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I've said it before, but the best thing I ever did was switch to big open bins instead of regular litter boxes. Sterilite, Rubbermaid, generic, whatever. Other people like to use the lids to make a top entry box, but we do plain open ones here.
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Feb 21, 2011 19:12
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I previously posted about my then "possibly" hyperthyroidic kitty Jade; he was supposed to go in today for dental work, but his pre-op blood tests showed that his thyroid levels were waaaay too high for the vet to feel comfortable cleaning his teeth, so we've got pills for him in the meantime. He seems to be taking the pill pockets well, so we're going to try that method for now. If he doesn't, what other methods can I try with him in order to get him to take his meds? I don't really want to force-feed him the pills, but I will if I have to. Also, for those of you who have hyperthyroidic cats: when did you notice their symptoms (nausea, hair loss, etc.) subside after taking the meds? Jade's a bit of a barfer, and I chalk it up to his nausea.
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Feb 21, 2011 23:27
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Obligatory Toast posted:I previously posted about my then "possibly" hyperthyroidic kitty Jade; he was supposed to go in today for dental work, but his pre-op blood tests showed that his thyroid levels were waaaay too high for the vet to feel comfortable cleaning his teeth, so we've got pills for him in the meantime. He seems to be taking the pill pockets well, so we're going to try that method for now. If he doesn't, what other methods can I try with him in order to get him to take his meds? I don't really want to force-feed him the pills, but I will if I have to. If he changes his mind about them, there are a LOT of good options for hyperthyroid cats. The medication isn't particularly awful tasting, so some cats will eat it crushed and mixed into canned food. You can also hide the pill in a bite of pate-style canned food for a stinkier pill-pocket-type option. There's also a transdermal medication option -- it's basically a little gel pen, and you apply the prescribed amount to the cat's ear. This stuff is pretty new and many vets are still skeptical, so they don't all carry it or offer it, but anecdotally it works pretty well. The dosages and absorption probably aren't nearly as consistent as with a pill, but it's an option if pills start making him miserable. There's also radioactive iodine treatment, which cures hyperthyroidism with really high success rates. Some people also opt for surgical removal of the bad part of the thyroid gland. Both of these options are expensive and require referral to a specialty hospital, but they get the job done without years of pills. Usually your vet will want to recheck his thyroid levels in 4-6 weeks or so to see if he's on the right dose of medication. It may need to be tweaked once or twice, but by the time he has normal values, you should be seeing improvement. It's good to keep in mind that the medication for hyperthyroidism occasionally causes side effects like vomiting, and also hyperthyroidism treatment can unmask underlying kidney disease (which can cause vomiting, too). So basically, you should expect to have to do bloodwork pretty frequently for a while until everything is under control, but keep your vet updated if you don't feel like the nausea is improving (because it should). 
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Feb 22, 2011 00:21
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Crooked Booty posted:FYI you're really lucky to have a cat who likes Pill Pockets. I know I'm pretty lucky, but to his credit, he's still really loving doped up and will do anything, including permanently loving up my laptop. I'll try the pill pocket again tomorrow when the anesthetics have worn off and see if he'll still take to them. And the vet will check his thyroid levels again when I have to send him back for the actual cleaning in two weeks, so there's that. The vet did talk to us about radioactive iodine treatment, but simply put, we don't have the money to afford the procedure, and considering how many other financial things we've got going on, we probably won't for a while yet. As far as I know the rest of his bloodwork came back clean, so I'm not entirely worried about an underlying kidney disease, at least not right now. He'll be getting another blood test when he goes back for cleaning, so I'll be sure to check with the vet about his kidneys then, too. If push comes to shove (as it sometimes does with this picky little fucker) I'll talk to my vet about the transdermal option, although I'm pretty certain they don't offer it.
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Feb 22, 2011 01:59
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Fire In The Disco posted:I've said it before, but the best thing I ever did was switch to big open bins instead of regular litter boxes. Sterilite, Rubbermaid, generic, whatever. Other people like to use the lids to make a top entry box, but we do plain open ones here. Do you cut a hole in the lid then? We're in a small apartment and the only place for the litter box is in the main living room/kitchen area right next to my desk. Things can smell bad enough with the hooded box. I'd be worried about how much worse it would be with an open tub since she doesn't bury anything.
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Feb 22, 2011 02:00
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I find that the litter box is less smelly with a big open bin than it was with a covered bin. I don't know whether it's that I'm more vigilant because the poop is sitting right there where I can see it, or because the smells dissipate more quickly.
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Feb 22, 2011 02:05
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Crooked Booty posted:There's also a transdermal medication option -- it's basically a little gel pen, and you apply the prescribed amount to the cat's ear. This stuff is pretty new and many vets are still skeptical, so they don't all carry it or offer it, but anecdotally it works pretty well. The dosages and absorption probably aren't nearly as consistent as with a pill, but it's an option if pills start making him miserable. Whoa! That sounds neat! What's it called? My preliminary search on transdermal methimazole (hyperthyroid med) seemed pretty promising... and the idea of doing it transdermally instead of shoving pills down their throats is awesome.
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Feb 22, 2011 03:14
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HelloSailorSign posted:Whoa! That sounds neat! What's it called? My preliminary search on transdermal methimazole (hyperthyroid med) seemed pretty promising... and the idea of doing it transdermally instead of shoving pills down their throats is awesome.
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Feb 22, 2011 03:44
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Nessa posted:Do you cut a hole in the lid then? Andrias Scheuchzeri posted:I find that the litter box is less smelly with a big open bin than it was with a covered bin. I don't know whether it's that I'm more vigilant because the poop is sitting right there where I can see it, or because the smells dissipate more quickly. This is my experience as well. We just have two big open bins.
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Feb 22, 2011 05:02
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How can I get my cat to use her home made scratching post? A few weeks back I bought her one of those cardboard scratching posts that came with catnip --- she turned her nose up and insisted on scratching the furniture instead. So I sprayed some Keep Off! on the furniture she liked and she stopped scratching anything for a little while. Then my boyfriend got the idea to make our own scratching post by wrapping the cardboard post in some extra carpet. She is scratching the carpet on the floor now. I'm at a loss! What can I do to make her use her post?!
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Feb 22, 2011 19:07
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How slowly should I transition my cats to a new food? They are almost 4 months old, and I'd been feeding them Wellness kitten formula but recently picked up some EVO. I mixed about 1/3 EVO 2/3 Wellness for their meal this morning, I'm planning on keeping that ratio for about a week then bumping up to 50/50, 66/33 the next week then 100% EVO. I think I already transitioned them too quickly to Wellness when I first brought them home from the shelter, I totally forgot about weening cats onto new food and just started feeding it to them...I think they were eating Science Diet at the shelter (they gave me a couple bags when I got them). They have never thrown up their food though, although I'd like them to have more solid poops. edit: pic of Mia & Mika, sisters :3  Click here for the full 648x484 image. weinus fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Feb 22, 2011 |
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Feb 22, 2011 20:17
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weinus posted:How slowly should I transition my cats to a new food? They are almost 4 months old, and I'd been feeding them Wellness kitten formula but recently picked up some EVO. What you're doing sounds fine. Switching over a 1-2 week period is a pretty good safe rate to go by. Unless they're stomachs are really sensitive they should be fine. If they didn't get shitsplosins from a sudden switch off then they'll probably be a-ok on a slower one. also that picture is hilarious and I thought the left cat's head was upside down and I was very confused
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Feb 22, 2011 21:01
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I want to start out by saying I love my cat dearly.. HOW DO I GET HER TO LEAVE ME ALONE?! I have no idea why but over the past few days, she's gotten incredibly clingy. She used to never bother me when I was on my computer, now the moment I sit down, she's all over me for attention. I go to sit on my bed and while before she used to keep me company by sitting down near me, now she HAS to be on my lap. She's woken me up every night by trying to cuddle on my chest at 5 am. If she's bored, she's free to leave my room and play with the two other cats in the house or any of the many people I live with. But does she? Noooooooo. Help, before I accidentally kill her in my sleep for once again waking me up...
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Feb 22, 2011 21:27
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Why does the hair raise up on the back of my dog's neck when she sees this one other dog in the apartment complex? It never happens with any other dogs, but whenever she sees this other dog (some little black and white thing, it looks ALMOST like a chin but I've honestly never gotten a really close look at it) the hair raises up along the back of her neck and down her spine a bit, kinda like a cat. She's never had any interaction with this dog, good or bad, and because of the weird hair thing I never let her get close to it since I don't know if it means she's pissed at this dog or she's really excited to see it or what.
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Feb 23, 2011 00:43
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Lackadaisical posted:I want to start out by saying I love my cat dearly..  I feel like cats go through periods of clinginess sometimes. Jade has been obnoxiously affectionate towards me the past couple of days and I'm the one who's been loading him up into the carrier to the vet (oh my God, he has clawed up my back doing this, previously) and drugging his fuzzy rear end. Unless you notice some sort of mood changes like lethargy, I don't think she has any sort of medical issue. If you want her to stay the hell off of you while you sleep, it'll take a bit, but if you just make a big motion that'll spook her off the bed, she's likely to stop doing it. If she's an adult cat, you're not really that likely to crush her.
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Feb 23, 2011 00:58
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Obligatory Toast posted:Sounds like she's just being affectionate. She wuvs you. How can you tell if a lazy cat is lethargic? She literally sleeps most of the day. That's normal for her. And I love her too but OH DEAR GOD. I try to spook her at night when she keeps trying to cuddle with me but she won't budge. I try to pick her up and move her. She waits until I'm asleep to crawl back. I've been trying to do things like clip her nails to make her love me a little less but it just isn't working!
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Feb 23, 2011 01:38
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Lackadaisical posted:How can you tell if a lazy cat is lethargic? She literally sleeps most of the day. That's normal for her. Now would be the perfect time to start a teeth brushing regimen! Unless you already do that... I have noticed this with my cats as well. Sometimes, they just REALLY love you and want to be in your lap OMG NAO. Then the next day, I pick up the cat for a nice lap warmer and WHACK! I get my response and a hissing cat running away looking all distraught and violated.
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Feb 23, 2011 03:10
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That thing I sent posted:Why does the hair raise up on the back of my dog's neck when she sees this one other dog in the apartment complex? It never happens with any other dogs, but whenever she sees this other dog (some little black and white thing, it looks ALMOST like a chin but I've honestly never gotten a really close look at it) the hair raises up along the back of her neck and down her spine a bit, kinda like a cat. She's never had any interaction with this dog, good or bad, and because of the weird hair thing I never let her get close to it since I don't know if it means she's pissed at this dog or she's really excited to see it or what. She's raising her hackles. It's a sign of excitement (it can go hand in hand with playing or aggression, depending on the circumstances). So all I can say for sure is that she gets excited when she sees this dog for some reason.
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Feb 23, 2011 03:36
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a life less posted:She's raising her hackles. It's a sign of excitement (it can go hand in hand with playing or aggression, depending on the circumstances). So all I can say for sure is that she gets excited when she sees this dog for some reason. Her other body language says that she wants to play - perky ears and waggy tail - but since I had a biting incident with her last week with my parent's dog who I thought she got on famously with I'll continue to keep her away from this one as a just in case. I'm a little gunshy about letting her around other dogs now, especially without owner permission. Thanks though, I'd always heard of raising hackles but I'd never actually seen it.
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Feb 23, 2011 04:11
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That thing I sent posted:Her other body language says that she wants to play - perky ears and waggy tail - but since I had a biting incident with her last week with my parent's dog who I thought she got on famously with I'll continue to keep her away from this one as a just in case. I'm a little gunshy about letting her around other dogs now, especially without owner permission. Thanks though, I'd always heard of raising hackles but I'd never actually seen it. I probably would try not to let her greet another dog when excited like that. Even if everyone's there to have fun, things can spiral out of control quickly when one or both dogs are excited. My girl's hackles go up at the drop of a hat, and I'll just sweet talk her through it and keep her attention on me with some food until she's calmed down enough to greet.
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Feb 23, 2011 04:18
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That thing I sent posted:Her other body language says that she wants to play - perky ears and waggy tail - but since I had a biting incident with her last week with my parent's dog who I thought she got on famously with I'll continue to keep her away from this one as a just in case. I'm a little gunshy about letting her around other dogs now, especially without owner permission. Thanks though, I'd always heard of raising hackles but I'd never actually seen it. my dog's hackles raise when he plays with other dogs. It's kind of hilarious actually--it looks like he has an awesome mohawk all the way down.
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Feb 23, 2011 04:23
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CAT rear end: NOT OKAY So little cuddly not-my cat who has been sleeping in my house at night has some catastrophic poos today. When I got up and got in the shower she got in and out of the litterbox a few times, then when I went into the other room she was in there and there was a streak of poo/diarrhea on the carpet and when she sat down she left another poo spot. Ran her into the bathroom, closed the door, and tried to wipe her bum with tp. She wasn't having any of it and the tp came away with blood! I went back out to clean the carpet and came back to tackle her impressively soaked butt with a warm wet rag. I did get more of it, and it's all yellowy runny poo and a few gobs of blood. Right now she's in quarantine up there and before I leave for school I'm going to put the litterbox, food, and water in the bathroom with her. I wouldn't feel right about putting her outside if she is legitimately sick. What do I do? How common is this? She is not my cat but the douchebag she belongs to doesn't even care about her. Does this absolutely require a vet visit or is it likely that by eating all different kinds of food (whatever the owner sporadically puts out for her, whatever the neighbor gets her, and the stuff I feed her) she just has an upset tummy? She was rubbing her rear end on the carpet and doing that scooting thing a bit. I thought it was just to clean the long butt hairs she has, but google says it could be anal sac issues? I don't know anything about cats guys, I wasn't planning on taking care of one like...ever.
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Feb 23, 2011 12:25
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Er, is her rear end bloody or are you just saying that she's scratching the crap out of you when you try to clean her up? pooping blood always seems like a good reason to take an animal to the vet...I would think it's more than an upset stomach if there's blood but ianav
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Feb 23, 2011 14:43
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Like, there was blood on the toilet paper when I wiped her. I got a pic of her rear end now, but I am in class and am reluctant to pull it up and be that kid who looks at pictures of cat asses in class. I think I am going to have to go talk to her actual owner and see if he is going to take her to the vet. If not, I suppose the only option is me doing it. My boyfriend really does not want to actually adopt her because we have enough on our plates financially with Moxie, who we planned on getting and are committed to. Taking in random cat was not in the budget, but I was kinda just planning on letting her sleep inside out of the rain/snow. She is so sweet though, I'm going to make sure she is okay but if it is going to cost over $50 to take her in I don't think I can do it. On the plus side, she was eating like a horse, drinking, and acting like her normal self immediately after the buttsplosion. I'm not trying to ask for blatant medical advice, I just don't know what is a simple case of food not agreeing with her vs cat about to die. I appreciate any and all pointers.
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Feb 23, 2011 14:53
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Blood in poop sounds like a real vet thing. Cats can sometimes tear the skin of their asses if they have hard stools, but this sounds like the opposite.
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Feb 23, 2011 14:57
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Does the diarrhea make a horrendous stench? I assume that because you didn't post about it means it didn't... but I still have to ask. Other questions to think about (as the vet will ask you these as well): Has she been eating normally? Can you give us an idea of this varied diet? How has her activity level been? It sounds like she's an outdoor cat. Is she up to date on vaccines? When was her last vet visit? How old is she? Don't worry about answering those questions here... just get your information ready for a vet visit. I do have to reiterate that bloody poo is a bad thing that a vet should see sooner rather than later. It can be a variety of things, from benign to malignant, and we can't tell that here.
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Feb 23, 2011 17:40
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HelloSailorSign posted:I do have to reiterate that bloody poo is a bad thing that a vet should see sooner rather than later. It can be a variety of things, from benign to malignant, and we can't tell that here. You're sure gonna try though aren't you? I asked my vet once about a little bit of blood I saw in my cat's stool. They said that bright blood in the stool was usually a case of a hard poop that made a little tear in the colon and wasn't a huge worry if the cat didn't have any other symptoms. It's the darker blood in the stool (I never asked how you were supposed to notice dark blood in the stool) that was worrisome and a 'vet, now' situation. Also this was the kind of question they answered over the phone, for free. So maybe try to call a vet and see what they say?
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Feb 23, 2011 17:58
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wraithgar posted:
Massive diarrhea doesn't sound like a hard poo causing tears....how old is said cat?
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Feb 24, 2011 01:26
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wraithgar posted:You're sure gonna try though aren't you? e:f,b So the bloody mucoid diarrhea sounds like a hard poo to you? And, ya, noticing the darker blood in stool can be quite subjective. Is it really dark, or only slightly dark? Is it from blood, or what the cat ate? It's a tough call.
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Feb 24, 2011 01:26
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Wow you two said the exact same thing at the exact same time what a coincidence. Keep on trucking Hello SailorSign and keep on internet diagnosing cat and dog poo problems. Did you call the vet yet Cassiope?
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Feb 24, 2011 01:35
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Yes, I have talked to the vet. If the diarrhea persists I'm going to take her in (which would probably lead to me officially adopting her but that is still up for debate). Vet was of the opinion that kitty eating god-knows-what probably caused the diarrhea, and the smallish amount of bright blood is not too serious unless it keeps happening. The blood was bright, light red and there were about two or three mucus-like strands The diarrhea was yellowy/brown, and she had two bowel movements (found one under my desk!) She has been eating and drinking normally I don't know how old she is, if she has ever been to a vet before, when her last visit was if she has, if she is up to date on vaccines, or what she normally acts like (I've only known her a little over a week). As far as diet, I've been feeding her Spot's Stew wet food, Friskies wet food (yes, I know, but I am broke and I don't want her to starve), and a mid-level dry food that I don't remember the name of but it was similar in ingredients to Chicken Soup. I have no clue what the neighbors feed her when she is outside during the day. I take her in at night so that she does not have to sleep in the cold, and I let her outside in the morning unless she does not want to go out. She has been acting completely normally since I got back from class and she was positively dying for attention after being in the bathroom for a few hours. I trimmed a LOT of her hair especially around her rear end because the diarrhea had gotten stuck in the mats that were already there. It took over an hour but with enough cuddling she was convinced that a haircut was not so bad after all. I think she was so fluffy she couldn't keep up with it all, because as soon as I had trimmed an inch or so off she started grooming like crazy as if she realized "Hey! Now this is manageable! Move over I got this." Now she's sleeping in my clean laundry basket. (Hope I really did clean all the poo off of her!) Thanks for the help guys, I was freaking out a lot 'cause I've grown very attached to this cat. Like I said though, not exactly in a financial position to ask her owner to let me adopt her. That would require the boyfriend being on board with it and the buttsplosion hasn't won helped win him over any.
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Feb 24, 2011 02:55
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wraithgar posted:Wow you two said the exact same thing at the exact same time what a coincidence. Great minds think alike?
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Feb 24, 2011 03:50
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I have two male, strictly indoor cats (rescued, so American short hair I guess) who are about a year and a half old and due for their annual shots. My boss at the pet store we work at said that they only really need to get rabies and not the FVRCPC and feline leukemia. Is that accurate, or should I disregard her advice and get all 3? The local Petcos are visited by a cheap vaccination clinic on Sundays and this is the last Sunday for $5 rabies shots. Obviously, $10 plus medical waste fee is a lot better than $84 + medical waste fee, but I am not going to endanger my cats to save a few bucks. Obligatory picture (Bowzer and Oliver respectively): 
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Feb 24, 2011 05:50
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FeLV transmission requires close contact with an infected cat, so it is usually not recommended for strictly indoor cats unless you were going to have unvaccinated foster kittens around or something like that. FVRCP, on the other hand, is aimed at multiple very contagious respiratory viruses that could be brought in on your clothes and whatnot, so it's more important. It won't guarantee that the cats won't get infected if you do bring something home, but if they do the clinical signs shouldn't be as bad.
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Feb 24, 2011 06:01
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I'm looking for a really good list of human foods/ingredients that are toxic to cats. Any recommendations? \/ 
melon cat fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Feb 24, 2011 |
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Feb 24, 2011 08:25
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The ASPCA site has a good detailed list http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/people-foods.aspx
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Feb 24, 2011 09:18
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Tomorrow me and my wife are going to the shelter to hopefully pick up a pair of cats. We've passed a house inspection by the shelter and we know the shelter currently has 2 pairs of young adult cats to choose from that they think would be good for our home. I just wanted to check our preparations. We've got 2 litter boxes, 2 cat carriers, a scratching post, some toys and cat food of the same type they are being fed at the shelter. I've also ordered some Orijens dry food so I can transition them to that once they are settled in since UK goons seem to rate it highly. We've also phoned the vet to register and will take them in when their next fleaing/worming treatments are due. The cats are already wormed, fleaed, vacinated, microchipped and neutered by the shelter. Am I forgetting anything? We have no other pets and this is the first time me and my wife have owned pets ourselves although my family had a cat when I was growing up. My biggest worry is - what should we do for the first few days on bringing the cats home to socialise them? I want them to feel chill and relaxed in their new home so I feel I shouldn't try and pick them up, but will that mean they become unsocial? What should we do if they ignore us and hide all the time? Anyone have any advice on introducing new cats into a home? Sorry for the  we just want to make sure we've got all our bases covered and give the cats a good unstressful intro to their new home.
JigglyPuff fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Feb 24, 2011 |
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Feb 24, 2011 13:09
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Awww, good luck with your new cats! Sounds like you've got all the bases covered, really. My one piece of advice would be to start them 'small' - limit them to one room the first day or two before opening up the entire house to them. Sometimes it can help them to acclimate to their new surroundings slowly, rather than have to deal with an entire house at once, and make them feel safer. I've found that when I've done that with cats, that room then becomes "their" room, the one they go to most often to hang out and take naps. About socializing, with cats you just gotta be their non-threatening friend. Having them in one room can help this too. If you can be in that room with them, just doing your own thing (working, playing games, whatever) they'll get used to your near presence. Be the bearer of nice things, like tuna treats or something, but don't force it on them or make them take it from your hand. Some cats will warm up to new people quickly and others may remain standoffish a long time (or just be jerks their whole life). skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 13:41 on Feb 24, 2011 |
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Feb 24, 2011 13:36
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Just wanted to thank everyone for the advice last week about getting my cat to take her pain meds after oral surgery. I called the vet who said it'd be best to administer via syringe, but if the choice was mixing it in food or no meds at all to definitely do the former. As ChairmanMeow advised, the subsequent doses tended to get easier. If she fought too hard with the syringe, I went the easy route with the food just so she was at least getting a dose every 12 hours. Yesterday was her last one. She's a little cranky but not in an "I'm in pain" kind of way -- more like "Why the gently caress am I not stoned right now this is bullshit" way. Today we got pathology results back on the tumor removed from Cosette's jaw. Apparently it wasn't cancerous, it was a mass caused by inflammation after all. To say it was a relief is an understatement. Of course now I'm allowing myself to research more about FIP and options to possibly extend any good months or years she may have left. The FIP discussion may be suited to it's own thread though, since this is probably going to be a rather long, involved (depressing) journey. On the upside, she's always been scrawny but now that she's on steroids pretty much indefinitely she has become Little Miss Piggy. Sweetie, you just eat all you loving want. Crap quality pictures!   
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Feb 24, 2011 22:20
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So glad about the not cancer! Also glad you are on the end of these meds!
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Feb 24, 2011 22:28
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