Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[slf]

5 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Hey there! Imagine meeting you here, friend!  This might not be what is happening but my dog goes through stages of vomiting also. I found if I give them anything that has red kibbles in it,  or if I change foods, the vomit is triggered. My vet said to give some Mylanta, even gave me a medicine dropper to use the correct dosage. Not sure about cats. The red part of dog food is hard to find sometime because pictures on the bags are deceiving. But if there is any red when I open the bag, I just don't give it to him. The others it doesn't seem to bother.

I promise I am not following you around! It is seredipity! We are opposites, yet animal lovers!

LOL no problem! Thanks for the advice, I actually did get some new dry food so that's definitely something to think about. I'm going to call my vet about the Mylanta thing because that actually sounds like it might work. I really appreciate the suggestions!

[slf]

On 11/11/2016 at 10:08 PM, Sandman87 said:

It was a little chilly in the house today, so Mom's cat decided to be cute:

She doesn't seem to care at all if someone throws a blanket over her, in fact it tends to make her purr, but this is the first time in a few years that she's crawled under a blanket on her own like that. She stayed there for about 6 hours too. Nice and warm there, sandwiched between the comforter and the sleeping bag (an excellent second comforter, btw).

OMG what a cutie! She looks deliriously happy. She reminds me of the maine coon I used to have; every time I'd pull the throws out of the dryer and toss them onto the couch in a big pile he'd burrow his way directly into the center, gurgling at the top of his lungs. 

[Sandman87]

I rearranged some furniture a few days ago to make it easier for Mom to move around. Now her cat has a new favorite spot on the floor that was previously occupied by a coffee table:

Now I get to watch her slowly migrating across the floor during the day to stay in the patch of sunlight.

[Bastet]

Quote

Now I get to watch her slowly migrating across the floor during the day to stay in the patch of sunlight.

I love that.  Chester (one of my parents' cats) follows the sun all day long, no matter where that requires him to sleep. 

[ABay]

Here to whine and fret. When I left for work yesterday morning, everything was fine. When I got home and started getting the food ready, I heard a louder than normal thump as the girl cat got off the chair. She pulled herself into the kitchen by her front paws, she was sitting but leaning to one side and pulling herself along. When I went to her to see what happened, she tried to hide from me. 

5 hours and $731 later, we get out of the animal hospital. I'm supposed to give her 2 pills (they told me it would only be one. Liars) once a day after she's had food and put some opiod liquid on her gums every 8 hours because everyone who isn't in an animal hosital can do that, right. And they wanted me to start the pills last night. The vet is looking at me "what's the big deal?" I'm afraid I'll hurt her when giving her the pills, for one thing. "Just sit her on your lap..." Are you fucking kidding me? Have you ever even seen a cat at home? And it's 11 fucking o'clock, I've been up since 5 a.m. "Do the best you can." Yeah. The best I can is getting us home without a car accident, thanks. This is unfair to the doctor, who was on shift alone and handling several emergencies, but come on. 

The hospital vet says either arthritis or orthopedic surgery...frankly I was too wiped out to take much in beyond the medications and have her own vet or an orthopedist check her. The vet assured me she could walk but would be off-balance. She's behind my chair right now and I know she's had a bit to eat, because I took the food bowl to her--she hasn't moved from the spot since moving to it shortly after I got up--but I'm too feeble to try administering the pills. The vet office opens at 8:30 and I'll try to get her in today and ask them to medicate her in addition to everything else. Since she can hardly move, I should at least be able to get her into the carrier without having to don welding gloves and protective clothing. 

Between this and everything else, especially anxiety over work, and the coming Apocalypse, and the general misery of living, I'm completely overwhelmed. I just want to lie down and give up even trying to cope. 

[DeLurker]

I'm so sorry to hear that @ABay.  I hope that when you get her into her regular vet they will have something more concrete to say about the problem and possible remedies. 

Good thoughts for you and your girl.

[Bastet]

Quote

put some opiod liquid on her gums every 8 hours because everyone who isn't in an animal hosital can do that, right.

Easier than trying to get it on the gums is just to get it between the gums and the cheek; you need to make sure it's absorbed rather than swallowed (because it would get almost immediately eaten up by digestive acid and never enter the bloodstream), so if you get the gum/cheek area of the mouth rather than the throat, you can congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Horrible timing, and I understand why you're so overwhelmed; I, too, feel like one more thing right now would send me right over the edge.

I hope you get some good news today, and will be checking for an update.

Keeping you and the kitty in my thoughts!

[DeLurker]

The best way to get my dog to come to me is to call the cat.

[Babalu]

I'm so sorry, @ABay. I feel like lying on the floor and giving up just reading about it. Not least the expensive care, administering medication, and exhaustion, but you must be worried sick about your baby. There's no good time for this to happen, but this week has been particularly horrible.

[CoderLady]

@ABay, when you can cope with looking forward, ask your regular vet if any of the frequent medications you will have to give the girl come in a transdermal form. It's much easier to rub a tiny bit of cream into a cat's ear tip than it is to pry an angry mouthful of fangs open and shove your finger in twice a day. I hope things get better.

[ABay]

Thanks, you guys.

Our vet says it's a very bad UTI (what is it with my cats and UTIs?!). she peed all over his exam table. And him. And the nurse. There might be other things to take care of, but we have to deal with the UIT first. He gave her an antibiotic in pill form that I need to give her daily for a bit, and told me to cut back on the painkiller dose. She needs quiet rest...like that ever works. When we got back from the vet, she stayed in the living room with me, her food and water, and a makeshift litter box. Now she's in the back room, the official Cat Room, with food, drink, and all the litter boxes in the world. She hauled herself out of there when I left the door ajar so I had to completely close it. I'd leave her in the living room but as she starts to feel better (we hope that happens), she might try to get on and off furniture or play with the boy cat. I'm going to try to take a short video of her in the morning and sending it to the vet if I can get her moving. She will probably start crying when I close the door again after giving her the painkiller and refreshing the food and water.

Boy cat is very distressed but has finally stopped yowling. For now. He also figured out that the new litter box is in the kitchen for him. Mommy's little genius. 

[ABay]

Do things ever get better? It doesn't feel like it. Life just sucks all the time, except when it sucks even more. Pardon me while I wallow in self-pity.

Girl cat is still in solitary although I've set up a gate so she can at least see me and the boy (if the boy ever comes out of hiding while I'm here). She's already broken through it a few times but I think it might hold now. She's peeing everywhere so I can't let her out of the room, but her crying is making me cry. I moved two of the litter boxes so they have level openings and maybe that will help with the random peeing. She's trying to walk but her left hindquarters aren't cooperating. I sent video to the vet who now thinks she has a lesion on her spine (in addition to the UTI) and prescribed prednisone. The first dose was around 1 today and I'm waiting for changes like she's suddenly going to be exactly like old self even though I know that's stupid. She's on 3 meds now and I'm too exhausted and depressed to do anything but stare at TV, which just makes me even more depressed. It feels like she's never going to be better and sleeping with me in a pee-free bed and jumping onto the ottoman and playing with toys again.

I fucking hate this.

Do things ever get better? It doesn't feel like it. Life just sucks all the time, except when it sucks even more. Pardon me while I wallow in self-pity.

Girl cat is still in solitary although I've set up a gate so she can at least see me and the boy (if the boy ever comes out of hiding while I'm here). She's already broken through it a few times but I think it might hold now. She's peeing everywhere so I can't let her out of the room, but her crying is making me cry. I moved two of the litter boxes so they have level openings and maybe that will help with the random peeing. She's trying to walk but her left hindquarters aren't cooperating. I sent video to the vet who now thinks she has a lesion on her spine (in addition to the UTI) and prescribed prednisone. The first dose was around 1 today and I'm waiting for changes like she's suddenly going to be exactly like old self even though I know that's stupid. She's on 3 meds now and I'm too exhausted and depressed to do anything but stare at TV, which just makes me even more depressed. It feels like she's never going to be better and sleeping with me in a pee-free bed and jumping onto the ottoman and playing with toys again.

I fucking hate this.

[DeLurker]

Sorry.  I hate that you are all going through this. 

[riley702]

(((hugs))) to all my pet peeps.

[ABay]

Thanks. We've all been through worse, I know, but this was totally unexpected--all of my cat health anxiety has been focused on the old boy, not my baby (well, middle aged) girl. She is determined to walk and although it is painful watching her get around, it looks ever so slightly better than yesterday. I've let her come into the living room now that the random peeing seems to be a little less random and arranged litter boxes in every room. She's been confined for 3 days and is restless and I can't see keeping her in a room alone and whining in spite of the vet's advice.  So I'm probably making it worse. I don't know...It still feels like we're never be back to normal.

[DeLurker]

She might actually be more settled when she is in the middle of things - that way she can see what is going on.

Was this mobility issue a sudden flare up with no prior warning signs? 

[ABay]

Yes, that's what happened. She was fine at breakfast but when I got home from work, she couldn't use her hind legs. Her left foot is still useless but she's determined to get around and, with the exception of 2 events overnight, she has used the litter box. So I guess that means the meds are working and either fixing the problem or at least easing her discomfort. We have an appointment on Tuesday for the vet to assess her. Until then, pills and liquid painkiller every morning. It took me 3 tries to get the prednisone into her this morning, even with the pill shooter. After these 2, I'll never get another pet. I love them, but the stress is too much and I think I'm just not very good at taking care of them.

[smeds]

ABay - Sounds like you are taking pretty good care of your pets. Not everyone would try so hard to get their pets to take pills.  Not sure which pill shooter you are using, but be careful if you are using the Kruuse Buster pet piller syringe (sorry - I am new and not sure how to post a link or picture). They actually are my favorite to use because they are much easier to hold, but one of my co-workers had been using it to pill her cat (I work at a vet hospital) and the rubber tip ended up coming off and her cat swallowed it.  They are supposed to be single use. It doesn't really say it on the packaging or any advertising I have seen on it, but if you look closely at the actual piller, it says 'Single Use Only' on the plastic body of the piller. It is really hard to see, which is pretty crappy. She had been using it for months, so the rubber tip probably just got worn from use. If you look at the 1 star reviews on amazon, you can see that other people also had this issue. Sorry - I don't mean to scare you. Just wanted to warn you just in case you were using it.

[DeLurker]

@ABay - do you have a cat bed for girl cat?  Maybe you could put one together if you don't (just googled DIY pet beds) that would allow her to "sleep" in your bed like normal without risking waking up to an unfortunate accident because of everything she is going through.  Even a plastic storage container lined with some old towels or blankets with one of your shirts for bedding (so it smells right) might be a way for her to still be close to you.

[Bastet]

ABay, from my very limited knowledge in this area, her symptoms - assuming the UTI is indeed a separate issue causing the wayward pee problems; they did urinalysis to confirm? - are consistent with a spinal cord lesion.  They'd also be consistent - especially if the bladder control problems were not caused by an infection - a nerve injury, which could have happened if the noise you heard when she jumped off the chair was her landing in just the wrong way.

Is she any better with liquid medication than pills?  Because prednisolone comes in liquid at a mg/mL dose that is what cats are often prescribed (plus pills can be compounded into liquid if you have a nearby pharmacy that offers that service - as a bonus, they can make it taste like tuna or chicken, where the regular liquid pred is orange flavored).

I hope things improve soon!  It is, indeed, very stressful when they're sick or hurt, and we've all had "after this one, that's it - no more pets" reactions to that.  And for some it sticks as a permanent decision.  You'll just have to see how you feel in the future, and if you don't ever adopt another pet, that's obviously fine (I hate when people shit on that decision; we all know our own minds and hearts and pet ownership is a lot emotionally - good and bad - to sign up for). 

But for the here and now, I just want to put out there in public writing that it's simply untrue that you are "not very good at taking care of them."  You love them, you get them help when they need it, you do a cost/benefit (to them, not to you) analysis before deciding on treatments for them and factor their individual stress tolerances into that equation, and you do things that are hard for you because it's the best thing for them.  You're doing great, and they're fortunate to have you.

[ABay]

@smeds, the pill shooter I'm using is one the vet gave me for multiple uses and only has two pieces, both of which are 5 inches long. This morning I felt very nearly competent because I got all 3 pills in her with only one requiring a second try. 

@DeLurker, thanks for the heads up. She seems to be over the discomfort or whatever was keeping her from using the litter boxes and hasn't had a problem the last couple of days. The box cutter I got a few months ago has really had a workout as I cut away sides on 4 different litter boxes. Eventually I'm going to throw out the one with high sides since both cats prefer the low-sided uncovered ones. Of course! Much easier to create a beach-effect in the room with those.

@Bastet, your kindness made me cry. I don't know what else to say except thank you. Yet another crappy thing happened today, not involving cats, thank god, and although you made me cry, you also made me feel better.

Tomorrow we visit the vet and maybe find out something useful. She's moving better than she was last week but still sort of sliding and hopping. And climbing on all the things I shouldn't let her on. This morning as I was gettin ready to leave for work, I came around the corner and she was sitting on the table  with the xmas tree on it, all wide-eyed and pleased with herself. She wanted to play and that's a good sign. 

This year has just sucked. It was never very good and this last couple of months have been a misery and stress factory. For once, I'll stay awake until midnight 12/31 just to make sure it's really over.

[bosawks]

Happy Thanksgiving!!!  May your holiday be full of kibble, chewies and walks........

[DeLurker]

I took the Kook to the dog park this morning and he had a GREAT time.  There was an English Bulldog-Mastiff mix thing that insisted he play so after about 10 minutes of resisting he gave in full force.  I was ridiculously happy to see him scampering and frolicking about.  Plus, neither dog ever got real aggressive, but there was a ton of play aggression and bitey face going on.  Kook got to the point of panting which he has never done.  After we walked home, it was immediately time for his bath (outside because it is still relatively warm).  That did not make him happy.

I've got pictures of my very dirty, very tired and very happy dog on my phone.  I'll see if I can upload one directly.

 

Edited November 22, 2016 by DeLurker
Photo of my tired, happy & dirty dog with Doggy X (name withheld for privacy)

[ABay]

The vet is happy with girl cat's progress! She still needs meds every day but it has only been a week, and she keeps climbing things and jumping off them before I can catch her. I am deliriously happy and crossing my fingers that she continues to mend. Thank your for all the support. May all of our fur balls have a healthy and happy remainder of this historically crappy year.

[Maharincess]

@ABay, that's great news!!!  I've been  checking here for updates every day. I'm so happy your girl is feeling better.  

@DeLurker, Kook is beautiful. I'm glad he found a friend.  They look worn out. 

[DeLurker]

@ABay - a 1,000x likes for girl cat!

@Maharincess - didn't you go to visit the breeder for the Border Collies?  Still contemplating whether to add another four footed friend?

[Maharincess]

I'm still going back and forth on the puppy. I really do want one but then something will happen that reminds me that I'll never be at 100% physically again and I start thinking it may be too much for me. Border Collie puppies are a lot of work. If you don't keep them physically and mentally stimulated they get destructive. 

I change my mind ten times an hour. 

[slf]

I have got some lazy-ass cats. I was over at my mom's earlier and her cat plays fetch. FETCH. She will chase down these little foam balls and break them, covered in saliva, back to you while snorting happily. My oldest cat sometimes takes a nap beside her food bowl, head on it like a pillow, so when she wakes up she can just nom nom nom on her food. My other cat? I once had to shake to make sure she was still alive because she'd been laying in one place, unmoving, for so long. I feel ripped off.

[Maharincess]

My cat plays fetch better than any dog I've ever had. A lot of my cats have played but Trixie is a pro. She's a strange one though, she brings the toy back every time but she will only drop it in the nightstand drawer. I throw it, she brings it back and then she'll ait and wait until I open the drawer so she can drop it. We play fetch for a long time, I'm always trying to wear her crazy ass out. 

[riley702]

I've had several cats happily play fetch and I certainly didn't teach them. Swiffer, the little bugger, likes to drop the sparkle ball just out of my reach. And then stare at me expectantly like she thinks I'm Stretch Armstrong. I've also noticed that if she can see it, she thinks I must know where it is, too, like a toddler. And that cats don't understand pointing. She always stretches her nose out to examine the finger. *sigh*

[slf]

12 hours ago, Maharincess said:

My cat plays fetch better than any dog I've ever had. A lot of my cats have played but Trixie is a pro. She's a strange one though, she brings the toy back every time but she will only drop it in the nightstand drawer. I throw it, she brings it back and then she'll ait and wait until I open the drawer so she can drop it. We play fetch for a long time, I'm always trying to wear her crazy ass out. 

Okay, Trixie sounds adorable. I love how she neatly drops it in the drawer, so considerate. 

9 hours ago, riley702 said:

I've had several cats happily play fetch and I certainly didn't teach them. Swiffer, the little bugger, likes to drop the sparkle ball just out of my reach. And then stare at me expectantly like she thinks I'm Stretch Armstrong. I've also noticed that if she can see it, she thinks I must know where it is, too, like a toddler. And that cats don't understand pointing. She always stretches her nose out to examine the finger. *sigh*

LOL, she makes you work for it. I respect that. My cats do the 'stretching the nose to examine finger' thing, too. They're dum dums. 

I'm so jealous of y'all! I bought some balls last night to see if I could get either of my cats to play and they both sniffed at them before flopping on their sides and staring at me. I spent almost an hour throwing those balls. They're definitely going to have to be trained.

[CoderLady]

6 hours ago, slf said:

I'm so jealous of y'all! I bought some balls last night to see if I could get either of my cats to play and they both sniffed at them before flopping on their sides and staring at me. I spent almost an hour throwing those balls. They're definitely going to have to be trained.

I'll bet a handful of your/their favorite crunchy treats that they're trying just as hard to train you. The staring is the dead giveaway -- they're using the Cat Mind Control trick but it isn't working.

I had a cat that fetched, but half the time if I tried to pick up the little fuzzy ball she brought back she'd swat me. Seems like we were both very confused about the object of the game but played anyway.

[ABay]

Girl cat continues to improve. Yay!

New problem: a friend coerced* me into giving food to a neighborhood cat and now I'm trapped in my house because it's lounging on my front steps. This cat has been around for a while and I *swear* it had a collar before. It's skinny, but it has long hair that is mat-free which indicates to me, former owner of a long-haired outdoor cat, that someone is brushing it and taking care of it. Cats hang out in my yard a lot because my neighbor feeds birds so the bushes are full of tasty sparrows, and my front steps and long driveway get toasty warm from afternoon sun. This cat and an orange and white one are the current frequent visitors. Usually, they scamper when I go out but this one is very friendly, which again makes me think it belongs to someone in the neighborhood.

Anyway, I can't let an animal starve but I also can't bring it inside. Ever. I have 2 cats in a place so small it should really only have one tiny cat and not the 2 family-size ones I do have. I've had 3. It was a long nightmare.

Does anyone have advice? I've posted to the neighborhood online community which I joined just in order to ask if anyone knows who this cat belongs to but I'm not hopeful about getting a reply. I guess I just want to know that the cat has a safe place to go and is fed regularly, and if it doesn't, how do I take care of it without bringing it inside.

P.S. The reason I'm obsessing is that this is how I ended up with 3 cats. I had boy cat and his brother. One night in December I heard a baby crying and went out to investigate and discovered a starving cat that obviously been in an accident (skeletal damage, no wounds) and belonged to a cretin who had his front paws declawed. I fed him, he slept under the bushes and came out when I opened the door to go to work. I called every shelter there is and no one would take him. So he became mine. And thus began 10 years of nonstop battling between him and boy cat's brother. In a very small house...imagine a slightly longer and wider trailer.

*She brought lunch for us and called the cat over and fed it from her sandwich before coming in. So it's her fault and she ought to take responsibility for my guilt.

Edited November 26, 2016 by ABay

[DeLurker]

At my old house I had a cat show up one day - clearly someone's pet, well cared for, but no collar.  I put it in the garage when it tried to follow me into the house.  I printed out a couple of Found Cat signs and posted it in the Found section of our local online community.  By the next morning, I had several responses - 1 from the actual owner and 2 willing to adopt if I could not keep it and the owner wasn't found.  Since the cat had something wrong with the one of the eyes and the owner knew (it actually had a prosthetic eye), I knew it was her cat so did not have to take it to the vet to see if it was microchipped.

Turns out it just had the monthly flea prevention put on and so the collar was off.  They got a new pup earlier in the year so the cat was spending more time outside.  She worked out of the office on Friday, but from home most of the week so the cat usually went looking for company on Friday (the day it showed up at my house).  After that, every Friday Reggie the cat visited.

So...maybe taking it to the vet to see if there is a microchip?  Or calling cat rescue places if the shelter can't take it. 

[riley702]

2 hours ago, ABay said:

*She brought lunch for us and called the cat over and fed it from her sandwich before coming in. So it's her fault and she ought to take responsibility for my guilt.

She fed a stray cat on someone else's front step? That's low. And thoughtless. Tell her she has a new cat.

Edited November 26, 2016 by riley702

[ABay]

I know, right? WTF?

Here's my current thinking: The cat isn't lost or a stray. It has somewhere to go at night and very likely people who, in spite of letting it wander busy streets, take care of it. I am certain I saw a collar on it, its coat is in good shape, it isn't afraid of people, and it's been in the neighborhood for a fairly long time. If my friend hadn't called to it and fed it, my front steps would just be a warm afternoon spot on its daily route. But if some stupid human is going to give it food, of course it's going to hope for more.

If I see it, I'll give it the recommended daily amount of dry food as listed on the bag, but I'm not leaving food out because there are raccoons and other creatures in the area. I have directions for lots of feral cat shelters, if it comes to that, although I wonder about the cat getting snowed in--I don't have a garage or shed or a spot that's sheltered from weather--and providing water in freezing temps.

At my doctor appointment next week, I'll ask about bumping up my anti-anxiety med again. It's stupid to get worked up like this, but I can't help it.

[DeLurker]

14 hours ago, ABay said:

It's stupid to get worked up like this, but I can't help it.

It isn't stupid.  For some people, pets are just an "it" and they might find it stupid.  But for others, our pets are creatures with distinct personalities, intellects (IQ varies) and we enjoy interacting with them.  Seeing them mistreated or in pain hurts us too.  And sometimes, being with our pets is a lot better with being with people.

[DeLurker]

Cat People Question:  Is there a real concern with having a real Christmas tree and a cat?

We always had fake ones growing up (including one of those aluminum trees!) and the last cat I had custody of never messed with the tree.  But I saw an episode of My Cat from Hell (don't judge me) and Jackson said real trees and cats are a bad idea.

I'm sure the dog will not be able to resist the lure of the presents with the wrapping paper and decorations, so I hadn't thought about the cat being a concern at all.

[JTMacc99]

1 minute ago, DeLurker said:

Cat People Question:  Is there a real concern with having a real Christmas tree and a cat?

We always had fake ones growing up (including one of those aluminum trees!) and the last cat I had custody of never messed with the tree.  But I saw an episode of My Cat from Hell (don't judge me) and Jackson said real trees and cats are a bad idea.

I'm sure the dog will not be able to resist the lure of the presents with the wrapping paper and decorations, so I hadn't thought about the cat being a concern at all.

Ha! I was just having this discussion yesterday about how interesting it is going to be with Luna and the Christmas Tree this year in my home. She climbs on EVERYTHING. Fortunately she's just a five pound kitten at the moment, so it seems like she might not be able to completely topple the tree yet, but I'll probably put up a wire or two just in case.  For sure the glass ornaments stay in boxes this year. I'm pretty sure she'll have a ball knocking things off the tree and batting them around the wood floor, so that's just going to be a thing in my house this year.

The two cats that previously lived with me had no interest in the Christmas tree, ever. So I think it is fair to say it depends on the cat. And for what I know of my new cat, she's going to be very into to it.

[FlyingEgret]

1 hour ago, DeLurker said:

Cat People Question:  Is there a real concern with having a real Christmas tree and a cat?

We always had fake ones growing up (including one of those aluminum trees!) and the last cat I had custody of never messed with the tree.  But I saw an episode of My Cat from Hell (don't judge me) and Jackson said real trees and cats are a bad idea.

I'm sure the dog will not be able to resist the lure of the presents with the wrapping paper and decorations, so I hadn't thought about the cat being a concern at all.

It absolutely depends on the cat...  I have had real trees that have toppled due to curious felines, but that's my fault for not attaching wire/string to anchor the tree to the nearest wall.  Usually after the first couple days the cats would be content with playing with the stuffed ornaments I would hang on the lower branches for just that purpose.  It is important though to put a cover over the water base so the kitty doesn't play in it.

Very recently I switched to an artificial tree and while it is much more steady and has not toppled (yet), I am finding that my 18 month old kittens will not stop chewing on the fake branches and berries and the light wires (which are apparently coated with salt and irresistible).  At the advice of my vet I tried spraying original Listerine, and while that works for a short term it doesn't last.  The yelling and worrying over the past 4 days stressed me out so much I took down the tree.  I may or may not put it back up Christmas Eve... 

I would definitely not put up any irreplaceable ornaments until you know what the cat will do.  Good luck!

[FlyingEgret]

1 hour ago, DeLurker said:

Cat People Question:  Is there a real concern with having a real Christmas tree and a cat?

We always had fake ones growing up (including one of those aluminum trees!) and the last cat I had custody of never messed with the tree.  But I saw an episode of My Cat from Hell (don't judge me) and Jackson said real trees and cats are a bad idea.

I'm sure the dog will not be able to resist the lure of the presents with the wrapping paper and decorations, so I hadn't thought about the cat being a concern at all.

It absolutely depends on the cat...  I have had real trees that have toppled due to curious felines, but that's my fault for not attaching wire/string to anchor the tree to the nearest wall.  Usually after the first couple days the cats would be content with playing with the stuffed ornaments I would hang on the lower branches for just that purpose.  It is important though to put a cover over the water base so the kitty doesn't play in it.

Very recently I switched to an artificial tree and while it is much more steady and has not toppled (yet), I am finding that my 18 month old kittens will not stop chewing on the fake branches and berries and the light wires (which are apparently coated with salt and irresistible).  At the advice of my vet I tried spraying original Listerine, and while that works for a short term it doesn't last.  The yelling and worrying over the past 4 days stressed me out so much I took down the tree.  I may or may not put it back up Christmas Eve... 

I would definitely not put up any irreplaceable ornaments until you know what the cat will do.  Good luck!

[bosawks]

The black & white one is certainly eyeing up that teddy bear for Christmas dinner!

[JTMacc99]

Example of why I believe the kitten will be up in the tree:

This was after several conversations about why she can't be on the kitchen counter. She was like, "The range hood doesn't count as the counter!"

The next day she took the next step and was walking around up on top of the cabinets by the teapots. I have nine foot ceilings, so that's a very happy kitten looking down from 8 feet in the air.

Edited November 30, 2016 by JTMacc99

[Bastet]

I've had both cats and real Christmas trees all my life.  No one has ever climbed the tree (I thought for sure Louise would, given her love of climbing a hedge just outside the garage - she'd crawl under, climb the trunk, and pop out of the top - but she never did in her 16 years).  Ornaments at cat level have been batted off by a few different cats, so it became policy to make sure nothing with sentimental value is down there, just in case.  No tinsel.  At my parents house, no curly ribbon can be used on the gifts anymore as Chester eats it.  So there have been a few minor adjustments made over the years based on the behavior of individual cats, but nothing significant.

[riley702]

My sister once put the tree and presents in the baby's playpen... That might work! (just kidding) I try to cat-proof the tree and let it go. No glass ornaments, absolutely NO cellophane tinsel, as that can cause intestinal blockage/strangulation - I use the old-fashioned Victorian tinsel available from the Vermont Country Store. I put some cloth ornaments underneath for them to bat off and play with and just put them back on every day - cloth loops, I don't want them chewing on ornament hooks anymore than I'd let them play with fish hooks. I have a quilted tree skirt that they lay on and look up at the lights and bat at the safe ornaments. Presents? Can't help you with that one. I live alone and all my presents are at other people's houses. :)

Edited December 2, 2016 by riley702

[ABay]

The space for my new little tree is perfect--an endtable next to an outlet. The space it is actually occupying is squeezed between the TV and a bookcase because the endtable had already been declared a Girl Cat Perch. Even when I put boxes on the table around the base of the tree, she would still jump up there and chew on the plastic needles.

[DeLurker]

My cat has been sleeping in a new bed I got him recently and now it is on the chair in my room instead of on my bed.  about 3:30 AM last night, he got on my bed, pawed at the covers to wake me and jumped down (normally he would sleep on my stomach at that point).  So I look down and he is cuddled up with the dog who is mostly sleeping next to my bed. 

Basically, he woke me to observe how cute they were.  I got out of bed, sat on the floor and petted them both which they appreciated.  They were awfully cute.

[ABay]

The neighborhood cat is back, the one my friend fed. I posted a photo on the community message board and one of the other posters thinks it belongs to the people who live across the street from him. But according to Google Maps, that neighborhood and mine are 3-4 miles apart. Is it feasible that this is the same cat? How large a territory do outdoor cats typically patrol?

[Bastet]

6 minutes ago, ABay said:

How large a territory do outdoor cats typically patrol?

Heh; have you ever seen any of those GPS tracker maps?  Some cats go FAR.

[Maharincess]

I'll never understand why some people get a cat then let it out to  roam the neighborhood. It's so irresponsible.  It's not fair to the cat, the local wildlife or the neighbors. At my old house I would have to clean neighbor's cats shit out of my garden every day.  I knew which cats did it but the owners insisted that their cats never left their yard.  Bullshit.  It's not hard to keep a cat indoors, my cat has only been outside in her carrier to go to the vets office and she's perfectly happy being inside. I've even adopted outdoor cats and turned them into indoor cats, it's not hard.