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Cat talk/advice - all meow, all the time (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter NajehHejan
- Start date
Scoresman
Footballguy
Could use some advice on getting a very stubborn ###hole of a cat into her carrier for a trip to the vet. We had to cancel our last appointment because she simply wasn't having any of her carrier. Tomorrow is attempt number two.
Putting her blanket/food in it did not work. She literally spreads her legs out horizontally when we put her near it so she can't fit inside it, and our attempts to go alpha and shove her in were met with gashes on our arms. She let us know who rules our household that day, that's for sure.
Putting her blanket/food in it did not work. She literally spreads her legs out horizontally when we put her near it so she can't fit inside it, and our attempts to go alpha and shove her in were met with gashes on our arms. She let us know who rules our household that day, that's for sure.
urbanhack
Fight The Power!
if you have the hard case one, tip it up so the gate or opening is facing up and then drop the cat in. I found this much easier than trying to force them in when it's sitting in its normal position.
Scoresman
Footballguy
yeah, we bought a new one with a leopard print (her favorite) blanket inside and I've been leaving it out all week giving her treats inside it. She quickly grabs the treats and pulls out so she definitely knows something is up.
Try to get at her when she's sleepy.... they usually have a little less fight in them then.
El Floppo
Footballguy
this. I'd add that we drop ours in face forward, while holding the front paws tight to his body.
but otherwise- if you've ever had to give a cat medicine, it's pretty much the same procedure- minus forcing their jaw open.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Scoresman
Footballguy
Well that was an experience.
The carrier was no problem. She went in with a treat immediately. Thanks for the advice. The problem was when the vet tried to taker her temperature anally. I didnt think Stella could make the noises she made when he tried that. Thankfully this came after her vaccinations because she wasnt having any of the rest of the examination after that and she's still looking at me like she's lost all trust in me. :(
The carrier was no problem. She went in with a treat immediately. Thanks for the advice. The problem was when the vet tried to taker her temperature anally. I didnt think Stella could make the noises she made when he tried that. Thankfully this came after her vaccinations because she wasnt having any of the rest of the examination after that and she's still looking at me like she's lost all trust in me. :(
Courtjester
The Town Drunk
My big Russian blue is still kicking and about to turn 19 here.
He is just the most loving and wonderful cat, but it is sad to see him slowly fade away. He weighs about a third of what he used to--so we are guessing he is winding down. I had to rip out all the carpet where his box is because he only hits it about 10% of the time. Luckily it is concrete down there. I know that it is a big sign something is wrong, but there is no way I can take the chance on taking him to the vet because it is such a stressful thing for him. As I posted earlier in this thread, I had a cat die in my lap on the way to the vet, so there is no way I can handle that trauma again.
I hope we can enjoy another year or two of him. He sure doesn't seem like he is in pain or suffering whatsoever and still acts like he did when he was 3 years old.
He is just the most loving and wonderful cat, but it is sad to see him slowly fade away. He weighs about a third of what he used to--so we are guessing he is winding down. I had to rip out all the carpet where his box is because he only hits it about 10% of the time. Luckily it is concrete down there. I know that it is a big sign something is wrong, but there is no way I can take the chance on taking him to the vet because it is such a stressful thing for him. As I posted earlier in this thread, I had a cat die in my lap on the way to the vet, so there is no way I can handle that trauma again.
I hope we can enjoy another year or two of him. He sure doesn't seem like he is in pain or suffering whatsoever and still acts like he did when he was 3 years old.
Scoresman
Footballguy
Riversco
Footballguy
Usually liver problems cause weight loss I think. When they are too weak to jump up on a chair or bed they usually die within a couple days.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
My Moose wasted away from liver problems too. I waited for a while, but when she couldn't walk well, we had her put to sleep. Same thing you're seeing - she went from plump to skin and bones. Not strong. Had "accidents" everywhere. #1 and #2. #2 was very liquidy, and #1 very dark in color. I know some cats don't do well at the vet, but without a vet visit, there's no way to know, and certainly no way to reverse the trend. Take him to the vet if you want to have any chance.
For anyone having issues getting a cat to do anything, with our new kitty Amara, the way we get her to do ANYTHING is via laser pointer. She'll practically follow it into a bath tub. Getting her into a carrier is as simple as pointing it in the back. She'll charge right in.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Fat Nick
Footballguy
El Floppo
Footballguy
our guy is like that. except not at all- sits there and then sees a flash of reflected light on the ceiling and falls over. the little girl we have... same as yours. toys, lasers... she doesn't muck around.
Courtjester
The Town Drunk
Ugh...so my 19 year old Russian Blue is an idiot. Let's just get that out of the way. He doesn't understand he is in fact 19 and runs around the house like he is 2. He waits for us to all get our breakfast and sit down at the table and there he goes running around and then he does this little sideways bounce thing with his tail all contorted and puffed up and then jumps in my lap purring like a madman. I think he does this because he knows how much it makes all of us just laugh and then of course shower him with love
Well yesterday he did this and hurt himself during the run. At first I thought he popped his hip out of joint. I called the vet and they didn't have any openings but they said we could take him to the ER which is about 25 miles from us and there was a raging snow storm outside. He doesn't do well in a crate so this was not an option. We began to do some self diagnosis and the hip appeared to be stable and the other leg works just fine. When he lays down to sleep, he would extend his leg all the way out and clean himself and he could easily bend his knee. So we isolated it down to the foot and therein we think is the problem. The foot appears to be distorted and swollen a bit. He will let me touch it but he can't put any weight on the foot. He is limping badly, but doesn't show any sign of pain ie: vocalization..
We have him confined to our living room with his food, water and box all accessible. He is acting normal but obviously something is wrong. If It is just a sprain we read the best thing to do is what we are doing and that is limit his mobility. I am going to call and get an appointment with our regular vet immediately in the morning, but I am worried this is going to be something major and not something a 19 year old cat can recover from. My other concern, as I posted earlier, is he is old and has other problems and I am worried they will advise us to put him down for. He is happy happy happy and just shows no signs of being sick or in pain but I know cats are great at masking this. In the same vein, I won't keep him alive just for us--if it is his time, then I will make that call.
This is really the only real pet my 17 and 12 year old daughters know and the thought of them petting him one last time as they leave in the morning for school, just kills me (obviously not sharing that thought with them). I am so afraid of what tomorrow holds as he is really a huge part of the family. Why did he have to do this??
Well yesterday he did this and hurt himself during the run. At first I thought he popped his hip out of joint. I called the vet and they didn't have any openings but they said we could take him to the ER which is about 25 miles from us and there was a raging snow storm outside. He doesn't do well in a crate so this was not an option. We began to do some self diagnosis and the hip appeared to be stable and the other leg works just fine. When he lays down to sleep, he would extend his leg all the way out and clean himself and he could easily bend his knee. So we isolated it down to the foot and therein we think is the problem. The foot appears to be distorted and swollen a bit. He will let me touch it but he can't put any weight on the foot. He is limping badly, but doesn't show any sign of pain ie: vocalization..
We have him confined to our living room with his food, water and box all accessible. He is acting normal but obviously something is wrong. If It is just a sprain we read the best thing to do is what we are doing and that is limit his mobility. I am going to call and get an appointment with our regular vet immediately in the morning, but I am worried this is going to be something major and not something a 19 year old cat can recover from. My other concern, as I posted earlier, is he is old and has other problems and I am worried they will advise us to put him down for. He is happy happy happy and just shows no signs of being sick or in pain but I know cats are great at masking this. In the same vein, I won't keep him alive just for us--if it is his time, then I will make that call.
This is really the only real pet my 17 and 12 year old daughters know and the thought of them petting him one last time as they leave in the morning for school, just kills me (obviously not sharing that thought with them). I am so afraid of what tomorrow holds as he is really a huge part of the family. Why did he have to do this??
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Scoresman
Footballguy
So we got a second cat. His name is Thomas.
We are now working through the slow process of introducing him to our existing cat, Stella who has been the sole queen of our house for the last 5 years. Thomas has been confined to our bedroom and they sniff and listen to each other through the door. Thomas seems ready to meet Stella since he's always purring when sensing her nearby, but Stella is still very weirded out by this newcomer who has taken over the bedroom. We've been doing various training like feeding both of them by the door to associate food with the other cat, letting both of them smell a something that has the other's pheremones on it, etc. We also have a gate that we will be using to facilitate the face to face intro.
Anyone ever introduce two cats to each other? Wondering how long this might take.
We are now working through the slow process of introducing him to our existing cat, Stella who has been the sole queen of our house for the last 5 years. Thomas has been confined to our bedroom and they sniff and listen to each other through the door. Thomas seems ready to meet Stella since he's always purring when sensing her nearby, but Stella is still very weirded out by this newcomer who has taken over the bedroom. We've been doing various training like feeding both of them by the door to associate food with the other cat, letting both of them smell a something that has the other's pheremones on it, etc. We also have a gate that we will be using to facilitate the face to face intro.
Anyone ever introduce two cats to each other? Wondering how long this might take.
captain_amazing
Footballguy
We did this a few years ago. We brought in a kitten and had them separated for two weeks. Did the same things - feed them near the door, swapped toys and blankets so they'd get used to the smell, etc.
After the first week or two we would let the kitten out so they could interact. We increased the time each day for about another week or two until our older cat stopped hissing. They are best pals now.
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El Floppo
Footballguy
first of all- thomas is a bit formal with his bow-tie and all, but
re: integrating two cats... what CA said above is the route that seems to work... except for us.
we had a guy named Odo (rescued him ourselves from the neighborhood) who had had the rule of the roost in our place for a few years after we moved in together. we then rescued another alley-cat named Chip (from literally across the street in a parking lot next to famous Katz's deli.. I wanted to name him Katz's, but that's another story).
Chip was an awesome, human-friendly cat while living in the parking lot. always rubbing your hand waiting for treats. the second we got him home, he was a terror towards Odo. we tried everything possible and finally gave up- keeping them permanently separated behind closed doors. ####### sucked, but Chip would hunt Odo and relentlessly go for the kill/jugular- getting his face scratched to #### repeatedly. At first, I'd let it play out because I'm used to cats fighting and then separating like it's nothing... never happened with Chip. he had to be the dude in the house and wasn't going to stop until seemingly one of them were dead.
our two now are best buds- such a difference.
mr. furley
Footballguy
any suggestions for moving a cat to a new house without having it piss all over the place?
we've got 2. one is the leader. mellow. runs the house. the other is a bit nervy. only comes out in the evenings. he started acting strangely around the time the first moving boxes came out.. took him a couple weeks to get used to new boxes showing up and having things in the house be moved from their place to boxes.
we're about a month out from closing so if we need to do something now i want to get on it.
we've got 2. one is the leader. mellow. runs the house. the other is a bit nervy. only comes out in the evenings. he started acting strangely around the time the first moving boxes came out.. took him a couple weeks to get used to new boxes showing up and having things in the house be moved from their place to boxes.
we're about a month out from closing so if we need to do something now i want to get on it.
Scoresman
Footballguy
Did you move its litter to someplace it might not consider safe anymore? Can you keep it in a room where there isn't a lot of change going on yet?
Just moved my gf to her new condo a couple days ago. One older cat is scared as #### of anything and hid behind the oven at first. The other is still under a year. Both were fine. The oldie hid in the closet till everyone was gone though.
Koya
Footballguy
I'd recommend possibly bringing the old litters with you, so they have a familiar place to do their business (and can buy new ones soon after, once they get a little used to the new surroundings).
We moved, and the cats were not happy about it, but they did ok - and no bathroom issues when we finally moved into the new place. We got them there, did the little scratch the paw in the littler (we didn't bring their old ones though, as it was 1500 miles in the air to do so) and that was all it took.
That said, they were not happy for a while, but that's attributable to a VERY long and gradual move. I started going back and forth weekly for a couple months, then boxes started to pile up, then I moved (but returned home for a couple days here and there)... then the wife moved with the cats but she returned back to NY for a month before moving for good. All that flux had the kitties really pissed and anxious for a while, but they did finally settle in...
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mr. furley
Footballguy
ah, i did clean up a lot of the basement where their litter boxes are. it's 75% empty and we're down there a fair amount lately working on things.
Scoresman
Footballguy
Last night we introduced our new cat to our other cat and it went very well. They had a bit of a staring contest at first, but then touched noses through the gate without hissing or any threatening/fearful posturing. So I'm thinking that's a good sign. Tonight they will be dining together on opposite sides of the gate.
JoeSteeler
Footballguy
Every cat is so different there is really no set time. When we got our black cat he hid under the bed for a month (only coming out to eat and use litter) before getting comfortable enough to socialize fully with the other cats. When we got our orange tabby he was fine almost right away.
Looks like your are off to a great start and you are doing all the right things so hopefully with go very quickly for you.
Scoresman
Footballguy
So yesterday we finally took the gate down and let the two cats meet each other. It went well overall, but my existing cat is giving mixed messages. At first, they touched noses, sniffed butts, played together with a wand, and all was fine. Then after about a half hour, our existing cat began stalking the newcomer. She would charge at him but stop short of attacking, and follow him around with her ears back. It seemed playful since there was no actual attacking, hissing or growling but she did seem agitated so we separated them shortly after.
The newcomer was completely oblivious to the signs of aggression and was content to let her stalk and charge at him. It was quite amusing to watch. Was this just posturing and her letting him know she is the boss?
The newcomer was completely oblivious to the signs of aggression and was content to let her stalk and charge at him. It was quite amusing to watch. Was this just posturing and her letting him know she is the boss?
captain_amazing
Footballguy
Probably both. This is exactly how our older cat treated the newer one when we finally let them roam a bit. Totally normal. Just make sure to keep a close eye and be ready to intervene if #### goes down (sounds like you're doing that anyway).
urbanhack
Fight The Power!
Aerial Assault
Footballguy
Multiple-cat staffer/servant here. This thread is awesome. I had no idea it existed! 
Thanks to all for a great read.
Thanks to all for a great read.
mr. furley
Footballguy
each has 2. they're bunched too closely together right now but we'll have better space for them at the new place.
technicaldifficulties
Footballguy
Evening fellow cat lovers,
I have litter boxes with partial lids on them, so they look like little stadiums. The cats pee through the space where the lid meets the bottom and the pee drips out on the floor. Anyone else dealt with this problem? I don't have a ton of space since I have 2 boxes in a one bed room apartment. I was debating trying a tall side box.
Any advice?
TIA
I have litter boxes with partial lids on them, so they look like little stadiums. The cats pee through the space where the lid meets the bottom and the pee drips out on the floor. Anyone else dealt with this problem? I don't have a ton of space since I have 2 boxes in a one bed room apartment. I was debating trying a tall side box.
Any advice?
TIA
urbanhack
Fight The Power!
The only time I've seen that was when our bengal had some sensitive bladder issues. He would go outside the box a bit because the litter box reminded him of the pain when going pee, so he never went fully inside of it.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Lilo cat got a scratch/cut on his neck from kamikazi-ing into our bamboo fence going after pigeons.
Started off small, but he keeps scratching it with his back leg; scratches the hell out of it and now has scratched off fur in a big swath around it and keeps reopening the wound.
Short of a cone, not sure what to do to keep him from scratching and continuing to make it worse. Any ideas?
Started off small, but he keeps scratching it with his back leg; scratches the hell out of it and now has scratched off fur in a big swath around it and keeps reopening the wound.
Short of a cone, not sure what to do to keep him from scratching and continuing to make it worse. Any ideas?
captain_amazing
Footballguy
We ended up purchasing a giant clear storage container for our two cats and cut a side of it out so they can walk in it, as our older and larger cat (Siamese) likes to put his paws up on the ledge and pee as if he is using a urinal, except his %^&*@! is pointing up so it shoots up and over smaller/traditional litter boxes. The larger box solved our issues, though it isn't as nice as some of the ones with lids.
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captain_amazing
Footballguy
Sorry floppo, that sucks - I can't think of much else other than a cone. Maybe a vet can put something over the wound that would prevent the cat from scratching it? Good luck ether way.
Mrs. Rannous
Footballguy
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Scoresman
Footballguy
So we've had our newest cat, Thomas Jefferson, for about 3 months now and he is pretty great. We adopted him from a local cat cafe who themselves rescued him from an extreme hoarder situation. His name was Thomas when we adopted him, and I tacked on the Jefferson because he reminds me of him.
His interests include wadded up balls of aluminum foil, trying to open the garbage can lid, and seeing how far he can stuff his head into my shoes.
He's a bit of a ####-stirrer with our other cat who is a bit older and doesn't have the same energy level. She definitely lets him know when she's had enough of his playtime.
His interests include wadded up balls of aluminum foil, trying to open the garbage can lid, and seeing how far he can stuff his head into my shoes.
He's a bit of a ####-stirrer with our other cat who is a bit older and doesn't have the same energy level. She definitely lets him know when she's had enough of his playtime.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Mrs. Rannous
Footballguy
That's one handsome cat. Mazel tov.
Koya
Footballguy
Koya
Footballguy
urbanhack
Fight The Power!
