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Apologies if this has been discussed, but does anyone have experience with or good resources about cats with FIV? It seems like it's not a huge deal on the whole so long as the cat is kept away from others, isn't fed raw food, has all its vaccinations etc kept up-to-date and is kept indoors but I'd like some reliable information about caring for a cat with the condition.
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Jul 13, 2019 20:53
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Ratzap posted:I can remember 3 or 4 passing through our rescue. You covered the salient points but I remember that secondary conditions they already had defined their quality of life. Most cats have or carry cat flu so expect recurring runny eyes and snuffles. If they catch something it's much harder for them to shake off and takes longer. Apart from that they can live normal lives. Runs that let them go outside have to take into account that cats touch noses, you may need 2 sheets of wire or plersplex lower panels. I live in a flat so there won't be any runs! Thanks for confirming my suspicions.
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Jul 16, 2019 17:18
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I'm sure this has been discussed previously, but what's the general feeling about renaming rescue cats? How much do they know their name vs know the sounds vs understand that humans make a sound when they call them? If I rescued 4-year-old Flossie, would I have to rename her Cassie or could she now be known as Tiger (as an example)? Also, how do you acquaint an adult rescue cat with a new litter tray?
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Sep 22, 2019 19:36
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My best cat definitely knew his name but we had him from a kitten and he was a bit doglike. Never changed a name so it's good to know it's easy to do! Litter tray question was partly because we've got a covered one but I know the rescue only uses the standard kind. Wasn't sure if that'd be confusing or if the presence of litter is enough.
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Sep 22, 2019 20:16
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Oh yeah I'm not worried about giving it identity issues - more wondering if any new name needs to be close to the old one or if it can be totally different.
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Sep 22, 2019 20:35
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Thanks for the advice about names and stuff here's my cat tax:  This li'l lady was brought to the RSPCA after her owner, who is 94 and has dementia, was found eating the cat food. She had been called Baby, which is a stupid name, so we have renamed her Wednesday because giving a goth name to a white cat is funny, and we picked her up on a Wednesday. She's 4ish and has some manx in her, hence the stubby tail! She's been very brave and warmed to me and my husband really quickly. She's acted almost like a toddler, coming to us for fuss and boops before exploring another section of the spare room. She even briefly checked out the hallway! I am hopeful she will settle in with us pretty quickly.
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Oct 2, 2019 22:23
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Wednesday seems to have accidentally found herself in the big, scary living room. She was found wedged behind our axolotl tank and started mewing plaintively when she realised humans were up and about. But how awesome that's she's already doing such a big explore! She's being really chatty this morning and it's very sweet, in the RSPCA notes it took her several days to start occasionally talking to the staff. Last night she wolfed down her wet food and used the litter tray for the first time - despite us being in the same room. It makes me feel like a lame parent being excited that my cat did a piss but it really shows that she's starting to settle into her new home. She seems to feel so much braver when we're around - she'll sit in the same spot for ages until she has human company, at which point she will start sniffing around and trying out different vantage points. Is that something other people have experienced?
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Oct 4, 2019 08:28
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Wednesday has been with us three days now. She did one pee in the litter box but otherwise hasn't used it. I'm pretty sure she's not pissed in the house. When do I need to worry about a lack of toileting? She's also meowing a lot but I think she's just chatty - she doesn't sound distressed and is grooming and playing. I grew up with cats but this is my first attempt at being an independent owner. Wednesday also has a totally different personality to any cat I've had before. She's spent all day today napping under the duvet even though we've not been in it - in keeping with her seeming not to move from a hidey hole unless there's a human around. I know it's early days so I'm trying not to worry. Just wish she'd do another pee and that I could understand what she's trying to say!
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Oct 5, 2019 18:29
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TMMadman posted:I think you said she peed yesterday, so I wouldn't worry about it just yet. However, you may want to check some corners or some soft spots like any blankets or couch cushions for pee, just in case. Although at 4 years old, you should be able to get whiff of cat pee if she has done it outside of the litter box. Thanks for the reassurance. I think it was on Thursday that she peed and it's now the end of Saturday - I'm just worried because of cats and their predisposition to urinary issues and renal failure! If she hasn't used the tray by tomorrow we might call the shelter but will try not to worry for now.
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Oct 5, 2019 19:28
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She is pure white but the way she got upset when next door's dog barked makes me think her hearing is fine! Last night she spent the whole night stomping around and talking to us, so I am inclined to feel she just likes to remind us she's there. She is very, very affectionate. She's doing occasional wicked farts so I hope a poo is not far off! We've moved one litter tray upstairs since she seems to be very interested in the bedroom since discovering it last night. She was scrabbling around in the downstairs tray last night too but didn't do anything in it. Maybe she's still figuring stuff out. e: Probably due some tax for all this reassurance... Today we discovered that tiny flies are interesting to watch and very hard to catch:  And I've never met a cat who presents for belly rubs this flagrantly! 
Bollock Monkey fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Oct 5, 2019 |
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Oct 5, 2019 19:48
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Can I have some cat toy recommendations? Wednesday seems to much prefer toys she can catch 'properly' (as opposed to the wand type) and isn't food motivated at all so the Kong type things that you put treats in won't work for her. Being an indoor cat I want to make sure she's entertained. I got a laser pointer that she enjoys for a short time but then seems to work out that she'll never actually be able to catch it and just looks at me like I'm an idiot for waving my hand around to point it for her. I often come home to find that she's been carrying the wand toy we have around the house - including up the stairs (despite how cumbersome that must be) - so I think she is very interested in being able to catch things and carry them with her, like a proper hunter. She's also a fan of the catnip banana, which she hugs on to and bunny kicks. What's good? And an aside just in case anyone's come across this before - she's exhibiting a new behaviour of scratching around her food bowl. She scratches and paws at the mat that the bowl is on, and has moved it around a fair bit before, but also scratches and paws at the various surfaces nearby i.e. a tupperware box, the cardboard food sachet box, the wooden shoe rack... She has a scratching mat and scratching posts on the cat tree and uses them. I read that some cats try to hide any leftover food, but she doesn't seem to be trying to cover anything up. She especially does this at night and it's starting to get annoying but I want to try to understand what's happening before trying to address it.
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Oct 20, 2019 10:31
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Having indoor cats is a trip! Bottle caps seem dangerous as toys?
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Oct 20, 2019 11:41
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Rotten Red Rod posted:Yeah, they're too big to swallow That really surprises me! Re trying to cover food, do I just need to either remove food before bedtime or put up with it then? It's just biscuits that we leave out because she tends not to eat in daylight hours, preferring to snack overnight after her evening pouch of wet.
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Oct 20, 2019 13:47
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Rotten Red Rod posted:You're not thinking of metal bottle caps, are you? We're talking about, like, plastic soda caps. I don't know what they're like elsewhere, but in the USA they're pretty big. I wouldn't call UK ones big. I wouldn't want one around a baby, and that makes me not want one around a cat. MikeJF posted:Misty used to go nuts for a little piece of paper folded over, since it meant that she could catch it and shred it to bits. We'd put it half under the carpet and she'd dive for it. Or sometimes we'd put it on the end of a string or dangle from a wand, because once she got ahold and was feeling done she could rip it off and really go to town murdering it. That's a good shout actually, paper will float/can be picked up easily and yeah, doesn't cause harm when eaten. Thanks!
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Oct 20, 2019 14:46
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I fed the cat early accidentally after DST because I hadn't changed the time on the oven clock. The next day I fed her at the right time. I figure an hours' difference isn't worth being gradual about - it's not going to be harmful for cats to feel hungry for an extra hour for a few days.
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Nov 2, 2019 12:38
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Cosy kittens! Came here to alert y'all to the fact that my cat is VERY cute and has the fuzziest beans!  
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Nov 2, 2019 19:27
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We have now had Wednesday for a bit more than two months and life is much better. She continues to be chatty and annoying but so adorable. Her absolute favourite place to be is on top of a human and she comes for snuggles under the covers. I think we need to go for a first vet visit this week for a check-up as one of her eyes has gone a bit scabby at the corner but hopefully she's just caught it somehow during zoomies. LOOK AT THIS CUTENESS!   One of my friends got her a Da Bird toy and she was scared shitless of it for ages. I started leaving it out on the floor and putting treats by it, and last night my husband slowly walked it around the living room and she gave it a couple of very gentle bats. I think she'll love it once she realises it won't eat her but watching her figure it out is very sweet. Bollock Monkey fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Dec 7, 2019 |
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Dec 7, 2019 20:08
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We use this one for the cat's pre-bedtime snack to stop her from being so annoying. She figured it out quickly but it does keep her entertained for a good few minutes and getting the biscuits out of the hollows looks fairly challenging: https://www.zooplus.com/shop/cats/cat_toys/intelligence_toys/611777
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Dec 29, 2019 20:25
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I wish Wednesday didn't make me feel like a monster every time I hoover the flat. I checked her usual hiding places before starting on the bedroom today and thought all was clear but then a few seconds in she flew faster than lightning out from under the duvet. Now she won't even accept a treat offered to her under the sofa. I know she'll get over it but I wish I could make her understand that she is not being predated by the noisy vroom thing.
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Jan 25, 2020 14:14
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Has anyone invented cat-safe rubber bands yet?
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Feb 8, 2020 12:45
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InvisibleMonkey posted:I think Katya's shedding her winter-coat, which is majestic and now very messy. She seems to groom herself a lot more and we often see her struggling with tufts of hair stuck to her mouth/lip, which she'll let us pull off. I've been brushing her a lot to help it a long and even got out the furminator this morning, anything else I should be doing or watching out for? We were wondering if Wednesday had lost a bit of weight then looked around and noticed it was actually shedageddon all of a sudden. I think I came across the teeniest idea of a hairball on the bath mat the other day but otherwise she just heaves now and then then goes back to her usual business. Here's hoping there's not a monster hairball waiting for its debut...
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Feb 17, 2020 17:41
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It took almost 24h for our adopted cat to piss. Another day or so for a poo poo. Give it time, give them space, and leave some dry food and water in bowls on opposite ends of the room. It'll be ok!
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Mar 6, 2020 16:40
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My brother has been house-sitting whilst we've been away. Three nights in and the cat is still in hiding, and is coming out to eat half a meal before hiding again and eating the rest in secret. My bro is great with animals and is chill, won't have been hassling her or anything. He brought treats to her which meant he was allowed a brief scritch but that's all. I'm really surprised that she's not tolerating it better because he's the one bringing food. It's made us feel really guilty for leaving her but obviously we need to have the freedom to go away! I know she'll get over it, but do you guys have any similar experiences? When we adopted her it only took her a couple of days to start relaxing around us so I'm surprised she's not settled considering there hasn't been a huge change to environment or routine. Definitely hope never to need to put her in a cattery!
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Mar 15, 2020 17:39
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kaworu posted:Cats being great I know what you mean. I look at my cat and my heart actually hurts because she's so lovely and sweet and smart and ARGH SO CUTE. Having children must be a fuckin trip.   Made her a hat out of her own hair. Will shedageddon never end?!
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May 18, 2020 23:05
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This little scat cat butthole wants to be glad she's cute because waking up at sunrise in the summertime is not ok when the response is to leap on and shout at the humans who rather like still being asleep at 4am. Also she yakked a huge hairball in front of me when I was in a supervision session with one of my staff today. Will shedageddon never end?! 
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Jun 4, 2020 18:43
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We were looking for an indoor cat and were told to call the rehoming centre every so often as they don't tend to get many coming through. A friend was visiting from overseas and was interested in looking at cute animals so we rang the RSPCA on the offchance, turns out they had one indoor cat left from a few that were rescued from the same home. When we went, one of the workers said she was "nervous" but her colleague corrected her to say "shy". When we saw her enclosure she was hidden under a blanket on her bed and let out a small tiny mew when they uncovered her for us to see but still stayed very much hunkered down. We gently put a hand in to let her sniff and she immediately rolled over to display her belly and let us give her some gentle fuss. That's when I said "Can we please have this cat!" She spent three days finding various hiding places and generally being scared of the new home, then one evening we were chilling in 'her room' seeing if she'd come out to say hi. She started nuzzling us and climbing onto our laps and coming up to our faces, and ever since then she has just grown and grown in confidence. She is a total fusspot, pretty clingy, and her favourite place to be after her traditional sleep behind a drawer from 8am - 3pm is on top of or as close to a human as it's possible to get. Wednesday is our perfect cloud baby and we lucked the gently caress out getting the perfect cat for us. My life is so much better with this creature in it.
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Jun 6, 2020 14:58
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Gaj posted:I use a top opening carrier. I generally scoop said cat up like a baby on her back and then lower her into the carrier. If shes rowdy I scruff her for the last bit, and then hold onto her as I zipper up the carrier (its a soft carrier) and then use my hand to block her escape.You can maybe to the same thing with a hard carrier by standing it up on its back end so she is basically in a pit. I got a top-opening carrier (hard though) because I thought it'd be easier but last time she managed to flip round and make herself W-I-D-E so that didn't work for us. Today was our second vet trip and I put the carrier against something so the front was facing up and it was at an angle, then basically picked her up and shoved her in. Took two goes because I didn't quite shut the door properly the first time. Got a good scratch but no blood. I feel like a monster but it's for her own good and whyyy can't she just understand that, damnit! Poor thing is having a calicivirus flare-up and has really sore eyes. She got an NSAID injection and it's eye drops twice a day for a week now... We got the vet to do the first set so we can start tomorrow once she's had time to love us again. It sucks when your precious little friend is not well!
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Aug 14, 2020 21:38
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kw0134 posted:I leave the carriers out for the express purpose of dissociating them from unpleasant experiences, and my female will use it as an occasional bed/safe place. My big tom is too chill to care and my small tom is too stupid, so it all works out! We leave the carrier out but she roundly ignores it. When we put her in this time, she was rattling it and desperately trying to dig her way out, which was really heartbreaking. When we got home, I left the carrier in the living room and she emerged from under the sofa, stared it down, and backed away under the sofa again. Poor thing.
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Aug 16, 2020 16:02
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Tuesdaycat we love you! Don't be a butthole ever again!
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Aug 19, 2020 18:38
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InvisibleMonkey posted:Lock her in the bathroom with a big sign on the door that says "CAT INSIDE, DO NOT OPEN"? Any tips? That's our plan. We figure for the couple of hours of actual *moving stuff in and keeping the door open* time there shouldn't be any reason for anyone to go into the bathroom. We figured we'd put her carrier, water, litter tray, and something that smells like her (cat tree in the bath maybe?) in there too to hopefully reduce stress. Wednesday is being fed by a catsitter this weekend and last time it seemed like she stayed in her hidey hole the whole time we were away and only came out to eat in secret. Yesterday when the catsitter arrived, she was in the living room and apparently seemed a bit confused that it wasn't us returning but instead of bolting (usual response to a stranger) Wednesday apparently came and had some scritches and seemed fairly relaxed. I'm really glad, she's a very sociable cat so it's good to hear that she's had some interaction. Bollock Monkey fucked around with this message at 17:54 on Sep 19, 2020 |
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Sep 19, 2020 17:52
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Help, I have conditioned my cat to be scared of treats! The cat knows where the treats are kept and used to run over as soon as you stood near that cupboard. Well over a month ago I lured her out from under the sofa with treats so we could get to a vet appointment. As soon as I tried to grab her to put her in the carrier, she hid under the sofa and we had to rearrange the appointment as she was NO WAY coming out. She has also had treats after something unpleasant e.g. when she had to have eye drops, as well as just for fun - certainly it has never been the case that she only ever gets treats when something scary is happening. I've kept doling out treats now and then as any good cat owner does, definitely without threat of further carrier capturing/other unpleasantness. But somehow she has learned to fear treats! As soon as she hears the treat bag being held/opened she runs under the sofa. I've been leaving treats out for her to eat at her leisure but it's both poo poo and inconvenient that she has managed to associate treats with unpleasant things, rather than the other way round. Any tips or insights!?
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Nov 17, 2020 16:07
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Just here to post some cat pix really because I just had a cry about abandoned pets and want to put some joy into the world. We successfully moved house with our shy, not very resilient cat!  It was pretty heartbreaking to see how nervous she was and we utterly betrayed her by tempting her into the carrier with axolotl food that she loves then shutting her in and bringing her to this alien planet. After a couple of nights in the spare room, the morning after which I found her nestled into a rucksack I'd left in there, mewing all frightened  , she seemed ready to explore a bit... And now, a week and a half later she is pretty much right as rain, back in her routine of bringing her toys up to us at night then snuggling on the bed. She's also starting to eat normally again, which is a relief. This morning she discovered that she can see the bird feeder from the bedroom window!  She's gonna have so much fun when she realises there's a better view from the living room...
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Dec 24, 2020 16:42
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Bollock Monkey posted:we utterly betrayed her by tempting her into the carrier with axolotl food that she loves then shutting her in and bringing her to this alien planet. InvisibleMonkey posted:Aww, great job! Moving with pets can be so stressful for both them and you, seeing them get comfortable in their new home is the best tho. 
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Dec 27, 2020 19:43
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Len posted:Woke up to pee and had to take this picture Love having a kit under the covers!
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Feb 3, 2021 17:25
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Wednesday has never really been a naughty scratcher, always sticking to her posts or scratchy mat. We moved in December and got a rug, and over the last couple of months she's decided she loves scratching the corner of the rug closest to where we've put her scratchy mat. She clearly knows it's not allowed because as soon as you move to try to redirect her she pretends she wasn't scratching the rug. I still go over and tap the mat/move it over the spot on the rug that she likes to scratch but she doesn't seem to take the hint. Any tips? Here's a picture of her being a weird shape during morning bed cuddles for cat tax. 
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Apr 4, 2021 17:44
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I don't think chasing after your cat is really ever a good idea unless it's, like, to stop them from getting run over or something. Especially if they are clearly so scared. They are not smart enough to understand punishment. "Oi" and redirecting is about all you can do.
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Apr 11, 2021 18:49
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Lady Demelza posted:I got a cheap, simple battery operated one with a timer clock that ticks round and spring lid. It works fine, although the first two nights the cat didn't realise food would magically happen, and I had to go and shove his nose in it at stupid o'clock in the morning. The only small issue is that he will get impatient some nights and start thumping it around, trying to get in. One day he will flip it upside down or wedge it under some furniture, and it won't be able to spring open. Wednesday used to beat the poo poo out of her timer feeder and yes, on more than one occasion batted it into such a position that it wouldn't open. Damnit cats, just trust that you will not starve!
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May 3, 2021 18:23
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Kimchi is so big now! Balancing out the black cats with this baby... Wednesday has gone from kinda scrawny kitten-looking cat when we first got her:  To luxurious floofy healthy cat 1.5 years later:  It is Shedageddon pt1 currently and everything is hair, hairballs, and more hair. Wouldn't change it for the world. Bollock Monkey fucked around with this message at 18:53 on May 11, 2021 |
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May 11, 2021 18:48
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Len posted:Our AC went out yesterday so it's currently 86 degrees in this apartment it sucks and I hate it. I've put ice in their water and plan to wait until the rental office opens tomorrow to see what their eta on a new unit is before looking into bugging out. I live in a country where AC is not a thing and we get a few days per year of 86+ weather. I promise you can survive. Keep the windows open during the evening/night/morning when it's cooler, close them as soon as the temperature starts rising and keep your curtains/blinds closed too. Use a normal fan to keep air moving, try putting a bucket of ice in front of the fan. Wet towels for bedtime are a godsend. Your cats will be fine, maybe put some extra water in their food if you're worried.
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Jun 27, 2021 19:11
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I've never known a cat to nap on their back in the middle of the floor before... Wednesday does it all the time. It's a hard life.
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Sep 10, 2021 17:01
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