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Pet Advice Thread.

tkae.

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Not sure what part of the forum this belongs in.. :thinking:

Anyway- I haven't seen any general threads about pet problems, so I figured I'd start one, and address one of my own. We can all trade tips/experiences.

So here's my issue-

My cat, Jack, is 8yrs old. He's always lived with another animal in the house. He's not particularly social or playful with other pets, but, apparently, the lack of an animal's presence is becoming increasingly stressful to him. We've been at my mother's house for some time now- she has a cat of her own. In the summers, she goes away on weekends, taking the cat with her. I've noticed on these weekends, Jack displays increasing anxiety. Literally always following me around- long, plaintive meows, a lot of repetitive pacing. Constantly running to his food dish, wanting it filled [I assume for comfort- I don't give in to this, though.] No matter how much attention through affection, talk, and play I offer, he still seems very anxious.

I'm concerned about this becoming even worse when we move, soon. There will be no other animals in the apt, at all. How can I comfort him?

Leaving a TV or radio on can help sometimes. Is there a reason you can't adopt another cat to give him company? That seems like the easiest solution.
 

Lexicon

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Leaving a TV or radio on can help sometimes. Is there a reason you can't adopt another cat to give him company? That seems like the easiest solution.

Thanks for trying to offer a suggestion- but that post was made over 3 yrs ago & resolved around that time.
Always good to check the post dates on advice threads. ;)


The so-very-loved feline from that post- Jack- unfortunately lost a battle w/mast cell cancer in March 2014.

I adopted a cat in Feb this year, & I'll attest to TV/radio being helpful when they have to be alone. Cricket really likes the fish tank & bird videos on youtube. Some last for a couple of hours, which helps if I go out for errands. I'll leave some of those video links at the bottom of this post in case anyone else has a cat loneliness issue & wants to try these out, actually.



Jack didn't care for them- would look behind the monitor, sniff, & walk off, so it may be hit or miss with some pets, but we worked out Jack's anxiety issues (as well as some others, with much support from the resident cat behaviorist, Amargith).

Again, I do appreciate you stopping in to offer a suggestion, despite the misalignment in timing.


Cat Entertainment Videos (w/long runtime)

30-minute fish tank video from Cricket's vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K1XKClRb38

2 1/2 hr aquarium video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aWDVtCJaCQ

1 hr/45 min bird video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI1_6v_ywoo

There are a bunch of vids out there, but these seem to hold my cat's attention most often.
 

Ivy

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Hey, update on the automatic robot cat toilet- we kept it, and I decided to run it manually once or twice a day and give treats. They love it now. It doesn't go off unless I'm standing next to it with yummies. So it's not always spotless but it's still better than scooping.
 

Amargith

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Hey, update on the automatic robot cat toilet- we kept it, and I decided to run it manually once or twice a day and give treats. They love it now. It doesn't go off unless I'm standing next to it with yummies. So it's not always spotless but it's still better than scooping.

Ingenious :D

Bribing is always legal in kitty land :wink:

I absolutely love that you were able to marry your needs with theirs - that's what being a good roommate is all about :heart:
 

Lexicon

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weird but kind of adorable

I guess this isn't a problem that merits advice or even resolving, but, does anyone else's cat do this?
( [MENTION=5494]Amargith[/MENTION] or anyone else with cats )

Lately I've been waking up & socks, or the previous day's clothing (occasionally draped over the desk chair) will be in the bed with me. I thought maybe my friend's 6 year-old was doing it (she puts stuffed animals or slippers in her mom's bed sometimes), but I usually lock the bedroom door when I sleep. She and her mother went away for the weekend, & now I've confirmed.

Cricket's bringing my clothes onto the bed when I'm sleeping. :laugh:
Like I said, it's not a problem - he's not chewing or clawing them up, or even sleeping on them. He just leaves them by my legs & cuddles up by my chest while I sleep.

What the heck is the motivation for this, I wonder?
 

Amargith

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I guess this isn't a problem that merits advice or even resolving, but, does anyone else's cat do this?
( [MENTION=5494]Amargith[/MENTION] or anyone else with cats )

Lately I've been waking up & socks, or the previous day's clothing (occasionally draped over the desk chair) will be in the bed with me. I thought maybe my friend's 6 year-old was doing it (she puts stuffed animals or slippers in her mom's bed sometimes), but I usually lock the bedroom door when I sleep. She and her mother went away for the weekend, & now I've confirmed.

Cricket's bringing my clothes onto the bed when I'm sleeping. :laugh:
Like I said, it's not a problem - he's not chewing or clawing them up, or even sleeping on them. He just leaves them by my legs & cuddles up by my chest while I sleep.

What the heck is the motivation for this, I wonder?

Im putting 10 bucks on....playtime and your scent :D

Your bed is where your scent is most concentrated. You're also in the bed. Add to that the clothes you've worn all day and you have a Lex's Perfume Extravaganza. And then there is the added challenge and appeal of doing this and keeping his mind busy while you're sleeping and he has to leave you alone :D

That cat needs a tv/something to keep his mind occupied 24/7 with a Lex blanky to snuggle up in - you adopted an Ne-dom (and inferior Si!) kitten, didn't you... :laugh:
 

Lexicon

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Im putting 10 bucks on....playtime and your scent :D

Your bed is where your scent is most concentrated. You're also in the bed. Add to that the clothes you've worn all day and you have a Lex's Perfume Extravaganza. And then there is the added challenge and appeal of doing this and keeping his mind busy while you're sleeping and he has to leave you alone :D

That cat needs a tv/something to keep his mind occupied 24/7 - you adopted an Ne-dom kitten, didn't you... :laugh:

:laugh: Makes sense.. he doesn't bring his other toys into the bed (balls, fuzzy mice, etc).

We did kind of establish the bed as a play area. :doh: At least, he doesn't bite my hair or bat at it anymore, though, so I guess it's not a big deal. He doesn't even attack my legs when I sleep. Most of the time, when I go to bed, he's like, "Bedtime now? kay!" *snuggles*



Come to think of it, I believe the clothing-transport started as I trained him out of the morning hair-biting ritual.
 

EcK

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For the last time, bear - I'm not setting my cat on fire or drowning him in holy water. :dry:

I'm only trying to help.
Plus a bag, a few rocks and a river would do just fine.

Calling an exorcist will only get people killed, and create hours of 180 degree head turning nonsense. I've seen the movies.
 

Lexicon

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I'm only trying to help.
Plus a bag, a few rocks and a river would do just fine.

Calling an exorcist will only get people killed, and create hours of 180 degree head turning nonsense. I've seen the movies.

And you're suggesting this for your Ne-dom feline brethren? :shock: :dont:
 

Lexicon

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I'm like a witch witch-hunter. It's sexy and cool.


...Ya.

much like
bowtie.gif
 

Cloudpatrol

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This is a great idea for a thread.

My cat recently developed kidney disease due to a reaction to sedation. As a result I now give her daily injections of saline fluid. I was wondering if anyone else has experience doing this?

I have learnt that it is better to do it while she is in a container that softly encloses her on the sides so she feels safe and that if I heat the I.V. bag a bit first it goes better. I am just wondering if anyone has any other tips to make this process easier for her?

I felt really guilty for the first bit and kept consulting vets for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinion and finally I realized this is basically the same as dialysis. The one vet said the better energy I have the calmer my cat will be and it has been true.
 

Amargith

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This is a great idea for a thread.

My cat recently developed kidney disease due to a reaction to sedation. As a result I now give her daily injections of saline fluid. I was wondering if anyone else has experience doing this?

I have learnt that it is better to do it while she is in a container that softly encloses her on the sides so she feels safe and that if I heat the I.V. bag a bit first it goes better. I am just wondering if anyone has any other tips to make this process easier for her?

I felt really guilty for the first bit and kept consulting vets for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinion and finally I realized this is basically the same as dialysis. The one vet said the better energy I have the calmer my cat will be and it has been true.

I haven't personally had that happen with one of my cats, but Ive had a kitten I hand raised that needed to have their eye cleaned out every day due to infection and put eye ointment in. I've also had to give her saline subcutaneously for about a week when she was unable to drink for herself for a week due to the virus infecting her mouth, when she was about a year old. My benefit was that she was hand raised and trusted me like she would've her mom, by then. Meanwhile, to this day, I can put her on a scratching tree and poke around in her eye and she just looks up and patiently waits while I go about my business - none of my other cats would even let me try to do that. :D

But you're right, essentially, you want to turn this into a happy little routine the two of you have going every day. The more it happens and the more they know what to expect and the more experience you gain (becoming more efficient etc), the easier it will be on the both of you.

Now the hiding spot is a great idea, I love that. Basically, what you want to do is be fully focused on her without coming off intense. So act like it's every day business with nothing to worry about (which it is!), while checking her continuously for signs of dismay (wagging tails, retreating from your touch, sticking out her tongue, shivering, lifting her paw - these are all stress signals to watch for). Her body language should be comfortable, loose (no tails firmly squished against her body, standing or sitting on her paws, not crouching down, etc). Being too brusk or rough in your handling will bring out these signals, so back up, release or at least soften your grip (without letting them escape), even pause for a moment before trying again. That way, she knows you're taking her level of discomfort into account and the trust will grow.

Pet her a bit and feed her some treats if she is allowed to have those - bribing is a legal and good thing in cat world. Basically, you're trying to build pleasant and positive associations with this process so she'll eventually come running for it. You could even teach her to do so by doing a little training exercise (say her name, instantly give her a treat, repeat until she gets it, then step away and say her name, let her run towards you and give her the treat, and so on) Eventually, you could leave a treat for her if she hops in the box where she gets her treatment - and one after she's done. If treats aren't an option or she isn't a food motivated cat, use attention or toys instead - whatever is her favourite. Couple that with the treatment and it should become a breeze ;)
 

Amargith

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:laugh: Makes sense.. he doesn't bring his other toys into the bed (balls, fuzzy mice, etc).

We did kind of establish the bed as a play area. :doh: At least, he doesn't bite my hair or bat at it anymore, though, so I guess it's not a big deal. He doesn't even attack my legs when I sleep. Most of the time, when I go to bed, he's like, "Bedtime now? kay!" *snuggles*



Come to think of it, I believe the clothing-transport started as I trained him out of the morning hair-biting ritual.

:heart: :heart: :heart: He's such an adorable ball of energy :D

And yeah...well, he has to keep busy somehow :D

You could re-direct that energy to a game that is more channeled to your preferences, if you wanted to.

As for the switch to the water gun - did I get this right that you're able to pull it out and use it faster than the water bottle? Coz that would be crucial - all consequences have to happen within 1 second (which is another reason that Im more likely to use my hand as that's always available to me), in order to register. The only exception to this is actually eating something poisonous. An animal will connect a food with digestive issues up to 6 hours after ingesting it. But all other training techniques require reaction within 1 second - it' why clicker training is so often used. Clicking a clicker is a lot easier than fumbling a plastic bag with a treat open in time, and you can use the clicker to teach them that the treat is on their way while rewarding the desirable behaviour ;)
 
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