Ask MetaFilter questions in the pets & animals category

What strange things has your dog eaten?

warriorqueen — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 06:27:24 -0800

I am dog proofing my house for a trial foster-to-adopt with a goofball dog (no pictures yet but I will add one in the comments after he arrives to pay my tax.) This is a relatively untrained (due to inexperienced owner) but much-loved 9 month old beagle/retriever/shepherd mix. Please share with me your tales of chewy puppy/adolescent destruction so that I can remove those things from our living space and coach my kids. I have had a rescue before and raised guide puppies so I'm okay on the big training stuff (if we keep him we'll also hire a pro), but it has been a long time since I personally experienced the puppy phase.

Bonus ask: Any amaaaaazing new toys or devices that have come on the market in the last, oh, 10 years? We have a Kong at the ready.

(I know about couches and drywall. :))

Good Cat Vet in Broomfield/Lafayette/Louisville, CO?

Mothlight — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 12:53:26 -0800

Bit of a long shot here, but we are in Broomfield and need a cat vet. We have two 17-year-old females. One is asthmatic, one is terrified of ever leaving the house, and both have kidney issues. We are looking for a gentle doctor with a non-chaotic office. We would like an office within a fairly short driving distance (our last vet was 20 minutes away, so anything closer than that will feel like an upgrade) and we would prefer an independent operation rather than a chain like VCA or Banfield. (We’ve seen first-hand what happened when two different offices were taken over by a big chain and we did not like it.) It does NOT have to be cat only. (We also have a bearded dragon and a box turtle, but I assume we will find a specialist for them.) Any recommendations from local (or ex-local) cat owners?

Cat licking himself during zoomies

Paper rabies — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 18:22:08 -0800

When my cat is in the midst of the wildest of his zoomies, he often interrupts his fervor to lick himself, often his chest. Why? Is this common? I'm fine if the answer is "cats are weird", but I'm honestly so curious. How is this adaptive behaviour? Why would he do this in the middle of play or hunting? I've seen a few other cats do this so I know it's not unheard of, but is it really common?

My dog and baby rabbit. Help.

Glinn — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 07:37:38 -0800

I let my two small dogs into the backyard and didn't pay attention to them for about five minutes. When I went looking for them, one had a baby rabbit between his paws. I don't think it was in his mouth, but might have been, because he really likes toys and spent his first three years in a puppy mill without much interaction with the world, and probably thought it was a toy or at least didn't realize he would be hurting it. The baby rabbit was not obviously injured. So, I scooped up the one dog, and when I did that the rabbit jumped away. I put both dogs in the house and went back out to check. The baby rabbit found some refuge behind a bush. Shaking a lot, but not necessarily injured. I left it there. Because it's a fenced yard but rabbits can come and go, and hopefully it lives nearby or its mother will find it? I mean, unless it was dropped by a huge bird of prey or something which, no, we don't really have those and it seemed shaken but unharmed. We have some local outdoor cats in the neighborhood but I've never seen one near my house and definitely not in the yard.

So this was the right thing, right? To leave it in the yard? It's under a bush near a sort of patio area with several bushes. I really hope a rabbit family doesn't live in this yard because the dogs go out a lot. I won't let them out unsupervised for a few days. Though luckily one dog was distracted by a gross old buried bone and didn't interact with the rabbit.

But the other (goofy, relatively harmless Havanese) would like to find and play with it again every time he goes out, is my guess. So I am worried about that in addition to worrying if I've just left baby rabbit defenseless to certain death by predators. All suggestions welcome.
dog tax (FB sorry)

Wet cat food efficiency.

Evilspork — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 13:11:53 -0800

I wish to regularly provide my two cats with 'wet' cat food on a regular basis without the waste of endless tiny cans. Is this probable in an efficient and affordable manner?

Canine conundrum

mf_ss — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 10:43:22 -0800

My neighbor relies on me to help him take his dog outside for walks but I'll be moving away soon. How can I be of help to him after I leave? I have a neighbor, an elderly mentally disabled man, who inherited a large friendly dog and has been caring for it for a number of years. My neighbor has gradually become too weak to control the dog when coming down the stairs of the stoop of our apartment building, so every evening I help my neighbor take his dog down these stairs. And I understand other people do the same for him in the morning. (I'm certain, though, the poor dog does not get outside often enough.)

I'm moving away soon and won't be able to help my neighbor anymore. In the near term he'll be able to make do - he's able to find someone else to help on evenings I'm not available.

What can I do to help him find a more dependable long-term solution?

It will be difficult to establish, whatever form it takes - my neighbor dislikes change and is easily, frequently distracted. He is consistently (but harmlessly) grumpy.

Could a dog walker help...? I don't know anything about dog walkers. I know my neighbor will resist the idea of someone else walking his dog for him. Is there some simple solution that I'm not thinking of? I do not believe my neighbor has a lot of money.

We're located in lower Manhattan.

Thanks!

Should I splurge on the Litter Robot?

freshwater — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:34:53 -0800

Is the Litter Robot worth the money? I recently switched to a LitterMaid self-cleaning litter box. I'm not happy with it. The cats paw at the lid and the waste container, so that there's waste and litter on the floor. Also, because the litter is so shallow and my cats like to dig, all the urine absorbs at the bottom and sticks to the tray. At this point, it is not self-cleaning.

I'm looking at a Litter Robot, but it's a big outlay. Does it allow for enough litter for some digging? Is it sturdy enough to handle some interest by curious cat? Is the improvement in self-cleaning sufficient to be worth $500?

I don't care if the wi-fi is buggy. My cats aren't disturbed by the noise of the LitterMaid. I understand that if I go for the Litter Robot, I'll need two.

How to care for a baby alligator lizard overnight?

bananacabana — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 17:59:46 -0800

I may be caring for a baby wild alligator lizard overnight until I can bring it to the wildlife hospital in the morning. How should I care for it? I live in the SF Bay Area. This afternoon we found a large alligator lizard outside, playing dead, being harassed by some feral cats. We brought it to the local wildlife hospital (it was alive but I wasn’t sure if it was injured). Then just now, we found what looks like a baby alligator lizard. The wildlife hospital is likely closed for the night and I don’t think it will survive the feral cats on its own - it looks unhurt but is moving slowly.

What should I do to keep it alive and safe overnight if I can’t drop it off tonight?

Are these interactions between our cats something to worry about?

The Notorious SRD — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 07:52:34 -0800

Should I be concerned about my resident cat stalking my new cat to the point where the new cat pops off? My wife and I adopted a kitten last summer (we'll call her J), and we adopted a second cat last month (we'll call her K). The two cats are both female, both fixed, and are around the same age (born in June 2020).

We went through the slow introductions and over the last week or so began to let them more freely interact, which has been a series of ups and down but on the most part, ups.

We've noticed a pattern of behaviour, though, that I want to query the hive mind on to see if it's something that could potentially dictate their relationship going forward. When one of them enters a room the other is in, J starts following K and K is usually fairly ambivalent about it. J will trot up behind K and give her a little play swipe on the backside: no claws, so I think it's playing. K typically doesn't engage (we were told that since she was a rescue, K would probably always be quiet and reserved compared to a kitten we had from when she was around 10 weeks), but sometimes J will corner/box K when she does this. Once that happens K will rise up and hiss/chase J for a few seconds. J usually takes that as a sign to leave K alone and K goes back to chilling somewhere quiet.

Is this behaviour something I should be concerned about or is it a natural process wherein both cats establish their boundaries? We know they may never be bosom buddies, but we also don't want them to actively dislike or fear each other. I also know that it takes time for cats to adjust, but we want to make sure we allow positive/natural interactions to carry on while we deflect/prevent negative ones. We're using Feliway in the house and we just bought a Thundershirt for J, in hopes that it tamps down some of her impulses to stalk and swat and that by cooling down J, they can interact more closely without it escalating.

Whose homecoming should be first?

Nieshka — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 14:05:52 -0800

I adopted B last year. I recently started considering getting a companion cat, and finally zeroed on a kitty who sounded perfect - female, friendly, young (I have only gotten videos and descriptions as the adoption folks aren't doing in-person visits. Thanks, covid). This is a question about how their introduction should be handled, with a small additional wrinkle. Details past the jump. I had to travel to visit my family unexpectedly, and B is currently with a pet boarding service. The initial plan was to bring new kitty home in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the lady fostering her also has to travel on a super short notice - before I can return, as a matter of fact. We have not been able to find a new foster for the next fortnight. So we are at this non-ideal scenario where the foster would leave new kitty at the same boarding service for a week, before I can pick both the cats up. Best case scenario - they kinda sorta see and get used to each other there. But I obviously cannot depend on that.
Someone suggested bringing home B first and give him a chance to readjust to my place, and introduce new kitty. Someone else suggested the exact reverse of that. What would you do? I am so anxious for this to go well.
Bonus question - if you have the One Definitive Way/Guide to introduce two cats in a way that they become lifetime buddies, I'd love to hear it. Many many thanks!
Cat tax

Pet Shed Control Shampoos

Aranquis — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 14:52:13 -0800

Have you found dog shed control shampoos to have any significant effect? I’m not expecting miracles but a noticeable reduction in shedding would be nice.

My nth question about cat ownership

unicorn chaser — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 14:55:11 -0800

I would like a pet cat so much, but I have overwhelming anxiety about biting the bullet and going ahead with it. I've posted previously about various logistical questions I have about cat ownership issues.

Although an anxious person, I'm mostly ok at managing my anxieties because I avoid triggers. The problem with thinking about adopting a cat is that it brings me face to face with so many of my triggers. tl;dr: does this level of anxiety mean I should just forget about getting a pet?

I love cats. I want a cat. I think frequently how nice it would be to have a feline friend to keep me company at home. But although I have the financial wherewithal, love of animals, and sense of responsibility necessary to be a good cat guardian - I cannot get past my obsessive worries about the minutiae of cat ownership logistics and the claustrophobia of committing to being responsible for the wellbeing of another living creature. Is it normal to feel this way? Shouldn't it be something I feel uncomplicatedly excited about, as opposed to conflicted?

My worries are extensive and I hesitate to write them out, because that would make this question ridiculously long plus they aren't really the point. I think my anxiety is spoilt for choice for things to latch onto about cat ownership.

While my allergies and the adequacy and size of my living space (tiny and carpeted) is a key factor in my worries I do not know if my anxiety about getting a cat will get better if I move to a bigger apartment with more bedrooms, wooden floors (for ease of cleaning up accidents plus better for allergy-sufferers) and a garden. (I realise that most Mefites do argue that cats don't need a lot of space!)

I also worry about once I actually acquire a pet - whether I will then be eaten alive by anxiety every time it barfs or pees in the wrong place or whatever. I spend time on cat forums (and on AskMe) reading all the cat questions and there just seems like so much that can go wrong. But then I also know that interacting with cats (and dogs, which I actually like better, but my lifestyle will totally not allow me to even consider) does make me actually feel calmer and better, so maybe getting a cat would be GOOD for my mental health? I don't know.

I realise that fostering could be a temporary option but living in a one-bedroom apartment means that I am not eligible to apply to be a foster carer. Most rescues insist on the foster cat having its own private space to settle down in, which necessitates at least one spare bedroom.

Moving to a bigger place is something that's on the cards for me, eventually. Should I just wait till then to reconsider the cat thing and see if it continues to trigger the same anxieties? Or are these anxieties an indicator that I shouldn't even bother getting a pet because I'm just going to be even more anxiety-ridden once I get it?

Animated short film featuring snails...

hadjiboy — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 14:36:58 -0800

A friend of mine happens to have two of them, and is quite fond of the duo. I would like to surprise her with a video of there's, which is creative, maybe even a bit funny, but definitely emotionally stirring for her to watch--something along the lines of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbph3Uj-W5k Thanks!

On-call dog sitting? Is this a thing?

Dorinda — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 11:35:12 -0800

At some indeterminate point in July, I will allegedly give birth to a human child. This is nice. However, I am having serious anxiety over some logistical questions about the actual process, the most pressing of which (don't judge!) is: how the eff do I find someone to look after my dogs if I don't know when or for how long I will be in hospital? Surely this is a solved problem....but my pregnancy-addled brain cannot figure it out. I'm sure obsessing about this detail is just a way of displacing my other fears and concerns about birth/parenthood/etc., but let's just let that slide for the time being and consider the following conundrum:
- I have two large, very spoiled dogs. One of whom would be fine (if sad) on his own for many hours, one of whom is not at all trustworthy in the house without human supervision.
- I have no family or friends nearby. (We moved at the start of the pandemic, and have yet to form any relationships that I would feel comfortable relying on for a potentially call-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-ask-to-stay-at-our-house-for-unknowable-amount-of-time type favour)
- I could potentially be in the hospital for several days (I think? I honestly have no idea how birth works)
- I will most likely not have a planned c-section or induction, and therefore have no idea when I will need the dog sitter, or for how long
- Current COVID protocols at our hospital are that my allowed "support person" (i.e. my partner) can be with me in the delivery room/recovery room, but once they're in, they can't leave and return. So, for example, my husband could not drive home every few hours to check on the beasts.
- If given free reign of the house, the dogs do have safe access to an enclosed outdoor yard via a doggie door. However, at least one dog is really not trustworthy to be given free reign of the house. If left in a doggy-proofed area (our garage), dogs do not have access to outside and are therefore very time-limited on how long they can be in there. But regardless, I really don't fancy the idea of just leaving the dogs alone for many, many hours. That seems incredi-bad.
- We presumably can't "book" a dog-sitter to come stay with the fiends (my preferred option) because we don't have a definite date or duration for needing their services.

So, this is all a very long-winded way of asking: is there such a thing as "on-call" or emergency dog-sitting?? How does it work? Do you have specific recommendations for such a service in Seattle?

Alternatively, if the above is NOT a thing that exists, how do people deal with this obviously very common problem? Surely I'm not the only pregnant person with dogs (or other dependents!!) who require in-person care while I'm off doing horrible labour things?!

FIV+ cat with voluminous excretions - help!

greatgefilte — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 17:51:17 -0800

Lady Gefilte and I have been fostering a wee FIV+ feline fuzzball from our local humane society. He came to us about 3 months ago with a florid upper respiratory infection and ongoing diarrhea. Fast forward until today, and not a whole lot has changed in terms of the various bodily fluids he's ejecting on a daily basis. Is this normal for him? Has anyone had a similar situation? Sheldon is a very sweet little fellow, and insanely playful, but his medical issues are holding up his adoption. (Sadly we can't keep him because our other cat is a super aggressive monster.) He's had multiple rounds of antibiotics and steroids for both his respiratory infection and the diarrhea, and is now on his 4th round of metronidazole and probiotics. In the three months that he's been with us, he's had one day of solid feces, the rest have all been soft and mushy, though not completely liquid. He still sneezes frequently and the size of the bloody boogers that he produces is awe-inspiring. On the plus side, he's gaining weight well, has tons of energy, and is generally inquisitive and endearing.

Has anyone else dealt with FIV+ cats who have similar symptoms? We've seen lots of FIV+ cats who seem to be completely asymptomatic without any sign of chronic infection. Do some cats just have chronic effluvium from both ends? We're not getting a straight answer from the shelter vet, who just suggests more metronidazole all the time (perhaps because it's the cheapest remedy?) We'd love to find him a proper home where he can flourish but it's going to be tough to adopt a cat in his condition!

Any input would be helpful.

Is there a financial limit to pet care? How do you make this decision?

rbf1138 — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 07:27:43 -0800

Between our two cats we've had so many health issues, procedures and financial expenditures over the last year. How do we decide when enough is enough even when they are still relatively young and happy? We have two cats, Henry and George, litter-mates around 9 years old. In the last year George had hepatic lipidosis which required months of treatment, a feeding tube, an ongoing saga involving a bizarre vet experience (see previous Askmefi posts), and a bunch of money. George survived and is still his sweet, loving self.

He also began overgrooming to the point that he'd make himself bleed on various areas of his stomach. Our (new, wonderful) vet tried several treatments and eventually sent us to an allergy specialist. We spent a lot of money there, did the full allergy testing thing, formulated a vaccine, began that treatment, things seemed to be getting better and then...George started vomiting after every meal. So now we're reducing the allergy vaccine, trying to find the cause of the vomiting (vaccine, his food, something else, etc.), which involves more vet visits, allergist visits, etc. More money, of course.

Meanwhile, Henry, his much smaller brother who has had far fewer health issues, has had a chronic sneeze and congestion/breathing issue since December. He sneezes every single day, snot rockets on the furniture and on us. Been through steroids, Cerenia, antibiotics. Vet recommended we see a specialist. Specialist has now recommended we do a CT scan and biopsy. The cost is high just for the diagnostics.

We are drained monetarily and emotionally. We love these cats so much. We have a 14 month old baby and the cats are so patient and wonderful with him. They let him hug and lay on them; it's amazing how patient and gentle they are with him. Our vet and her techs literally tells us that they don't see cats who behave the way ours do; drooling, purring, nuzzling, rolling over every time they visit.

But how are we supposed to afford to keep treating every health issue, which seem to just be one after another after another? When does it end? Are we supposed to just throw our hands up and choose to put them down? They are happy cats who love being around us at home, they don't hide, they continue to eat, to play, etc. How do pet owners deal with these decisions and costs? Pet insurance may have been a smart move many years ago but that's unfortunately not an option for us and it also might not have even covered some of these problems.

Any advice or words of wisdom would be very much appreciated.

Happy Caturday - suggest pair names for these flame point brothers

miratime — Sat, 03 Apr 2021 04:21:27 -0800

My family is meeting a pair of three year old flame point Siamese mix boys on Monday and has been approved for adoption assuming all goes well. I generally try to be open to keeping previous names if they suit, but these two are currently part of a St. Patrick's themed batch and came from a hoarding situation so I don't think they'll mind us finding something we like a little better. Cat tax, current names gotta go:
Limerick
Leprechaun

And for good measure, here's our current resident cat, Mira, in case that factors into your suggestions.

Basically anything goes for these guys, but here are some things we've considered so far:
Duos and siblings from literature and mythology (no Rowling please)
Stars and planets/astronomy (Castor and Pollux)
Musicians (wife and I love Mercury and Deacon but my other partner is less enthusiastic)
Scientists (Hubble and Kepler)
Food (Pancake and Waffle)

But we haven't landed on anything that seems absolutely perfect just yet. What we know about them so far is that that Limerick (the slightly cross-eyed one) is extremely social and outgoing and loves everyone, while Leprechaun (more nose freckles) is more reserved.

A previous pair we adopted were nearly Rosencrantz and Guildenstern but ended up being Mabel and Dipper (from Gravity Falls) so we're definitely open to a pretty wide range of obscure and obvious suggestions (though maybe a small explanation if it's not super obvious would be appreciated!). We're gamers (digital and tabletop), nerds, runners and hikers, and food and music enthusiasts, and would love to hear some suggestions from the hive mind on the perfect names for these guys. Thank you!

How do I get my pup to stop obsessively licking other dogs' faces?

ms_rasclark — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 21:51:06 -0800

Our 9 month old pit terrier loves people and dogs, a bit too much. How do we teach her to greet other dogs without obsessively licking their faces - which is much for even the most patient dogs? We adopted our pup Chance at 5 months old, four months ago. She loves people and dogs, a bit too much. We have made great strides with training - she doesn't jump on us, and is getting better about not jumping on new people she meets who want to say hi. She will sit and wait until released to eat, to walk out our front door for a walk, walks well on leash, comes when called when in the house, and sometimes when outside. She will go "out of the kitchen" when told, unless there's nobody watching and she thinks she'll be able to get away with stealing something off the counter. When romping with her favorite neighborhood puppy buddy, she will sit and wait side by side until given the command to come (most of the time unless they are heavy in the throes of chase, though we're working on recall). She will sit on command when we encounter another dog, or crouch down and approach slowly with tail wagging, and even roll over for them to approach and sniff. So here's the problem.. as soon as she's released from a sit, she will lunge for the dog to lick their face. We're not talking about a gentle greeting of single lick or two, but licking that won't stop unless we pull her away. She attempts to do this with almost every dog she encounters, except puppies around her own age with a similar exuberance level, or younger puppies. A treat under the nose doesn't work. Some dogs are patient with this, others are not. We can pull her away and have her sit, but as soon as allowed, she's right back to the face. One of our friends' has a 6 year old German Shepard, Gracie, who will correct Chance with a gentle growl and put her mouth over Chance's head. This will calm Chance momentarily, though she'll be back to the licking soon enough. We spent a week with them and after awhile, Gracie had her respecting her messages to back off, but each time they see each other, Gracie has to teach her again, and the skill didn't transfer to any other dogs. There's a 16 year old retriever, Aspen, in our neighborhood who is exceedingly patient, and though she doesn't seem to love the face licking, is more food motivated than she is annoyed by the licking. When we encounter her, Chance will sit, but as soon as they get close to each other, the licking begins. I will entice Chance away with a treat, or failing that, pull her away, tell her "no thank you/sit" and Aspen will keep advancing for her treat. We have gotten to the point where Chance will sit calmly next to her while I ply them both with treats and praise. However, as soon as the treats stop, she's back to Aspen's face if allowed. When we encounter other dogs who express an interest in meeting, we'll have her sit and let them approach, but as soon as they get close enough, she's on their face. There is absolutely no aggression in her behavior, but the extreme enthusiasm puts the other dogs off to the point where they don't want to interact. There are a couple exceptions - a puppy in our neighborhood who is around the same age - they chase and play vigorously, they're both mouthy with each other, though sometimes she'll latch on, which is a whole other issue. The other pup doesn't seem to mind, but clearly that's not okay. When that happens, we pull them apart, have them both sit, and practice their stay/come. Regular redirections with "come" and "sit/stay" seem to be helping that situation. This evening they were playing off leash in a grassy area in our neighborhood and a woman walked by with her dog on leash. Before I could grab Chance, she ran over toward the dog who responded aggressively. Chance did not take the hint and kept approaching. It could have ended badly. I would like to be able to take her to off leash areas, but I'm concerned she's going to get in the face of a not so patient dog, and it's impeding her ability to make friends with other dogs who would be interested in playing/interacting otherwise. How can we help her learn to socialize with other dogs in a more socially acceptable way?

What should we know about adopting a pair of cats with feline leukemia?

mostly vowels — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 15:22:56 -0800

My husband and I are looking to fill our home’s cat vacancy. We thought we were in the market for a single healthy adult cat, but a pair of young cats with FeLV (feline leukemia) absolutely stole our hearts. We have 48 hours to make the decision to adopt them. What should we know? Relevant information:

*Our primary criteria for a cat is a friendly lap cat. When we met both cats, they immediately climbed into our laps/up on our shoulders/tried to give us kitty kisses through our masks. By far the friendliest and sweetest cats we met at the rescue. The only reason we didn’t bring them home immediately was because we want to learn a bit more about FeLV and to weigh the pros/cons of two cats versus the one we had planned on.

*Because they have FeLV, the rescue will pay for their medical care at a designated veterinarian that we have not used before, but has good reviews.

*We do not have kids or any other cats and plan to keep it that way. The cats would obviously be indoor-only and have the run of most of our house except the guest room.

*The pair - boy and girl - is not from the same litter, but they look like they could be littermates. Both are fixed, one is 1 year old, the other is 10 months old.

*They were previously adopted by someone who had to return them not because of any behavioral issues but because she was pregnant and dealing with severe allergies. All reports were that they were great kitties. The rescue has considered designating them as a bonded pair because they get along so well but hadn’t done that yet, and seemed very excited/relieved when we expressed interest in both of them (it seemed too cruel to only adopt one).

*We recently lost our previous cat (around 10 years old) to cancer, so there is a tender-hearted part of me that is very used to but also apprehensive about lots of sad vet visits since that characterized so much of our cat experience over the last year. It was about 9 months from previous cat’s diagnosis and chemo treatment to our final goodbye, and it involved a ton of anticipatory grief (the post-death grief was far easier to handle than the anticipatory grief).

*I’ve read that keeping stress levels low is important for FeLV kitties - but what does this actually mean? In the Before Times we had a monthly house potlucks and a family member’s band regularly rehearsed in our basement. Our old cat usually just hung out in our room and eventually got used to both types of events. Is this too stressful for FeLV kitties? Or should we play that by ear?

*I’ve never lived with a pair of cats before so…. What should I know about that?

Can a bulimic cat be cured?

Maarika — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 12:48:58 -0800

Our cat is the poster child of the phrase “scarf and barf.” The vet thinks she can be cured. I think we could spend thousands of dollars and still find ourselves living with a puking cat. Cat-people of Metafilter, have you cured your cat’s bulimia? Two years ago we adopted an adult cat from a rescue that got her from an out-of-state shelter. When she first came home with us, she puked multiple times per day. We figured out that she was eating too quickly and immediately puking, so we got an automatic feeder and broke up her food into 8 separate feedings (some wet, some dry). We tweaked the food type and the quantities, and eventually she settled into a rhythm of puking once in the morning about 3-5 times per week. We tried a puzzle feeder, but that made her frantic and even quicker to puke. We’ve seen a couple vets who think she needs a prescription food, more labs, and a $600 abdominal ultrasound to diagnose her. Her labs always come back 100% normal, much to the surprise of the vets.

She’s currently on a hunger strike after puking up said prescription food this morning. She’s lost 1.5 pounds in the last two years. I am tired of cleaning up cat puke. I am also in the midst of pandemic working from home and kid distance learning hell. What do we do? Do some cats puke forever? Was her brain warped by food insecurity as a stray? Am I am asshole for not wanting to go down a potentially pointless and expensive medical diagnostic journey for this cat? Have you fixed your puking cat?

Cat tax

Help with a doggy “toddler tantrum”

sarajane — Sat, 20 Mar 2021 06:36:08 -0800

We adopted Dixie last week. She’ a 9 month old retriever mix and has fit in with us very well so far, except for one annoying habit. If she is bored or wants something she can’t have, she repeatedly barks at us “I WANT IT NOW!” We are pretty good at ignoring her, which is helping, but if Jill, her 6 year old, shepherd/hound mix sister has the favorite bone of the moment, she repeatedly barks in Jill’s face. How do we correct this behavior without resorting to yelling? The dogs are faIrly well exercised: 1/2 hour walk in the morning, loose in the fenced-in yard throughout the day and a 1 hour walk in the afternoon. Redirection isn’t working in this case because “FAVORITE BONE!” and we are hesitant to introduce a food-dispensing puzzle toy, lest that become the “FAVORITE!”. Jill hasn’t been particularly interested in toys until Dixie’s arrival, now she likes to take the “FAVORITE!” from Dixie, provoking the unwanted barking.

what does gabapentin smell like?

snerson — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 17:49:16 -0800

One of my cats is notoriously spicy at the vet's and, in anticipation of tomorrow's annual checkup, I picked up a prescription of gabapentin solution. I attempted to give it to her tonight, but she spat it out / foamed at the mouth, and I noticed that the drug has a really strong sweet/fruity odor, almost like aspartame. I'm worried I gave my cat something other than gaba (I've given it to her before without issue and the sweet smell) and if so, if it was harmful. I'll call the vet ASAP tomorrow but if I could get some reassurances that I did not, in fact, just poison my cat, I would sleep a lot better in the intervening 14 hours. Thanks.

What price cute fluffy happiness?

Winnie the Proust — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 14:07:35 -0800

How much should I expect to pay for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from a reputable breeder? I'm new to this dog thing. I don't want a show dog or best of breed or anything, just a cute friendly family dog. When I first started thinking about this I had in mind a few hundred dollars. Am I off by an order of magnitude? The first breeder I found online wanted over $4,000 per puppy. The second one was more in the neighborhood of $2,200. I found someone selling them for $700, but it wasn't clear this was a reputable operation.

What should I expect? If it's several thousand dollars I shouldn't even bother looking.

I live in the Boston area. I'd rather get a puppy locally. I could see driving a few hours to get the right dog. Is it okay to purchase a puppy long distance and have it shipped by airplane to my city?

Again, I'm very new to this, but just want to get a lay of the land before I get more invested in the idea. Any pointers to specific breeders welcome, also.

Operation: Los Gatos to Los Gatos.

evilmonk — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 17:40:25 -0800

We are in Seattle with two cats. at some point we will need to get them (and us) to San Francisco. We are thinking of doing a straight shot, in some kind of large vehicle with a lot of cat medication involved. looking for feedback/advice. Cages? Vehicles? Routes? One of the cats is a certified escape artist (even said so on her cage when we rescued them), so we don't really want to deal with getting them in/out of a hotel. Thanks in advance.

Pick of the litter - how do you choose a kitten?

RajahKing — Sat, 13 Mar 2021 07:04:29 -0800

We are fostering a litter of four kittens right now. In a couple of weeks, we'll choose a pair to keep and find forever homes for the other pair. Is there a recommended way to choose the pair? We have been fostering four perfectly nice kittens - and their mother - since they were 3 weeks old, in January. These are not feral or outside cats, the mom is someone's house cat (long story short we are helping someone who is unable to pay for spaying, via our foster organization).

After mom goes home, we'll rehome two and keep a pair ourselves. We know one that we will keep - female, we like how she looks, she has soft fur, cute personality. In the litter, there are two males, two females (we THINK, being confirmed by vet soon); two have soft, medium length fur, the other two regular shorthair; two are larger than the other two. Personality wise they are generally all friendly, playful, maybe one or two are more comfortable being handled. They are all very cute but nothing striking about their coat pattern, just pretty cats. They all seem to play with each other, they aren't choosy about who they wrestle with or sleep next to.

Does anyone have recommendations or suggestions on how to pick the second of the pair? Should we be think about the sex of the other kitten - I've heard two female cats might not get along? Should we think about size, would it be better to have two large vs. a large and small? They have somewhat different tendencies, though this changes week to week, but should we look for any particular personality traits that might suggest a better match? Is this the most twee metafilter question you've ever read and we should just pick the damn kitten we want?

Maybe there are other things I haven't thought of - would love any suggestions.

I guess our "goal" is two well adjusted, playful indoor cats (though I suppose that's pretty obvious).