Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[Jaded]

4 minutes ago, smittykins said:

I didn't know there was a Clump and Seal lightweight, I'll have to look into it(my supermarket definitely doesn't carry it).  The only issue I have with Chewy is the $49 minimum for free shipping.  I have Amazon Prime, so I can get most things from them shipped free.

That's my issue with Chewy too in regards to $49 for free shipping. If they aren't the place where the pet food is purchased too it can be hard to get to the $50 needed. My cat can't have dry food, won't eat pate and wet with the heavy kind of gravy isn't good for his condition. So I get his food from Tractor Supply where they have 3oz cans of wet food in the chicken variety (his favorite) that's in broth and little pieces. He'll refuse to eat completely in regards to cat food if I try to give him any kind of pate. 

I'm a member of a site that sometimes sends out samples for stuff and earlier this year they sent out coupons for a free jug of Tidy Cats LightWeight Free & Clean Unscented. While it did well with odor and was lightweight poor Captain had issues with it liking to stick to his behind. I thought it was a one time occurrence so I let him use the box a couple more times with that litter in there and it stuck those times too. He has medium length fur though so I'm not sure how much that might have factored in. After trying different litters I always end up liking the way Scoop Away performs as does Captain who is the one who uses it. It's not lightweight but they have an unscented version,  it can be purchased through Walmart's website and delivered. I usually get the Multi Cat 38 lbs version and to me it's not scented too much and I'm sensitive to heavy perfume scents. The bigger size comes in 4 smaller bags so once I drag it right inside the door I can open it and take each bag individually into the bathroom. 

[ABay]

Thanks, @theredhead77. The Petco near me has it in stock and I'll pick up a box this week.

Thirding or fourthing the peeve with Chewy's $49 limit for free shipping. I've bought birdseed and cat food from them and it is a pain trying to get just enough over $49 to get the free shipping. And then the box is so heavy I have to move it end by end over the door step to get it inside. Girl cat does appreciate the swathes of brown paper, though.

[Jaded]

I forgot to mention my other peeve with Chewy. They don't send any kind of notification before auto-shipped orders are going to be shipped. I was told they were going to change that eventually earlier this year but last I heard it's still going on.

[bilgistic]

The Kraft packing paper has long been a hit with all the kitties in my life! Sprinkle some catnip on it and it's go time!

[walnutqueen]

3 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Have you tried Arm & Hammer Clump and Seal lightweight? I used to use light weight and found it to be about as amazing as thee regular Arm & Hammer Clump and Seal, and Slide

Another vote for Chewy. My only complaint has to do with delivery vs the company - they no longer deliver to my door. All packages are left in a package locker so I still have to lug it up the stairs.

Walmart is consistently cheaper for all my non-RX cat food & unscented litter needs, and I've never paid for delivery to my door.  $35 free delivery PLUS 3% cashback bonus on my Walmart card for using Walmart.com.  I know they are the EVIL EMPIRE, but I am too poor to hoist myself on that particular petard.  Kitties be hangry.  ;-)

 

3 hours ago, ABay said:

@theredhead77, how strong is the scent from A&H lightweight? I've been looking for A&H Clump & Seal lightweight unscented but it's very hard to find. This house is very, very small and the one time I had to use a scented litter, it was a good thing the weather was nice enough to open the windows.

All litter makes me sneeze, except A&H unscented.  I've tried the lightweight when it was on sale, but my booshay cannot afford such luxuries., and I cannot afford the extra Kleenex TP.    :-)

[cleo]

Thanks @walnutqueen I did see your post. Much appreciated. The good thing about my posting yesterday was I realized I have all my pet photos on an old computer I was going to junk. I would have been so upset if I had lost them. Here is a picture of my kitties the day I got them. They're tiny, as they were 6 weeks old- unfortunately their mama died so I had to take them earlier than expected. They were the only two cats in the litter. Their names are Griffen and the Monkey. Hard to remember they were this small. They are full grown beasts now!

 

[walnutqueen]

Oh, @cleo, they are absolutely adorable!

[ABay]

Well. That was interesting. Girl cat just threw up 5 times. No sign of a hairball, and no food, just liquid and foam. Or phlegm. I didn't look that closely. She hasn't eaten much today and has been unusually clingy.  Right now she's sitting on my arm so I have to type one handed. I am hoping a hairball will show up but I'm planning to call the vet tomorrow. 

Update: she ate some food and so far has kept it down. She's found a spot to hide and I'm between looking for her and leaving her alone in this new secret place.

Edited December 17, 2018 by ABay

[DeLurker]

Ran out of Kook's prescription dry food, so grabbed the same brand large breed dry food at the pet store yesterday thinking that would cover a day or two and when I get the prescription stuff I can just blend them together.

He was having a little digestive upset last night (kind of burpy) but I did not think much of it.  He just finished eating and he's having the same problem again.  I'm thinking it has to do with the size of the kibble - it is more than twice the size of what he normally eats.  It is probably twice the size of the large breed Nutro I used to feed him.

Tomorrow I'll get his prescription food again but will have to figure out what to do with the other stuff.  I already threw the bag away and my neighbors tend to have small doggos.

[SVNBob]

9 hours ago, DeLurker said:

will have to figure out what to do with the other stuff.  I already threw the bag away

At this time of year, I'm sure there's an animal shelter that will gladly take it off your hands, even without a bag.  But contact them first to be sure.

[AgentRXS]

6 hours ago, SVNBob said:

sure there's an animal shelter that will gladly take it off your hands, even without a bag.  But contact them first to be sure.

Nope. I work at one, and for safety reasons, no shelter will take and used open/unsealed food. It will open any shelter to a lawsuit if the food is tainted by some sicko. I'd recommend offering it on a Nextdoor/Freecycle type app.

[bilgistic]

We just had two minutes of super-happy cat fun time. I had put all the cat toys (85% catnip-related) in the basket so I could vacuum. I just took them from the basket one by one, tossing them backwards through my legs while the girls ran like crazy for each of them. So! Many! Cat! Toys! Now they are rolling around all silly with their toys like it's a new day. I love them!

[SVNBob]

12 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I work at one, and for safety reasons, no shelter will take and used open/unsealed food. It will open any shelter to a lawsuit if the food is tainted by some sicko.

Great point.  I didn't think of that (mainly because I'm not a sicko that would deliberately taint pet food).

But a reason like that is why I suggested contacting shelters first before trying to donate opened pet food.

[Moose135]

Someone is ready for Christmas!

[bosawks]

Alli upon seeing this:  MUST HAVE SCARF!!!!!!!

[bilgistic]

She's so earnest!

[Suzn]

16 hours ago, Moose135 said:

Someone is ready for Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  She's beautiful.

[EighteenTwelve]

Lily has her one-month post-radiation blood draw tomorrow.  The last time the traveling vet saw her, she was a hyperactive cat skeleton with fur on it.  Now she looks like an actual cat, so I hope the test results agree that the treatment worked.  If so, I can take all the leftover pills down to the drug disposal box at the police station, and the Radioactive Cat Saga will be officially over with.

[smittykins]

Fingers, toes, and paws(Shadow)crossed!

[JTMacc99]

Danny the Labrador is blowing his coat. Not sure why the middle of December is good time to just start shedding, but I was looking at him after work yesterday and he looked like a homeless coyote. So I reached down with my fingers to pull a tuft out and got a handful. Then I looked at the front of the couch... yikes. So I grabbed the rake and started working on him. Hair everywhere. So I took him out on the porch and worked it some more. Hair EVERYWHERE. Holy moly. 

As much as Neo is a weenie, at least he barely sheds, which has earned him a few points last night. (Which he promptly got taken away from him when he decided to start barking at 5:45 A.M. today.)

[EighteenTwelve]

Lily's blood test results are in, and the iodine worked, hooray!  Now she just has to gain another half pound or so.

Next thing will be kidney disease, but that's in the very early stages and the vet and I both agreed to do nothing about it until after February and the three-month post-iodine blood test.  Besides, feline kidney diets are low protein, and that's counterproductive when you want to put weight on a cat.

[walnutqueen]

On 12/17/2018 at 8:52 AM, AgentRXS said:

Nope. I work at one, and for safety reasons, no shelter will take and used open/unsealed food. It will open any shelter to a lawsuit if the food is tainted by some sicko. I'd recommend offering it on a Nextdoor/Freecycle type app.

A good policy, since many humans are worse than dogshit.

But many homeless people love their pets, and  would appreciate any kindness offered to their animals.

21 minutes ago, EighteenTwelve said:

Lily's blood test results are in, and the iodine worked, hooray!  Now she just has to gain another half pound or so.

Next thing will be kidney disease, but that's in the very early stages and the vet and I both agreed to do nothing about it until after February and the three-month post-iodine blood test.  Besides, feline kidney diets are low protein, and that's counterproductive when you want to put weight on a cat.

Best wishes to you and your Lily.

[Bastet]

On 12/21/2018 at 9:39 AM, EighteenTwelve said:

Besides, feline kidney diets are low protein, and that's counterproductive when you want to put weight on a cat.

That's very old-school, based on tests done on rats, with the diet then implemented on dogs.  Cats' needs are different, and they should not eat a low-protein diet.  The modern approach when dealing with CKD in cats is a low-phosphorus diet.  The prescription foods are low in both phosphorus and protein (and use inferior ingredients - yet charge you gourmet prices for them), so they work (in terms of causing the kidney values to improve) because of the low phosphorus content, but they cause other problems because of the low protein content.  Thus it's better to feed a "regular" food that's lower in phosphorus than average and add a phosphorus binder to effectively further reduce the phosphorus content if necessary.  When you're ready to delve into this, Dr. Lisa Pierson's website lists the phosphorus and protein (and other things) content of a wide variety of cat food.

I'm glad the nuclear option worked, and Lily - and you - are now permanently free of those pills! 

Edited December 23, 2018 by Bastet

[ratgirlagogo]

On 12/20/2018 at 4:36 PM, JTMacc99 said:

Not sure why the middle of December is good time to just start shedding

We've had weird weather in New York this year - very wet and a lot of temperature ups and downs.  Exemplis gratis - it's raining and friggin sixty degrees today, on the the first day of winter.

[bosawks]

Do you tree what I tree?

Happy Holidays from my favorite pet to yours!

[smittykins]

16 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

We've had weird weather in New York this year - very wet and a lot of temperature ups and downs.  Exemplis gratis - it's raining and friggin sixty degrees today, on the the first day of winter.

And now it’s 31.

Second attempt at posting Shadow’s Christmas present:

Edited December 22, 2018 by smittykins

[JTMacc99]

Just saw a meme: “None of my presents have barked yet, so that’s disappointing.”

Heh. In my house, new pets materialize all the time, so I’m kind of relieved none of mine seem to be alive. 

Edited December 22, 2018 by JTMacc99
The presents, not the pets.

[bosawks]

Merry Christmas!!!!

[Mindthinkr]

My daughter and grandchildren came to visit today and she brought me this small tree. Girl cat had to check it out. 

[Moose135]

It's Denali Claus!

Someone lubs her new toy!

Worn out after all the holiday festivities!

[DeLurker]

On 12/16/2018 at 7:06 PM, DeLurker said:

Ran out of Kook's prescription dry food, so grabbed the same brand large breed dry food at the pet store yesterday thinking that would cover a day or two and when I get the prescription stuff I can just blend them together.

He was having a little digestive upset last night (kind of burpy) but I did not think much of it.  He just finished eating and he's having the same problem again.  I'm thinking it has to do with the size of the kibble - it is more than twice the size of what he normally eats.  It is probably twice the size of the large breed Nutro I used to feed him.

Tomorrow I'll get his prescription food again but will have to figure out what to do with the other stuff.  I already threw the bag away and my neighbors tend to have small doggos.

Quoting myself.

Found a solution to the enormous kibble problem - I heat up a bit of chicken or beef broth (low sodium) and pour it over the boulders 5+ minutes before feeding him to soften it up.  It softens up the outer layers, but doesn't completely turn the kibble to mush.  I was able to get his regular prescription food too so blend some of that in right before serving.  The cat thinks the dog is getting a wonderful treat so will nose in an eat some of he is able.

After reading many reviews on cat litter looking for biodegradable ones, I decided to try a few brands that were recommended in multiple reviews.  World's Best Cat Litter (clumping formula) has been a disappointment on odor control.  I cleaned the litter pan 5 days ago, put in fresh litter, clean it twice daily and there started to be a bad odor by day 3.  I We also tried okocat featherweight.  This one worked well and did a fine job with odor control.

Catty face is not super picky about litter so I can change things around without him doing a protest.  I use Fresh Step Crystals off and on throughout the year since this is what I use when we are traveling by car.

[DeLurker]

Finally ordered a raincoat for Kook online - the ones in the stores are way too small!  He hates getting wet and I hate a wet floofy dog.

Had a hard time finding one with what appears to be a real hood.  Ended up having to order an XXX Large - primarily because of his chest measurement and lengths.  

It should arrive early next week, so I hope it works out.

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, DeLurker said:

World's Best Cat Litter (clumping formula) has been a disappointment on odor control.

Two of my friends - the two for whom I cat-sit - use that, and I don't like the smell of it even when it's fresh out of the bag.

[Jaded]

11 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Had a hard time finding one with what appears to be a real hood.  Ended up having to order an XXX Large - primarily because of his chest measurement and lengths.  

I feel bad for thinking that it was too bad that dogs don't have vanity sizing after reading which size you ended up having to choose for him.
 

13 hours ago, DeLurker said:

World's Best Cat Litter (clumping formula) has been a disappointment on odor control.  I cleaned the litter pan 5 days ago, put in fresh litter, clean it twice daily and there started to be a bad odor by day 3.  I We also tried okocat featherweight.  This one worked well and did a fine job with odor control.

Catty face is not super picky about litter so I can change things around without him doing a protest. 

I'm lucky that Captain isn't super picky about litter either. I just hate that more times then not when I try a new littler out on him it usually sticks to his backside which ends up being unpleasant for both of us. I've seen okocat being sold it's always seemed to be more expensive then some other litters though.
 

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

Two of my friends - the two for whom I cat-sit - use that, and I don't like the smell of it even when it's fresh out of the bag.

I've seen a lot of people online during pet care discussions say they use the World's Best because it's supposedly flushable. I've also seen the mentions about it not having very good odor control qualities. I always wonder if those are the same people who think flushing human bathroom wipes is ok too. When there are posts about baby wipes sale on a couple popular deal forums people always come in to ask if they are flushable. I love how many things stronger baby wipes can be used for outside of use on human babies.

[DeLurker]

14 hours ago, Jaded said:

I feel bad for thinking that it was too bad that dogs don't have vanity sizing after reading which size you ended up having to choose for him.

Nah, he’s a big silly boy who we love madly so he won’t feel bad at all!  He’s actually quite svelte for his size - especially since full Great Pyrs males can run 120-150 (depending on source you use).  Male German Shepherd ‘s typically top out around 90.  He’s 85 lbs, but chesty and long.

I hope it arrives tomorrow since it has been raining.  It started again while he was out with my daughter this morning so he came home a bit damp.

I toweled him off and was trying to bring him upstairs to give a quick blow dry, but he was not a willing pup as the bathroom with the dreaded tub is at the top of the stairs.  He was very relieved not to be taking a bath.  He really does not like water.

[bosawks]

Alli loves the water, this is her rain face...

[DeLurker]

Alli must have her own linen closet of towels!

[bosawks]

4 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Alli must have her own linen closet of towels!

She has stock in Bed, Bath & Beyond.....

[bmasters9]

On 12/29/2018 at 9:23 AM, DeLurker said:

After reading many reviews on cat litter looking for biodegradable ones, I decided to try a few brands that were recommended in multiple reviews.  World's Best Cat Litter (clumping formula) has been a disappointment on odor control.  I cleaned the litter pan 5 days ago, put in fresh litter, clean it twice daily and there started to be a bad odor by day 3. 

What makes some litters start smelling no matter how well you take care of the box?

[bosawks]

Start the new year with a splash!

[Mindthinkr]

14 minutes ago, bosawks said:

Start the new year with a splash!

Great action photos. Alli is an active dog and a pleasure to see. 

[isalicat]

Go Alli! Isn't that water awfully cold?

[DeLurker]

Ali is immune to temperature!

[bosawks]

16 hours ago, isalicat said:

Go Alli! Isn't that water awfully cold?

 

14 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Ali is immune to temperature!

That's the joy of having a chessie, no such thing as water that is cold, so if you want a dog that you have to take swimming in the middle  of February have I got the breed for you!

I aspire to be as happy as she is when she's swimming.  

[ABay]

34 minutes ago, bosawks said:

I aspire to be as happy as she is when she's swimming.  

Me, too. 

[DeLurker]

Kook in his new raincoat - worked pretty well, although the hood kind of blocks his vision sometimes.  Maybe I’ll find him a Gorton’s Fisherman hat instead.

 

[JTMacc99]

8 hours ago, bosawks said:

That's the joy of having a chessie, no such thing as water that is cold, so if you want a dog that you have to take swimming in the middle  of February have I got the breed for you!

It's fun to watch the difference in my house between the Labrador and the Italian Greyhound when it comes to cold. Labs are also pretty much set up to be happy retrieving ducks in cold fall water, and Danny just wanders out in the freezing rain, the snow, the whatever and moseys around the backyard as if it were a beautiful 70 degree day in May. Neo, on the other hand, goes running to the back door when I say "You want to go out?", gets about three feet from the door when the cold rain registers with him and he stops and turns around and looks back at the door. In his head: "F this shit. I'll just pee in the house later."

3 hours ago, DeLurker said:

 Maybe I’ll find him a Gorton’s Fisherman hat instead.

Ha! Does he mind wearing the jacket?  My above mentioned Neo doesn't mind his winter puffer jacket when it get's really cold out. 

[DeLurker]

Guess no one informed Kook that he is supposed to be able to herd sheep independently in mountain ranges with no covering from rain and snow.   

He’s ok with the jacket  - I was pleasantly surprised with the design & construction given it was a lower cost option.  Just a couple of tabs that click to enclose the neck and two straps with Velcro that secures under his stomach.  The other versions I’ve bought & returned to pet stores were more fussy.  We’re basic - and ok with that.

[bilgistic]

From the Pet Peeves thread, we were discussing talking to our pets. Over here, I ask Little Girl (Little Mama's daughter), "Who's the best little girl ever??" "MEOW!" "Yes, you are!!" I also tell her she's a very lucky and special girl because she has two mommies who love her so much. Little Mama isn't very vocal until it's time to eat. It doesn't stop me from trying to engage her in conversation. "Who's the best mama ever??" *silence* "You are!!"

Check out this hilarious conversation between a man (cartoonist I follow on Instagram) and his cat. He has a female cat, and the "story" is that she was being ugly to the male cat in the video. It's just too much. The male cat has three legs (he was adopted that way; his leg loss is a mystery) and the most precious little face!

Edited January 4, 2019 by bilgistic

[smittykins]

Litter box update:  I did end up switching to Tidy Cats Breeze, and it’s worked out well.  I followed the instructions to keep the old box and let it get dirty and stinky, but I had to get rid of it completely before Shadow started using it.  The only issue I have is that when she starts digging in there, the pellets make quite a racket.