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

«‹›5 »

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

My cat licks people all the time and they generally find it endearing.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2009 03:38

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 04:07

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

My cat sometimes taps me on the back with his paw when he wants attention and I don't like it.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2015 21:21

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Hypothetical: at some point in my life I may adopt a kitten to give my lovely cat some company. Is it humane to do so when I spend 8-10hrs gone every day? I'd keep them separate and stuff until they were cool with each other, I just wonder if leaving a kitten alone in a room all day is ok?

# ¿ Jun 24, 2015 01:11

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Most kittens are litter trained by the time you adopt them. I think their mothers usually teach them.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2015 00:45

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

It sounds like you have a cat.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2015 15:12

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Also, do not step on it, even if you're absolutely certain it can't get out of the tub.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2015 14:14

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

inkblottime posted:

Hi goons. I need some advice or maybe some reassurances in regards to a new cat. Now it's only been five days since we brought her home but she's acting weird and it concerns me.

Backstory: I volunteer for the local shelter as a foster and a cat cage cleaner. I've been doing this for about a decade now and have built up quite the resolve when it comes to resisting attachment, since I know I can't adopt them all. That being said, we lost our long time cat, Bono, last year and that has left a little space in our house for another pet.

Last week I arrived at the store, where I have been assigned to clean cages for the past few years, to a cat yowling. The store manager says the cat has to go, customers are complaining, etc etc. I totally understand and contact the shelter, offering to bring her back.

As I open the cage to let her out, she immediately climbs into my arms and nestles her head into the crook of my neck, with much purring and kneading. Needless to say, I was vulnerable to this and should have been prepared but I asked my wife if we could give her a trail and she agreed.

After spending a few nights at the shelter for an exam and observation, she came home with us for fostering as she is fighting off an upper respiratory infection. If all things worked out, we would adopt as soon as she was healthy again.

We kept her separated with plenty of fresh water and her own litter box and slowly introduced her to our dog and cat. For the most part she's very easy going, highly adaptive, and forgiving. She took nasal spray in great stride. The only hang up is she'll hiss when our pets are a foot away. My guys have been great, putting up with this by backing away or sitting down at a safe distance. She eats with them, sleeps nearby (cat on couch, dog just under her), and overall making great progress.

Fast forward to tonight. This is the first day we left her out unsupervised after she spent the previous day and night out with our supervision.

She was fine until we fed her. Then she started pacing from door to door, letting out yowls. So I put her in the sun room. She continued to pace from door to door, yowling the entire time and has only now started to settle down (about an hour and half later).

Now I can't tell if it's the heat (currently about 90 degrees), a sudden fear of the litter box, a newly uncovered personality trait, or if she's sick. I will be taking her in to the shelter tomorrow for the later. The former is what concerns me.

I checked her bladder and it's not full so she may have gone before we fed her but right now I'm just hanging out in the room with her, watching to see what she does.

I'm deathly afraid, after dropping my guard and getting attached, that we may have an incompatible cat.

Just now she got up and started pacing again, going from door to door while yowling. If I pet her she lifts her tail and rubs against me, then returns to the door, pawing, head probing to find a way out. She was turned in as a stray but I think she might have had a previous owner (pink collar with bell on it). However she hasn't shown this kind of desperation to get outside since we've had her. It's similar to when a cat is in heat but without the raised butt and the gawd awful musky smell. She's fixed, so I don't know.

She's 5 years old, spayed, and in good shape with an even, forgiving demeanor. Typical tabby with possibly some Siamese judging from her yowls. She's never scratched or bitten me or my pets and gives me love licks if I scrub her belly. She loves brushing, is malleable, loves being held, petted, cuddling, sleeping at the foot of the bed, pretty much everything that tells me she's a perfectly normal cat.

So why is she freaking out? Am I being too paranoid? And if so, do you have any advice for me (take my meds, have myself a beer) or the cat? Talk me down goons. I'm really liking this cat and I'm not emotionally ready to give up.

Sorry for the wall of text. I'll keep monitoring her and see what the shelter says tomorrow. Fingers crossed it's just me.

My cat did this for a few days when I moved and it probably took him a month to really get settled. I think it's normal when bringing an older cat to a new territory.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2015 18:43

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

JohnnyCanuck posted:

Our cat is perfectly healthy so all the peeing just means that she's a jerk.

...

Seriously though, she had a really bad bladder infection last month - one that probably meant peeing = pain! So she's made bad associations with the litterbox, in all likelihood. We're going to try getting a second box for her and placing it elsewhere, see if we can't train her back into good litterbox habits.

She's got some low-level kidney issues - the same kind that most/all cats entering old age have, and maybe some small stones, but the vet can't do anything for those. The kidneystuff may make her pee more than normal, which could also be freaking her out.

All in all, we have a mostly healthy expensive jerk-cat.

Question time: Does anyone have recommendations for starting to use Feliway to dissuade peeing behaviour?

I dealt with this and it loving sucked.

We ended up getting a new litter box and placing it far away from the old one. She would kick up litter and piss on it outside the box for a while. We also plugged in Feliway diffusers throughout the house.

Being diligent about cleaning the pee outside the new box helped and she eventually went back to normal. After a solid two months or so of her not pissing on our laundry we got rid of the second box and she was fine. I don't think the Feliway did anything; I think it just took her a while to stop associating the litter box with pain.

# ¿ Jun 30, 2015 04:28

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Those pictures show only one cat

# ¿ Jul 2, 2015 03:31

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Ferremit posted:

Oh good goons of Pet Island, I have a problem and I need your help:

We have a bit of an interesting situation here- I'll introduce the players.

This is Isaac.

Isaac is about 8.5 months old male (desexed) who we're pretty sure is comprised of pure weapons grade apathy and indiference. Hes not phased by ANYTHING- New people, new things, baths, nails being trimmed, medication, dogs, other cats, fireworks ANYTHING. When we brought him home he lasted about 20 minutes in the ensuite before he almost bashed the door down to go explore the house and claim it as his. Super chill, Super awesome cat. Unfortunately he turned up at the shelter as a 12 week old kitten and was put with his buddy Polo, and they grew up together. We would have taken polo but during the introductions Polo was hiding in the back of the meeting room and wanted nothing to do with us. He cried for three days after Isaac left and then was promptly adopted. Hes currently best buddies with

Oskar:

Oskar is my parents long haired Mini Dachshund, and the most fearsome dog you'll ever meet.. as you can see in the photo. Ha. This dogs the most mild mannered dog going, never snaps at anyone, loves everyone, Only a real threat if your a rabbit. He's currently staying with us for 10 days while my parents are off on holidays and as a bit of a test as we want to get our own Dachshund pup eventually once our fences actually get built. Oskar and Isaac get along amazingly well, Isaac grooms oskar, oskar lies with him to keep him warm- the only time we've had any issue at all was when Isaac though oskars tail hair was a good toy and bit it, but a bit of a growl from oskar stopped that well.

We noticed that Isaac was suffering a bit of boredom and lonelyness whenever we werent home (room mate said he just sat in his box and cried all morning one day because he thought he was alone in the house) and we since Oskar only visits and doesnt live here we decided to get Isaac a friend again after separating him from Polo at the shelter.

Enter Smudge...

Smudge is a 7.5m old desexed female shelter cat. Dont know much of her history apart from she was desexed at 12 weeks old and is being treated with ointment for Conjunctivitis. This is smudge in her default mode. We got her last saturday, its currently Thursday evening and shes only really left the crate to go use the litter box, drink some water and eat some kibble. You can sort of bribe her out with tuna, but only if its within 4" of the box.

The introduction into the house went well- we didnt have Oskar at the time so we put her in the Ensuite and locked out Isaac. Within an hr or so she was bashing one side of the door to get out and meet Isaac and Isaac was bashing his way in to meet her. Her treatment of the Conjunctivitis has been easy- it was a Kitty Burito job first up (and we trimmed her claws over a few sessions while we were at it because i dont need ANY more scars) but shes been handling her morning and night treatments without a burito since the 2nd day.

Set up some supervised meets and they went really really well, few tumbles and hisses and neck bitings to get the order of power sorted out buy by 24hrs later we had a kitten pile- Going well we thought.

Since then we've discovered that Smudge is terrified of EVERYTHING. Oskar came to stay and there was hissing and tail fluffing from Smudge as oskar just LOOKED at her from across the room, didnt even move towards her and during this display i accidently bumped her bum as i stepped over her and she was so worked up and fearful she attacked ME- as in full blown cornered feral cat assault on my foot, Heaved her away to save my poor foot and She came back to have another go at me

We've worked out that shes scared of Men, the Da Bird (cos it went whistling over her head after Isaac smacked it in her direction- that was a full blown hiss+ fluffy tail + running away reaction there) Dogs (even the sound of him walking on the hardwood floors BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR) The washing machine, the dishwasher, Anything outside of our bedroom, the housemate, The sound of the shower and a myriad of other things. She gets so terrified of things shes even shat (on a towel thank god) herself on our bed just sitting between our partner and I getting an ear scritch.

We're kind of out of ideas- We've bought a feliway diffuser and are using that- we thought we had maybe pushed the introduction stage too hard so we put her in box in the laundry with her blanket from the shelter, litter tray, food and water and the Feliway and left her be for about 30hrs.

She didnt leave the box. just sat hunched up in fear in the corner of it the entire time. Its as if she thought it was a punishment. We brought her back to the bedroom (again with the Feliway which has made Isaac more relaxed than a Jamaican in a weed crop) and she improved slightly, but were still getting random freakouts and shes still not even coming close to actually starting to settle down at all. Since then its been about 3 days of her being jammed into a box and not wanting to leave.

Shes also hiding in the litterbox, the dirty litterbox, which for a creature so obsessed with cleanliness is really wierd.

Im out of ideas, my partner is out of ideas and we're begining to think that this cat just isnt for our household- we've got the most unflapable cat in the world in Isaac, but even hes starting to get sick of her poo poo and ignore her instead of being best buddies.

We're going to ring the shelter tomorrow and ask what could be up, but we're begining to think that we might have to take her back because if she cant even stand the SOUND of a dog walking (Oskar has NEVER shown any aggression to the cats other than the light growl of "Stop biting my tail you dickhead" towards Isaac) then she isnt going to survive the experience of us getting a puppy. Even if we drop Oskar off at my parents place for the day she doesnt improve at all.

We dont want to send her back because shes so beautiful, but its got to the stage where neither of us are actually enjoying coming home to the trio because we're walking on eggshells trying not to upset her and its so disheartening to try everything to socialise with her for no gain. She shows SOME warmth towards my better half, SOME of the time, but its only because shes practically climbing into the pet pack with her.

So PI, do I just have a really broken cat with sadbrains that is totally incompatible with my house and life style or am I doing something wrong? The shelter has a 14 day return policy if things dont work out.

It can take a few months for a cat to relax in a new environment. You're probably stressing her out by moving her around and forcing contact with her. Create a safe space for the cat where she can go when she needs to, but don't force her. Let her come to you if she wants affection. You don't have to "walk on eggshells" for the sake of the cat, just let her be.

The only real troubling part is that she attacked you - I don't have any experience with that and maybe someone else can chime in about that. But the hiding, fearfulness, sitting in the litter box, even making GBS threads in the wrong place - all of that happened when I adopted my cat. He also didn't groom himself for a couple weeks and I was worried I'd have to bathe him regularly. It took about 3 or 4 months for him to really relax and be himself with incremental improvements.

I'm not a fan of returning adult cats to shelters unless absolutely necessary because there are so many that need a home and they're so easy to take care of. If she keeps attacking you or starts attacking your pets, maybe you won't have a choice. But if she's standoffish and skittish, she's still way better off with you than at the shelter.

# ¿ Jul 2, 2015 21:47

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Sounds like a legitimate issue. Personally I'd get a second opinion, not just because it's generally considered in humane but also because it's an expense and some vets will nickel and dime you. It would suck for you and the cat if you paid for an expensive surgery that's might be detrimental to the cat.

My cat got fleas somehow despite being indoors only. Treated him with advantage and he seems to be doing fine, haven't found any fleas on him since. But he now has a couple bald spots on his neck. I've read that this is common in cats with fleas (he's also longhaired and prone to matting), should I bring him in for a checkup anyway?

# ¿ Jul 8, 2015 19:25

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Huntersoninski posted:

So how do you explain my former farm cat Ozma not having the slightest interest in going outside, even ignoring the open door to go into the other room and sit on her cat tree? Cats can adapt if their environment is suitably stimulating for them.

No idea but did you name your cat after an SA forums moderator

# ¿ Jul 18, 2015 06:29

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

So my indoor cat has fleas somehow. He's had them for at least a month, I treated him with squeeze on stuff right away but I still find a few every time I use a flea comb on him. The house is carpeted too and they've definitely spread to a few rooms.

My housemate owns the place and he wants to quarantine the cat on the porch for three weeks. I think that's totally unnecessary because if he's being treated he's basically a walking flea bomb. Plus the poor guy is stressed enough with the fleas. My feeling is if I keep up with treating him and stay vigilant with vacuuming it should be fine. Anyone have experience with this that can back me up?

# ¿ Jul 27, 2015 15:02

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Dienes posted:

He's not a walking flea bomb. The ones on him might die, but those in the carpet are just fine. Keep him treated and vacuum daily, emptying out the vacuum immediately every time (otherwise they will just crawl out of the vacuum).

Have you talked to your vet? When mine got fleas, we were given Capstar.

Yeah, wrong term to use - I mean that they'll jump on him from the carpets and die as opposed to just hanging out or occasionally jumping on humans who immediately swat them away back into the carpet to live another day.

Basically, my thinking is keeping him locked away might not really be helping the situation (and I also feel bad for the cat).

# ¿ Jul 27, 2015 17:38

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Dog Fat Man Chaser posted:

I adopted a cat not too long ago, and over the past few days he's slowed down on eating, making odd noises and mouth movements (especially when eating, he moves like he's scared of his food), and has been really lethargic. I took him to the vet for a regular exam, scheduled before all this started, and they said it looks like he's going to need most or all of his teeth removed. I've scheduled the appointment where they'll look in depth and remove what needs removed if they deem it necessary, but wanted to know if anyone can share any experiences with this here. Is there anything I should ask, make sure the vet knows, etc.?

I wish I knew more about this cat, honestly. I got him from the local no-kill that took from from the kill shelter when he was about to be up, but the records they got from them are all messed and have two different birth years. He's somewhere between 5-7. The records for his vaccines all have dates from being at the second shelter, so he should be fine there. He's been declawed, so he must have been somebody's pet at some point, but beyond that it's a mystery. He was super sweet and friendly at the shelter and the first two weeks coming home, and just in the last few days has started hiding and being reclusive, which I'm certain given the noises and acts the hiding is because of the pain

edit: Gonna add a picture because I love it

I wasn't aware about what the other poster said, but I definitely recommend getting a second opinion. Having worked with vets, I know there are some that will bleed you dry if they have the chance.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2015 21:55

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Dog Fat Man Chaser posted:

I'll check with another then to see what he says and if they agree. It's a vet I've taken all my pets to before and he's always done good by me, but could be worth a look. The inside of his mouth does look really terrible and it's in obvious pain, he was screaming and flailing just when they tried to get him to open his mouth to even look as part of the routine exam.

poor guy.

I made the assumption that you didn't know the vet well since you just got the cat. He could definitely need it. A second opinion won't hurt, though.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2015 22:19

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Just told my housemate/landlord I'm moving out after he flipped out on me suggesting that shaving my cat wouldn't help control fleas. Pretty sure he let my cat out and caused the infestation anyway. Don't ever live with someone who thinks chem trails are real!

# ¿ Aug 1, 2015 06:32

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Atomic Collins posted:

Cat thread

Back in mid July a young black cat, very much in heat appeared out of the ether meowing at my friends and I. She came up and jumped into my lap and long story short I now own a lanky black noodle cat.
Got her checked out the following Monday, and besides being pretty thin, she had no fleas, worms,wounds or microchip on her. The vet thinks she's probably a little under a year old, very calm with people (she barely cared getting blood drawn or shots). We got her caught up on all her shots and de-wormed just in case, and she's been happily devouring catfood and biting cat toys to death in my house since.

The problem is, she was super attached to me, but once I got the all clear from the vet I brought her home and had to go away on a business trip for a few days, so my roommate was watching her. He did fine taking care of the cat, but it seems like she has bonded to him completely. She'll sleep in his bed right up next to him, follow him around when he's home and jump into his lap constantly. I've been feeding her and trying to play with her as much as possible when I'm home, but since he's got classes and I work a 9-5, he usually has way more time to kill with the cat while I'm working.
I know this is a super petty problem, as she does like to sit with me when I'm in the living room, and chirps at me when I come home but I'm kind of bummed that the only time she's in my room is to sleep under my bed or tolerate me until my roommate is home.home. I've always been a dog person, so I'm used to a pet that pretty much wants your attention 24/7. Am I just overthinking this, or did I damage my cat bond right out of the gate?

She'll like you better once you or your roommate moves on and you're the only familiar person in the house.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2015 02:38

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

I know it's probably a horrible idea but I have to housesit for a week and I kinda wanna bring my cat so I don't have to stop at my place every day to feed him and clean the litter box. Plus he's banished to the porch by my housemate and isn't getting enough attention. He'll probably be less happy in a new place for a few days and then cool with it and then not cool with moving back and then cool again. What do you think pet island

# ¿ Aug 5, 2015 16:02

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

duckfarts posted:

if he's cool with being/hanging out in a carrier, might be ok

He'd only be in it for ~40 minutes; I'd be leaving him at the house I'm house sitting at for the week.

he's not really cool that. he's not really cool with anything, to be honest, other than doing his thing .... but he can't do his thing right now at the house. He spent years in a shelter; he's super friendly and affectionate but if it's not on his terms he'll lash out. I can't even brush him for too long without him trying to bite/scratch me.

On the other hand, he loves being around people and he's deprived of that right now other than the half hour or so I spend with him after work. If I leave him at my house while I'm house sitting, that would be down to about 10 minutes to scoop his litter and give him food and water.

I mean, overall, he's a cat so he'll be fine in a familiar, if lonely, place but I'd feel guilty.

Also my housemate is kind of a douche. his new thing is he wants me to have the cat shaved. And while he would look hilarious with a lion cut, I'm pretty sure he'd need to be sedated. And that just seems extreme ...

# ¿ Aug 5, 2015 16:22

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Deteriorata posted:

I guess as long as the owner of the house you're sitting is OK with it, it seems like the better option to bring him along. Neither choice is great, but that appears to be less problematic. If the owner is allergic to cats or says no, you don't have much choice.

ha, the owner is my mom, so it's all good on that front.

# ¿ Aug 5, 2015 16:28

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Ophidia posted:

It's me again, this has been bothering me from the start but I tried to wait and see how it would develop...

We adopted 2 cats (a male and a female) from the shelter two weeks ago. The shelter told us that they grew up together and are 6 years old. But I'm starting to doubt that those two really grew up together. In fact, they seem to hate - or, at best, tolerate - each other. I haven't seen them cuddle, clean each other, sleep together EVER. They don't mind being in the same room, but they usually sleep in different places, with at least a few feet of distance between them. They don't mind eating together, so feeding them in the same spot is not a problem, but the only interaction I ever see between them is hissing and growling. Especially at night they wake us with hissing and growling at each other, usually the female hits the male with her paw and afterwards he just runs away out of her reach.

I am aware that some fighting amongst them is normal. What bothers me is that they only seem to fight and when they don't they just tolerate each others presence. We adopted two cats so they could keep each other company, so they wouldn't be bored in our apartement when we're at work. But can two cats who hate each other really keep each other company? I'm afraid they might actually stress each other out or that one of their fights might escalate and they might even hurt each other. Do I need to give this more time? Is there something I can do to make them like each other?

Thanks again for your advice.

They're both figuring out territory stuff. Make sure they have separate places where they can chill on their own - put two cat beds in high places in different rooms. Two litter boxes are a good idea too. Keep feeding them together, that always helps. Hissing and growling, while not pleasant, is also not really cause for concern.

My ex and I each had a cat and they were never best buddies, but they were often playing together by the time the two of us went our separate ways. Definitely took them a few months though.

# ¿ Aug 5, 2015 21:26

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

TheUnforgiven posted:

Hi guys. I need some advice about fleas for my indoor cats. Im sorry if i over looked it and for spelling mistakes. Im at work and on my phone.
I had a recent job change that messed up my financials for awhile and cant afford to drop the 70 bucks or so for flea medication for another month or so. My vet wants 15 a piece for individual dosage, which seems a little steep. Is there anything i can do besides constant flee comb brushing and vacuuming to help my kitties and myself? One of them likes to sleep on my feet and my ankles are getting bit to hell. Im almost at the point of trying to do a dawn bath for them.

Any advice to help tide us over til i can pick up medication would be wonderful. Thanks guys

Speaking from experience, you definitely get what you pay for with flea treatment. I tried to save $10 by buying Sentry instead of Frontline and it did next to nothing. Since doing research I've seen accounts of Frontline being a lot less effective these days. $15/dose is about what you'd pay in store for a 3-pack, at least in my area. The really cheap stuff has a tendency to paralyze or kill cats.

A flea bath will kill the fleas on the cat. You can do that and keep the cat contained for a few days while you clean and vacuum like mad.

When you can afford it, I recommend the Seresto flea collar. It's around $60 but it lasts for 8 months, and it's a different formula from older flea collars that aren't effective these days. It has worked really well for my cat.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2015 17:45

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

TheUnforgiven posted:

Yeah, ill never go the cheap route which is why im waiting til i can get something good and trying to keep it as contained as possible. Thankfully its not crazy, when I brush i only get a few fleas and they arent crawling in them. But i dont want to let it get out of hand.

The 15 a dose isnt bad. But when i need to get 2, at 30 plus tax I might as well buy the 3 pack.
Do those collars do well? Ive seen a few people recommend them and ive always heard to avoid flea collars like mad.

In general flea collars aren't effective. The seresto flea collar is apparently a totally different formula. I saw a lot of people rave about it on reddit pet forums. It's worked very well for my cat.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2015 19:06

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

But I'd also spring for the doses from your vet if you can possibly squeeze out the $30. Fleas get very bad very quickly, treating both your pet and your house asap will save you a lot of headaches.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2015 19:09

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Don't worry, it's probably just sleeping.

# ¿ Aug 7, 2015 21:09

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Enhydra lutris posted:

This is a Photograph of the Cat; I took this Photograph with my New Camera; the Cat is fit and sleek; it frequently follows me in the Garden but does not approach closely; I allow it to follow me because it requires Exercise to maintain a Healthy Weight; especially as it is an Ageing Cat (Eleven [11] Years Old). The Cat's name is Frankfurt.

Frankfurt looks nice. I'm glad things are working out for you and the cat. Maybe someday you will be friends.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2015 14:08

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

I got a hilarious dramatic email from my roommate about why he wants the cat kept on the porch. It includes reasons like: he pukes sometimes (I always clean it up), he sheds and his hair broke the vacuum cleaner (he's long haired, it's summer time, but his vacuum is a $60 piece of poo poo from Wal Mart that barely worked when I moved into the place in Jan) he meows sometimes, and he has to keep his door shut to keep the cat out of his room and he can't get the air conditioning from the hallway when he does that. So basically my roommate is a big baby who has had it up to HERE with my cat being a cat.

Moved him to my mom's this week while I house sit for her and he's thrilled that he gets to hang out with me again. Moving at the end of the month.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2015 14:20

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Honestly, he's not a bad dude - I've known him for years and have never had a problem with him. Just kinda stubborn/anal about his living space and sees inconveniences as major problems when they're really just ... inconveniences. I kinda think he expected me to feel terrible when he emailed me about the hell he's been put through with "the menace" that is my meowing cat with fur who likes to walk into rooms. His wife divorced him last year -- that's why he needed a roommate -- and I totally understand why.

He also owns the place so I don't have much of a choice. I'm just gonna move out at the end of the month.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2015 15:52

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Drythe posted:

Also start meowing when you are home for no reason and wander into his room and back out.

I do sometimes meow at the cat. Maybe it's been me the whole time?

# ¿ Aug 11, 2015 15:55

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Irritated Goat posted:

Just want to get some "you're not loving this up TOO bad" advice.

We recently adopted Kaylee (3 yr old) and she's great by herself. Our little prince Jayne (~9-10) has been the only cat in the house for almost a year but had been living with another cat previous to that. I'd say it's been about 2 weeks this saturday since we introduced them but they still growl\hiss at each other. Kaylee spends any time we're home together out and free but under supervision so they don't try to murder each other thunderdome style. We keep her in the office at night to prevent fighting which is where she poops and has food.

Are we doing ok just letting them out for portions of the day? We definitely try to get them to eat at the same time. Make sure to show both love and play with them. We've swapped rooms for a bit to let Jayne in the office. I just want my kitties to at least tolerate each other enough where we can leave doors open.

Kaylee

Jayne

Sounds like you're doing just fine. Growling and hissing is OK behavior between two cats. They are communicating and setting boundaries. As long as they are not physically fighting each other, they'll be ok.

I'd say you can start letting them be in the same room when you're around. If they don't attack each other, you can probably start letting them both have free reign in the house.

# ¿ Aug 12, 2015 16:40

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

I've had a much easier time with the cheap cardboard carriers because they're top loading and closing them doesn't invite the cat to scratch the poo poo out of you. Pick up cat. quickly shove him in, close carrier. He hates it but it's usually not much of a struggle.

# ¿ Aug 19, 2015 16:09

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

goodness posted:

We tried that and our cat ate her way out in about 3m

I should clarify, my cat is a stupid idiot and would die in there if I left him to his own devices.

# ¿ Aug 19, 2015 16:38

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Feliway is supposed to help with excessive meowing. Out of curiosity though, why not just let the cat sleep in the room with you?

# ¿ Aug 20, 2015 18:50

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Critical posted:

So possibly newbie cat question:

Stewie hasn't pooped in about two and half days. She's eating and drinking normally (she ate about a 1/2 cup of food yesterday) and still urinating just fine. She pooped a bunch on Sunday night, then threw up in the middle of the night, pooped Monday afternoon and nothing since. She's not trying to go or showing signs of distress while in the litter box. And she's still her cuddly demanding self.

Obviously since I just got her I don't have a baseline for her making GBS threads schedule. Nothing to worry about? I have a appt to get her rabies vaccine on Friday and can mention it then if she still hasn't gone.

How long have you had her? If it's recent, she's still adjusting so don't worry about it. The vet will able to tell if she's constipated or something but it's most likely she's getting used to her new routine.

# ¿ Aug 27, 2015 02:33

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Critical posted:

Had her since Sunday. As I was reading poo poo she commenced to take the biggest poo poo I have ever seen come out of an animal smaller than a dog. She didn't even cover it. It's leaning up against the side of the box like a hosed up tower of Pisa.

She also stared at me while she did it. I don't know why.

Haha yeah so she's fine. IIRC cats poo poo every 1-3 days normally? Confirm with the vet but yeah she'll take some time to get on a regular schedule, don't be alarmed if there's a lull in making GBS threads again soon.

She stared at you because she thinks you're a pervert.

# ¿ Aug 27, 2015 03:21

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

gaan kak posted:

I just adopted a 2-yr old cat from the local shelter (she had been dumped there about a month and a half before with her mate and kitten, who were adopted separately). The people at the shelter recommended letting her out in only one room of the house so she can acclimate, and I figured I'd have that be the kitchen because that's where her food, water, and litter box are - I know, my bathroom is too small for it so in the kitchen it goes. I let her out of her carrier and she bolted into one of the low, open storage areas and is currently hiding out there. She looks pretty afraid, which I totally understand, so I made sure she had food and water close by, some toys if she wants them, and put a bed and a scratching post there as well if she decides to come out. Anything else I can do to ease her transition? She was so sweet when she was at the shelter but now looks very stressed. I gave her some love and petting - and some catnip - and she was purring but didn't really want to come out from her spot, so I left her there.

Just keep giving her space. It's not a big deal that you gave her some attention but I'd even say don't do that for now. She could stay mostly hidden for a week plus, easily, without a lot of eating/drinking/LB use. That's normal, so don't stress.

# ¿ Aug 28, 2015 21:52

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Ferremit posted:

Its either a hip dislocation or a soft tissue injury, wont know until they sedate him and Xray it later this arvo.

I had to leave my little buddy at the vet. Worst feeling in the world since i gave him a hurry up tap on the bum before he jumped and hurt himself. Will probably be pain killers and cage time to help him heal though.

Poor guy. Don't feel too bad though, he's clearly a retard for not knowing how to jump down from a desk without hurting himself. That's basically the first day of cat school

# ¿ Aug 29, 2015 01:29

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

What a dumb poo poo. I hope you constantly remind him how much money he's costing you.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2015 05:08

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 04:07

Puppy Galaxy: Aug 1, 2004

Operation Juicebox posted:

Okay so looks like we have a flea problem. I've always relied on Frontline for Harvey, never had any issue with fleas at all and then suddenly BOOM. He's an indoor cat, and it's been really hot here so I assume they've just been dorment in the carpet.

But I need suggestions on how to get rid of these assholes. A friend of mine recommended Acclaim spray which I bought but seems to have done approximately nothing to curb the tide of bloodsucking monsters, and the internet seems divided on what works/doesn't work.

I'm looking for something to put on/inside the cat and something to do the carpet with. Spray? Powder? Sacrificing my firstborn? Whatever kills fleas dead.

For the cat, check out the Seresto flea collar - used it on mine and it got rid of fleas when Frontline utterly failed. I know conventional wisdom is that flea collars don't work, this is a new kind of flea collar, protects the entire cat, lasts for 8 months. Several vets on Reddit recommended it and reviews are positive.

Capstar pills will kill all the fleas currently on the cat. It's a good alternative to a flea bath if your cat will accept a pill.

For treating the house, a lot of people recommend diatomaceous earth - sprinkle on the carpets, work it in with a broom, leave it for a day or two and then vacuum it up. I've also been told that sea salt works well.

I ended up just using some Raid spray and vacuuming daily for a few weeks. Because they can live for a while as eggs or whatever, you'll want to repeat whatever treatment you did after a couple weeks. In my case they subsided after the spray and started to come back a little more after about a month.

But basically, treat your carpets/furniture with something -- hopefully someone here can weigh in -- and vacuum/do laundry like mad every day. If your vacuum uses bags, throw away the bag after use .. if it's a canister, empty it outside away from the house every time.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2015 17:47

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

«‹›5 »