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I'd like to explore solutions for keeping my ageing cat warm at night. [more inside]
posted by biffa at 12:23 PM - 19 answers

My dog is already diagnosed with hypothyroidism and has been on medication for a year. He has a checkup tomorrow morning and I can’t remember how I’m supposed to prepare him for a blood test. [more inside]
posted by otherwordlyglow at 8:51 PM - 5 answers

We recently adopted a 3.5 month old kitten from a local shelter. I have two kids, 5 and 1, that are still very excited about the cat but have yet to fully learn the proper way to handle him. Our 1-year old will often grab him by the tail to pull him out from under tables or we may find him running down the hall with the cat clutched under his arm. We're doing our best to supervise and teach proper handling, but as with most kids, things take some time to sink in. [more inside]
posted by stranger in the village at 5:13 PM - 18 answers

Feral kitten we got when he was very young, whom we raised with lots of love and tenderness, went from being super sweet for the first month or two (slept every night in our arms, purred a lot, only bit us 10% of the time) to 90% biting us and 10% sweet/purring, and now only sleeps under our bed. He is however extremely food-motivated so I was wondering if there was a way to train the biting out of him? [more inside]
posted by egeanin at 10:42 PM - 28 answers

A neighbor is moving out of state later this week with her husband and wonderful dog. They live a few houses away, and we often stop while out on walks to let the dogs romp around in their backyard. I’m wondering how my dog will take it when they are no longer there (and it’s kind of bumming me out, to be honest). [more inside]
posted by dreamphone at 6:00 PM - 6 answers

I've been thinking a lot about getting a cat lately. I can't decide between one cat or two. Complication: small apartment. [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 5:02 PM - 24 answers

Moved houses over a month ago, kitty was fine until last week when he started hissing at his reflection. What should we do? [more inside]
posted by cooker girl at 12:01 PM - 6 answers

I love cats and dogs and have investigated adopting either a cat or a dog on numerous occasions but there's one thing that always stops me: that my elderly family live abroad and I need to be prepared to travel back there at short notice, and for an open ended period of time, if necessary. Can people help me problem-solve this? [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 6:35 AM - 26 answers

We've searched high and low for a replacement. Description, pictures and video below the fold. [more inside]
posted by slkinsey at 9:39 AM - 7 answers

We just adopted two adorable kittens (teenagers really, about 5 months old), one of whom had an infection in his eye that meant we needed to smear antibiotic ointment in it twice a day. My husband did the majority of the medicating as he's a better cat-catcher than I am, but now the medicated kitten is skittish around him. How do we repair the relationship? Cat tax and more details inside. [more inside]
posted by wuzandfuzz at 12:30 PM - 12 answers

Walk this very nervous potential pet owner through the steps to getting a dog. [more inside]
posted by rouftop at 11:10 AM - 19 answers

Our amazing rescue dog, who we have had for less than a year, just a had a small growth removed from his elbow. It was biopsied and turned out to be a soft tissue sarcoma (specifically, a hemangiopericytoma), grade III (the worst/highest/most malignant grade). He is only about 6 and has absolutely zero symptoms or pain, but the oncologist tells us that the median survival time for this type of cancer is 8 months. We don't know what to do next. [more inside]
posted by catoclock at 7:52 AM - 19 answers

We have some perfectly serviceable names but nothing really sings, you know? [more inside]
posted by *s at 9:15 AM - 64 answers

A stray cat has adopted my mother. She has also had kittens (of course). One kitten is upstairs in my mother's spare bedroom closet, and the other is in the porch. The mother cat seems perfectly happy to be in the high traffic area of the porch and hangs out with the kitten there, and the kitten upstairs is still alive and moving about after two weeks, so presumably the mother visits her as well. A couple of questions below the fold. [more inside]
posted by purplesludge at 3:18 AM - 3 answers

I have a 30 pound Terrier and 67 pound pittie/border collie. Is there a bed that suits them both? [more inside]
posted by mulcahy at 3:22 PM - 15 answers

Should I get a dog? Lots of pros, a few cons. Some people in my life are extremely supportive, encouraging and wonder why I don't already have one. Meanwhile some other important people in my life strongly disagree, enough to give me some serious paws (hah!). Obviously I will make my own decisions, but I need an (relatively!) unbiased Nth opinion, which is where the awesome mefites come in! [more inside]
posted by cgg at 12:58 PM - 27 answers

My wife's old cat (RIP) was diabetic and she used to have to give him insulin shots. This insulin came from a regular human pharmacy but was dirt cheap. Yet I hear stories about humans dying from rationing their insulin because they can't afford more. What's going on? [more inside]
posted by komara at 8:41 AM - 8 answers

She clawed through the carpet under the door last night. face/desk. help me come up with an enrichment plan to prevent these shenanigans in the future. ...also welcoming encouragement. [more inside]
posted by snerson at 7:11 AM - 9 answers

Every single night one (or more) animals use our garden as a public toilet, leaving behind 15-20 identical looking poos. What animal is making our garden a health hazard for the kids? [more inside]
posted by mr_silver at 5:31 AM - 29 answers

My dog is fecally incontinent. How do we keep her poo contained? [more inside]
posted by mrfuga0 at 4:07 PM - 12 answers