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Cats really are different and have different personalities, different needs. I sometimes think people are a bit too fast to get a second cat, since lots of adult cats who are used to being the *only* established cat and are deeply bonded to you may not take well to a new cat - *especially* if it's a kitten. Like, I've said it before, but the reason I wound up with my cat Jackie is because her best friend whom she grew up with died by car, and she was the only cat then at my dad's house, so they got two new kittens. And Jackie *did not* get along with the kittens in the slightest and it was a disaster, and she started acting mean to everyone and over-eating and spitting and hissing and clawing at anyone who came near. Then I adopted her and she immediately became the happiest sweetest most docile cat ever, and we've gotten along great for 5+ years. I made a covenant with her I would never get another cat as long as I live with her. It would be such a tremendously huge disaster for both of us that I don't even want to contemplate it. fake edit: Oh and my cat doesn't cough but she does sneeze, though not excessively. However it's pretty funny when she's bunting the side of my head with her head and winds up sneezing in my face.
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Feb 4, 2016 04:42
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I really miss my cat since I had to move (no pets ever  ) and where are places I can volunteer and/or play with cats? I went to the local cat cafe but it's far away from where I live. Location: NYC Can I visit animal shelters? Right now I just lurk on the cat pic threads in my free time.
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Feb 4, 2016 09:08
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I've just spotted a wound of some kind on the right ear of one my cats, James. I think his brother might have been playing too rough. It's near where the ear meets the head. I think it's a scrape. There's some fur missing and a bit of blood. He doesn't seem too bothered by it. I've tried to take some photos but my camera's too crappy and blurry. I guess I just leave him to heal on his own, right? It's not a serious wound. Anything I can/should do to help? Meanwhile Wolfgang opened a nice cut on my hand earlier today when I was trying to brush his buttregion, so I guess he's just doing damage today.
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Feb 4, 2016 11:14
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I also have a Maine Coon mix, and he sounds awful when he's got a hairball, hacking and wheezing but it doesn't come up. A few days later he'll then barf up a massive hairball in silence. This is normal, not asthma. I actually did have a cat with asthma when I was a kid, and you wouldn't even know he had it until he got all worked up over a toy. We found out he had it when we noticed he'd literally play with the feather wand until he collapsed, sides heaving as he struggled to get enough air. Sometimes his nose would get this bluish tint to it from hypoxia, poor thing. We had to keep oxygen on hand for him and restrict his playing, and he eventually passed away at 10 from emphysema complications. re: volunteering- there are probably shelters nearby that need volunteers to help with cats, look up your local chapter of the SPCA or Humane Society as those are both good ones. Be warned though, they usually need people who are more willing to do the dirty work of feeding/changing litter/laundry etc than just "I want to play with the cats" because 90% of the volunteers want to do just the fun stuff and not actual work. There is also a need for foster homes for animals as well, or "rent-a-cat" as I sometimes call it. Especially during kitten season in the warmer months, the shelters will get a ton of animals that are not yet ready to be adopted out because they're too small or have pending health evaluations. They also like to foster older animals who have been in the shelter for a long time, to give them a break from the stress. The shelters count on fosters for these animals so they can use shelter space for animals ready to be adopted, therefore maximizing the number of actual adoptions. I've fostered on multiple occasions for the local SPCA, and they try to make it as easy as possible. The SPCA will provide food, litter, and toys if you need them (though of course if you supply it yourself they're ecstatic about it and it counts as a donation), all you have to do is stay in contact with the foster coordinator and bring the animals back to the shelter as needed for health evaluations for the duration of the foster, typically two to six weeks. A warning for potential foster homes: it is REALLY easy to get attached to those animals. The first time I fostered when I returned the litter of kittens I cried. I got better for a bit, but finally succumbed and became a "foster failure" on my last run and adopted one of the kittens. I don't regret it though, and will probably do it again once this years kitten season starts up again (very soon now in the balmy South).
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Feb 4, 2016 13:09
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Alder posted:I really miss my cat since I had to move (no pets ever Volunteer at a shelter as a cat socializer! It's pretty much win-win: you get to pet/hold/play with as many cats as you want, and the cats get more accustomed to human interaction which makes them more likely to be adopted. The ASPCA's website says that the next signups are March, and they also link to a lot of other NYC shelters that could use help. Marchegiana posted:re: volunteering- there are probably shelters nearby that need volunteers to help with cats, look up your local chapter of the SPCA or Humane Society as those are both good ones. Be warned though, they usually need people who are more willing to do the dirty work of feeding/changing litter/laundry etc than just "I want to play with the cats" because 90% of the volunteers want to do just the fun stuff and not actual work. For what it's worth, at my local shelter every volunteer starts out as a cat socializer or dog walker, just to deal with the sheer number of animals on hand. They gradually move people into more difficult or less desirable positions as they become more experienced. Super Librarian fucked around with this message at 13:18 on Feb 4, 2016 |
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Feb 4, 2016 13:09
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Hyperlynx posted:I've just spotted a wound of some kind on the right ear of one my cats, James. I think his brother might have been playing too rough. Since it's behind his ear you could clean it a bit and put some neosporin on it without worrying about him licking it. Maybe he was scratching his own ear and got a little over zealous?
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Feb 4, 2016 14:06
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kaworu posted:Cats really are different and have different personalities, different needs. I sometimes think people are a bit too fast to get a second cat, since lots of adult cats who are used to being the *only* established cat and are deeply bonded to you may not take well to a new cat - *especially* if it's a kitten. Yeah, my cat has been the only cat for 8 of her 9 years. I've considered getting a second cat over the years, but I'm pretty sure at this point she's used to being the queen. She has to make her presence known, and that she's my cat to any randos that show up at my apartment, so she'd probably begrudgingly get used to another cat, but I don't wanna put her though it. Marchegiana posted:I also have a Maine Coon mix, and he sounds awful when he's got a hairball, hacking and wheezing but it doesn't come up. A few days later he'll then barf up a massive hairball in silence. This is normal, not asthma. I wish it was like this for me. Hairballs start with these bloodcurdling meows that will wake me straight up from a dead sleep, followed by the sounds of cat vomit 
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Feb 4, 2016 14:17
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I'm just going to say that if anyone's cat sounds like they are "trying to bring up a hairball" but nothing comes out, that is one of the most common descriptors for cat coughing that I hear. That is what cats sound like when they cough. And coughing is not normal in cats.
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Feb 4, 2016 17:11
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Alder posted:I really miss my cat since I had to move (no pets ever Just go to a shelter when they're open, tell them you're thinking about adopting a cat. Most places will let you open up their cages and play with them for as long as you want. Warning: you might end up actually adopting a cat.
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Feb 4, 2016 18:06
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demota posted:I adopted an older cat to serve as a mom for my kitten, except the older cat growls at the little one. I tried introducing them by scent through closed doors for like a week. She's okay through closed doors and even visual range, but my idiot of a kitten keeps trying to charge her to play, and she will have none of it. The growling discourages him for a while, but within a few minutes, he'll try to wrestle her and she smacks him and hisses. This never actually drives him away for more than a couple minutes. They just had an altercation where he jumped on her and they rolled around for a while before the kitten ditched. This was basically the general situation for a few weeks when I got a kitten. At first the older cat really disliked the kitten and would growl and hiss under the door of the room she was kept in. When they were first introduced she was really playful and tried to hunt his tail but he was having none of that and just smacked her away. She would also constantly try to wrestle him but always lose but never stop trying. But slowly the hissing got less and less common and although they would always occasionally wrestle it became more obviously playful every week. Once things settled down they'd even cuddle together and the older cat would lick the kittens head every chance he got. They probably just need more time.
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Feb 4, 2016 21:30
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Hi, cat thread. I just brought my cat in for dental work this morning. It was a cleaning and then they had to perform some extractions. It seemed like a standard procedure, and the vet made it sound like necessary work after an exam a couple weeks ago found some pretty gnarly teeth stuff. Apparently he's gone into cardiac arrest now, and they're trying to resuscitate him. They're not sure he's gonna make it. What am I supposed to do? I'm angry and sad and I feel like they're gonna wave paper work at me if he dies and basically make me pay them for killing my goddamn cat and arrrrrgh.  Edit: My cat is dead, and they're asking for payment. I'm trying to keep a level head about this, but it really feels like I'm paying for them to kill my cat. Do I have any recourse here? Should I have recourse? Is it typical to pay for everything if your cat immediately dies after surgery? Edit 2: This pretty much resolved itself. Suppose I'll leave my rant here for posterity. Here's a picture of my poor doofy cat. RIP, buddy.  
Guydoingthis fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Feb 5, 2016 |
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Feb 4, 2016 22:25
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Thanks for all of the responses! I think my cat would be great with another one-- before I adopted him back in August, he grew up in a cat rescue that my landlords friends ran out of their house. He shared his living space with about a dozen other cats at any given time and still bonded with the folks who were taking care of all the cats, so these past few months have been the first time in his life that he's been an only cat. I'll wait on adding another to the family for sure though. Braki, that's what I thought. What are some of the more common causes? Other than the occasional coughing fit and being a few pounds overweight, my cat seems fine. Reik, unfortunately Otis doesn't like catnip! He's a tough one to buy for, haha.
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Feb 4, 2016 22:29
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Thanks will check out the local animal shelters for kitty playtime.
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Feb 5, 2016 01:17
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Guydoingthis posted:Hi, cat thread. [s]I'm hoping you can help. I'm so sorry for your loss.
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Feb 5, 2016 01:42
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Guydoingthis posted:
Sorry about your cat. Did they just drop the fees?
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Feb 5, 2016 02:13
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Your area might have other private rescues too. For example, my wife and I volunteer with a local TNR group that also socializes the kittens of ferals and hands them to no-kills. We just finished with a brother/sister pair who were ready to be fixed and adopted out. The sister is shyer and got a parting shot on my hand when we were loading her into the carrier, but they're always worth it.
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Feb 5, 2016 05:48
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Reik posted:I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you. SynthOrange posted:Sorry about your cat. Did they just drop the fees? After calming down a bit, it makes sense to me that they can't completely comp the procedure (they did use anasthetics and do pricey bloodwork and such), but it sounds like the office is gonna waive as much as they can. Our other cat has dental needs too, which we're dreading now, but I digress. Wife and I are probably gonna look for a different vet, just because who could go back to the same vet after that? But they seem to be helping us through the situation as gracefully as one could hope (with the exception of one assistant doctor being kind of snooty, but he was still overall sympathetic and I was probably a jerk first).
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Feb 5, 2016 10:23
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We had to get one of our cat's teeth cleaned just a couple weeks ago and we were very worried as well. Are there any vet dentists in your area? If they specialize in dental care I would assume they have more experience with the anesthesia than a general practice vet. Not that you shouldn't be able to trust a general practice vet, but if you don't already have an established relationship with a GP vet there's no downside to looking for a dentist vet for a cleaning.
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Feb 5, 2016 16:37
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I have had my cat for a week now. She is becoming more and more familiar with her surroundings and she is the best. The one thing I am concerned about : She only urinates once a day. I have read that 2-4 is normal. When she does pee, it is a pretty decent amount. Should I be concerned? She is 2 years old. Food: Science Diet Indoor Dry Cat food I honestly don't think that she drinks enough water. If I had to guess, maybe 8-10oz per day?
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Feb 6, 2016 03:51
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Things you can do to get her drinking more: - move the water away from the food. - Add more water dishes throughout your house in different spots. - every so often add an ice cube! My cats love that. - get a water fountain.
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Feb 6, 2016 04:01
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Or if your cat is like my two idiots: run that bathtub water and have them drink non-stop for a few minutes, then just put a water dish instead.
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Feb 6, 2016 09:07
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CompactFanny posted:Things you can do to get her drinking more: If you get a water fountain, make sure to also move it away from the food. Otherwise your idiot cat will get food into the fountain and it will get all disgusting and soggy and it will clog everything all up and it will be SO gross to unclog.
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Feb 6, 2016 09:35
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Sypher posted:I have had my cat for a week now. She is becoming more and more familiar with her surroundings and she is the best. It could be a move thing. Mine cat only pee once a day after our recent move. It took about 3 weeks and for the peeing on need to return. . [/quote] Guydoingthis posted:Thank you. Sorry for your loss what a cute kitty. i don't like snooty vets and I would go to a new vet. I have found independent pet stores or pet groomers often know who is the best vet in the area. I got referred to a great vet while buying a $3 toy from a groomer. The blue bunny fucked around with this message at 10:47 on Feb 6, 2016 |
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Feb 6, 2016 10:41
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mistake
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Feb 6, 2016 10:45
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One of my cats only pees once a day. He drinks plenty of water, and it's a lot of pee. He's peed this way his whole life that I know of, so I always just figured he was a weird cat.
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Feb 6, 2016 15:17
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I'd still trade every other cat disorder for a cat that burried his loving poo poo.... Isaacs guts arent the best, and grain free food gives us something thats not 100% soft serve most of the time, but its never been great. BUT IF HE COULD ACTUALLY BURY THE STINKING loving THINGS IT WOULD BE REALLY REALLY APPRECIATED!
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Feb 7, 2016 12:29
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Your cat with bad guts could use some fiber. Add a little canned pumpkin or a pinch of plain fiber supplement (methylcellulose worked for my cat) to his food. That cleared up my cat's diarrhea issues and he was happier for it. As for the covering problem, maybe a litter robot?
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Feb 7, 2016 15:57
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Made a post here some time ago about my big fatty, Butterscotch, who my fiancee and I foster failed on super hard. You guys helped me out a lot on my last turn for help, and now I need some more. First, let me state that we went to the vet yesterday and I just made a call as I'm getting more concerned about his health. I'll be taking him in again either tonight or tomorrow morning, but I'm actually posting here because he's kinda got them stumped. Chili posted:
OK, so we noticed a few days ago that he started displaying some odd behaviors. First, his meow. He's always had a very nice, high pitch and smooth meow. But since maybe 3 or 4 days ago, this is about the best he can do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-OlnN5RRSE Then there's his "reverse sneezing" which isn't a technical term but it's how the vet described it and it seems pretty accurate. He does this mostly right before and right after bedtime, and I'm wondering if it has anything to do with him jumping off the bed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzd2-UjoCRM Most concerning is that he's not eating. Obviously, that's not a good sign. Again, we took him to the vet yesterday and he's going again soon. But they couldn't come up with much, and I did show them the videos I just posted. He's also drinking a lot more than usual. He didn't have a fever and his blood looked perfect after they drew some. They ruled out a URI and are guessing that there may be something lodged in his throat. They're having us soak his food and they gave us antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory, but the vet (who is awesome) told us she's just not sure. She thinks there may be an obstruction but she's not positive. Anyway, at this point I'm looking for more answers, maybe from someone who has experience with big boys like Butterscotch. They are recommending that he get some dental work done (as an aside as his teeth aren't perfect), and she said that if we do that they can get a better look down his throw as he'll be under. It's looking like we may go that route, but yeah, if this seems like something familiar to any of youse, please let me know. He's been such a good boy and we've been helping him get his weight down at a perfect pace, we just want to get him back on track. Good meows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae-iCNk8_Nc Chili fucked around with this message at 13:35 on Feb 9, 2016 |
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Feb 9, 2016 13:23
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We have two sisters in our house, about 7 or 8 months old, and not fixed yet (although they don't have an opportunity to get outdoors). In most respects, they're absolute dreams. But we've noticed that one of them has a habit trying to pee in the water bowl. At first, they had a large bowl that we noticed was being peed into. After this repeated a couple of times, we switched to a much smaller bowl and moved it into another room. For a while, this seemed to stop the peeing. At one point, we put a tray under the bowl to catch spills, and that immediately got peed on, so we took the tray away. Now (and we're not sure for how long), the cat that's been doing the peeing has taken to peeing just near the water. We've caught her once, sprayed her with some water, and immediately got to washing the area with something to hopefully remove the smell, then moved the bowl. We're finding small puddles or dried areas very frequently now. Has anybody seen this behavior or have advice on it? Our next thought is to elevate the bowl. Does getting a female cat fixed have any impact on their peeing behavior? Edit: I've been assuming that she's also peeing in the litter box, but it's hard to tell since there are two of them. She doesn't avoid the litter box, at least. Flip Yr Wig fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Feb 9, 2016 |
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Feb 9, 2016 19:40
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Flip Yr Wig posted:Does getting a female cat fixed have any impact on their peeing behavior? Yes. Spaying should be your first step, it should eliminate this problem entirely. She's trying to spread her pee around so a boy cat might notice her.
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Feb 9, 2016 20:35
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Chili posted:Made a post here some time ago about my big fatty, Butterscotch, who my fiancee and I foster failed on super hard. You guys helped me out a lot on my last turn for help, and now I need some more. Has the vet suggested any tests such as an xray to see if there is a blockage? Also ask your vet to subscribe the drugs that stimulate cats appetite.
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Feb 9, 2016 21:14
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Flip Yr Wig posted:We have two sisters in our house, about 7 or 8 months old, and not fixed yet (although they don't have an opportunity to get outdoors). In most respects, they're absolute dreams. But we've noticed that one of them has a habit trying to pee in the water bowl. At first, they had a large bowl that we noticed was being peed into. After this repeated a couple of times, we switched to a much smaller bowl and moved it into another room. For a while, this seemed to stop the peeing. At one point, we put a tray under the bowl to catch spills, and that immediately got peed on, so we took the tray away. Now (and we're not sure for how long), the cat that's been doing the peeing has taken to peeing just near the water. It affects their hormones which could affect a wide variety of behaviors. Definitely get them both spayed ASAP. Also, a spray bottle might not be the best thing to use with bathroom issues. If the cat associates peeing with getting attacked (sprayed) she might start hiding before peeing and then good luck finding it.
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Feb 9, 2016 23:49
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My boyfriend moved in with me recently (from a house in which there were nine cats) and my one rear end in a top hat cat keeps pissing all over his stuff. This only became a problem when he and his things moved here. It's starting to really piss us both off, pun intended. rear end in a top hat cat is a fixed male. Wintir fucked around with this message at 00:35 on Feb 10, 2016 |
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Feb 10, 2016 00:33
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Wintir posted:My boyfriend moved in with me recently (from a house in which there were nine cats) and my one rear end in a top hat cat keeps pissing all over his stuff. This only became a problem when he and his things moved here. Sounds like it could definitely be stress related. Feliway, another litter box, and a trip to the vet to rule out serious medical issues. If it's stress related FIC, they might give you some meds for the cat that will help his inflammation.
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Feb 10, 2016 00:41
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Puppy Galaxy posted:Sounds like it could definitely be stress related. Will do. Could it be territorial marking?
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Feb 10, 2016 01:35
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Wintir posted:Will do. Could be. Could also be "go away." I've had cats that pee on stuff when they're mad (or more accurately, stressed) about something. Usually it's due to the litter box needing changing. We have one who will pee on anything left lying on the floor (for completely unknown reasons), which is a great incentive to keep things picked up. It will probably subside with time.
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Feb 10, 2016 01:48
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Wintir posted:My boyfriend moved in with me recently (from a house in which there were nine cats) and my one rear end in a top hat cat keeps pissing all over his stuff. This only became a problem when he and his things moved here. Not to rehash what's been said already, in addition to that stuff, keeping his stuff up off the floor and put away will give him fewer options. Make sure you're cleaning up with an enzyme cleaner or the smell of his last mess will make him think that's a potty spot.
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Feb 10, 2016 02:00
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 hello
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Feb 10, 2016 10:43
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 hi --- Last week we adopted this cat, and she's been medical issue after medical issue. We assume the adoption weakened her immune system. After an evening and morning of not eating, we took her to the vet who diagnosed her with a throat infection and gave her anti-inflammatory medicine that would work for two weeks, and told us to stop giving the antibiotics the shelter gave us. That was two days ago, and she's went slightly downhill. She's eating and drinking and using the litterbox occasionally, but she's right now hiding in her secure cubby hole and she's drooling and sneezing a lot. I don't know whether this is just a continuation of the throat infection and it's going to get worse before it gets better, or her infection has spread to somewhere else and we should contact the vet again. Her discharge is all completely clear, so it seems to have remained viral for now.
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Feb 10, 2016 11:07
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I have a cat that wakes me and my girlfriend up at around 5 every morning. It finds whatever can make a noise and pokes it ever so slightly, just to make enough noise to drive us insane. We've tried getting a water pistol, but she's on to us, and when we reach for it, she hides. 30 secs later she's back, poking at poo poo again. We live in a studio-ish apartment, and we don't really have any doors. Does anyone have any ideas for dealing with this?
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Feb 10, 2016 13:48
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