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Cythereal
Nov 8, 2009

I love the potoo,
and the potoo loves you.

Lady Demelza posted:

Kitties have arrived! One is sitting in the litter tray like it's a cat bed, ignoring the boxes and blankets provided.

There is a *lot* of very miserable meowing happening.

Photographic evidence would help.

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explosivo
May 23, 2004

Fueled by Satan



Oh how I love my cat and her 4 foot long tail.

I. M. Gei
Jun 26, 2005

CHIEFS

BITCH



:siren: HI QUICK 4-WEEK-OLD KITTEN QUESTION

If I’m wiping my 4-week-old kitten’s fur clean after a poop, but then the paper towel starts turning dark brownish-reddish-pinkish when I wipe a spot that I’m PRETTY SURE has no poop on it anymore...

... if that happens, is it bad? Does my kitty have a burn, like when you put a baby in a bath that’s too hot? Does my kitten need to go to the vet RIGHT gently caress NOW? Is my kitty okay? Please tell me my kitty is okay


(It’s acting okay otherwise, for now, but 24-hour emergency vet costs $$$, they charge $90 just to look at your pet, and I gotta know if the kitten is okay or not BEFORE I go there. How do I tell if my kitten is okay or not?)

I. M. Gei fucked around with this message at 06:14 on Oct 7, 2020

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

I don't think we have enough information to say. Can you post a picture? Flea-dirt will turn that color when wetted so if the kitten had fleas when it came in that could be it. Is the skin broken or irritated or is this something that was on the fur?

InvisibleMonkey
Jun 4, 2004


Hey, girl.

I. M. Gei posted:

:siren: HI QUICK 4-WEEK-OLD KITTEN QUESTION

Use a flea-comb and/or part the fur so you can tell if there's flea schmutz on her skin? I doubt this is an emergency, but there's not enough information to go on.



Got some more anti-nausea pills for Katya and she seems a lot happier now, I hope the stomach-upset will disappear once we run out of it. Has anyone ever dealt with cat gastritis?
Google says the main cause is "dietary indiscretion" which is her middle name, being a trash-cat. But so far there's no way to tell if she ate something that doesn't agree with her or actually swallowed an inanimate object, so still worried about my little garbage baby.

Rotten Red Rod
Mar 5, 2002

I. M. Gei posted:

:siren: HI QUICK 4-WEEK-OLD KITTEN QUESTION

Does the skin you're wiping look irritated in any way? Look closely to see if there's a cut or something.

My initial assumption is that it's some poop you missed, but the fact you say it's pinkish is a bit worrying. Could be blood in her poop - might be a parasite or something. It's PROBABLY not an emergency, but worth a vet visit, especially for a kitten that young. Yeah, it'll cost some money, but that's the price of having pets.

knox_harrington
Feb 18, 2011

Running no point.

Marcie update:



we have tried a few different cat litter types and she's now using a litter tray. Partial success! Partial because the litter tray she is using is a cardboard box we set up in the kitchen in a place she was trying to dig.

She is eating and drinking loads now which is awesome.


I have no advice but that is a gorgeous cat.

Lady Demelza
Dec 29, 2009



Lipstick Apathy
Foster kitties are settling in well and I needn't have worried about the litter tray. They are laying some weapons-grade turds in it :barf:

I. M. Gei
Jun 26, 2005

CHIEFS

BITCH



mistaya posted:

I don't think we have enough information to say. Can you post a picture? Flea-dirt will turn that color when wetted so if the kitten had fleas when it came in that could be it. Is the skin broken or irritated or is this something that was on the fur?

InvisibleMonkey posted:

Use a flea-comb and/or part the fur so you can tell if there's flea schmutz on her skin? I doubt this is an emergency, but there's not enough information to go on.

Rotten Red Rod posted:

Does the skin you're wiping look irritated in any way? Look closely to see if there's a cut or something.

My initial assumption is that it's some poop you missed, but the fact you say it's pinkish is a bit worrying. Could be blood in her poop - might be a parasite or something. It's PROBABLY not an emergency, but worth a vet visit, especially for a kitten that young. Yeah, it'll cost some money, but that's the price of having pets.

Thanks for all of the replies!

I did try to part the hair a bit to get a look at the skin underneath but it didn’t occur to me to use a comb to do it (I just used my fingers). I checked on him a few times at 10 to 20 minute intervals to check the area (top of his back near the base of his tail) and make sure he was doing okay. Long story short, everything was fine, he’s doing great, and in retrospect I’m a bit embarrassed for freaking out about it as bad as I did.

Flea-dirt sounds like a possible culprit. I did notice a tiny bug crawling around on top of the kitten’s head about a week and a half ago and considering I brought him in from our yard it would make sense that he may have fleas. I’ll make an appointment with the vet to have him checked out and get some flea stuff for him. I need to take my other two foster kittens in to get spayed a couple of weeks from now anyway, so I can take all 3 of them in when I go to do that (since my vet probably won’t be able to book an appointment for any of them any earlier than that anyway).

Rotten Red Rod
Mar 5, 2002

Oh, yeah, if the kittens were outdoor strays it's basically guaranteed they have fleas. Make sure to get the kitten flea formula, the adult cat stuff can be dangerous for them.

Hyperlynx
Sep 13, 2015

Double-decker cat backpack has arrived!

Wolfgang approves.

a foolish pianist
May 6, 2007

(bi)cyclic mutation

Crossposting from the vet thread because this thread gets a lot more traffic, and I'm worried about this little dude:

quote:

So my partner and I found this young gentleman in our neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. He's probably about 5 months old, 6-odd pounds:



We took him to the vet straight away to check for a chip, and he had none, so we've decided to keep him. He got his first round of shots, and then a few days later, while he was asleep and drooling, we noticed a little pink stain on the blanket he was sleeping on. We took him back to the vet, and they found a couple of ulcers on his tongue, which they figured was a virus, so they gave us some immune booster food additive and told us to keep an eye on him. This tongue issue cleared up, but then his eyes started getting crusty and swollen:



So we took him back, and they again figured some kind of virus, and they gave us a cone, some erythromycin eye ointment, and some saline wash, and told us to put a line of the ointment in his eyes every day. Two days later, he was looking worse instead of better:



So we took him back to the vet. They thought maybe he was sensitive to the erythromycin, so they gave us a different antibiotic ointment. That was yesterday, and here he is today:



His eyes are still looking quite terrible. He's been to the vet last Thursday, this Monday, and yesterday (this Wednesday).

I've got a couple of questions:

Primary: what kind of timeline should we be expecting for this eye swelling to start to go down with antibiotic ointment and cleaning with clean cottonballs with saline? Should I take him back to the vet tomorrow? Or should I just follow the ointment application schedule and be patient?

Secondary:
1. Is this sequence of vet visits sensible? Should we take him to a different vet, some kind of cat eye specialist? I'm in Atlanta, Ga. if that makes a difference.
2. Are there tests for what this might be? A cat allergy test? A way to check for a virus that might be causing this?
3. What should I be asking the vet when I talk to them tomorrow?

effika
Jun 19, 2005
Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.

a foolish pianist posted:

Crossposting from the vet thread because this thread gets a lot more traffic, and I'm worried about this little dude:

No idea on the eyes, but if you've been going to the same vet try a different one, cat-specific or even eye-specific if you can find one who can get you in quick. Poor little guy.

knox_harrington
Feb 18, 2011

Running no point.

I'm sure you're aware but antibiotics aren't going to do anything for a viral infection. I am no cat ophthalmologist but it does look like when I've seen viral conjunctivitis in people - though that is complete speculation. Viral conjunctivitis would also take a while to clear up, similar to cold sores.

So yeah I'd hit up a different vet and preferably a more specialised one.

Hyperlynx
Sep 13, 2015

A friend of mine just told me he had to put his elderly cat down. He and his partner took in Bushy when he was already elderly. A very fluffy, loud, and good cat was Bushy.

My friend contacted me to tell me, and to see if I wanted any of Bushy's stuff. When the list of stuff included "a few night-lights" I kind of teared up. Poor old fella.

I didn't say anything to my friend, but gently caress. That's so sweet.

knox_harrington
Feb 18, 2011

Running no point.

Re cat viral eye infection:

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/conjunctivitis-feline-herpes-viral

Hyperlynx posted:

When the list of stuff included "a few night-lights" I kind of teared up. Poor old fella.

I didn't say anything to my friend, but gently caress. That's so sweet.
:3:

feedmegin
Jul 30, 2008

Facebook Aunt posted:

And if they do miss the litter box, try moving a poop into the box. They should naturally go bury the poop

I wish my little boy was intelligent enough to realise this. He always leaves it right on top to stink out the place.

B33rChiller
Aug 18, 2011




Whoa boy, know what is my new least favourite thing in the world? Giving a cat eye drops. Our poor Petey got poked in the eye (suspect his younger brother, who looooooves to wrassle), and it got infected. Only noticed him being one eye squinty, then saw a red streak in his cornea, over the iris. Oooh no, emergency call out on a S undaay, and the vet prescribed 3 different drops, and an oral anitbiotic. One of the drops is every 4 hours. Having to pin and hold a 10.2lb adolescent tiger six times a day is starting to wear on us. Thankfully my wife is here, and we can split the duties.

It's also hilarious to see him look you in the eye. One of the meds makes him all (pretend I put in that smilie with one eye bulging out. I can't find it anymore).

Oyster
Nov 11, 2005

I GOT FLAT FEET JUST LIKE MY HERO MEGAMAN
Total Clam
I've been going through an incredibly not fun medication journey that has left me constipated for weeks. Apparently my cat caught on to that and became sympathetic, constipating herself. She just came home from spending the night at the vets and had a couple enemas. The vet said she wouldn't touch any of the food they had, and she's always been a notoriously picky eater. Vets suggestions are to try and give her wetter food, but she won't touch wet food. Is this one of those "look at the pet nutrition thread list and keep trying until she'll eat one" scenarios?

Deteriorata
Feb 6, 2005

Oyster posted:

I've been going through an incredibly not fun medication journey that has left me constipated for weeks. Apparently my cat caught on to that and became sympathetic, constipating herself. She just came home from spending the night at the vets and had a couple enemas. The vet said she wouldn't touch any of the food they had, and she's always been a notoriously picky eater. Vets suggestions are to try and give her wetter food, but she won't touch wet food. Is this one of those "look at the pet nutrition thread list and keep trying until she'll eat one" scenarios?

Well, all cats foods are essentially the same, nutritionally, so it doesn't really matter which one you feed her unless she has some very specific allergic or dietary needs.

The advice to keep trying until you find something she likes is solid.

Fleta Mcgurn
Oct 5, 2003

Porpoise noise continues.

Oyster posted:

I've been going through an incredibly not fun medication journey that has left me constipated for weeks. Apparently my cat caught on to that and became sympathetic, constipating herself. She just came home from spending the night at the vets and had a couple enemas. The vet said she wouldn't touch any of the food they had, and she's always been a notoriously picky eater. Vets suggestions are to try and give her wetter food, but she won't touch wet food. Is this one of those "look at the pet nutrition thread list and keep trying until she'll eat one" scenarios?

Try cat malt paste! It literally saved Aleta's life more than once. Smear a blob on her foot and she'll have no choice but to lick it off.

TMMadman
Sep 9, 2003

by Fluffdaddy

feedmegin posted:

I wish my little boy was intelligent enough to realise this. He always leaves it right on top to stink out the place.

This is often a sign of dominance. A cat that doesn't bury their poop is saying "I'm not afraid of anything in this area and I'm the top cat around."

And yes, that means the cat thinks/ knows you're below him in the pecking order.

Oyster
Nov 11, 2005

I GOT FLAT FEET JUST LIKE MY HERO MEGAMAN
Total Clam

Deteriorata posted:

Well, all cats foods are essentially the same, nutritionally, so it doesn't really matter which one you feed her unless she has some very specific allergic or dietary needs.

The advice to keep trying until you find something she likes is solid.

I feel like the OP of the pet nutrition thread disagrees with that first statement, but the second is definitely on the agenda.

Fleta Mcgurn posted:

Try cat malt paste! It literally saved Aleta's life more than once. Smear a blob on her foot and she'll have no choice but to lick it off.

Ordered both of her favorite flavors, salmon and tuna, thanks. Luna is essentially an emotional support animal for my partner and yesterday was a bit scary. I'm very happy to be a goon with this space right now.

Deteriorata
Feb 6, 2005

Oyster posted:

I feel like the OP of the pet nutrition thread disagrees with that first statement, but the second is definitely on the agenda.


Ordered both of her favorite flavors, salmon and tuna, thanks. Luna is essentially an emotional support animal for my partner and yesterday was a bit scary. I'm very happy to be a goon with this space right now.

All pet foods are regulated by the FDA to meet minimum nutritional standards. More expensive brands don't get you "better" nutrition, just different ingredients.

Millions of cats live long and healthy lives on cheapo grocery store cat food. Spend as much or as little as you want, it makes no difference.

Fleta Mcgurn
Oct 5, 2003

Porpoise noise continues.

Oyster posted:

Ordered both of her favorite flavors, salmon and tuna, thanks. Luna is essentially an emotional support animal for my partner and yesterday was a bit scary. I'm very happy to be a goon with this space right now.

One of my girls is Luna, too! I'd post a pic but I'm on mobile.

Aleta used to get constipated out of pure spite, as far as I can tell, every time we left the house for too long. She also doesn't really like wet food, and I've seen her try to drink water and literally miss!

One thing that worked with her was a gelatin wet food- she seems happier about eating big chunks in a goop matrix than most other wet foods. If you haven't already tried that, it might help.

Boogalo
Jul 8, 2012

Meep Meep




TMMadman posted:

This is often a sign of dominance. A cat that doesn't bury their poop is saying "I'm not afraid of anything in this area and I'm the top cat around."

And yes, that means the cat thinks/ knows you're below him in the pecking order.

And the solution to this is in the thread title.

Lady Demelza
Dec 29, 2009



Lipstick Apathy
One of my foster cats is driving me insane. I know this is only the 4th night they've been here but one of them yowls throughout the night, from about 10.30-11pm until at least 3.30-4am. There will be a period of quiet for about 15 minutes and then a minute or two of plaintive yowling, rinse and repeat all night. It's keeping me awake, and probably the neighbour too. I've taken to sleeping with headphones in because there is no room in the house where you can't hear it.

This doesn't happen during the day. There's plenty of food, water and litter. I've tried leaving a light on in case that made a difference (nope). If he's upset that he can't go outside then he's just going to have to learn to live with it, foster cats have to be indoor cats until they're rehomed, but I don't even know that that's the problem. What can I do?

Antivehicular
Dec 30, 2011


I wanna sing one for the cars
That are right now headed silent down the highway
And it's dark and there is nobody driving And something has got to give

That sucks, and it's maddening, but I think the only thing you can do is wait it out. The behaviors will hopefully diminish as he gets more comfortable and/or learns that his yowling isn't getting a response.

Levin
Jun 28, 2005


Lady Demelza posted:

One of my foster cats is driving me insane. I know this is only the 4th night they've been here but one of them yowls throughout the night, from about 10.30-11pm until at least 3.30-4am. There will be a period of quiet for about 15 minutes and then a minute or two of plaintive yowling, rinse and repeat all night. It's keeping me awake, and probably the neighbour too. I've taken to sleeping with headphones in because there is no room in the house where you can't hear it.

This doesn't happen during the day. There's plenty of food, water and litter. I've tried leaving a light on in case that made a difference (nope). If he's upset that he can't go outside then he's just going to have to learn to live with it, foster cats have to be indoor cats until they're rehomed, but I don't even know that that's the problem. What can I do?

I'd suggest investing in some ear plugs.

Boogalo
Jul 8, 2012

Meep Meep




Does he sleep all day? If so, wake that fucker up for playtime all the time as much as you can then they might sleep at night when you do.

Facebook Aunt
Oct 4, 2008

wiggle wiggle




B33rChiller posted:

Whoa boy, know what is my new least favourite thing in the world? Giving a cat eye drops. Our poor Petey got poked in the eye (suspect his younger brother, who looooooves to wrassle), and it got infected. Only noticed him being one eye squinty, then saw a red streak in his cornea, over the iris. Oooh no, emergency call out on a S undaay, and the vet prescribed 3 different drops, and an oral anitbiotic. One of the drops is every 4 hours. Having to pin and hold a 10.2lb adolescent tiger six times a day is starting to wear on us. Thankfully my wife is here, and we can split the duties.

It's also hilarious to see him look you in the eye. One of the meds makes him all (pretend I put in that smilie with one eye bulging out. I can't find it anymore).

Once some friends went out of town for a weekend and asked me to care for their 11 cats, one of which was on twice daily medication. Cat was not thrilled to get pills from a stranger.

What worked for me was to load the cat into the sleeve of my winter coat. The head pops out at the cuff, but there isn't enough room to get a paw out, then you just fold over the other end of the sleeve so he can't back out either. Boom, kitty straight-jacket. Low-skill swaddle. Do the things to his head, then slide him out and give him treats.

They also make bags that do the same thing. Isolate the head so you can do head stuff without wrestling the whole time.

Queen Victorian
Feb 21, 2018

So I’m pretty sure Seamus is some sort of shorthaired Maine Coon - the kittens are 15 weeks and he weighed in at 6 pounds 3 ounces (my little girl Renny is a totally normal 4 pounds). My husband had a virtual game night with some buddies, one of whom is a veterinarian. Dude kept asking stuff like “and you’re SURE they’re actually from the same litter and they got the age right?” He said this kitten is comically large.

We are indeed certain of the birthdate (June 25, +- 1 day) and that they are from the same litter.

Just look at this mofo

Vivian Darkbloom
Jul 14, 2004


Queen Victorian posted:

Just look at this mofo


How many cats are in this picture?

Queen Victorian
Feb 21, 2018

Vivian Darkbloom posted:

How many cats are in this picture?

Two - other one is in the process of jumping down and my phone cam has bad shutter speed, figuratively.

Lady Demelza
Dec 29, 2009



Lipstick Apathy
It's 1.40am and yowling kitty is yowling and scratching at the door. As long as there's no obvious trick I'm missing, I'll try to wear him out in the day and stick to ignoring the overnight noise until he learns it's futile.

I'm getting through more ASMR sleep story videos than I ever thought possible, so if anyone's waiting to jump on that bandwagon, now's the time.

Do it ironically
Jul 13, 2010

by Pragmatica
I adopted a cat about 4 months ago (1.5 year old male tabby) and he's chill as hell and genuinely an awesome cat he's especially good with my youngest kid and even the dog, and this seems like such a non problem but he attacks my spouses feet on the bed at night and thus my spouse does not want the cat on the bed at all. Is there anything I can do to curb this or is it just a young cat and something he'll work through, typically once he starts I just pick him up and put him on his cat tree in the other room but he might come back later and this issue is waking us up and having young kids is tiring enough

I. M. Gei
Jun 26, 2005

CHIEFS

BITCH



What’s the PI-recommended cat claw trimmer? My kitten’s claws are getting sharp now and it’s making him hard to feed.

Hyperlynx
Sep 13, 2015

I. M. Gei posted:

What’s the PI-recommended cat claw trimmer? My kitten’s claws are getting sharp now and it’s making him hard to feed.

I can only speak for myself, but I used a human nail clipper for ages, which worked but wasn't very efficient. I eventually bought a cheap pair of generic small animal nail clippers from a pet shop. They look a bit like pliers. They work great.

So, I guess, a cheap pair is probably fine?

Cythereal
Nov 8, 2009

I love the potoo,
and the potoo loves you.

Queen Victorian posted:

So I’m pretty sure Seamus is some sort of shorthaired Maine Coon - the kittens are 15 weeks and he weighed in at 6 pounds 3 ounces (my little girl Renny is a totally normal 4 pounds). My husband had a virtual game night with some buddies, one of whom is a veterinarian. Dude kept asking stuff like “and you’re SURE they’re actually from the same litter and they got the age right?” He said this kitten is comically large.

We are indeed certain of the birthdate (June 25, +- 1 day) and that they are from the same litter.

Just look at this mofo


The proof will be if he's super cuddly.

Huge, cuddly, and chill as hell are generally good indicators of Maine Coon blood. Also, usually, being incredibly fluffy.

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kw0134
Apr 19, 2003

I buy feet pics🍆

Do it ironically posted:

I adopted a cat about 4 months ago (1.5 year old male tabby) and he's chill as hell and genuinely an awesome cat he's especially good with my youngest kid and even the dog, and this seems like such a non problem but he attacks my spouses feet on the bed at night and thus my spouse does not want the cat on the bed at all. Is there anything I can do to curb this or is it just a young cat and something he'll work through, typically once he starts I just pick him up and put him on his cat tree in the other room but he might come back later and this issue is waking us up and having young kids is tiring enough
Attacking bed mice is a fun activity for cats of all ages, so your choice is to either wear him out at day so he just sleeps when he's in bed, or kick him out when he pounces on feet. He might eventually learn to not do it if you keep removing him, but a year of being removed from my bedroom when my smallest tom gets rowdy has only modestly curbed his behavior. Is cat, can't really fix.

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