Pet Advice Thread.

[cascadeco]

This.

Fwiw, I think you re spot on. Its likely the stress from the move is likely a big factor, barring medical conditions.


@cascadeco

Id give it more time too. Also, its not uncommon to see temporary wet spots after they ve given themselves a thorough bath, but in this case it seems rather frequent. Id guess its a temporary coping mechanism, unless she has a history of this with previous owners.

Some thing you can do to help her, is give her other things to do (interactive play especially), and distract her with food or other pleasant things if she gets too intense with the washing.

(This can also actively pre-empt her developing stereotypical behavior as you ll catch it early and keep the habit from forming. Licking releases opoids which are soothing, and it becomes addictive. It establishes a habit which perseveres long after the effect of the opiods wears off and is harder to break the longer it goes on)

For now, there is no real need to worry, imho. Just keep an eye our for medical issues, OCD and automutilation if she keeps at it.

Typically they ll go for the flanks, paws or tip of the tail, if memory serves, but any bald spot would be troubling and should be checked out.

If it turns out to be psychological in nature, your vet can prescribe something like Clomicalm to help her cope better and break the habit through therapy.

!! You came!!

Thank you for your input. Much appreciated, and it's nice to hear from you again. Hope you are well.

 

[prplchknz]

so my cat has decided to only eat when i'm staring at her and will even look up to make sure i'm still t here. I try to tell her that she can eat without me there. she doesn't listen it's just "meow" "meow" ect until i follow her to her food bowl

she only does to me if i go out of town the people who stay with her she eats all her food (i feed her twice a day, theoretically) and she eats both bowls but because i don't want to stand there while she eats she's only eating 1 bowl a day

I'm wondering if it has to do in part that i've been in and out of town a lot lately. even though i have people stay in the house with her

 

[xenaprincess]

so my cat has decided to only eat when i'm staring at her and will even look up to make sure i'm still t here. I try to tell her that she can eat without me there. she doesn't listen it's just "meow" "meow" ect until i follow her to her food bowl

she only does to me if i go out of town the people who stay with her she eats all her food (i feed her twice a day, theoretically) and she eats both bowls but because i don't want to stand there while she eats she's only eating 1 bowl a day

I'm wondering if it has to do in part that i've been in and out of town a lot lately. even though i have people stay in the house with her

That sounds like a reasonable theory. I don’t have any solutions for you, though.

Very often, a cat’s eating schedule is disrupted by any major change. They’re just naturally anxious and defensive critters. I think.....she will be ok.

 

[prplchknz]

That sounds like a reasonable theory. I don’t have any solutions for you, though.

Very often, a cat’s eating schedule is disrupted by any major change. They’re just naturally noxious and defensive critters. I think.....she will be ok.

I think I'll quit giving in and eventually she'll get hungry enough and eat her food without me there.

 

[rav3n]

so my cat has decided to only eat when i'm staring at her and will even look up to make sure i'm still t here. I try to tell her that she can eat without me there. she doesn't listen it's just "meow" "meow" ect until i follow her to her food bowl

she only does to me if i go out of town the people who stay with her she eats all her food (i feed her twice a day, theoretically) and she eats both bowls but because i don't want to stand there while she eats she's only eating 1 bowl a day

I'm wondering if it has to do in part that i've been in and out of town a lot lately. even though i have people stay in the house with her

Your cat is feeling insecure since she wants you to guard her back while she's focused on her food and unable to monitor the environment for danger. If her food's out in the open, is there a more secure location that you can place it?

 

[prplchknz]

Your cat is feeling insecure since she wants you to guard her back while she's focused on her food and unable to monitor the environment for danger. If her food's out in the open, is there a more secure location that you can place it?

there's not really a more secure place tbh. besides she only does this to me, when i go out of town and my friends watch her she eats all her food.

 

[rav3n]

there's not really a more secure place tbh. besides she only does this to me, when i go out of town and my friends watch her she eats all her food.

This is still a sign of insecurity, in that she doesn't want to lose sight of you.

 

[Norrsken]

My parents are thinking of throwing our dog's ashes out in nature, and though it's a good way for us to let go of her so that we can move on, it still hurts me too much to think about doing that and wish I can keep her with me forever. I'm thinking of getting those pet urns that you can hang around your neck:

My mom said that if we keep her, it'll hold us back or even devastate us in the long-term. Do you suppose this is true?

 

[Lexicon]

My parents are thinking of throwing our dog's ashes out in nature, and though it's a good way for us to let go of her so that we can move on, it still hurts me too much to think about doing that and wish I can keep her with me forever. I'm thinking of getting those pet urns that you can hang around your neck:

My mom said that if we keep her, it'll hold us back or even devastate us in the long-term. Do you suppose this is true?

Personally I’ve always found it better to let go of whatever physical is left. They aren’t there anymore. I donated [my cat] Jack’s remains to a veterinary university in 2014. I never did get his cremated remains back after 4yrs (some do that, some don’t) but I’d already made peace with parting.


The urn necklaces are sweet (honestly I’d considered one when I lost Jack, but then my mind flashed fwd to a future where my neck was weighed down by all my future cats’ ashes kept in similar fashion, which changed my mind).

With that urn necklace, you have to also consider how you may react if it’s ever lost, stolen, or destroyed, all of which are possible someday. You may experience a horrible sense of loss all over again that you never needed to. Perhaps a locket with their picture might be better, if you’re taking a commemorative route?


Years ago, my mom opted to plant our family dog’s ashes at my brother & dad’s joint gravesite, with daisies that come back every year. That’s another option. Interring them in a special place, with a hardy plant that comes back yearly.

Or, as your mom wants to, scattering them out in nature. Perhaps in a place she enjoyed or would have enjoyed. A place you find a sense of peace and connection with her.


It all depends on the individual, the connection, and how you personally process loss.
My condolences, by the way.

 

[prplchknz]

we buried both of my childhood cats in a flower bed

 

[Saturnal Snowqueen]

So my dog's been really bitey. He's a one year old hound. He just comes up and bites me randomly and I'm fending him off for 20 minutes sometimes to get him not to gnaw on me. I try saying no and giving him toys, and he'll play with them for a bit but then come back for more. I think he's most likely playing, but how do I get him to stop? It's been going on for a long time. I've noticed I'm the only one in the household that he chews on too.

 

[The Cat]

So my dog's been really bitey. He's a one year old hound. He just comes up and bites me randomly and I'm fending him off for 20 minutes sometimes to get him not to gnaw on me. I try saying no and giving him toys, and he'll play with them for a bit but then come back for more. I think he's most likely playing, but how do I get him to stop? It's been going on for a long time. I've noticed I'm the only one in the household that he chews on too.

nip its ear. Hounds ime are pretty gnawing dogs, they need more active stimulation, lots of running and chasing, really anything thats going to satisfy that need to hunt that weve bread into hounds.

 

[Luminous]

nip its ear. Hounds ime are pretty gnawing dogs, they need more active stimulation, lots of running and chasing, really anything thats going to satisfy that need to hunt that weve bread into hounds.

I remember my uncle nipping his German Shepard's ear. I thought it was hilarious at the time.

 

[Saturnal Snowqueen]

nip its ear. Hounds ime are pretty gnawing dogs, they need more active stimulation, lots of running and chasing, really anything thats going to satisfy that need to hunt that weve bread into hounds.

Thanks for rep. Do you have any idea why he's only targeting me though? For active stimulation we do have a fence outside so he can roam free and he has some outdoor toys.

 

[rav3n]

If your pup's nipping, immediately stop playing, turn your back on it and walk out of the room for ten minutes. Come back and start playing and if it nips again, repeat. After awhile (hounds aren't fast learners) of repeating, the pup will realize that nipping stops the fun and won't do it anymore.

Also, make sure that you and everyone else in the home don't play with the dog with your hands. Always use a toy.

 

[The Cat]

Thanks for rep. Do you have any idea why he's only targeting me though? For active stimulation we do have a fence outside so he can roam free and he has some outdoor toys.

do you play back? Pay attention to him in ways that no one else does? Where do you fall in his pack heirarchy? And just roaming isnt the same as actually running, coursing and even play hunting. If you got labs you're gonna be playing a lot of retreival games, hounds, track and chase.

 

[Luminous]

Do you ever play hide and seek with him, [MENTION=38618]robobot14[/MENTION]?

 

[Saturnal Snowqueen]

Do you ever play hide and seek with him, [MENTION=38618]robobot14[/MENTION]?

Nah but that sounds like fun

[MENTION=22644]The Mysterious Stranger[/MENTION] that makes sense. For attention I've spent the most time with him as I've been home the most. That's changing cause college just started again, but he's been chewing before that.

 

[The Cat]

Nah but that sounds like fun

[MENTION=22644]The Mysterious Stranger[/MENTION] that makes sense. For attention I've spent the most time with him as I've been home the most. That's changing cause college just started again, but he's been chewing before that.

sogs sometimes act out when they miss you animals lacking thumbs use their mouths and various forms of biting and nipping to express so much more than most of us think.

 

[cascadeco]

Barring a medical condition like fleas, skin condition, etc, since the kitten's new, it's possible that Poppy is still recovering from the rehoming of her to your place and the intro of a new kitten. Most cats don't like change and who knows if Poppy was bonded to another cat who was adopted away (vocalizing at night), hence the hysterical bonding with the kitten. I'd give it more time.

Check for bald spots anywhere on her body. If she has a bald spot or lesions from overlicking, that's serious OCD and likely, will require intervention.

One of my late cats used to look wet when he groomed areas of his body but the amount of saliva didn't meet the level of hypersalivation since he didn't drool, etc. He was super chill and perfectly healthy so that was just him being a clean freak. He always smelled and looked great.

My cats do this sometimes, it's like social grooming, and I think they get a bit lost in the good vibez; theyre all orphans. these three are also very exlusory of the other cats that are outside the triumvirate.

This.

Fwiw, I think you re spot on. Its likely the stress from the move is likely a big factor, barring medical conditions.


@cascadeco

Id give it more time too. Also, its not uncommon to see temporary wet spots after they ve given themselves a thorough bath, but in this case it seems rather frequent. Id guess its a temporary coping mechanism, unless she has a history of this with previous owners.

Some thing you can do to help her, is give her other things to do (interactive play especially), and distract her with food or other pleasant things if she gets too intense with the washing.

(This can also actively pre-empt her developing stereotypical behavior as you ll catch it early and keep the habit from forming. Licking releases opoids which are soothing, and it becomes addictive. It establishes a habit which perseveres long after the effect of the opiods wears off and is harder to break the longer it goes on)

For now, there is no real need to worry, imho. Just keep an eye our for medical issues, OCD and automutilation if she keeps at it.

Typically they ll go for the flanks, paws or tip of the tail, if memory serves, but any bald spot would be troubling and should be checked out.

If it turns out to be psychological in nature, your vet can prescribe something like Clomicalm to help her cope better and break the habit through therapy.

I thought it might be interesting to post a follow-up of all of this.

Poppy (the older cat) no longer does the manic cleaning of Colibri (younger) or of herself. Poppy still likes to groom, and is still more motherly, but I think a combo of time as well as Colibri growing older and bigger has given Poppy the proper cues for when to stop. And there's a bit more back and forth now that Colibri is growing older and - Colibri grooms Poppy a bit more (though not a whole lot). Anyway, in short - it seems pretty balanced now in contrast to those early months.