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Those with particularly strong dogs- please recommend a gate. Not the standard pressure mounted gate (unless seriously specialized) - preferably wall mounted by drill. [more inside]
posted by Wichienmaat at 3:15 PM - 5 answers

Recent household disruptions have revealed that our kitty Mayhem dislikes sharing a litter box and was/is taking out her feelings on any available bedding, clean clothes and the now-removed forty-year old carpet. Please help us resolve this. The complicating factor is that we spent 10 years with a different cat who had litter box issues which we were never able to successfully resolve. As much as we love Mayhem, we just cannot do another 10-20 years of ruined carpet, floors and bedding. [more inside]
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 5:15 AM - 10 answers

Asking for a friend who lives alone in a small one-room flat and plans to get a cat. How would you go about settling a new cat in, given that s/he can't give it a room of its own to get acclimatised, as is advised by most rescue shelters? We're in the UK. [more inside]
posted by sockandawe at 5:02 AM - 9 answers

Help us name our new puppy!! [more inside]
posted by JuliaIglesias at 2:04 PM - 45 answers

Can you help name a black cat who loves to warble like a bird, head-butt, and burrow? [more inside]
posted by tasseomance at 3:48 PM - 28 answers

What is an efficient, mostly clean way to dispose of quite a few pounds of used cat litter? [more inside]
posted by Kitchen Witch at 7:16 PM - 13 answers

My dogs like to roll in stinky, terrible, horrifying things ranging from elk poop to long dead sea lion. The shampoo we are using is completely inadequate against this kind of stink. Have you found something that works? Must be tea tree oil free as I am allergic. [more inside]
posted by mygothlaundry at 1:44 PM - 9 answers

I always thought I was allergic to cats, which is why I've never adopted one, even though I love cats. Recently I spent the weekend with a cat and experienced no allergy symptoms whatsoever. Does this mean I'm not allergic anymore?? How can I be sure? [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 3:52 AM - 20 answers

We bought 4 baby chicks a few weeks ago: two ameraucana, two Rhode island reds. They were all born the same day. After 4 weeks the ameraucana are twice as big as the reds. Is this normal for these breeds, or do we likely have two roosters?
posted by rouftop at 5:54 PM - 7 answers

Our 4-year old cat has pawed at his mouth periodically since earlier this year. We rushed him to the vet (post-COVID, so only he could go in), they checked him out, and said they couldn't find anything wrong. Last night he did it again, but for the first time his tongue stayed peeking out of his mouth and he was a little lethargic. Same today. We got the first vet appointment we could - Saturday at 11:30 a.m. - but I'm wondering if we should take him to an emergency vet. His breathing isn't labored and he used the litter pan. He hasn't had much to eat or drink, though, because he's been sleeping. He's drooling because his tongue is out.
posted by Wet Hen at 2:28 PM - 8 answers

The cat in this post has been neutered and is now residing in a spare room in our house. He is unhappy and I don't blame him. But we need some plan for integrating him with our other two (male, neutered) cats. Help? [more inside]
posted by cat friend at 7:55 AM - 8 answers

My sweet but stupid cat ate two raisins when I wasn't looking, and they're poisonous to cats like they are to dogs apparently. I rang the vet and they said to keep an eye on her for now and hopefully she'll just throw up. I'm sort of freaking out though - how likely is 2 raisins to be serious in a 10 pound cat? How do I know if a cat that normally sleeps all day is lethargic? What should I be looking out for? When should I rush her to the hospital?
posted by stillnocturnal at 4:31 AM - 12 answers

My 13 year old cat, Flopsy, was diagnosed with diabetes last year. I love this cat, but life, and COVID, has thrown a wrench in all my best intentions and I need advice on how to handle the situation. [more inside]
posted by sharp pointy objects at 11:17 AM - 21 answers

My partner really, really wants to get a dog. They say it's vital for their emotional well-being. I trust their judgement and want to be as supportive as I can be. But I don't like dogs, and I don't know how to be around them. How do I prepare for this adjustment? What can I do to maximize the odds that I will have a positive experience with this change in my life? As a bonus, could you recommend anything to read about people who didn't like dogs but grew to like them? [more inside]
posted by a certain Sysoi Pafnut'evich at 3:34 PM - 53 answers

Just wondering why my cat wants to chew my hair and lick my face every morning around 4am? [more inside]
posted by bearette at 2:28 PM - 12 answers

Yesterday we befriended and fed a stray cat who was skittish but wanted to be friendly. We called her Low Girl. Today when we got home, we found Low Girl and a LITTER OF KITTENS in an inaccessible crawlspace under the porch. We think she moved her kittens here today - we definitely would have noticed them yesterday. They are adorably loud and we can hear them from the inside. [more inside]
posted by weed donkey at 9:10 PM - 12 answers

About a year ago, some neighbors moved out and abandoned their outdoor cat. Since then we have slowly gotten him used to us by feeding him. He will let us pet him... well, up until today (more on that below). He desperately needs to go to a vet. How the f to catch this guy? [more inside]
posted by cat friend at 12:06 PM - 17 answers

Title says it all. Have tried sprinkling with baking soda and oxiclean, to no avail. Other recommendations?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:44 PM - 18 answers

Eddie, our elder cat, is in rapidly declining health. According to the vet (who we're getting to know very well), he's mostly deaf, mostly blind, and can't really smell, but he's not in pain. Unfortunately, he's also decided that being unable to really tell where he is, is a great excuse to do his business wherever he happens to be. This is a big stressor for my wife and I. Help. [more inside]
posted by Alterscape at 7:53 AM - 13 answers

My Grandma (previously seen in Fancy Food for Grandma) has had low morale lately. However, she loves owls. Her birthday is coming up and I’ve already have the owl piñata and party favors. Is there somewhere we could see owls in-person in the Bay Area? Good organizations to make a donation to? What about a good livestream of owls? Party ideas also welcome.
posted by likethenight at 4:13 PM - 9 answers