Topic: Cat advice thread

[Glass Kites]

They'll just start going outside when they are out more often then hide the tray.

What we did was over the space of two weeks gradually move their litter tray closer to the back door... then just outside the back door... then in the garden...

...then in the next door neighbours garden 

[SamAteTheRedAcid]

What we did was over the space of two weeks gradually move their litter tray closer to the back door... then just outside the back door... then in the garden...

...then in the next door neighbours garden 

Then into Sir Harvest Fields' house...

[Sir Harvest Fields]

Yep. I wont mind. We have a Greyhound now. They can be the best of friends. Maybe.

[Glass Kites]

Sadly we had to get one of ours put down yesterday. We had two sisters from kittens, about 9 months old now.

We started finding the occasional pile of sick in the house, but we weren't alarmed at first. Went on for 3 days. By the third day she hadn't left the house and had eventually stopped eating, also started to seem wobbly on her feet.

Took her the vets, thinking it'd just be a case of anti-biotics and we'd be on our way - assuming that she'd eaten something which didn't agree with her (an out of date mouse?)

Vets told us that her kidneys had given up, and that she'd been poisoned. Said that it could have been someone purposely poisoning her by leaving anti-freeze out (some cats are attracted by it, others arent). Although it couldn't be proved, the vets said that was definitely a possibility. Which was strange as we get on well with all our neighbours and noones ever had a problem with the cats. Bit paranoid now.

Vet wanted to put her to sleep straight away, and explained that the chances of a turnaround were slim, but we couldn't do it. We chose to do all the tests and get her on drips etc, and kept her in the vets for another 3 days. In the end we had to call it a day as she wasn't getting any better and was only kept alive by the fluids via a drip. £600 in total too.

Cracking little cat she was too. Will definitely miss her.

Might be worth keeping an eye on your cats in case the same happens (although I know it'd be fairly difficult to track exactly where a cat goes and what it's drinking/eating elsewhere).

[Chakan]

Sorry for your loss. RIP

Hope whoever did it , ends up in a nasty situation.

[wampa1]

For some inexplicable reason the people that make anti-freeze give it a sweet taste attractive to cats.  I know there's a petition out there somewhere for them to make it less attractive to kitties which I signed.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Sadly we had to get one of ours put down yesterday. We had two sisters from kittens, about 9 months old now.

We started finding the occasional pile of sick in the house, but we weren't alarmed at first. Went on for 3 days. By the third day she hadn't left the house and had eventually stopped eating, also started to seem wobbly on her feet.

Took her the vets, thinking it'd just be a case of anti-biotics and we'd be on our way - assuming that she'd eaten something which didn't agree with her (an out of date mouse?)

Vets told us that her kidneys had given up, and that she'd been poisoned. Said that it could have been someone purposely poisoning her by leaving anti-freeze out (some cats are attracted by it, others arent). Although it couldn't be proved, the vets said that was definitely a possibility. Which was strange as we get on well with all our neighbours and noones ever had a problem with the cats. Bit paranoid now.

Vet wanted to put her to sleep straight away, and explained that the chances of a turnaround were slim, but we couldn't do it. We chose to do all the tests and get her on drips etc, and kept her in the vets for another 3 days. In the end we had to call it a day as she wasn't getting any better and was only kept alive by the fluids via a drip. £600 in total too.

Cracking little cat she was too. Will definitely miss her.

Might be worth keeping an eye on your cats in case the same happens (although I know it'd be fairly difficult to track exactly where a cat goes and what it's drinking/eating elsewhere).

This broke my heart. I offer my condolences. The loss of a beloved pet can hit very hard so look after yourself.

I've read about this anti-freeze poisoning. So sad.

[Ciara (with a capital "C")]

Sadly we had to get one of ours put down yesterday. We had two sisters from kittens, about 9 months old now.

We started finding the occasional pile of sick in the house, but we weren't alarmed at first. Went on for 3 days. By the third day she hadn't left the house and had eventually stopped eating, also started to seem wobbly on her feet.

Took her the vets, thinking it'd just be a case of anti-biotics and we'd be on our way - assuming that she'd eaten something which didn't agree with her (an out of date mouse?)

Vets told us that her kidneys had given up, and that she'd been poisoned. Said that it could have been someone purposely poisoning her by leaving anti-freeze out (some cats are attracted by it, others arent). Although it couldn't be proved, the vets said that was definitely a possibility. Which was strange as we get on well with all our neighbours and noones ever had a problem with the cats. Bit paranoid now.

Vet wanted to put her to sleep straight away, and explained that the chances of a turnaround were slim, but we couldn't do it. We chose to do all the tests and get her on drips etc, and kept her in the vets for another 3 days. In the end we had to call it a day as she wasn't getting any better and was only kept alive by the fluids via a drip. £600 in total too.

Cracking little cat she was too. Will definitely miss her.

Might be worth keeping an eye on your cats in case the same happens (although I know it'd be fairly difficult to track exactly where a cat goes and what it's drinking/eating elsewhere).

Oh my goodness, that is so so sad!

I've had Maxi for 8 months now, since he was a kitten but before that, I wouldn't have cared enough about animals to be sad about something like what happened to your cat. Selfish I know, but it took a cat to bring out that side of me.

Hope you're all doing well.

[Ciara (with a capital "C")]

Is anyone else consumed with grief when leaving your cat/kitten?

Maxi is an indoor cat - he doesn't go outside at all, he's quite frightened by it. We both leave the house at 7am and 8am in the morning and no-one is home until 6pm, sometimes a bit earlier. We leave enough food and treats for him and when we come home we play with him, give cuddles etc... and he's fine!

But this is only the second time in 8 months since we've had him that we are leaving him home alone. I left the house at 7:30am this morning and won't be back until Monday night.

We have someone coming to feed him every morning and friends are stopping in on Saturday and Sunday to play with him for half an hour.

I am just totally consumed with guilty about leaving him. I hate the thought of him being lonely or missing us.

Anyone else get like this?

They are fine on their own, right?

[wampa1]

Yeah, cats are generally fine to be left for a bit as long as you have someone to come and feed and water them every day.  They may get a bit bored but they'll either just destroy some stuff or go to sleep. 

My cat is an indoor cat too and I sometimes feel bad about leaving her during the day.  I feel doubley bad at the minute as I had a massive headache after work last night so didn't really play with her or give her much attention.

I've ordered some new toys and cat tree though : )

[Banquo's Ghost]

I am just totally consumed with guilty about leaving him. I hate the thought of him being lonely or missing us.

Anyone else get like this?

They are fine on their own, right?

Cats are very individual personalities. Most are fine with being left on their own for a while, some get quite upset. The latter are often specialist breeds such as the rag doll, which are bred for dependent human-centric personality traits.

It's useful to bear in mind that the domestic cat has learned to adopt the behaviours of a kitten when in human company. This juvenile behaviour appeals to us, and so the wise cat plays to our expectations. This tends to mean that they have formed the habit to miss us when we are gone. However, it's learned behaviour and unlike dogs (which require a pack leader and pine badly if left alone) a cat will often be able to abandon the dependence when their owner shows no signs of being around for a while. They usually just sleep or potter around.   

Three days is about the maximum you should leave your cat alone - the visits from your friends will help, as he'll have something to interest him from time to time. Indoor cats like routine, so he'll look forward to their visits but he'll be missing you too. Though probably not as much as you miss him!

And yes, I'm sure most of us who are cat owners know what you are going through. I miss mine terribly when I'm away - and he can really guilt me when I get back home with the old 'I have turned my back on you, and who are you again' routine. More usually, he bolts over to the door and jumps up to my neck and shoulder, purring like a jet engine. Makes it all worthwhile, despite the pain of his claws as he clings on!

[Barneylfc∗]

Anyone else get like this?

They are fine on their own, right?

I would have no hesitation in leaving our cats for a weekend. My girlfriend on the other hand wont even leave them for a night out. Always have to get someone over to sit in if we're going out, or wait until 9.30/10 to go out after all the cats are in for the night. Fucks me off. At times, our cats are almost literally dictating what we can and can't do.

[Banquo's Ghost]

At times, our cats are almost literally dictating what we can and can't do.

Now you know why they were considered gods in ancient times. 

[AB LFC]

I don't mind leaving the cat out during the day as it goes on it's adventures anyway but at night is when I worry as I don't want it freeze and I know it'll just sit outside the door meowing when we're all asleep.

[Barneylfc∗]

I don't mind leaving the cat out during the day as it goes on it's adventures anyway but at night is when I worry as I don't want it freeze and I know it'll just sit outside the door meowing when we're all asleep.

About 2 weeks ago I sat up to around 5.30am constantly calling one of ours. He's always the last one in every night. My girlfriend was in her mates, and came home about 3. She was pissed so despite me telling her Sonic wasn't in yet, she fell asleep. I'd had enough of calling him so left the kitchen window open, made sure the rest of the cats were upstairs and closed the living room door. 9am comes and the c*nt was crawling all over us looking to get out. Fucking twat.

[red mongoose]

About 2 weeks ago I sat up to around 5.30am constantly calling one of ours. He's always the last one in every night. My girlfriend was in her mates, and came home about 3. She was pissed so despite me telling her Sonic wasn't in yet, she fell asleep. I'd had enough of calling him so left the kitchen window open, made sure the rest of the cats were upstairs and closed the living room door. 9am comes and the c*nt was crawling all over us looking to get out. Fucking twat.

 

[B0151?]

Any tips in dealing with a cat that loves to wake you up at the crack of dawn?

 

Only started as she's got older. Sometimes if we feed and let her out before going to bed it works, but sometimes not.

Wouldn't be so bad but she's learnt how to sing in her old age so rather difficult to ignore, especially since we rent one of our rooms out.

Probably just one of those things we look forward to stopping but will be devastated when it does. My mum has a friend in work who wakes up every 2 hours to pay attention to their cat 

[Banquo's Ghost]

Any tips in dealing with a cat that loves to wake you up at the crack of dawn?

 

Only started as she's got older. Sometimes if we feed and let her out before going to bed it works, but sometimes not.

Wouldn't be so bad but she's learnt how to sing in her old age so rather difficult to ignore, especially since we rent one of our rooms out.

Probably just one of those things we look forward to stopping but will be devastated when it does. My mum has a friend in work who wakes up every 2 hours to pay attention to their cat 

It's tough with an older cat who develops new habits. Not at all easy to change their mind.

If it's food related (i.e. she's demanding breakfast at an unearthly hour) I'd recommend an automatic feeder. If she's being a pain at say, 5 am, you can set the feeder to open at that time and she'll get her brekkie without you having to get up.

As long as she doesn't work out how to break it open, of course!

[gazzalfc]

Any tips in dealing with a cat that loves to wake you up at the crack of dawn?

 

Having the exact same issues with our kitten. best we got was a 5am wake up this week.

The light mornings mean the birds are up early and he reacts to that. Is the room light? Maybe invest in blackout blinds/curtains to make sure the room where he/she sleeps.

Another tip i've been given is make sure he has plenty of dry food in how bowl before you go to bed so he/she can can slowly feed overnight.

[Ciara (with a capital "C")]

This used to happen with Maxi, who is 9 months old.

We kinda figured it out that it's part food, part wanting to play!

In the end, we left out more food for him overnight as when we would wake up, he'd be making noises and his bowl would be empty.

Sometimes he'd have food, but he'd make noises until you got up and checked anyway haha! So think he just got a bit bored and sometimes got loud until you got up. If I knew he had food, then I wouldn't react to it. After a week or so he gave up and now he jumps up onto our bed and has a lie in with us.

[wampa1]

Yep, my Lily has pretty much given up trying to wake me up, so she just lies next to me now.  However, she takes ANY kind of movement as a sign of getting so if I roll over she'll jump off the bed and run around for a bit before realising it's a false alarm.

[Glass Kites]

Any tips in dealing with a cat that loves to wake you up at the crack of dawn?

 

Only started as she's got older. Sometimes if we feed and let her out before going to bed it works, but sometimes not.

Wouldn't be so bad but she's learnt how to sing in her old age so rather difficult to ignore, especially since we rent one of our rooms out.

Probably just one of those things we look forward to stopping but will be devastated when it does. My mum has a friend in work who wakes up every 2 hours to pay attention to their cat 

We get this (or used to)...

Initially I would simply lay in bed, pretending to be asleep and let the missus deal with it (feed). Worked every time 

Then one day I accidentally let on to my missus what I was doing... So we simply both started ignoring the cat each morning until we were ready to get up. Took a few months and was massively annoying, but got there in the end and she eventually got into sync with us (i.e. knew when we'd actually get up). Now she gets up literally a few minutes before our alarms go off in the morning.

[Ziltoid]

I just throw something at ours when she's pissing me off scratting about the place at 5am.  She soon fucks off.

[Barneylfc∗]

Ours are c*nts. One of them, the oldest one, will literally climb under the covers and nibble like fuck at our hands. One of the other ones will just simply walk all over our heads.

[wampa1]

Horrible few days.  I was house sitting at mum's and took my cat with me.  My mum had left a note to bin some flowers when they start dropping.  Unbeknownst to me they were lilies which are toxic death to cats so naturally my cat just had to go and stick her nose in them.

Rushed her to the vet and she was put on IV and had multiple blood tests and had a catheta inserter (which she put up a decent fight against).  That was Wednesday night.  Got the phonecall today to say her kidney functions are normal but there is an 'oddness' with her red blood cell count so they're sending that away to be analysed.  On the plus side, they said I could pick her up and take her home tonight and they'll contact me with the blood results.

TL;DR - If you have lilies and cats, get rid of the lilies immediately.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Awful news, wampa1.

I hope she pulls through.

[wampa1]

I think her chances are good.  I'm hoping the blood work is a precautionary thing (she actually had borderline blood results when she was spayed so it might just be that which turned out fine).  Her kidney functions are normal though which is huge news : )

[Sir Harvest Fields]

Ill be polite as i know you are cat lovers.

Without resorting to violence how can i stop a manky cat crapping on my new garden. I need that garden but i dont need the shit in the middle of it. Its making me a tad angry.

[The Gulleysucker]

These Gadgets seem to do the job according to the reviews...



They do a range of assorted cat repellers, sonic etc...here

[Titi Camara]

I would literally have kicked it's face clean off it's head!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/8shyMfSRxU8?fs=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/8shyMfSRxU8?fs=1</a>

[Ciara (with a capital "C")]

I got the most wonderful surprise last night!

I came home from my pre-Wedding party in Ireland, and unbeknownst to me, my fiancee had gone out and purchased a new kitten - a little friend for our 10 month old kitten/cat, Maxi!

She is called Millie and she is just adorable! She is ever so tiny!

Maxi has had a hard time adapting - he would hiss at her and then hit her on the head with his paw (no claws). Now she hisses back at him and attempts to raise her paw at him and he has backed down!! She is a brave little thing, she doesn't get scared when people come in and out of the house.

I know they are just trying to establish boundaries, but they are a lot more friendly today. She was cleaning herself earlier and Maxi came over to help her - very adorable.

We are keeping them in separate rooms at night and whilst we aren't there in the day, just for a few more days until they get used to each other. We have put Millie in a spare room with lots of blankets and food and toys and litter tray, whilst Maxi has the run of the house still.

I think it'll be an interesting few weeks to see how they settle in with each other!!

Here she is:





Maxi is quite small, but he is a giant compared to this little one.

She would fit inside a tea cup but I love that she sticks up for herself and gives as good as she gets!!

[Chakan]

Awwwwww cute man!

[Banquo's Ghost]

I got the most wonderful surprise last night!

Here she is:

Adorable!

[Sir Harvest Fields]

I got the most wonderful surprise last night!

I came home from my pre-Wedding party in Ireland, and unbeknownst to me, my fiancee had gone out and purchased a new kitten - a little friend for our 10 month old kitten/cat, Maxi!

She is called Millie and she is just adorable! She is ever so tiny!

Maxi has had a hard time adapting - he would hiss at her and then hit her on the head with his paw (no claws). Now she hisses back at him and attempts to raise her paw at him and he has backed down!! She is a brave little thing, she doesn't get scared when people come in and out of the house.

I know they are just trying to establish boundaries, but they are a lot more friendly today. She was cleaning herself earlier and Maxi came over to help her - very adorable.

We are keeping them in separate rooms at night and whilst we aren't there in the day, just for a few more days until they get used to each other. We have put Millie in a spare room with lots of blankets and food and toys and litter tray, whilst Maxi has the run of the house still.

I think it'll be an interesting few weeks to see how they settle in with each other!!

Here she is:





Maxi is quite small, but he is a giant compared to this little one.

She would fit inside a tea cup but I love that she sticks up for herself and gives as good as she gets!!

Hey, i have a garden it can shit on...

[Ciara (with a capital "C")]

Hey, i have a garden it can shit on...

Sorry, Sir... they are indoor cats only!

[Sir Harvest Fields]

Sorry, Sir... they are indoor cats only!

Come move in next door to me please

[Maggie May]

Hey, i have a garden it can shit on...

Grandling darling.  Have you ever pissed up a wall when you were bursting and there was no lavatory handy?

It ain't the cats fault.  Its the owners who don't provide litter trays, so what is the cat to do?  We've lived here for over 30 years and never had one complaint (nor have never heard anyone having a moan via gossip).  We keep the trays spotlessly clean and our cats come in to use them. 

It ain't the cats you should have a go at its the irresponsible owners.   

[Chakan]

Maybe the grass is greener over at SHF?

It's like double ply plushy toilet paper, compared to the dead end bar down the road that only has pine cones.

[wampa1]

It's perfectly understandable that SHF doesn't want his mud getting dirty.  I assume he also has a big umbrella to prevent bird piss and shit getting on his garden.

In other news, Lily has made a full recovery and got the all clear from the vet today : )

[Sir Harvest Fields]

It's perfectly understandable that SHF doesn't want his mud getting dirty.  I assume he also has a big umbrella to prevent bird piss and shit getting on his garden.

In other news, Lily has made a full recovery and got the all clear from the vet today : )

I do have a massive umbrella from the patio furniture in the middle. Just dont see why i have to spend money to keep other owners pets off my property. Good news about lily, yes im not a cat lover and im pissed off but its nice to see an animal make a full recovery.