The Cat FAQ/Megathread: buying a second, clean broom just to use on him

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > The Cat FAQ/Megathread: buying a second, clean broom just to use on him

The Modern Leper: Dec 25, 2008; You must be a masochist

Tagging onto Honda Civet's question:

I've recently taken in a feral cat. The next door neighbors have been "entertaining" him for the past month or so, but I haven't seen any signs that they've been feeding or sheltering him (he was really thin when I got him in the house). I also was worried about what would happen when the school year started for the child of the house. He's an unknown age, but I would say close to or just over a year (definitely not a big-headed kitten). If someone thinks that I should've just left the cat with the kid, please let me know (it's only been a few days).

I've put in a bit of thought before bringing him in, but I'll be honest and say that I haven't done a tremendous amount of research. My family took in an abandoned cat when I was growing up, but a lot of the "early" vet stuff had already been done (neutering, vaccinations) before we got to him. He's got a litter box, and I'm free-feeding him IAMS "Proactive Health" kibble for the time being. My question is: how do I foster trust with a feral cat so that I can eventually (soon, hopefully) get him into a cat carrier and take him to a vet for the checkup/neutering? He currently doesn't like to be picked up AT ALL. I'm not starting at kitten stage, so I don't know if there's more that I should do beyond the standard "treat him right" things.

EDIT: Found my answer, which was man up and pick him up. No scratches, and he's staying overnight at the shelter for vaccinations and neutering (6 mos. old appx.)

The Modern Leper fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Aug 9, 2009

# ¿ Aug 9, 2009 04:55

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# ¿ May 5, 2024 11:02

The Modern Leper: Dec 25, 2008; You must be a masochist

So rule one of the FAQ seems to be "take 'em to the vet". I'm trying to find a good veterinarian in Philadelphia. I adopted a stray that I found, and got all the initial work done at the ASPCA. I've got two add'l stray kittens that need an initial checkup/sterilization, and all three of my cats need flea treatment. There are a bunch of shelters that'll do everything really cheaply, but I can pay a normal price and don't want to overburden people who doing it for urgent reasons.

I'm thinking of just going to VCA Cat Hospital, cause they've got a brand name, but was trying to see if anyone had any preferences.

EDIT: Bad cellphone image

Click here for the full 1296x976 image.

EDIT: I guess to make it an FAQ type of question -- what resources are available for a person to find a reputable vet? I thought I remembered seeing a question like this in the first 20 pages of the thread, but it never made the op and it's been a while.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2010 16:58

The Modern Leper: Dec 25, 2008; You must be a masochist

Crooked Booty posted:

For cats, I would always start by checking this website: http://www.catvets.com/findadoctor/findadoctor.aspx

AAFP members will generally be vets who have a particular interest in feline medicine and may be more up-to-date on recommended vaccine protocols, etc. Most people have good experiences with cat-only clinics, too, and it looks like there are several to choose from in Philadelphia. Reading reviews on the internet can be helpful, but some people are stupid and angry and cheap and leave horrible reviews for great vets, so take everything with a grain of salt. If you're trying to narrow it down between a couple that look good, you may want to compare their hours to your work schedule (some are open later in the evenings, some aren't open on Saturdays, etc.) -- convenience and location are definitely worth something.

That VCA Cat Hospital may be great, but I wouldn't choose it based on brand name alone. Some VCA hospitals are terrible, and some are great, which is true for all corporate clinics.

Thanks. This is really helpful. Yeah -- the work schedule sync will probably be a big factor. We've actually got a really good vet school in the city, so I imagine that my options will be fairly solid across the board.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2010 17:23

The Modern Leper: Dec 25, 2008; You must be a masochist

Want to hear more about cat cudding, but can we talk about cat music:

https://youtu.be/6T9I6mC7Dpw

I'm dealing with an orange tabby who's experiencing pretty strong separation anxiety after a new move. It doesn't help that his best friend has "disappeared" for a necessary PU surgery. I was at my wit's end, because I couldn't even walk to the elevator without his cries echoing through the halls of the apartment building. Put this on,and not only did he stop whining, but I found him happily kneading one of my blankets when I came back from a food delivery.

The linked site talks some nonsense(?) about binaural effects and using specific tones that relate to cat communication. I remember a lot of this same stuff from when "High Tunes" was a thing for bored middle school students.The music sounds like standard easy listening / scores from 80s romantic dramas, but the behavioral difference is pretty stark from my perspective. Is this doing anything, or could I get the same effect by playing John Tesh while I'm at work?

# ¿ Mar 27, 2017 04:03

The Modern Leper: Dec 25, 2008; You must be a masochist

duckfarts posted:

how do you get your cat to wear headphones

http://m.imgur.com/gallery/0BF2G

:colbert:

Ran it overnight last night over my sound system, to mixed results. Still was able to lie down without him losing his shot, but felt like what I imagine having a newborn is like. Maybe you get two hours, maybe you get twenty minutes.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2017 16:19

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