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Organza Quiz posted:Yep those are great cat treats! Chicken necks in particular are good for their teeth because they have to really munch them. The biggest problem is likely to be convincing the cat that it's edible, some don't realise it. durrneez posted:i feed my cat raw chicken bits from time to time. one loves the necks and wing tips. the other waits for the canned stuff. OK, great to know. Is there any prep that needs to be done with anything? Or just cut up heart, liver, neck, wingtips, etc?
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Apr 16, 2021 19:42
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Hi, I was looking for a little bit of help and suggestions with a new cat. We have 3 cats, and recently adopted a 4th, all females. We've had her for just shy of three weeks now. The new cat is a wonderful, loving, playful, and chatty sweetheart - to us. However, she's terrible towards the other cats. We did the usual first steps of getting a new cat: separate room, slow introductions, let them sniff, etc. However, her behaviour is so bad towards the others that she's spent the last few weeks locked in the basement alone, where we then go down to visit and play with her. She constantly stalks and hunts them, will corner them and hiss at them, and if they make the mistake of running, she will chase, corner, and pummel them (Our 5 year old just got beat up a little while ago, and pissed everwhere when it happened. No claws, no injuries, just a thorough slapping). She'll deliberately circle round them so they have to move to keep an eye on her, and then chase when they move. She is bigger than all of the others, and will win any fight that she gets into. Even when separated, she obsesses over the other cats. She'll stand fixed at the door, reach under the door, scream and howl if another cat comes by. Her entire life, except when we play with her, is dedicated towards wanting to chase the other cats. We try to do supervised visits, we let her wander around the house and interact. The other cats hide in corners and hiss and growl if she gets near, she'll yell, and one of us has to step in as it looks like she's going to pounce. We tried getting calming spray, but it didnt do anything to help. We also just took her to the vet to make sure she isn't having health issues thats causing her to lash out, and she got a clean bill of health. Does anyone have any advice other than just continuing to keep her separate? Is this just going to be something that takes ages to settle, and we're fooling ourselves by expecting instant results? Is it possible that I got a "dud" of a calming spray and should try another brand? Also, an idea popped into my head of putting a harness on her (the type you'd clip a leash to to take them outside) just to physically restrict her from successfully chasing, or at least slow her down so I have time to stop her. Is that a bad plan?
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Apr 16, 2021 22:10
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Any thoughts on pet insurance? Worth it?
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Apr 16, 2021 22:38
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Hawkperson posted:Any thoughts on pet insurance? Worth it? Do it. It saved Rexie's life by making us go, "Might as well bring her in, she has insurance that'll cover the tests."
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Apr 16, 2021 22:42
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BaronVonVaderham posted:Do it. It saved Rexie's life by making us go, "Might as well bring her in, she has insurance that'll cover the tests." It also saved thousands and thousands of dollars.
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Apr 17, 2021 00:14
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Fashionable Jorts posted:Hi, I was looking for a little bit of help and suggestions with a new cat. If she's pouncing on other cats and wrestling, and they chase each other, that's cause for cautious optimism. If every fight sounds like they're about to murder the other, then I'd seriously consider rehoming her.
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Apr 17, 2021 01:22
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BaronVonVaderham posted:Do it. It saved Rexie's life by making us go, "Might as well bring her in, she has insurance that'll cover the tests." Who did you go with? Shopping for insurance is exhausting. At least it's cheap
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Apr 17, 2021 02:16
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I know it’s old news now, but if you have a cat and can afford one of those litter robots you are doing yourself a disservice not buying one. I spent years hating to deal with litter boxes, and suddenly it’s a non-issue. It doesn’t even stink. Thanks, thread.
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Apr 17, 2021 02:38
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How are Litter Robots for huge cats? I'm tempted, but we have a gigantic cat who's also a moron, and I'm reluctant to change to anything that would confuse her or not give her enough room.
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Apr 17, 2021 03:09
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Antivehicular posted:How are Litter Robots for huge cats? I'm tempted, but we have a gigantic cat who's also a moron, and I'm reluctant to change to anything that would confuse her or not give her enough room. Define huge? Bean is a stocky 17 pound unit and has no problems Edit: well we got the fat ramp attachment because she's got no ups
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Apr 17, 2021 03:10
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My biggest cat is 20lbs and he is fine. My friends who have an even bigger cat, a cat who is essentially spherical and exerts his own gravity, does fine. If you have a Maine Coon then I dunno if it'll be a problem with litter tacking to their long hair but doesn't seem to be an issue with our respective lardasses.
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Apr 17, 2021 03:47
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Fashionable Jorts posted:Hi, I was looking for a little bit of help and suggestions with a new cat. Based on personal experience, it might at least partially be that they are all female. I had two female cats and then my parents and I inherited my sister's two cats (also both female) and her dog when she got married because her husband has pet allergies. It was weeks of slowly integrating them. They eventually sorted out who was where in the pecking order and what rooms were who's territory. There were still occasional hissing and chasing and swatting, but that was it. My vet said that when you get up into three or four cats, you start needing gender balance for better harmony, so that might be part of the issue. Go slowly, keep at it, and yes, it will take awhile.
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Apr 17, 2021 04:30
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Captain Lavender posted:OK, great to know. Is there any prep that needs to be done with anything? Or just cut up heart, liver, neck, wingtips, etc? i’ve served the wingtips, necks, and organs whole. cats in the wild rend and tear their food. eating bigger poeces helps them exercise their jaw and the bones help clean their teeth, as the other posted noted. no real prep needed, except maybe if your cat isn’t used to eating raw and doesn’t take to it immediately. you may need to introduce it slowly and alongside their other food. don’t leave the raw food out for too long or your cats will get food poisoning.
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Apr 17, 2021 04:58
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durrneez posted:i’ve served the wingtips, necks, and organs whole. cats in the wild rend and tear their food. eating bigger poeces helps them exercise their jaw and the bones help clean their teeth, as the other posted noted. Pumpkin thanks you. 
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Apr 17, 2021 05:12
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Len posted:Define huge? Bean is a stocky 17 pound unit and has no problems Sam thinks he's still fat even thought I got him down to a healthy weight and he also needed the fatramp but it's usually fine... I'm probably the only one with this issue but Sam liked to step in and poo poo without turning around which has let to him just straight up making GBS threads on the stairs or the guard sometimes. It's easy enough to hose off but ugh, TURN AROUND you dumb cat. 
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Apr 17, 2021 07:00
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mistaya posted:Sam thinks he's still fat even thought I got him down to a healthy weight and he also needed the fatramp but it's usually fine... A couple years back we tried the roll and sift one and it did not give bean enough space to turn so she'd poop right in front of it. So we went back to the booda dome
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Apr 17, 2021 12:06
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Hawkperson posted:Who did you go with? Shopping for insurance is exhausting. At least it's cheap All of ours are insured through HealthyPaws. Here's a handy referral link: https://refer.healthypawspetinsurance.com/Scott90
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Apr 17, 2021 17:07
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Wow the OP was amazing thank you. I'm going to be moving and I'm looking at getting a new collar/tag and a harness for my cat. Are boomerang tags still the threads #1? Any recs on a harness or a collar (that doesn't jangle)? We're driving across the country and are hoping to stop and give her some outside access regularly. We already picked up a nice cat carrier so hopefully that helps but any other tips are greatly appreciated for moving with an active cat.. like whatever the opposite of cat nip is?! Is that feliway?
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Apr 17, 2021 18:11
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:Wow the OP was amazing thank you. I'm going to be moving and I'm looking at getting a new collar/tag and a harness for my cat. Are boomerang tags still the threads #1? Any recs on a harness or a collar (that doesn't jangle)? We're driving across the country and are hoping to stop and give her some outside access regularly. We already picked up a nice cat carrier so hopefully that helps but any other tips are greatly appreciated for moving with an active cat.. like whatever the opposite of cat nip is?! Is that feliway? If you’re traveling across the country, ask your vet for a gabapentin rx. Makes them nice and chill after you give them the pill.
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Apr 17, 2021 20:11
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It turns out my cat, who gets really sniffy about certain brands of cat biscuits, loves Quorn cocktail sausages and is sad when the vegetarian food is taken away from him.
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Apr 18, 2021 00:27
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Lady Demelza posted:It turns out my cat, who gets really sniffy about certain brands of cat biscuits, loves Quorn cocktail sausages and is sad when the vegetarian food is taken away from him. I had a cat once that loved veggie bacon to the point where she would lick the plate over and over, looking for every tiny bacon morsel.
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Apr 18, 2021 00:39
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Fashionable Jorts posted:Hi, I was looking for a little bit of help and suggestions with a new cat. I also live in what has recently become a 4-cat household - there were only two cats when I moved in last fall with my cat Jackie, and then my roommates adopted a young feral stray whom we've been somewhat successfully trying to socialize. Anyway, the situation is somewhat similar in that my cat, Jackie, is a 14-year-old female whom I adopted 10 years ago from my parents, because she was unable to get along with the two other cats she was living there with there for fairly similar reasons to what you're describing. She was basically just deeply obsessive about them, having to share food dishes with them, being teased and overreacting to attempts at play - that sort of thing. All of it went away and she went from being a really unpleasant and grouchy cat to a deeply sweet and awesome cat when living alone with me. I have moved her back into a multi-cat household again now, and things have been going well - but at least part of that is because I knew Jackie was going to get her own space, her own litter box, her own food station, and so on - and stuff like that has helped. But mostly I think it's just that she's fundamentally mellowed out and become more secure. Even so, the feral kitten is absolutely in love with her and follows her everywhere and tries to cuddle with her - but Jackie growls at him or whacks him on the face when he tries to get too affectionate with her, still! It generally doesn't get serious though, and it does seem to be a form of play for them. I don't really have any easy or absolute answers - these things are definitely not easy, and it may be that you won't be able to keep this cat because she's just not compatible in that environment - and there's no shame in that, it happens and everyone had good intentions, but things sometimes just aren't going to work out. In the meantime, I would recommend trying for a "reset" of some sort. Is there someway you can move that cat into her own environment for a while, where she won't be in contact with the other cats and can have a chance to rest and recover a bit? Or maybe a friend who can take her in for a little while? Sometimes this can work very well, especially if you're able to make some small changes maybe in just giving her a bit more space or removal from the other cats when she gets back.
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Apr 18, 2021 03:56
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Deteriorata posted:The younger cat probably smells weird and the older cat is confused as to what is going on. thanks! i grew up with 3 cats and this never happened before, nor did it happen when i was down to just the last one from my childhood + my new at the time (now senior) cat, so i was confused and worried. it took a few days, but friendship restored~ 
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Apr 18, 2021 08:14
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So yesterday Maple came in happily from the garden, having played out there all day (I finally finished the anti-Escaple netting, which seems to be working). Found her on the stairs looking perfectly happy, with one front paw 3 times the size of the other! So we drove down to the 24/7 animal hospital and she was fine, quick injection, probably a wasp or something. Silly kitty. Get insurance, people. This one wasn't too expensive, but you never know what's randomly going to happen tomorrow. Also, while we were there, a very distressed man pulled up, followed by the animal ambulance. His dog had been a victim of a hit and run, and didn't make it. The anguish as he came out to tell his wife (as I waited in the car for mine) is making me cry right now. Tell your pets you love them every day, and gently caress you hit and run driver 
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Apr 18, 2021 12:28
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Bobstar posted:So yesterday Maple came in happily from the garden, having played out there all day (I finally finished the anti-Escaple netting, which seems to be working). Found her on the stairs looking perfectly happy, with one front paw 3 times the size of the other! So we drove down to the 24/7 animal hospital and she was fine, quick injection, probably a wasp or something. Silly kitty. My partner makes fun of me but I always make sure to tell the cats I love them before we go somewhere. She says it's ridiculous but Fuzzbutt meows at the door when either of us leave and I like to imagine it makes him feel better
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Apr 18, 2021 12:40
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Bobstar posted:Tell your pets you love them every day, Every time I see 'em, multiple times. On that note, good news - finally had one of my shelter guys go home yesterday (after a while of no adoptions). Set down the carrier with the door open to get ready, she just walked straight in like "gently caress y'all, I'm out" and was super calm. Gonna miss you, little girl. Less good news is figuring out why several other cats with no history of aggression suddenly got aggressive at once...
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Apr 18, 2021 15:29
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Buff Hardback posted:If you’re traveling across the country, ask your vet for a gabapentin rx. Makes them nice and chill after you give them the pill. Awesome thanks. I'm pretty nervous about driving that far with a cat, I've never done that specifically. Wave if you see me, the person walking a cat at rest stops  . Any cat harness recommendations or any other general tips for cat driving
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Apr 18, 2021 16:17
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:Any cat harness recommendations or any other general tips for cat driving Just gonna quote myself since I've made this post a few times now: cat driving tips posted:TRAVEL TIPS A harness is a good idea so you can easily and firmly grab your cat if necessary but otherwise do not let the cat out of the carrier. They're not dogs, they don't want to go for walkies at a rest stop, and taking them out of the car in general is just asking for trouble. Drug kitty in the morning, kitty sleeps all day, kitty has fun exploring the hotel room at night. That's the ideal.
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Apr 18, 2021 16:57
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Melomane Mallet posted:Based on personal experience, it might at least partially be that they are all female. I had two female cats and then my parents and I inherited my sister's two cats (also both female) and her dog when she got married because her husband has pet allergies. It was weeks of slowly integrating them. They eventually sorted out who was where in the pecking order and what rooms were who's territory. There were still occasional hissing and chasing and swatting, but that was it. My vet said that when you get up into three or four cats, you start needing gender balance for better harmony, so that might be part of the issue. Go slowly, keep at it, and yes, it will take awhile. Oh, I'd never heard of all-females being a problem. She's gotten a bit better with one of the cats, but still aches to do violence against the other two. Thanks for the encouragement, the other cats have been such a breeze that I think we got spoiled by them. kaworu posted:In the meantime, I would recommend trying for a "reset" of some sort. Is there someway you can move that cat into her own environment for a while, where she won't be in contact with the other cats and can have a chance to rest and recover a bit? Or maybe a friend who can take her in for a little while? Sometimes this can work very well, especially if you're able to make some small changes maybe in just giving her a bit more space or removal from the other cats when she gets back. She currently lives alone in the basement and her only interaction is occasionally reaching under the door by the stairs when another cat comes near. From what we've gathered talking to the rescue people (who didn't tell us when we got her) was that she grew up with only dogs and may have been separated from her mom/siblings too young, and never learned how to socialize with other cats. She's also clearly been physically abused by her previous owners.
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Apr 18, 2021 17:12
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mistaya posted:Just gonna quote myself since I've made this post a few times now: Yeah, most cats are actually terrified of new places and smells, so taking them for a walk at a rest stop is not relaxing or enjoyable in the least. When they don't know what's going on, they want to be in a small, secured, safe space they are familiar with. Like inside their carrier.
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Apr 18, 2021 17:19
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Is there a website I can use to keep track of the Surefeed price? I want to get two but they're so many dollars and every bit of sale helps
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Apr 19, 2021 00:00
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:Awesome thanks. I'm pretty nervous about driving that far with a cat, I've never done that specifically. Wave if you see me, the person walking a cat at rest stops I drove across country over 5 days with my cats and definitely, definitely ask your vet for tranqs. Fat cat is very confident and only needed them on the last day. Shy cat was terrified the whole time, poor guy. Also, depending on your cat, they might want to hang out in the cabin with you. Fat cat meowed like crazy at the start of the trip. Since he's a fairly a well-behaved and confident boy, I let him out and he perched on top of all of our stuff on the backseat and peered out the front windshield. He had the time of his life. I shoved shy cat into a dark corner of the car and he liked that he was hidden. I kept fat cat in a harness while we were driving and put the leash on before any doors were opened in case he darted out.
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Apr 19, 2021 05:35
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mistaya posted:Just gonna quote myself since I've made this post a few times now: Awesome thanks for all the tips everyone, this is making me feel more comfortable already. I picked a decent looking cat carrier already that is top loading and as we'll have a dog in the car as well hopefully that will work and she will be able to chill inside. Good to know she wont need rest stop breaks
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Apr 19, 2021 05:59
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Len posted:Is there a website I can use to keep track of the Surefeed price? I want to get two but they're so many dollars and every bit of sale helps I'm not sure why Amazon is so out of stock of them, but they've been pretty much consistently at 150USD for as long as I've known about them
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Apr 19, 2021 06:30
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Well, I drove cross-country with my cat (Portland, ME to Los Angeles, CA - a long trip - and also from LA to Denver, CO) and didn't need tranquilizers for her. But then, I went into the trip feeling like my cat was uniquely suited to be able to withstand the pressures of cross-country travel, and that did turn out to be the case. Though it wasn't exactly easy. Myself, I got the biggest kennel/crate/cage that would fit in the backseat of my Toyota Corolla, and there was just enough room in it for a cat bed, a mini litter box, and dishes for food and water - just BARELY enough room. I ended up moving the litter box down to where people in the backseat would put their feet and opening up the kennel when I realized Jackie wasn't even going to come into the front seat as long as I put up some sort of barrier between the two bucket seats in the front. I think it really depends on the cat. I can very much understand why tranqs might be a necessity, because like 75% of the cats I've known would probably have needed them for a cross country trip - hell, I needed tranqs to deal with that trip at times. But I never thought for a moment that Jackie would have trouble with it, and she didn't.
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Apr 19, 2021 07:28
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Did Jackie use the litterbox while you drove? My cat only uses it at night I'm not sure if its neccessary to get her a big enough crate so she could use the bathroom while we drive, although I definitely would if it would help her be more comfortable
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Apr 19, 2021 14:32
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:Did Jackie use the litterbox while you drove? My cat only uses it at night I'm not sure if its neccessary to get her a big enough crate so she could use the bathroom while we drive, although I definitely would if it would help her be more comfortable She did, yeah - but usually it'd be when I'd stop at a rest stop for 5-10 minutes to get out and stretch my legs, and the car wouldn't be moving. Even so, I definitely remember her using the litterbox while the car was moving and being fairly impressed.
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Apr 19, 2021 17:30
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What are some good resources for reading up on techniques to introduce a third cat into the mix? One of my cats is extremely territorial, whereas the newest cat is extremely skittish and easily frightened. I have the shy one sequestered to a single room for the time being, but I've been trying to switch out blankets and things so they get used to each other. If this doesn't work out, I may just have to rehome the third cat, but I'm willing to do as much as I can to prevent that. I've read introducing a new cat can be tough, but this is something else entirely.
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Apr 19, 2021 21:26
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Buff Hardback posted:I'm not sure why Amazon is so out of stock of them, but they've been pretty much consistently at 150USD for as long as I've known about them That's what they are on the Surefeed site too, I'm just hoping to not spend $300 on food trays
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Apr 19, 2021 22:00
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Len posted:That's what they are on the Surefeed site too, I'm just hoping to not spend $300 on food trays It sucks, but as someone with two of them I assure you they're worth it.
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Apr 20, 2021 05:40
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