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metaphics posted:I was worried about cleaning the house. I'll ask my vet for any other options. Thanks! 14 yo cat is probably immune to FPV by virtue of lifelong vaccination. A vet check won't really change anything, just need to watch for clinical signs - vomiting, diarrhea, general sickness. For the next 1-2 weeks it might be a good idea that if small things do crop up to be more aggressive about going to the vet than just seeing if it'll pass - but remembering to mention to the vet why you're more concerned (especially when making the appointment).
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Jul 15, 2014 06:57
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Turtlicious posted:The guy I had watching my cat accidentally ran that cat over with his car. I told him to keep the loving cat indoors, and he said "Oh but he's so happy to be outside." I am honestly bereft over this. No jury would ever convict you. Not saying just saying. Jesus that's awful and I can't imagine what I'd do in your position.
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Jul 15, 2014 08:10
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Eifert Posting posted:No jury would ever convict you. Not saying just saying.
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Jul 15, 2014 11:42
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There is no way you can find a jury of twelve people in the United States without one animal lover.
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Jul 15, 2014 14:13
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Turtlicious posted:I miss him so much. I'm so sorry. 
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Jul 15, 2014 14:31
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I am too stunned to be able to say anything other than I'm sorry.
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Jul 15, 2014 19:15
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Turtlicious, I'm sorry and your friend is a huge rear end in a top hat. That's unforgivable. My kitten got neutered 14 days ago. He still has what appears to be a scab at the incision. I know I heal faster than that, so is it normal for him to still be scabby?
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Jul 16, 2014 01:52
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DaisyDanger posted:Turtlicious, I'm sorry and your friend is a huge rear end in a top hat. That's unforgivable. Yes. As long as it is not inflamed or oozy, it's most likely fine.
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Jul 16, 2014 02:36
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I'm always hearing horror stories about how hard it is to get cats into the carrier for the vet, but my cat is currently sleeping inside his and gets grumpy/screamy if I take it out of the room or shut the door so he can't get in  So if you're having trouble with your vet visits consider leaving the carrier in their main room instead of in a cupboard or something.
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Jul 16, 2014 15:06
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Pyrotoad posted:I'm always hearing horror stories about how hard it is to get cats into the carrier for the vet, but my cat is currently sleeping inside his and gets grumpy/screamy if I take it out of the room or shut the door so he can't get in My cat gets in okay, but she poops once she's in there. This happens every single time, either when she gets in the car or when we're taking her home. She's pretty high-anxiety so I wouldn't be surprised if it's a fear reaction. I'd feel awful if that were the case, and it makes taking her to the vet a real pain. Does anyone else have this problem?
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Jul 16, 2014 15:34
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Is there any advice for adding a dog to the house? The humane society has a pug needing love. (pug/beagle mix at a horrendously unhealthy 46 POUNDS) My friend already brings her dog over regularly and the cats give no fucks while Belle is over (and is much bigger than a pug would be). Besides keeping them out of each others foods, anything else to look out for?
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Jul 16, 2014 16:40
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Your friend is a piece of poo poo Turtle, I'm so sorry for your loss.
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Jul 16, 2014 20:37
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Hi thread, I just recently adopted a kitten and he really likes biting my hands, feet and arms. I saw in the OP that you can yelp and act hurt, any other good techniques for discouraging this?
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Jul 16, 2014 22:05
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Dantu posted:Hi thread, I just recently adopted a kitten and he really likes biting my hands, feet and arms. I saw in the OP that you can yelp and act hurt, any other good techniques for discouraging this? If your kitty's chewing on All The Things, I'd recommend Bitter Apple Chew Deterrent. Once they chew on a thing with this stuff on it a few times, they generally stop and then won't start up again because they develop an aversion to it. I think I've heard of people dabbing themselves with it to teach their cats not to chew on their fingers, etc but that's definitely not its intended use so I don't know if I'd recommend doing that. I have a problem of my own. My cat's developed a pretty bad flea infestation. The fleas in my area seem to have developed a relative immunity to Frontline and Advantage, so the vet prescribed Revolution. It seems to be working in that I haven't seen as many flea eggs or flea dirt on her, but it's been a week and she still has fleas. We're putting down diatomaceous earth and then vacuuming it up two or three times a week. Is there anything more I can do? I'm worried they're never going to go away.
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Jul 17, 2014 05:13
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Turtlicious, that is terrible. I'm so sorry for your loss.toplitzin posted:Is there any advice for adding a dog to the house? If the cats have high places where they can avoid the dog they should be fine. It sounds like they're already somewhat tolerant of dogs, so that's good. My cats get along with our dog fine, but when we first brought her home, they needed their own space. In fact, they still do if she annoys them. One thing to watch out for is the litter boxes. A lot of dogs think cat poop is a delectable treat. Do yourself a favor and dogproof or keep litter boxes away. You do not want to deal with the aftermath.
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Jul 17, 2014 05:35
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I've been contemplating getting a friend for my cat. My cat is overweight and I've been reducing his intake and he is successfully losing weight. However, if I have two cats, I pretty much have to free-feed them, no? I am afraid he will get fat again.
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Jul 17, 2014 18:44
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AugmentedVision posted:I've been contemplating getting a friend for my cat. My cat is overweight and I've been reducing his intake and he is successfully losing weight. However, if I have two cats, I pretty much have to free-feed them, no? I am afraid he will get fat again. I don't free-feed my two cats. At meal times I separate them so they don't eat each other's food (one's on a prescription diet). Slightly more effort but not really an inconvenience, they both generally take maybe 10 minutes to finish and then I let the one shut in the bedroom out again.
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Jul 17, 2014 18:46
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Huntersoninski posted:I don't free-feed my two cats. At meal times I separate them so they don't eat each other's food (one's on a prescription diet). Slightly more effort but not really an inconvenience, they both generally take maybe 10 minutes to finish and then I let the one shut in the bedroom out again. Unfortunately this wouldn't work because he paces himself. He eats all of his food, but each feeding (twice a day) he will eat several small servings over a few hours.
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Jul 17, 2014 18:49
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If he's like our Ozma, who was once a grazer, he'll adapt to a schedule when he realizes that's all he gets. But all cats are different. Or luck may give you two grazers who are fine sharing a bowl - I had childhood cats who shared food this way (but they were littermates). If your cat is a fatty, I've heard of some cat owners making a little food shelter for their skinny cat to access with a hole too small for their fat cat, so skinny has sole access to his food and fatty can't overeat.
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Jul 17, 2014 18:53
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I feel lucky to have a cat that paces herself and doesn't want my food.
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Jul 17, 2014 20:35
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So I figured I'd ask here since I don't feel like pointing fingers just yet. Back in March I took my 7 year old cat in for some excessive drooling, they said he needed a clean up, so I took him in, they the clean-up, no problem. About a month and a half later I notice he seems a bit lethargic, I take him back, tooth infection, they give me 2 vials of clyndamicin and an appointment for a another clean up in July 10th, I empty both vials and take him in July 10th. First thing I feel something is off, is when the assistant tells me "So that was his first clean-up right?" I tell him no, he had one in March, his face is a mask of "that's impossible" apparently they removed a ton of poo poo that can get lodged in the gums and such, just mountains of the stuff according to him, I also notice the cat's looking pretty haggard, moreso than the last clean-up, regardless I take him him, he looks terrible, and is drooling and bleeding, I let him rest with some water in cool room and try to feed him the next day as I was told, nothing, he refuses to eat. Take him back to the vet, he's running a fever, they opt to him for observation and inject him with some stuff to help with the fever and stimulate his appetite, next day he's fine, ate a little over there, etc, I bring him home, eats all the recovery food and some tuna they told him to feed him. That was on saturday, he'll pretty much only tuna at this point, he refuses regular cat food, I've been mixing vitamins and such into the tuna to give him a balanced meal. They also gave me another clyndamicin vial because of the fever issues and possible infection he might have developed. He's not super lethargic but he's sleeping more than usual, he's grooming but not as excessive as he used to and he's drooling more than normal around the sides of his mouth, he's also started sneezing lately and sounds sniffly, not boogers or secretions coming from his nose or eyes though, so I know its not an infection, and the air quality is pretty bad here in PR. I guess my question is, what the hell happened? Are dental clean-ups for animals that severe? Is all this clyndamicin going to hurt him? That cat hasn't been sick in the 8 years I've had him and now he's a mess after a simple clean-up.
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Jul 17, 2014 23:12
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Alteisen posted:I guess my question is, what the hell happened? Are dental clean-ups for animals that severe? Is all this clyndamicin going to hurt him? That cat hasn't been sick in the 8 years I've had him and now he's a mess after a simple clean-up. 1) No idea, could be any number of things. Maybe he doesn't handle anesthesia well, or something happened while under anesthesia (blood pressure drop, poor oxygenation) that wasn't noticed. Maybe there's something underlying that's partially manifesting as mouth problems but is also affecting him systemically. Maybe he has really bad dental disease to the point where there is systemic signs. The best person to know would be the attending vet as the recordsof everything that happened is in their hands. 2) Usually no. 3) Probably not.
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Jul 18, 2014 03:53
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So an update on my bitey kitten. Yelping and acting like I'm hurt only seems to encourage him. Yelling NO as loud as I can doesn't phase him. The only thing that does is the squirt bottle.
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Jul 18, 2014 15:47
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Stop playing with him when he bites you. Get up and walk away and completely ignore him for like ten minutes, don't talk to him, don't touch him, try not to look at him. He's going to find that his playmate becomes very boring if he bites. He should grow out of it some as he ages, too.
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Jul 18, 2014 16:23
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TheAngryDrunk posted:Okay, i'm not alone. One of mine will actually dig a hole to poop in, so she knows how to move the litter, but then she will scratch the sides of the box when it comes time to bury it. Update: The "wall-scratcher" somehow learned how to bury her waste instead of scratching the sides of the box. Maybe she watched her brother and figured out she was doing something wrong. Woot!
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Jul 18, 2014 16:33
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CompactFanny posted:Stop playing with him when he bites you. Get up and walk away and completely ignore him for like ten minutes, don't talk to him, don't touch him, try not to look at him. He's going to find that his playmate becomes very boring if he bites. He should grow out of it some as he ages, too. I'm trying that with my little biter. She's now moved on from biting to climbing on the a/c units and doing her best stretch Armstrong impression to reach the blinds. She also has a nighttime biting problem, I'm going to keep going with the ignoring until she gets the picture, hopefully soon.
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Jul 18, 2014 17:07
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Got an update from my mom the other night. Max's cancer is apparently terminal...I don't know if I just misunderstood her when she first told me or if I was in denial or what. I was going to take the train home next saturday but was able to get next friday off so I can head down one day early and have an extra day with my boy. It's rough; I feel like I'm dealing with the five stages of loss now and I know it'll happen all over again once he goes.
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Jul 18, 2014 21:38
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Sorry about Max, Trebuchet King  I'm sure he's led a good life with you.ilysespieces posted:I would appreciate this as well. I'm going shopping for a soft carrier tomorrow and right now I'm planning on picking up the Bergan but if I should look elsewhere, I'd like to hear about it. As a mini-update, I ended up buying the Bergan Voyager. It just ticked a lot of boxes for me, and now I can't wait for Pixel to have to endure oh so many trips to the vet and beyond in it!
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Jul 19, 2014 00:41
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bubblelubble posted:As a mini-update, I ended up buying the Bergan Voyager. It just ticked a lot of boxes for me, and now I can't wait for Pixel to have to endure oh so many trips to the vet and beyond in it! Thanks, I ended up getting the Sherpa carrier, mainly because it's purple, but it also seemed like it had features (weight limit higher than some others I've seen and everyone keeps saying she's gonna be a big cat when she's older, so I figured best be prepared)/a look that I like. I just want to bring Tali everywhere because so far she's just sat in it in the living room a couple of times. I want to carry my kitty!
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Jul 19, 2014 00:52
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I just recently got a new kitten. Her name is Pixel and she is pretty much the model kitten. The problem is with the other cats. One in particular, Aika, is what you'd term a bully. She always used to harass and push around our older cat. We've tried to introduce the cats to the new kitten slowly, using scent swapping and room swapping and gradually having supervised visits with each other. Aika has taken up bullying little Pixel whenever the opportunity arises. She doesn't act overly perturbed at the beginning of the interaction but eventually she starts staring and stalking the kitten, trying to corner her and attempting to attack her. The kitten is quite terrified of her and tries to take refuge with us or in a house plant. It's gotten to the point that Pixel gets quite nervous when not in her room. My mom is getting very frustrated even though it's only been 18 days since we got her. Any tips to help us stop Aika terrorizing the kitten aside from segregation?
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Jul 19, 2014 05:34
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So today at work I found a sick and injured kitten that was basically screaming it's head off near a doorway. Poor thing couldn't even walk right so I ended up bringing it inside and calling someone I know to take her to a vet.  Vet said she has a broken pelvis and ankle, a respiratory infection, was starving and dehydrated and was going into shock by the time the vet got to see her. Thankfully she seems to be doing better now after getting a chance to eat and sleep in a quiet environment. 
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Jul 19, 2014 07:21
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Lareine posted:I just recently got a new kitten. Her name is Pixel and she is pretty much the model kitten. The problem is with the other cats. One in particular, Aika, is what you'd term a bully. She always used to harass and push around our older cat. We've tried to introduce the cats to the new kitten slowly, using scent swapping and room swapping and gradually having supervised visits with each other. Aika has taken up bullying little Pixel whenever the opportunity arises. She doesn't act overly perturbed at the beginning of the interaction but eventually she starts staring and stalking the kitten, trying to corner her and attempting to attack her. The kitten is quite terrified of her and tries to take refuge with us or in a house plant. It's gotten to the point that Pixel gets quite nervous when not in her room. My mom is getting very frustrated even though it's only been 18 days since we got her. Any tips to help us stop Aika terrorizing the kitten aside from segregation? Well, there's really no one way that is guaranteed to work. If you are not already, I would probably separate them for a few days and start fresh. I would try to get something like a gocat rod (amazon) with a feather chaser. It sounds like Aika would go crazy over it, having something to stalk and hunt. (Drag it slowly across the floor to let her hunt, don't only swing it around and have her chase it) Play with her for a few days, getting her used to chasing and killing the feather. Then slowly introduce the kitten into play, but keep Aikas attention on the feather chaser. Hopefully at some point Pixel will be able to take turns with Aika, and Aika will be tiring out from play. If you can get Aika to the point where she's on her side panting like a dog, she won't have the energy left to stalk Pixel. Make sure after each play session you pamper Aika with love and treats, hopefully she'll associate play, and Pixel, with a positive feeling. Of course, it's entirely up to Aika in the end, some cats... ya know. You can use this same approach with any activity though, including feeding time. Anything Aika "enjoys" should be done with pixel around so she associates positive things with kittens. Dr. Derek posted:So today at work I found a sick and injured kitten that was basically screaming it's head off near a doorway. Oh my gosh, I wanna see this kitten all healthy and adorable in a few days. 
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Jul 19, 2014 13:04
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I've got a question about finicky eating. We have a 8 year old male cat. For years we have fed him Innova EVO Chicken & Turkey, dry food in the morning, and wet food at night. In the last 2-3 days our cat has been really finicky when eating. I'm aware that this is often a sign of illness, however, we had just taken him in for a checkup a week and a half ago, everything came out clear, and he seems otherwise normal. Additionally, he still goes crazy every time we open up a can of tuna, and I did pick up a can of tuna Friskies at the pharmacy down the street to see if he'd eat it and he wolfed that down with no problem. He'll still sort of poke at the EVO but not eat much of it. He's also drinking water normally and urinating. Bowl movements have slowed down with his eating but he's still passing. So, barring another vet visit, what's the best next step? I assume just starving him out until he's hungry enough to eat the normal stuff is a bad idea. Did Innova EVO change their formula? I've had cats for most of my life and this is the first time I've run into finicky eating, so I guess I'm lucky in that regard. The only cause I can think of is that he's stressed out. Over the July 4th holiday, we took a vacation, and a friend was supposed to check in on him, clean the litter box, feed him, and give him some attention. But said friend flaked out and only showed up for one day instead of three. So he was alone for some extended stretches and was really not happy when we got back. Neither were we, of course. However, that was nearly two weeks before the eating pattern changed. LogisticEarth fucked around with this message at 14:36 on Jul 19, 2014 |
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Jul 19, 2014 14:29
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 Yesterday was my first experience with euthanizing a pet. Worst use of vacation time ever. Boo was around nineteen years old, but did his best not to show it. He was spry into his mid teens and even when his legs started to give out he still made it a point to come sit on your lap to say hello. He came along with my wife when we got married, but it never made a difference to him that I wasn't there from the beginning. Even dealing with diabetes, kidney failure, two cataracts, arthritis, and probably a touch of dementia didn't stop this cat from his duties to the family. He was a big part of our lives and I'll miss him terribly.  I said on Facebook that until recently I thought there were no strings attached to the love and companionship that pets gave freely. It was only recently realized that there is indeed a price, and that is that one day you have to say goodbye.  I hope that there are plenty of laps wherever you are now. 199?-2014
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Jul 19, 2014 15:14
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^^ I am so sorry. I recently had to euthanize my childhood cat of 14 years due to kidney failure, and it's just about the worst feeling in the world. There's not even anyone you can be mad at. I'm unsure how to feel about what happened last night. My fiancee's hamster managed to manipulate his cage latch to get it open and escape into the apartment, where he was promptly chased down and killed by my cat. She's devastated and I feel awful about it - he wasn't a bad hamster - because it was my cat who killed him. We both understand very well that it was just a case of Jasper being a cat. From what we can tell it was very quick, instant death; broken neck, only one set of bite marks, no blood. Doesn't help that much, but there it is. Jasper actually brought the hamster to me, as though to say "I have fulfilled our ancient pact by eliminating this invasive species, see what a good boy I am?" He doesn't know he did anything wrong. Punishing him for it would be less than useless, and she could never hate a cat for doing what comes naturally. I still feel guilty as poo poo though for what seems like no reason so I guess it's just weird place to be in right now. The fluffy murderer himself: 
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Jul 19, 2014 20:16
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Wow. My ten pound, seven year old cat is now a diabetic. Brucie has been behaving normally but gradually losing weight, despite my best efforts. I took him for bloodwork and the results came back yesterday. His blood sugar was 500. A normal reading would be about 100. I'm bringing him to the vet Monday morning, where they will spend the next three days monitoring his levels and determining how much insulin he will need per day. When I pick him up they'll show me how to use the needles. I've had the little guy for three years, ever since he climbed into my lap at the shelter. He had a condition where his eyelids rolled under themselves like windowshades (double entropion) but they paid for the surgery to have it fixed. It improved his life so considerably and he's never been anything but sweet. I'm a bit shaken but I'm up for the challenge and I can't wait for him to start feeling better. I would post a picture but I'm using the app and I'm not sure how it handles image hosting.
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Jul 20, 2014 03:49
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I don't know if I should ask this here or in the pet nutrition thread, but it does have more to do with cats. I recently got a new kitten and took him to the a new vet since it was a free first visit. I mentioned that I would be switching him to Blue Buffalo kitten food, off of the Purina Pro Plan that he was on at the shelter. The vet told me he doesn't like Blue Buffalo because it has too much protein and he's seen many cats come in with kidney failure from the high protein diet. He suggested Royal Canin or Eukanuba. Does anyone have any opinions on this? I've always heard that Blue Buffalo is the best for cats, due to the higher protein diet which is what they should be eating.
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Jul 20, 2014 22:56
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Lemony Fresh posted:I don't know if I should ask this here or in the pet nutrition thread, but it does have more to do with cats. I am not a vet but that sounds like bullshit to me.
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Jul 21, 2014 00:46
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Yeah, I didn't think a cat could be on too high of a protein diet, really.
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Jul 21, 2014 01:22
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bubblelubble posted:Sorry about Max, Trebuchet King Thank you...but I know my life has been much better for his being in it than the other way around. He's always been super affectionate--when I had to tell my parents that I was on academic probation he made an immense difference in my ability to do so, just as one example. Whenever I came home from school he always remembered me. I feel quite confident in saying he made dealing with my PTSD much, much more manageable. Mom says he's in pretty good shape presently, still as easy to get purring as ever. I know it's not going to last, though, six months at the most (if I understand right) and I guess one of the things we're going to have to settle while I'm home next weekend is funerary arrangements...I think I'm going to push for cremation, just because I think he'd appreciate being something he could knock over and make a helluva mess out of.
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Jul 21, 2014 02:33
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