Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[Mindthinkr]

@Mondrianyone He doesn’t seem to favor that eye or paw at it. I don’t think it hurts him at this time. That was a helpful link. I will take that information to my vet (who’s a specialist so I’m surprised that she missed that diagnosis). She did dilate his eye and check it so I would think she would have noticed if any blood vessels were damaged. I think my next step is to find a kitty ophthalmologist to see if any treatments can be given so he doesn’t get any worse or develop pain. Thank you very much for that helpful information. 

[ginger90]

My daughter let the dogs out this morning, then went back in the house. The dogs started barking, so she went to see why. She saw white fluff outside their fenced in area.  Luna got out of her enclosure. Naughty goat. After she left for work, I went over to check on Luna. She was fine, looking a bit mysterious.

[Mondrianyone]

Oh, jeez, and on top of the eye business I gave him a sex change. Sorry, sweet boy.

An ophthalmologist sounds like a very good idea. Keep us posted.

[theredhead77]

2 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

My two are epic yakkers.

 

56 minutes ago, supposebly said:

You mean vomit? No vomiting. The occasional hairball every three months or so, that's it. Are you sure that's normal?

One of my cats is a scarf-and-barfer. I raised his food bowl and it helps a little but the vet says he's fine. Some cats just scarf-and-barf.

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 hour ago, supposebly said:

Are you sure that's normal?

Well, not abnormal anyway.  Most of the time it's hairball related, sometimes because they wolf their food, still other times, it's to punish me.  For something.

Edited March 29, 2022 by SuprSuprElevated

[SuprSuprElevated]

[supposebly]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

One of my cats is a scarf-and-barfer. I raised his food bowl and it helps a little but the vet says he's fine. Some cats just scarf-and-barf.

These are only my first cats so I have little experience but I wonder about that. If they vomit their food right after eating, do they eat it again? Or simply go hungry until the next meal?

Fox is a very fast eater (no barfing) and I got her a plate with ridges that slows her down. She's still faster than Scully but it does help. The main reason was so she wouldn't steal Scully's food who takes her leisurely time to finish. And won't fight it when food gets stolen.

[Bastet]

We had to feed Bandit a little bit at a time, otherwise he'd eat too much at once and it would come right back up.  We'd had other cats do that when they were new, having been used to fending for themselves and thus scarfing down when a full meal was just placed in front of them.  They grew out of it once they understood regular meals would always be forthcoming.  Bandit never learned when to say when, though, so we had to do it for him.

Chester's thing was drinking too much water at once, and then throwing up a pond.  Which he'd announce he was going to do, with a meow far more appropriate to "This is the big one, Elizabeth!" than "I'm going to regurgitate some water now".

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, supposebly said:

These are only my first cats so I have little experience but I wonder about that. If they vomit their food right after eating, do they eat it again? Or simply go hungry until the next meal?

Fox is a very fast eater (no barfing) and I got her a plate with ridges that slows her down. She's still faster than Scully but it does help. The main reason was so she wouldn't steal Scully's food who takes her leisurely time to finish. And won't fight it when food gets stolen.

We have the worst problem with Elizabeth eating Nathan's food. He's an old man cat and had an easy bachelor lifestyle before we got her. If we don't watch them every second she will muscle him away and eat all of his food. She is getting fat and she's not even a year old.

[Bastet]

10 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

We have the worst problem with Elizabeth eating Nathan's food. He's an old man cat and had an easy bachelor lifestyle before we got her. If we don't watch them every second she will muscle him away and eat all of his food. She is getting fat and she's not even a year old.

What about getting those microchip feeders that will only open for the right cat -- you program the feeder to the appropriate cat's microchip (or the chip on a tag you put on their collar if they're not chipped), and then only when that cat sticks their head in to eat will it open up.

They work great -- so long as your cat will walk away (thus causing the feeder to close) if the other cat comes along and shoves their head in there while the first cat is eating (thus already having it open).  If the first cat will just scoot over and let the invader eat right alongside, there's no point. 

[peacheslatour]

5 minutes ago, Bastet said:

What about getting those microchip feeders that will only open for the right cat -- you program the feeder to the appropriate cat's microchip (or the chip on a tag you put on their collar if they're not chipped), and then only when that cat sticks their head in to eat will it open up.

They work great -- so long as your cat will walk away (thus causing the feeder to close) if the other cat comes along and shoves their head in there while the first cat is eating (thus already having it open).  If the first cat will just scoot over and let the invader eat right alongside, there's no point. 

Right, which is exactly what he does. He just walks  away and lets her have at it.

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, peacheslatour said:

Right, which is exactly what he does. He just walks  away and lets her have at it.

If he walks away, the feeder will work -- it will close, and she won't be able to sit there and eat his food.  It's only if he'd just keep sitting there eating and allow her to eat right alongside him that it won't work, because it will stay open since he's still there.

So he'll keep getting interrupted and have to go back and re-open it, but the invader cat usually stops trying once they learn the damn thing is always going to close on them and they won't get the food.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

If he walks away, the feeder will work -- it will close, and she won't be able to sit there and eat his food.  It's only if he'd just keep sitting there eating and allow her to eat right alongside him that it won't work, because it will stay open since he's still there.

No, that's what he does. He lets her eat alongside him as she slowly leans on him until he is pushed out and then he walks away. He doe not put up any resistance. Back before we had her, eat would eat a bit, walk away and come back and eat a little more. This would go on for hours. Nathan is, how to put this delicately...stupid. Like idiotically stupid. We've never had such a derpy cat. So one of us will stand there until we feel he has eaten enough. I feed him in the afternoons in the bedroom with the door firmly closed so he can have some peace. Poor guy.

[Bastet]

16 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

No, that's what he does. He lets her eat alongside him as she slowly leans on him until he is pushed out and then he walks away.

Darn.  You had just said he walks away, so I thought this could be a great solution.  But, yeah, if he first lets her eat alongside him, you'd be throwing money away on the feeders.

My parents never got them for Bandit and Chester (who ate two different foods; if was fine if Bandit ate some of Chester's, but he couldn't have that as his primary food, and Chester couldn't eat any of Bandit's) because those two were totally in cahoots.  If one wanted the other's food, the other just happily shared; there was never any walking away/shoving away.  So the feeders would have just been expensive bowls.

20 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Back before we had her, eat would eat a bit, walk away and come back and eat a little more. This would go on for hours.

Riley is a grazer, too -- she takes all day to eat her breakfast and all day to eat her dinner.  Maddie was the same way, but I lucked into having an easy way to keep Baxter (who ate pretty much his whole meal at once and would have loved to have hers for dessert) away from her food -- she was very agile, while he had an ass made out of lead, so she could easily jump to high places but he couldn't get very far off the ground.  So I put her food on top of the dryer, and he couldn't get up there.

Before she got the feeders, a friend with a similar problem put one cat's food in the bathtub/shower and left the door open just wide enough for that thin cat to climb in and out but too narrow for the food-stealing widebody to do so.

When you don't have any place to leave one cat's food out but be inaccessible to the other cat, it's a drag; you have to either stand guard, shut someone away for a time, etc.  That's why I love those feeders, but even they're limited as described above.  They need to make one that also squirts the intruder cat in the face or something. 🙂

[peacheslatour]

Quote

When you don't have any place to leave one cat's food out but be inaccessible to the other cat, it's a drag; you have to either stand guard, shut someone away for a time, etc.  That's why I love those feeders, but even they're limited as described above.  They need to make one that also squirts the intruder cat in the face or something. 🙂

Thank you for the idea anyway. I wish it would work for them. On top of all that, he is so set in his ways, I don't think putting him on top of something high would help. It would confuse him. Poor old man. 

[theredhead77]

5 hours ago, supposebly said:

These are only my first cats so I have little experience but I wonder about that. If they vomit their food right after eating, do they eat it again? Or simply go hungry until the next meal?

They do not eat it. I only feed mine dry food and they have 24/7 access to it. There will be no risk of hungry kitties in my house. 

[Scarlett45]

Cavendish fancied himself an avocado and I thought it was precious. I love how Lady Reese just curls up. 

[MargeGunderson]

Cavendish has good taste, and Lady Reese looks so soft and silky. Do you get to pet her fluffy tummy, or is it off limits?

[Scarlett45]

3 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

Cavendish has good taste, and Lady Reese looks so soft and silky. Do you get to pet her fluffy tummy, or is it off limits?

Oh she lets me pet her a lot. She’s affectionate but not PUSHY like Cavendish is. 

[MargeGunderson]

Parker was doing her best to distract me this afternoon

[nokat]

On 3/29/2022 at 12:55 PM, peacheslatour said:

We have the worst problem with Elizabeth eating Nathan's food. He's an old man cat and had an easy bachelor lifestyle before we got her. If we don't watch them every second she will muscle him away and eat all of his food. She is getting fat and she's not even a year old.

You gave me an idea for a new show. "My Chonk Life" where cats have to lose the weight. I'll see myself out.

[peacheslatour]

11 hours ago, nokat said:

You gave me an idea for a new show. "My Chonk Life" where cats have to lose the weight. I'll see myself out.

"Next on TLC - My 600 lb Cat!"

[MargeGunderson]

Speaking of chonk…..Sophie just came back from her annual check up and she is a bit plump. I’m surprised, because she is very active and athletic. We have to cut back on the dry food (and no more treats before bed). I don’t think Sophie will mind, but Parker is going to be so mad. 

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

Speaking of chonk…..Sophie just came back from her annual check up and she is a bit plump. I’m surprised, because she is very active and athletic. We have to cut back on the dry food (and no more treats before bed). I don’t think Sophie will mind, but Parker is going to be so mad. 

I had to cut out afternoon snacks for Elizabeth. I still give them to Nathan in the bedroom with the door closed. She sits outside but Maine Coons don't meow so she just sits there, fuming in silence. She used to get mad and knock the water bowl all over the kitchen like it was a ball. I got sick of mopping the floor multiple times a day so I got one of these.

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by peacheslatour

[MargeGunderson]

47 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I had to cut out afternoon snacks for Elizabeth. I still give them to Nathan in the bedroom with the door closed. She sits outside but Maine Coons don't meow so she just sits there, fuming in silence. She used to get mad and knock the water bowl all over the kitchen like it was a ball. I got sick of mopping the floor multiply time a day so I got one of these.

 

If only Parker would fume in silence. She is vocal about anything that displeases her. Every day is Festivus for Parker. 

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

If only Parker would fume in silence. She is vocal about anything that displeases her. Every day is Festivus for Parker. 

And then the feats of strength?

[nokat]

I love all of your creative kitty names. My first cat when I was a wee lass was named Chadwick. I was less creative with the strays I fed. Oreo for the tuxedo, Fluff for the long-hair.

I've been considering adopting an older cat. I went to the shelter and cats know I'm a cat lady and put on the charm.  I want to adopt all of them, but that's not good either.

[peacheslatour]

Elizabeth seems to be constipated. I think we've been feeding her too much protein. Anyone have a solution?

[praeceptrix]

4 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Elizabeth seems to be constipated. I think we've been feeding her too much protein. Anyone have a solution?

Reading your post right after spending time in the Royals thread... I did a double take.

Have you tried Petromalt? I've given it to my cats for hairballs, but it is also a laxative.

[peacheslatour]

8 minutes ago, praeceptrix said:

Reading your post right after spending time in the Royals thread... I did a double take.

Have you tried Petromalt? I've given it to my cats for hairballs, but it is also a laxative.

Yes, we give it to Nathan for hairballs. Sadly, it's the only thing she won't eat.

[Jaded]

18 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Elizabeth seems to be constipated. I think we've been feeding her too much protein. Anyone have a solution?

I have to give my cat who has CKD and other issues Miralax daily. I started at 1/4 of a teaspoon in water I put in his bowl before mixing wet food with it. He doesn't like pate which makes the mixing easier. I'm having to increase his dose though because his constipation issues have gotten worse and he recently had acute pancreatitis after getting too backed up and 2nd time within an almost two week period.

[peacheslatour]

10 minutes ago, Jaded said:

I have to give my cat who has CKD and other issues Miralax daily. I started at 1/4 of a teaspoon in water I put in his bowl before mixing wet food with it. He doesn't like pate which makes the mixing easier. I'm having to increase his dose though because his constipation issues have gotten worse and he recently had acute pancreatitis after getting too backed up and 2nd time within an almost two week period.

I'm doing this right now! Thank you!

[Bastet]

Fiber and water is a good combination for combating constipation -- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp (start small and see how it goes) of unflavored, unsweetened psyllium husk mixed into a little water and then added to canned food.  Or Miralax; I just prefer psyllium since it's one simple ingredient.

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Fiber and water is a good combination for combating constipation -- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp (start small and see how it goes) of unflavored, unsweetened psyllium husk mixed into a little water and then added to canned food.  Or Miralax; I just prefer psyllium since it's one simple ingredient.

I just tried it with some water and her favorite canned food. No sale. I'm going to keep trying though. I have an eye dropper and if I have to, I'll use that.

[supposebly]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

Elizabeth seems to be constipated. I think we've been feeding her too much protein. Anyone have a solution?

 A little pumpkin puree mixed in the food clears that right up for mine. 

I also have cat grass around.

Edited April 1, 2022 by supposebly

[peacheslatour]

Just now, supposebly said:

 A little pumpkin puree mixed in the food clears that right up for mine. 

I also have cat grass around.

I have pumpkin puree. I don't know when she had it last though. I'll give her some right now. I wanted to get some wheat grass because Peaches loved it bu hubby thinks it's only for stomach issues. I said constipation IS a stomach issue!

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I just tried it with some water and her favorite canned food. No sale.

You may want to try psyllium, then - the taste and smell is harder to detect than that of Miralax.

Some cats like canned pumpkin, which is a good source of moisture and fiber.

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, Bastet said:

You may want to try psyllium, then - the taste and smell is harder to detect than that of Miralax.

Some cats like canned pumpkin, which is a good source of moisture and fiber.

Thanks! I just set a bowl  of pumpkin puree in front of her. We'll see.

[supposebly]

Not that much! Just mix a tiny bit into the food.

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, supposebly said:

Not that much! Just mix a tiny bit into the food.

Lol! It was barely a spoonful.  She wouldn't eat it anyway. I get it. when I'm constipated, I don't really feel like eating either. I will soldier on. Updates later.

Edited April 1, 2022 by peacheslatour

[supposebly]

😄 I was picturing a whole bowl! 

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, supposebly said:

😄 I was picturing a whole bowl! 

That's not far off the mark for her. When we carved our pumpkin last year, she was eating pumpkin as fast as we could chunk it up.

[Bastet]

How long has it been since she pooped?  If she's good and backed up, she may need something like lactulose to clear out (and then you can use fiber and moisture to maintain going forward).  Or the dreaded enema, but that is very much an if all else fails scenario for all involved.

But if she's just having minor constipation, yet enough she doesn't feel like eating any of the solutions despite normally being a pig, Miralax dissolves really well in water, so you could go ahead and just give her a dose via oral syringe, and see if that gets things moving.  She won't like the taste, so it's not something you'll want as your routine, but for a day or two, she'd get over it (assuming she's a cat you can wrangle to squirt medicine in her mouth in the first place).

[Leeds]

  

On 3/29/2022 at 11:55 AM, Bastet said:

We had to feed Bandit a little bit at a time, otherwise he'd eat too much at once and it would come right back up.  We'd had other cats do that when they were new, having been used to fending for themselves and thus scarfing down when a full meal was just placed in front of them.  They grew out of it once they understood regular meals would always be forthcoming.  Bandit never learned when to say when, though, so we had to do it for him.

Chester's thing was drinking too much water at once, and then throwing up a pond.  Which he'd announce he was going to do, with a meow far more appropriate to "This is the big one, Elizabeth!" than "I'm going to regurgitate some water now".

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Leeds

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

How long has it been since she pooped?  If she's good and backed up, she may need something like lactulose to clear out (and then you can use fiber and moisture to maintain going forward).  Or the dreaded enema, but that is very much an if all else fails scenario for all involved.

But if she's just having minor constipation, yet enough she doesn't feel like eating any of the solutions despite normally being a pig, Miralax dissolves really well in water, so you could go ahead and just give her a dose via oral syringe, and see if that gets things moving.  She won't like the taste, so it's not something you'll want as your routine, but for a day or two, she'd get over it (assuming she's a cat you can wrangle to squirt medicine in her mouth in the first place).

I have been trying to get her to eat some chicken broth. I figure if I can get her to eat that, I can sneak some Miralax into it when she's not looking. It's so weird because as I was telling you guys the other day, she's usually a massive chow hound.

Thanks everybody for all your help. You guys are an inspiration!

[SuprSuprElevated]

20 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Elizabeth seems to be constipated. I think we've been feeding her too much protein. Anyone have a solution?

My Onyx gets Lactulose/Constulose (Rx only) with every meal, but she suffers from chronic constipation secondary to her KD.  I've been told that canned pumpkin can aid with this, but mine won't touch it.

[peacheslatour]

Last night my DH went to Petco and got some malt lax that is cat nip flavored. She loves it. She had some last night and again this morning. He says there was poo in the box when he cleaned it a little while ago but we don't know if it was hers or Nathan's. She seems much more energized today so hopefully, it did the trick. Thanks again for all your help. You people are the best!

[MargeGunderson]

Glad to hear Elizabeth seems to be more perky today!

[SJC]

Cheeto & Cindi Lou

[SuprSuprElevated]

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Last night my DH went to Petco and got some malt lax that is cat nip flavored. She loves it. She had some last night and again this morning. He says there was poo in the box when he cleaned it a little while ago but we don't know if it was hers or Nathan's. She seems much more energized today so hopefully, it did the trick. Thanks again for all your help. You people are the best!

Good news!