated with FIV, which there's no chance that he could have, so how else could he have gotten it? Can it just happen? Has anyone else had a cat with pillow foot, and does it get better on its own? The only treatment option listed in the sheet she gave me was prednisone, but the vet didn't seem to think that Poko needed it as he hadn't advanced to the sores stage. How bad is it? Does it just look sort of like dry, peely skin? If so, tons of cats have this and it's not something serious. Also I've never actually seen "pillow foot" -- I think it's pretty darn uncommon even among FIV+ cats.
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Apr 27, 2009 21:34
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Megalodon posted:I'm looking into adopting a cat or two soon, and would just like a recommendation for a good litter box and litter. I was planning on getting a Littermaid until I read many neutral reviews claiming that poop often gets stuck in the rakes of the machine. I'd rather scoop poop than dig it out of those little creases. I've read some good reviews on the Breeze claiming it's great for getting rid of pee smells, so I'm leaning towards this. If anyone has recommendations for another one or a really good non-stinky litter, it'd be appreciated. Pretty much all automatic litter boxes have mixed reviews. Personally I like covered litter boxes so I don't have to watch my cats poo poo, but that's just my preference. I also like big boxes because if I skip a scooping, there's less stuff cemented to the sides/bottom of the box. A lot of PI recommends big rubbermaid-type containers for litter boxes. You can get a huge one for a lot cheaper than a huge litter box, and your cat won't know the difference. As for litter, when your cat poops you might be able to smell it if you're in the same room. Just like when you take a poo poo and promptly flush it, it still smells like poo poo. Your litter box should never have a pee odor if you're scooping often enough. Unless your cat is an intact tom cat, the pee shouldn't have a strong odor at all. With this in mind, there isn't a huge difference between types of scoopable litter. Some brands have added perfumes and dyes (including a lot of brands that say "Perfume & Dye Free!" -- smell them -- that's perfume) that may or may not appeal to you. Personally I can't stand the smell of Arm & Hammer or Tidy Cats. Petco has their own brand of scoopable litter in bulk (you buy a tub and then get discounted refills) that isn't perfumey and works just fine. Yesterdays News and World's Best Cat Litter always get rave reviews, but they're both too expensive for me personally. I've tried all the "natural" litters (Feline Pine, Swheat, etc.), but as much as I hate the chemicals, I always come back to Fresh Step and Scoop Away. They're cheap, don't stink, and are available at the grocery store.
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Apr 28, 2009 16:01
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McCracAttack posted:...roger. How many days a week do you work? 12 hour days 5 days a week is too much to spend enough time with a dog, but if you only work a few days a week a dog isn't out of the question. If it's only a few days a week, you could get a doggy door and a lazy, older dog from a shelter/rescue. As long as you could commit to spending some time with the dog after such long days (and not just sitting on the couch, but walking, playing, etc.), and of course lots of quality time on your days off, I don't think that would be cruel. This scenario would also work if you were willing to pay a dog walker to take your dog to the park or something every day while you're at work, or take the dog to a reputable daycare type place during the day. Lots of busy people in big cities have daily dog walkers or use daycare, and maybe everyone else thinks this is terrible, but I don't think that's a bad life for a dog who would otherwise be in a shelter.
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Apr 30, 2009 03:37
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Susan Calvin posted:He does have flea allergies, but as far as I can tell, that has no bearing on food allergies. He also had fleas when he was in the shelter a few months ago (before I got him) and because of that, the vet couldn't tell from his fecal float if he had worms. I haven't seen any signs the vet told me to watch for, (ie, rice like segments in his poop or on his butt) but he has been having loose poops. The kind that are almost diarrhea and stink in an eye-watering way. So has his poop been soft/stinky ever since you got him? There are a number of parasites that can be hard to detect in a float. (What do fleas have to do with being able to read a fecal float? I don't understand that part.) Did he ever get dewormed? Where I work we usually deworm new shelter cats by default. It could be anything from parasites to giardia to bacterial upset to food allergy to Inflammatory Bowel Disease. It sounds like he needs a fecal exam and a dewormer just to start. Are you saying his poop is better on the canned food? If so the solution may just be to switch him to that, or try another brand of dry food, but I'd have your vet take a look at his poo again.
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May 2, 2009 04:42
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jackson1 posted:So basically is this something I should report to some kind of authority? YES! Hitting a dog with a stick that big is cruelty. A dog choking itself tied to a tree is as least neglect. Call animal control and tell them everything you know about these people's poor treatment of their dogs. It's no wonder they had a dog become aggressive if they're handling them that way. If animal control isn't able to take their dogs from them, feel free to spy on your neighbors and take pictures of them beating their dogs as evidence. Please let us know what happens.
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May 2, 2009 19:33
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jess posted:Wouldn't it be hard to determine what personality a kitten would end up with? Definitely. Plus a lot of kittens are assholes for a long time before they mellow. If personality is your priority, I definitely recommend getting an adult cat from a rescue. A cat currently in a foster home (as opposed to a shelter) would be ideal since the foster parents will be able to tell you all about the cat's quirks and attitude. They'll also know if the cat is the type to harass the hell out of your other older cats.
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May 3, 2009 07:46
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Liquid Smoke posted:Would it be too crowded to have a cat in a 675 sq ft apartment? How about 2 cats? If you have enough vertical space for them to climb on stuff, then no. A cat tree or two goes a long way in creating zooming/climbing/jumping space. http://www.armarkat.com has great trees, and you can get the same ones on ebay for even cheaper. (Don't buy one from a pet store until you look at the ebay prices -- most stores will charge you more than $100 for something tiny and boring. Get something huge that goes up to the ceiling.) I would be worried about having a cat in an apartment that small without a playmate just because if they're bored, they're going to drive you totally nuts in such a small space. At the same time I'm a little reluctant to encourage you to get two pets without knowing more about your situation. I would also be reluctant to have two kittens in a place that small because kittens are crazy and good at being obnoxious, especially if they're bored/confined. I would go with two relaxed adult cats and a really big cat tree.
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May 3, 2009 08:54
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Liquid Smoke posted:My roommate really likes cats and has one at home. He says as long as the cat doesn't sleep in his room or the living room it is fine. He's very easygoing, i don't think it will be a problem. Don't buy a cat from a breeder. If your roommate has a regular cat at home and can deal with the allergens, get a cat from a shelter or rescue. No matter what breed, the amount of allergens is going to vary a lot from cat to cat -- I am allergic to some cats a lot more than others for no apparent reason, and my allergies tend to get better the more time I spend around an individual cat. Please don't buy a cat.
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May 3, 2009 20:01
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Definitely talk to your vet again about Satchmo. Amitriptyline isn't the only option for reducing his stress with medication. Some cats do better on prozac, so see what your vet thinks about that. Sorry your situation sucks.
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May 4, 2009 21:03
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Scrotos posted:I have a really skinny cat can anyone suggest an easy treat to fatten them up? If your older cat has lost weight, why didn't they do bloodwork to find out what's up? Weight loss in an older cat is pretty much always a symptom of an underlying problem, not just old age. On top of that, there are some great appetite stimulant drugs that work great for older kitties who don't want to eat (again due to a real medical problem that needs treatment on its own). You can try chicken baby food, but make sure you get a brand that only has chicken (no onion or garlic ingredients). Keep in mind that baby food isn't nutritionally complete for a cat, so he needs to be getting some calories from cat food, too. There's also a prescription food you can get from your vet called A/D that's very calorie dense and high fat. It also happens to be stinky and typically pretty appealing to older cats. Also if your cat is only being fed dry food, you should be feeding canned. See the nutrition megathread for the good stuff, but even Fancy Feast is better than nothing for a skinny, picky eater.
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May 5, 2009 03:41
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Is there an ideal height for an elevated feeder? My mom's dog has gas (from both ends, too!), and I've heard this might help her swallow less air. She's a golden retriever, and most of the feeders I see are so low to the ground that it doesn't seem like it would help that much. (She also has food allergies and is on a high quality diet, so I doubt that's the culprit. Or even if it is, we're not changing her food because she has finally stopped chewing her skin off. )
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May 6, 2009 15:54
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SynthesizerKaiser posted:My cat had a runny nose this morning and has been sneezing occasionally for possibly longer than two weeks. He seems fine but I know this is rather unusual for my cat considering for the first 16 years I knew him I only saw him sneeze maybe once every few months. I wouldn't concern myself with this at all if he wasn't so old. Should I be concerned? Sounds like he could have an upper respiratory infection. Usually this is from a virus, but just like human colds it can progress to a bacterial infection, in which case antibiotics might help. You can try waiting it out, but if he's not eating well or seems to not feel good, I'd take him to a vet. They can at least give him something to help with the congestion and his appetite. Also, 16 really isn't that old for a cat. If he is losing weight, that is a symptom of a problem, not just old age. Hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and kidney disease are all VERY common problems in older cats than can make them lose weight. All three are also manageable with medication and home care, so take your cat to a vet and get some labwork done. Please!
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May 7, 2009 13:50
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Helanna posted:I had to try so hard not to take off with her at hometime FIV is really only transmitted from deep bite wounds. I've worked for several rescues who let FIV+ cats mix with healthy cats, and they've never had an issue either, despite the fact that when lots of cats mix, there are inevitable scuffles involving teeth. It also doesn't sound like that kitten is the type to bite a bunch of cats really hard. In adopting an FIV+ cat, especially one with so many other health problems, I would just be worried about affording a lot of extra trips to the vet. As for diseases, the two things I would worry about bringing home to my cats from work are upper respiratory infections and ringworm. I used to be really careful about keeping my cats away from any clothing I worked in, but I've gotten lazier over the years, and they still have never gotten sick. But I've gotten ringworm... just not my cats. KilGrey posted:If your cats are up to date on their shots... Maybe this isn't what you meant, but the FIV vaccine is pretty sketchy in my opinion.
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May 12, 2009 15:44
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Bubbs posted:I have a question about an 18 day old puppy. They all have their eyes open except this one. She has one eye fully open, but the other one is only half way open. I'm not sure if I should be worried or not yet. It's not pussy or red or anything. I can't call the vet until tomorrow morning, so any input would be appreciated. I can do pics if needed. Is it half open like she's squinting, or like the eyelids are still partly sealed together? If she's squinting, I'd take her to the vet in case some sort of infection is about to appear, or she possibly got scratched. If it's still partly sealed, my vet usually just pulls them open. (Obviously don't ever ever do this to an animal whose eyes aren't overdue for opening, or haven't at least started opening on their own.) My understanding is that they need to be opened within a certain timeframe because light stimulates the development of the rods and cones in their eyes. Before you go pulling the eyelids open, I would just give your vet a call in the morning to make sure that's what he recommends. I don't think any damage will be done by waiting until tomorrow either way.
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May 13, 2009 02:46
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Reason posted:My room mates have a cat who is making really loud constant meows that sound more like OW OW OW. It's really annoying. They seem to think shes in heat as she isn't neutered or something. It's also sort of I guess.. squatting? or sort of lowering its body close to the ground when I approach other people approach but she still likes being pet and stuff. I just wanted to see if maybe I should tell them to take it to the vet? The cat is in heat and needs to be spayed. Not only will it make her stop being loving annoying, but it will drastically lower her chances of getting all sorts of nasty reproductive cancers.
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May 13, 2009 04:54
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Reason posted:It's not my cat, don't know why it isn't spayed. It isn't really my place to demand my roommates spay it either. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't dying. I'll suggest spaying it though to them though. I was at one point in the same situation as you with an unspayed roommate's cat. Then the cat started escaping (looking for a boy cat), got into some fights, and got a really nasty abscess that the roommate refused to treat. It finally came down to me saying "Listen, I made a vet appointment for your cat later today, and I'm gonna pay for it, so when your cat is missing that's where she is." The roommate then realized how ridiculous it was that I was taking her cat to the vet myself, and decided she wanted to come with me to the vet. The cat got fixed and patched up, and that's what was important. So what I'm saying is grow a pair, and talk to the roommates, and do what's in the best interest of the cat living under your roof.
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May 13, 2009 15:39
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The Anal Pirate posted:In short: Does anyone know of a rescue for Australian Shepards in the area around or north of Dallas Texas/SE Oklahoma? I'm not finding any rescues for Australian Shepherds specifically, but there are tons of no-kill shelters in the Dallas area. Most are going to have a waiting list for surrenders, and it may even take a month or two to get her in, so I would call a few places and get on the list now. Operation Kindness Texas SPCA Humane Society of Dallas County Those three are all large, no-kill shelters in the Dallas area. You may also want to check petfinder.com to find a list of smaller rescues near you, and start calling/emailing them. Some rescues will also allow a "courtesy listing" of the dog on their website if they don't have room to take her, so that a potential adopter could take her from your family directly. If you go that route though, be sure to use a thorough application from a rescue and actually check personal/veterinary references and do a home visit. Some people are creepy.
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May 19, 2009 17:57
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