|
The Bananana posted:Ok, so... I made the ground beef water, and he did indeed have some after some coaxing. Which is good. But..
|
#
?
Sep 6, 2023 17:10
|
|
|
|
| # ? Nov 10, 2025 16:18 |
|
|
Mixing a little Gatorade into the water can help as well. Any time I recommend a human product, it comes with the stipulation that you make sure they haven't changed the ingredients to include anything stupid like xylitol. Traditionally Gatorade has been perfectly safe though.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2023 10:22
|
|
|
I have a cat who, while I wouldn't call it overgrooming, really likes to bathe herself and will gladly spend a ton of time lounging around and bathing herself until she's actually kind of wet-- she doesn't seem to have any discomfort or fur loss in the areas she goes for most of all, but is this normal/okay? Are there cats who just really want to be soggy? (She also likes to go and play in the bathtub after one of us gets out of the shower so it might be that she just wants to be damp???)
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2023 16:02
|
|
|
Cross-post from the products request thread: I recently bought a house, and my housemates have a cat, and the cat likes to hang out on my window with it open. Is there a good cat bed for that? The sill is about four inches wide, I don't want one that hangs off the window since he likes it to be open (I also like it to be open). So you can see what I'm talking about : 
|
|
#
?
Oct 20, 2023 02:54
|
|
|
I don't know anything about specific products, but you could probably use a couple of clamps to non-permanently attack a board or piece of plywood to the windowsill, and then put a regular cat bed on that. Just make sure to protect the windowsill from the clamps, and don't put heavy weight (like, a person's bodyweight) on it, because of leverage.
|
|
#
?
Oct 20, 2023 03:26
|
|
|
This is what I did, it's overly elaborate but it works. It's all handmade though.      The "ladder" is too steep - if I did this again I'd do a set of steps instead. The cats just run up my chair (which is why I have to keep a towel on it, to reduce the damage). The basic issue with the window sill is it's too narrow to put anything on it that isn't screwed down without it potentially falling off, with a cat inside or on it. You gotta screw down whatever you do. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Oct 20, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 20, 2023 04:34
|
|
|
Hi! I'll leave home for a whole week this spring and I'm wondering what's best for my 9 years old indoor cat. I have two options: 1) Ask my retired mother to come home for like 30-45 minutes a day to replenish the food/water, empty the litter box and just be with the cat for a while (to pet her, play with her). My mother doesn't mind at all and has the time for this. My cat isn't shy with her. 2) Bring the cat to a coworker who owns a caretaking company (at his home) for animals. The cat will be in an unknown environment but will have a human presence multiple times per day, will have her own room with food, water, toys and a litter box. My cat will never be totally alone because my coworker works from home. I'll need to pay him of course but money isn't an issue. So... I don't know what's best for my cat. she's a rescue and was abandoned 2-3 times in her past. Should I go with 1, with a familiar environment but with less human presence or with 2, unfamiliar environment but with frequent interactions with a stranger? Thanks for your input!
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2023 01:52
|
|
|
Honestly, depending on the cat and coworker (and their setup), either of those could be the best option. Can you take the cat to play dates with the coworker, to do introductions and familiarize them with each other? That'd also give you a chance to better evaluate that option. When you say the coworker has a caretaking company, does that mean that he has a lot of animals at his house? That's another factor to consider.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2023 02:47
|
|
|
ShiroTheSniper posted:Hi! I'll leave home for a whole week this spring and I'm wondering what's best for my 9 years old indoor cat. I have two options: Pro pet sitter here, and I would go for option one. Moving cats is very stressful for them. Having less human interaction is still stressful, but in my experience, it's the easier option for the cat. I have plenty of clients who leave for a week at a time and their cats are just fine with daily visits. I have 5 cats and the only time I've boarded them was for 24 hours while we moved out of our old place.
|
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2023 16:16
|
|
|
Random question for thread but are poodles actually hypoallergenic or just "less" allergenic? I ask because I've heard that dog saliva is actually the part people are allergic to (so like when a dog licks itself it Causes allergies) but I've also read that since poodles have hair instead of normal fur it causes less of that dander buildup? I'm not allergic myself but I have a friend who's mildly allergic to dogs and was curious if me having a dog at all , vs specific hypoallergenic breeds would affect it differently when they visited.
|
|
#
?
May 19, 2024 16:49
|
|
|
cat posts.txt posted:Random question for thread but are poodles actually hypoallergenic or just "less" allergenic? I ask because I've heard that dog saliva is actually the part people are allergic to (so like when a dog licks itself it Causes allergies) but I've also read that since poodles have hair instead of normal fur it causes less of that dander buildup? Not 100% sure about the answer, but I can impart that I have a standard poodle, and a labrador retriever, and I don't think I've EVER seen a single hair from the poodle (save for when I get after him with the clippers), whereas there are literal "tumbleweeds" of labrador fur round and about if we don't sweep daily. So.. I have to believe that factors in in someway to their (poodles) allergen production, compared to other dogs. The Bananana fucked around with this message at 13:50 on May 21, 2024 |
|
#
?
May 19, 2024 20:39
|
|
|
This question is pet-related but not in the normal way. My mom and brother have a dog that they take for walks in their neighborhood. Unfortunately, a lot of their neighbors will either let their dogs run loose or with insufficient fences so they've been followed by other dogs before, including stuff as big as a German Shepherd. They haven't been attacked yet, but I was wondering if there's something they could put on the leash to use if a dog does charge them. My gut instinct is pepper spray would be intense enough for a dog to have a very bad day and leave them alone without hurting them, but IDK if dogs have a sensitive enough respiratory system that it could actually endanger the dog. I personally carry pepper spray day to day with a very edge use case being if I need to get distance from a bear that isn't afraid of me since I live in bear country, but there's "bear spray" while there isn't such a thing as "dog spray." Pit bulls wander around in my neighborhood but thankfully they're all friendly. I actually had a situation this winter where a pit bull wandered up into my driveway when I was working on one of my cars. He was friendly but cold so when he wouldn't come into my house I let him hop into my other car and ran the heat and turned on the seat heater with the window open so he could get out if he wanted to. I was pissed off about that even more than I generally am about letting dogs run around near a highway because it was <20 degrees.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2024 17:07
|
|
|
22 Eargesplitten posted:I personally carry pepper spray day to day with a very edge use case being if I need to get distance from a bear that isn't afraid of me since I live in bear country, but there's "bear spray" while there isn't such a thing as "dog spray." There is indeed such a thing as dog spray! Mailmen carry it. It usually works like a charm, but if the dog is crazed enough it might not stop the attack.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2024 19:11
|
|
|
does anyone have experience with timed/automatic reptile misters and can recommend a brand? I’m trying to find a solution for my juvenile orchids that need to be squirted every day while I’m away for a couple weeks and can't depend on a friend to stop by early every morning for 18 days. reptile misters seem like a decent option since they seriously just need a 15-20 second light spritzing every morning
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2024 15:33
|
|
|
I know nothing about silvervine and would like to try it on our beasts. How is the best way to go about this? It seems like it's sold in sticks. Do they chew it, ie destroy it? Or just lick it, smell it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2024 22:30
|
|
|
I can't find a better thread for this question, but here goes. I live in a modestly dense area and the 10 foot walk from my front door to my car is an ocean of other people's dog piss. On hot days, I close the windows in the front of my place to keep the stink from getting in. I'm looking for recommendations for cleaning/sprays that will discourage the orgy of piss that regularly shows up in my life. Google tells me that citrus, chili, and vinegar smells work, but it is loaded with adverts for those products, so I want a second opinion. This is on concrete and brick. Any suggestions?
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2024 00:35
|
|
|
Most dogs will pee anywhere outside their own home with equal willingness, although smelling the pee of other dogs encourages it so giving the area a really good clean with something enzymatic might help. Honestly your best bet would be to keep the dogs from accessing the area in the first place, we don't have the US kind of front yards here but is a fence not an option?
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2024 18:13
|
|
|
You can put up some of those "please don't pee/poop here" signs. They do work on some dog owners, though of course far from all of them.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2024 19:42
|
|
|
The issue with fencing is that the path to our cars includes a public sidewalk and a plant from our yard that drapes down one of our walls, so we can't keep the dogs out. Also, we had those "please don't poop here" signs on the dead grass between the sidewalk and the street and it didn't stop the tide of dog poo poo showing up there. I guess the dog owners in the neighborhood just decided the area just outside our house is the public dog toilet. I ripped out the plant and then scrubbed the wall and sidewalk with lemon scented cleaner. Then I sprayed our wall with something called liquid fence. So, far the local dogs just walk on by, but the weekends are less of a problem, so we'll see this week. I might have to grab the enzymatic cleaner.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2024 15:46
|
|
|
MickeyFinn posted:The issue with fencing is that the path to our cars includes a public sidewalk and a plant from our yard that drapes down one of our walls, so we can't keep the dogs out. Also, we had those "please don't poop here" signs on the dead grass between the sidewalk and the street and it didn't stop the tide of dog poo poo showing up there. I guess the dog owners in the neighborhood just decided the area just outside our house is the public dog toilet. A little late, but Nature's Miracle (in the red bottle - not sure about the stuff in the yellow bottle) works amazing and smells very nice. You just spray it on and let it air dry - no scrubbing. I used to have cats and they would occasionally piss in the house and it would completely remove the smell. It also works well for getting rid of stinky sweat stains.
|
|
#
?
Oct 31, 2024 18:24
|
|
|
My 17 yo cat has kitty dementia and lately he’s been getting really REALLY loud crying at night and waking everyone up. We’ve used different medications, feliway, etc. but nothing’s helping so far. He’s happy during the day and fine at night as long as someone’s awake, he just loses his poo poo when everyone’s asleep and yowls. If anyone has advice for kitty dementia? And on top of that last night he got so annoying waking her up that my dog (3) apparently decided to start shoving his head in her mouth. No biting or serious aggression or anything thank god, she just. Walked up and put his whole head in her mouth mid-yell and slobbered on him and left? Normally they get along well bar the occasional lion king reenaction when she pushes him off the bed so this is new. They’re in the same weight class - if anything, he’s more dangerous, he turns into a blender at the vets - so it’s not like she could easily eat him but still a bit concerning and not sure how to address it without souring their relationship?  
|
|
#
?
Jan 13, 2025 04:52
|
|
|
Night lights helped keep mine from yelling after bedtime for the last 6 years of her life.
|
|
#
?
Jan 13, 2025 05:03
|
|
|
I have a 6+ year old cat and a 5.5 year old dog. They've been living together for over five years with minimal issues. The last couple months, however the cat gets weirdly aggressive with the dog, stalking him, jumping up next to him on the couch with his back arched, sketching the dog out. Yesterday, the cat pounced on his head making the dog yelp. No blood was drawn, but I'm very concerned. As soon as I see him getting getting weird with the dog I grab the cat and lock him in the bedroom for a while. It's gotten to the point where the cat sees me coming and runs to the bedroom himself. This happens once, occasionally twice a day, only when I'm at home, never when it's just my wife. The cat is very sweet otherwise, never been the least bit aggressive toward us. He had a checkup a couple months ago, nothing physically wrong aside from a minor heart murmur. Any advice? Pic from more normal times. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2025 09:32
|
|
|
I think you're overthinking it. If they're long time pals they can work it out. Only break it up for shrieking and blood.
|
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2025 22:14
|
|
|
Hello. I have a question about birds. I found a baby robin hopping around this morning and it looked in need of help. It stopped moving enough to let me touch it and I could feel its heart beat. I held my hand out to see if it would come with me, but it didn't. I was very worried about it but there were other robins around me yelling. I've seen a lot of dead baby birds this spring.. any advice? Should I bring them home? leave them? What would I need to help them?
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2025 00:31
|
|
|
If it was a blue jay you would have been attacked. Sometimes fletching need to dry out and you can grab them and put them under shelter to help facilitate that, but you're describing birds being birds. Robins are especially dumb letting things walk up on them IME. There's also a wildcard of birdflu influencing behavior.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2025 12:28
|
|
|
All Robin fledglings have a period of ground time, one to two weeks. Its a normal thing for them and while it is a dangerous time, aside from keeping any cats inside during the season theres not really a whole lot you can or should do. Their parents will still be hanging around, helping feed them and keep them a bit safer, during this period, so the worst thing you can do is anything that convinces them to abandon their baby (although as long as its still alive and locatable, robins are pretty good at not abandoning them)
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2025 12:49
|
|
|
Submarine Sandpaper posted:If it was a blue jay you would have been attacked. no I wouldn't. why would you even say this? do not try to fear me with bird flu. the baby robin had the head from the madagascar 2 penguins GlyphGryph posted:All Robin fledglings have a period of ground time, one to two weeks. Its a normal thing for them and while it is a dangerous time, aside from keeping any cats inside during the season theres not really a whole lot you can or should do. thank you, dog.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2025 01:02
|
|
|
I say this because blue jays attack people, especially if they have a reason
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2025 14:41
|
|
|
I might be blind but is there an active invert / bug keepers thread? If not I'll just throw my question here, I got gifted a 30 gal recently and haven't kept inverts before so I wanted suggestions on what to get. I've kept other critters (snakes, mostly!) just not inverts yet. I could also turn it into a shrimp tank but I'm not confident enough on aquatic creatures, never had to bother with pH and nitrates and water changes so it feels daunting compared to regular land bugs. 🪲
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2025 13:29
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2025 04:41
|
|
|
|
| # ? Nov 10, 2025 16:18 |
|
|
Ok got a question: 4 months ago i moved out of an apartment i shared with my roommate, her dog and my dog. I moved out of state, but its drive able. I got a text message from my old roommate that her dog was diagnosed with cancer and has an estimated 2 months. The dog is on comfort care, which i think might be hospice I kinda want to go back one last time to see her and I want to know if bringing my dog would traumatize either of them. we shared a space for 5 years, and i had my dog for 4 of them. They were friendly. I know dogs can understand sickness (sort of??) but idk if seeing another dog friend and finding out their sick and then not seeing them when they pass is ok? Obvs I would check with my old roommate if thats possible with the dogs condition. Id feel weird showing up and not also having my dog to say goodbye when they were together for most of their current lives
|
|
#
?
Sep 20, 2025 13:04
|
|
