Hi Reddit. I have two skinny pigs (hairless guinea pigs) whom I love very much. They are 4 months old and is winter gets closer I am worried they may get cold.
I have seen people put them in little sock sweaters - is this cruel or is this necessary to keep them warm? I really don’t want to distress them.
They have plenty of blankets, fluffy beds etc!
We have a communal cat in our building. She belongs to not one particular family but the building itself. The food and bedding comes from everyone. She's very friendly and well behaved with everybody. Some time ago she had a litter of 4. Cutest little things, everyone loved them instantly and she never left their side. Fast forward a few months and the kittens became vicious little balls of rage. Extremely aggressive,to the point they were causing problems. You could not go anywhere near without being scratched and/or bitten. a complete disdain towards people or other animals. Odd coming from such a well mannered mother. So they were cast to the backyard. They are now young adult cats and they refuse not only any contact with humans, but even cat food or anything left in a tray a human had touched. I'm sure they hunt their own food as I've seen the remains of birds and small rodents in the vicinity.
What happened?
it is nearly 11pm, and it’s those days in california where you’re normally warm throughout the day, then it gets chilly at night (chilly for us californians). assumingly, the puppy is chilly.
when my neighbors first got this puppy a couple months ago, they would leave it outside just about all day, whining for them. my room is the only one with the window that i can hear all their backyard action directly, with exceptions of them being too loud during the weekdays sometimes for my dad to be able to sleep for work. my neighbors get obnoxiously loud, i hate them. i would get headaches from the puppy whining and told my parents about it, my dad chuckled and said “their problem,” my mom doesn’t want to mess with their puppy privileges since the lady or whatever is her friend. her friend is a shitty dog owner.
i was advised by my friend back then to call animal control on them but after my parents responses i got nervous and wimped out, their puppy care skills haven’t fucking improved as i’d hoped. i was drained enough to knock out through all noise last night, tonight’s where i have to concentrate all on falling into slumber. if you’re still reading, i apologize for my constant irrelevance.
i still hate my neighbors! i don’t want them to keep having this puppy. they’re cunts. their kids will bother my german shepherds through the fence piece we share where we can see bits of our yards and they’ll bark as big aggressive dogs they can be, and their parents will yell at my dogs. i s e r i o u s l y hate these guys.
do i call the cops? do i wait till tomorrow and call my local humane society? do i tell them all of this or bits if so? they don’t give much valuable attention to the puppy and they just sleep or go on with their days. it was kinda tolerable when it was just their noisiness but these foos officially suck now. thanks.
Idk is there some homemade stuff to brush their teeth with? if not what dog toothpaste do you recommend?
i don’t even know if dog toothpaste exists i’m just talking shit
Their dog is actually a real pain and requires near constant attention and medication, and doesnt really listen to commands. He will wake me up and walk all over my belongings AND has destroyed some of my things I pack when I stay the night. He also steals my food the second I look away. Even if I place my food on the counter.
I really wasnt happy watching their pet, as the dog isnt exactly well behaved. He is okay sometimes but his behavior can be best described as a naughty little boy with attitude and teeth.
Each night I spent there in the past I had trouble sleeping and had panic attacks when the dog would just randomly freak out barking at nothing in the windows or halls at 2am.
So for my sanity I just want a friend or cousin to just be there at night for me. Their owner doesnt know I think their dog is a pain, but I have a feeling they know since they're pretty desperate to keep me. They are really nice and tell me to treat their home like their home in every sense so I dont want to be an asshole.
Would it be weird to ask if I can have someone keep me company at night for no additional pay?
I'm just at a loss with Cricket. I got him 3 years ago for my son for Christmas, and hes generally a cuddly fun loving cat....
....but he treats the entire house as a litter box.
I'm just tired of being worried about any sweaters or towels being left out reeking of cat piss- of having to rewash the same pillows over and over, and scrubbing our couch clean several times a week. He's been doing this off and on for almost 2 years, and it's disgusting. I've got a 7 year old in the house and we're hoping to have another child in the next year or so.
My parents mentioned we should put him down, something my wife's parents agreed with- but that seems so mean spirited and cruel. I know that I don't want to give him to the overburdened cat shelters or give him to a new home- not unless it's someone I dislike...
And I've contacted his vet about him having urinary issues in the past- something about peeing blood- but he hasn't done anything like that in nearly 2 years. They suggested surgery twice the price of my car....
So I just dunno. I don't wish to harm him, I just don't want my floors to be covered in an oily residue no matter how much I mop.
Is just tossing him outside an option? He's almost never stepped foot out there....
She's always been very enthusiastic about her time in the litter box and has a habit of digging around in there like it's a toy. A month or two ago I replaced the two pans with brand new ones, they're about the same size as the old ones- maybe an inch or so smaller, and the walls are slightly lower so her elderly brother can get in and out easier. I know we should have a third box but I just don't have the room for it, so I am extra vigilant about cleaning them to make up for that.
I cleaned the boxes and put a new mat in front of them earlier today and there's a mound of litter on it. I managed to catch her in the act and she was actually pulling the litter out and dumping it on the floor. Does she just not like the new mat?? Maybe it smells weird? She's still using the boxes as she should and I can pour the litter back in easily, but I am at a loss and want to know if anybody else has ever seen a cat do this.
Looking for some different pets, ones that really aren't common and ones I can hold and interact with/just sit and chill with! I don't want the usual hamster or mice.
I went to feed my rats today and I noticed right away my one rat didn’t look right. Her eyes were half open and she was struggling to walk. I watched her tumble around trying to eat but not actually eating anything. She eventually just gave up and curled up in her house. I looked it up and it said it could possibly be an ear infection. Has anyone experienced anything similar? I’m going to take her to the vet tomorrow but in the mean time is there anything I can do for her?
Despite reading all these advertisement like articles on my googling escapade, I’m still not sold.
What do you guys think - at the end of the day, is it worth it?
Would love to hear Any + All opinions, personal experiences, not you but someone you know experiences, random stories you found on the internet, etc
The elderly cat will mind her own business and he sneaks up behind her and purposely rushes up against her. Today he bit her tail and nearly knocked her off a stool, she hissed at him and he ran away. He is nearly double the size of her (he is 14/15 pounds and she is 8)and I’m scared he’ll seriously hurt her.
My 1 year old cat is my baby and I love him, though at times he can be skittish and frightened easily. He's also very anti-social and afraid of strangers or even going outside the house. He's a Siamese mix and is extremely vocal, I got him from a local shelter and know nothing about his backstory.
Usually he's very loving and sweet! but...sometimes he jumps up at my legs or arms to bite and scratch me! It sometimes draws blood, and especially this time, it did. Before he gets ready to pounce he usually starts breathing heavily and wagging his tail ferociously, then he'll pounce. If I try to run or walk away he will chase after me and latch onto my leg.
Usually before and after this event he seems perfectly normal, and it seems to happen at random..I just want to know how to stop it. I'll take any advice I can get. I just couldn't really find any information on it online..
Is it better to feed a mix of Timothy, oat, botanical?
My family had to make a very difficult decision today. Our family dog, a pure bred Daschund that we have had for almost 15 years, had a wound on her breast that had become very bad. Talking it over with my sister, we decided to have her put to sleep. Thing is, she was the first family pet that we had gotten that was loved by our whole family, even my mom, who didn't like dogs all that much.
When my sister had purchased her from an area breeder when she was a puppy, she brought Madison to our house and my dad took ownership of her before my sister could say anything. When our dad had passed away, she became emotionally attached to our mom. She would always defend our mom if she perceived a threat and she frequently jumped to alert. She was a very small family dog but she was very loyal. When our mom passed away, she became attached to me and she would never leave my side.
I always took care of her since nobody else would. I would make sure she was fed, changed her drinking water every day, take her outside and even for walks. She always slept with me. I was the only person she would sleep with. It was her way to protecting me. She would follow me wherever I would go and would never let me out of her sight for more than a few seconds. I never understood why my dad cried when he had Duchess, a previous family pet, put to sleep because she had come down with parvo.
With Madison, the wound on her breast (my niece thought it might have been breast cancer) and that she could barely walk and was always having trouble breathing, I just didn't want her to suffer in pain. She was an old dog but I find myself crying that we have to put her to sleep. I don't know how I'm going to get over this because it was me and my mom who always protected Madison. My brother, several years ago, wanted to put her to sleep because she became sick. She had come down with hookworms in her stomach but after some medicine, she got better. But, it was me and my mom who told my brother that he wasn't going to touch her.
When my mom passed away, Madison was the only thing that I had left of my mom and I always shielded her from my brother because he would always be very "verbal" with her. She was never spanked or punished and she always listened. We had her since she was a few months old and now she will no longer be with us. The only consolation I have is that she will be in Heaven with my parents and that she will finally be at peace and no longer in pain.
It's going to be harder for me to get over this because there are so many memories I have of Madison and that she was always my mom's favorite. It took me a long time to get over my mom's passing away because I wasn't able to adequately grieve over my mom when she passed. I'm the oldest and my entire family was having nervous breakdowns. My brother and sister never understood and told me to get over it. Now that Madison is gone, it's just bringing all of those memories flooding back.
I just had to share my story and the love we all had for Madison. She just wasn't a family pet, she was a member of our family.
Rest in Peace, Madison, we'll never forget you. You were always loved. Madison: (2005-2019).
So we have a 7 year old Male kitty (dessexed) named Phoenix, he has always been really skittish and a scaredy cat 😂 but would always come for a cuddle and be EXTREMELY loving. About august 2018 we let him out like normal to sunbake etc but he never returned, fast forward to September 2019 and we finally found him and brought him home, problem is he has extreme anxiety now, he hides under beds, shakes, won't come out unless we aren't home or are all in bed, no more cuddles or love.. basically I just want to know what I can do to help him, I hate seeing him so scared and I miss my cuddles 😥 any advice is appreciated! Thanks!
TLDR: Cat ran away for 13 months and came home with massive anxiety, how can I help him?
To start, I absolutely adore my cat. She’s the sweetest and most affectionate cat I’ve ever own. However, she doesn’t seem like she gets enough attention. As soon as I sit down she’s right there wanting me to pet her. Which is fine, I love petting her. But as soon as I stop she tries to get more. No matter how much attention I give her, it just doesn’t seem enough and she always wants more.
I’m worried there’s an underlying issue here. Has anyone experienced something like this? Do I have anything to worry about?
We have a terrier mix about 4 years old that has only chewed one toy on her life. We want to encourage some play while we're at work but she won't bite. Are there any recommendation on safe sprays or mixes (homemade or otherwise) we could put on a toy to draw her to them?
Hello, we just got our 9 week old kitten 2 days ago and she's not using her tray which weve placed just next to the kitchen. She is however going in the carrier which we placed in the living room.
After the second time she used it i took away the carrier and placed the tray where the carrier lived - was this the right thing to do?
Should i maybe try to get a litter tray with a roof so she can have more privacy?
She was trained to use her tray by the breeder. Just more information if needed.
So, I recently adopted a cat from a shelter. let me specify that it is a one eyed cat, and I do not know the story behind it, but I would like to hope it was just a nasty infection or a fight with another animal that did that to her, and that knowledge or lack thereof may influence how she behaves and may be why she’s behaving this way, however, as the title states, I don’t think I even have a grasp of what I’ve gotten myself into, or any reasonable way to rectify what’s happened/is happening around my cat.
So three days ago, I woke up at 3am because I heard my cat, she was puking and pretty much projectile vomited on a bunch of my D&D stuff, and overall just woke us up. (Not stressed about it too much, they’re just books) I wanted to see how she was doing and when I got up and approached her, she bolted off for the first hiding spot she could (her little “dungeon” behind my books is her favorite spot.) and I wanted her out of there so I could check her tummy because I heard that vast and various changes could bloat a kitty up, so I went checking for bloating and other various things to indicate she may be having a large amount of indigestion, so I closed off the little safe area so I could check her,
she then got out of my light grasp and went for the couch, and in between the seats (very dangerous mechanical inner parts that the kid was sleeping on and got her out of there) and only when she went to the closed off “dungeon” and tried wedging herself into the walls and the table comprising her “dungeon” was when I was able to get a hold of her and inspect her, she was a little apprehensive and surprisingly didn’t get scratched. I didn’t find anything that would offset me like the expert* that I am, and leave her be, and go to work for the day. (I wake up at 3am anyways)
When I come home, she want nothing to do with ANYBODY, and has been this way for days now.
•she won’t accept treats from anybody •she hasn’t eaten in days •she hasn’t come out of any hiding spot for longer than it takes to get water, or go to the restroom •she doesn’t want to get brushed by me or anybody else anymore.
Overall, it was NEVER like this, she would eat, interact, and even come and lay by us, but now, 3 weeks plus of interaction and training, all almost for nothing, now I have to either build this “trust” back up, or do something about this cat.
I love her dearly, but I cannot fathom how one little instance of chase has RUINED all these weeks in interaction and training.
It is either she doesn’t trust me, or she has gotten sick somehow and I am not understanding, I don’t know what, or how I did anything wrong and I feel like I failed because it seems like she’s never going to trust me? Is this how all new cat owners feel? Should I have started off with a kitten? I don’t know, but it’s hitting me real hard that I don’t know what to do...
I don’t know, all I know is that it’s taking some sort of effect on me, I really can’t tolerate people and even social interaction right now because I’m a mix of both peeved and stressed that this is even happening. I’ve been getting really pissy around my co-workers and overall just don’t give a hoot about their lives or almost anybody because of the shit that’s happening in mine right now. can the cat pick up on that? Am I just dumb? I don’t know...
I excited with this new chapter in my life that will include MY pet. I have grown up with dogs and birds and hamsters all my life, but those were FAMILY pets.
I have a few questions...(I might edit to add more as I research some more).
Any advice on food? Should I get a sample pack of any food until I can take my kitten to the veterinarian to get advice from them about food options? Food is my biggest concern. I want to make sure I am giving them what they need. My partners cat like to eat a mixture of wet and dry, but some people just give dry? Is it really trial and error?
For anyone here in Ontario, Canada, who has insurance, what company would you recommend?!
This is my first time owning a cat, so it will be all brand new! all advice is welcomed. c:
I'm sorry, I am so excited.
How in the hell could something bad happen to a certain someone and not care about it
I’m about to adopt a cat which is 8 months old. Any tips for a first time cat owner ?
Hello, newish cat owner here.
We've got two 7-month-old cats (brother and sister) that have a lot of energy at night.
We've tried setting specific play schedule and shutting the bedroom door, and even using the spray bottle when they tear around the bed, but really nothing works or does more damage than good (for instance we stopped closing the door because the male would just scratch at it and tear apart the bottom until the next morning.
The only option I can think of now is to crate them at night so i can actually get some sleep.
Any thought on this?
I hear stories about how pets know when they’re going to pass the rainbow bridge. They let their owner know by being near them for one last time. Or sitting on their chest, or something. My cat who has given me 14 wonderful years is having some health issues and it’s looking bad. I just want to know what’s something your pet has done right before they passed. Maybe I know what to sorta expect when it does happen. I’m nowhere eat ready nor is my family but I’d like to hear some other stories.
I know it seems like a selfish question. I'm thinking a type of fish or something in a small fishbowl. Ideally can handle between 60F-80F (range of my apartment). Minimal cost, feed once or twice a day, doesn't need a chemistry lab to stay alive.
Thank you
My dog is a 4 year old Akita mix with really bad separation anxiety. I need good recommendations for someone to come stay with him while I go to work. I work a normal fulltime 2nd shift job so between 3-12.
It would need to be everyday at first, but my hope is to Acclimate him down to not needing someone there or only needing them for an hour or so.
He's a rescue from a bad first home and he isn't good with other dogs. So traditional daycare or boarding are out.
If anyone knows of something that could help I'm all ears. But just a heads up I have exhausted any training options and he takes medication for this already. That's why I need a sitter for him
Last month I noticed my two cats had fleas so I treated them both with frontline spot on, sprayed the house down with flea spray and combed the cats every other day. 4 weeks on they still had fleas so I booked them in at vets4pets to try and get something stronger.
When I took both cats to the vet and was told to get something from the pet shop as it will be much cheaper than if the vet seen them( I know you pay to see the vet as well as for anything else they give you) and I was told to clean my house from top to bottom with boiling water or get a fumigator in to deal with the fleas.
Now I've not had any veterinary training but i know if the root cause isn't treated the problem wont go away and if the flea treatment didn't work first time its certainly not going to work the second time around.
Thankfully i managed to talk her in to treating both cats and they have finally stopped scratching.
I'm finding a new vet also
I'm naturally a depressive/anxious person - for the last several months I'd moved out finally to a place of my own and really enjoyed the peace and freedom. But I'd always said since I was younger that I wanted to get a cat (We had one for about 2 years when I was a kid), and figured getting one now would give me more affection and something better to focus on than my own thoughts all the time.
I delayed getting the cat for quite a bit out of anxiety, but after feeling the pressure both from myself and from those I kept telling I was going to, I went ahead and finally did so 5 days ago from the HS.
Since then, I've been getting really depressed though, in bursts. He's very clingy, which is great sometimes because having a cat purring on your lap is great, but it becomes too much when it's just constantly running around the house, stressed out and meowing at nothing because he's not used to the place, and randomly jumping onto (or into) everything. I don't like having to constantly be staring over my shoulder and tensed up worrying about him.
I figured that getting a cat would just be a case of playing with em for like 30 minutes, twice a day, then they would laze around the rest of it and be calm/sweet. And maybe that'll happen eventually, but it's definitely not the case right now. I'm really starting to feel like this was a terrible decision, mourning the loss of freedom and peace of mind of my old life.
At the same time though, I'm not planning on giving him back, at least not until there's been more time to really see how things develop as we get used to each other and the house. I don't think I could give back an animal without hating myself for years, even though I think he'd get picked up pretty easily again compared to the other cats there.
I know some people that would read this might think it's just selfishness, that's what I fear at least. But I'm the one here who really needs the most change in order for this to work out, and in order to ever feel like I'm better off after this than before it.
Have a female cat that might be pregnant, see post history. Have owned her for a little over three months and the past two heat cycles, she becomes randomly obsessed with digging. I have a few empty boxes in my living room that she and the other two kittens play or sleep in.
When she becomes obsessed with digging, shell hop into one of the boxes and try to dig to china. Shell use her claws and ignore everyone for like 5 minutes, regardless of stimuli.
Few nights ago, she hopped in bed with me. Snuck under the covers and eventually tried to start digging through my bed. Had to kick her out of my bed.
Should this be just chalked up to random behavior or is there an explanation for it?
My little furry asshole kitty has a temper that we're not sure how to handle. She'll go from purring and happy to annoyed and biting pretty quickly. It's telegraphed in her behavior, so I'm not caught by surprise by the bite, but I can't figure out what to do when I can see it coming and have time to react. My instinct is to try to distract her, but often as not she'll come back from her distraction, glare at me, and bite my hand anyway.
It would also be nice if she could chill out and not get so angry in the first place. We're pretty careful not to overstimulate her during petting, it's more like she gets angry about something we do while petting her, maybe we letting a forearm get too close to her face or something, though it's usually not so obvious. She'll go into pissed off stance and then bite me 5 or 15 seconds later.
It makes it pretty hard to sit on our couch, unfortunately. She demands attention and love, but my wife especially is nervous to give it to her because she doesn't want to get bitten. She bites me less often so I tolerate it more, but we definitely don't want her around kids. The vet prescribed Amatryptaline to calm her down, but that doesn't seem to have worked particularly well.
Looking at a craigslist ad I came across and am interested in in the Chinchilla they have listed. It's here. I know as much as you do from the ad, seeing as I have only checked its availability without a reply yet but I was wondering what specific questions I may benefit from asking before I consider a craigslist pet. I also posted on the Chinchilla sub but it doesn't seem as active, so I figured I would also try here for advice.
Hi everyone,
We adopted a 1.5 year old female scottish fold cat ~3 weeks ago. Shortly after, she was in heat for nearly 10 days and it all stopped last week on Wednesday.
When not in heat, she's quite calm and is not very vocal unless she wants to go outside or is hungry. Her meows are pretty regular.
Yesterday though, my BF and I had sex, the door to our bedroom was closed. After that, our cat started acting strangely, as though she's in heat again. She was making the same sounds and screams for the whole night, was rubbing herself on the furniture and wanted lots of attention. Which is strange because she hasn't responded like this to us having sex earlier.
In the morning she was kind of usual again. So firstly, it's just not physiologically possible for her to be in heat again after such a short period, right?
Secondly, what could cause such behaviour randmly? Do cats react to human hormones/pheromones released during sex?
We're planning on sterilising her ASAP, we wanted her first to get used to us and her new home.
About two weeks ago my fiancee and I adopted a 8 week old kitten from a good friend whose cat had given birth to a litter of 5. I grew up on a farm and have only ever had outdoor barn cats that take care of themselves. Ive never raised an indoor kitten before and I'd love some advice.
The kitten (named Hades) is in great health and has had his first round of shots. We have a ~3 year old irish terrier/golden retriever mix and they are getting along great.
The first thing I wanted to ask about was suckling. The kitten will often start to suckle on any soft fabric (jackets, sweaters, blankets etc) and will suckle for sometimes 10-15 straight. If I pry him off of me he will keep coming back again and again. Is there anything I can do to curb this behavior? It's getting old having to pry him off of anyone who comes over wearing anything soft.
I am also stumped on how to teach him not to chew/attack certain things. I tried aluminum foil but he started playing with it. No fear of water either; a spray bottle is just met with a cold stare. I've given him tons of toys to play with but he still goes after all the cords in the house and the curtains.
He is an adorable demon and I love him but he is a handful. I trained our dog no problem but cats are something different all together. Any tips or advice you could share are welcome. I'm just some fool trying to not get outsmarted by 3 pounds of fuzz.
Hello,
I live in a pretty tight housing market due to some natural disasters in recent years. Most apartments/house rentals say no pets. Does anyone have any tips for trying to convince places to allow me to move in?
I have two cats that are about a year old.
Hey Folks,
I have had pet health insurance for my puppy for a year and a half. He's a purebred german shepherd and I decided that if he ever needed emergency medical help that it would help lower the cost. Well sadly my pup has to have surgery on thursday because he has a testicle that won't drop and we want to avoid cancer with it so we decided to go through with the surgery. The insurance company said out of the $800 quote the vet gave us that they will only cover up to $200. Mind you I've paid $50 bucks a month for a year and a half which equates to $900 spent.
This has got me thinking I should just cancel the insurance. I rather pay the full fee then pay this company $50 a month.
I don't know why. She never poops in there, but once in a while (let's say a couple or few times a week), she pees in the tub. I use feline pine cat litter and keep the box clean and she's never had a problem not using her box since I adopted her from the shelter when she was 6 months old. We did move into a new house, but it's been almost a year here. She has plenty of energy, doesn't seem off in anyway, and I haven't noticed anything different with her stools. What could be going on here?
So my little dog keeps getting into the little box (and it has a door) she is rolling in it, eating the cat poop and taking the cat poop around the house. Any one else had to deal with this? Advice?
Just curious; i have 2 dogs, 4 cats (they mostly all have some serious issues or special requirements), a guinea pig, 2 madagascar hissing cockroaches and im about to get a gecko and possibly foster a rabbit a few times a week. Im definitely feeling the pressure with work and school stress but my pets are my whole heart (Ive had way more pets but sadly quite a few have passed over the past 3 years).
Hey everyone. Wife and I adopted a 3 month old kitten a month ago. She came with her full shots etc. Kitty had a very twitchy eye we have been trying to treat. Found out she had tapeworms and got the medicine for that, ear infection which we have been on top of with an ointment and she's good. Everything cleared up but her eye. Its improved greatly since we brought her home but we are about to finish the tube of terramycin. Any takers? We want the vet to be the last resort since we spoke to one who kept asking about her health history and tried to have us come in and milk us.
A little backstory:
I adopted my cat, Tacca when he was about a year old (1 yr, 3 weeks) from the shelter, he had been there from 2 weeks old until when i brought him home. I don't believe they socialized him at all or if they did it was not very often. He meows a lot to get attention as a result. Initially at my mom's house he would try to interact with her cat, who would growl and hiss at him. If she tried to run he would chase her and she'd swat at him; he has mostly gotten the hint that she doesn't want to play and this behavior has gotten less frequent. But he would try to eat her food pretty often and it got frustrating.
I brought him to my apartment last year as an ESA and things were fine, initially he would cry when i left but he got used to it. He had the ability to roam the living room space downstairs while I was away at class.
He is now 2 years old. This year my apartment complex put another person with a 4 year old cat named George. He is an ESA as well and we both want them to get along but my cat is being a terror. Both of them are boys and they're both neutered.
Eventually we decided that while either of us were gone our cats had to be in our rooms (we have 2 other roommates that are not pet owners and one of them suggested it) and we also implemented a loose schedule to make sure they both get play time. When they're out together, my cat does the same stuff he did with my mom's cat. The other cat has growled/batted at my cat to deter him and its slowly working but the more stressful issue is when my roommate has her door closed.
My cat goes and meows loudly/excessively at my roommate's door, where the other cat is. He also meows at my door when i have it closed and he hears people downstairs. I have no idea how to stop it and it's driving me NUTS. I've got him toys and we play a bunch, I've tried a squirt bottle and honestly, I've even tried hissing at him.
I'm basically on the verge of moving out because I hate how much of a problem this is causing. I've gotten yelled at twice for his misbehavior and I'm desperate for help.
Honey is a 7.5 yo, 70lb, Belgian Shepherd mix, diagnoses with anemia 10-12 days after standard vaccinations. Bordatella, parvo and rabies. She was perfectly fine during that visit but in the weeks to follow she became chronically ill without cause. Her first symptom was a swollen bone and joint the size of a baseball in her right wrist. She had a fever, couldn’t move or hardly walk. We took her to the vet and the first thing they noticed, was that she was severely anemic. They couldn’t completely identify what was causing the infection in her bone/joint or where it actually lied in her leg but they put her on antibiotics and it cleared up within 5 days of taking the medication. Initially they wanted to tap the infection but due to her anemia, they were unable to do so. Luckily it cleared and it seemed like they were able to tackle it with the little information they had. She was back to walking but she was still severely anemic. Typical symptoms, pale gums, lethargic and low blood count. Still not able to find the underlying cause, their next guess was Immune mediated hemolytic anemia, IMHA. They ran blood panels, got x Rays and ultrasounds... nothing seemed to be out of place so the IMHA seemed the most realistic. So our next step was to medicate her with prednisone and to follow up with blood work, seeing if the medication would start up RBC regeneration. After 3 days on the medication, she was showing zero signs of improvement. The medication takes up to 3 weeks to see any overall improvement but her RBCs should have shown small signs of regeneration. They decided to take the next step and add cyclosporine into the mix to see if it would help. This medication is an immune suppressant and is very harsh on the body. 5 days later, we went back for more blood tests and hoped for good news. That wasn’t what we received. She wasn’t responding to treatments and her RBC was now into the mid/low teens. We ended up heading to the emergency clinic where they ran the all of the same tests to make sure nothing was missed and give her an emergency blood transfusion. They found nothing the other vets didn’t find but had their own theory that cancer was the real culprit. I asked about the vaccinations and if that could have caused it and they said yes, but treatment plans would have been the same. They Also said if this was IMHA that she would be responding to treatment. We are just about 24 hours post transfusion, she seemed okay but she just started throwing up and her ears feel like she’s developed a fever. Is there something that was missed here? Does anyone know of another cause for her to go downhill so quickly? I don’t know if there is any time to figure it out, but not having answers is the most heartbreaking thing that has ever happened to me.
We also asked about iron deficiency and the vet said they don’t truly believe in it, so I’m not sure if she was ever tested.
I'm curious to this thought about how would dogs react to watching their master having sex in a submissive position (usually female), and is it safe for the other person if he/she is a stranger?
When I lived in upstate ny, in the winter whenever my cat would catch a mouse or other critter outside he'd let it freeze overnight. And then go outside in the morning and eat it, rather than eating it right away. For some reason, during the winter he preferred saving them for later as opposed to right away.
And he seemed quite organized about it in a sense. He had certain spots picked out, and I don't think he ever forgot where he put one or anything. If it was a bit above freezing during the day in the fall or spring, he'd seem to have an amazingly good sense of when it would get cold enough overnight or not.
I never understood what the whole purpose of freezing it was though? There seemed to be quite a bit of planning involved in the whole process, but was it just a taste preference sort of thing? Or is there some other purpose behind it?
What I found really remarkable was his ability to know when it would get cold enough during the fall/spring when daytime temperatures were above freezing. And also that he never seemed to forget where he put one, he must be pretty well organized lol.
Bichin Frise.
We went to the vet on Friday, tested for Heartworm, took X-Rays, and more. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
Ever since Friday, he’s been getting even worse.
It started with a cough. He’s had an awful smelling cough for a while, but we thought it was just normal. Then we’ve noticed he’s lost weight. (6 pounds in 2 years.) He won’t drink or eat food, If we try to let him, he throws it up. Today, he has been shaking pretty bad. It’s mostly in his stomach, but his whole body will shake.
I don’t know if this goes against community guidelines, I just quickly redownloaded Reddit and went to this subreddit to try and get some help.
Perhaps somebody out there can help.
Hi, so my sister is going to go study in London and I'm going to be alone with my mother, after repeatedly asking for a cat, so I won't feel lonely, she won't budge, is there any tips you guys could give me to convince her?
I cant even believe that I can type that. I am not the kind of person who would ever even think it, let alone say it but I am at my wits end.
My cat is about 12, been an indoor cat for at least a decade, fixed for even longer than that, its just me and him in an apt in a rural area, no other animals inside, no company over ever...... BECAUSE HE WILL NOT USE THE LITTER BOX. Scratch that, he might use it once a day. MIGHT. There is nothing physically wrong with him. No stress in his life...just mine. Because he pees every fucking where. I have done everything recommended to me, most of it twice. And nothing works. He did not use to be like this either. But this has been his determination for at least the last two years.
We even moved apartments about a month ago to a place pristine clean with brand new carpet (that I did not want and begged them not to put in). And he got two new litter boxes. And he did go in the box for one week exactly. Then it was off the rails again. I spend all day every day cleaning carpet, cleaning hard floor, cleaning laundry. The amount of money I spend on this is staggering and trust me, I do not have it to spend.
Thats when Im home. When I am at work I am stressed about how much I am going to have to clean up when I get home. I have no time to do anything else with my evenings after I get off work. I dont even have time to unpack my stuff from the move.
And I dont want to hear that the box must be smelly because cats dont like to potty where there are bad smells. That is bullshit. The litter box is the cleanest place in the whole apartment now BECAUSE HE DOESN'T USE IT. He would rather piss and poop all over the place and in the same spots, walk through it, lay on it, smell it ALL the time vs just do it in the box so I can scoop it out and the smell be gone.
And the thing is, he KNOWS he shouldn't do it. He will hold it as long as he fucking has to so that I am not awake or looking at him or at home because he knows if I am, I will make him go in the box. And he doesn't want to. Simple as that.
I am so fed up with it that I can’t even bear to look at or hear him right now. Haven't been able to for the last 24 hours actually.
People in my life would be stunned to hear this from me. Like literally couldn't believe it. But I am sliding into depression because I don't know what to do.
Hello. I just got my cat spayed around four days ago and have noticed some gnats in my house for about two of those days. I am afraid of gnats laying eggs in her incision site that's still in the process of healing. Her litter box is in the back room with her next to her bed (so she can step into it easier). I've been keeping her back there while she heals so she can be away from my hyper kitten and from places she can jump onto. I don't know if her litter box or even her dry food would attract the gnats and increase the possibility of eggs/maggots getting into her incision...? Is this a valid concern?
Hi reddit :) was wondering if I can clicker train my two kittens together at the same time? I had previously trained them to just sit, but in separate rooms. I dont know if training together would help the learning process or if the clicks would confuse them, say if only one did what I asked while the other didnt and I click and only one got the treat. should I just stick to seperate training?
Thanks! :)
Hello,
My almost 3 yo cat is slightly overweight. The vet said he should be around 4 kg, or slightly more, but he is around 5.2 kg. Let's say I am aiming to go down to 4.5 and then check him again, to see if it needs more.
He used to eat Whiskas wet and dry food, but he only really liked the jelly outside the food and it was a waste of money, therefore we recently swapped with Sheba, and he loves it (still using Whiskas dry food, because we have a lot)
I am following the manufacturer's instructions and giving him 4 pouches of 50g + 15g of dry food, which is recommended for a 4 kg cat.
I timed it to give one pouch every 6 hours (6am, 12, 18, midnight), which covers the full 24h, but he often "complains" about it.
Am I doing right? Is it enough? Should I give more dry food, as at the moment is basically 90% wet?
Any advice?
Thanks!
Alright its been about 4 months since I adopted my dog. There never really was information about his past, so when he was so skittish around everyone assumed it wasn't good. I was willing to work with that as is. Up to this point, it seems like the dog tolerates me at best, but doesn't like me. Now I figured this was just the path of progress, but he absolutely loves everyone else that comes to see him. He gets excited and jumpy and friendly to everyone of every height/weight/build, but when he sees me he keeps his distance. He may get excited for food but won't approach me until I've filled the bowl. He gets very excited to play fetch but won't bring the ball to or even close to me so I have to get it. I can't take him on walks because as soon as I grab the leash he flips out and does everything he can to get away from me, but, save for the walking part, this attitude is reserved for exclusively me. I just have no idea what to do to make this better. Any advice?
Took in a stray from the street about 3-4 months ago. She was definitely younger than a year old. Two months ago, took in two female kittens that were maybe a month old.
Due to finances, didn't get any of them spayed and used to let the older one out often before the kittens arrived. After a while I decided to start keeping her inside since I didn't want the chance of her getting pregnant. However, she always tried to escape any time the outside door opened. One night, she managed to escape while in heat. She came back after almost 24 hours and I just assumed the worst. It's been ~56 days since that incident. She's gotten quite a bit bigger and eats a lot more. In the past week and a half, I've caught both kittens trying to suckle on her (one makes it to the nipple and the other is content to suck on any part of her that isn't a nipple...) . I'm mildy color blind but her nipples look pretty white. The kitten only sucks on one of the two very back nipples close to the tail and since then, they've started to protrude a lot more than the others (look like long grain white rice?). When I pick her up or rub her belly, I notice the back nipples fairly dry and stiff since then as well.
The kittens are maybe 1/4 to 1/3 her size and seem too big to be suckling on her. I've also read that it's important newborn kittens drink the "first milk". Should I stop them, on the chance she is pregnant?
P.S. I'm not even sure if she is pregnant, she's gotten a lot bigger but no where near as round as some pregnancy pictures I've seen while googling. I do plan on spaying them as soon as I get the chance - before anyone mentions it.
The 36 inch would fit in my vehicle without issue, the 42 would be tight
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QAVNWSK/ref=twister_B00YBP53ZW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Which size cage would be best, i live in Tijuana and there are strays all over, in the event that i come across an injured stray i would want to take it to a local vet, it would probably only be in the cage for at most 20 min so if i can cram it in that would be best
I think the largest dogs that i have come across in TJ are the size of Shepards, im not an owner myself thats why im asking
Should I give it Nutrolin B as the vet suggested? What is the dosage I should give it?
Our little male kitty who is just a little over a year old was feeling great this morning and was playing and eating as normal. Around 10 or so, he started to squat everywhere and was straining (we have been giving him three small meals a day with one meal being wet food with 1/8 of a tsp Restoralax mixed in, and mixing water in his other two meals of dry food. We started doing this when he was constipated last week for a few days, but the wet food and Restoralax seemed to help).
Eventually he started crying, and now he is really crying and looks so miserable. He has managed to pass some poop (sorry for tmi, but he passed a little one and one 3 1/2 inches), but I haven't seen him urinate yet, though I'm not sure if he has urinated when I wasn't around (I was gone this afternoon and didn't understand how this situation had progressed). I'm very worried for him right now and don't know if we should go to a hospital tonight. Sorry for the desperation of the title, I'm just so worried for our little guy.
EDIT: He has not been eating since breakfast. We have dropped water on his nose which he has licked off in an effort to keep him hydrated.
I accidentally bought some cans of normal wet cat food instead of for all ages/for kittens and want to know if it's okay to feed adult wet food to my 5 month old cat
Within the last six or so months my cat has devolved a serious scratching issue, as in her neck is bloodied and always has some type of healing scab. It’s becoming a big worry as she is never had an issue like this. We have tried flea baths and collars and liquid “injectors” (aka apply to skin on neck) thinking it might be something that got in the house and she is too scared to ever leave really. Is there any advice you guys have? Is this common?? Do I need to get a professional to check her out for me or is this possibly due to a diet issue and or a allergic reaction to something? Agghh I’m really worried for her any help would be greatly appreciated
My mom has a big old Bernese Mountain Dog that understandably needs to get some exercise. My mom's been having some recent health issues and I've always enjoyed talking him for walks, so I thought I would help out by talking him for walks, but the problem is that he doesn't want to. The weird thing is that, firstly, we used to go on walks all the time and he noticeably loved it. Secondly, if my mom isn't home and I am dog-sitting, he'll gladly go without any hesitation, but if my mom is home and I take him outside and it's just us two, he will plant his feet and give me this really weird indirect look. I'll sort of tug lightly on the leash or call him forward and he'll just look at me. The big thing that I think is holding him back is my mom. If it's both of us, he will gladly go with zero problem like when I take him if she's not home.
Does anyone have any advice on how to proceed with this? We get along well. When I'm over there he'll follow me around and stay with me so I feel like he likes me, but once we hit the edge of the lawn he just doesn't go. I'm inclined to think, again, that he doesn't want to leave my mom, but she can't really walk him all the time.
I did try treats, thinking maybe I could guide him along, and it would work to the extent that he would move as long as he saw it and then once you gave him the treats, he would just lock up again.
Thanks
My pitbull just gave birth to 5 pups, 2 had died and i burried them. We didnt have a cage for her and she nested in a bad space. We ended up putting together a cardboard box for her to chill with her pups. So far shes showing good signs, licking and caring for her puppies and breastfeeding them. But she looks so weak and she cant sleep because they arr under her breastfeeding. Im confused on what to do, its night and i want to sleep but im worried about her and the pups. How can i get her to go to sleep? Please, can someone give me advice as soon as possible. This is my sisters dog, and tbh she is a bad owner lol, so dont judge me for not having a cage and a proper area for her. Also, the vets are currently closed do to dorian. Could someone offer me some advice please. Would much appreciate it!
I was thinking about putting my cat's ashes in a special necklace. Do you guys have any other types of jewelry or something that you use to keep your pet's ashes in? I want something portable that I could have on me often.
Other non-portable ideas are welcome as well!
Hey everyone!
I'll be the first to say I'm no experts when it comes to cats, but I have had cats since I was a child (30 years or so) and I've never had a cat take longer than 4 weeks to master the litter box. Our newest addition just can't seem to figure it out... When he's confined to his room, he will only eliminate in his box, but when he's left out he refuses to go back to his box and just finds any random place and squats. And when I say random, it's totally random. Tile floor random. Middle of the room random.
We're going on 6 weeks of this now, and it's getting to the point where he'll need to be re-homed if I can't figure out how to help him. That would devastate us.
Please Reddit, help me help my Kitty.
I'm on mobile, so apologies for any formatting issues. So this happened a couple of hours ago. We heard meowing outside our apartment and went to investigate. It turned out to be a cat that seemed half starved and not taken care of. So we took it in and fed it (really hoping we did the right thing with that and didn't overfeed it, it looked like one of those cats you see on animal cruelty pictures).
Problem is, it is currently almost 3am here. Tomorrow nothing is open. We have another cat that has FELV. We've kept them in separate rooms so far, but I'm not sure how long we can keep that up. We obviously don't know what kind of illnesses this cat may have (it's a Persian or Persian mix, so there's some built-in medical issues that are clearly there). Would anyone have any advice? Would this be something to bring to an emergency vet, despite it obviously not being a medical emergency? If it's relevant, I'm in Germany and also relatively new to the country.
Why would my cat being sleeping all day, she hasn't called for attention like she usually does and she doesn't want to play
So we all know salamanders need heat lamps to survive and I'm planning on getting one, however I'm worried that if we have a power outage during the winter it could possibly die. How do you keep your salamander safe during a power outage?
My parakeet Rhea we have had for four years. She was at least five when we got her. She was wild, and diffently wasn't finger trained. I have worked on fingertraing her, and she mostly is okay with us. She still won't go on my finger, but that's okay. She lets me toch her foot a little bit and it makes me so happy. She is getting older, and my dad says once she dies we can talk about another pet. I love her to death, and are thinking about adopting 2 ferrets. I feel like I've been doing more research on ferrets than I have been talking to her (she likes listenkng to my family talk) and I feel like I'm just waiting for her to die. I love her so much, but I'd ont know if what is happening is bad. I have never been bored with her, even if she isn't trained really well. Is this bad?
Be grateful for the day you’re having even if it’s shitty- somebody out there had to put down their best friend today.
Hello! The downstairs of my house has no heat at all and I don’t want pipes to freeze so I’m looking for something that can be left on while not at home/the majority of the time. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I’ve always wondered this.
Has anyone ever had a cat get a fever and vets couldn't figure out why? Nala is 1 year and 3 months old, normally rambunctious and playful, and a very good eater. Sunday I came home from work and she didn't get up to greet me I noticed she seemed sleepy and then about once an hour she was vomiting bile. She growled if I tried to move her, wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, and had a fever. Ive been in and out of the vet all week, my bill is up to $400 and no one knows anything. Her initial x-ray showed an abnormality in her bladder, it looked like a snow globe and they said it's possibly some slight crystalization. They also did some kind of ultrasound and found nothing. They gave her sub Q fluids, anti pain, and anti nausea.
She ate a few bites that night, drank a little water, and peed. She was also walking around more and asking for cuddles. Back to the vet because she still won't eat and her fever is up it's Thursday and we're getting blood tests, those results also came back normal. Outwardly, she looks normal.
She was hospitalized Friday for fluids and antibiotics, they said her fever went down during the fluids. When we got home I gave her half of an appetite stimulant pill they gave me, hoping she'd feel good enough to eat SOMETHING. Instead, she seems even worse off and she starts throwing up spit/white foam/ bile??
If anyone has ever experienced ANYTHING like this please tell me something. I'll take any information at this point, I just want my baby to get better. Also, I wonder if all the medication on an empty stomach could be the cause of this vomiting?
I have a catahula/mastiff mix. He is a great dog, only problem is that he doesnt play well with other dogs. He gets along great with other cats.
On to my problem. I recently just sold my house and moved in with my boyfriend a couple months ago. He was doing fine until last week. He wont eat the food out of his bowl but will eat any people food we give him. He just seems sad. We started him on hemp oil treats to help with his allergies. I know it will take time for him to adjust to his surroundings, but I need other ideas on helping him out of this funk.
Thank you!
My dog is about a year old got her when she was a puppy, she hates being picked up, or even getting pat. She will shy away or run away if I want a cuddle from her. She is a spoodle. Not sure as I've never met a dog who doesn't like getting pat or given affection. Does anyone know why this could be?
My mum's cats caught and macerated a pigeons throat and wing in the garden. I didn't want the poor thing to suffer, and broke it's neck. I feel awful. I hope I did it right and it didn't suffer. There was a lot of violent spasming after, before it went limp.
I don't know if I could do it again, my mum certainly can't. What do you guys do with badly injured cat prey?
Against my rental agreement, I took in a foster kitten that needed a home ASAP before going to a kill shelter (we have a major cat problem here), my 1 year old cat Katie immediately became best friends with him, they didnt show many signs of being bonded but they did keep each other entertained even though they have opposite personalities.
A month later he (Mark) found his forever home.
Its two weeks after Mark left us and Katie has been non stop meowing, or rather making mmmm sounds, like she is whining.
She is stiffing the entire house like she is looking for Mark and nothing seems to keep her entertained for long. I'm home all of the time so I try to best to keep her company but she is just not satisfied with me. I have tried getting her new toys, I give her cuddles and scratches and play on the floor with her, she just gets bored after a couple minutes and continues to meow. She will initiate play by coming up to me and tapping my leg and then running away at full speed like she wants me to chase her but I cant do that because I'm in pain 90% of the time.
I'm at a loss of what to do, I really do not want to break my lease agreement and get another cat and risk eviction but I also fear that Katie is lonely and she is starting to show signs of boredom. I dont believe this is a medical problem.
Is there anything else I can try to keep her satisfied? Should I sneak another cat into the house? Are cat play dates a thing?
I was relaxing in my PC when I heard my cat struggling and meowing very violently. I went quickly to see what was happening and she had her chest hair stuck in her teeth somehow. I started panicking, trying to pull the hair out of her teeth, but she was obviously scared and started scratching and biting me. She was moving a lot so it was very difficult to pull the hair out. I finally was able to get it out of her mouth.
My mom said that this may have happened again some time ago but the cat could get the hair out by herself. But I'm really scared, she really seemed to be fighting for her life and I can't think what could've happened if she was home alone.
I don't really know if she was choking because, technically she had her mouth opened (she couldn't close her mouth obviously because the hair was avoiding that) so maybe she was able to breath, but the panic on her...
She has a lot of hair, she usually vomits because of this. We try to brush her hair very often, and cut with scissors the tangled hair. We sometimes give her cat malt (is that how you say it in english? whatever, it's something that helps the cat's digestion).
Please, I need advices, how do I avoid this?
(I hope you understand everything I'm trying to say, english is not my first language and it was difficult to explain what happened.)
I have 2 cats, but all this time i do not know which one of the two has been peeing in the bed. They both use the litterbox normal. Pee and poo normal since my bedroom view can see their litterbox. But once we are not at home or we are asleep, one of the cats would sometimes pee on my sisters bed (only her bed), but she moved out recently too. It happened 3 times this month now
edit: this has been going on for 2 years now
I want to get a pet hamster. I've never had a pet before so I'm pretty new. What are the things I should keep in mind.
My dad was trying to help the dog meet my cat. He was holding the cat and he took it near the dog. Right when we got near the dog it peed. The dog began to jump up to the cat that was in my dads arm. Then, the cat began to hiss at it and her body was it a weird position. My dog tried to bite the cat. The cat was terrified The cat began to scratch my dad’s arm. When my dad was moving the cat away from the dog, he was squeezing her neck. Then, he put her on the ground and pushed her away. She was lying and her back and moving weird. I helped her get up. Then, she went under the table. I sat on the ground near her. I stayed with her for about an hour and I was calling her name and trying to get her to come with me. Eventually, she came out and sat right in front of me and let me touch her. I touched her a couple of times and her body would just tense up and twitch. Then, she walked somewhere else and sat down with her face turned away from me. Help, I’m scared for her. I’m angry at my dad for getting her near the dog when she didn’t want to. I kept trying to get him to leave her alone, but he wouldn’t listen to me.
