Cat Forum : Cat Discussion Forums

Fleas and behaviour

Hyper_cat_lady91 — Sat, 25 May 2013 06:26:32 GMT

Ok so I'm a new kitten owner and I'm worried smudge and stitch have fleas .. How can u tell?! They do scratch but its not constant and it's only occasionally throughout the day .. Also on another note ..

Smudge although we have had them about 2 weeks now and they seem great .. Smudge has become very fussy and will yam and meow snd try to get as close as possible was just a bit worried .. It does seem up happen more at night before bed and first thing in the morning?

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Help with starting raw diet

neko13_3 — Sat, 25 May 2013 05:49:08 GMT

I'm looking at different economical ways of feeding my cats. We average around $60 a month on Blue Wilderness Chicken dry food, but my cats seem to be throwing up more often. I have 10 cats. :shock: I have at least 3 that would probably be thrilled to be on raw (they will try to steal raw meat...and cooked meat). However, I'm not sure how to start and not sure how to attempt to keep the price to about the same per month. I also don't own a meat grinder. I was going to refer to the sticky that was here months ago, but it's not there any more. My cats range from 9 years old to almost 1 year old. Help?

Being Away from Home.

Jakiepoo — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:32:34 GMT

I have a question for those of you who have travelled away from your homes without your cats for long periods of time.

I'm currently on a month long trip, and today marks the halfway point. Needless to say, I've been missing my kitty, and missing my family.

For those of you who have left your cat for longer periods of time (or shorter for that matter), how did they react when you got home/while you were away? Just wondering what I might expect when I get home, because I know I will be trying to all but attack him when I get home.

My mom said he's been rather anxious, especially the first week after I left, and especially at night. He slept with me every night in my room, and now he is in my parents room, jumping on and off the bed, bothering them, so I'm thinking this means he might be missing me a little bit, and maybe wondering why my parents aren't worried that I'm not home :D

I have been away before, but only for a weekend, and mister Jacob acted for cranky with me when I got home, mad that I left him. So how have your cats reacted when you've returned from trips?

A few questions about ear mites

jamie_leigh — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:17:34 GMT

I adopted an 8 month old cat a couple days ago. When I went to pick her up the person I adopted her from said that she had been scratching her ears, so at her spay appointment (two days before I picked her up) she had the vet check out her ears and she has earmites :( She said the vet recommended applying mineral oil to her ears once a day for 3-4 weeks to get rid of the earmites. Will the mineral oil really get rid of earmites? I've continued the treatment of mineral oil once a day for the past couple days, but felt like it might not be enough, so I purchased some Seargents Miteaway for cats today and plan to use both. The kitty also had Frontline applied the day I got her. If there were any mites that had crawled out of her ears onto her body, would the frontline kill those mites? Anyone with experience dealing with earmites what was the best way of eliminating them? I'm really glad I adopted this kitty, she is super sweet but I'm honestly kinda paranoid these mites are in my house now. It almost makes me feel itchy just thinking about it. When cleaning my house will any household cleaners kill mites that end up on the furniture or floors?
Maybe I'm over thinking it :( Thanks in advance

Help with food amount?

neko13_3 — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:13:36 GMT

We have been feeding our cats Blue Wilderness, but we've been noticing an increase in cat puking and hairballs and apparently that's not uncommon? So we are now looking at other foods. I would like to keep it somewhat high quality. Right now we're averaging about $60 a month in cat food alone. We're looking at switching to "meals" of canned food, with dry cat food accessible all day. Given that their sole nutrition wouldn't be coming from canned food, how many cans per day per cat should I feed? My cats average around 9 lbs, which according to a chart I found means around 240-250 calories a day needed. I just want to know how many cans I would need to expect to go through, I guess, and my brain just isn't working on that level right now.

Current cat food is Blue Wilderness Chicken (12 lb bag), 442 cal per cup, suggested is 3/4 cup for 9 lb cat. With our 10 cats, we go through a bag in just under 2 weeks. We free feed.

My first foster!! introduction question

crazyismycat — Sat, 25 May 2013 01:50:40 GMT

I guess I'm officially a crazy cat lady. I just fostered a cat today. My first foster :) I'm really happy. I perused the available ones and fell onto a small female that caught my eye. I'm just so proud that I am now a foster !!! Right now she's in a separate room. Eustache my 1 yr old male keeps trying to smell her and try to get it.

When should I introduce them face to face??

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Hill's C/D

tvoislow — Sat, 25 May 2013 01:36:14 GMT

Does anyone know of a dry food similar to Hill's C/D wet and dry that is less expensve?

Or does anyone know of a place on the web I can get a mail-in rebate form for hill's c/d?

It is the only food that helps my cat with his bladder issues. I know the hill's site has coupons, but my vet does not take them because hill's always gives them a hard time of refunding those.

Thanks,
Tom

FYI - I have tried raw food and wet food diets and tried high quality dry foods as well, and hill's cd is only one that has helped, so I need something similar to hill's c/d if you mention an alternative food for this.

Is this cavity?

Prissy — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:24:06 GMT

Hi, I realized my cat was bleeding a tiny bit from the root of the tooth (see circled) when I was brushing her tooth, does that look like a cavity to you guys? It looks like a little chip on the root of her tooth and looks pink. Her gum look normal to me as well, not red or swallowed.

Thanks all.

Attached Thumbnails

Video slide of my daughter who took her life 4-11-13

Salemcat2 — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:44:07 GMT

Some of you may have read my post about my beautiful 23 year old daughter, who was just beginning her 3rd year of medical school took her life 4-11-13. The only way I'm surviving is talking about her, writing about her, or just anything. She was a wonderful child growing up, talented, accomplished, was doing very well in med school, had never shown an ounce of depression in her life. But in her suicide note she said she had been depressed all her life and could no longer stand the weight of her sadness. She had the WORLD in her hands and a bright future ahead, but hidden depression took it all away. All away.

Please take 11 minutes out of your time to watch the slide I made out of love for her. It starts with a couple of pics of when she was 16 until the day before she died at 23. The meals you see are hers, she taught herself to be a gourmet cook. The paintings of her and the guy with the hoodie were drawn by her, she was a talented writer and poet. She also got into running the last year of her life and is why she lost weight during the end. She ran marathons too. The cat is her cat Gatito, who is now our cat forever. This is my precious girl, gone forever. I'm so sad I think I may die. I will never over this for as long as I live. She had no reason to be depressed and everything to live for. But depression does not care.

http://welding81.wordpress.com/

If that link doesn't work, try this one:

You Tube

Playing with food

FurbyFace — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:15:42 GMT

I was wondering if anyone else has witnessed there furry friends doing this adorable behavior.
Numly likes to take the dry food out of her bowl and scatter them around the kitchen floor. She then "hunts" each piece individually. Once she eat those, she starts all over again. It's the only way she eats :)

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Artie sick; ?Blue Buffalo

artiesmom — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:58:19 GMT

Artie has not been feeling good for almost a week now.
Started with him peeing on and around my bed, on Sunday. He was mopey, listless and his pee was inconsistent. Took him to the Vet, Tuesday, because he would not 'perk up'. He had been eating fine.
The Vet, not his-she is on vacation- tried to take a urine specimen, to no avail. They did an Ultrasound of his bladder and it almost empty. They tried to express it out, twice, but could not.
They took a complete senior blood panel on him. Thyroid, Kidneys, Liver, Pancreas, and the rest.
Sent him home with Clavimox, twice a day.
He lost 3/4 of a pound. He has been eating 2-3 small cans of food everyday!
She said the antibiotic may get him feeling blah.
Got the results of the blood test Thursday. Everything was within normal limits.
BUN and Creatinine on high normal. His hematocrit is on the low side..
Some white cells on low normal. The lab report is 3 pages long!! Glucose is normal...
No fever, no panting, just listless and pee inconsistent in size.
Thursday morning he seemed good--not playing but seemed alert.
However, since the Vet's every time I pick him up he gives a soft whimper. I took it to be that he was sore from the urine attempt at the Vet. Today that whimper is not happening. Just a soft meow...
Artie was peeing good yesterday.
This morning, he did not eat much--no pee during the night, hiding from me--just looks at me...no purring last night or this morning. By the time I left for work he had not peed for about 10 hours!! I had to go to work--it was either show up today or probably get fired..One person was already out sick...long story
I was prepared to take him to the E-Vet when I came home. Artie did pee once during the day. He ate about one can of food, so far.
if there was no pee, off to the e-Vet..
Artie is going in to see the last Vet early Saturday morning. Something is going on with him..
:sad2
My thoughts:
He has been eating Blue Buffalo and Natures Recipe for food.
I know how you guys feel about BB. Believe me, I tried so many different foods and these are the 2 he will eat. He eats the BB chicken. Dislikes beef, and the fish from them..He sometimes eats the Wilderness dry Indoor also
From Natures Recipe (Petsmart version of Weruva) he like the chicken, chicken and beef and salmon.
I limit the fish.
Today, he left the BB and ate the NR. Same for tonight-actually, I did not give him any BB.
I was searching the web today, at work, on break time. I found some listings of cats, and dogs, getting very sick from renal failure. All they had in common was eating Blue Buffalo!!!!
I am wondering if this is the case with Artie??
I copied the article and will show it to the Vet. NO more BB for him!!

I do not know what kind of food to give him now. Turns his nose up at all of them!! Not the grocery store brands either--all the ones in the pet stores..
He hates pate! I have to mash up the minced and chunks for him. I do add extra water.

Artie also has a grade 4 functional heart murmur. That was official from the echocardiogram which he had last June. He is almost due for another. They wanted to do just one more because I had adopted him last year and nothing was mentioned about a heart murmur with his prior owners or the humane society.
They want to see if there is any progression of it....

I am so worried about my baby! Artie is 9 years old and the sweetest kittie..he has really been an emotional lifesaver for me over the past year. Yes, he has been a lot of trouble over the past year; heart murmur, not eating, hating his food, constipation (until I got things sorted out with him), having a cold when I adopted him...I spent so much money at the Vets and for food.
Since March, our anniversary, he has calmed down, and felt so comfortable here.
He has been so good for me! I lost my dad in Jan of 2012. Adopted Artie cuz I was lonely, in March. I broke my arm at work in July and was home until March of 2013! I am still not back to work full time..ARtie has been the constant for me. and has given me so much love and laughter..

Sorry, I am writing a novel here..:sad:

Any thoughts, ideas?
food?
Vet info??

Thanks, Cyn

Cat or Kitten?

Charlotte — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:45:30 GMT

Cat or Kitten? This question has been in my mind for the past four to five months. I can't seem to decide between adopting a cat or a kitten. To be honest, I am not completely sure when does a Kitten starts being called a Cat.

According to some websites around the Internet: Kittens are those cats under six or eight months; Teen-Cats, are between six months and a year; and Cats, those who are over one year old. Other websites say you can't really tell when a Kitten has become a Cat, until the Cat has one and half or more years. It seems that nothing is decided in this matter.

But for this posts, lets consider that:

Kittens = Under eight months
Cats = Over eight months

That being the case, which one would you think would better suit me?

I am in my mid 20's, I work out of home around six hours a day (normally from 9 am to 3 pm), and have classes two days a week (with a coffee break of two to three hours), I live in a nice apartment which I am sharing with a friend who already owns one cat (and its planning to adopt another one -she seems to be a Cat Lover♥-). Those other cats are around seven or eight months (they would be around one year old when I adopt my cat or kitten); one is male and the other one female. I tend to spend almost all my afternoons and weekends home, since I study a lot, so I can spare plenty of time with my cat or kitten if needed.

As for litter-training, I would prefer a cat who is already trained; but it doesn't matter if I have to 'potty-train' him or her.

I rode somewhere that one of the biggest pros for adopting a Cat is that you don't have to worry about is temper, personality, coat-color, or health, since they tend to be stronger in health. But I also rode that kittens are in more need of homes since they get sacrificed as double as fast as cats.

To be honest, I am not sure which would be a better option. I have no preferences: I love Cats because they seem to me as sweet as little kittens; but I do confess I am worried that I won't be able to bond as firmly with a Cat than with a Kitten.

Could you please share me your experience and word of advice? It would really help me to decide if I should give my love and care to a Cat or Kitten.

Thanks♥

Wet food out all day

molldee — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:09:00 GMT

I started feeding my three cats wet food three times a day. I've noticed they don't eat the whole meal in one sitting. In the morning I'll prepare and set their food down, and when I get home from school or work, there's still some left. When I stay home all day, I notice them going back and forth to just get a nibble here and there. I understand they're grazing, but does this affect the afternoon and nighttime feedings? How do I feed them three times a day if they haven't finished what's in the bowl from morning? I don't feed them a lot, only two teaspoons of wet food mixed with water for each cat. Is it okay to leave wet food out all day if they haven't finished it?

I have a question?

Lilykit — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:57:11 GMT

Hello everyone I may sound rather dumb by asking this but, why is it that my cat Lily loves to be petted,cuddle,snuggle up, purr a lot early in the morning right after she ate breakfast. She has been doing this since we first brought her from the Local Animal Shelter in November. I mean she still plays with me and meets us at the door when we get back home and licks our faces, yes I just said licks our faces and hands and sometimes top of our heads, but she mostly likes to cuddle early in the morning why is that? Do cats have a preference as to when to be affectionate or extremely affectionate?

Dirty litter and cat hair... as a chipmunk repellent?

Bad Karma — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:15:03 GMT

A community of ninja chipmunks has built an underground city beneath my patio slab. In addition to concerns I have about water getting underneath the slab and next to the foundation (it can freeze up here) I have some blueberry bushes in planters on the patio that they like to jump into and dig up voraciously. Even the neighborhood squirrels are better behaved than that! :cussing

I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried used litter and/or hair (from the brush) as an outdoor rodent repellent. Does it work? Are there any dangers?