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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. [more inside]
posted by Nieshka at 2:05 PM - 3 answers

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.
posted by Aranquis at 2:52 PM - 4 answers

I would like a pet cat so much, but I have overwhelming anxiety about biting the bullet and going ahead with it. [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 2:55 PM - 40 answers

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!
posted by hadjiboy at 2:36 PM - 16 answers

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. [more inside]
posted by Dorinda at 11:35 AM - 17 answers

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? [more inside]
posted by greatgefilte at 5:51 PM - 12 answers

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? [more inside]
posted by rbf1138 at 7:27 AM - 13 answers

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. [more inside]
posted by miratime at 4:21 AM - 34 answers

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? [more inside]
posted by ms_rasclark at 9:51 PM - 6 answers

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? [more inside]
posted by mostly vowels at 3:22 PM - 16 answers

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? [more inside]
posted by Maarika at 12:48 PM - 32 answers

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? [more inside]
posted by sarajane at 6:36 AM - 11 answers

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. [more inside]
posted by snerson at 5:49 PM - 19 answers

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. [more inside]
posted by Winnie the Proust at 2:07 PM - 33 answers

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.
posted by evilmonk at 5:40 PM - 26 answers

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? [more inside]
posted by RajahKing at 7:04 AM - 6 answers

Our cat is getting increasingly grumpy with old age (he turns 11 this year). He has always been prone to scratching, but it's gotten worse and now he frequently scratches when we try to pick him up to move him from a place he's not supposed to be. I want to train him to go to a specific spot so we don't have to physically move him. [more inside]
posted by chaiminda at 4:54 AM - 6 answers

I have some logistical, and also broader questions about getting a cat. [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 2:19 AM - 12 answers

We have two cats that don't get along. Is there anything I can do to help them? [more inside]
posted by pdb at 9:59 AM - 10 answers

I have an 8 year old kitty (the handsome black fella on the left) who started having digestive issues in December. We got a preliminary diagnosis of IBS, but after bloodwork, they are suspecting small cell lymphoma. Since this seems to be a fairly common cat issue, I thought I'd ask for some advice. [more inside]
posted by tryniti at 6:57 AM - 6 answers