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Well, first off, Tortie is a color pattern, not a breed/hairtype, so your boyfriend probably has just acclimated to your current cat. Having said that, you may want to just want to visit the shelter and see which current cat sets off his allergies the least. I've had no problems integrating both girls and boys (speuters though), and I find that the most differences come in the individual cat personalities, and gender is a lesser determinant. Age, also, I think it depends on the cat. Some older cats act like kittens, some kittens are quieter and better mannered. A companion for your cat sounds like a great idea though.
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Jul 20, 2009 16:43
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LoreOfSerpents posted:Whenever someone tells me that unnecessary declawing is the way to go, I like to inform them that declawing is illegal in one US city already and similar laws are being considered elsewhere. A pretty easy argument is that it's banned in pretty much every other first world country. Also, that it's an [unnecessary] amputation, and sometimes bringing up the fact that no one would ever think of declawing dogs. Alternatively, what sometimes works is just asking them if they've ever tried just training the cats to stop/give them something other than furniture to scratch. It's amazing how many people want to declaw even before their cats have actually scratched anything.
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Jul 28, 2009 18:13
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Yes, kittens cost a lot of money, but they don't seem to ask if you want something and explain why you should/don't need to, and instead just shove it on you. I would look for a new vet if I were you, just for the comfort of at least knowing why you would need a certain test or whatever. After all, if it came down to something important, you'd want to be able to trust your vet, and it's pretty clear that this lady is rather off-putting. As for the nutrition stuff, it's pretty sad, but a lot of vets don't know poo poo about pet nutrition due to a lot of factors like it being pretty recent knowledge+ Hill paying their way into everyone's pocket.
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Aug 22, 2009 17:51
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Expendable Henchman posted:My cat just pissed all over my pillow and I want to really send a message that this isn't okay. She's been getting rough and I really want it to stop. Check to make sure it's not a medical problem first. If you've determined that it's not, you can try something like cat attract, or different kinds of litter/litterboxes, cleaning it more often, etc.
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Sep 13, 2009 17:34
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While I don't have experience with softpaws, have you considered a horizontal scratching surface for them? Some cats aren't big fans of vertical scratching posts.
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Sep 26, 2009 17:38
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The only thing is the owner thing; otherwise it's awesome to take in a kitty from the outside world. Obviously you just have to take them into the vet to get dewormed and all that good stuff, but they are just as awesome as shelter kitties, who also often come from the outside world. There are lots of people here who have taken in feral or near feral cats and kittens and they've turned into adorable loving beasts.
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Oct 1, 2009 18:28
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exactduckwoman posted:I'm kind of conflicted. Today I met a kitten on the street, maybe 12 weeks old or a little older. He was pretty soft and clean, and not dangerously skinny. Skittish but not feralcrazy. There was a little food and milk set on the sidewalk near him. I was extremely tempted to try to get him to a shelter, but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do. He's being taken care of, basically at least, though probably not vetting. It is cool here but not freezing yet. He was hanging out on a busy street. If there was no indication that he had a owner other than the food (which could have been left out by anyone), I would take him to the shelter and see if he's chipped or if anyone is missing a cat. After all, if my kitty just managed to escape I would hope that someone would pick him up instead of assuming that it was supposed to be out. ^^^ Pod, it's generally considered fine to free feed kittens until they're like ~6mo/full grown. They need all the energy to grow and have unlimited zoomies.
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Oct 6, 2009 21:44
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thehustler posted:
This all sounds perfectly normal. Watch her food consumption, and everything else Fire already said. Otherwise though, I wouldn't worry about stuff like meowing in the middle of the night or sitting on windowsills, those are perfectly normal cat things to do.
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Nov 4, 2009 15:22
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She's already litter trained (we bought a tray for her and she didn't need any help at all in using it, she went straight there first time).
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pandafan posted:I've done all of that! Now she sitting on my friend's lap right next to me! Whenever I try to pet her, she bites at me and/or runs away, whereas my friend easily pets her. Additionally, if you do "bop" her, she may definitely remember that and treat you accordingly. When she does something that she shouldn't (like biting) you should respond by yelping and ignoring her and leaving her. Be patient and remember that animals remember the way you act towards them. My cats often dislike the people that try to hassle them all the time. You also may be bad at petting cats. My boyfriend used to pet the cats like dogs, and they hated it, until I let him know that he shouldn't approach them straight on and should let them sniff him first, etc. Basically, it comes down to: be patient, be kind.
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Nov 10, 2009 19:23
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Have you considered an older cat (over 8 mo or so)? Your situation doesn't sound ideal for a single kitten, and if the kitten is going to be alone for 5-8 hours, the kitten is going to be bored and cause hell (or get him/herself into lots of trouble). A slightly older cat will still have lots of energy but be able to handle themselves for long periods of time a day. And that way you can adopt a cat that is most comfortable in a single cat household, too. After all, what do you want from a kitten? If it's because of the cuteness, kittens become cats very quickly. If it's because of the energy, young cats still have plenty of kitten-energy without being nearly as destructive/needy. If it's because you're afraid of problems with bonding, know that that's a dumb thing to think, because many of us here know that a cat will bond just as much as a kitten will.
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Nov 16, 2009 04:42
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Try a fountain. 2 of my cats prefer to drink running water and don't like the stale still water (unless of course it's in one of glasses, in which it's instantly awesome-magic-delicious water that needs to be tipped over).
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Nov 18, 2009 04:08
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One of the most important things is consistency too, along with the other stuff Fire said. My cats have never been let outside, but every time we move somewhere new, they don't know the boundaries and constantly try to get through every door. The way I do it is jingle my keys at the door they're not supposed to go through so they know to stay back, but you could use sssscat or something similar. Be consistent about where a boundary is, plus have lots of fun stuff to do inside (do you have a cat tree or a perch near a window?)
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Dec 1, 2009 19:37
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I am of the opinion that cats should stay inside, however, if you are inclined to anyways, I suggest that you wait to about a year old I think is the normal thing. At least wait til he's full grown so he can hold his own against the other cats and has had all his vaccinations.
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Dec 9, 2009 04:29
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TheUnforgiven posted:I have a question about my two cats. I've had Spot, who's a male since he was about 6-7 weeks old and he's about 8-9 months now. I recently got another cat, Serenity, who's right around a year. They dont seem to have much of a problem with each other. They can both be wandering around not paying much attention to each other. Laying on either side of me without much of a care in the world. No growling, only a little bit of hissing when they were being introduced and that was only by Spot, and only when Serenity would get in his face. Sounds like they're playing/working things out. If it seems too lopsided though, you might want to keep an eye out and make sure one isn't bullying the other.
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Dec 11, 2009 22:37
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JonLikesPie posted:Hi. We have a two and a half year old neutered indoor-only tom, and he's been scooting at points throughout the day. He's been a little diarrhea-y (probably from the can of low-sodium tuna we gave to our cats as a kitty christmas present [one for each cat, but tubby here probably got more than his share!]), but otherwise seems healthy and fine. Could be his butt doesn't feel good, could be worms. You might wanna give the vet a call or take him in for a quick checkup and mention the problem.
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Dec 27, 2009 19:49
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You probably need to clean the litter more often and add a new one or two boxes. It might also be a problem of the bruised junk, but meanwhile you should try giving him as much choices as possible. You can also try Cat Attract. Here's a pretty easy solution meanwhile though: pick up your clothes.
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Jan 26, 2010 01:39
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This thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3236935 has good advice on how to deal with going out of the litterbox. Bioject, your cat may associate soft/litter feel with pain, and so chooses to go on hard surfaces. Your cat stares at you because she's plotting your demise.
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Jan 26, 2010 04:33
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It probably doesn't have anything to do with the fighting (don't forget a lot of cat "fighting" is actually playing and/or sorting out hierarchy). He's probably very sick.
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Feb 4, 2010 01:24
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Paper Lantern posted:Most of the time he does it when i'm on the laptop. It makes it look like he's reading whatever it is that I am reading Like this?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVV_HXtEbLo
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Apr 9, 2010 19:00
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I'm not going to call you a butcher, but in many countries it IS banned, just because it's okay for a medical reason doesn't mean it's not banned. After all, it's a purely optional procedure (except for medical necessity), and the situation we're discussing here is elective. As far as I know, I can't think of anyone who would be against declawing if it was medically necessary. Now, I do want to say that I snuggle all my indoor kitties and have never had a problem with their claws, not once. They are all well aware of the fact that claws are not okay for snuggle or play with our bare clothes. With some minimal training and/or other scratching options, the cats have never touched the furniture (cue picture of Trophy on expensive couch). While I am very glad that your cats have had no ill effects, I firmly believe it wasn't necessary, and it's a little misguiding to say that "since there's no harm, why NOT do a surgical procedure". Seems a little backwards to me.  Why declaw if you don't have to?
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Apr 15, 2010 05:56
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inky101 posted:Thanks, that's what I was afraid of. I wanted to get two but I wasn't allowed so one it was. She's actually four so I'm not sure how long until she calms down, maybe when she's used to me and the house? I'll be buying another cat when I do move though, unfortunately that may be in a few more years. One of my cats loves to clime doorways, so what we do is stack some small boxes by the doors that we don't close, enough to deter her from jumping up, and we keep the other doors closed all the time. Has the aggression problem always been a problem with Abby? She may have never learned proper cat manners. When she bites/hurts you, you can try screaming/yelping really loudly and refuse to play with her. You can then redirect her to appropriate toys.
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May 13, 2010 18:46
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guarded by bees posted:I feed them "by Nature organics" dry food. http://www.bynaturepetfoods.com/productpages/adultcat.php This is what I do for my buttholes: ssscat next to the door at night (used to use the vacuum plug-in method, but then they got desensitized), and I feed them at night. Now, no bothersome kitties, and they only polite remind me by yowling if I haven't fed them by midnight.
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May 15, 2010 03:33
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Maybe just try working slowly to increase positive interactions? One of my cats has been super bitchy most of her life, but over the last couple of years she's started to mellow out (she's about 7 or 8 now). She still doesn't tolerate petting from strangers, but she'll finally let my boyfriend (who she's lived with for about 3-4 years) pet her on the head for a couple minutes. Lately, she's even let him pet her belly sometimes! He just gave her lots and lots of treats and respected her space, and if she made the slightest bit indication she was uncomfy or overstimulated, he stopped and left her alone. It's been years, but now they get along pretty well. Could it be that she doesn't feel secure? Is there a way to give her her own safe space? My grumpy cat gets bullied by one of the others, and the way she interacts when she's safe inside the bedroom and outside in the main area are drastically different. I would experiment around and see if you can't make things either safer or more comfy for her.
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Oct 24, 2010 19:33
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I have three cats kind of similar to yours; one is more aloof and doesn't like other cats, and the other two are best buds. We also had a hard time integrating our third cat. Still, how long have you even had the new kitten? It took about a year, but our household is mostly peaceful now, and although she still doesn't like the other youngin' cats, we make sure she gets her own attention time and her own space, and she came around. I think the addition of a cat tree would help, but so would simply making sure that she gets her own attention-time, as well as giving it some time. By the way, we also have a single level 2 bedroom place, and we have 5 litterboxes, all of which get dirtied on a daily basis, so you may need more.
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Nov 10, 2010 05:48
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