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Esroc posted:So my kitten just flat out refuses to use the litter box. I bough some Cat Attract litter but it didn't do any good at all, she didn't even seem to notice it. I've already made an appointment with a vet where I will bring up the problem, but I have doubts that it's a medical issue because she will use litter boxes at other houses. When I've brought her to other houses with cats she'll make beeline straight for their litter box. So why won't she use the one I have set up for her? I put the litter box in a bathroom and lock the cat in until it uses it. A bowl of water, some food if it takes a while. They've always figured it out eventually.
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Jul 29, 2013 05:19
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leftover posted:Someone explain these cat behaviors to me: Diagnosis: Your cat is behaving like a cat.
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Aug 23, 2013 16:06
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Peach posted:Is there anything I can do for my new guy who seems to be super itchy still? I found him (stray) yesterday, took him to vet immediately and he's got a few patches where he's licked himself raw, most noticeably the backs of his two hind legs and base of his tail. He's been treated for fleas and worms and given steroid and anti inflammatory injections which seemed to be fine until tonight. He's really going to town on those areas, licking and biting over and over. Gentle discouragement is not working and he's made one patch (where flea bites are most concentrated) bleed a tiny amount and now it's a little weepy. I'm going to pick up an e collar first thing tomorrow but can I do anything for him while he's not able to itch himself? It could take weeks to clear up, do I just leave the collar on full time?! We have a cat with similar symptoms. Her problem turned out to be food allergies. She has to take Tetracyline (the anti-rejection immunosupressant) to stop doing it. Sometimes it is simply a neurosis. It's a huge pain to deal with (both for us and the cat) so good luck. In the meantime, you might try a Cone of Shame or other restrictive collar to keep him from getting to the sore areas.
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Aug 24, 2013 15:48
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Turtlicious posted:My Girlfriend just told me that if I keep my cat on a flea collar that it will get jaw cancer and die. I don't think that's true, but I'd rather get a second opinion. Your GF is an idiot. Everybody knows that flea collars cause cats to grow laser-shooting eyes. 
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Aug 26, 2013 05:34
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JustJeff88 posted:Can anyone recommend to me a good crunchy treat for my two kittens? They are ferals to whom I am trying to give a good home, both female and about 12-14 weeks old. They were just spayed, chipped, and given the basic vaccinations this past Friday. The nutritional content of treats is probably not that important. They're treats, not their regular diet. Think of it as ice cream or a Twinkie. You eat them because you like them, not because of the nutrition.
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Aug 26, 2013 23:43
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I have a medical issue I'm interested in some advice on. One of our cats developed a fierce middle-ear infection and came down with vestibular ataxia - her inner ear was affected and it's messed up her sense of balance. She can't walk straight and falls over a lot. She's on antibiotics for the infection and seems to be getting a bit better. However, today she seems to have lost her hearing. I'm hoping it comes back as she heals, but I'm hoping others have dealt with this and have some insight into the healing process. Will she be likely to recover completely? Or will she have some long-term problems with balance and/or hearing? She's about 11 years old at the moment, and very strong and vigorous. Her appetite is good, but doesn't seem to like drinking.
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Aug 29, 2013 15:34
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hooah posted:We have two cats. Cat A is an older male who needs special (and rather expensive) food. Cat B has decided she rather likes Cat A's food. Without shutting Cat A in a room for a while at breakfast and dinner (which could be perceived as a punishment), how can we prevent Cat B from eating Cat A's food? We have a similar situation. I've set up a feeding station next to my desk where I can see who's eating it, and move the food out of reach when our old cat is away. She's learned that that's where her food is and will come and bug me when she's hungry.
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Sep 1, 2013 16:57
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Serella posted:You can change this, though. Put down one meal's worth of food and leave it for 20 minutes or so. Anything uneaten by the end of that gets taken away. Next mealtime, they get one meal's worth of food and 20 minutes to eat it before the rest gets taken up. It usually doesn't take more than a few days for them to get the idea and eat their food during the mealtime allotted. Yeah, that's the routine I use. When the cat leaves, the food goes up out of reach. She'll scratch at my chair and meow when she wants it back. The other cats are constantly trying to sneak in and steal it. Sometimes they'll work a tag-team - if Faline (the special diet cat) doesn't like the particular flavor that day, she'll beg to get the dish down, then trot off so another cat can jump in and finish it off. Then she'll come back and beg for fresh food from a new can. Stupid she ain't. Sometimes when she's hungry she'll just sit and stare up at me without making a sound. It's rather unnerving.
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Sep 1, 2013 23:02
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Malmesbury Monster posted:So a couple weeks ago a little grey kitten (about 3-4 months old, we think) showed up at my parents' door. We've been taking care of it and looking for a home, but it's exhibiting some odd behavior. It doesn't seem to have much, if any, peripheral vision and it has some balance issues on its left side. Also, every now and then she'll start scratching at the side of her head and yowling like she's in pain. My folks think she might have a brain tumor. My grandmother is interested in taking her, but she's had one cat die of a brain tumor and we don't want to put her through that again if that's the case, and none of us can afford the tests to prove it one way or another. Is there anything else not life-threatening she could have, or do we need to have her put down? Could be an ear infection. I've got a cat recovering from that at the moment. If it's in the middle ear it can put pressure on the vestibular nerve, which then messes up their sense of balance. Get it to vet.
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Sep 2, 2013 00:51
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Nyarai posted:One of my cats has a UTI and the vet gave us some amoxicillin pills for it. Unfortunately, she's grown too smart for Greenies and is in general a squirmy little poo poo. Is there a way to pill her quickly and painlessly without too many supplies? (We have a syringe, but it's already been used in an aborted urine sample collection attempt.) I hold my cat in my left arm, on her back. I can hold all four paws down with my left hand and hold her snug against my body with my arm. I can then wedge the pill between her teeth to force her mouth open. A quick toss to the back of her throat and then I hold her jaw shut until she swallows. Occasionally my toss will be off and she'll cheek it then spit it out, but it's usually over with in seconds. I'll give a treat beforehand to get saliva going, and another afterwards as a reward. Overall it works pretty well.
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Sep 11, 2013 02:11
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Blue Scream posted:My vet told me that my cat has "some minor gingivitis" on his back teeth at our most recent visit last month and told me to schedule a cleaning within a few weeks, so I did. I assumed it would be a minor procedure, just cleaning his teeth, right? Then I found out today that it's going to cost a minimum of $419, and that's if there aren't any problems and they don't have to pull any teeth, in which case it could reach nearly a thousand dollars. I wasn't prepared at all. Is that normal? I must be a bad cat owner, as I've never done anything to a cat's teeth. I feed them dry food primarily, which helps keep them clean. I have one cat (out of three) who is currently 19 and has lost enough teeth that dry food is difficult for her to eat, so she's on canned food (which the other cats try to steal all the time). They don't seem particularly unhappy with the situation, so I'm not terribly concerned about it. Unless they get an abscessed tooth or something, I don't worry about my pets' dental health too much.
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Sep 13, 2013 15:45
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weavernaut posted:For what it's worth, I've heard a lot of stories of cats hating each other initially but becoming very close eventually. Your girls are all very young still, I'm sure it won't be much trouble getting them to adjust to each other. Bad Mitten, it sounds like your introductions are going very well -- there's been no hissing or attempts at fights, so I'm sure the cats will get used to each other very quickly, too. Yeah, our cats aren't really buddies but they get along fine. They each have their own area in the house that's their home "turf" that the others don't mess with, while other areas are communal. It's been amusing watching them selecting strategic points to casually lay on, as a means of establishing ownership.
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Sep 29, 2013 21:04
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I've had to use lots of tricks (mostly brute force) to get my cats into the carrier the first few times. First of all, make sure you have a firm hand on the cat before they see the carrier. Hog-tying them (grabbing a set of legs in each hand) and just shoving them in works sometimes (particularly if you can hold down the front legs and get its front half in first) and slamming the door before they can get turned around is one technique. I've stood the carrier on end with the door open and lowered them in. Sometimes I could back them in, horizontally. Be firm and physical, but don't hurt them, obviously. Being nice and trying to coax them in will never work. They will fight like tigers the first few times, then gradually accept it. Once they figure out that they don't have a choice and they aren't actually going to die by going in there, they chill out. Sometimes a towel or something soft inside will make it easier to adapt.
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Oct 2, 2013 03:11
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A pop on the nose with a finger is often an effective deterrent. It's what mother cats do to discipline kittens, so they immediately connect with it.
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Oct 2, 2013 15:04
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You're probably not going to be able to stop him, so containment is your next best option. You might try a couple Rubbermaid containers. Either low enough that he can lean over and eat, or large enough he can hop inside. Either way, scattering the food will be difficult. A separate tub for his water then keeps them separate.
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Oct 6, 2013 04:06
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ulilileeloo dallas posted:When you say "Rubbermaid containers" are you thinking of, like, of the food/tupperware variety or of the larger storage kind? Like a dishwashing tub size. You could try something smallish just to hold the bowl and contain the mess with a rim low enough for him to stand on the floor and lean over. Or, you could go bigger and get something he'd have to jump inside of to get to the food. Ed: There may be other solutions, but those are obvious ones that came to mine.
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Oct 6, 2013 04:21
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I had a cat do that to me once, and it appeared to be a message that she was really mad about the state of her litter box. If I had to guess, your cat is likewise sending you a message that he's really pissed off about something. That's all the insight I can offer, you'll have to try to figure out what it is. Or maybe it's something else. Beats me.
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Oct 10, 2013 05:11
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Drythe posted:There's a cat that used to belong to the people next door until they moved out and abandoned her. I'm trying to get her to come close enough so I can bring her to a vet but she's super timid and even getting her to eat with me somewhat close takes an hour. Is there any chance I will be able to get closer without spooking her? It may just take time. She has to trust you. If she has an obvious problem and needs to get to a vet right away, a live catch trap may be your only option. Or maybe lure her into a dead end somewhere and get a friend to block the exit while you grab her. Otherwise, just keep feeding her.
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Oct 10, 2013 15:08
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Nyarai posted:Hello, PI. I am in dire need of some automated feeder recommendations. The cats and their horrifying mewls have lately been insufficient to wake my fiance, but they are enough to scare the dog who barks and wakes me up. Since I'm more of a night owl, this leaves me exhausted. The only solution to this that I've found is ignoring them no matter what. It will cost you some sleep for a while, but they need to learn that howling does not get them attention. Getting up and dealing with them in any way rewards the behavior. Or lock them in their litter box room at night, as far away from you as possible if they howl anyway. Another alternative is to just leave a big bowl of dry food out that they can munch at their leisure. I personally know nothing of automatic feeders, unfortunately.
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Oct 14, 2013 17:03
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Coconut Indian posted:I think my cat has an ear infection. She keeps scratching it and trying to clean it then shaking her head afterwards. I'm really really tight on money for the next 30 days--are there any home remedies I could use in the meantime? Find the money to get her on antibiotics. Ear infections can go very badly. One of our cats developed vestibular ataxia and lost most of her hearing due to an ear infection. You can try an ear mites remedy, I guess. If there's a lot of black bits (mite poop) in her ear it might be that.
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Oct 30, 2013 20:21
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pizza cat posted:Need some advice. I have two cats, male and female, both indoors only. I never ever let them outside. But somehow, they seem to have gotten some fleas. I haven't seen any, so I don't think it's a huge infestation, but they are scratching the heck out of their necks and I spotted some flea dirt on the blanket they like sleeping on. I've never had an animal with fleas before, so I went out late last night to find some flea medicine. All I could find was Petarmor for Cats. I bought it, and went home, and read some horror stories about how it'll kill my cats. Did I waster my twenty bucks? Is this stuff really that vile, or is that just the homeopathy anti-chemical crazies coming out of the woodwork? I use Revolution on our cats, which is a similar product (although the insecticide is different, I think). It works great. It's an insecticide that is harmless to mammals but makes the animal's blood toxic to fleas and anything else that feeds on it. They get mad when we squirt it on their backs, but they get over it. Some animals may have a sensitivity to it (or an inert ingredient in it), so the first time you dose them be sure to watch them to make sure they don't have a reaction. If Petarmor doesn't work well enough, there are others available. Millions of dogs and cats get treated with the stuff regularly, so relax. The odds of anything going wrong are very low.
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Oct 31, 2013 18:00
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Stealing food from other cats' bowls seems to be a major game with cats. Ours will ignore food in their own bowl and go snitch some from another just to be assholes. The only way I can ensure our 19-year-old gets her special diet is to feed her next to my desk and put the dish up out of reach when she's done. She'll come by and scratch my chair or just sit and stare at me when she wants it back.
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Nov 6, 2013 03:52
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You should probably just call the vet in the morning and ask them what to do.
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Nov 8, 2013 20:50
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Oberst posted:How do I teach two 11 week old kittens that live inside to stay in my yard when they're allowed outside? They love going outside to play, but in the last week they've gotten braver and are exploring beyond where I'm comfortable with them being unsupervised Cats are roamers. They do not understand human property lines. They will go wherever they want, whenever they want. The only ways to stop them are to either put them on a leash or keep them indoors.
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Nov 18, 2013 20:27
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Rah posted:I got a new kitten today, so Sophie has someone to play with. I just got her home about 20 minutes ago so naturally she seems a little scared.. Her and Sophie keep staring at each other and hissing though, and not sure whether I should just let them hiss and break it up if it becomes more than that, or try keep them from being around each other for now.. Could anyone give me some advice please? I'd let them hiss it out unless it gets actually violent. Cats are territorial, so each needs to stake out some home territory. Obviously, she has to take it away from Sophie and Sophie doesn't want to give it up. They'll negotiate a settlement eventually.
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Dec 1, 2013 21:47
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Rah posted:So I feel a little sad lately.. The last few days Chloe and Sophie wont seem to sleep on my bed anymore and prefer to go sleep on the stairs instead The cats will only venture onto our bed when they're hungry and want us to get up (we ignore them and pretend we don't notice them, and eventually they give up). They've gotten some rather rude shocks in the past when sleeping with us, as we will suddenly roll over or kick and send them flying. One cat loves to snuggle with my wife while she reads or grades on the bed, but once the lights are out and the people are under the covers, she bolts. Sometimes cats will sleep on the pillow next to your head, but sleeping people are prone to sudden movements, which is rather frightening to a little kitty. You'll probably have to be content with snuggles while in a chair, when the lights are on and you won't make any unexpected movements.
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Dec 11, 2013 07:01
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muike posted:Do cat whiskers ever fall out? Like just a single one, not a whole bunch. Sure. They're long, coarse hairs, essentially.
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Dec 27, 2013 18:49
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Hissing is no big deal. It's just a cat's way of demanding some respect. As long as they're not fighting and drawing blood, it's cool. They need time to negotiate their territories and social order. They'll figure it out soon.
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Dec 28, 2013 18:20
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Canadian Bakin posted:Cats are assholes, I already have two. Abby has taken to using a corner of my mattress for scratching. Anybody got tips on how to stop this? I'm going to attempt to tape tinfoil to the bed, but who knows how long that will last or if it'll even work. I've already tried using a spray bottle, but that's less than effective when I'm half asleep and weighed down by Wheatley sleeping on my chest. My cats do that as a signal that they want me to get up and do something for them - like let them outside or get them food (or both). Sometimes she's just arbitrarily decided that I shouldn't be in bed, for whatever reason. It also may be jealosy - Abby may be just telling you to stop being buddies with Wheatley and pay more attention to her. She'll quit when either she learns that scratching the mattress doesn't get what she wants or becomes too unpleasant in itself so as to try something different. Spray bottles, double sided tape, and foil are all common remedies you seem to be aware of. Good luck. Cats are just assholes sometimes. They sometimes get bored and quit stuff on their own and find some new and different way to annoy you.
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Dec 31, 2013 17:59
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Coconut Indian posted:I'm at my wit's end. My cat (3, female, spayed) just won't stop loving around and waking me up every 2 hours. I try to play with her before I go to sleep, but she's just the type of cat to be like "enough" after like 2 minutes of being pet and doesn't care about toys and would rather play with pennies on the floor. I bought Da Bird and she just does not give a poo poo about it. I start a new job this week and I can't handle waking up at 1,3, and 5 AM because she wants to breathe on my face. The only solution to this I've ever found is playing dead. Giving her any attention at all (even to chase her away) reinforces the behavior. However irritating the cat is being (even sticking a wet nose in my ear), I have to lie still and pretend I'm asleep. Eventually they catch on that I'm not going to respond when I'm in bed and they learn to leave me alone. The instant the alarm/radio kicks on, though, they're in my face and want to be fed. You may have to save your behavioral conditioning lessons for the weekends, though, and simply lock her out of the room (or lock her in her litterbox room) at night. Again, she will howl and scratch and carry on, but you have to ignore her and not reward her behavior with attention. It's going to be miserable for a while, unfortunately, and there's probably no way to avoid it.
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Jan 6, 2014 02:53
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ayekappy posted:I read myriad sources citing that topical application of the so-called AAA is effective for both cats and humans with minimal side effects and maximum effectiveness and is only to be avoided if extra active ingredients such as pain relievers were added to the solution. Is that not right at all? What horror stories can you produce to dissuade me from at least trying something to save this kitty's left eye? Take the cat to a vet so you know exactly what the problem is and have the right medicine for it. Perhaps neosporin will work, but there are a lot of other possible conditions which it would make worse. You're just guessing because you don't want to pay for a vet visit. That matters to you more than getting the cat healed properly and makes you seem a bit slimy yourself. Most vets will work out payment plans if you can't afford the full cost up front. You can also hit up beastly "owner" since it's technically her cat.
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Jan 20, 2014 06:17
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ayekappy posted:I'm not slimy. I can't afford the $100 for a vet visit and I don't have a car to take the cat to one. :\ The fundamental issue is that it's not your cat, and you can't afford to care for it anyway. It's not your problem to solve, but I understand it's hard to watch the animal suffer. As was suggested, your options are calling animal protection services or working something out with the owner. Perhaps you could work a deal with the owners where they'll pay you to take care of it.
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Jan 20, 2014 20:38
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Women's Rights? posted:Need a bit of emergency help The cats will be fine. Give them a blanket or something to curl up on. They have fur coats.
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Jan 21, 2014 01:32
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I would consider that cruel. Being locked in the garage constantly is horrible for a cat. Perzy lost his only friend and companion, and is certainly lonely and afraid. Unless the invading cats were causing a problem, there's no reason whatever to lock the garage door. Perzy would also do better as a house cat and have some companionship, even if he hides under the couch all day. Your parents seem to be treating the cat as more of a nuisance than a pet. They need to clean up their act.
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Jan 24, 2014 00:32
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fine-tune posted:I tend to go with the bathroom as the initial quarantine, since it's easier to clean. Mind you, the older of our two cats gave no fucks about being in a new place and was at home immediately. Play it by ear. Yeah, I always start with the litter room, so they will always know where it is.
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Jan 24, 2014 20:48
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Obese Janissary posted:I have a question: All I can think of is some sort of behavioral aversion therapy. Like when she jumps onto the bed at night, immediately swat her off. She needs to associate something unpleasant with being on the bed when people are in it. Maybe give her a heated cat bed next to your bed in addition so she can still be close without being annoying. It may be just curiosity - your girlfriend is something new on her turf that she's exploring, and once she gets used to it may calm down on her own. Locking the cat out of the room sounds like a very bad idea unless she's locked out all the time. You're stimulating her need to defend her territory, so naturally she's going to go berserk. Girlfriend and cat are going to have to work out their issues together.
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Jan 25, 2014 19:03
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We've left our cats alone for up to 24 hours with just a lot of food and water, and they've handled it just fine. Anything more than that and we get a sitter, but now and then it's not a problem. Cats are tough and resourceful. They'll get along.
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Jan 28, 2014 03:21
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Irukandji Syndrome posted:My cat was diagnosed with cancer, not sure where because she hasn't had an ultrasound yet. She's on medication to shrink the tumor, wherever it is, and to help decrease fluids swelling in her abdomen. She hasn't been eating a lot lately - she still eats, just not as much as she used to, so she seems to be losing a little weight. This is the hardest part of cat ownership. Twelve to fifteen years is about average for their lives, so it means that we'll outlive them many times over. Saying goodbye to a dear friend and companion is never easy and we all have our own ways of dealing with it. It's not something you ever get over, but you do learn to deal with it with repetition. Sorry for your kitty.  VVVVV For giving meds, I make sure I sit in the same chair in the kitchen every time. Thus they learn to hate the chair and not me, and when they are in the chair they know what is coming. Deteriorata fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Jan 29, 2014 |
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Jan 29, 2014 15:39
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kedo posted:I think one of my cats is becoming neurotic and I could use some advice. We've got a cat that does that, and her problem was a food allergy that made her skin itch. We have to read ingredient lists on cat food now and make sure it doesn't contain rice or wheat. She's also sensitive to pork, but less so. We also have to give her some tetracycline (immunosupressant) to keep it under control. She's been a much happier cat since. Ask your vet about allergy tests.
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Jan 31, 2014 02:51
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flare posted:So in the next month or so I'm going to be taking in my girlfriends olds cats. They've been living with her mom on her outdoor patio for a few years now. They are pretty affectionate and calm. I'm wondering if theres anything I should know about moving them and changing their surroundings? I also think one of them might beg for food, any suggestions for fixing that? Don't feed them when they beg. They'll learn it's pointless.
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Feb 5, 2014 04:28
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