Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[bilgistic]

Sister cat looks an awful lot like my Little Mama cat!

[AgentRXS]

@Mindthinkr They are adorable! I just want to kiss their squishy little faces! 😊

[Mindthinkr]

8 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

@Mindthinkr They are adorable! I just want to kiss their squishy little faces! 😊

Big boy is a cuddler and would let you. Gosh I love those cats. 

Girly girl was screaming for her morning milk (either lactose free or kitten milk...talk about spoiled. They are 14 years old.) today and I said “Alright Alright Alright”...I felt like it was a Matthew McConaughey moment tee hee. 

[theredhead77]

On Saturday and Sunday the kitten-cat was urgently alerting me that I was late for work at 7:45am (I don't work on the weekends). He went so far as to bop me in the head on Saturday.

This morning all my alarms and coffee makers go off and I slept through it all. Woke up late. What was Mr. Alarm Clock doing? Sleeping in a ball of kitten-cat on the edge of the bed.

[AgentRXS]

He was like "I tried warning you twice, hooman. 3rd time, you're on your own." Cats.

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Girly girl was screaming for her morning milk (either lactose free or kitten milk...talk about spoiled. They are 14 years old.) today and I said “Alright Alright Alright”...I felt like it was a Matthew McConaughey moment tee hee. 

One of my cats has taken to sitting in the doorway to the kitchen in the morning and just staring in the direction of her bowls, like, "I'm waiting. Hint, hint." 

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Annber03 said:

One of my cats has taken to sitting in the doorway to the kitchen in the morning and just staring in the direction of her bowls, like, "I'm waiting. Hint, hint."  

When he wants more food, Chester sits on the mat in front of the refrigerator.  I was at my parents' house last night for dinner, and as I came into the kitchen with the dirty plates, I saw Bandit had joined him there.  When you enter the kitchen, they remain politely seated for about 60 seconds, but if you haven't taken the hint and opened the fridge to get their food by that point, the simultaneous meowing begins.  And Bandit has no indoor voice, so it's quite the cacophony. 

Baxter used to run one step ahead of me, in case I had forgotten where everything was.  He'd go to the pantry at meal time to remind me that's where the cans were kept, then dart over to the cupboard, in case I no longer knew where the bowls were, and then go sit in front of his place mat in the laundry room, just to make sure I remembered where his bowl was to be placed.  Maddie would just amble in at her leisure, knowing the food would be there, which is mostly how Riley is, but Baxter was very concerned about memory lapses.

[Annber03]

21 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Baxter used to run one step ahead of me, in case I had forgotten where everything was.  He'd go to the pantry at meal time to remind me that's where the cans were kept, then dart over to the cupboard, in case I no longer knew where the bowls were, and then go sit in front of his place mat in the laundry room, just to make sure I remembered where his bowl was to be placed.  Maddie would just amble in at her leisure, knowing the food would be there, which is mostly how Riley is, but Baxter was very concerned about memory lapses.

We had a cat a few years ago who did similar things. She'd come out in the morning and sit over by the fridge, because she knew that was where the water was, 

The cat that likes to sit in the doorway to the kitchen, Lily, does NOT like having her bowls moved around. One time, when my mom was cleaning the kitchen floor, she moved the bowls to another part of the room, and Lily went over to where they'd been moved, stared at them, looked up at my mom, then looked back down at the bowls, and then she started meowing at her. Later, she went over to where her bowls normally sit and sat in the empty space, like she was waiting for them to be moved back :p. 

[Bastet]

Cats tend to be very routine-oriented.  Every evening when she rises from her late afternoon nap, Riley goes into the study to use the vertical scratching post, then go sit on the cardboard horizontal scratcher against another wall.  When I have everything cleared out of that room because I've shampooed the carpet (it's the only carpeted room, so the only place she is disrupted in this way; when I mop the wood or tile floors, they're usually dry and things put back before she even notices), she - after momentary confusion - claws on the fireplace brick (that the scratching post is normally up against) and sits in the (damp carpet) spot where the scratcher is supposed to be.  She will not be deterred from her routine by something as trivial as the total absence of the items used in that routine. 

[AgentRXS]

Snapchat fun with Diamond and work parking lot cat Twinkletoes:

[bosawks]

Someone played hooky for Memorial Day....

[Mindthinkr]

14 minutes ago, bosawks said:

Someone played hooky for Memorial Day....

Good for that “somebody”. Actually I was in need of an Alli post. It’s 102 degrees with high humidity. It took me a hour to go 8 miles because of beach traffic. 

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone. 

[emma675]

3 hours ago, bosawks said:

Someone played hooky for Memorial Day....

Are her ears blowing in the wind? 🤣

[bosawks]

1 hour ago, emma675 said:

Are her ears blowing in the wind? 🤣

It was a nice gentle gale force out in the Barnegat Bay today....

[shanndee]

Hello Everyone! I haven't posted in quite some time (I forget my Flickr ID and password, so sadly I have no way to post more pics of my tripod grey tabby Chelsea,  :( 

Chelsea has been battling a UTI for a few weeks now. She seems to be on the mend. The vet said it was bacterial, so no need to change her food. A friend said we should stop using clay clumping litter. The vet said cats tend to respond poorly to such a change. They like the consistency of the clay, and he doubted that changing would prevent a recurrence. All that matters is that we scoop daily, which I have always done.

Does anyone else have experience with cats and UTIs? Any recommendations on how to prevent another infection?

(Wow. I feel guilty posting to ask a question when I haven't posted here in so long. I need to do better. Maybe I need to find a new photo sharing account, or drop in to tell Chelsea stories...)

Anyway...any advice would be appreciated!

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, shanndee said:

Does anyone else have experience with cats and UTIs? Any recommendations on how to prevent another infection?

The best way to figure out what steps may prevent, or at least reduce the risk of, a future UTI is to identify the particular bacteria causing the infection, as that will give you clues as to how it was contracted -- did they do a culture back upon diagnosis?  Urinalysis just shows the presence of bacteria; only a culture can identify the culprit (thus providing for targeted treatment, by using an antibiotic to which that particular bacteria is sensitive).  Sometimes vets skip this step and just prescribe a broad spectrum antibiotic or one to which one or two of the bacteria often responsible for UTIs are sensitive.

The best general way to keep a urinary tract healthy is to keep it moving, so moist (canned or raw) food and water are overall helpful, as the more time urine hangs around the more time there is for bacteria, crystals, etc. to form and multiply.  But when there is a bacterial infection, a full course of antibiotics is the way to go, followed by a re-check several days after the end of that course to make sure no bacteria remain.  If it becomes a chronic problem, you may need to do a double or triple course and re-check up to a month out to make absolute sure no stragglers have regrouped.

[shanndee]

Thank you @Bastet. Yes, they did a culture after a week of amoxicillin didn't clear the infection. The main culprit is E. coli, which the vet says a very common cause of feline UTIs. She is now on a slow release antibiotic injection which works well against E. coli and the secondary bacteria.

I just don't understand how she contracted it. The vet said fecal matter is usually the culprit, but I scoop the litter every morning. Maybe I don't disinfect the pan often enough? I have never had a cat with such an infection before, so I'm a bit shocked. The vet said that some female cats are just susceptible to UTIs. I have always had (thankfully crystal free) male cats so maybe?

Chelsea does love her kibble, so I have started adding water to half of her portion. I hope that helps.

I am buying a new litter pan tomorrow, just to start completely fresh.

Another friend suggested cranberry powder added to wet food. The vet seemed to think that information about its efficacy was more anecdotal than scientific.

I just don't want her to suffer like this again. 😞

[Bastet]

On 5/24/2019 at 9:38 PM, shanndee said:

The vet said fecal matter is usually the culprit,

True - and also true that E. coli is a common cause of UTIs in general, so this is a "shit happens" situation, pun intended; you may well not have anything to worry about going forward.  But let's look at some possible causes of fecal matter contact to see if there's a risk-reduction technique.

-You said she's a tabby, so presumably short-haired, but does she nevertheless have "tail feathers" long enough for poop to be getting stuck in and then rubbing against the vagina before it falls off?

-You said she eats dry food, which can (because of its affect on hydration) make the poop hard when it comes out; is that the case with her?  If so, pushing it out completely is a slower process, and can also cause contact with the vagina.

-Does she always use the same place in the box, so that she could have pooped, then sat in the same place to pee (especially since, as a tripod, she may sit a little differently), thus sitting down low enough to come into contact?

If there's no indication of a consistent or occasional circumstance that could lead to recurring infections, I wouldn't worry; like I said, UTIs sometimes just happen, to cats as to people.  (And, yep, more often to females of the species - one of our many joys.)  Hopefully this will never happen again, but just be on the look-out for the signs of a UTI to get on top of it quickly if it does.  It's not something to be concerned about unless it becomes a recurring problem that stops responding to antibiotic treatment.

One note, though: How long was the gap between the week of amoxicillin (which was administered based just on urinalysis [or symptoms] and not a culture, if I'm reading your response right) and the culture?  Because administration of antibiotics will affect culture results, so you want to make sure there's adequate time to clear the drug from the system before culturing for the most-accurate result.

Edited May 26, 2019 by Bastet

[shanndee]

Thanks again @Bastet! I really appreciate your responses, and the explanations are making me feel much better!

She is short haired, but the hair on her hind end and belly is longer. I have only found evidence of "Klingons" 4 times in the 3 years she's been with us, but clearly there could have been more. And your second point is spot on. Hubby and I have tried to add more wet food to her diet, but she is a bit of a weirdo and much prefers kibble. Maybe I'll add water to her whole portion, not just half.

I wonder if being a tripod causes her to "sit" while in the box more than the average cat would?

I was a bit concerned about how quickly they administered the second antibiotic. The culture was only about 7 days after the completion of the first course. I am hopeful that this does the trick. She is much improved. I want her to stay that way!

Do you have any strong feelings about clumping clay litter vs. something more naturally based like corn? Or is the vet correct about cats liking the clay consistency, and changing may be detrimental rather than helpful?

Again, thank you so much! I was really beginning to think we had done something wrong with her. (I'm suddenly *very* grateful we chose not to have human children. If one treatable feline illness has me in this state, I would have probably had a breakdown considering how often human children get sick!)

Thank you!

[Bastet]

46 minutes ago, shanndee said:

I have only found evidence of "Klingons"

Ha!  I'm storing that one away in ye olde memory bank.

46 minutes ago, shanndee said:

And your second point is spot on. Hubby and I have tried to add more wet food to her diet, but she is a bit of a weirdo and much prefers kibble. Maybe I'll add water to her whole portion, not just half.

Dry food decreases overall water intake (since many cats don't drink enough to supplement), and is higher in carbs (cats' ideal diet is high protein, moderate fat, low carb, and dry food is consistently - often overwhelmingly - higher in carbs than ideal), so canned or raw food is best, but the best food in the world is useless if the cat won't eat it.  Just do as best you can, and add moisture (water added to food, supplementing/replacing regular water bowls with drinking fountains if running water is enticing, etc.) when you can.  Basically, just get your cat eating the healthiest food she'll actually eat, and let it go.  Diet is important, but only goes so far.

46 minutes ago, shanndee said:

I was a bit concerned about how quickly they administered the second antibiotic. The culture was only about 7 days after the completion of the first course.

No, that's good - seven days should be adequate time for an accurate culture, assuming a total gap in treatment between antibiotic one and antibiotic two, so treating based on that seven-days-out culture is indeed the way to go.  She's in good hands.

46 minutes ago, shanndee said:

I wonder if being a tripod causes her to "sit" while in the box more than the average cat would?

It's certainly possible; which leg is missing?

46 minutes ago, shanndee said:

Do you have any strong feelings about clumping clay litter vs. something more naturally based like corn?

I don't, especially as it concerns UTIs.  There are certainly drawbacks to the former and benefits to the latter, but the overwhelming majority of cats do just fine with the clumping clay - but, yes, may have transition (although probably not permanent) issues with a switch, so you don't want to add another variable in the midst of treating an illness.

46 minutes ago, shanndee said:

Again, thank you so much! I was really beginning to think we had done something wrong with her.

You're welcome, and not at all!  In a lifetime of cat ownership and helping friends/family care for their cats (with the concomitant research as issues arose), I've had most with nary a UTI, several with a one-off, and two with a recurring problem.  All were managed.  Honestly, when a urinary problem is the result of an identified bacteria (the best of the possible causes, because of ease and effectiveness of treatment), you're good -- it may take some extra doses or an antibiotic switch, but it will get straightened out.  Chelsea - and you - will be fine.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Bastet

[ABay]

Girl Cat is prone to UTIs and the vet has emphasized keeping her regular, so she gets Myralax in her wet food. She also has a Butt Comb (TM) I use to clean off her fluffy pantaloons when litter or whatnot gets stuck.

Girl Cat demands to know who dares disturb her slumber:

[emma675]

That is an epic glare, lol!

[shanndee]

@ABay , Girl Cat is most displeased at the prospect of being the poster child for UTI treatment options! 😉 😄 

[Mindthinkr]

@ABay You kitty looks exactly like my Big Boy. Absolutely beautiful and shiny. 

[Mindthinkr]

Oh I see that belly and I want to rub it, but that’s not worth the bite and bad feelings that it would cause. He likes to lay in the weirdest positions.

He loves a pillow or something to rest his head against. 

Edited May 26, 2019 by Mindthinkr
Punctuation

[Bastet]

On 5/25/2019 at 11:29 AM, shanndee said:

@ABay , Girl Cat is most displeased at the prospect of being the poster child for UTI treatment options! 😉 😄 

"Oh my gods, Mom, are you really telling the internet about my Butt Comb?!"

[bosawks]

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Edited May 26, 2019 by bosawks

[Jaded]

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

"Oh my gods, Mom, are you really telling the internet about my Butt Comb?!"

That's probably what my cat thinks when I mention to people that the vet said he has a narrow kinked urethra. Hence why he's only on wet food after two crystal experiences. 

[shanndee]

Since I can't access my Flickf account anymore, can anyone suggest another photo site that I can use to share some pics of Chelsea? I don't need all the bells and whistles. I like to be able to choose a size for posting to this forum. Other than that I want to be able to keep my photos private.

Any recommendation?

[Jaded]

2 minutes ago, shanndee said:

Since I can't access my Flickf account anymore, can anyone suggest another photo site that I can use to share some pics of Chelsea? I don't need all the bells and whistles. I like to be able to choose a size for posting to this forum. Other than that I want to be able to keep my photos private.

Any recommendation?

Imgur is a good option. Does the lost password method not work for you when it comes to getting back into your Flickr account? I found this thread on Flickr's help forum. There's a notice that the site was having issues on the 22nd.

https://www.flickr.com/help/forum/en-us/72157708747663458/
 

[bilgistic]

I took the girls to the vet last Monday for their "annual" exams, which were overdue by seven months. I can't afford it, of course, hence why they were overdue. The vet wouldn't prescribe Little Girl's med again unless I brought them in for checkups.

They are in good health and Little Mama has actually trimmed half a pound from her "mom bod" down to 8.7 pounds since I adopted her. They were eating Wellness kibble at the foster home. They now eat extremely high-quality and high-dollar wet food made with Sasquatch farts and unicorn tears here at their forever home. Little Girl is allergic to every protein source except for venison and possibly rabbit. Because of course she is because she's my cat.

Little Girl weighs the exact same as she did when I adopted her, a lithe 7.6 pounds. She's a long, lean hauspanther.

They both have tartar on their teeth and dental cleanings were recommended. Little Mama had a cleaning right before I adopted her. My finances prevent dental cleanings right now, so we'll have to revisit that if I ever find a better-paying job. (HEAVY SIGH) I didn't get to go to the dentist this month for my regular cleaning, either!

They were given rabies shots and distemper vaccines. The distemper vaccines (FVRCP) were administered as liquid drops up their noses, and let me tell you, they did not like that! Little Mama had to be purritoed. Several days later, the (common side effect of) sneezing commenced. There's so much sneezing.

I already have them on daily doses of lysine powder mixed in their food because I'm positive they came from the foster home (and street before that?) with some upper respiratory gunk (so agreed the vet back then), and it really keeps their symptoms at bay. So I'm just keeping an eye on the sneezing. They just seem annoyed at it, and thankfully it's not very snotty/eye runny/discharge-y.

Here's a picture of the girls from yesterday. Little Mama is snuggled into Little Girl's chest, which has the white splotch.❤️

Edited May 27, 2019 by bilgistic

[Mindthinkr]

8 hours ago, Jaded said:

Imgur is a good option. Does the lost password method not work for you when it comes to getting back into your Flickr account? I found this thread on Flickr's help forum. There's a notice that the site was having issues on the 22nd.

https://www.flickr.com/help/forum/en-us/72157708747663458/
 

I use “Resize my Pictures” which I found on google. Three clicks away from it being done. 

[Bastet]

16 hours ago, shanndee said:

Since I can't access my Flickf account anymore, can anyone suggest another photo site that I can use to share some pics of Chelsea? I don't need all the bells and whistles. I like to be able to choose a size for posting to this forum. Other than that I want to be able to keep my photos private.

Do you need to use a site?  I just upload pictures from my computer (after using Photoshop to size them down to fit the site's requirements).  That's private, because all that is posted is the chosen picture(s); there's no link to anything else.

[shanndee]

23 hours ago, Jaded said:

Imgur is a good option. Does the lost password method not work for you when it comes to getting back into your Flickr account? I found this thread on Flickr's help forum. There's a notice that the site was having issues on the 22nd.

https://www.flickr.com/help/forum/en-us/72157708747663458/
 

It would...if I remembered my yahoo account password. I only opened it for Flickr, and never once used it. So...

15 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I use “Resize my Pictures” which I found on google. Three clicks away from it being done. 

Thanks! I'll have a look. :)

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

Do you need to use a site?  I just upload pictures from my computer (after using Photoshop to size them down to fit the site's requirements).  That's private, because all that is posted is the chosen picture(s); there's no link to anything else.

I...just assumed that I did. The last message board I used to visit had strict rules about band width. They highly suggested image sharing sites. I just assumed I had to do this here as well...

[Bastet]

14 hours ago, shanndee said:

I...just assumed that I did. The last message board I used to visit had strict rules about band width. They highly suggested image sharing sites. I just assumed I had to do this here as well...

Nope, you can upload (it just has to be a file size that doesn't exceed the maximum).  I don't know if one method is preferred over the other - there's nothing in the FAQ about it - but the attach files option below the reply box is easy (and I don't use any photo sharing sites), so that's what I use.

[Moose135]

Why grandma, what a big tongue you have!

[ABay]

The better to slobber all over you with, my dear.

[ratgirlagogo]

This story was news to me:  

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-attacked-emotional-support-dog-delta-flight-sues-airline-passenger-n1011881

https://people.com/human-interest/man-attacked-by-dog-on-delta-flight/

I'm surprised I haven't heard more about this case since it seems likely to change a lot of regulations around emotional support animals, and not just on planes.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Was at Humane Rescue Alliance of DC today to help make toys for its kitties and puppies today. I wanted to adopt and foster them all!!!

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

I'm surprised I haven't heard more about this case

If it had been a pit mix instead of a lab mix doing the biting, coverage would have been dramatically different.

19 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Was at Humane Rescue Alliance of DC today to help make toys for its kitties and puppies today.

Aw, good for you!  I know your building's prohibition against pets has been a disappointment to you, so I'm glad you got to get your animal fix in such a helpful way.

[AgentRXS]

Here is the kitten in my avatar, Adam, all grown up at 6 years old in his furever home with his housemate, Aiden. Adam was the only kitten I fostered in 2013 that didn't contract panleukopenia. Aiden was adopted the same year by their wonderful adopter. Adam was the greediest kitten when it came to food, putting his little paw up to shove others away from eating, so its no surprise he turned out to be a chunker as an adult!

[GHScorpiosRule]

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

Aw, good for you!  I know your building's prohibition against pets has been a disappointment to you, so I'm glad you got to get your animal fix in such a helpful way.

It was soooo much fun! I'm going to talk to the volunteer who was our contact for this event, to see if I can't work out some way of helping with them. Even if they're located about a half hour away at least from my home.

I tried to post the pictures of the sleeping kitties, but no matter how much I cropped and resized the picture from my phone, the site stated it was too large. They were sooo adorable. There were about five small black kitties, with huuuge green eyes. Three were siblings were all adopted together! One, whose name was...Zoobmafalia, I think? was hilarious! He kept tilting his head to the left and right, mimicking us, and lifting his paw, scratching at the window. Another gray tabby stretched and scratched the window, as if trying to reach through to paw at my face. I didn't want to leave. Playing and being kissed by them filled the empty place in my heart just a wee bit.

Some of the most adorable and affectionate older dogs (meaning not puppies) were pitbull mixes, so I'm one who calls bullshit that that breed is inherently and born vicious. It's all in the raising. My grandnephew, Ralphie is an American Husky. And he's just a big ol' pussy cat, pardon the mixed-pun.

[theredhead77]

11 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Here is the kitten in my avatar, Adam, all grown up at 6 years old in his furever home with his housemate, Aiden. Adam was the only kitten I fostered in 2013 that didn't contract panleukopenia. Aiden was adopted the same year by their wonderful adopter. Adam was the greediest kitten when it came to food, putting his little paw up to shove others away from eating, so its no surprise he turned out to be a chunker as an adult!

Flufferbutts!!!

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I tried to post the pictures of the sleeping kitties, but no matter how much I cropped and resized the picture from my phone, the site stated it was too large. They were sooo adorable. There were about five small black kitties, with huuuge green eyes. Three were siblings were all adopted together! One, whose name was...Zoobmafalia, I think? was hilarious! He kept tilting his head to the left and right, mimicking us, and lifting his paw, scratching at the window. Another gray tabby stretched and scratched the window, as if trying to reach through to paw at my face. I didn't want to leave. Playing and being kissed by them filled the empty place in my heart just a wee bit.

❤️ :D. Awwwwww. That sounds wonderful. I don't blame you not wanting to leave! That'd be me if I worked at an animal shelter-I'd look at all the animals and be like, "You're all coming home with me!" 

I love when cats stare out windows. They're always just so fascinated by everything.

Quote

Some of the most adorable and affectionate older dogs (meaning not puppies) were pitbull mixes, so I'm one who calls bullshit that that breed is inherently and born vicious. It's all in the raising. My grandnephew, Ralphie is an American Husky. And he's just a big ol' pussy cat, pardon the mixed-pun.

Agreed. That's the case with any type of animal-if humans treat them well and don't pose any sort of threat to them, there shouldn't be a problem. 

[MargeGunderson]

Mr Gunderson left early this morning and will be gone for several days. Kitty Gunderson is mourning his absence by yowling loudly and often. She is also following me around but pretending that she isn’t, which mostly involves sitting with her back to me a few feet from wherever I’m at. She won’t deign to look at me, but she’s been my shadow for a few hours now. Except when I gave her a little macaroni and cheese, for which I was rewarded with a rub against my leg. 

[shanndee]

I am so relieved. Chelsea is much improved (dare I say, back to normal?). Whew.

Now I need to do a bit more research on switching her from clumping clay litter to something more natural (I'm leaning towards World's Best Cat Litter, made with corn. It is supposed to clump and have much less dust).

After that, we'll tackle her weight issue. 

I have had cats most of my life, and these are all new issues for me. I am learning so much more about cats from her!

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, shanndee said:

(I'm leaning towards World's Best Cat Litter, made with corn. It is supposed to clump and have much less dust).

I can't stand the smell of that, but it does clump and definitely creates far less dust if you have a flinger, so I recommend you give it a try and see what you and Chelsea think (two friends use it for their cats, whom I take care of when they're gone, so I'm familiar with it even though I don't use it).

6 minutes ago, shanndee said:

After that, we'll tackle her weight issue. 

If she's overweight, my primary recommendation is to stay away from the so-called diet foods and instead feed fewer calories of the most nutritional food she'll eat; the calories matter, of course, but where those calories come from is important too and the "diet food" is usually not the best on that front. 

The standard recommendation is 20 calories per pound of cat per day for weight maintenance, and 20% less than that for weight loss (and 20% more for weight gain).  So, your average ten-pound cat should eat 200 calories per day to maintain her weight, but only 180 calories per day if she needs to lose weight.  (That's why feed X cups/cans per day is a useless recommendation, as it depends on how many calories per ounce are in a given food, and it varies significantly.) 

So you calculate based off that general guideline and adjust from there, making sure to avoid drastic decreases in caloric intake; gradual is key.

I'm glad she's back to normal <knocking on wood>!

[shanndee]

4 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I can't stand the smell of that, but it does clump and definitely creates far less dust if you have a flinger, so I recommend you give it a try and see what you and Chelsea think (two friends use it for their cats, whom I take care of when they're gone, so I'm familiar with it even though I don't use it).

If she's overweight, my primary recommendation is to stay away from the so-called diet foods and instead feed fewer calories of the most nutritional food she'll eat; the calories matter, of course, but where those calories come from is important too and the "diet food" is usually not the best on that front. 

The standard recommendation is 20 calories per pound of cat per day for weight maintenance, and 20% less than that for weight loss (and 20% more for weight gain).  So, your average ten-pound cat should eat 200 calories per day to maintain her weight, but only 180 calories per day if she needs to lose weight.  (That's why feed X cups/cans per day is a useless recommendation, as it depends on how many calories per ounce are in a given food, and it varies significantly.) 

So you calculate based off that general guideline and adjust from there, making sure to avoid drastic decreases in caloric intake; gradual is key.

I'm glad she's back to normal <knocking on wood>!

Thank you so much for this! I think that amy have been the start of the weight gain ( we feed her a decent quality "healthy weight" dry food. We thought this would help maintain her weight at about 10 lbs where she doesn't tend to run around as much as our previous cats due to the missing front leg). Sadly, she is now 13 lbs so we need to change that.

She does play hard (when she plays), and she jumps with the best of them. So I guess food is the key. She doesn't have a *huge* appetite, so calculating the way you suggested is going to be really helpful. 

Thanks again!

[ratgirlagogo]

17 hours ago, Bastet said:

On 6/1/2019 at 3:22 PM, ratgirlagogo said:

I'm surprised I haven't heard more about this case

If it had been a pit mix instead of a lab mix doing the biting, coverage would have been dramatically different.

In a way I do agree since I do love pits and obviously they have a bad largely undeserved rep.  The surprise is more that there have been so many hostile articles in the media about emotional support animals that I would have thought all of the press would have jumped on this immediately.

[shanndee]

This is a test to see if this works!

Teaching Chelsea to sit up for treats was not a smart idea! 😄 

Edited June 2, 2019 by shanndee
trying to remove clickable link!