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I just got a cat after yeaaaars of wanting one but it not being practical (city-life, shared apartments, landlords) and I need more places to gush. I read the OP and a bunch of research in advance so I have no questions really, except maybe "why is this cat so insanely affectionate from the start if she was presumably dumped, or born in a landfill and will this somehow backfire on us??" Here's a x-post from the black cats thread: quote:This is Katya, she's a little garbage baby who was found in a Romanian landfill and we adopted her last week. Today I finished this cat-tree I was basically planning from the moment we got the okay and I'm really happy with how it turned out! https://twitter.com/invisiblemonkey/status/1102265599135268865
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Mar 3, 2019 22:45
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Organza Quiz posted:Congrats on cat! That is a cool tree but it would be even better if you wrapped the central column in carpet too. That way she'd be able to use it to stretch up and scratch and also climb up it to reach the platforms if in the mood. Thanks! I wrapped the lowest part of the pole in sisal rope for scratching, turns out 10 meters is not that much? I think we need to adjust the platforms a little too, so I might order more sisal when we’re done tweaking. InvisibleMonkey fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Mar 4, 2019 |
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Mar 4, 2019 08:52
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Yeah I usually use her dry food in her treat-ball or to get her to go places, she's always hungry so it doesn't seem like she cares if it's an actual treat or not.
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Mar 12, 2019 10:29
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Mine will sit in front of the door looking forlorn when I leave for work and runs squeaking when one of us returns. It worried us at first, even though we haven't been gone longer than a day so far, but I think the toys and treat-ball help a lot. It's probably different when you have multiple cats tho, we're already planning on getting her a buddy when we move to a bigger place someday. edit: I have to face this tiny black hole of disappointment every morning. 
InvisibleMonkey fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Mar 14, 2019 |
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Mar 14, 2019 18:48
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D1E posted:Or right now. The more cats the merrier. Up to, you know, a reasonable limit. I wish, but I just feel like multiple cats in a little 1 br would be impractical. we only have room for the one litter box as is, but we scoop multiple times a day. when we buy a house I'm planning on going full cat-lady tho.
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Mar 14, 2019 18:55
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I think she's just happy to see us too, but it did make me worry about her being alone and bored all day. We got her more toys and she can hassle the treat-ball for food when we're not home so it's probably fine! Can't relate on the food issue as Katya acts like she's never been fed in her life when we're in or around the kitchen at most times. She was found in a landfill and I think the shelter just let her graze, so I'm chalking it up to getting used to new feeding patterns.
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Mar 14, 2019 19:22
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Our kitty has a scaley patch behind her ear that seems to be worsening. We have a vet-appointment on friday but I hope it's nothing that requires invasive treatment, she just got comfy in her new home. 
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Mar 20, 2019 18:40
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We have to put the litterbox in the main living area due to small apartment reasons, but I honestly haven't noticed it at all. It's covered and we scoop multiple times a day, it might also be the silicate grit we use.
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Mar 21, 2019 20:59
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InvisibleMonkey posted:Our kitty has a scaley patch behind her ear that seems to be worsening. We have a vet-appointment on friday but I hope it's nothing that requires invasive treatment, she just got comfy in her new home. Update: she's got ear-mites. Probably from the shelter or the Romanian garbage-dump she was living in before that. She got some ear-drops that she HATED and we have to administer them two more times, not looking forward to that but I hope it kills them because seeing her all uncomfortable and itchy breaks my heart.
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Mar 22, 2019 18:52
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This is some type of viscous liquid that goes into her ears to smother the mites, I'm not looking forward to restraining her while she screams in distress.
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Mar 22, 2019 19:20
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We've been dealing with this as well and she's been getting used to her feeding times (three small portions, one in morning, one in a treat-ball, and one at night) and the key seems to be to ignore her when she starts following us around begging for food. Food-times are also after we've prepared our own breakfast and dinner, the treat-ball is for when we are at work but she's gotten pretty good at driving it into a corner and smashing it for kibble until it's empty. She still tends to wake us up before our alarm but usually she just crawls into bed with us and chills until we get up. I've banned her from the bedroom for being an rear end in a top hat before, but it's non-stop scratching and squeaking which is 100% effective at finally breaking our spirits.
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Apr 1, 2019 18:27
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lol same, I got punched in the face this morning too. Cats are supposed to be most active during dusk and dawn, right? I think she's just bored and playful and wants us to get up, get up, get up.
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Apr 2, 2019 11:58
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incogneato posted:How easy is it to get a kitten vs a 1 year old cat happy with something like a harness and leash outside? I just successfully got a harness on our 1 y/o kitty, that's as far as I've gotten but it was fairly drama-free. I just fed her treats through the harness for a few days, taking it slow, and now she can get used to wearing it. 
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Apr 4, 2019 07:52
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Our kitty peed outside of her box for the first time, luckily it was on the easily cleaned kitchen floor but why?? Her box is clean, nothing's changed, she's young but litter-trained, seems otherwise healthy and happy too. I'm guessing it's an accident or she got a little too excited attacking a grocery-bag in there last night, anything else we should be looking out for?
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May 3, 2019 08:51
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Zwille posted:Could it have been a standing up accident? That happened to ours occasionally, she'd stand in the box but pee outside of it entirely by accident, but eventually she learned. Nah, she has a covered box that she uses daily so v  v
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May 3, 2019 11:31
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Yeah, that's the plan currently. I did change litter-brands about a week ago (so it's still pretty clean, also seems exactly the same as the old brand) but she's been using it every day without issue. Going with 'is cat' until evidence shows otherwise, thanks for your thoughts! Seemed to good to be true that we've had her for a few months without any accidents whatsoever. First time I had to use the enzyme-cleaner, good thing we bought it.
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May 3, 2019 11:57
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kaworu posted:Hey, I just wanted to give you a possible reason for why your cat may have peed outside of the box.... Thanks, I know it could be indicative of something medical going on so that's why I posted. So far she's gone back in the box to poop and probably pee? It's a little hard to tell with the silicate litter but we're keeping a close eye on her. I'll also examine her bits when she'll let me.
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May 4, 2019 11:59
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zakharov posted:Black cat gang assemble  She's back to peeing in the box like nothing happened btw, silly cat.
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May 5, 2019 21:50
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Boogalo posted:That is one enormous inky void. lol yeah, Katya is only 6 lbs. all cats look huge to me now.  perfect shoulder-cat.
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May 7, 2019 20:15
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We cat-proofed our backyard! Not looking to open up a can of worms here but outside cats are very much the norm where I live, and despite the lack of predators and relative safety we don't feel comfortable letting our tiny trash-baby roam the neighbourhood freely. Mostly because we have a lot of neighbourhood cats and see missing cat posters all of the time, and also because she's super-cute and friendly to strangers and I don't want anyone stealing my precious.  She was fine in our small backyard for a while but curiosity won out, and she found out she could easily climb the wooden fencing. This set off our arms-race and it looks like we might have won with this diy spinning bar system. Haha, owned.  
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May 12, 2019 18:40
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Zwille posted:You do realize it’ll keep other cats in your yard too once they get in, right? That looks like a Thunderdome situation in the making. Our yard used to be part of the domain of this big white & tabby fucker but ever since he and Katya held a few staring-contests, he usually sits and watches from the top of the fence. He can't do that anymore so we'll see if he manages to trap himself or just moves on. We'll of course check and safely remove him if necessary, I'm thinking he'll get the message if it even happens the one time.
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May 13, 2019 06:53
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kaworu posted:
Yes, Katya does this all of the time. Sometimes she will so casually assume you'll support whatever crazy origami position she's in that she falls off if you're not paying attention. Lil dumdum. edit: rude as hell 
InvisibleMonkey fucked around with this message at 12:42 on May 13, 2019 |
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May 13, 2019 12:35
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Our cat usually wanders over at some point to cuddle up in between us, but gets cranky when we move in our sleep too much and moves to the window. Mornings depend on how early they are, she's adjusted to our weekday rhythm fine but she did punch me in the face once while I was slowly blinking awake on the weekend. Little bitch. Recently she's been crawling under the covers when we lift them, real cozy but gotta watch any moving limbs because then it's play-time in the dark.
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May 15, 2019 21:24
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InvisibleMonkey posted:
Syke, we went away for a couple of days and in this past week after we got back she managed to pee on my backpack (on the floor), my bf's jeans (also on the floor), and today on the bed. We took her to the vet because clearly something is going on. They sent us home with a sample-kit and some medicine, it's up to us if we want to give her the medicine this weekend or wait until they get the urine sample. I'm leaning towards waiting to see if she does it again since we don't know if it's an infection yet, we cleaned her box and replaced the litter just in case she just thinks it's too smelly. Anything else I should be looking out for? If it's not an infection it might be stress-related from either our trip, that time she escaped the backyard last week, or who knows what.Thinking of getting some Feliway to have on hand.
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May 31, 2019 17:08
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mistaya posted:My roommates cat would pee on any towel left on the floor and it wasn’t any kind of medical issue at all she had just decided towels were fair game for peeing on. If the backpack and floor laundry are frequent targets my main suggestion is to put those things in closets and a hamper and see if your cat still has a problem. Yeah, we're being more diligent about picking up after ourselves, it's just that it's only been a problem recently which worries me. She also pissed on the bed today, which is a lot more annoying than floor-laundry. It is possible we kept the same litter in too long, it's the silicate kind that's supposed to last a month but we've never made it past 3 weeks max. Maybe it was getting unacceptable already.
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May 31, 2019 23:03
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That last bit was really helpful, thanks! It's a painkiller and the vet said that the treatment for a regular bladder-infection would basically be that plus wet food with water added. I think we'll give it to her tomorrow. Stuff we did or were already doing: -enzymatic cleaner plus washing machine (biotex soak for the wet spot on the duvet) -leave less items lying around ready to be peed on -scoop the litter-box twice a day or right after she goes -never chastise her for making a mess Stuff we noticed after paying attention: -she squeaks before using the box, she always squeaked after to signal that she's a good girl and we can get on with scooping her poo poo now, thanks -no apparent change in drinking-habits -still obsessed with food It's hard to tell what she's doing in there except for digging noises because it's a covered box, nothing new though. No sounds of straining or discomfort. We really don't have the space for a second litter-box so we're just super diligent about keeping it clean and fresh, it's very roomy and the cleanest box ever. The only thing I can think off that has changed is that we haven't been letting her out in the backyard since her escape, she's vocally unhappy about that but she kind of has to deal until we win the cat-proofing war. Her escape may also have been stressful, she was gone for half a day and must have been stuck in a neighbour's backyard. We were worried sick until she loudly came crashing across some fences when I called her late at night.
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May 31, 2019 23:55
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It took us a week to see Katya drinking from the fountain, but she uses it occasionally now. I think she prefers the water-bowl so we just keep both around, I like the fountain because it holds two liters which is handy when we're gone. Her new toys came in today and she's super excited about them.  
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Jun 3, 2019 19:36
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I'm trying to get a pee-sample with a kit (plastic beads, pipette, vial), but is there anything I can do to make her go faster? Ideally before the vet's office closes since I know time is of the essence for sample quality. She went this morning before I swapped the litter and peed outside the box again too, I've been giving her a spoonful of wet food with extra water to fill her bladder up again but idk if that's going to work.  edit: Three spoons of wet food soup and some catnip later, just delivered the freshest cat piss to the vet! edit 2: No signs of an urinary infection, I plugged in some feliway and I guess I'm moving furniture to make room for a second litter-box. InvisibleMonkey fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Jun 4, 2019 |
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Jun 4, 2019 16:26
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Maybe it's one those diseases that cats get and causes neurological damage? I've seen it before, and a cat in the shelter our kitty a staying in had it. Sweetest little cat with a unsteady gait and a little head-wobble. I was trying to find the viral disease I was thinking of but maybe it's more like this, which is apparently caused by Feline Cerebellar Hypoplasia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXrcCoE_fUE Update on our little piss-monster, we added a second litter-box (an easy decision but not the most practical in a 1 br) and I also used a different litter in that one. So far she's preferring the new box and hasn't peed anywhere else, so I'm guessing she's mostly particular about either doing her business in the bedroom all of the sudden or changed her mind about the kind of litter she tolerates. Will experiment to find out, but I guess it was just 'cats v v'
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Jun 10, 2019 21:32
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beep by grandpa posted:I'm very likely getting my very first cat next week. Have been thinking about it heavily since the beginning of this year after some Life Events both good and bad, but deciding I needed to think about it for a few months before I pulled the trigger since it's such a commitment and to make sure I still wanted to, and for the right reasons. I went to a shelter last weekend just to look at what they had, talked to the staff as much as I could, etc. I've done my research and feel pretty prepared for what to expect the first few weeks all except for one topic: litterboxes... And I'm really not sure where to start. I have the money to blow so I'm not sure if I should go automatic or this weird Breeze Tidy Cat pebble thing the girl at Petsmart was raving about today when I was buying supplies & toys. We adopted our first cat about six months ago and put in a lot of planning and thought into it before we did, so maybe my experiences can help! We don’t have the space for two cats and both work full-time so both kittens and older cats needing special care were out, so we spent a lot of time looking for the perfect fit. In the end none of the local shelters seemed to have one that could do well on its own or needed extra or special care, so we opted for one of the many organizations that bring cats in from countries where there’s a massive surplus of adoptable animals. Katya was estimated at one year old when she was found in a Romanian landfill and is fine on her own, but doesn’t hate other cats (we’re planning on introducing a second cat when we buy a house). This might not be applicable if you’re from the states but keep in mind that a good fit personality and lifestyle-wise can take a while to find! Living in a small space the litter-box situation was one of the main issues I had to convince my bf we could solve before we decided. Initially we got a covered box and put it in the living-room, and used silicate litter that was recommended to us by friends because of smell-elimination and ease of use. They weren’t wrong! You hardly noticed the box and guests would comment on the lack of smell. All good, until a couple of months in Katya decided to pee outside of the box because of reasons. We just got a second box, filled it with clay litter and placed it in the bedroom, it’s now her preferred box to use and she doesn’t go outside it any more. We’re still experimenting with litter-types but the point is that whatever works best for you, may not work for the cat. I looked at litter-robots before but knowing what I know now I would never buy an expensive and super-specific device until after I got to know the cat and their preferences. Cats are gonna cat and if you need to cycle through a few options before they settle on what they like, it’s better to start simple imho.
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Jun 21, 2019 21:31
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I built a cat-tree and covered part of it in sisal rope, but we also have one of these: It's technically disposable but she uses it all the time and in six months she has barely made a dent in it and we can still flip it over for another round, it's super sturdy.
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Jun 23, 2019 10:40
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Bobstar posted:Jimmy is not loving this heatwave we're having in Europe. Not helped by the fact that he's black and fuzzy. But he's drinking his water like a good boy Ugh, same. I got Katya a cooling mat for dogs and switched to wet food for extra moisture during this heat wave. I just hope she isn't too uncomfortable. :/ She keeps crying to be let outside but no way am I opening any doors, it's an oven outside.
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Jun 25, 2019 18:07
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No airconditioning in Europe. "help"
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Jun 26, 2019 15:19
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I just set up one of those big column-fans because the small one wasn't cutting it. Mobile air-cons are such a pain the in rear end, I think we just need to accept that the climate is trying to kill us and start building them into houses.
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Jun 26, 2019 15:29
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It sucks because it's only necessary for like two weeks out of the year, but goddamn it would be worth it for being able to sleep at night. I feel like for the past five years the heat record has been broken here in The Netherlands too. This thing owns but the temp display is making me despair.
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Jun 26, 2019 15:42
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Bobstar posted:Hey, a fellow Netherlands-liver! Mediamarkt and Bol certainly sell out of fans quickly every time this happens. Hoi! Yeah, I planned for mine to be delivered yesterday, but of course it only came when the temp dropped 10 degrees today. 
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Jun 26, 2019 17:54
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I have the opposite issue, Katya is so food-motivated she learned how to open the cupboard where we keep her dry food. She hasn't figured out the plastic container yet, but after doors, screens, and cabinets, it can only be a matter of time. Also, when we got her I bought a few sampler boxes of wet food to go with the dry and there's nothing she won't eat. Guess I'll just have to pick one when we run out? She's learned how to make noise tho: https://twitter.com/invisiblemonkey/status/1148126259932778497
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Jul 8, 2019 18:56
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KidDynamite posted:Marie has a bald butt. Like a half inch around her butthole with no hair. It's really great that I don't ever have to worry about her tracking but it's real weird to see. I thought this was normal? Katya has a VERY fluffy butt except for a little bare space so she can show you her butthole at any and all times (v important). edit: maybe I just don't know how inches work tho
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Jul 11, 2019 18:07
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TMMadman posted:As a general rule of thumb, the distance between the tip of your index finger and the first knuckle (or really the distance between any of the finger joints) is approximately one inch. I mean it's not exact but it still gives a decent visualization. Oh, that's useful! I guess I mean a quarter inch then.
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Jul 11, 2019 18:25
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rip, poor baby
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Jul 15, 2019 06:51
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