Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pets

Will our sun conure be okay without leaving his cage for a week?

archagon — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:39:22 -0800

We're going on vacation for 4-5 days, and are leaving our sun conure in the care of our friends. Unfortunately, he bites anyone who isn't us, so they can't let him out of his cage. (His wings are unclipped, so he would have no problem getting to them.) Will he be okay?

What kind of small pet should we get?

crios — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 11:36:06 -0800

We're looking for a good pet(s) for our family. Our 3 year old betta is about to die (it's just lying on the bottom of the bowl, not looking good at all). We're looking for a new pet to replace our betta. We live in a small apartment and my son and I are allergic to dogs and cats so those are out. We're looking for something that is kid friendly (in that they can participate in its care) and can live in a bowl/tank. We're looking for a pet that is relatively easy to take care of (I don't mind cleaning out the bowl/tank once a week or every other week), easy to feed (can buy food that will last a couple of months or can feed the pet something that we can buy at the store) and doesn't need a lot of space (we have a bowl and a tank the is 12" x 8" x 8" so something that can live in one of those). We don't mind buying a few extra things but we don't want to have to get a ton of extra equipment (rocks and plants are fine).

Some ideas we have been playing with: turtle(s), frog(s), mouse or hamster, lizard, fish (other than betta but something a little more interesting than a goldfish), some other kind of fresh water critter.

What kind of recommendations can metafilter make? Any animals highly recommended? Any animals we should avoid? We were kind of interested in a lizard or small snake but would we have to buy crickets or some other kind of critter to feed them?

Some other animal experience we have had: painted lady butterflys (caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly, that one was fun), ant farm (no queen so they only lasted a couple of months, that was fun too, the kids loved watching them work).

Any advice is appreciated!

Help me mediate this age old rivalry

pilibeen — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:09:32 -0800

Is it possible for a dog with a strong prey drive be trained to not kill my cat? I'm moving into a small guesthouse which is situated on another property where a large dog has the run of the place. I have an overweight, outdoor cat who I'm worried might not be able to escape if she has a run-in with the dog. The dog is amazingly well-trained and well socialized when it comes to other people, but when he sees small animals he completely loses it.

Is it possible to train out this instinct - I'm guessing not? Is it at least possible to let the dog know that this specific cat is part of the family, and not food?

Right now my only idea is to have some controlled encounters with the dog on a leash. Any other suggestions or experiences would be appreciated...

thanks!

Oh, and this afternoon he ate half a roll of toilet paper.

liketitanic — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:23:43 -0800

The cat just tried to break into a ziplock bag of Swedish butter cookies. He is obsessed with food. What do you do for a cat with an eating problem? He's worse than the dog! We have a vet appointment coming up fairly soon, but in the meantime I'm hoping you might have some ideas. The cat, named Dizzy, is a neutered little dude, about 11 months old. He is one of 4 cats (and 1 dog) in our household. When I got him, 3 months old, he weighed 3 pounds. He now weighs FIFTEEN. He definitely has a belly but isn't fat all over. And yes, he also gets plenty of exercise. He runs around like a nut pretty often.

The problem? He will eat ANYTHING. He has climbed into greased skillets to lick the fat out. He digs wrappers out of the trash. He gets into the sink to lick out dishes. He breaks into bags of pet food. He just ripped into a sealed bag of cookies.

We do not free-feed ANY of the animals (though before Dizzy the Lardass arrived, we did. We cut that shit out when it was clear he'd eat all day.) All of the animals have dropped weight since we stopped free-feeding. Except him. I don't know what to do with the little monster, other than keeping anything resembling food completely secured. Have you ever seen this problem with a cat? What did you do?

Does Shakeaway cat repellent also repel dogs?

ishotjr — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:49:27 -0800

Will Shakeaway cat repellent have the unwanted effect of repelling my dog, too? My neighbors (one of whom owns the house I rent) feed two stray cats, including an unaltered male (they have tried to trap him to have him fixed, but haven't been able to, so that's not relevant to this discussion)The neighbor who feeds the cats has big dogs (one is part wolf, even) that spend most of their time in their fenced yard, so the cats don't hang out there. Instead, they hang out in my yard. The tomcat sprays on the bushes, and they both poop in our yard.

The problem is that I have a little indoor dog and a dog door that I would like for him to use. I would really like for my dog to be able to go out and use the bathroom at his own discretion between his nightly walks/when I'm not home. However, he started finding cat poop and rolling around in it, which is baaad news. He can no longer go in the yard unattended. When I take him out and supervise him, he takes forever to pee, because he is obsessed with trying to find the cats in the bushes (who are never there when he comes outside) and sniffing where the tomcat has sprayed.

Talking to the neighbor about dealing with the cats is not an option. She's a nice old lady who loves those cats and I don't want to bother her about it since it's really just a convenience issue for me.

However, I do want to use some Shakeaway, which is dried predator (coyote) urine, to keep the cats from wanting to hang out in my yard (they don't spend most of their time there, so it's not like their habitat or anything).

After that unnecessarily long introduction, I basically just want to know whether the Shakeaway would also end up repelling my dog. The website doesn't list dogs as one of the "pests" that it repels, but before I cover my yard in coyote pee, I'd like to make sure that my dog will not be afraid to go out there, and also whether my dog will decide he needs to roll around in it. This would defeat my purpose of having a dog that can go outside alone without coming in smelling horrible and needing a bath.

Shalom, kitties!

pointystick — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:48:47 -0800

Asking for a friend: Does anyone know where to find authoritative information on requirments for pets moving to the USA from Israel? Asking for a friend: A US citizen & her Israeli spouse are moving back to the USA from Israel. They have 2 indoor cats who have had regular vet visits & certificates of good health. They have not had rabies shots as that is not required locally as they are indoor only.
Cat mom is panicking that she is not getting consistent information about what documents are required. The US embassy is saying rabies shots not required which seems odd. They don't have any info on quarantine. Who should they (the humans) call? What should they (humans again) read?

They are flying into Orlando next week.

Friend thanks the hivemind in advance!

My aquarium got cloudy and I don't know why

DMelanogaster — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:58:40 -0800

I have a 20 gallon fishtank with three goldfish and one plecostamus. Everything's been great for over a year until yesterday. There was some water evaporation so I decided to add some plain tap water, a couple of gallons, maybe. I've done this before with no ill consequences. Then I discovered that I had some Aqua Plus left, and poured in about 1/2 cup. It's always worked fine both in this tank and in my pond outside. However, this morning (the "morning after") my tank is completely cloudy! The fish look okay but I just don't understand what's going on. The tap water was completely clear, and Aqua Plus is used to clear up cloudy tanks! What could be going on here?? the fish are still looking good but the cloudy tank looks horrible.

Names for Black Dogs? Let's give them a leg-up in the adoption process.

taz — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:36:52 -0800

I need great, imaginative, appealing names for black dogs! A friend operates a rescue organization for dogs and cats, and mentioned how hard it is to find homes for black dogs (see Black Dog Syndrome)... and since I was already helping her come up with names, I thought I'd come up with a special list of Black Dog names that are perhaps evocative of personality types, and that might inspire interest so that potential adopters will maybe find their curiosity/sense of whimsy piqued and stop to at least read a description on the website, instead of just passing by any photo of a black dog. Some specific considerations inside... This is in Greece, where most people speak at least some English, and are familiar with exported U.S. and British pop culture in general and pretty much any world-famous person/literary character/film character/music reference will be recognized. Non-Greek names for pets are popular, so recognizable English, Italian, German, etc. names are cool, but "sh/ch" and "j" sounds are difficult to for many to pronounce.

The names can have some reference to Black, but they don't have to. For example, I thought of "Kafka" for a smart, "intellectual" perhaps sort of "serious" boy dog... and that one just also sort of "feels" like a good name for a black dog to me. Names of one or two syllables are usually easier for dogs to recognize and respond to.

So gimmee your ideas for great Black Dog names! Gimme!

How expensive are chickens to raise?

middleclasstool — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:22:55 -0800

What can I expect (mostly financially) from raising hens as pets? A Facebook friend has me really excited about the idea of raising a couple of hens in my backyard. I like the idea of fresh eggs and pest control, and I figure the kids will get a kick out of them.

On the plus side, they seem like pretty low-maintenance animals, and my city's laws are strict but doable (inexpensive permit required, must have your coop no less than 75 feet from neighbor dwellings, inspection required by the city, no roosters). My only concern now is cost -- how much on average does it cost to feed and care for an average hen? We're doing fairly well but are saving very aggressively and live pretty close to the bone, and of course I don't want to totally screw up our budget. Any other non-financial gotchas I should be aware of would also be appreciated.

Also, what varieties do you recommend? I'd like good eggs, but just as important is an even temperament, with bonus points for looking awesome. We're in central Arkansas, if that matters.

How many pugs and pug owners are there both in the U.S. and worldwide?

JPigford — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:24:49 -0800

How many pugs and pug owners are there both in the U.S. and worldwide? I'm trying to get a rough estimation on both the number of pugs and pug owners in the U.S. and worldwide.

Any ideas on sources for that sort of info?

I need to kill one pest while protecting another.

mecran01 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:43:25 -0800

We have spiders and pill bugs in our basement. I want to spray for them, but I also have pet rats that I like to let wander around on occasion, and don't want them to get sick. Is there a natural bug spray that is rodent safe? (I know, our basement sounds like a fun place) My nine-year-old is sleeping on the couch until I take care of the bugs. I also need to figure out how all of the pill bugs are getting into our basement bathroom.

A spoonful of sugar doesn't work well with cats.

grapefruitmoon — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:01:53 -0800

Confuse-A-Cat-Filter: How to best trick a cat into swallowing a pill. Help, plz. So, we have this cat. Who has to swallow this pill. To pre-empt the "could you give her something that's not a pill?" inevitable derail: the pill is what needs to be given. Just how it is.

Now, how do we get the pill into the cat? We've tried burying it in wet food. We've tried crushing part of it and putting THAT into her food. No dice. Certainly trying to pop it into her mouth isn't working, especially since holding her down is like holding down an electric eel.

Someone must have at some point in time gotten a cat to swallow a pill. I would like their secrets.

Active Cat Boarding in San Francisco

sfkiddo — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:46:34 -0800

I need recommendations on boarding young cats in San Francisco. I wouldn't say they are high maintenance, but they are young and very active. Capone (M) and Mimi (F) are a bit over 6 months old, siblings, and very social. Mr. sfkiddo and I will be out of town for 4-5 days next month and have come to the conclusion that we cannot simply have a cat sitter come in for 20 minutes/day. Our kittens need a lot of attention: Capone wants to fetch things for hours a day and Mimi needs a lot of lap time.

My ideal would be having someone stay in our home for the duration of our absence. That said, I'm pretty leery of having a stranger stay in our place. (Unfortunately, our friends can't stay here, they could only do the drop by feedings.) Considering that the key is to have someone give our pets a lot of attention without robbing us blind, what are my best options for San Francisco? Any good boarders here?

How to feed our cats?

lolalivia — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:41:08 -0800

Question on the feeding of two cats with different eating disorders. We adopted two cats, Tiger and Grey, a couple of years ago. They are both now approximately three and a half years old. Tiger is a good-natured cat that will eat continuously until he throws up. Grey is a very anxious cat and will usually poop on our bed upon our return from being away for more than two days.

Here is their food history:
- We were feeding them on an all wet Friskies diet, but the vet told us to feed them dry as well.
- We switched to a Science Diet mix of less wet and some dry, hoping that if we mixed the dry in with the wet, it would slow Tiger down. This did not work.
- We found a lot of MeFi-ers recommending higher quality foods to prevent this. We switched to MaxCat. This did work for Tiger, but then Grey started having chronic diarrhea. According to our vet who did many tests and found nothing, his diarrhea was likely a food allergy.
- Now they are both on a bland Science Diet I/D wet and dry diet as before, only Tiger has returned to throwing it up, once or twice a week.
- Grey still has diarrhea, 1 month later, despite my administering anti-diarrheal meds and a probiotic to him for a little over two weeks after the vet visit.

Here is their feeding-style history:
- We have tried feeding the cats in separate rooms, Tiger in the kitchen and Grey in an adjacent spare room.
- When we leave the door to Grey’s room open, Tiger will eat all of his food quickly, then take over Grey’s food and eat until he throws up.
- We have changed the food bowls so they are deeper and he cannot eat as fast. This did not work.
- We have tried feeding each cat a separate diet, but because this entails both separate dry and wet foods for each cat twice a day, this was not a long-term option that we, as pet-owners, could maintain.
- When we close the door to Grey’s room for 30 minutes to give him time to eat, he will not eat all his food at once, and Tiger will finish Grey’s food once the door has been opened. Sometimes he will throw up from this.
- When we remove the food after the 30 minutes, Tiger will eat more quickly when next he is fed and definitely throw it up.
- When we remove the food after the 30 minutes and leave a small amount (about 1/2 cup) of dry food out between meals, Grey will eat throughout the day and, as a result, has gained 2 lbs. in the past year.

In addition, I have tried Feliway plug-ins and collars to help our anxious cat calm down, but they do not appear to help his upset stomach at this time. I cannot afford to medicate him with Prozac or any other long-term medication.

Where I stand is that I have a cat with diarrhea, despite food switches, and a cat that throws up because of the food switches. I am close to a breaking point with this, as I feel I have exhausted almost every option to meet the dietary needs of these two cats.

Pooch finder

sequin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:30:02 -0800

Trying to find the right dog/breed for my dear mum. Should possess the following: Mid-sized, good temperament, smart, minimal exercise, barking & grooming. My mum lives alone & recently has had a few health scares. A dog will be such a great companion. She initially wanted a lab or golden retriever but realizes that these will be too large for her. I am thinking 20lbs or lighter. She owns a nice sized house with backyard and has neighbors either side. (hence no unreasonable barkers) She can manage two 15-20 minute walks a day. She does not want a lap dog. We have looked at the local shelters (my mother lives in Ireland) in her area & unfortunately they all tend to be larger mixed breeds. Unsuitable for her age/health/physical ability. I'm a dog owner myself but not familiar with the many different breeds/ temperaments out there. She is willing to train a puppy or adopt.

Any suggestions?

Renting in New Zealand - Pets urine on carpet. Smells. Pet hair

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:13:10 -0800

I'm currently renting a flat unit in New Zealand which I will be moving out next month. My current rental agreement states that I do not need to have the carpet professionally cleaned before I move out. I have two cats in the house and the question was raised with the property agent before I moved in. They have agreed to let me have the pets in the house and on the rental agreement, it also states that they are okay with it. The property agent did an inspection of the house recently and they have asked for me to have the carpet clean by a professional carpet cleaner because they can smell cat urine. This was not raised previously in the previous few inspections. I suspect this could be due to the fact that I'm moving out for good. I do know that my cats have made a few accidents on the carpet which I have already tried my best in cleaning up the area. The smell does remain but it's not strong. the carpet is discoloured slightly as well. My questions are: Is it reasonable for the property agent to request for the carpet to be professionally cleaned? If I disagree, am I in any way in breach of the tenancy agreement? I am thinking that since the property agent allows us to keep pets in the house, wouldn't the cat 'accidents' be the normal wears and tears of having a property rented out?

How do I convince my cat her litter box is not a good hang-out?

scrute — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:11:25 -0800

My cat loves her litter box.... too much. How do I get her to stop playing in it? It's not that she is playing with the messes in her litter box (although she will if she can't find any of her toys), it's that she insists on taking her balls into her litter box to play. I'm a little grossed out by it and wonder if it's spreading germs all over my apartment when she takes the balls out and rolls them around the rest of the place.

I don't know if it's relevant, but she didn't use a litter box until she was almost a year old (2 months ago). For the previous 10 months she was living in a country with 'wet' bathrooms and would go either in the drain or directly beside it (litter was unavailable and/or prohibitively expensive). She took to the litter box immediately, but now seems to think it's an okay place to hang out.

Any suggestions for at least getting her to stop taking her toys in? I've tried covering it and it doesn't really work.

Practical and quality-of-life concerns with our dog's medical treatment

davejay — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:23:16 -0800

My dog's been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease, and our vet (whom you are not) wants to do an MRI to determine the course of treatment. I have two questions about this. To get it out of the way, here are the three pieces of info you're probably curious about:

First, he's a small dog, about fourteen years old, and every vet (including the current one) is always shocked by his good health, saying that if they didn't look at his teeth and see certain age-appropriate behaviors, they'd swear he was [half his current age].

Second, his symptoms are sudden, rapid weight loss, and some peeing in the house, but otherwise he seems in good spirits and does the things he normally does.

Third, we are indeed getting a second opinion from another trusted vet who has a history with our dog, before proceeding with treatment.

Now, then: the diagnosis of Cushing's Disease due to a pituitary gland tumor is a confident one, and the next step is an MRI to assess tumor size and whether it's operable.

My two questions:

1. Is $750 for such an MRI an unusually high fee? I just want to sanity-check the cost before we commit to having it done at this facility.

2. If you have been through this with your dog, what treatment did you pursue and what was the outcome, with specific interest in your dog's lifespan and quality of life moving forward from the treatment selection?

Ultimately we know he's an old dog, but that doesn't mean we're not going to aim for giving him the longest high-quality life possible. Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

Veterinarians and Cell Phones in New London NH

mmw — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:47:13 -0800

New London NH filter: Question about cell phone coverage and veterinary services in New London NH specifically. We're moving to New London in less than a month. I need info on two things, specifically about New London NH (not the whole Upper Valley).

(1) What are the best and most reliable cell phone carriers? We currently have AT&T but spouse couldn't get reception in our house during our home inspection 2 weeks ago. Neither could our realtor (Verizon) or the other realtor (US Cellular). Maybe our house is a dead-zone, which would be a massive bummer, but I'm hoping it was either a fluke or T-Mobile or Sprint or another carrier is the answer.

(2) We have an English bulldog who's had cancer and chemo and we need a good vet as close as possible to New London NH who handles emergencies outside business hours at the same location. (That may sound odd but where we live now, emergency trips are over an hour away although our regular vet is 15 mins away, which is crazy-making when a pet is suffering.)

Thanks much for any and all help, opinions, suggestions!

Do bunnies make good tenants?

metahawk — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:36:54 -0800

As a new landlord, what should I consider when a prospective tenant has two litter-box trained bunnies? We just bought a house which includes an unfurnished rental unit. We have started to put the word out among circles that we have connections with (school, work). The first person to show interest wants to know if we will consider her friend (described a nice and reliable) who has two rabbits who are "litter box trained and live in a pen"

I read in a previous post that bunnies mostly chew and poop. Since it is unfurnished, my concern would be mostly carpets, floors and wires. Am i foolish to consider this? If I do consider it, what should I ask the owner or what rules might we need to have? (Example - if the person tells me that the rabbits are used to being in their pens when she isn't home and we put that in the rental contract, is that sufficient?)

My husband thinks we should just say no pets but I would like to be open to situations that don't really cause us any problems. (the contract the previous owner used said "pets only with permission".

Are my dogs getting along?

curiouskitty — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:11:51 -0800

I just got a new puppy, a goldendoodle who is now nine weeks old and kind of strong-willed. I also have a submissive dachshund who is more than 10 years old. They've been living together for about two weeks, and I'm wondering if the little one is bullying the older dog. How can I tell, and how can I stop it? The dogs are about the same size (10 pounds for the doodle, making him one of the bigger pups in his litter, vs. 13 pounds for the dachshund, who was the runt of her litter), so I think they may be jockeying for dominance over the other. I don't think they are seriously hurting each other, but they're nipping at each other's face, ears, etc., and fighting over toys. The dachshund is very gentle -- she wouldn't bite me even if I stuck my fingers in her mouth while she was gnawing a chew toy. The puppy is teething, so he's biting, though not hard (at least not me), and I am trying to train him out of the habit. I know that will take some time. Finally, the dachshund has neck/back problems (she had surgery when she was four), and though the vet said she's healthy enough to have a playmate -- which is one of the main reasons we got another dog -- I worry about the roughhousing. I've heard that humans shouldn't interfere too much as the dogs figure out their pack order among themselves. Is this true? Are they just going through a temporary boundary-setting period and this is totally normal? Sometimes I can't resist refereeing when they are really annoying each other, but it can get exhausting and I don't want to be unnecessarily paranoid. Is everything okay as long as they're wagging their tails? Will the dachshund put the puppy in his place if she's getting hurt, or does that depend on how submissive she is? What are the signs that their playing is getting too aggressive, and how can I get them to play nice in the long term?

Will a dog ruin my friendship with my cat?

muscat — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:50:11 -0800

My cats and I have a good thing going. Will introducing a puppy make them hate me forever? One of the cats is very aloof, although it seems like he's really very lonely and just pretends to be above it all. My wife and I have gone through a lot to reassure him that we really do love him and all that and he's gotten more snuggly. I don't want to send him into a permanent self imposed emotional exile.

How did your furry family members get over the addition of a new sibling?

Help a non-dog owner understand.

lpsguy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:13:54 -0800

Help a non-dog owner understand. I ask this out of curiosity more than pique. I'm curious to know what goes on in the mind of dog owners, especially with regard to barking. A couple of neighbors have recently added dogs to their households. And while neither have been nonstop barkers they do bark occasionally. Recently, one barked for an hour in the morning on my one day of the week to sleep in. The neighbor eventually quieted the dog and/or took her in the house. If it matters, I should add that our neighborhood is a heavily wooded suburb sought out for its serenity.

So let's say you're a dog owner; one without a particularly barky dog but still one that barks when people walk by or occasionally barks when you let him/her outside a bit. What goes on in your mind when this is going on?

Is it ... "Ohmigod, I better leap and stop this right away because it's likely it's annoying someone." ?

Is it ... "Yeah, the dog's barking but he'll stop soon and even though I know it's annoying to some people it'll stop soon." ?

Is it ... "Listen to Fido barking. He's so lively. The sound of a dog is great. I can't imagine anybody doesn't like dogs so it probably isn't bothering anyone." ?

Is it ... "Well, I paid for my property and I want a dog and that's what dogs do sometimes and the neighbors, well, they just better get over it because I like my dog." ?

(Extra bonus points for telling me what goes through your mind when you leave the dog outside and drive off somewhere knowing that your dog will bark some while you're gone and possibly disturb anything from a baby's sleep to someone's serene afternoon on the deck.)

So help me understand. What goes on in a dog owner's head? What should go on in mine?

Suggestions for pet-proof rugs

mandapanda — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:27:09 -0800

Seeking recommendations for pet proof rugs (not wall-to-wall carpets) that feel and look great and really work My boyfriend has hardwood floors throughout his place, including the bedroom. Between the two of us, we have four dogs; two large, one medium, and one small. The pitter patter of little paws on hardwood floors is really getting to him when he tries to sleep. He refuses to get a rug for the bedroom on the grounds that it will absorb general dog smell and the smell from any accidents that may happen. I've looked into stain-resistant rugs, but I'm not sure how well they work on keeping out odors.

I'm looking for a large rug, 10' x 10' or somewhere in that area. My criteria are that it looks like it belongs inside a home, not on a deck or in an office, it feels comfy on the tootsies, it will absorb the noise made by all the little paws, and it won't absorb smells or stains. I'm not looking for carpeting, just a rug. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Drive-by licking!

emilyd22222 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:49:13 -0800

How can I get my dog to stop licking people? My dog (3 years old, English setter/English pointer mix, if it matters) is a frenzied, compulsive licker. She absolutely loves people, and expresses that love with a crazed tongue. She aims for the face, but will settle for any other part of the person, and even will continue licking if she only hits the air around them. She almost never licks me, even when she's really excited to see me, and will even turn her face away from me if I put my face right in front of hers- I'm assuming this is because I'm dominant over her. I've had some minor success with grabbing and holding her snout when she tries to lick other people, but so many people seem to love and encourage dogs jumping up on them and licking them (even when I tell them to please not do that and correct her in front of them) that her behavior is continuously reinforced. Any ideas?