The Cat FAQ/Megathread: buying a second, clean broom just to use on him

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > The Cat FAQ/Megathread: buying a second, clean broom just to use on him

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Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Most long haired cats I've come across (including my own) don't have trimmed feet. The only downside I could notice was that they would slip up a little more on hardwood floors if they were going too fast. I wouldn't bother unless they start collecting debris or something. But cats tend to take care of that kind of thing themselves.

# ¿ Sep 23, 2009 18:42

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# ¿ May 4, 2024 23:23

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

evelynevvie posted:

No one has a good flea product recommendation?

Ugh, we just got hit with fleas too.

Call a professional to come spray for fleas, vacuum every single day and throw out the bags after. Wash all your bedding. It's probably just going to be a lot of vigilant, obsessive vacuuming. Sprinkle fleabusters on your carpets and baseboard areas; keep that cat out of the room for awhile during this. Getting your carpets steam cleaned helps too.

# ¿ Nov 22, 2009 07:12

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Here's a good chart for judging cat weight:

That should be in the OP actually. Also a lot of cats have a kind of a pouch after being fixed.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2009 09:18

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Fire In The Disco posted:

^^^ It is in the OP...

I stand corrected. It's been a long time since I first read it. :saddowns:

# ¿ Dec 12, 2009 00:33

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

madlilnerd posted:

Russian, eh? I would call her either Kalinka or Nikita.

Natasha is the only acceptable name. :coal:

# ¿ Dec 20, 2009 12:04

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

madlilnerd posted:

How often can they go in heat? Zero is prancing around like a slut AGAIN and the earliest my mum could get her booked in at the vets is the 12th. She was in heat over Christmas... it's going to be a long night of listening to the cat singing again, I guess.

I think I remember reading here that cats can be almost constantly in heat because of the consistency of indoor temperatures. :gonk:

# ¿ Jan 7, 2010 22:59

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Znorps you're so good to be so patient with your new kitten. :unsmith:

I really wish you the best.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2010 01:20

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Duckman2008 posted:

Hey everyone,

My g/f and I have one cat that is about 8-10 months old, we have had him since June, doing great. We want to add another cat, but want to wait until we can afford it easier (another 4-5 months). What are the policies on introducing new cats to the situation?

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3169030&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1#post363590507 This should send you straight to the post covering that.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2010 21:06

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Mak0rz posted:

It's driving me loving crazy. Help me catgoons!

Oh my goodness. You're doing everything right to be honest cats are just frustrating sometimes.

I know you said you tried the pet enzyme stuff but do you know the name of it? People in PI swear by this stuff called Nature's Miracle. It eliminates the smell unbelievably well too.

Good on you for making a vet appointment, if they don't find anything wrong there then hopefully Nature's Miracle will work out for you.

As for them being unruly jerks. Don't let those assholes nap during the day. Keep them awake and rile them up once they try. It will hopefully keep them quieter at night and in the morning.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2010 01:37

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Soup! posted:

My cat loves being petted but absolutely hates being brushed. This is a problem for me because she sheds so much. I've tried almost every comb out there including a mitt. I try to make the experience as pleasant as possible and use no pressure while brushing. The funny thing is as soon as I put down the brush she jumps back on my lap and begs to be petted. Also, she's not food motivated at all.
Any ideas PI?

Just wondering what you feed her? My cat shed horribly before I changed his food to a better brand. Now it's very moderate and I can actually enjoy petting him and not have my hand covered in cat hair.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2010 09:52

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Android Thumper posted:

- Age
5
- Sex
Female
- How long have you had your cat?
All her life.
- Is your cat spayed or neutered?
No.
- What food do you use?
Friskies Seafood Sensations!
- When was your last vet visit?
Never.
- Is your cat indoors, outdoors, both?
Complete shut in.
- How many pets in your household?
3, two other dogs that have minimal interactions.
- How many litter boxes do you have?
1 for the cat, not shared.

While I was petting my cat's chest the other day, I noticed there was some sort of weird, fleshly lump on her chest. There is also a similar feeling line/tube from that line down to her abdomen. She doesn't seem to mind it being touched, no more than any other part of her body.

It's about the size of a walnut. Not solid, just soft. The only other thing worth mentioning is her fur has become a little patchy as of late. Missing fur only on her elbows and thighs.

What could this possibly be? It's got my girlfriend in such a tizzy!

Wow go to the vet and vaccinate and fix your cat. That lump may very well be a tumor.

If you say you can't afford it, yes you can. There are low cost spay/neuter clinics everywhere and you're required by law to get your pets rabies vaccines at the very least.

e:woop

Kerfuffle fucked around with this message at 06:35 on Mar 4, 2010

# ¿ Mar 3, 2010 02:22

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

SWATJester posted:

Ugh, there's nothing more annoying than self-righteous cat owners comparing surgical declawing to chopping off a child's fingers (hint: not the same thing). You don't condemn parents for getting their children's wisdom teeth taken out. Declawing is not so different.

I didn't think it was the same either until someone posted a chart that shows exactly where they cut. It really is cutting off a pretty large part of their finger bones. I cringed looking at it and it's not even graphic, it's just like a scientific chart with a line that shows where the cut is made.

Wisdom teeth can cause all sorts of pain, mouth problems and damage to existing teeth if they aren't removed for some people, that isn't a good comparison.

That said, my own cat is declawed because an ultimatium in my house was made over declawing him or getting rid of him.

My dad is not the most sensitive type with animals.(this was before I was aware of softpaws and cutting nails never crossed my mind) Our cat is fine, but I'll feel guilty about it for the rest of my life. I'll always see declawing as a very last resort.

Kerfuffle fucked around with this message at 16:49 on Apr 15, 2010

# ¿ Apr 15, 2010 16:47

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

SWATJester posted:

No, it really isn't.

Yeah I don't know that still looks pretty painful and major to me.

I see there have been lots of posts and I've said everything I have to say about declawing. I don't think you shouldn't own kitties or anything like but, but in your case, in the future if you get anymore cats, you should look into adopting cats that are already declawed, there's a lot of them. I didn't know people could be allergic to cat scratches though.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2010 22:54

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Eggplant Wizard posted:

Someone posted a story about qtips that has haunted me. It was something like, "My cat used to love playing with qtips and would carry them around and I thought it was cute so I let her. Then I came home to find her lying dead with a qtip in a pile of puke next to her."

So no, they can choke on those. My rule of thumb is that they shouldn't play with anything except cat toys and easily digestible things like important papers and my furniture.

I think the moral of all the cats eating things stories is "Don't let your cat play with anything unsupervised."

# ¿ Apr 25, 2010 17:37

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

second best sponge posted:

He was the only one up for adoption, I'm on the look out for another kitten though. He needed a good home and I couldn't say no because he is freakin adorable.

He is kinda dumb but really sweet and a cry baby. He was scared of a tiny little spider.

It's currently kitten season, so shelters everywhere are going to have plenty of kittens to pick from. Good look with your little kitty, a friend will help him immensely.

# ¿ May 5, 2010 05:09

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

second best sponge posted:

They are getting along pretty well, except when its feeding time they hiss and claw at each other so I got them separate bowls.

Yeah, resource guarding is really common in kittens that were taken from their moms too soon. It's not a big deal, I don't think many older cats like eating right next to eachother anyway. But it sounds like everything else is coming along great. Grats on your 2 new kitties. :3:

You'll be sooo happy when they turn into assholes and they can just be jerks to eachother instead of you.

# ¿ May 7, 2010 19:07

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

inky101 posted:

OhgodI'mnotgoodatowninganutcasecat. And I feel like a failure.

E; And now she's lying down next to me licking my hand, oh cat. You are confusing!

I have good news and bad news

Good news is your kitten is acting completely normal.

The bad news is being an rear end in a top hat is normal.

You are seeing firsthand why we push people to get two kittens if they possibly can when they choose to get one. They pick on eachother instead of you. She'll grow out of it as she gets older though.

e: Oh yeah, Look into Sssscat to keep her off places you don't want her. Doorways might be tricky though.

Kerfuffle fucked around with this message at 05:03 on May 13, 2010

# ¿ May 13, 2010 04:46

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

inky101 posted:

Thanks, that's what I was afraid of. I wanted to get two but I wasn't allowed so one it was. She's actually four so I'm not sure how long until she calms down, maybe when she's used to me and the house? I'll be buying another cat when I do move though, unfortunately that may be in a few more years.

drat 4 years old? I was under the assumption that was around or under a year from the level of jerk. Nonanone hit it in the head though. I'd pick up some dangly cat toys (one called Da Bird is pretty recommended and can be found online) and maybe even a laser pointer. Then maybe you can burn her out from play so she's content to not attack you all day. I'd try getting some bitter apple spray for phone cord for her own safety too.

# ¿ May 13, 2010 20:08

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Pleasure to chill posted:

Our cat is about four months old. She's very good at using her litter box instead of crapping on the floor, but sometimes she keeps digging around in the cat sand like she's got OCD or something. I think sometimes she goes in there just to dig around too. I've never had any other cats do this, so I'm wondering if it's normal, and if there's something I can do to stop it. It's not a huge problem for me, but the constant digging gets annoying at times, also I'd like to reduce the amount of cat sand that ends up on my floor.

Covered litterbox? And yaeah your cat is normal. Cats are weird.

# ¿ Jul 16, 2010 23:41

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

mothshark posted:

I know I need to do some serious cleaning to get fleas out of the carpets and furniture. Any flea spray recommendations? I have BioSpot carpet spray but I'm not sure how long to keep the animals away from where it's been sprayed, or if it's actually a terrible product or something. Thank you for any help! (And the bad litterbox cat I posted about before miraculously started burying her messes! Exciting!)

No advice on whether to reapply it or not, but next time you decide to, snag them while they're napping, they'll be too woozy to get what's going on right away.

As for fighting them..

Vacuum vacuum vacuum. Every single day. Take out the bag after each vacuuming.

Wash everything you possibly can. Bedding, pillows, small rugs, anything that you can get in your washer.

You can fight fleas in your house with this stuff called FleaBusters. Make sure you don't get the pool kind. It's safe for you and your pets, you sprinkle it around baseboards in your house.

If you have the money for it, hire someone to steam your carpets, or you can rent one and do it yourself.

If it's real bad, call a professional.

Keep in mind even with small infestations, you are in for a long haul, it can take a long time for fleas to be completely eliminated. You can track how progress is coming by wearing high white socks so you can easily spot kill them before they can bite you. A soapy water dish set up with a lamp also works. Take a dish of soapy water and place it on the floor with a lamp. Turn on the lamp and watch them commit suicide. Hopefully you'll start seeing less of them in there everyday as time goes by.

# ¿ Aug 1, 2010 02:50

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

CHRISTS FOR SALE posted:

Thanks to this thread, I did end up getting 2 kittens. I love them both dearly and taking care of two is so much easier because they play with each other all the time! It's also become our general replacement for TV in the house: watching the kittens do pseudo-WWF moves all over our living room. One of them actually did the Stone Cold Stunner on the other!

Hahaha we did this too when we got adopted by two stray kittens. It really is incredibly entertaining AND adorable. :keke:

# ¿ Aug 1, 2010 23:27

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

ThatPersson posted:

I have grown up with cats all my life. However, the last few years in college I havent been able to have one. I recently moved in with my girlfriend and 3 other roommates to a new house. My girlfriend brought her one year old cat. I was wondering about tips to help him get used to the new house.

He is a male, 1 year old. We have been here nearly 2 weeks and he still mostly stays in the bedroom. He wanders around at night and sometimes during the day, usually when no one is around or when I try to coax him out with treats or with lots of chin scratching.

Any tips or stories on how to get him out of the room? I have been letting him do it at his own pace, as all the furniture, the house, and the people are new to him. I think this is the best route. However, I would like to get him out of our bedroom as he keeps me up all night when he plays with his toys around the room or knocks things down from our shelves..not to mention the litter box in the closet...

Any wisdom would be appreciated.

Yeah pretty much all you can do is leave him be and give him attention when he's open for it. You can also try picking up some Feliway, it doesn't work on all cats but it can really help.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2010 06:18

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Petey posted:

What is a good way to do this without being cruel?

You could try :catdrugs:

along with the toy suggestions.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2010 01:39

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

YourEvilTw1n posted:

Any idea how I can curb this habit other than coating my arms in hot sauce?

One of two options

1: Spray yourself with bitter applespray, this is more of a "I hope this works" fix that a for sure one, as some cats are stupid or something and actually like the taste of it.

or

2: Train your kitty to stay outside of the bedroom. Get your vacuum, close the door and wait for her to whine at the door. :devil:

I'd honestly do option 2, but I've been fed up too many times with annoying cats at night. So I've just sworn off letting one stay with me at night ever again.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2010 18:31

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

YourEvilTw1n posted:

I'll give that a shot, but the problem is that I may or may not own a working vacuum.

I know you have some lady friends with a vacuum. Although I'd probably explain to them that you are going to use it for it's original purpose as a vacuum and not to play a hilarious prank on your cat.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2010 20:02

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Skywriter posted:

I have an 8-year-old cat. He is neutered. I have been his primary caregiver for about six years now; prior to that, my father was his primary owner.

My question is more of a minor annoyance than anything else...he sleeps next to my head every night, and for some reason, over the last few months, he has gotten into the habit of biting me, but only right before we go to sleep. He'll settle in, start purring and wanting me to pet him - but if I do, he bites. It's a painful bite too, not a playful bite. I'm curious as to why he might do this...he doesn't bite any other time, even when playing.

Any ideas?

Sometimes cats just get overstimulated from being pet too much, and purring can also be a sign for annoyance. Look to see if he's flicking his tail a lot during this, if he is, don't pet him. Cats are weird.

# ¿ Sep 12, 2010 14:00

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Meow Cadet posted:

Canned plain pumpkin is great for dogs or cats that have either diarrhea or constipation. Apparently we've had a bit of a national shortage (USA) of the stuff for the last year or two, so if it's available (Thanksgiving is coming up) you might want to stock up.

Whatttt I didn't know there was STILL a shortage. No wonder my friend couldn't find any.

# ¿ Sep 16, 2010 20:56

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Deltron 3030 posted:

So uh... I'm just curious how it can be good for both diarrhea AND constipation since those are pretty much opposite situations.

Fiber both hardens things up and gets things moving. Pretty simple.

# ¿ Sep 17, 2010 06:40

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

wootmachine posted:

I found this little guy and his sister wandering the vacant, overgrown lot behind my house.

The tabby is very friendly and is eating, his black/white sister isn't coping so well. She won't leave the back of the carrier and won't eat at all. Any ideas on how I can at least get her to eat?

Take both cats to the vet asap. What are you trying to feed the other one? Get some really smelly wet food and try to get her to lick it off your fingers. If she doesn't eat, she WILL die very quickly.

Kerfuffle fucked around with this message at 19:06 on Sep 28, 2010

# ¿ Sep 28, 2010 19:03

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Kitty burrito with a towel.

Or, have you thought about softpaws? Your vet office can put them on your cat for you if you have too much trouble with it.

Also cute black cat club :respek:

# ¿ Sep 29, 2010 18:07

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Nope, cats pretty much take care of their nails on their own. I assume you mean her back ones? You can leave them be, most people only bother trimming front nails anyway.

# ¿ Sep 29, 2010 18:22

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

My cat is annoyingly good at slipping out of collars. I don't know if they're just getting worn out or they're cheap or what. Anyone have any collars they particularly like for their cat? Price doesn't really matter.

# ¿ Oct 17, 2010 17:52

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Nostalgia4Infinity posted:

When does the adolescent rear end in a top hat phase usually end? My cat is 6 months old and crazy.

Usually around 2 years old is when cats begin to mellow out

enjoy! :keke:

# ¿ Oct 17, 2010 19:51

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

VidaGrey posted:

So, we were at the cat shelter just socializing with the kitties today. I asked one of the people who run the place for some advice regarding the evil in our home. Her solution was surprising...the depo provera shot! I researched it some online and, well, people have used it for aggressive cats with sucres. Anyone ever heard of this method?

That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard. I guess you could ask your vet what they think about it, but man I never thought human birth control could really be safely used on cats for..anything.

# ¿ Oct 24, 2010 23:41

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Yeah I would seriously call AC on her, not giving your pets medical attention when they really need it isn't acceptable. That cat may very well get very sick from that wound if it's not treated. :smith:

# ¿ Oct 25, 2010 06:02

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Start feeding them on a schedule with individual portions for each cat. It sounds like you're doing what my sister does where she dumps a ton of food into a huge bowl. One of the cats is a fatty fat fat from that.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2010 05:54

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

digitalscribbles posted:

Well it seems she is a Maine Coon (or at least partly) cat... and we certainly don't know anything about Maine Coon cats.

Your cat is not a Maine Coon. There are Domestic Long hairs that have very similar coat patterns. The chances of a mutt cat breeding with a pedigree Maine Coon from a cattery are really, really unlikely. Just saying to not looking into the "breed" of your cat, it's far more likely just a regular mutt cat.

# ¿ Nov 6, 2010 01:22

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Helvetica Neue posted:

and she loves to hunt and bring us "presents."

This is part of the reason why you need to keep them indoors. People letting out their indoor cats has seriously done a huge number on local bird populations. Not to mention the potential diseases and bites birds and mice can deliver.

# ¿ Nov 9, 2010 23:24

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Helvetica Neue posted:

My cat Cheddar likes to do this, too - I call them kitty kisses. I think it's a sign of affection, trying to clean you. Or maybe he thinks you need a bath

Rev. Bleech_ posted:

Does anyone have any idea why one of my cats might be doing the following:

1. Taking a mouthful of dry food from the feeder on the easy-to-clean kitchen floor
2. Walking to a random spot on the carpet elsewhere
3. Spitting the food out onto the carpet and then eating it there

I cannot figure this out. He doesn't do it everytime he eats, but a few times a week I'll catch him doing it at some point

the answer to both of these is

d) Cats are weird.

# ¿ Nov 12, 2010 02:56

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# ¿ May 4, 2024 23:23

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Chirping is usually a hunting sound, but it's not really a bad thing at all, just a cat thing. Have you ever let them "catch" the laser before on top of a treat? It helps make the game more interesting for them so they don't get bored with it.

# ¿ Nov 13, 2010 23:50

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > The Cat FAQ/Megathread: buying a second, clean broom just to use on him

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