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I adopted an abandoned cat from up the street yesterday, his old owners moved, and since the boyfriend was allergic, they left the cat behind. He'd been 'on the street' (sleeping and being fed in the apartment atrium) for at least a week before I found out about it and brought him in. I was acquainted with the old owners, and met the cat a few times at parties, so it wasn't a total and complete shock for him to be carried to his new house. I'm guestimating that he's about 2 years old, but I won't know for sure until I bring him to the vet on Tuesday. I'm getting a paycheck tomorrow, and I'm definitely hitting Petsmart/Target/Giant or wherever to get him some good food, a litter box, some toys, and maybe a smallish cat tree. I share a duplex, and Lucifer is going to have free reign, once I'm confident he's not going to leave my roomate a present in his bed. Aside from good cat food (I read the pet food thread), a litter box/litter, some catnip, and some toys, is there anything you can suggest for a young-adult cat that is very, very human-friendly but recently abandoned? He does have (a few) fleas, I'm not really sure if I should just go with the flea-dip or if the collars or pills are the way to go there. Basically, I've lived with cats, off and on, for about 8 years, but this is the first cat I'm actually responsible for, and I want to make sure that he's happy. I'll have pictures of Lucifer in a day or three for everyone, right now I'm having trouble keeping him far enough away from me to actually get a picture taken. Edit: this cat is domesticated enough that it actually held it's pee/poop for almost an entire day until we got a proper litter box set up. I tried to accomodate him with shredded newspaper, but he knew it was not OK to go willy-nilly in the house, and within minutes of pouring the kitty litter, I had to scoop it. I'm pretty sure this is an amazingly fantastic first-cat for me. No worries about litter box training or anything like that, and as soon as I get the fleas taken care of, he'll be as happy as a pig in poop. Corsair Pool Boy fucked around with this message at 06:54 on Sep 4, 2009 |
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Sep 4, 2009 06:48
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Another question for you guys, as far as cat treats go, I assume it's sort of like their food. Are any types or brands of treats significantly better for the cat than others? I've got a bag of Friskies Party Mix right now, which is full of corn and meal by-product and other crap, but it was free, and Lucifer loves it. After the bag is gone, I'd like to get him something that isn't like a bunch of Snickers bars. Also, catnip is generally not mentioned in the cat FAQs. I've known one cat that would run into another room whenever you opened it up, and I've known cats that would eat an entire bag in one go if left to their own devices. How much is too much? Edit: Here is Lucifer on the Ugly Purple Chair. I just bought a POS camera, still getting used to it, I'll give you a few more pics as I get comfortable with it. 
Corsair Pool Boy fucked around with this message at 06:32 on Sep 5, 2009 |
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Sep 5, 2009 05:29
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Tonight I am picking up a kitten. I already have a cat (about 10 years old now we think), but a few months ago moved into an apartment by myself, everywhere I've lived in the past my roommate had at least one cat and Luke has gotten very visibly bored. He has a history of getting along with all the cats he's lived with along the way. I'm familiar with the introduction process, and I'm picking up a 2nd catbox, what else might I need to pick up or keep in mind in the coming days? This is going to be my first kitten. Fake edit: I was going to get a full grown cat from a shelter, but I'm concerned about the new cat not getting along with Luke and I don't have a place big enough to keep them segregated for weeks. I'm expecting a kitten to be less threatening to Luke and easier to adjust to another cat.
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Jul 19, 2018 17:18
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Cythereal posted:Just bear in mind that kittens are assholes and there will undoubtedly be some hissing and swatting from Luke. That's how cats teach kittens what is and is not acceptable behavior. He has one front leg, watching him swat things is HILARIOUS. Or sad when he tries to do it with the missing appendage.
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Jul 19, 2018 17:50
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incogneato posted:
Thanks. She is absolutely terrified. I've moved her into the bathroom and took the stuff under the sink out so she can safely hide in a smaller area, and it's not driving my cat as nuts, though he's suddenly very concerned that the door to the one room he never enters is closed. She's so small, I'm really hoping some food goes into her and/or comes out tonight. She was shaking really bad on the 2 hour drive home and breathing really hard and fast, at least that stopped.
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Jul 20, 2018 04:38
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Synthbuttrange posted:Okay now we're going to need footage of this. I can try, but he's really good at only being cute when I don't have my phone ready to go
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Jul 20, 2018 06:14
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My little kitten is eating, though we're coming up on 24 hours with no litter box action. I've gotten her to hesitantly bat a toy mousie, but for the most part she's still just hiding in a corner. Is there a point where I should initiate contact, or is expecting relatively normal kitten behavior in 24 hours unreasonable?
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Jul 20, 2018 21:56
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Ratzap posted:What incogneato said. Never shove yourself at a shy or hesitant cat/kitten or force contact. Just share space with them for as much time as you can and they'll come to you. If the kitten is eating, the lack of toilet isn't too bad but be prepared to find a surprise somewhere in the room. It can take a while to find a litter tray/litter/tray position combo that they're happy with. Yesterday was good. She's letting me hold her and purring like an engine. She eats more than my 10 year old cat and is using the box like a pro too  Switching some bedding out today, Luke needs to get used to the smell. He got super hissy when I tried to hold him after playing with kitty.
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Jul 21, 2018 17:37
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The Lord of Hats posted:Tuna has learned the wonderful trick of knocking over the trashcan near my desk. Prop things against it on the outside so he can't pull/push it over. Or put double sided tape or tinfoil on the outside. He won't understand why you're putting him in the carrier, that probably won't work.
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Jul 22, 2018 16:44
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Organza Quiz posted:No need to ask a vet, some cats just have an instinct to bury their food so other predators don't get it. Yup, both of mine do it from time to time. My kitten is doing great. She explores and plays all the time and LOVES being held or sitting on my shoulders. Old man cat Luke is pretty grumpy about her, but so far mostly in the 'sit somewhere high and stare grumpily' manner. He bopped her pretty good once when she climbed the cat tree near his perch a few days ago, but otherwise it has been some mewling and a bit of hissing. And staring. So much staring. True to cats everywhere, they refuse to eat their own food. As soon as the second bowl is down, they both start scheming to get at the other's food ASAP, which is somewhat entertaining, since they both want the same thing but don't want to interact with the other cat. I'm going to try switching the food I give them tomorrow to see if they can tell or are just being difficult. Any tips to perk up my 10-12 year old tripod? He seems generally put out by the kitten (it's been a little over a week now, she's had the run of the house for 5 days). I give him treats when he doesn't act negatively around her and try to give lots of pets, but if I smell like the kitten he doesn't seem to appreciate them. He's never taken more than a few days to adjust to other cats before, and the kitten is not particularly aggressively friendly.
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Jul 28, 2018 05:46
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Raimondo posted:How long do you leave wet food out before you throw it away. I'm reading some sites say to do it after only 30 minutes, but that seems way too short. I'm curious too, I sometimes leave it out for 12 hours or more while I'm at work (the cats like to snack) and it's never seemed to be a problem
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Jul 28, 2018 16:56
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Wake_N_Bake posted:
Location might help, even if no one in this thread wants one, they might know someone nearby that does. I got my kitten through my mom's friend's mom 2,000 miles away. She just mentioned that her mom had found a kitten she couldn't keep, my mom knew I was thinking about it, etc.
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Jul 28, 2018 19:14
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IronDoge posted:Took my cat to get spayed over the weekend and to my surprise, the vet informed me I actually had a boy, haha. The person who gave him to me told me it was a girl and his butt was so fuzzy I never saw his nuggets. Glad that got sorted out. Oh my god, do you have to keep her separated that long after spaying?
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Jul 30, 2018 15:39
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^^ that is a bummer.Blackchamber posted:her? Hahaha, sorry. Him. Is it different for spaying? How long will by little girl be isolated for?
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Jul 30, 2018 17:46
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Wroughtirony posted:Anyone ever flown with a cat before? I have his reservations all set and everything, just looking for personal experiences/reassurance that I'm not going to get shanked by fellow passengers when Sterling meows all the way from North Carolina to Maine... I'd be OK with it as long as I was allowed to get pets! My old man cat is acting like a modern-day Clint Eastwood, and I'm starting to get frustrated. I think he finally got back to his normal eating habits today, but he's basically just laying in his chair and keeping a lookout for the kitten all day. He won't play with me for more than a few seconds, and clearly only tolerates me petting him when I haven't just gotten out of the shower and therefore smell like kitten. I've ordered some Feliway that should be here Thursday, but I was hoping I wouldn't need it - he's always adjusted to other cats in 2-3 days, we're well over a week at this point. Any advice? Also he's clearly unhappy about the kitten using his box, his solution has been to use the kitten's box, which is not covered and he kicks litter all over my bathroom. I'm not sure what else to do - half the reason I got a kitten was to give him a playmate while I'm at work, but at this point I'll settle for him tolerating her. He's already tubby and lazy, laying around all day is not helping anything.
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Aug 1, 2018 04:56
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Fabulousity posted:Would trying a top access litter box work? If the kitten is old enough to be jumping around it might be able to make use of that sort of setup while the older cat will be unwilling or unable to go through the acrobatics of using it and consequently wrecking it. I'm using a disposable cardboard box as the second one right now. My bathroom is small and there isn't really room for it. The plan is for go back to the one box once old man cat stops being a grumpy rear end in a top hat, I'd rather not buy a whole other box. It would work though, he's only got 3 legs and probably would have a lot of trouble getting into it.
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Aug 2, 2018 23:21
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Sir Azrael posted:Every time one of my cats goes to the vet they act like complete strangers when they are reunited. Hissing, spitting, and swiping at each other. Every. loving. Time. I think that has to do with the returning cat smelling like Cat Hell more than anything else, it's pretty common.
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Aug 4, 2018 04:49
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Willie Tomg posted:As someone who--utterly ignorant--broke and let in the stray when it seemed like Claudius and the stray got along through the window: holy loving poo poo there is a lot of daylight between cats mewing through a window and a strange cat entering your own cat's territory I'm going through this now. Luke was super friendly with cats in the past, but he's been hostile to the kitty. The only difference I can come up with is that in the past, we moved into houses with other cats, but this time Luke had almost four months alone here. I think he's mad that this little ball of energy is on his turf.
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Aug 12, 2018 01:18
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Pollyanna posted:Jet has a tendency to throw food around when he eats, and unfortunately in my new apartment that attracts ants. I put down bait n stuff and I sweep up anything I see, but they’re just too quick to swarm the food and I’m not always around to sweep up. What can I do? My cats are pretty messy, I have a big black tray with a lip that their food bowls go on. Contains the mess, easy to clean, and seems to add another layer the ants have to penetrate. I'm on the ground floor of an apartment and don't have any trouble, though ants did find some cat puke overnight (in a different part of the apartment) once and swarmed that.
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Aug 13, 2018 02:37
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Infinitum posted:Why won't my kitten love me Some cats are just like that. You can try keeping treats on you and give one when she comes up (or to encourage it). Sometimes ignoring a cat is the best way to get it to come to you also.
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Aug 18, 2018 02:36
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Infinitum posted:
Torties are psych cases dude
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Aug 19, 2018 06:18
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Frown Town posted:Update on my cat Charlie, who vet suspects dry FIP; I've never had problems with cats stressing in the car except over exceptionally long trips (2+ hours) though my sample size is two cats. Bring their carrier as a place to retreat into if necessary and provide a water dish that won't spill much if you can. One of my cats LOVES car rides and I can't have windows or the sunroof open at all because he tries to stick his head out. He takes naps on the dashboard or rear board over the trunk, depending where the sun is. If they can huddle in the carrier they should be OK. Also, for a trip that long bring a litter box just in case - speaking from experience it's better than having cat urine soaked pants for an hour or two.
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Aug 23, 2018 16:01
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Kitten update: she is determined to make kitten piles with the grumpy old man whether he wants to or not. She keeps climbing into the cat bed and curls up next to him until Luke has enough and leaves. Last night Luke laid down on my stomach when I was reading in bed. Kitty joined him, and for the next hour I was immobile - one barely fits, both were in constant danger of sliding off, so I had to put the book down and hold them in place. On the upside it did go on for an hour untill kitty's switch flipped from 'snuggle' to 'play with teeth'. May take a couple days for the scratches on my belly to go away! Luke still acts like he wants nothing to do with her most of the time, but he's starting to come around. She tends to be less hyper than she was when I get home from work too, so I suspect playing is happening when I'm not around. I really wish I had a good webcam. Luke does seem less hostile when I'm right there petting him (or acting as an ad-hoc bed). Is that fairly normal, where a cat gets more tolerant with another cat when someone he trusts is right there?
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Aug 23, 2018 16:13
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Schneider Inside Her posted:Hello everybody, I wouldn't let him interact with other cats but he should be fine on a harness and supervised. The bigger question is whether he'll participate in walks rather than just rolling in the grass and trying to run under parked cars. A big flaming stink posted:I do have a question, actually. I'm confining them to my room to let the two of them get acclimated, but is it better for me to spend time with them in the room or leave them alone initially? Even Juuni has gone back to hiding under things (fun fact, Juuni is the type of cat that will squish under anything the size of his head Give them some time alone, but also spend time in there not related to the cats - sit and read, fold laundry, watch TV, whatever, just ignore the cats unless they come up to you. They definitely need time to adjust, but you also want them to adjust to you being around. When I got my kitten and kept her in the bathroom for a few days, I'd spend an hour or so in there a couple times a day reading or watching videos on my lappy. Eventually she started creeping out from under the sink and would play with toys but dart away if I tried to touch her. By the 3rd day we'd moved on to little toys that put her inches away from my hands, and the next day she was climbing all over me and hasnt stopped yet. Any advice on getting her to lay off the old cat sometimes? Last night she wouldn't stop playing with his tail, and he got pretty aggressive towards her, she wouldn't stop until I got out of bed at 3 am to run her around the apartment a bit. I know generally you just have to let them work it out, but aside from separating them in different rooms it seems really hard to give him a break.
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Aug 25, 2018 17:59
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explosivo posted:It's been over a year and my younger cat still chases my older cat around the house when he feels like terrorizing her. They get into some rumbles but as long as they're not drawing blood it should be fine to let them work it out. Yeah, I just feel bad. Fatty is curled up next to me in the cat bed taking a nap when kitten comes charging in and 'attacks'. Over and over again. I know my part is to wear the little poo poo out, but I do have a job and stuff. I'm actually working from home twice a week now (Tues and Thurs) so I can actually let Luke crash out on my bed for a few hours with the door closed to enjoy some peace and quiet (this is not why I'm working from home but it is a nice side effect). I haven't sat down to eat a meal at home in weeks because she is determined to share it. Doesn't seem to matter what I'm eating, she jumps up on the table or desk, climbs up my leg, jumps onto my back, over and over and over. So I stand at the kitchen counter that she can't get to, and she sits at my feet trying to meow and tries to look like a pitiful starving little waif.
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Aug 25, 2018 20:39
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:Kittens are young and dumb enough to be distracted by crinkle tubes and battery operated cat toys and those ball-in-track cat toys. Toys toys toys! Yeah she has all that. She loves the ball in track toy, but apparently not as much as Luke's tail when he's curled up next to me in bed. I'd just put the blanket over it but he HATES being under sheets or blankets.  I wish they would save this for nighttime
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Aug 26, 2018 04:59
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:
It's weird. She just climbs in. Luke really didn't like it at first and I still get the impression that he's more just tolerating it than anything else, but yeah that was pretty cool today. Lasted a few hours, too.
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Aug 26, 2018 06:08
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Get him to a vet, that's not not normal behavior for any cat. After getting him checked out I suggest confining him to his room again for a bit, at least until he's comfortable coming up to you guys and letting you touch him. Spend time in there and play with toys if he's willing to engage.
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Aug 26, 2018 15:25
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I've been trying to help my fatto lose weight for a while, we've finally cut him down to 3/4 a (5.5oz) can of Wellness a day. Hopefully that does the trick.
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Aug 28, 2018 21:15
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:Sounds like maybe a chronic constipation problem but either way that's a vet appt sounding issue to me. Poor kitty! Mine tries to eat the empty foil blisters nicorette comes in. I don't know how she keeps finding them but she does. I don't know why either, they're big, sharp on the sides and edges, and made up of foil and plastic...
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Sep 10, 2018 22:32
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Len posted:We woke up in the middle of the night with no Domino on the bed. I was confused because he has a spot that he always sleeps in I shook the feather on a string and made it's bell jingle. My kitten got stuck in my bathroom one night. I'd just moved the litter box out and wanted to encourage using only the other one (she had been using the correct one, but my old cat had started using the temporary one in the bathroom and making a huge mess) so I was leaving the bathroom door closed for a few days to prevent accidents. She got shut in there all night and peed where the box used to be 
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Sep 11, 2018 23:14
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Patrat posted:One of my kittens has found out she can burrow under the sheets in my bed then sleep curled up next to my feet in the super warmth, this is adorable. I am jealous of your problem. My kitten has no interest in snuggling in bed, and her desire to play with her favorite toy (the other cat's tail) means that he generally doesn't snuggle with me there much anymore either 
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Sep 22, 2018 15:48
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Pixelante posted:Anyone successfully dieted one cat and not another? Snowflake is sleek, but Ethics is turning into a pudge. I'm going through this right now. I'm measuring out fatto's food, then put it down for him in the bedroom with the door closed while I put the kitten's food down in the kitchen. After about 10 minutes I pick it up for both, and just keep an eye on them - the kitten gets more food as requested, once fatto's bowl is empty he's done until the next feeding (every 12 hours). It's frustrating because both prefer to snack, but fatto is starting to clear his bowl in one go, which makes life easier. I just have to be vigilant when butting the kitten's food down because fatto has an incredible sense of when food is accessible. On days I go into work, there's not nearly as much I can do, I just put down fatto's 2.1 oz. and the balance of the can in the kitten's bowl, fortunately it's only 3x a week. e: there's no way to put the kitten's food where fatto can't get it. Despite his corpulence and missing leg, it's not possible to keep him out of anywhere without shutting it off entirely, and since the two have become pretty good friends (and the whole point of the kitten was to keep him company when I'm not around) I'm not closing them off in different rooms all day. Corsair Pool Boy fucked around with this message at 16:37 on Sep 23, 2018 |
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Sep 23, 2018 16:35
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slave to my cravings posted:My dumb cat opened the hallway closet door and somehow locked himself inside at 1:30am. Mine apparently got into the medicine cabinet, the contents were distributed throughout the bathroom. Must have made quite a racket. She loooooves my nail clippers, qtips, and my anti teeth grinding dental appliance that was not in there because it was in my mouth; the case was clear on the other side of the bathroom in the tub. Any tips to get my cats to sleep in my bed with me? The old one used to do it, but now he leaves as soon as the kitten appears, and the kitten follows him out. They get along fine for the most part otherwise, but the kitten will not leave his tail alone in bed.
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Sep 30, 2018 01:42
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Len posted:rear end in a top hat has decided to start slipping his collar which means i get hunted more. Are non-breakaway collars safe or should i just keep putting his back on? No they are not Yes you should Cats jump around a lot. If the collar gets caught on something while the cat is jumping down from wherever, it either breaks away or strangles the cat.
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Sep 30, 2018 02:47
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Tiny Tubesteak Tom posted:
Yeah, this takes a while. It's been ~ 3-4 months here and my old man is still clearly not really sure what to think of this sometimes; it doesn't help that almost every time I try to spend some 1-on-1 time with him the kitten Kramers into it.
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Sep 30, 2018 17:25
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Tiny Tubesteak Tom posted:Right now the two cats are sitting in the same picture window, at opposite ends. Niko took a step towards the other cat and very quietly hissed, but then turned back around to look out the window some more. I have not yet had to separate them, and they have seemed to get closer to each other naturally. I DID have to block the new cat from getting comfy in Niko's bed, because I'm sure that would cause all kinds of havoc. Nah, let them figure it out on their own. As long as there isn't blood. I stepped in twice because my big cat had the kitten trapped and screaming, but both times within seconds the kitten bounced around and jumped back into it. If he wants his blanket back he'll let the kitten know.
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Sep 30, 2018 17:37
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kaworu posted:I need to get a video of Jackie trying to jump up onto my bed, which for the first time since I moved into my new apartment is on a proper bedframe that's actually maybe an inch or two higher than most - it has a fairly high headboard and is made of nice wood, etc... Jackie is not only overweight but also a pretty terrible jumper (the counter is way out of her reach for example) and a bed like this new one is at the VERY TOP of her jumping ability, so it's a perpetual challenge for her. You monster, get her a stool! I meanwhile have watched my kitten go from a similar scenario except she's small enough to pull up the rest of the way to being able to reach the bed in a single bound 
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Oct 6, 2018 17:36
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I really need to get a video of this, and I will, truly
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I'm glad she's OK And wow that vet experience... I would have gone to another vet right after that surgery and not looked back.
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Oct 13, 2018 00:21
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| # ¿ May 3, 2024 22:24 |
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If that guy is worried about the cat's masculinity or whatever by chopping off his balls, show him neuticles. I feel like that's a perfect compromise 
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Oct 13, 2018 06:19
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