For Cat Lovers Only XII - Post Pics, Ask Questions, Comments, Etc.

[VintagePunk]

Awwww!!!!!!!! Seems like just yesterday, mine were that size. :sniff:

So, how many are you keeping? Because you know you will.

 

[ladywithspinninghead]

Awwww!!!!!!!! Seems like just yesterday, mine were that size. :sniff:

So, how many are you keeping? Because you know you will.

haha, actually none.
Misha absolutely despises other cats. Her two former owners had to give her up because they had other cats and Misha would attack them. On more than one occassion this past week Misha would swipe under the door trying to attack the stray Mommy cat.

I'm a dog lover too so we might eventually get one of those but we'll have to do a trial run to see if Misha would tolerate a puppy.

It's strange to see this lovely, adorable cat be such a vicious bully with fellow felines...

 

[kellyahern]

^ My siamese is the same way. I hate to walk by the kitties up for adoption window at Petsmart because I always want to take one home, but that would not go down well with Worf at all

Those kittens are adorable

 

[MsPurrl]

What a sweet, sweet picture--look at those little toes! And it sure looks like mama loves her babies.

 

[swandiver]

Oh, little gray & white tabby babies! I've always had a fondness for tabbies (Jack is an orange and white tabby and Smokey is a gray/black & white tabby)!

 

[indra]

Oh those kittens are adorable!! I just love the tiny ears and toes!

Momma cat is adorable too! :cute)

 

[Lila64]

Thanks a lot VP!

I will def try out your suggestions - you're right, she IS eating an insane amount. She (whom I've dubbed Minou) weighs half the size of my Siamese, Misha, but eats double perhaps triple the amount of food. I'll try Purina One in kitty food and see how Minou tolerates it.

I really want to keep them until the kittens reach their 8 weeks but I'm not sure if my bf will be fond of that idea if it continues to smell this badly. (And I've tasked him with removing her litter since I gag every time)

The kitties are absolutely adorable - they turned 2 weeks today - the last one just opened her eyes yesterday.

I don't like to take too many pics of them for fear I'm hurting their eyes but here's one I took where they're looking away. I love how the mommy has her arm around one of them:

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions - I was getting increasingly frustrated from the conflicting information on the web.

So !!!!!!!

 

[bonocomet]

That is the cutest thing ever.

 

[sue4u2]

So I would really like to keep the cat and her kitties in our basement until they're 8 weeks old, at which point the local Humane Society can pick them up but the mother's litter is intolerable - the smell and the amount of diarrhea made me gag tonight. I'm assuming it's because she has worms or something and nothing to do with nursing?
Anything anyone can recomment to remedy this?

Thanks!

When Bela ran away and came back she was near delivey and had worms. I was so concerned about her lack of weight gain even though I was giving her extreme amounts of food. I bought an over the counter worm treatment and I gave her the recommended dosage for her weight. I treated all my cats at the same time. She was nursing at the time but it didn't seem to bother the kittens or her. She never had another runny episode and the kittens didn't either. I never had a smelly problem, but Bela did eat a great deal of cat food and human food (chicken) while she was nursing. I finally stopped the human food because I didn't want the kittens (cats) to eventually take up the habit. Now they all eat the same thing (Friskies Indoor) and have for months now.
What I gave her was Sergents Vetscription - Sure Shot Liquid Wormer. I only gave her a small dose, like a half teaspoon but the bottle was 3 oz's.
I've never had to use it again, but I have put some in the food I've left outside for other stray cat's.

 

[The Sad Punk]

That is the cutest thing ever.

You're on to something, there.

 

[ladywithspinninghead]

You're on to something, there.

Since you guys like them so much, there are 4 available

Thanks Sue4U2 - I went to a catstore yesterday to buy this new kind of brush for Misha (Furbuster) and spoke with the catstore owner about the stray's problem. He suggested a new kind of cat food so gave me samples of Chicken Soup for the cat lover's soul. He, like others here, said the amount and the smell is probably due to a change in her food - going from a stray's diet (probably mice, birds) to normal food and it should clear up soon.
He also said it could be due to worms but said there wasn't anything I could give her while nursing.
I'm just not sure I want to take that chance, you know?

 

[Galeongirl]

Wish I could adopt one! I love tabbies!

 

[dazzledbylight]

aawwww LWSH!!!

so sweeeettt!

 

[VintagePunk]

I got my Furminator today. I've brushed each of them a few strokes and then gave them treats after, to get them used to it. So far, so good; since then, I've been able to brush two of them more thoroughly. I've read elsewhere and seen some discussion in here of how it's a blade that removes undercoat, and that if you overbrush, you risk taking off some of the topcoat, too. I'm wondering, how much brushing should you do before you start getting the top coat? I've gotten a lot of fur out of them, and it just keeps coming. Should I keep going till the hair amounts lessen, or should I just go over them once and leave it at that?

 

[meegannie]

Biscuit just peed in the bath. I stopped her when she started to pee on the bathmat when I was about to get into the shower last week, but I didn't realise that she'd peed in the bath tonight until I heard her scratching around in there.

At least it's easy to clean since I can just wash it down the drain, but I'm not sure why she wants to pee in the bath. It also scares me because I have a superhuman sense of smell, but the one thing I cannot smell AT ALL is cat pee. So she could be peeing all over the house and I might be walking around all day smelling like cat pee and I'd never know.

 

[Liesje]

Since you guys like them so much, there are 4 available

Thanks Sue4U2 - I went to a catstore yesterday to buy this new kind of brush for Misha (Furbuster) and spoke with the catstore owner about the stray's problem. He suggested a new kind of cat food so gave me samples of Chicken Soup for the cat lover's soul. He, like others here, said the amount and the smell is probably due to a change in her food - going from a stray's diet (probably mice, birds) to normal food and it should clear up soon.
He also said it could be due to worms but said there wasn't anything I could give her while nursing.
I'm just not sure I want to take that chance, you know?

My cats like Chicken Soup, it's a good food, much better quality than Iams, Purina, Science Diet, etc.

When you are ready to worm the cat I would go to a vet. The OTC wormers are not any cheaper and aren't as effective, they do not have the same ingredients. Some OTC products are even dangerous. Worm problems are really common in cats and dogs and often fairly simple to treat. You give each cat a pill (or liquid via syringe if it's a young kitten) and then re-treat a few days later to make sure. Last time Beckham had worms it cost me about $3 to treat both my cats two times. Our vet techs will even pill or syringe feed the cats for you if you bring them in to buy the wormer. To me it's worth the trip, not having to pill my cats!

 

[kellyahern]

I love those Pill Pocket things by Greenies. If not for them, it would be awful trying to give Worf her medicine everyday.

Speaking of Worf, she saw the "head vet" (he founded the vet place I go to) yesterday and he recommended taking off the bump she has on her leg. He thinks one of the bumps is a cyst (the one that's been there the longest in her armpit) but the other one that's new looks "iffy". She's going to go in next Friday to have them removed and sent to the lab. He said it was better just to go in and remove it because if it was cancerous they'd just have to go in later to do that anyway. He said it was small and didn't feel attached to anything.

To be honest, I'm kind of relieved. Even if the lump turns out to be bad, at least I'll know what it is instead of wondering. If it's cancerous, I wouldn't do chemo (she's 15), but at least it won't just grow and grow on her leg.

 

[Liesje]

Oh Kelly I feel for you! I hate pilling cats! My dogs are so easy to pill, you'd think these teeth would be dangerous and scary but I just pry them open, shove the pill in till they gag and down it goes. The cats...it's like torture for both of us!

Easy to pill....

...impossible!

 

[VintagePunk]

Best of luck to you and Worf, Kelly Keep us posted.

My vet gave me Pill Pockets to use with the deworming meds. They worked great, my cat and the kittens gobbled them down.

My lab was on twice daily meds for seizures for about 10 years. There was very little problem giving her pills. Occasionally she'd get stubborn, but most of the time she was fine with it.

 

[swandiver]

Biscuit just peed in the bath. I stopped her when she started to pee on the bathmat when I was about to get into the shower last week, but I didn't realise that she'd peed in the bath tonight until I heard her scratching around in there.

At least it's easy to clean since I can just wash it down the drain, but I'm not sure why she wants to pee in the bath. It also scares me because I have a superhuman sense of smell, but the one thing I cannot smell AT ALL is cat pee. So she could be peeing all over the house and I might be walking around all day smelling like cat pee and I'd never know.

Female cat pee doesn't smell hardly at all -- male cat pee, on the other hand, stinks to high heavens.

Our old fat girl, China, developed a fondness for peeing on the bathroom bathmat. I talked to our vet and she said many female cats develop this trait as they age. In fact, she had an old girl that liked to pee on towels, so she'd just put a bunch of old towels on the floor in the laundry room and throw them in the washer every night.

I had to eventually start putting the bath mats up when they weren't in use. If I could have trained her to pee in the tub, i would have thought it was a win! But she was too hefty to learn to jump into the tub. Good Luck!

 

[Cin]

Biscuit just peed in the bath. I stopped her when she started to pee on the bathmat when I was about to get into the shower last week, but I didn't realise that she'd peed in the bath tonight until I heard her scratching around in there.

At least it's easy to clean since I can just wash it down the drain, but I'm not sure why she wants to pee in the bath. It also scares me because I have a superhuman sense of smell, but the one thing I cannot smell AT ALL is cat pee. So she could be peeing all over the house and I might be walking around all day smelling like cat pee and I'd never know.

Our cat loves to pee on any towels that are lying around. He's also just started spraying on our coats and things that are hanging up. He's fixed so we think it might be because we have had a lot of other cats fighting in the yard. He can see them through the windows.
I can't smell the pee much either. . . . I dread the thought of having a house that smells like pets.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

Will takes pills like a champ but Roscoe is a friggin nightmare. He spits the pill out almost every time. I'll have to try the pill pockets.

 

[sue4u2]

Our cat loves to pee on any towels that are lying around. He's also just started spraying on our coats and things that are hanging up. He's fixed so we think it might be because we have had a lot of other cats fighting in the yard. He can see them through the windows.
I can't smell the pee much either. . . . I dread the thought of having a house that smells like pets.

Oh, I totally forgot about males and spraying.
When do they start to do this?
Jack and Max are going on 8 months old. They haven't been fixed but they are not outdoor cat's. Hope that make's a difference.

 

[Liesje]

Female cat pee doesn't smell hardly at all -- male cat pee, on the other hand, stinks to high heavens.

Good to know! B/c SOMEONE peed on a pile of Phil's clothes. We threw it all away (we're talking a 40gal garbage bag full), had to run out and buy him six new shirts (he is a teacher and has to abide by the dress code). I only have ONE male cat, hmmm......

Whoever is the pee culprit, it is BAD. It's happened a few times before. I spend $30 on this special stuff, totally soak every piece of clothing, then wash it twice with bleach, and I can STILL smell the pee. At that point it's no longer a bad smell, but I know it's there and I go crazy if I can smell it on me or around me. I think the reason for the re-occurrence is that we tried to treat the clothes originally, and it must not really work so the cat is peeing on those clothes repeatedly (and whatever is with it).

So tonight we threw away probably half of Phil's entire wardrobe. Anything that was even just in the vicinity of what was peed on, I tossed. The worst part is that whoever did it last got some on Phil's love seat, so I keep dumping Nature's Miracle on it to try to lift the smell. Thank GOD they've never peed on my stuff! Probably b/c I don't leave wet, dirty clothes all over the house...

 

[sue4u2]

So tonight we threw away probably half of Phil's entire wardrobe. Anything that was even just in the vicinity of what was peed on, I tossed. The worst part is that whoever did it last got some on Phil's love seat, so I keep dumping Nature's Miracle on it to try to lift the smell.

Geez Liesje, that's incredible. I've noticed Max hanging around more in my closet than the others. But so far haven't noticed anything like the litter box smell when I scoop it. Even then, if it's a real strong smell I empty and clean all three litter boxes.
I usually close my bedroom door when I leave for work but I would hate for that to happen to my funiture. I asked my son when he came over tonight if he smells cat pee and have I just gotten use to it or something. He said "no Mom you know I would say something", and believe me he would!
How old is your male cat, Liesje?

 

[MsPurrl]

Speaking of Worf, she saw the "head vet" (he founded the vet place I go to) yesterday and he recommended taking off the bump she has on her leg. He thinks one of the bumps is a cyst (the one that's been there the longest in her armpit) but the other one that's new looks "iffy". She's going to go in next Friday to have them removed and sent to the lab. He said it was better just to go in and remove it because if it was cancerous they'd just have to go in later to do that anyway. He said it was small and didn't feel attached to anything.

To be honest, I'm kind of relieved. Even if the lump turns out to be bad, at least I'll know what it is instead of wondering. If it's cancerous, I wouldn't do chemo (she's 15), but at least it won't just grow and grow on her leg.

Lots of luck and love to you and Worf, Kelly.

 

[MsPurrl]

Biscuit just peed in the bath. I stopped her when she started to pee on the bathmat when I was about to get into the shower last week, but I didn't realise that she'd peed in the bath tonight until I heard her scratching around in there.

At least it's easy to clean since I can just wash it down the drain, but I'm not sure why she wants to pee in the bath. It also scares me because I have a superhuman sense of smell, but the one thing I cannot smell AT ALL is cat pee. So she could be peeing all over the house and I might be walking around all day smelling like cat pee and I'd never know.

Megan, might she have a bladder infection? I remember when our old kitty girl, Miss Purrl, started peeing elsewhere than her litter box, our vet had us bring her in to be tested and; sure enough, she did have a bladder infection, which was treated with antibiotics. The vet said that that when it hurts when they pee, they associate the pain with the litter box, so they go somewhere else.

 

[Liesje]

Sue he's about 4.5. The smell....you don't have to put your face anywhere NEAR it to smell it! We're just trying to get rid of everything with the smell and start fresh. Phil has been keeping his door shut when he's not in the room, but somehow the cat did it again recently. He's also scaring the cats out with his "cat rattle", trying to train them to stay out. I might also get a scat mat for the doorway. We were just discussing how it sucks that there's no other door anywhere in the house, so either the cats have the ENTIRE house, or just the basement, and I won't lock them in the basement.

For some reason they've only peed on Phil's stuff. Sometimes I have clothes on the floor but they don't go near it, or the bathmat. Phil thinks it's probably b/c he sweats a lot and works out, so his dirty clothes are stinky and damp.

Tomorrow I'm going to clean the boxes really well (scrub them, not just replace the litter) and maybe add a few more and see if that helps. I can't put one upstairs b/c then they track litter into the hardwood floors.

 

[meegannie]

Megan, might she have a bladder infection? I remember when our old kitty girl, Miss Purrl, started peeing elsewhere than her litter box, our vet had us bring her in to be tested and; sure enough, she did have a bladder infection, which was treated with antibiotics. The vet said that that when it hurts when they pee, they associate the pain with the litter box, so they go somewhere else.

I don't know because she still used the litter tray at least three times yesterday (they eat mostly wet food so they pee a lot!). I'll keep an eye on her, though.

I used to have a mat in the kitchen next to the sink (the bathmat from our old flat), and one day I caught her peeing on that. I have no idea how long she'd been doing that since I'd noticed it was wet before, but I thought it was just from my husband splashing water around while doing the washing up. Who knows how many times I unknowingly stood in cat pee while Biscuit giggled in the doorway.

 

[Liesje]

We also had a cat that peed on bathmats. My housemate adopted her. She was older and was a caught feral. The fucking rescue de-clawed her! So she had a behavioral reason for not using a litter box (associated it with the pain of digging in the litter). She also had a UTI so there was a medical reason. One vet gave my friend these drugs to "calm" her and help her use the box, it was horrid I made her stop b/c the poor cat was a zombie. Since she was recovering from several infections and not very mobile anyway, we went with a better vet's suggestion of building her a large cage so she would have limited choices and start using the box again. She actually got really sick b/c she had FIP the entire time and no one knew. She got so weak I was carrying her to the box to use it, and syringe feeding her food and Pedialyte. She had to be put down b/c she was suffering and could not recover. I reported that cat rescue to the police b/c they had over 200 cats in a small facility and the conditions were crowded and filthy. Most of the cats were suffering either behaviorally or physically and were not the least bit adoptable. Very sad.

Anyway, last night I caught Kenya and Beckham sharing a bed! I took pics but my camera is at home...