Cat Moms-Volume II

[KaliLily]

Peppy - If the problem is just the chipped tooth (not dental disease), you might want to try to applying an antiseptic gel to the gum area. That's what our vet had us do before considering extraction for Kali when a tooth of hers got chipped. It must've worked since the tooth wasn't mentioned in subsequent exams.

I know it's not easy to do. Kali always "gnawed" when we'd try to mess with her mouth and my finger would get bit at times, so I started applying the gel with a Q-tip. We used Biotene Veterinarian Antiseptic Oral Gel. We got it from the vet, but it looks like you can order it through Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Biotene-Oral-Gel-Antiseptic/dp/B000BIVDXY

If you aren't comfortable with your vet, definitely get a second opinion. A few months after we adopted Lily I contacted the vet on the spay certificate and just didn't feel comfortable with him, so we had her (then) regular vet do the procedure. We decided we'd rather spend the money on someone we trusted than have it done for free by someone we didn't.

[diam124]

AC - I think the warmest we let it get is 75, but our family room stays pretty cool, so she hangs out down there during the summer (and during the winter she sleeps on the 3rd floor). Honestly, I think up to 80 would be ok.

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[jnettie]

MandM...so cute! Those are some stares of death from Molly(?).

AC - we have a unit that has a thermostat. I keep it at about 74 all day, but with the "energy saver" button on, meaning it kicks off when the room is cooled, but turns on again when it gets too warm. It uses less electricity this way because we'd have to crank it down to 60 if we turned the AC off during the day just to make our apartment bearable.

The cats, well, they find the warmest room in the house... or even sneak into the closet where it gets super hot! DH swears they need the AC, but I don't think they even like it.

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[vwinkel]

My cats seemed to think my sewing project was very entertaining (Nightmare is off to the right). Here's Kenny trying to see what I'm doing:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/181/472825157_791fd27428.jpg?v=0

and because he is never quiet, here he is mid meow:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/190/472825163_984aa8355b.jpg?v=0

[Asha]

vwinkel - those pix made me lol!! you should find out if there is some cat mag that would publish those pix.

[Peppy]

vwinkel, those photos are great! I think you have a definite contender for stuffonmycat.com!

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[tlew12778]

We don't keep our AC on in the summer. It gets really hot here too. Like over 100F. But the cats hate the AC unit (makes too much noise). They hang out on the tiles over the water pipes when they're hot.

As for the yearly, we never take them. We do the shots ourself and if there is something wrong, our vet comes to us. He's a good friend of ours though. Ours are indoor only and they never see other cats.

[imagirliegirl]

OMG that sewing maching picture is SO cute!!

[KaliLily]

In case you haven't been following the Pet Food Recall thread, Natural Balance has recalled some of its food due to the unauthorized addition of rice protein by its manufacturer. Natural Balance states that no illnesses have been reported from this tampering, but they are still recalling the products. Click here for the full story: http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/

ETA: I just don't know what to do. Lily has eaten one of the recalled products (Ocean Fish canned food), though she hasn't had it for at least a month (I hadn't been able to find it in stock). She has shown no signs of kidney failure (loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting), or any other problems, but this has me really frightened. I just lost one of my girls, I can't face losing another. Lily hates going to the vet - and I really don't want to go back there just yet - but should I take her just to be safe? Or at least call the vet?

I'm afraid to feed her any cat food now. :(

And I'm considering returning the cans of Venison & Green Pea. That was one of the few Venison formulas not recalled, but given so many others were it feels risky to feed it to her.

[greenbunny]

Kim, why not call the vet and see if they think it's necessary? If they know her history of being upset during travel, they will probably be able to weigh the benefits versus the drawbacks.

I am also nervous about the food. I just saw this (http://www.itchmo.com/read/melamine-spiking-in-food-widespread-for-years_20070429) story today, which says that for years pet food manufacturers have artifically spiked the protein levels in food by adding melamine scrap--a byproduct of coal created when manufacturing plastics and fertilizer. Here I've been so careful to check labels and buy the best quality food--what can we do if the things we need to avoid aren't on the label? More and more, I want to switch the girls to a whole prey diet. If I'm giving them the same meat I eat, I'd feel much better about the quality. It's disgusting that the standards for pet food aren't even close to the ones needed for human consumption.

[tlew12778]

I would call the vet and return the food. I won't even buy IAMS or Nutro for my boys and I am pretty sure that they use a different production plant for the bags sold here.

[eli1126]

I would call the vet and return the food. I won't even buy IAMS or Nutro for my boys and I am pretty sure that they use a different production plant for the bags sold here.


But aren't Iams and Nutro different from the Natural Balance products KaliLily is referring to? I think Natural Balance is all the Dick VanPatten products, right? I believe that so far the only Nutro products that have been recalled are still the cuts and gravy style food :confused:

[tlew12778]

I was just referring to the recall in general. And yes, I know they are only certain types and certain flavors or certain brands. I still refuse to take the chance. Call me overprotective but I would never forgive myself if something happened to my cats over a $15 bag/$1 can of food. I'm all about better safe than sorry, so I can see why Greenbunny is thinking about the game diet (is that the same as the raw food diet? I tried that once without much success.).

[Daniel's Kitty]

Has anyone here hand raised a kitten before?
There was a kitten stuck in our window well last night, so atleast for now I have a second cat.
What should I feed him? He will drink milk out of a dish, but I know milk isn't really good for cats, I was thinking of trying some dry kitten food that was softened since I don't want to try any wet foods right now.

Also, does anybody have any good ideas on how to introduce an older cat to a kitten? We might wind up keeping the kitten, but I will have to figure out a way to introduce them. I am not going to torture my cat over a kitten that could pretty easily find a home (he was going to go to a rescue place this morning but we decided to keep him for now)

[tlew12778]

I hand-raised my boys. If the kitten can drink out of a dish already, you are one step ahead of the game. No bottle feeding for you! You should get some Kitten Replacement Milk (KMR) and give that to him/her instead of cow's milk. It's very expensive. I suggest buying the powder and mixing it yourself. I would also take the cat to the vet to get a guestimate on its age. At 4 weeks, ours could eat a mish-mosh of mashed boiled chicken-breast and KMR. They could also eat wet Eukanuba mixed with KMR (basically they lapped it up). Your vet will give you a time-schedule for progressing his/her weaning to solids. I don't remember ours anymore since it was almost 6 years ago :eek:. But our vet followed us very closely.

Both our boys are horses now. One weighs about 18 lbs and the other 13 lbs.

[greenbunny]

Whole prey is a raw diet, but it specifically contains certain percentages of different body matter. Bone matter and cartilege are considered important as well as muscle. So, instead of just a chicken breast, they would get a whole chick or a feeder rabbit. It's pretty gross, IMO, but it's not their fault they were made carnivores.

[eli1126]

I was just referring to the recall in general. And yes, I know they are only certain types and certain flavors or certain brands. I still refuse to take the chance. Call me overprotective but I would never forgive myself if something happened to my cats over a $15 bag/$1 can of food. I'm all about better safe than sorry, so I can see why Greenbunny is thinking about the game diet (is that the same as the raw food diet? I tried that once without much success.).

Gotcha. I thought I missed something :D

[tlew12778]

Ah see the raw diet I had tried involved actually going to the butcher and having them grind up the entire animal, bones, organs and all. It's supposed to be the closest thing to what they'd get in nature since they'd eat the whole rabbit, chipmunk, squirrel, etc.

[Daniel's Kitty]

tlew12778 Thank you! We go to the vet in a few hours. It was going to be a few days, but they are sneaking us in today. I think the kitten is about 4-6 weeks old. He is still learning the use of a litter box though so he is a little messy.

[KaliLily]

Thanks for the feedback, ladies. I called the vet's office this morning and they said not to worry about Lily as she has no symptoms and hasn't had the food for at least a month. They recommended keeping a close eye on her while this food mess is being sorted out and to keep checking the Internet for recall updates.

I talked with DH about putting Lily on a home-made diet, but apparently there are similar issues with human food. He said he'd rather stick with Natural Balance than run the risk of Lily being "poisoned" by a home-made diet. I agreed.

I do still trust Natural Balance. They seem truly upset by what has happened with their food and are taking good steps to prevent future tampering.

I'm just so angry at these manufacturers for putting our beloved animals at risk. Something must be done to make our pets' food safer, and make the laws tougher on companies for their negligence and/or blatant disregard for safety.

[Daniel's Kitty]

He is healthy. About a pound. He is about 6 weeks old. He is in the basement bathroom now since he wants to be alone right now, and he is to little to run loose around the house. He seems to like it since he can stay down there and we come to play with him but not constantly.
He hissed at my cat last night, I would hate to see this poor kitten get eaten by my cat.

[Asha]

daniel'skitty - we found our bili when she was about 6-8 weeks old. she was 1.5 pounds when we found her. the vet told us we didn't have to feed her the supplemental milk, and just to feed her the canned wet kitten food. she actually didn't like the canned food much, and would only eat the dry kitten food. you are one step ahead of where we were bc we actually couldn't get her confined to small space bc she would run away from us. we were worried bc we had a scary open staircase with wide gaps she could have fallen through, but she never got hurt on them, and that was one of her favorite parts of the house. good luck with your kitty.

[ignutzz]

Whole prey is a raw diet, but it specifically contains certain percentages of different body matter. Bone matter and cartilege are considered important as well as muscle. So, instead of just a chicken breast, they would get a whole chick or a feeder rabbit. It's pretty gross, IMO, but it's not their fault they were made carnivores.

It's actually not that gross. :D Izzy is on a completely raw diet and we're working to transition the other three. Izzy loves a nice chicken wing, beef chuck and lamb shank. We also give her bits of liver and kidney. No heart yet because it's been hard to find it. Also, she'll eat chunks of fish and really loves water-packed sardines. We've made a game out of feeding her and she's hysterical to watch. :)

If anyone wants additional information, I have a couple of sites linked, a great yahoo group and a good book recommendation.

[Regina Phalange]

I'm new to being a cat mom. I've had Roscoe for about 6 months now and he is about 10 months old. We are moving to a new apartment in June and I'm nervous how he'll do. He loves to get on the top of the kitchen cabinets in my apartment now. He also loves to get in the shower with me and the new place doesn't have the corner he can sit on or the ledge he can walk on.

I know dogs sometimes have trouble adjusting to new environments so I guess my question is, how will Roscoe do?

[diam124]

We moved from an apartment to a townhouse about 2 hours away when our cat was about 8 months old. The move was pretty stressful for her (that was the longest she had been in a car) and I think she was a little freaked out by the new surroundings. Once we unpacked though it didn't take her long to get settled and she loooves our house. More room to run around and more windows! I think change is hard on them at first but she adjusted pretty quickly.

[KaliLily]

I moved my girls across the country 2 1/2 years ago, and we lived in a 2 room hotel suite for 10 days before moving into our house. Lily wasn't too fond of hotel life, but adjusted after a couple days. They both thrived in the new house.

[Daniel's Kitty]

Does anybody have any advice about litter training. He does great if he is close to it, but he seems to have a hard time finding his way back to it.

The vet was nervous about us taking in a feral kitten since they are harder to socialize, but he was chasing my son's feet earlier, and he only seems to hide when ds is throwing a tantrum or getting really excited about kitty chasing.

[TracieB]

Daniel's Kitty - I don't have any advice, but am wondering if maybe you should have more than one litter box place around the house so it's easier for him to find one to use? I wonder if that might work.

New picture of my little devil, Nikko. I got a new lens and he's the perfect subject!!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b214/Tracie58712/IMG_4369.jpg

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I'm new to this thread. These are my fur babies. Lily is on the left and Oliver is on the right.

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241/kimmy624/DSC00400.jpg

[greenbunny]

Tracie, what'd you buy, what'd you buy? That has really smooth bokeh.

Welcome, mommy2! your babies are beautiful. Are they abyssinians?

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[TracieB]

greenbunny - it's a Canon macro. 60mm f/2.8 USM lens. LOVE IT!!!!

maxandmolly - YES! Nikko snores all the time. At first I was worried about it, so I took him to the vet to make sure he didn't have nasal polyps. He checked out fine and the vet told me that some cats just snore! It makes for an interesting night when I have both the cat and the hubby snoring next to me!

[tlew12778]

My boys snore. One has a breathing issue. The vet thinks he had a cold when he was newborn. He props himself up when he sleeps to ease his breathing. He whistles more than snores. The other one snores. He sleeps very deeply when he's relaxed. He's even woken me up before!

[southerner]

Regina, Here's some things we did when we moved that might help Roscoe:

*Keep as many familiar scents and items around as possible. Like if he has a blanket that he likes to lay on, any preferred toys, etc.

*Start out by letting him explore and get comfortable in one room (be sure to have litter box and food and water there), then allow him to venture out to the rest of the apartment. If it's big, then slowly do one room at a time.

*Maintain the same feeding schedule.

*Start right away with any discipline you may need to do (ie not jumping on the counters, staying away from the front door, etc.)

*Try to limit the amount of moving your guy is exposed to. If it's possible get everything out of the old place while he's kept in one room and do the same at the new place. We left the cats in the bedroom and did that furniture last and set it up first in the new place and left them in there while we unpacked the rest of the house.

He'll find new favorite places to hang out. Don't be alarmed if he doesn't seem to be himself right away. It took ours a few days to adjust to their new surroundings. One of them wouldn't even eat for a few days :(

HTH!

[Regina Phalange]

Thanks Southerner!:) It does help!

[Peppy]

The new photos are so cute!

Daniel's Kitty, if your cat is having trouble finding the box I would suggest a litter called Cat Attract litter. Apparently it has something in its smell that is very appealing to cats (I don't smell anything at all). Everyone I know who uses it raves about it. Maybe its special smell will help him find the box more easily. Another idea is to isolate him in one room--the room that has the box in it. But his food and water in there as well (as far away from the box as possible). That will help him "learn" where the box is. And I second the suggestion to add another box.

[Fenway]

I'm new to this thread. I usually post in the Ragdoll thread. (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=708)

Does anybody else have a cat who snores? Maybe I never noticed before because he doesn't usually sleep with me, but ever since this lap sitting phase started, I've noticed Max snoes, a LOT when he's sleeping.

Fenway snores... loud. Sometimes he even talks in his sleep. It's really funny. Because he has that Ragdoll flat face, he is very nasally, hence the snoring, but I can one-up you. (WARNING: TMI share) Because he tends to be nasally, he gets colds fairly often. Let me tell you.. when he sneezes, he can shoot giant boogers across the room. Gross. When a sneezing fit comes on, we literally clear a path so we don't get hit. :o

Here he is. This is one of his latest tricks. :rolleyes:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/226/489327331_368b041d66.jpg?v=0

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Welcome, mommy2! your babies are beautiful. Are they abyssinians?

Thank you. Nope, they are Tonkinese (Siamese/Burmese). They have the most wonderful personality!

[greenbunny]

Fenway, I hear you! Bella has that flat face too (Birman) and her sneezes can clear a room. She's got a nasty cold/sneezing/oozing eye crud thing going right now that is setting new land speed records. Luckily, she doesn't snore on those six days per year that she doesn't have a head cold.

[Fenway]

Luckily, she doesn't snore on those six days per year that she doesn't have a head cold.

lol

[silvergrey]

they are Tonkinese (Siamese/Burmese). They have the most wonderful personality!

I had the pleasure of meeting a Tonkinese for the first time a few weeks ago. Such a friendly little cat!

M&M, my Cleo snores too, especially when she's sleeping all curled up in a ball.

Here's Cleo trying to get me to rub her belly.

http://silvergrey.photosite.com/~photos/tn/2164_348.ts1173374780000.jpg

[eli1126]

DH and I were hysterical the other night listening to Beau snore! Both of our cats are snorers but Beau has always been louder. Luckily, we haven't had any big snotty sneezes, we just get a little spray which is gross enough.


Now that we can have the windows open, both Beau and Belle are in 7th heaven! DH and I become invisible once the windows are opened in the morning!

[Asha]

Now that we can have the windows open, both Beau and Belle are in 7th heaven! DH and I become invisible once the windows are opened in the morning!

yup, bili is the same way. watching out the window is her form of television. she is especially addicted to it now that we are in the new place and there is a pride of cats living in the driveway behind our apt. she loves watching them.

[kissmary]

Petey loves looking out the windows, too. The first day we had his window open, he was there ALL DAY, without napping. Then he slept a lot once the window was shut again. But he is there early in the morning and meows at me to open the window when I get up. And bothers me until it is open, even if it is too cool to have it open. :p

[imagirliegirl]

I thought I posted this but I don't remember any replies, so let me try again. :)

Bailey is now almost 7 months old. Griffin is very mothering towards him, so I understand that he might have initially been confused. But now I'm sort of feeling bad for Griffin because he gets NO peace because Bailey is constantly trying to nurse on him. Poor Griffy has wet clumps all over him from Bailey's constant sucking.

Isn't he a little old to be trying to nurse? I don't know how old he was when he was separated from his mom but Griffin and Princess were both really young when I adopted/found them and they never seemed to act like they were missing out.

Has anyone had a cat that did this? Is he going to grow out of it? I don't know what to do. I always gently push him off and tell him no when I catch him but he does it when we aren't looking. My poor Griffy.

[silvergrey]

imagirliegirl, my friend had kind of a similar problem. When she got her cat, the cat was pregnant and had 3 kittens. The "kittens" tried to keep nursing well into adulthood. My friend finally put Bitter Apple spray on mom's nipples, and it worked, although she had to do it a few times.

[imagirliegirl]

imagirliegirl, my friend had kind of a similar problem. When she got her cat, the cat was pregnant and had 3 kittens. The "kittens" tried to keep nursing well into adulthood. My friend finally put Bitter Apple spray on mom's nipples, and it worked, although she had to do it a few times.

Interesting. I can't really try that though, because he sucks all over Griffin. I don't want to douse poor Griffin in something.

[tlew12778]

Could be that he was weaned too early. My boys still nurse. But on a shirt. Never on each other. They are almost 7 years old. They won't grow out of it. My mom had a cat that nursed on a blanket until she died at like 18-19.

[jnettie]

Now that we can have the windows open, both Beau and Belle are in 7th heaven! DH and I become invisible once the windows are opened in the morning!

Want some fun? We have a bird feeder that attaches with suction cups on our window. Whenever a bird lands on it, the cats go nuts! It's so funny! I got a little cell phone video of Sissy stalking the window. I'll see if I can post it somehow.

[imagirliegirl]

Could be that he was weaned too early. My boys still nurse. But on a shirt. Never on each other. They are almost 7 years old. They won't grow out of it. My mom had a cat that nursed on a blanket until she died at like 18-19.

:eek: OMG I won't tell Griffin that!

[imagirliegirl]

Poor Bailey, he has abandonment issues. Sometimes when he sits in the other room he'll just start screaming. I guess he worries that we've all left him if he goes a few minutes without seeing someone. After I pick him up and bring him back to where we are he lays down and stops crying. Poor kitty. :(

[diam124]

Poor Bailey, he has abandonment issues. Sometimes when he sits in the other room he'll just start screaming. I guess he worries that we've all left him if he goes a few minutes without seeing someone. After I pick him up and bring him back to where we are he lays down and stops crying. Poor kitty. :(

Our cat does that sometimes too. She won't realize that we went down to the family room or up to the bedroom and she'll just cry and cry. We have to yell out "Hannah, we're down here!" and she'll come running to us.

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[imagirliegirl]

The last couple days, Max has been having a few sneezing fits. He sneezes like, 5 or 6 times. It doesn't seem to bother him all that much-but I have no idea why he's doing it-is this how they come down with a cold/upper resperatory infection? How long do I let it go on?

Each of mine sort of went through a sneezing phase. I called the vet and he said to let it go about a week. Turns out one of my friends had a cat that was sneezing, too, and it was just the weather.

Princess did end up having an infection but she also had red and watery eyes so that made me take her in.

Hope Max feels better soon.

[ignutzz]

If the weather is turning nice around you and you've been opening the windows more often, Max is probably reacting to the fresh air/allergens in the air. Our guys do this a bit too.

If it IS a URI, and he's like Izzy, he will sneeze continuously throughout the day, and will most likely start showering you with boogers every time he sneezes. :) Also, his nose will probably be running quite a bit. Because Izzy's mucus was a little on the green side, our vet gave her antibx, which I kind of wish I had just skipped. If there is NO green tint (indicating bacterial infection), you just have to let it run it's course since it's a viral, not bacterial, infection.

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[greenbunny]

Bella and Summer sneezed for two weeks, then Bella's eyes started to swell shut. I took her to the ER and they said it was like cold sores in people and will flare up when her immune system is down. They gave me Clavamox and an antibacterial eye salve because they said that, even though it's viral, it's often followed by a pretty nasty secondary bacterial infection. Today is a week and she doesn't look much better. I'm debating whether to take her in again or not.

[KaliLily]

Greenbunny - Did the vet say that Bella's eye problems were from the feline herpes virus? If that's the case, you might want to try mixing L-Lysine with her food once a day. When one of Kali's eyes was watering a lot, our vet suggested we try that for 30 days to rule out the herpes virus. (It didn't help, so the vet concluded she didn't have the virus)

L-Lysine is a dietary supplement people with herpes use to help control symptoms. It can be found at a health food store. I bought the 500 mg capsules (so I didn't have to crush pills), and mixed it with moist food. I think I put the contents of a full capsule (500 mg) in her food daily, but I'm not positive.

[diam124]

Our cat also has feline herpes in her eyes. We used to give her a syringe of Interferon every day to help prevent flare-ups, but then we moved and the new vet charged over $100 for it (which was weird since we used to only pay $10 for it). We tried giving her a Lysine paste that Drs Foster & Smith sells but she wouldn't eat it. She hasn't had a flare up in quite a while.

[Kate&Joey]

I had posted in the Inappropriate Elimination thread about Gabby. DH took her to the vet on Saturday morning. She had lost more weight and was dehydrated. They gave her fluids and then did a rush on the bloodwork in-house. DH took her home and called me (ironically, I was having a lunch with her previous owner and other friends...baby shower). When they got the bloodwork back, she was in kidney failure. They faxed the results to the adjoining animal hospital so we could get a second opinion. After talking to the second vet and her original owner and many tearful calls with DH, we decided that the most humane thing would be to put her to sleep. :(

I took her in and my friend/original owner met me there so both of her mommies were with her. She was at least 10 years old (more likely 11 or 12) and had a good life. She was a sweet little thing who brought me lots of happiness in the last 6 months. Say a little prayer for my sweet Gabby-girl.

[Fenway]

Kate&Joey- I'm so sorry for your loss.

{{{Hugs}}}

The Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

[Asha]

k&j - i am sorry for the loss of your gabby. how blessed you were to have such a sweet kitty in your life.

[vwinkel]

K&J - I'm so sorry. :(

[eli1126]

Kate&Joey I am so sorry for your loss. Sending good thoughts your way.

[imagirliegirl]

Princess has cat herpes. She is vaccinated against it but somehow ended up with it. We have medicine called Enisyl. It's a nasty brown liquid we give her. Seems to have worked so far.

I'm so sorry for your loss Kate&Joey. :(

[imagirliegirl]

Question about collars:

My boys will both wear collars without a problem. Princess, however, HATES them. I never make her wear one but with the house being on the market I want her to have an ID tag. I'll always take her out for showings but heaven forbid the real estate agent comes by and she runs out.

Anyway...the one she is wearing seems a little tight. But if it's at all loose she will tear at it. I can slide two fingers under it and move them around. Is that loose enough? She isn't acting uncomfortable, just pissed. I guess I'd know if it were too tight. Right?

[Peppy]

I have read that one-to-two fingers between the collar and the cat is ideal in terms of tightness, so I think you are okay. Do you know if it is the collar around her neck that bothers her or if it is the tag? Because you can get collars that have plates on them that don't hang, or you can get an embroidered collar (with all of the cats information embroidered right into the collar) if she just hates the tag. Also, if you haven't already I would look into "breakaway" collars, which will come off if your cat is caught on something, so they won't choke.

I would also recommend that you get your cats microchipped. That way if they get loose and don't have a collar on (or the collar comes undone) a shelter or vet will be able to scan for a microchip and you will be contacted.

[Kate&Joey]

Thanks for the condolences...I appreciate your kind words. I know we did the right thing, but it's still hard. I catch myself looking down the hallway at night when I'm watching TV to see if she's there. :(

Does anyone need/want a tube of Petromalt? I hate to throw it away. My other cat is short hair and doesn't need it. Let me know and I'll mail it to you. :)

[greenbunny]

I'm so sorry, Kate. :(

Thanks for the supplement ideas, guys. I'm going to call my vet and see if he can give me a definite on the dosage.

[Sazoo]

Oh Kate, I am so sorry! :( That must have been so hard for you to do, but I'm sure you made the right decision for Gabby.

My 11-year old cat, Pepper, has kidney failure now too, and we are trying to get rid of her infection with antibiotics but I am not convinced she's improving much (it's been a couple of months since she was diagnosed). She's due for a follow-up exam with the vet next week; hopefully they'll re-run the kidney function tests and be able to see some improvement.

[jnettie]

Kate&Joey, I'm so very sorry.


Ugh. My grocery store stopped carrying the unscented Arm&Hammer litter. I tried the new "High Performance" stuff, but it has a very strong scent, and Jade HATES it. She just walks over to the box, then meows until I come over and just LOOKS at me. She's pooped on the floor once already. I know she's mad. I just keep forgetting to pick up different litter. Plus, the A&H litter at Petco costs twice as much as it did at my grocery store! This means I'll need to get out to Target, which really isn't very convenient.

/rant

[KaliLily]

Kate&Joey ~

I am so very sorry for your loss. Try to take comfort in knowing that Gabby had a good life, and knew how very loved she was.

My Kali has been gone for just over 2 months now, and I still miss her so terribly much. In the first several weeks I often thought I saw her coming in the room, or sleeping in her bed. If you ever need to talk, feel free to PM me.

[imagirliegirl]

Over the past few days Griffin has vomited about 3 times but the only think that comes out is a white foam. He acts healthy otherwise. I'm worried though, that it could be a sign of something serious. Googling cat vomit + foam came up with scary stuff. I'm normally not shy about calling the vet, but I feel silly about this. What would you do?

ETA: I called the vet and they said not to worry. They told me to get some stuff at the pet store to help him pass a hairball because it sounds like he's clogged. That doesn't surprise me since he grooms himself and Bailey constantly. I'll just keep an eye on him.

[Kate&Joey]

Kate&Joey ~

I am so very sorry for your loss. Try to take comfort in knowing that Gabby had a good life, and knew how very loved she was.

My Kali has been gone for just over 2 months now, and I still miss her so terribly much. In the first several weeks I often thought I saw her coming in the room, or sleeping in her bed. If you ever need to talk, feel free to PM me.

Thanks KaliLily. Friday night was the first night I slept in *her* bed since she passed. I started crying when I laid my head on the pillow because I kept expecting her to creep up and lay down next to my head. :( And on Saturday, I walked into my room and glanced on the bed to check on her...out of habit...then started crying. I can't believe she became such a big part of my heart in only six months.

imagirliegirl: Gabby would spit up some foamy stuff before the *big event* (i.e. hairball) so I'm sure that's what it is. Hope Griffin get rid of his issue soon!

[imagirliegirl]

imagirliegirl: Gabby would spit up some foamy stuff before the *big event* (i.e. hairball) so I'm sure that's what it is. Hope Griffin get rid of his issue soon!


Thanks, that makes me feel better! Google didn't do much but freak me out. It's sort of like Googling headache when you have one and it tells you that you could have a brain tumor. :p It had me thinking the worst. Hopefully he'll cough it up soon. It doesn't surprise me that he's plugged considering all of the fur he ingests. I gave him some Petromalt (which he just loved let me tell you) and I'll give him a little more later.

[Asha]

i had to post these pix of bili. after nearly two months of living in the new apt, i finally cleaned the spare room and cleared off and made the bed. well, naturally bili thought i did this for her pleasure. here she is with one of her toys. she keeps a few of them already on the bed already. she's pretty good like that bc she keeps most of her toys in the spare bedroom which she likes to think of as her very own bedroom.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/509710969_ff638c9041.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/221/509710979_b45e5ab365.jpg?v=0

[imagirliegirl]

Aw what a cutie Bili is!!

I guess I'm going to take Griffin to the vet tomorrow. He had an unpleasant poop this evening and I'm just worried about him. I haven't seen him eat much lately and he had those foamy pukes. He looks thin to me, although Brad thinks it's because the other cats are fat and he's in shape. But I don't know, I'm worried. I'd rather be safe than sorry. He's only a year and a half old and always current on his shots so I don't know what could be the problem. Hopefully it's just nothing but I'll feel better once I know.

[Kate&Joey]

imagirliegirl: Definitely take Griffin to the vet then. Has his behavior changed at all? Trust your mommy instinct...absolutely better to be safe than sorry. I hope he's ok. :)

[diam124]

Asha - Bili is sooo cute! I love how she's tucked in under the comforter.

[eli1126]

Asha: That picture of Bili sleeping under the comforter is precious!

imagirliegirl: Good Luck at the Vet with Griffin! I always think it's better to err on the side of caution and go to the Vet....of course DH always thinks I'm just being neurotic :rolleyes: Let us know how you make out!


DH was working around the house (finally!) last weekend and he left the basement door wide open. Well, we had a stray visitor decide to make themselves at home, a rather large and vocal black cat!! I didn't realize that the cat was in the basement and could not figure out why Beau and Belle were going nuts! Finally, DH went down into the basement to get a tool and what does he see but the big cat on the other side of the basement door that leads into the kitchen teasing Beau and Belle :p Needless to say, Beau and Belle were miffed with us for the rest of the day!

[ysolde]

Asha--

That's little Bili? They grow up so fast! Sniff!

Umm, are you implying you don't make the bed for her? Cause chez moi, I sure as heck make the bed for the pleasure and comfort of the kitties . . .

[Asha]

bili thanks you for complimenting her on her cute self!!!

That's little Bili? They grow up so fast! Sniff!

Umm, are you implying you don't make the bed for her? Cause chez moi, I sure as heck make the bed for the pleasure and comfort of the kitties . . .
i was just looking at the pix when we first found her, and i was amazed at how little and scraggly she was. you may be right that i clean up for her bc she certainly does act like the boss when i clean as she stands observing me the whole time.

imagirliegirl - i hope your kitty is ok and the vet figures out what is wrong with him.

eli - too funny that cat was trying to take over b & b's territory.

[imagirliegirl]

Thanks. He has an appointment tomorrow morning. I haven't seen him eat lately but that doesn't mean he's not eating. I don't watch him 24/7 but he's always been a really loud eater so we always knew when he was in there. Otherwise he still plays normally.

Brad thinks I'm being a worrier but I don't care! He brought up about how kids get sick and I said yeah, but a kid can cry and tell me it doesn't feel good! My poor kitty, I just have to look at him and guess. :rolleyes:

We'll see tomorrow. Hopefully it's nothing.

[imagirliegirl]

Well, Mr Griffin must have heard me say vet because he's been eating like a moo cow. :rolleyes: I guess I'll just watch him.

[Kate&Joey]

Well, Mr Griffin must have heard me say vet because he's been eating like a moo cow. :rolleyes: I guess I'll just watch him.

So typical! ;)

Question:

Does anyone use flushable litter? I was in an *upscale* pet supply store the other day (upgrading to Innova for Mr. Sullie Cat) and I noticed flushable litter made from a corn by-product (pretty sure that's what it was).

From environmental, clean-up, and smell perspectives, flushable litter seems like the way to go, but...I was curious about whether it is truly safe for the toilet and if cats like it.

Any experience would be appreciated! :)

[imagirliegirl]

Bailey says he hopes you all have a fantastic weekend. And he urges you to not take pictures of your silliness so there's no evidence. :D

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h200/myheartbelongstodallas/bailey-2.jpg

[mommy2allyandaveri]

What adorable panties Bailey is wearing today:D

[imagirliegirl]

Yes. He really is too sexy. :)

[tlew12778]

Question:

Does anyone use flushable litter? I was in an *upscale* pet supply store the other day (upgrading to Innova for Mr. Sullie Cat) and I noticed flushable litter made from a corn by-product (pretty sure that's what it was).

From environmental, clean-up, and smell perspectives, flushable litter seems like the way to go, but...I was curious about whether it is truly safe for the toilet and if cats like it.

Any experience would be appreciated! :) We have it. We don't flush it though. We compost it usually. Main problem is that Casanova likes to eat it. He likes grains - barley, wheat, brewer's yeast, cereal, etc... and he likes to eat the litter. So we try not to buy it. I actually have a crystal litter right now that is 100% natural and biodegradable.

The corn one doesn't deal with smell too well. And it sort of disintegrates when it's wet. It's a pain to clean the box bc it becomes like cement on the walls. If you use liners it would be fine I think but our cats destroy the liners.

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[ignutzz]

M&M Ollie does that all the time. Depending on how much it hurts, I know when he needs his nails trimmed. :p Otherwise, I put a pillow or blanket between his claws and whatever body part he's clawing at.

[KaliLily]

I put a pillow or blanket between his claws and whatever body part he's clawing at.

Me too! Lily is a master at happy clawing. If my breasts weren't natural I'd leak silicone! ;)

[jnettie]

Oh, yeah, Sissy does that with her claws. Usually for the first few minutes after she settles in to sit with me. She sits in the crook of my arm and places her forepaws on my arm. It's not bad in winter when I have long sleeves, but in summer, it's killer! But she's so horribly cute I have to let her do it.

[eli1126]

My cats are kneaders! In fact, they need their claws trimmed so they are constantly getting their nails caught in my clothes. This morning, I had to detach Beau from my sweatshirt :D Of course he was just annoyed that I had the audacity to wake him up :rolleyes:

[ignutzz]

Hysterical pictures of our family kitty!!

Note: Before anyone freaks out that this cat is not being well cared for, please view pictures with the following info in mind:
Charlotte is 18 yrs old. She has ALWAYS been small (heaviest weight was 11 lbs), with most of her bulk being fur. She has a thyroid condition (which she takes medicine for) which makes it difficult for her to keep weight on. Additionally, she is deaf and arthritic. BUT, is still a very active, happy kitty with a wonderful home life.

Charlotte the Lion

Charlotte gets terrible dreadlocks in her fur (mainly because she loves to run through the woods and gets a lot of debris stuck in her fur) but DETESTS being brushed. It got so bad that all of her fur had to be shaved off:
http://createconstruct.com/char_lion_1_sml.jpg
http://createconstruct.com/char_lion_2_sml.jpg

Poor crotchety girl, she must be thrilled! :D

[sdianems]

Charlotte the Lion OH! The indignity! :)

[diam124]

Oh my! Poor Charlotte. Her head and her body look like 2 different cats!

[ignutzz]

diam yeah. This photo is even weirder (took me a while to figure out what was going on):
http://createconstruct.com/Charlotte_head_sml.jpg

:D

[Asha]

Oh my! Poor Charlotte. Her head and her body look like 2 different cats!

before reading the description, i thought it was photoshopped. how funny!!!!

HELP!!! bili is back to playing with her poop again!!! i thought it was that some poop got flung out of the litterbox, but i caught her the other day and discovered that she actually reaches into her litterbox and takes out the poop. i don't think its bc her box is dirty bc she seems to do it at random times. i am going to have to move her litter box soon bc of space issues, and it will be a much smaller space for her litter, so i am hoping that the smaller space will give her less room to play with the poop. lets hope she doesn't bring the poop up the stairs!!!

[greenbunny]

I've always wondered how tiny Bella would look if we ever had to shave her, but luckily she adores being brushed. We are going to give her a short summer cut so I should do some before & after shots.

[eli1126]

My cats aren't crazy about being brushed, but they tolerate it. However, what kills me is that nothing really comes off in the brush, but when we pet them we take off enough fur to make another cat :confused:

Asha: Is there a cover on the box? Maybe that would discourage her?

[shopaholic]

LMAO ignutzz. Poor Kitty!

[sdianems]

My cats aren't crazy about being brushed, but they tolerate it. However, what kills me is that nothing really comes off in the brush, but when we pet them we take off enough fur to make another cat :confused:

Asha: Is there a cover on the box? Maybe that would discourage her?

LMAO, because it is so true in my own household! :rolleyes:

[greenbunny]

Eli, what kind of brush are you using? You might need a different style. And are your cats long- or short-haired?

[eli1126]

greenbunny, they're short haired. Although, I think they have a lot more hair than some of the short haired cats I've seen. I'll see if I can post a close up of them.

[Rippy1010]

Hey girls! I thought I resubscribed when we moved to a new thread, but apparently NOT! :(

I have a question for you guys ...

My kitty-girl, Noelle, is a short-hair and she is entirely an indoor cat. Just within a few months, she has started developing little mats of hair ... only right along her back.

The one mat was getting bigger, and I couldn't work it out, so ... I ended up snipping it out the other night to investigate the problem. There is no skin infection or other irritation. No evidences of fleas or lice, either. Inside the mat, there was a lot of dander specks ... but otherwise she doesn't typically get a lot of dander.

She has two smaller mats that are developing further up her back. What is this from? Why is she just now starting to mat at 3-4 years of age? I groom her every few days with a Love Glove because she used to get a lot of hairballs, so it's not for lack of grooming. That would've been the excuse for our other kitty, because she WILL NOT let me groom her, and she has much more dander and she has medium-length hair (yet, no mats. Go figure.)

Does anyone know what else I can do that's preventative? Also, is there some type of "detangler" out on the market that I can use prior to trying to brush out with my "mat" brush that I'll be purchasing soon?

[Peppy]

Eli, my cat is the same way. She is short haired but there is just so much of it! It's always all over the place. Regular brushes don't work, nor do those rubbery brushes. But I have had a lot of luck with something put out by a company called Bamboo,which they call a "de-shedder." It looks kind of like a flea comb and has steel teeth that are close together. Here (http://www.bamboopet.com/all_products/detail.php?ID=580914457&nID=3z1) is a link.

The one time I took her to a groomer (she had sticky stuff all over her fur) they used this and it was amazing. I immediately bought one.

[greenbunny]

I've used both slicker brushs and greyhound combs on short-haired cats with success. I use an undercoat rake on my girls, but I think that would be overkill for short-haired cats.

[diam124]

We use a comb on our short-haired cat. It took me a while to realize that DH gets a lot more hair because he uses the comb differently than me. I would brush her with the comb at a slight angle, but he brushes her with the comb straight on her -you get a lot more fur his way!

[Peppy]

I have a cat question, and I thought it was time to revive this thread after almost a month of no activity!

I don't know what's going on with my cat lately, but she's been biting me. Some background: we adopted her about a year ago as a rescue cat. She is about 10 years old. She has always been very sweet, laid-back and easygoing. However, sometimes when I pet her a lot, she would turn her head toward my hand and nip at me. I took that as a sign of her not wanting any more petting and I would stop.

Lately, she has been a little more standoffish than normal. That's not so crazy, because she kind of goes through phases--sometimes she's very affectionate, others she is a little cooler, but still very sweet. What's odd is that she is meowing a lot (she has always been a VERY vocal kitty, although she isn't Siamese). When she gets close and I start to pet her she usually moves her head toward my hand and tries to bite me after only a couple of pats. And this is a little more than a nip--she's really starting to dig in.

I'm not sure why she is doing this. The solution, of course, is to pull my hand away as soon as she tries to bite and not pet her any more. But I feel like she is getting zero affection from me if I don't pet her.

Does anyone have any ideas or advice? Just FYI, she is healthy. I counted a few days ago and in the eleven months we have had her she has been to the vet nine times. She was there last about six weeks ago and had full blood work done, and everything was fine.

[JenInAZ]

Maybe she needs some more play time. My kitty has always been like that, very vocal, and does the same biting thing when you pet him. Usually I pull out a toy on a stick or the laser pointer and let him go crazy for awhile, and then he's good again and we can have lots of lovin' time without the teeth.

[eli1126]

My cats do this from time to time more so Beau than Belle. I just tell him No in a firm voice and withdraw attention. It sounds mean, but DH gets it worse and he's nicer about and he keeps getting nipped.

[Rippy1010]

Have you introduced anything new in to the house? New anything ... furniture, carpeting, baby, new pet, new food, etc? My cats get like that when their little world has been upset in some way ... especially when they were trying to get used to a baby being in the house.

[Fenway]

Fenway gets cranky when its hot. The weather has been on the warmer side since Saturday, and he's been irritable, which is out of character for him. Today is the first day of cooler weather and he is back to his normal playful, cuddly self.

[diam124]

Hmmm, our cat has been extra cranky lately too! She usually loves weekends because we're home but the past 2 Saturdays she has been crying a lot and more aggressive than usual. Last Saturday she walked up to me and bit my leg (not nearly hard enough to break the skin though). It was the weirdest thing - she never bites out of the blue for no reason.

Last night she was very cranky and aggressive too. I think it's because she wants to go outside more but it's been so hot that I don't feel like taking her out!

[Sazoo]

I don't know what's going on with my cat lately, but she's been biting me. Some background: we adopted her about a year ago as a rescue cat. She is about 10 years old. She has always been very sweet, laid-back and easygoing. However, sometimes when I pet her a lot, she would turn her head toward my hand and nip at me. I took that as a sign of her not wanting any more petting and I would stop. One of my cats (who is 11 yrs old) has been like this for a long time. When she's had enough patting, she starts nipping at me...and sometimes it's more than just nipping - she can bite pretty hard! Normally she gives off some signals before she starts the biting, though...her tail starts swishing/flicking around faster, her ears go back a little, and her eyes get a sort of fixed stare. It's sort of hard to describe, but seriously, I can almost always tell when she's had enough & wants me to stop messing with her, so if I continue & then she starts trying to bite, it's really my own fault. ;) Sometimes she starts nipping at me pretty soon after I start patting her, other times she lets me pat her longer before she starts biting at me.

When it happens I do what you said - just say no & stop playing/patting/messing with her and walk away. Or find another way to play from a farther distance, like with a toy or string, or something. I've never really found a way to teach her not to bite at me like that - I just put a stop to it when she starts nipping.

What's odd is that she is meowing a lot (she has always been a VERY vocal kitty, although she isn't Siamese). When she gets close and I start to pet her she usually moves her head toward my hand and tries to bite me after only a couple of pats. And this is a little more than a nip--she's really starting to dig in. The same cat I mentioned above has also gotten a lot more vocal lately - she meows SO much now, it's weird! We did just move to a new house a month ago so part of it might be her adjusting to her new surroundings. At first DH & I thought she was upset because she was lost in the new house or something (hee hee) but I've noticed lately she does this funny meow/howl when she's playing with one of her little toys so I don't think she's really upset or lost...she's just on the hunt for her prey. ;)

Does anyone have any ideas or advice?I agree with what someone else said above - try to find other ways to play with her that don't involve patting/scratching/rubbing on her directly. Play with a toy or a string or a laser pointer to give her some attention.

Good luck!

[jnettie]

Peppy, considering she's older and this has happened suddenly, you might want to take her to the vet for a checkup. My stepmom's cat started getting more and more irritable, and it was because she was sick. Now that she's better, SM's cat is once again sweet and loving.

[jnettie]

DH has been away, so I've been lavishing my love on the girls. They've been especially kind as to pose for some lovely pics these last few weeks:

Jade-in-a-Box
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1273/834038641_a714978546.jpg?v=0

Mmmmm...cheese puffs
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1280/834024329_d7b0b22b34.jpg?v=0

Kitty Bliss
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1144/834024433_2a11b4d259.jpg?v=0

Sunshine on my fur makes me happy!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1009/834024395_1e0d49f725.jpg?v=0

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[sdianems]

Look at those beautiful roly-poly kitty-cat bellies!!!!!
Just gorgeous maxandmolly, thanks! :)

[Peppy]

The photos are all so cute. I need to get out the camera and take some photos soon.

So she seems to have calmed down a little. No more biting, except sometimes a little curiosity bite when I put my hand near her mouth. *sniff, sniff, sniff, longer sniff, nip.* Thanks for the advice, though. I wonder if it has something to do with the weather, although we keep our place so cold with the AC I have to suspect that she would be complaining that it's too cold, rather than too hot.

[Asha]

I wonder if it has something to do with the weather, although we keep our place so cold with the AC I have to suspect that she would be complaining that it's too cold, rather than too hot.
its so hard to tell with cats bc they are so finicky. most of the time my kitty hangs out in the hottest part of the house, but today she is on the bed sitting directly in front of the window a/c.

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[jnettie]

He he, thanks! Sissy can't stay away from any kind of snack in a bag. It's so funny.

Yet more reasons to be thankful I just leave out a bowl of kibble. ;) But they are cute buggers, so what can a girl do?

[diam124]

I thought cat mommies would appreciate this - my sister and her family were visiting this weekend. Our cat was being extra mean to them (hissing a lot). Well, one night my BIL went to the 3rd level of the house to get something. When he was ready to come back downstairs our cat was sitting at the top of the stairs. She WOULD NOT let him go past her!! She was growling, hissing and spitting at him! He threw a toy to distract her but she didn't fall for it. He held up a bedsheet so she couldn't see him and she started climbing the sheet! Finally he went into our bedroom and used the phone to call us on our cell phone downstairs to come rescue him! My BIL has been around cats his entire life and is the most mild-mannered person I know. He was so completely freaked out by her - he said he has never been that afraid of an animal his entire life!

Now I know how owners of aggressive dogs feel when their dogs attack and they claim they are the sweetest things at home with their owners!

[Rippy1010]

OMG! That is freakin' HILARIOUS! Thanks for sharing!

[Sazoo]

Does anyone else love watching those silly cat videos that people post online (on YouTube, etc.)? I have links to a couple of them saved on my work computer because they never fail to put a smile on my face. I just watched them this morning and thought I'd share in case someone else could use an afternoon feline pick-me-up. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIqhUCZgwXQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amv0OnKcWuM

I have another one that is a .wav file on my computer, but I don't have a link to it online. Maybe I'll see if I can find it - someone emailed it to me a long time ago.

[jnettie]

oh, I can spend hours on stuffonmycat.com There's just something funny about what my Dad would call "kitty indignities." They get this look on their face like "I'll take it, but I don't like it, lady."

[TracieB]

Have you guys seen this story?

Cat plays furry grim reaper at nursing home
Oscar has predicted 25 deaths by curling up next to patient in final hours

Oscar, a hospice cat at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, R.I., seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.

more here (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959718/?GT1=10150)

[Rippy1010]

Tracie ... that's so eerie, because I literally just read that article!

[FallingforPhil]

oh, I can spend hours on stuffonmycat.com There's just something funny about what my Dad would call "kitty indignities." They get this look on their face like "I'll take it, but I don't like it, lady."


Thankyouverymuch. I just spent almost an hour, lauging out loud at those pictures. My cats think I'm insane, and they're irritated that I woke them up. :)

[Shermy]

YAY! Finally a use for all of those cat pictures we have laying around the house and on the digital camera.

So, let me introduce you to our cats. Sita on the left is our itty bitty super model kitty, as a full grown cat she is under 6 lbs. The grey cat to Sita's right is Gwendylon. Our rolly polly.

We adopted Gwen a little over a year ago and they have take to each other wonderfully!

http://a230.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/1/l_8b79232f4390fb684145b52306cacdb5.jpg

[eli1126]

Shermy What beautiful furbabies you have! That's great that they get along so well!

[imagirliegirl]

I submitted Bailey's underwear photo to stuff on my cat last night. Wish him luck. :)

[diam124]

Ugh, I need to vent. I hope I'm totally overreacting, but I'm worried. We took our cat to the vet on Saturday because of fur loss. They gave her a cortisone shot and a prescription for an antibiotic (for 10 days). Ever since then she's been very sleepy and just kind of lazy. I figured it's from the antibiotic. She just follows us around and then flops over when we stop to do something. She's only 2 years old, so she normally has more energy.

Last night as I was giving her the antibiotic I noticed that the left side of her abdomen seemed kind of swollen. I tried to look directly down on her to see if both sides were the same, and it still looked to me like one side is bigger. I asked DH to look and he noticed it too, but then said maybe it's just the way she's standing.

I checked her littermaid and she's definitely using it regularly (in fact I think she might be peeing more than normal).

Now I definitely have a tendency to overreact (I thought she had a lump once until DH pointed out that it was a rib), but one side of her looks significantly bigger to me. And of course I did what any good worry-wart would do and I googled it and saw that among the obvious (tumors, fluid, etc.) it can be a sign of FIP. We have to take her to the vet soon anyway to get her skin checked so I am just going to keep close watch on her until then.

[eli1126]

diam124: I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it ends up being nothing. Keep us updated!

imagirliegirl: How did Bailey make out? Is he famous yet?!

[diam124]

Thanks eli1126 - I've been reading more about FIP to see if there is a possibility she could have it. I have not been keeping up the FIP vaccination (although she was vaccinated when we found her) since she is indoor-only. But then I read that the FECV can mutate into FIP. I'll have to check her records when we get home, but we were told when she was a kitten that she has a chronic upper respiratory infection and eye herpes. Her eyes have been acting up a little this week. I don't know if any of that could be FECV though.

[sdianems]

diam124 let us know how it goes, poor kitty cat and kitty mama! Thoughts and prayers to you all...

[ignutzz]

I checked her littermaid and she's definitely using it regularly (in fact I think she might be peeing more than normal).
This is most likely the result of the cortisone dose. One of the side effects is increased thirst and urination.

I have not been keeping up the FIP vaccination (although she was vaccinated when we found her) since she is indoor-only.
The general consensus of studies and vet recs that I've read feel that FIP is not a very effective vaccine and is particularly unnecessary in indoor only cats. If she's already received a vaccine, it's highly likely that she's still carrying antibodies (and will continue too) for FIP. Given that she's an indoor only cat, and she's likely not ingesting infected feces or around other seropositive animals, the likelihood that she contracted FIP from being unvaccinated is small.


I hope you get some clear answers as to what's going on with her, but don't think you've done something wrong to cause it!

[diam124]

Well, she looks fine thing evening, so I think it's safe to say I overreacted.

I do feel like a horrible cat mommy though because I was giving her fresh water and noticed a moldy piece of food (complete with bugs on it) near her food and water. After I got everything cleaned up I boiled some chicken for her to make up for it.

[TracieB]

Question for all you cat moms:

For the past couple of days, Nikko hasn't been drinking much water. We used to feed him wet food (only half a can in the morning) and dry food was out all day. We recently noticed he was getting a little chunky, so we put the dry food away and for the past two days have given him a half can of food in the morning and evening. Could this be related to his not drinking? He's acting normal; running, playing, eating, etc. so I'm not too concerned, but thought I'd ask you all.

TIA!

[ignutzz]

TracieB Cats are not big drinkers to start with so it's not unusual to not see them drinking a lot. The fact that you switched to an all wet diet is probably why you're seeing a decrease in him drinking at the bowl as he's getting extra moisture through his food now.

If you're concerned about his liquid intake, you can add a little water to his wet food to get a little more in him. Good hydration in males is particularly important since they're more susceptible to bladder and urethra issues.

[TracieB]

Thanks for the info, ignutzz!

[Peppy]

TracieB: Wet food has a lot more moisture in it than dry food. So it might be that he is getting more moisture and doesn't feel the need to drink a lot of water anymore.

It's great that you are feeding him wet food--they have done tons of studies and cats who eat wet food get way more moisture than those that eat dry, even when the ones eating dry drink a lot of water. If his coat starts getting dry or dull, then I would definitely be concerned that he isn't getting enough hydration. You can also check to see if a cat is dehydrated by pulling back his skin near the scruff. If it doesn't bounce back quickly, it could mean he is dehydrated.

But it sounds to me like that's not going on here, and he's just getting more moisture from his food.

[jnettie]

I got one of those water fountain type water bowls (http://www.petco.com/product/9399/Deluxe-Petmate-Fresh-Flow-Purifying-Pet-Fountain.aspx) for my girls, and I think the flowing water encourages them to drink more. If you're concerned about water intake, it could help. They actually like to drink straight from where the water flows in at the top. They now tend to take a drink every time the eat.

[TracieB]

Thanks for the advice, ladies. I figured it was the switch to an all-wet diet. I may have to get one of those bowls for him... he usually drinks straight of the faucet :rolleyes: ;).

[Asha]

why bother with cat toys??!! bili is so funny bc she just prefers to play with the things she finds around the house. last night she woke us up happily playing with edemame shells. she is currently fascinated by ice chips that i throw on the floor and runs to the kithen every time she hears me getting out the ice tray. apparantly, its a mystery to her how the ice disappears. the funniest thing she did is purposefully jump on a shelf and grab one of the necklaces i bought on etsy. it was in a jewelry bag and she took it by the handle and carried it out of the room.

[jnettie]

LOL! ain't it the truth! I think Jade has most fun with the little plastic thingies that seal the milk carton cap than any other toy we got her. And she still loves DH's socks. If he forgets to close his sock drawer, you're garanteed 3-4 pairs to be taken out and left around the house.

[tlew12778]

Yeah we don't buy cat toys anymore. MIL buys really expensive ones and they just ignore them. They really prefer plastic ties, plastic bags, ribbons, and strings. Oh and shoeboxes.

[Rippy1010]

And she still loves DH's socks
Both of my cats steal my DS's socks ALL. THE. TIME! I have to snatch them out of the laundry basket right away, and put them in the drawer. They've also started stealing DS's brush ... :confused: ... WTH?!

[diam124]

she is currently fascinated by ice chips that i throw on the floor
This is our cat too. She LOVES ice cubes. If someone leaves them in a glass she will find a way to get them out and will carry them around in her mouth. I had to put a stop to it because I was worried she would swallow one and choke on it!

[Kate&Joey]

LOL! ain't it the truth! I think Jade has most fun with the little plastic thingies that seal the milk carton cap than any other toy we got her.

Sullie loves those things, too! Any type of plastic bottle top is fair game to him. He plays with stuff and then it disappears...we call it *the lair.* When we moved out of our old house, DH found all kinds of crap that Sullie had taken to the basement to play with. :)

[eli1126]

My cats had a blast last night with a gum wrapper :p

[ignutzz]

Well, Izzy prefers to play with her food (they get raw meat, and we know she's done eating when she starts playing instead of chewing).

But, the really funny thing we just discovered: long strings on helium balloons! A friend gave me a gift with a balloon attached, the string was just long enough to be out of reach unless they jumped for it. Well, Izzy loves jumping so she'd grab it, then try to run through the house with the balloon. So adorable. :D

[Peppy]

I was wondering if any of you have experience with this issue: my cat likes to drink out of the toilet. It used to be that she was just fascinated with the toilet after it was flushed (I think she likes watching the water swirl). But now I have caught her standing on the seat and drinking out of the bowl twice.

I don't put any of those color drop-ins in the toilet or anything like that, so what she is drinking is clean toilet water. But my question is whether it is dangerous. Anyone have any idea? My first inclination was to close the toilet lid so that she won't drink out of there. But I took her to the vet this week and even though she eats wet food, her urine is concentrated, meaning she needs more hydration. I have tried a fountain but she was afraid of it. So I guess I'm thinking that if it is safe and it gets her to drink more water....maybe it's not so bad? Anyone have any ideas?

[Sazoo]

I was wondering if any of you have experience with this issue: my cat likes to drink out of the toilet. It used to be that she was just fascinated with the toilet after it was flushed (I think she likes watching the water swirl). But now I have caught her standing on the seat and drinking out of the bowl twice.

I don't put any of those color drop-ins in the toilet or anything like that, so what she is drinking is clean toilet water. But my question is whether it is dangerous. Anyone have any idea? My first inclination was to close the toilet lid so that she won't drink out of there. But I took her to the vet this week and even though she eats wet food, her urine is concentrated, meaning she needs more hydration. I have tried a fountain but she was afraid of it. So I guess I'm thinking that if it is safe and it gets her to drink more water....maybe it's not so bad? Anyone have any ideas?
To answer your first question about anyone having experience with this - my answer is yes, and here is my proof:

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l240/sazoo111/Cats/100_3575.jpg

We don't put any of those color drop-ins in our toilets either and we try to keep them clean, but I still prefer not to let the cats drink out of the toilet because I figure it's probably not completely clean all the time (this pic was taken on a rare occasion when we forgot to close the toilet seat right away). Pepper (cat in the pic) has kidney problems & needs more hydration too, like your cat, so we just leave multiple bowls/cups of water out around the house for her. She even drinks out of the floating candle bowl on our coffee table (I never light the candles, so it's mostly just her water bowl). :p I haven't tried the fountain idea yet, but I don't think she'd have a problem with it.

Anyway, to answer your question about whether or not it's safe...I really don't know, but I'd err on the side of caution and try not to let her drink out of the toilet and try to provide other safe/clean water sources instead. ;)

P.S. The other reason we had to start closing the toilet lid, besides just not wanting our cats to drink out of the toilets, was that our other cat liked to throw her cat toys in there & fish them back out again...or if she got lucky enough to find a tissue or something in there she had great fun fishing that out and flinging chunks of wet tissue all over the bathroom. :rolleyes:

Good luck!

[ignutzz]

There's nothing wrong with the cats drinking out of a clean toilet bowl. While we may think it's not clean enough for human consumption, it's not going to harm them. Cats have a very different digestive system (in terms of disease susceptibility) than humans and are not likely to contract anything from a clean bowl.

The only reason we keep out bowl closed (other than personal aesthetic preference) is because I'm paranoid about them drowning. On the other hand, if anything were to happen to us and we couldn't get home (such as the animals in the city during 9/11) they would have fresh water if we left it open. It's a catch-22 for me with regards to those safety issues. :confused:

[diam124]

When our cat was a kitten she jumped up on the toilet not realizing the lid was up. I grabbed her before she was fully submerged, but after that I was worried she might drown in the toilet. We've kept all bathroom doors shut ever since.

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[Fenway]

Fenway used to love watching the toilet flush. On day he tried to jump in mid-flush! I caught him, thank god.

[jnettie]

Sazoo - LOL! So funny!

[Sazoo]

Sazoo - LOL! So funny!I know! I couldn't resist running for the camera. She actually stayed there drinking long enough for me to catch her doing it, go to the other room, get the camera, come back & take 2 pictures of her! :rolleyes:

[Mrs.B716]

Hello Cat Moms!!

I think I posted pictures of my kitten when we first got him, but now we have one big cat!! We actually just celebrated his 1st birthday and the end of September will be one year since we got him. He is at 12.5 pounds and he is one sassy cat!!!


Here are some kitten pictures:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x251/MrsB716/Kramer002.jpg?t=1186767301
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x251/MrsB716/DSC00681-1.jpg?t=1186767720

And Kramer now:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x251/MrsB716/May172007012.jpg?t=1186767495

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x251/MrsB716/May172007014.jpg?t=1186767625

As you can see from the latter pictures that he is a big ham;)

[sdianems]

Look at that yummy kitty-kat belly!!!! He is one happy cat :)
Thanks for the posts, he looks darling!

[Mrs.B716]

He definately is not shy around us!!!

[jnettie]

Mrs.B716, I opened this thread hoping to see some new cute kitty pictures...thanks for obliging!

Kramer sure knows he's adored, doesn't he? ;)

[Asha]

ahhhhh... kramer is adorable. that's crazy that he is already 12.5 pounds.

[eli1126]

Mrs.B716 I love kitty pictures when they are rolled over on their backs like that! Kramer is adorable!

[maxandmolly]

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f330/maxandmolly/001-11.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f330/maxandmolly/002-11.jpg

[Katy]

I think I may have asked this before (if not, I meant to) and just never got around to reading the follow up, but I'm just wondering, do you guys change up your cat's wet food? I tend to stick with one brand (though since the scare, I've been trying out different high end brands to find one he likes better than another), but I also usually pick up one of each flavor and then switch out daily (or by the can).

Is this okay? Should I stick with one kind of flavor? Or is the variety a good thing? I mean I'd get bored if I had to eat the same thing over and over and over.

Just wondering.

[jnettie]

I change flavors all the time. And I'll try new things to see if they like it. I'm getting to know their tastes. Jade prefers fish flavors, and Sissy prefers beef (which is hard to find for cats!). I usually stick to the same brand all the time, but will change it up. I've considered getting a couple of junk food pouches as a special treat for them, because they sure do love the stinky cheep stuff. They get wet so seldom (usually just on Saturday morning) that I'm not worried about them eating too much cheep food. ;)

[TracieB]

We switch between two different flavors. Nikko only really likes bird (turkey, chicken). He's not into beef or seafood flavors at all. We usually switch between the "elegant medleys" Fancy Feast meals (he especially likes the "white meat chicken florentine in a delicate sauce with garden greens"- :p!) and Fancy Feast Turkey & Giblets.

I sometimes wonder if he gets bored, but he always eats all of it, so I don't think it's a big deal.

[Peppy]

I switch her wet food, and would switch it more if she weren't so picky. It's a good idea to switch up the flavors of the wet food (unless your cat has a very sensitive stomach) because it allows them to get their protein from more than one source (i.e. it is better if they get some protein from beef, some from chicken, etc., instead of all from one place, because different proteins have different nutrients--if you have a sensitive stomach kitty, though, variety isn't good). Unfortunately, my baby is finicky and only likes chicken and SOMETIMES turkey. I am constantly trying new brands to see what she thinks.

Does anyone feed "By Nature Organics?" I usually feed Innova and Wellness, but I found this brand in my local store recently and Emma went crazy for it (initially; now she is already acting bored). I was wondering if anyone else had cats who eat it.

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[Katy]

Thanks ladies. I picked up some Tiki Cat (http://www.waggintails.com/store/DisplayProduct.php?sku=TKCC-001) food (along with some California Cat - he loved their dry) and he went crazy for it. He nearly ate the entire serving as soon as he saw it :eek: This stuff is so chock full of fish, you can actually SEE it. And Charlie loves his fish (and chicken and turkey and beef)

[ysolde]

I have been alternating between the Newman's Own and the Drs. Foster and Smith.

[jnettie]

I think that because Sissy is deaf, she can fall in the deepest of sleeps that most cats never achieve.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1383/1159063743_b1e802a0a5.jpg?v=0

This is her new favorite spot...my scrap fabric basket. It's up high in a place she can get into now. Only, she knocks things over every time she tries to get up there and as she's coming down. :rolleyes: She's such a klutz.

[Ummm]

Mrs.B716 - kramer is so cute!! what breed is he?

[eli1126]

jnettie Sissy looks pretty comfy in that pic!


Beau & Belle went to the Vet today for their annual check-up. Of course they were so well behaved :) The Vet said everything looked good and was pleased with their teeth. I was a little worried because we're not exactly on top of it when it comes to brushing, but we do what they'll let us :rolleyes: Of course, when I am brushing my teeth, I can't get them to give me room in the sink!

[jnettie]

jnettie Sissy looks pretty comfy in that pic!
I realized the other day almost all of my photos of her are of her sleeping in odd places or with the look of kitty bliss as she snoozes away on a pile of pillows. I could do a whole slide show of just Sissy sleeping.

I was a little worried because we're not exactly on top of it when it comes to brushing, but we do what they'll let us :rolleyes: Of course, when I am brushing my teeth, I can't get them to give me room in the sink!

LOL! I think that if the vet told me I had to start brushing my girls' teeth, I'd start laughing. Maybe, just maybe I could get Jade, but Sissy? Not a chance. I can't even pick her up to pet her.

It was like the day I picked Jade up from being spayed. The vet assistant handed me a pair of gloves with instructions to put them on and gently remove the pain patch from the base of her tail and NOT to let her chew it off. Now, imagine me the next morning, chasing the cat around the apartment wearing latex gloves, finally yelling "fine, just chew it off for all I care!" That was doomed from the beginning.

[Asha]

we have been having a persistent problem with ants getting into bili's food. we feed her dry food and have been keeping her area very clean. these tiny, reddish ants keep getting into her food. its strange bc she eats only dry food and they still keep coming back. i am hesitant to switch her eating area bc i don't want red ants coming further into the house. any ideas on how to deal with this?

[Peppy]

Could you get her a bowl that is a little bit elevated? One that sits in a stand? Maybe if you did that and then put double-sided tape on the sides of the stand, when the ants tried to crawl up to get into the bowl, they would get stuck?

[tlew12778]

Ooo the double faced tape is a good idea. I would put it around the base of the bowl.

You could also try cloves. Whole cloves are supposed to keep ants away but when I tried they just walked around the cloves about 1cm away.

[sdianems]

Another natural ant deterrent is cayenne pepper; although I don't know that you want that sprinkled around your cat dish. Could you find where they are coming in and hit that area (either with the pepper or corn meal)? I had a brutal ant problem earlier this year and the pepper all along the slider door frame kept them out.

[Sazoo]

We had horrible ant problems at the condo we just moved out of, and they liked our dry cat food, too. Ours were those little teeny tiny ants (sometimes referred to as 'sugar ants').

The best solution we found to getting the ants out of the house was Terro Liquid Ant Bait (www.terro.com). Find where the ants are coming in from (usually if you watch closely you can see their path to/from the cat food back to wherever they are entering from - under doors, molding, etc.) and put the bait station right there by their entrance - or somewhere along their path. The bait solution stays inside the trap so as long as you don't put it somewhere that your cats can get access to it easily they shouldn't mess with it. We've used these for a couple of years now and our cats have never even taken a second glance at them (although we do always try to put them out of the way of the cats so they aren't tempted to investigate what the bait stations are). Anyway, for the kind of ants we had problems with, they LOVED this stuff and literally within 15 minutes we'd see a big swarm of ants running in there to eat the bait and it would become their preferred food source. Within 24 hours all ant activity would be completely gone, so we'd toss the bait station in the trash.

http://www.terro.com/images/products/F-300-large.jpg

Good luck - ants are a PITA!

[maxandmolly]

*deleted*

[jnettie]

Re: Ants

Aspertame was invented as an ant poison (think about that next time you're sipping your Diet Coke). When I get ants around the girls' food, I sprinkle a package of Equal around the bowl on the floor, and it usually keeps the ants away.

[Rippy1010]

I was worried by jnettie's ant poisoning claim, so I researched. For anyone else that was as worried as I, read here: http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/antpoison.asp

But, heck ... if it wards them away anyhow, I'm all for it. ;)

[vwinkel]

My Sassy has had this black stuff on her chin (her fur on the chin is white and easy to see the stuff). At first I thought it was flea residue, but she didn't scratch. Then I thought it looked like a blackhead. The poor thing had one that scabbed so I brought her to the vet to look into it further.

I found out she has Feline Acne! Who knew? Apparently, you should NOT use plastic bowls only ceramic or stainless steel. Plastic bowls can harbor bacteria in the scratches (no matter how well you clean the bowls). I did use plastic bowls and ran out to buy stainless for her water and food.

She is on a topical ointment (muciprocin) and is doing MUCH better. Let me tell you how I had to wrap her in a towel and shave her chin so it could be applied better. Not a good time. However, it's working and the majority are gone.

Before you run out and order ProActiv for your cat, try stainless steel food bowls instead. :)

[jnettie]

I was worried by jnettie's ant poisoning claim, so I researched. For anyone else that was as worried as I, read here: http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/antpoison.asp

But, heck ... if it wards them away anyhow, I'm all for it. ;)

I swear I heard an interview with someone from Sweet and Low (the original pink artificial sweetner) that this is TRUE dammit! Besides, it sure seems to work for me. :o

Off to do some internet searching...

ETA...ok, I was confused. Saccharin (which is what sweet n'low is) was invented for diabetics in 1957...don't know where I got aspertame and ant poison...

[Sazoo]

Have you guys seen this thread? This YouTube video is great! :D

The Mean Kitty Song (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36481)

[Asha]

thanks for the advice. we ended up just moving the bowls bc there are also roaches coming from that area. fun!!! thankfully, bili is a good hunter and can kill those suckers.

[joanne511]

My Sassy has had this black stuff on her chin (her fur on the chin is white and easy to see the stuff). At first I thought it was flea residue, but she didn't scratch. Then I thought it looked like a blackhead. The poor thing had one that scabbed so I brought her to the vet to look into it further.

I found out she has Feline Acne! Who knew? Apparently, you should NOT use plastic bowls only ceramic or stainless steel. Plastic bowls can harbor bacteria in the scratches (no matter how well you clean the bowls). I did use plastic bowls and ran out to buy stainless for her water and food.

She is on a topical ointment (muciprocin) and is doing MUCH better. Let me tell you how I had to wrap her in a towel and shave her chin so it could be applied better. Not a good time. However, it's working and the majority are gone.

Before you run out and order ProActiv for your cat, try stainless steel food bowls instead. :)
Yep, one of my cats battles feline acne. We use ceramic bowls, but it turns out that she's a very messy eater and grinds her chin into wet and dry food. (She was abused before we got her and always eats like it could be her last meal, even though we free-feed.) Our vet told us we could use Stridex pads on it, but I tend to just lightly scrape it off periodically. I did notice that it cleaned up very nicely while she was on an antibiotic for a cold. I don't want to medicate her unnecessarily though.

[Peppy]

Hi everyone. Thought I would bump up the thread and share my experience using Feliway. For those who don't know, Feliway is something that you can buy in plug-in or spray form. It emits cat pheromones that are designed to make a cat feel more comfortable and less stressed.

My cat can get pretty stressed, and she had a few episodes of inappropriate elimination that were not related to any medical problem, so I got a Feliway plug-in. (I had tried the spray before, but didn't see much by way of results.) It has worked so well for us! She has always been a cat who likes to sit next to you, but she started sitting in our laps. She is generally more affectionate and seems happier. She hasn't had any accidents.

So if anyone has a stressed out cat, I recommend giving Feliway a try. Mine has always been just a little bit nervous generally.

Also, Max and Molly, I don't know what to do about the mats. :( My only recommendation would be daily brushing, but I suspect you are doing that already as it is.

[sdianems]

Have any of you experienced your cat decide that the only water in the house worth drinking is that which drips from the shower faucet? My Rubyn (neutered male, between 11-13 years old) had been drinking from his bowl less and less and the last few days I have found him in the shower/tub (which explains the little paw prints in there) and he emerges all wet. Crazy! This is the same cat who was scared to death of the shower curtain just a few months ago.....

Also, I am concerned about diabetes for him since I have noticed a really large increase in urine-soaked litter in the last 6 months or so. I mean, he has always been a big water drinker and urinater, but it seems that lately I am unable to keep up with it all.

Any thoughts?
TIA :)

[joanne511]

Feliway plug-ins have been great for us. Both our cats are a bit jumpy, but one (Chloe) is also very territorial. We've noticed an increase in stray-cat traffic in our backyard recently, which has Chloe very upset and she takes it out on our other cat, Iris. (Hissing, a little too rough play but not full-on battling.) I put a plug-in in the room they see the strays most often and it does seem to help. I've also used it when we've moved to help them with the stress of going from the old place to the new. Both times it's definitely made a positive impact on their transition. Big thumbs up from me!

[Rippy1010]

Peppy ~ How many have you plugged in? Just one, or is it recommended one every so many sq. ft. ? My one cat is pretty jumpy around anyone but me, and my other cat loves my husband but hates me? Do you feel it would be beneficial in that type of environment?

Also, Peppy and joanne511 ... is it something you use constantly, and should be used constantly? Or is it something that I could use for certain instances? For instance ... I'm having a party this weekend. Whenever I have a lot of people over, I prefer to shut them in our Master Bedroom/Bathroom area to keep people from bothering them, and to keep them from accidentally getting out. So, I'm wondering if it would be useful to plug in during the party??? My younger cat gets very nervous when we have company over ... the day of and/or the day after, she always has issues with inappropriate elimination ... she'll decide she just wants to go in a corner of the living room. :rolleyes: But, only when there are a bunch of strangers bothering her, or in the house in general.

[diam124]

Re: drinking tub water - our cat LOVES to drink from the faucet in our bathroom. She will stand there and drink for minutes at a time. We recently went out of town for 8 days, so for about 3 weeks before we left we wouldn't let her drink out of the faucet (I wanted to make sure she drank out of her own water bowl while we were gone). Her water intake decreased quite a bit. I think she was drinking plenty, but she just goes overboard with the fresh cold water.

[joanne511]

Peppy ~ How many have you plugged in? Just one, or is it recommended one every so many sq. ft. ? My one cat is pretty jumpy around anyone but me, and my other cat loves my husband but hates me? Do you feel it would be beneficial in that type of environment?

Also, Peppy and joanne511 ... is it something you use constantly, and should be used constantly? Or is it something that I could use for certain instances? For instance ... I'm having a party this weekend. Whenever I have a lot of people over, I prefer to shut them in our Master Bedroom/Bathroom area to keep people from bothering them, and to keep them from accidentally getting out. So, I'm wondering if it would be useful to plug in during the party??? My younger cat gets very nervous when we have company over ... the day of and/or the day after, she always has issues with inappropriate elimination ... she'll decide she just wants to go in a corner of the living room. :rolleyes: But, only when there are a bunch of strangers bothering her, or in the house in general.

One plug-in works for a certain square footage. I don't recall it off the top of my head, but I'm sure you could google it pretty easily. If you can find one cheaply (the cost of the plug-in itself can be kind of steep in stores) this week and plug it in where you'll be containing the cats, it may help calm them for your party. I bought 2 plug-ins online and now buy the refills online because I find it to be much lower in cost than say a brick-and-mortar Petco or Petsmart. One of the claims about Feliway is that it helps with elimination problems. All that said, I do know that for some cats it doesn't help - but in our experience at home, Feliway was worth the money.

Good luck!

[Peppy]

Rippy: Feliway says that one plug-in is good for every 600 square feet. I keep it plugged in at all times. Feliway's literature says it takes a week or two to start working on the cat, but I found the change was almost immediate in my situation. I would definitely try it in your situation, and I would think it could really help with the visitors coming to your place. I would just keep it plugged in all of the time. You could also try the spray, which is less expensive, but I found it didn't do the trick. I do know that it doesn't work with all cats, but it definitely worked with ours.

sdianems: I think the best thing you could do would be to get your cat a fountain. It provides them running water at all times. Some cats just like running water. One popular one is by Drinkwell (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00063446M/ref=nosim/coffeeresearch74983-20), although they have a motor that can be a little loud (nothing major). They just came out with their "platinum edition (http://www.amazon.com/Drinkwell-Platinum-Fountain/dp/B000LA6KUS)," and the motor is super quiet on that one.

Another brand that has a flowing mechanism is the Petmate (http://www.amazon.com/Petmate-24860-Deluxe-50-Ounce-Capacity-Fountain/dp/B000084F2Q). I think if you search you will find different editions at different price points.

The other brand I hear a lot about is the Catit (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751805&cp&kw=catit&origkw=catit&sr=1). I am going to buy one of these today, actually. It is supposed to be very quiet, and my cat doesn't really like flowing water--she likes to lick water off of things (off of plastic bottles, drops off of the tub, etc.), so I think this might be a good one for her because the water is on a dome and the cat licks it off. I think the first two might be better fits for your cat.

Also, if he is urinating a lot more, I might take him to the vet. Any change in urination patterns can be a sign of a problem, particularly male cats who are prone to issues like urinary crystals. Excessive urination immediately makes me think of diabetes. It might be worth a check-up to make sure everything is okay.

[joanne511]

My cats loved the Catit. However, I found it to be a bear to clean thoroughly. (It's kind of bulky too and we don't have a good space for it anymore in our house - had better luck at our old apartment.) Lots of crevices - and it's all plastic no less - so I worried about bacteria build-up. You'll want to be very consistent with cleaning and get all the slime out that starts to collect in corners. My cats are short-haired so I didn't have a lot of trouble with the cartridge clogging up too quickly. It's great for keeping clean, cold water available all day!

[Peppy]

Joanne: does it keep the water COLD? That is so great. My cat loves really cold water, and I think she would drink more if it were always cold. I don't look forward to the cleaning, and I don't love the fact that it is plastic (she currently drinks out of ceramic bowls), but if it gets more water into her, it is worth it. She has a particular