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Hi cat thread! I was accepted to foster a single, adult, litter-trained house cat, so naturally tomorrow the rescue centre is sending me two cats of unknown age who have never used a litter tray before because they were outdoors cats. I've hastily aquired a second litter tray but I'm a little concerned that they will pee everywhere out of ignorance or upset. The rules state that cats have to be kept in one room for the first week, but it's a small box room (6ft x 6ft). For two outdoor cats that will be a hell of a shock. The plan is that after the week I'll let them have access to other rooms in the house (not outside) but if they're not using the litter tray then this won't happen. Any tips?
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Oct 6, 2020 00:40
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Thanks everyone. The room is ready, and I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
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Oct 6, 2020 15:15
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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.
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Oct 6, 2020 20:46
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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 
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Oct 8, 2020 18:38
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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?
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Oct 9, 2020 22:40
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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.
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Oct 10, 2020 01:48
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It has been 0 days since a cat peed on the carpet. Next time I offer to foster one, litter-trained cat and the foster agency offers me two, non-litter trained cats, I will say No.
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Oct 18, 2020 00:03
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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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Strawberry Pyramid posted:What's the recommendation on timer feeders? I really need to break my cat's association with me getting up with getting her food. I remain steadfast in only feeding at 7 am on the dot every morning, but she's just gotten more determined to get her food earlier. She's started trying to claw the bed and sheets, and me ignoring her isn't detering the behavior. 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.
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May 1, 2021 23:28
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mistaya posted::You can discourage this behavior by parking the vaccum cleaner next to the bedroom door, threading the cord under the door, and then plugging it in any time they start yowling at the door. (This teaches them howling at the door = scary bad thing, but it's not from the human.) I don't recommend this unless everything else has been tried but it sounds like they're at that point. This is genius, thank you for suggesting it.
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Jul 14, 2021 00:32
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Does anyone have experience of hyperthyroidism in cats? I took in a foster cat as an emergency (the other foster carer is seriously ill) and the only information was that he was an affectionate boy who needed medication twice a day with food. Luckily this is a liquid so I'm not wrestling pills into him, and it turns out to be for a thyroid problem. He's been on his medication for at least 3 weeks from the date on the bottle. My concern is that he's very, very thin. His condition means his coat looks a bit manky and his tail is like a kitten's scrawny little tail, but you can feel every bump of his spine and ribs, and his legs are really skinny. Google says large meals of wet foods are best with no biscuits. Should I be feeding him a special high-protein diet? Would raw chicken be better because it's not padded out with filler ingredients? How long does it take for the thyroid meds to work? The people who run the rescue are all volunteers and none of them could tell me much.
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Jul 16, 2021 09:26
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Facebook Aunt posted:I had an old dude with hyperthyroidism for a couple years. As I recall the only food thing was to not give him the senior cat food because it was reduced calorie which was the opposite of what he needed. Other than that I was just supposed to let him eat as much as he wanted of regular food. He was a nearly toothless old bugger so he was mostly on canned food by then anyway, though he'd whine if he didn't get some kibble offered every day. Thanks, Aunt. That's good to know about the senior food, I hadn't considered that. For breakfast he ate two pouches of food and a half a tin of tuna that my other cat had foolishly left for later. I suspect he would eat 24/7 if allowed. Everyone at the foster charity is lovely but they aren't terribly organised and communication isn't great.
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Jul 16, 2021 16:59
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Davin Valkri posted:Well, they found out what's causing Toffee to have diarrhea since the start of the month. Inflammatory Bowel Disease. No mention was made of any sort of GI issue or a need for special food when I adopted him, and the food they were feeding him at the shelter was prescription only, so I couldn't keep feeding it to him, but drat, I feel like I screwed up Then the shelter screwed up, not you. Not only should they have told you about the need for prescription food when you took him home, they should have checked if you could adopt a cat with a long-term medical need. Plenty of people couldn't take on that responsibility so they really dropped the ball here.
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Jul 18, 2021 00:24
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Especially since one possible cause is parasites, and even though Toffee's fecal tests came back negative, Oreo's was positive for giardia
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Davin Valkri posted:He didn't have diarrhea or anything while he was at the shelter. They mentioned the need for dental work, which I acknowledged. The diarrhea only showed up after about a month in my care. Ah, my mistake. I thought he was on prescription food for his problem poops and they didn't communicate this to you.
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Jul 18, 2021 17:26
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I have the problem of my foster cat scratching things into the litter box, not kicking stuff out. He'll scratch anything within about 2ft of the tray - walls, carpets, shelves with the Cat Stuff on - but not the actual litter. I've had to pick the poop scoop and the pan of a dustpan and brush set out of the tray before. At first I put a towel on the floor under the tray in case of accidents, but his favourie trick was to kick it over the top of the tray, then pee on the floor because the litter tray was covered. And, because he has hyperthyroidism, there is a lot of pee.
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Aug 8, 2021 19:42
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Organza Quiz posted:As thanks for having to read about my cat dramas, here is Peridot looking loving stupid (I asked them not to lion cut her and just take her matted bits off but I guess it ended up simpler for them just to lion cut her) Oh bless, she looks so unimpressed! My foster cat has started eating litter. I know this is potentially a sign that he's ill, which I already know because he's on medication awaiting an operation, but I'd prefer to get him some plants to nibble on instead. Has anyone tried growing cat grass from seeds? He's not allowed out so can't feast on the garden buffet.
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Aug 15, 2021 23:00
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Thanks to everyone for the plant-eating advice, I now have a little tub of baby blades of grass on the go.
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Aug 22, 2021 11:54
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My current foster cat started grooming the vet when he went for a blood test. He purred loudly throughout the entire encounter. He's hands-down the most affectionate cat I've ever met so it's nothing special about the vet. Rather than growl or twitch his tail, when he's had enough affection he will gently place his paw on your hand and push you away. It's a real shame he and my actual cat don't get along.
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Aug 28, 2021 21:21
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The vet thinks my poor foster cat has cancerous hyperthyroidism after she did some blood tests last week. Despite increasing his medication, there's been no improvement in his hormone levels or weight. Two more weeks with his meds doubled and then he has another appointment where the vet decides what to do. Has anyone had a cat with thyroid cancer? I have no idea what to expect.
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Sep 1, 2021 23:13
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Thank you to everyone who wished my little thyroid cancer kitty well. We're having a heatwave and he's decided it's too hot to eat, which means he hasn't taken his medication in two days. Tonight I'm going to try squirting the syringe into his mouth. Pray for both of us.
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Sep 8, 2021 19:46
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Raenir Salazar posted:I have acquired some kitty treats albeit they're dry, so I dunno if the cat will take to them; and some small cat toys, so far she's not really responding to them and I think is just starring at them/me. I picked up some more wet cat food since I assume I'll be changing the bowl a bit often until she comes out. She's overwhelmed with everything being new at the moment so she won't be in the mood to play with toys. It doesn't mean she won't eventually take interest in them, but playing is something cats do when they feel safe. Leave some dry treats out overnight and see if they vanish before the wet food! And if a lot of wet food is being wasted, put out smaller portions until she starts clearing the bowl. She's not going to starve even if she doesn't eat much.
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Sep 8, 2021 22:33
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My very underweight and ill foster cat's new favourite thing to do is refuse to eat for a day, causing me to panic-open multiple different cans flavours and textures of cat food in an attempt to find one he considers palatable, and then the next day he eats 100g of wet food and half a tin of tuna in the 30 seconds it takes for me to refill his water bowl. Godammit, cat, you have to gain weight before you can have your operation, please just eat the food. You don't have the fat reserves to skip meals.
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Sep 12, 2021 15:32
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PLEASE EAT SOMETHING THAT ISN'T LITTER YOU STUPID, STUPID CAT. He turns his nose up at three different flavours and textures of wet food and then spat out a Dreamie. Even tinned tuna and fresh cream aren't really tempting him. The vet won't do surgery until he's gained weight but he won't gain weight until he feels better but he won't feel better until he's had surgery.....
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Sep 15, 2021 23:37
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Thanks for everyone's support and advice with the cat who isn't eating. He had a fun excursion at the vet today and had a bunch of his teeth condemned. So now we're looking at dental treatment plus thyroid surgery. This poor cat just cannot catch a break.
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Sep 17, 2021 19:20
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I have finally found a selection of cat soups and VelociBacon posted:I'm taking Quill in for her next round of vaccinations this week or next. I'm mildly concerned that she didn't really 'get' the dose of dewormer that was given, because it seems to mostly have been all over her fur. I wouldn't expect it to be dangerous to give two dewormer doses even if she got 100% efficacy from the first one but is this a weird request? Meh, sometimes it does that. There's always a bit that gets onto the fur and leaves it matted, but as long as most of it got onto the skin it's fine. I wouldn't double-dose. VelociBacon posted:She's knocked over the Monstera that was in another room, didn't eat any of it though. I'm really really hoping she'll just leave it alone because that plant means a lot to me. She won't, RIP beloved plant.
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Sep 20, 2021 22:52
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I'll keep my fingers crossed that the runny poops stop once he's got used to the diet. If he wasn't in so much pain I'd have tapered it, but never mind.
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Sep 21, 2021 20:10
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Mine decides he needs to pee the moment I start cleaning the litter tray. I have to prepare one in advance like it's a kids' TV show otherwise he will squat and let rip wherever. The first cat I ever fostered did a wee on the carpet at the foot of the stairs, and now every single foster cat I've had since has done the exact same thing. I've scrubbed it with every specialist cleaning product but it must still smell. Ripping it up and replacing it with tiles is on my to-do list.
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Oct 10, 2021 00:34
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My cat is an outdoor cat at heart. He tolerated a harness and we would go for walks around the street, which helped, but he never stopped scratching at the windows or meowing at the front door. As soon as I was able to, I started letting him go outside and honestly even if it's raining and freezing cold, he woud rather find some shelter outside and sit there rather than be inside. A harness might help, or a catio if you have the space, but she might never lose interest. Lady Demelza fucked around with this message at 00:02 on Oct 17, 2021 |
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Oct 17, 2021 00:00
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Does anyone know when a cat's appetite/thirst returns to normal after a thyroidectomy? Cat is just under three week's post-surgery. He was underweight through a combination of hyperthyroidism and bad teeth, both of which have been sorted and he's recovered well. I have been letting him eat as much as he likes but his intake is worrying me slightly. Today he's had 750g in wet cat foods and drunk 500ml of water, and this is pretty typical. It's all coming out of him regularly too and I'm having to change litter trays every single day. Not just scooping the (multiple) poops, but changing the whole tray because the volume of urine is saturating the litter. This doesn't seem normal, especially the amount he's drinking when his diet consists solely of soft wet foods with a high moisture content.
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Oct 22, 2021 00:25
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My foster puss is being adopted next week. I'm happy for him and for his new family, but I really hate this period of limbo.
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Nov 7, 2021 23:00
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FLEAS. GODDAMN FLEAS. Oh, don't you huff at me when I squirt topical flea repellent at you, cat, you're the one bringing home your bitey little friends. No, I don't care that you're flouncing off, in fact it makes my life easier when you're not under my feet as I'm hoovering all the carpets and putting all the soft furnishings you've been sitting on in the wash.
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Nov 15, 2021 02:09
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My cat has taken to following me when he sees me leave the house. When I'm walking down our quiet street he will trot along the road or crawl under the parked cars, and then when I turn onto the main road he'll cut through people's front gardens, scrambling through hedges and leaping over fences. This continues for about 1/3 mile until I reach the first junction where I have to cross the road. He'll sit on the wall and watch me until he's sure I'm not going to turn around and come back. This is adorable. And terrifying. I hope he never gets the confidence to try to follow me further.
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Dec 5, 2021 01:29
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Most of the time he's outside he doesn't go far. If he leaves the garden, I can usually still see him from the upstairs windows. He's got a favourite napping spot on the neighbour's shed roof and likes to toment another neighbour's dog by sitting on a fence just out of reach. When he was still an indoor cat he went out on a leash every day, and I only ever took him the routes leading away from the main road. Luckily lots of people on this street have a cat or cats, so everyone drives slowly in case it's their own cat bolting across the road!
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Dec 5, 2021 14:13
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My poor cat is unwell. Yesterday and this morning he was not himself. Uninterested in most of his food but happy to eat treats, generally less active but alert enough to investigate the Christmas tree, and sleeping in a different position. Normally he'd be stretched out, on his back with his paws in the air snoring, but yesterday he was curled up and often looking at me (which doesn't sound weird but is a definite behavioural change). This evening he is definitely worse: not interested in treats, just curled up sleeping. I've left a message with the vet and will be chasing them for an appointment tomorrow unless there's a drastic improvement overnight. Fingers crossed it's just a bug.
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Dec 14, 2021 21:04
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Rabbit Hill posted:How is your cat doing this morning? I don't want to scare you, but your description of his behavior sounds like my cat Raphael when he was very sick, so I heartily encourage you to take him to the vet if you haven't already. Good luck! Don't worry, he had an appointment this morning! The vet nurse suspects a kidney infection and we're waiting for the blood test results to see if he needs antibiotics.
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Dec 15, 2021 18:20
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Good luck, Casca. Vet bills are payable upfront and I know people who prefer to put the money they would have spent on premiums in a separate account. Which is fine if your pet only plans to have one major illness at the end of their life, but not so great if they come down with something in six months. Some vets (at least in the UK) have a plan similar to insurance, where you pay a monthly fee and get certain treatments free or discounted. For instance, my cat is getting a tooth out next month and there's a 25% discount for pets on this plan. On an unrelated note: why does my cat hate and attack cat brushes? It doesn't matter whether they are rubber, plastic or wooden, he will chomp down on them and get quite aggressive if I try to take them off him. He is never like this with his toys. People tell me that cats love being brushed but this one reacts like it's trying to kill him.
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Dec 21, 2021 23:39
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I'm sorry for your loss, Elvis. It sounds like she was truly beginning to suffer and it was the right time to say goodbye, even though it's the hardest decision to make.big dyke energy posted:I keep watching videos like 'my deaf cat meows SO loud' and every time I compare them to my non-deaf cat. My cat is almost always meowing louder. It's all circumstantial. My cat is normally the quietest thing, up until there was a bird in the house and I shut him in a different room until I could get it out. The pitiful meowing of a cat unable to fulfil its murderous instincts was both heartwrenching and deafening, louder than the time he got his claws tangled and needed rescuing.
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Jan 9, 2022 23:40
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why are you like this??
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Whatever carrier you get, put it out for a day or two before you need to use it with whatever lining blanket/towel you intend to use, and put treats in it. It will make it much less painful when you have to shove them in for real.
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Jan 23, 2022 18:12
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Please reassure me I've done the right thing. I agreed to feed my neighbour's five cats this week when they're away. I go round and the cats are in cages. Two cats have a cage each, but there are three cats in one of the cages. There's a litter tray, food and water bowls, but in the three-cat cage there is not enough room for them to lie down, and one of them has to perch on the litter tray because there isn't enough floor space. They can't be let out in the house when nobody is there for various reasons, partly because they "don't get on" and partly because I don't think the house is a safe environment. People have different standards of cleanliness and clutter, and theirs are different to mine. The thought of these cats being cooped up in tiny cages for 23 hours a day really unsettled me so I've ended up doing a mini cat-rescue and the three of them are currently in my spare room. They are hissing, they are growling, and I am already worried about how I'm going to get them back into the cat carrier this weekend to return them to my neighbour who doesn't know they've gone and really won't understand what the problem was.
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Aug 2, 2022 23:06
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There's no room for extra cages, one is already stacked on top of the others. And they are a permanent fixture, that is genuinely where the litter trays and the food bowls are all the time, even if the doors are opened when the neighbours are home. I have photos of the cage and sent them to a former police officer who said he wasn't sure if it met the legal definition of cruelty. Like someone pointed out, animals in hospital have to stay in cages so there's no outright law against it, and it seems like one of those situations where in an ideal world with infinite resources then something would be done, but there are worse cases that need the attention more. I'm fully aware that this might be burning bridges, but this family has fallen out with half the street.
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Aug 2, 2022 23:39
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