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Carl Killer Miller posted:Hey cat thread! We just adopted a former street cat, and he is pretty much the best cat ever. He is pretty young, just lies around, loves belly rubs, and is super, super chill. Our only issue is that he gives little love bites now and again when he's being petted. We've found some signs, like when he flattens his ears while he's getting petted, but nothing else. Is there any way to work this behavior out of him? All we've tried is to ignore him as soon as he bites and just leave him alone, hopefully to teach him that it's not a wya to get attention, but it hasn't been working great. As someone else said, stop when he exhibits annoyance. If he's not really going for you, it sounds like he may be getting overexcited at cuddle time because he's understimulated. How much playtime does he get with toys? I think it's good for cats like this to play with dangly toys because it gets them away from thinking peoples' hands = playtimes fun thing!. If he's not really going for you, it also might just mean that he wants to be left alone when he's decided he's had enough. If he's up and about at any time and behaving himself, I suggest a little more playtime with something dangly. If he doesn't want to play he will merely reject your attentions and you'll know to leave him be. Another option: some cats are just naturally more rambunctious and then mellow as they get older. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Mar 24, 2012 around 18:49 |
| # ¿ Mar 24, 2012 18:47 |
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| # ¿ May 19, 2013 20:27 |
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CalvinDooglas posted:
Yeah, cats can get allergies like hayfever. You should probably take her to the vet so at least you can have meds on hand if it happens again. I believe cats can take some human remedies for hayfever (Benadryl), but obviously you'll need to check with a vet first to check it's suitable and for correct dosage. Then again, it may have just been a weird cat lurgy that won't surface again.
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| # ¿ Mar 28, 2012 06:19 |
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vonnegutt posted:Then there is always Winston, who forgets how to meow. My old cat Marlon would do something like this when he wanted something (foods, games, out) and knew I was looking at him. There was nothing wrong with his voice normally (he could be pretty loud), but in this instance I called it the 'pathos meow'. He'd just mouth a meow, but not make any noise.
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| # ¿ Apr 14, 2012 16:48 |
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298298 posted:I don't give two shits about what's best for the animal population of the world, I only care about what's best for Darla herself. Both local vets have told me as long as I continue to be as vigilant about bringing her in to check for tumors by abdominal ultrasounds that I shouldn't get her spayed. What do you guys think? You should, because they're tied in with each other anyway. Even if you could handle surprise! kittens, she is also more likely to scrap when she's unspayed if she does get out, which leads to other things not good for her. Did your vets say you shouldn't get her spayed for some reason? As far as I know, it's a no brainer and she should have been spayed when she was younger to prevent mammary tumors in the first place. Seeing as you likely don't have a time machine, I'm not going to make too big a deal of it. Even if she hasn't wanted to go out in 5 years, doesn't mean there couldn't be an escape somewhere in her future. It happens all the time, and out of the blue. You could have her for another 10+ years. Here is some more info: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/spay-neuter.aspx http://www.cats.org.uk/uploads/docu...5-Neutering.pdf edit: mixing ma thingybobs VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Apr 21, 2012 around 00:06 |
| # ¿ Apr 20, 2012 22:42 |
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Helushune posted:He's still currently confined to his "safe room" since it's been a rocky road trying to get him to stop growling and hissing at my "existing cat" through the office door. When I enter the room he meows happily, tail goes straight up but is bristled and back is arched. He does the pace thing to make himself look bigger to me but demands to be pet. When I do pet him he'll growl at me or box my hand, bite, and then hiss. He then promptly drops to the floor and begins rolling around like he wants me to play with him but then continues to be aggressive towards me. When he bites me I say "ouch!" loudly and immediately leave the room which causes him to cry at the door for a good 20 - 30 minutes. Seeing as you've gone through a few kitties now, I wonder if it's something to do with your body language. You don't only need to pay attention to how to introduce your existing puss to him, but also how to introduce yourself to him. You've only had him a short time - I've had cats take MONTHS to feel comfortable around me. You need to be relaxed and not push yourself on him too much. Some cats have a tendency to go with 'You are making everything a big deal, therefore I will too'. I wouldn't bother with the 'ouch', because in my experience cats do not give a poo poo about it. Just slowly withdraw when you know he's not going to pursue you. You could have a look at cat fights on youtube or something to figure out escalating behaviour when cats are about to throw down. You need to back off really slowly if he's truly being aggressive and afraid and not just playing. You can also distract him with things that aren't your hand. Has he got fun toys he can play with on his own? Dangly things that don't involve your fingers in his face? If the worst comes to the worst and you do need to hand him back, I recommend you get an older cat (4+) from a shelter that you know has a track record of being happy with other cats. LOTS of cats love the company of other cats.
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| # ¿ Apr 23, 2012 08:39 |
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That looks like a pretty nice set up (and nice kitties) you have there! I wouldn't worry too much about the freaking out. Mr Spooky would start growling and going puffy if he just saw a cat walking past outside, minding it's own business. I'd just ignore it. If they're really freaking out and panicking, you may need to leave your balcony door open so they can run back in to hide. Just stay calm and distract them with a treat, toy or catnip. It's likely the more time they spend outside, the more they will be desensitised. No guarantees though; some cats just like to freak out.
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| # ¿ May 3, 2012 09:28 |
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Tendai posted:Is there some way to teach a cat to cover their poo poo in the litter box? Kiska carefully brushes litter over when she pees, but leaves her poop out for the world to see. And smell. No, because she knows her bald monkey slave will remove it for her before their eyebrows get singed off from the stink. Why sully ones' paws?
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| # ¿ Aug 21, 2012 02:49 |
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King Plum the Nth posted:Belling cats: evil or OK? As someone who didn't collar (but did chip) her last 3 cats (one was allergic, the others... well, the collar would only stay on for about 3 minutes), I think bell collars are OK as long as they're safety collars. If they seem to be upset by it, you can easily take it off - or they will. They should catch less birdies and mouses when they get older as well. One of my boys went vegetarian and started to bring in leaves as presents  before that, he was chief mouser.OK, here's my cat dilemma: I've been feeding a stray, who I have named Dabs, for several months now. It's taken me a looong time to get him to let me go anywhere near him, but now he'll accept pets and we can have meow conversations. I need to figure out how to catch him because I want to get him neutered and treated for any ailments. Here's a quick rundown: - Unneutered boy for definites. If he stood in front of the sun, there would be an eclipse. - I reckon he's less than 2 years - he has nice clean teeth and is small for an unneutered boy. - He is stripey with a spotty tum tum and little white toes - He seems like a lovely, friendly cat, but is still pretty nervous. I'm worried if I make a mad grab for him, I may fumble it and then won't see him for 2 days while he gets over the shock. - He has filled out a little since I've been feeding him as much as he'll eat, but he's still a bit underweight (I think he may have worms). I was thinking of carefully scruffing him, but there really isn't enough to grab. - He usually manages to turn up when the vet is shut (early morning, late evening). I can't keep him in a box for 3+ hours. - I can't hire a trap, because I've found they haven't been much use in the past and I'm more likely to trap my neighbours' girl cats who are often in my garden. Seeing as he's been coming further into my house for the past couple of weeks, I figured I might just put up with the inevitable spraying (I have cleaning products, but have no idea how to clean cat pees out of bicycle gears), and just let him gradually make himself at home then take him to the vet when he's more calm and trusting. I'm in it for the long haul.
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| # ¿ Aug 23, 2012 11:40 |
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Hand of the King posted:I persuaded the vet to change my appointment to tomorrow morning. Best of luck on you and your boy's appointment. I wonder if it's a form of ringworm? Anyhoo, I call them armpits and legpits as well.
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| # ¿ Aug 24, 2012 21:39 |
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Bloody blooming bloom bloom. I swear that Dabs heard me on the phone to the vet the other day organising his hopefully soon neutering and cat MOT (they're fine with me coming in at short notice), because he's been coming round less often. Really it's probably just the cooler turn the weather has taken. He hates rain SOOO MUCH. I'm getting more worried that I'll fumble his catching and never see him again. Does anyone sell a cat catching net? I'd like a sparkly one with lead weights on the corners.
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| # ¿ Aug 27, 2012 20:55 |
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ijustam posted:Should I get two, 14 year old cats? http://hsforbc.org/cms/index.php?op...d=709&Itemid=41 Oh yes, 3 of my 4 cats lived to be 20+. Spooky ran away at 15 and may still be out there... somewhere. He got a good report last time he was at the vet; she was impressed by his good health.
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| # ¿ Aug 28, 2012 21:13 |
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ijustam posted:I'm probably adopting those senior cats on Saturday That's super! It's nice that they have a ready made friendship and everything. You can totally have many purr filled years with them. Koivunen: It does sound like dementia, but he may be upset for other reasons so it's good you're consulting with the vet. For info, my elderly boy that lives with my parents has been diagnosed with dementia, but he is honestly happy as a clam. It's just that he sometimes talks to the trees. He also gets up a lot during the night, but my parents are retired, so it's a little easier for them to accommodate his night-worries. Steezo: if I had a cat that plushious, I would spend all day doing 'fluff down, fluff up'. You are doing God's work, there. I bet God would do the same, should he/she have such a plushious cat. Aelia: I honestly don't know what else to suggest, their set up seems perfect. Maybe some more human servants? Did you try catnip? Actually, that may make them a bit more bonkers. They are only young so are likely to be bonkers, regardless. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Aug 30, 2012 around 19:07 |
| # ¿ Aug 30, 2012 19:03 |
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duck monster posted:Whats the best way to stop a cat bringing dead animals into the house. There's not a lot really. Do you give her thank you pets when she brings you a present? Some people find it prevents them from escalating and bringing in larger and larger prey. I always gave Fluffy pets when he brought me presents, but it still didn't stop him bringing in a squirrel once (I think it must have been old and infirm). I only just found out this year when I was looking to get one as a pet - Fluffy once brought me somebody's beautiful crested canary. It was dying when I picked it up and he was so pleased with himself. Poor little canary - I wondered what that little golden bird was for ages. I did have a trauma ward set up for my cats' mousing habits, which was basically a plastic bucket with a lid and some airholes/food. I got quite expert at getting mice off my cats before they... erm... broke them - I gave my kitties lots of pets then sort of did a slow-hand grab for the mouse. I ended up with quite a good mouse-saving success rate. I'd catch them then let them go at night when the cats weren't looking.
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| # ¿ Sep 1, 2012 08:58 |
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Just put the litter tray and food and water near to where they're hiding and let them come out on their own. Don't bother trying to coax them out, just keep as quiet a house as possible and let them do their thing. My rescue boy hid behind the washing machine for 2 days but came out at night for snacks and loo. Also: they may not go to the loo for a couple of days, but I think this is normal (anyone else chime in here). Same for eating. I think it's best to leave them be for now and leave their food, etc. nearby. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Sep 1, 2012 around 21:11 |
| # ¿ Sep 1, 2012 20:56 |
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Oh Jeebus, as well as trying to encourage Mr Dabs the stray in so I can at the very least do TNR. Well, I hit a little snag because he didn't like the smell of my hand sanitiser, then he didn't like my new jumper. And ugh. Anyhoo, about 3 weeks ago my Nice Neighbour brought me a free kitten she had found. It's nice to have nice neighbours bring you free pussycats. She couldn't keep him because he's too young to be out and about now (he's 3-4 months and is unneutered, so probably also hasn't had his shots), plus she has two older girls and a catflap, so it was a bit unmanageable for her. We shall call the kitten Ginger, for that is what he is. Plus plus we have a big feral problem in the area. Ginger's a feisty little bugger, but is very little and Dabs may well become his surrogate uncle, but he may also try to eat him. Well, it turns out that Ginger is my Stupid Neighbour's cat so I had to give him back. Me and Nice Neighbour told him he need to keep him in AT LEAST until he is neutered and up to date. SN didn't listen and Ginger has ended up in my house two days running. I don't really know what to do; he's like a furry boomerang. I take him back, then they let him out again. If this post sounds addled, it's because I'm currently keeping an eye on an extremely hyperactive 4 MO kitten. He is the most bonkers kitten I've ever encountered. He's currently murdering my slippers. Poor Dabs is out on the doorstep. I won't let him in because of the baby, but he did have some food. This is seriously challenging my cat management skills. He's so nuts I'M NOT GOOD WITH BABIES. Edit: he's now playing with the cat roundabout. I'll probably take him home YET AGAIN, but I'm getting in emergency kitten food and a baby loo tray. Me and Nice Neighbour will certainly keep an eye on him. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Sep 7, 2012 around 08:23 |
| # ¿ Sep 7, 2012 07:58 |
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Okey dokey, so I took Monsieur Kitten home again and... he was back in my garden two hours later. It was getting late so I let him stay over night (he was surprisingly good). He seems to have a bit of brown dirt in his ears. How do I tell if it's regular cat ear bogies or mites? He's not been scratching them, but it's quite noticeable. I'm in a quandry because technically he's somebody else's puss, but only insofar as they give him food. They haven't come to look for him, even though he was gone all night.
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| # ¿ Sep 8, 2012 07:34 |
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Serella posted:Welcome to the world of lovely pet owners. Personally, I'd take him back to the owners, tell him he has ear mites and needs to go to the vet, and offer to take him off their hands. I basically did this, but under duress. It was a huge EN moment because my dad found out about the kitten this morning and went and had a huge shout at my stupid neighbour. He is being a crazy idiot at the moment, but this thread is about cats and not crazy dads. It's the 4th time we have taken the kitten back. Anyhoo, I told stupid neighbour that their mogg needs at least neutering and shots before he gets let out. I also told him he needs to be checked out for ear mites. He looked all apologetic and stupid as usual. Three weeks ago he said he'd take him to the vet. I went out for a fag just 20 mins ago and was jumped on by the kitten, so he's back in my house for the night again. Our local vet is literally 15 mins tops by car. My stupid neighbour said he was a stray (though I don't believe that, I reckon somebody in their house bought him). My vet offers discount on neutering for strays. It's a really negligible amount like £20.00 or so, funded by Cats Protection.
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| # ¿ Sep 8, 2012 21:42 |
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Update on the kitten: finally at 2pm today my doorbell rang and Stupid Neighbour was at the door, with her 10 year oldish daughter. "Hello, have you got my kitten?" I thought about saying no, but considering he was sunbathing on my front windowsill at the time, that wasn't really possible. So kitten is home again, again. I offered to take him, but she said her daughter loves him and also that they have another new kitten  I was incredibly nice to her even though the whole time I wanted to drop kick her in the face. She has apparently been 'too busy' for 3 weeks to take him to the vet. I had the dubious pleasure of informing her he is infested with fleas (he is, I only just found them today during a brief moment of non-bonkersness). Also: "I'm so sorry, he keeps escaping through the open windows." Well, duh. Still, I'm keeping an eye out for him, and I know my Nice Neighbour will do the same. SN really reminds me of my old crappy neighbour who let her girl have two litters. I ended up with two of her cats and at least a couple of my other neighbours ended up with more. That stupid woman also lets her mastiff cross dog out to run about in the street. I hate people sometimes. In plus news, I'm now friendly with many of the Nice Pet Owners in my street, though I just realised that I mostly just know the names of their dogs/cats and not their names. What a dunce.
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| # ¿ Sep 9, 2012 17:22 |
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It's getting a bit boring now, Kitten is here again. I really want to Frontline him, but I don't know if Stupid Neighbour will get ants in her pants about it. I think I'll ask her when she inevitably comes over - I have a couple of spare hits. I need to weigh him first. Their website says 1 kilo, but I'm not too sure if he is yet. If it comes down to it I'll just get a new flea comb and sit there with a bucket of water picking him over (if I can get him to sit still long enough). His name from SN is Biscuit, but I've taken to calling him Travis Bickle. He's a psycho, but means well. I've since discovered he hates the hoover in that it turns him into a small ginger ball of psychoticness. He forgoes all toys in order to play with my face instead. Ouch.
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| # ¿ Sep 11, 2012 10:21 |
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I'm in the UK and although there may be laws about not taking your pet for treatment when they're ill, there is nothing about making sure they are safe indoors when they need to be. He's been here all day and nobody has come to retrieve him  I thought his little girl may turn up when she came in from school*. They seem to see him as a toy.In happy news: I'm very much closely monitoring the potential ear mite situation. He is still not scratching his ears or tipping his head. He has food and a clean loo**. A metric shitton of toys. Today I practiced my karaoke and sung him 'I Go to Sleep' Pretenders and Kinks versions, 'Straight Outta Compton' and the log song from Ren and Stimpy (one of his favourite toys is the catnip log). He seemed to like being sung to because he fell asleep on my knee. My Nice Neighbour has a catflap and she is happy to keep an eye on him. I'm out at all hours and he's attracted by my garden wind chimes, so he knows where he can go if he gets out. * I will feel like a complete shitheel if I take away a little girl's pussycat It's not her fault her parents are buttheads.** Obviously right when I typed this he took a massive dump in the cat loo. Edit: Ooh, I do actually have a question. As I said, he is about 4 months or so. Do I still feed him kitten food or can he have big boys' food? VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Sep 11, 2012 around 20:17 |
| # ¿ Sep 11, 2012 19:34 |
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Tamarillo posted:Voodooschmoodoo - he's still not old enough for big boy food yet, unless it's got the 'for all life stages' thing. If he's only 1kg at 4months that's quite small (or my kittens were fatasses) Oh, he is bigger than 1 kilo. I think he is about two but I can't remember now. I can't re-weigh him at the mo because: OH MY GOD, THE FLEAS. THEY ARE FAR WORSE THAN I THOUGHT. gently caress my loving crappy neighbour. I woke up this morning to find my bed literally full of flea eggs. He likes to sleep on my face, which is kind of inconvenient and is also gross. Bed is hoovered, kitten is Frontlined. His new name is Greasy Fleabag. edit: he helped type this post. Ick, I can't stop itching. He is pissed off now on account of his greasy Frontline spot. other edit: I just realised if they take him back within the next few days, I'm going to have a major flea outbreak soon. I've always found those carpet treatments to be utterly useless. other other edit: oh god, it's like rats (dying fleas) leaving the sinking ship. I'm gonna have to sleep on the sofa and hoover (and possibly napalm) in a day or so because it's pointless right now. I'm resigned to the fact that I'm going to wake up covered in dead fleas and eggs. Poor little bugger is all super itchy. I was woken up this morning to a flea biting my cheek. The things we do for pussycats. I will fight the good fight. Against the fleas. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Sep 13, 2012 around 09:47 |
| # ¿ Sep 13, 2012 08:12 |
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Oh Jeebus. My cunty neighbours were here a moment ago ringing my bell and hammering on the window. I did the completely mature thing and hid with the pussycat. I have no idea what to do. He's been here 2 days and this is the first time they've bothered to show. I guess they miss their toy. I always intended on giving him back if they showed, but now they're just taking the piss. What do I do? I've taken him back several times. poo poo, maybe they'll call tha cops and wring their hands at them on the phone: OMG, OUR EVIL, CRAZY NEIGHBOUR IS A CATNAPPER. In happy news: he is a LOT better after his flea treatment. He's been a lot more relaxed. edit: OK I realise I sound like a crazy cat lady here and will have to hand him back if they call again. I just wanted him to be safe
VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Sep 13, 2012 around 18:13 |
| # ¿ Sep 13, 2012 18:07 |
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astrollinthepork I'm sorry, and know how tough it is. She was a lovely looking girl. Bickle update Over the past 3-4 weeks he's been backwards and forwards between mine and his 'owner's' house. They take him back, promise to take him to the vet, then he's back at my house 2 hours later. I had an med appointment on Friday, so I got my mum to come over and keep an eye on him. They came to pick him up again in the afternoon and my mum gave them another lecture (so far me, my dad and my nice neighbour Mrs. A have already told them what's what). He was back in my house late Friday night and has been here since then. They assured my mum he's going for his op this week, but they haven't called at all. I'm in a lot because I'm currently off work sick. Apparently when I told them he had fleas, they got their 10 year old to check him over who declared him flea-free, which is why they didn't treat him. Why the gently caress would I lie about that? I thought I was doing them a favour. Anyway, he's gone past his ingratiating 'be nice to human' behaviour and has got into the 'assault human at pretty much any given opportunity' phase. I bled and spent money on cat food. And there are kitten farts; luckily only about 1 a day. He has also been making 'friends' with the neighbourhood cats, and by 'friends' I mean pissing them off. No major incidents so far; touch wood. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Sep 17, 2012 around 20:24 |
| # ¿ Sep 17, 2012 20:08 |
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That did make me laugh. Back when I had long hair, occasionally Marlon would accidentally swallow one then end up with poop-on-a-hair hanging out of his butt. Lucky he never panicked and would just walk around like nothing unusual was happening in his butt area.
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| # ¿ Sep 24, 2012 06:22 |
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Bickle kitten update: I swore if he ended up in my house again, I'd at least take him to the vet to take care of the basics. Well, he's been here since last night so I took him to the vet today for deworming and a little check over. He's confirmed as 5 months and I booked him in for his boy bits removal tomorrow. I also had to deflea him again with Advocate. My vet mentioned there seems to be a seasonal problem with Frontline at the moment and a lot of people in my area are saying it's not been effective lately. If those other people turn up, I shall be very nice but will tell them straight up I need to keep him in for at least a couple of days post-surgery. All they've done is: look at him play with him when it's convenient for them give him some food sometimes For over a month now they've been saying they'll take him to the vet but have done gently caress all. My vet is 15 mins away down the road and they have 4 cars. I'm getting him chipped with my details: if they make a big fuss I can easily get it changed to theirs. Anyway, I got a picture of the little bugger:  Edit: I also got him a new tickle toy at the vet for being brave. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Oct 1, 2012 around 19:02 |
| # ¿ Oct 1, 2012 18:26 |
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Blinks posted:God damnit Arthur. If you're in the UK Simple Solution is an equivalent. I've tested it out on a few sprays left by my good friend Mr Dabs and it seems to work OK. http://www.simplesolution.uk.com/
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| # ¿ Oct 2, 2012 06:44 |
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Young Man Bickle had his nads off today and is doing very well. He's been going bonkers since I got him home at 5.30pm. He ate lots of food, did a massive dump and is currently watching CSI:NY. I think he's finally nodding off. He made lots of new friends at the vets; a lot of people wanted to take him home. They told me he's small for his age and should be kept in for at least a few more months. I must say I agree. I did have a tentative new home lined up for him, but he's so young and she is 70 years old. She's great with cats and is still broken up after losing her cat a few months ago, but she has no other support so if anything happens to her he'll be out on his tod. She has family, but they haven't been sympathetic to her losing her boy. It's a shame, because I think she would looooove him. I got him even more toys for being extra super brave.
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| # ¿ Oct 2, 2012 21:16 |
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Shonagon posted:Any tips? We've been trying to, eg, put the food on the other side of the catflap to make him go through, but of course you have to open the door to do that and the drat thing moves like greased lightning. He'll go through if I hold it open, but he needs to go out at night to crap and then come back in. I have taped the catflap open, in the hope that he'll get used to going through the tunnel first. Does that sound right? Any other ideas? How long do cats take to get used to catflaps anyway? He looks lovely and silky! I'm a UK-er too and have never had a catflap, but I do know it can take them a bit of time to get used to them. You should also get an indoor loo; all of our cats have been indoor/outdoor and prefer to go loo outside, but I'd highly recommend to have an indoor loo as well. They might get caught short or be ill or elderly and need to have an indoor loo. If they have access to the outside, they may very well prefer to loo out there so your husband is being silly. My advice is: get an indoor loo. Once your cat gets used to the catflap he will likely prefer outdoor looing; unless it's raining; some cats are a bit prissy about muddy feets and TBH it may be preferable to clean out a loo tray to cleaning up muddy poo-feet prints in your house.
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| # ¿ Oct 3, 2012 20:28 |
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Tortuga posted:we're losing our cat of 19 years tomorrow. I'm sorry to hear that and you have my condolences. 19 is a very impressive innings, but I know it's not much consolation when you're losing your friend. I gave my little'un a kiss and cuddle.
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| # ¿ Oct 5, 2012 11:55 |
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Shnooks posted:A few days ago he inhaled an entire stalk of asparagus, which is kind of cute, I guess. Oh man, my elderly boy Fluffy was a vegetable addict for a while and his favourites were asparagus and broccoli. He still likes the odd bit of sweetcorn and melon. He once broke into a trash bag to get at a moldy bit of broccoli. Bickle update: My Evil Neighbours have still not bothered to check up on him and its been nearly a week. Everyone at my vets have basically told me to tell them to go gently caress themselves if they turn up. I know many goons may not agree with this, but I did give them plenty of chances at great risk to the little man's wellbeing. I've done everything myself so far: fed him, took him in at night, dewormed and deflea-ed him myself, took him for a kitten wellness check and had his nads off. I told them he needed defleaing and they couldn't even manage that. Or manage to keep him in; shutting their windows would be a start. The only thing left is his shots. I've spent well over £100 on him; I don't mind because he's a lovely little chap. Shots will be another £60. It's not going to break the bank, I just can't leave him to be neglected.
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| # ¿ Oct 6, 2012 09:01 |
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He is on lockdown for at least the next few months, as he's too small and young to be let out (and hasn't had his shots). I am considering rehoming him with somebody sensible who will look after him properly. And doesn't live near me. I may ask one of the nurses at my vets if they want him; they have about a billion cats between them. It will hurt letting him go, but I want him to be safe. When those other people let him out, he does gravitate towards my garden which is why he ended up back in my house again.
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| # ¿ Oct 6, 2012 09:56 |
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Serella posted:One of the qualifications for proving ownership of a cat is showing who pays for food and vet bills. Remember, these people said they would take him to the vet, but if they hadn't done it by that point even just to keep fleas out of their own drat home, they never would have. These people neglected him, and he would have ended up as a mangy, flea-ridden feral cat that they "owned," aka set a lovely bowl of grocery store cat food out for which he may occasionally have gotten to before the other stray cats and raccoons. If they wouldn't shell out $15 a month for flea preventatives and the perhaps $100 for legally required vaccinations, there's no way they'd bring him in when he had infected wounds or an abscess from fighting other toms, which would have been inevitable since he was also not fixed. This is my thinking. If you think 1 week is bad for not asking after a cat try 15+ years. My previous annoying neighbour last week asked after 'her' cat (that we now have, Mr Fluffy) for the first time in over 15 years. That's about how long we have had him. Fluffy is 18 years+ and we've always made it clear she can come and visit whenever. So she asked last week and my dad said 'Of course, you can come and visit'. She has still not visited. She lives literally across the street from them. We ended up with 2 of that woman's cats. One of my other nice neighbours also ended up with 2 of her cats. gently caress knows what happened to the others. She let her girl have two litters. We ended up with Fluff because he was getting picked on by the neighbourhood cat-bully and she refused to take him to the vet. He had horrid wounds. In happy news cat-bully also ended up in a nice home with a nice cat-lady down the road. I don't know how she did it, because he was VERY feral. I know it did cost her some blood. She had magical cat powers.
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| # ¿ Oct 7, 2012 06:59 |
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Shifty Pony posted:I posted this in the random nonsense thread but this might be of interest to anyone who doesn't follow that because it doesn't have enough cat. Sadie was dreaming and I got up close to record it because So cute. I've definitely seen my cats dreaming of eating and running. I so wish I could've captured the eating dream Marlon had. He was going 'NOM NOM NOM NOM' in his sleep. Now whenever I see a cat eating I think of him and imagine that cats concentrate on not making silly nom nom noises while they're eating.
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| # ¿ Oct 7, 2012 08:34 |
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I'm looking for some tips on kitten teething. The vet confirmed Bickle still has some babby teeth and although he's got a lot better at keeping his claws in when he plays he is still very nibbly. I presume the teething may by the problem. Any tips on teething toys I can get in the UK would be very helpful.
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| # ¿ Oct 8, 2012 19:33 |
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Shnooks posted:Have any of you experienced end stage renal failure in a cat? My 17 year old cat has had chronic renal failure for almost 2 years now, but looks like the picture of health since we started fluids on her. She's about 10lbs and gets 60cc of fluid every other day and some famotidine when she seems to lose her appetite or vomit, which is rarely now a days. She still gets around fine, is very vocal and active for an older cat, and has gained weight since she was diagnosed. She may very well still be fine. My elderly gentleman (18+) has been in renal failure for a couple of years and is still a happy boy. We even stopped giving him sub-q and anti vomming pills because they were actually making him stressed out and more sick. NOT THAT I WOULD ADVISE THAT. If your cat is happy on fluids and it's helping, do continue. It's just that it was plainly making the old man visibly unhappy and more ill. If she still seems fine, keep on doing what you're doing. My boy has been switched over the a partly raw food diet and has plenty of water bowls distributed around the house. We tried to give him the low protein stuff but he doesn't really eat it and started to lose more weight. He does still have some bikkies that are low protein. Our new regime has made him more comfortable. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Oct 10, 2012 around 06:30 |
| # ¿ Oct 10, 2012 06:24 |
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JohnnyC You're doing the right thing and your vet should be able to give you tips. Your roommates are buttheads. Tamarillo That is certainly  . Hope it wasn't dropped on your face. I believe you can eat them honey roasted. What a nice present!Butt Soup That's good to hear! Better out than in, I always say. OK, the Bickle has learned how to play fetch - I'll throw him a toy and he'll bring it back. I'm sure when he gets old and jaded, I'll have to do both the throw and the fetch. I think he'd really benefit from having a kitten buddy. The only thing is our local Cats Protection are... a bit odd. My Nice Neighbour Mrs. A tried to adopt a pair of older kitties from them a couple of years ago and they told her to get lost. She has a great kittie friendly house, takes great care of her two young girl kitties, and they're only home alone for - I dunno - 3 hours a day or so. She has lots of family that love cats and they're over often. Her and her husband - she works part time, he works shift. And yet she was denied - because they were out 'too often'. She ended up with a pregnant stray she found and kept one of the babies (I don't know how many mum cat had). I'd much prefer to rehome a homeless kittie, but honestly, if they denied her I stand no chance.
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| # ¿ Oct 18, 2012 10:29 |
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marshmallard posted:How long does fur take to grow back after it gets shaved at the vet? Hat seems to shed everywhere, constantly, but his bald patch is still resolutely bald. It can take a few weeks at least. Enjoy kissing his silky bald bits! I hope he is feeling better; I've been most remiss about not keeping up with your main thread. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Oct 18, 2012 around 17:52 |
| # ¿ Oct 18, 2012 17:41 |
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Dogen posted:No they do not. Because you are obeying them by throwing the ball, as my cat has made abundantly clear when I want to stop I have inferred from Kitten Bickle's behaviour that I am expected to play fetch even when I am on the loo. At least it gives me something to do. He is a loo-perviser cat and must always supervise when someone is in the bathroom. I have taken to shutting the door at all times. I have one of those dangly light switches and he keeps shutting himself in the bathroom when he chases it. He also chews on the basket and gets trapped exploring the tub.
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| # ¿ Oct 20, 2012 20:08 |
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exquisite tea posted:We think our apartment might have fleas. Despite our two cats being strictly indoor, my girlfriend works at an animal hospital and might have brought some home after working with her clients. Our cats have been pretty scratchy lately and I've been getting bug bites around my legs/ankles since the summer, but we haven't found a single flea yet and my office at work has a mosquito problem, so initially I thought that was the issue. My girlfriend apparently hasn't been bit at all, which is also weird. Some people react to flea bites more than others, just like any other kind of bite. I tend to not react to them (touch wood). It can be very hard to detect fleas on pussingtons, especially if they are wriggly (like my guy). Fleas are also wriggly and can be hard to spot. If you have suspected flea dirt in your bed, scoop some up, put in on a piece of paper and put a few droplets of water on it. Leave it for a bit and if you get a red/brown bloom around it, you know you have flea dirt. You could also look out for eggs. They are VERY small, but look just like tiny translucent chicken eggs (less than 1mm). They will burst if you pinch them between two fingernails. I'm not too sure about your question regarding flea treatment. What product are you planning on using? Do not go for cheapo stuff. In the UK we have Frontline and Advocate. I've never had any problems with a cat ingesting a bit because it can leak around a little. I treated my 4 month old once with the first and once with the second within one month (he was infested). The vet told me it would be fine and he's so tiny it inevitably leaked around his neck a bit. He was fine. Ask your vet about whatever treatment you are using. Having a treated cat in the house is a HUGE help to getting rid of fleas - I just hoover every couple of days to get rid of the eggs. If any grown fleas are around they'll leap onto kittie and promptly snuff it. That's just my experience. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Oct 21, 2012 around 19:26 |
| # ¿ Oct 21, 2012 18:47 |
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| # ¿ May 19, 2013 20:27 |
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Oh man, I think I'm going to start dreaming about playing mousie fetch soon: What's mousie doing? He goes WEEEEEE!mousie comes back multiple times. Half an hour later:  He goes WEEEEE!The Bickle also managed to lick my eyeball in the night. It's a bit red but not too sore. He grooms me when I'm sleeping, so it's hard to catch him doing it. When my old cat, Spooky, did this once to my wrist I had to bandage it for a week. He licked off the top layer of my skin when I was sleeping. It bled and went all gross. I'm a little worried about the Bickle because he doesn't seem to be growing a lot. He's not underweight, but hasn't got any bigger. He's a lively chap and does nice healthy plops 2-3 times a day. (he is 5.5 months now). I didn't know something so large and stinky could come out of something so small and cute. VoodooSchmoodoo fucked around with this message at Oct 25, 2012 around 18:33 |
| # ¿ Oct 25, 2012 18:19 |
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