The Everything Pet Thread
Posted by biodancer on Jul 04, 2008 · Member since Jul 2007 · 978 posts
I wanted to start this thread to be all about our pets. Ask questions, help answer questions, tell a funny story about something your cat/dog/ferret/bird/rat, etc did, update everyone on your pet's health, tell us about a new pet, vent, grieve, laugh, etc. I know I'll be posting here a lot and I hope you'll join me!
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Hi guys!
I'm pretty sure this is the problem, but I'd just like a little reassurance/input.
Bella is fully house trained. When I bring over Kona (my friend's dog) for a play date and take them out for walks she can't seem to make it all the way. Neither Bella nor Kona go in the house. Normally, Bella will pee a little in the elevator foyer on our floor. This is the 2nd or 3rd time she's done it when Kona has been over and recently once when Kona was not over (I think she was just excited and really needed to go).
I'm pretty sure that it is because of all the additional play and therefor a lot more water consumption. If it was territorial then she would go in the house?? Also, if it was medical then it would happen more frequently?? I know her schedule changes a little when Kona is over. Do you think that is enough to make her have accidents??
I'm not sure that the floor by the elevators has been thoroughly cleaned (or how often) so I think I'm gonna go out there this afternoon and clean it so there is no more remnant pee smell for Bella to catch.
I dunno. It sounds behavioral. Dogs can hold it pretty well, from what my friends tell me.
My Zippy is the perfect indoor dog never pees or poos in the house.
But when I bring a playmate over for him he will wiz on the floor a little.
Also does this when guests come over.
I think it is a nervous thing. You know they get used to a certain way and then you bring another animal into there house.
Maybe it there way of telling you no guests.
No idea.
Wish me luck! I'm filling out paperwork today to adopt a rescue kitty from Cat Call! I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be approved, but you just never know.
I think it is from being overly excited and all the additional water drinking. I'll just take them out more often when she's got playmates over.
Storm, how did the adoption go?
My cat is around 3 years old & in good health. He has always been an indoor cat & takes pride in his cleanliness. All of a sudden, he has taken to peeing in the larger pots of my house plants. His litter box is down stairs & gets cleaned every day. There is always something to clean up so I know he's using the box. What or why has caused him to suddenly start doing this? Any ideas? Is he just too lazy to go downstairs to the litter box?
He doesn't cry or complain when he pees, so I am positive he doesn't have stones or other urinary tract stuff going on.
He is eating & drinking plenty of water.
Oddly, my plants are not suffering because of it.
I don't know. I've only ever had one cat live with me. What I learned from that is if you observe a change in behavior take your cat to the vet. They'll do bloodwork to rule things out. For Cat, he didn't show distress symptoms until his kidneys were functioning at less than 10% and by then it was too late.
My Zippy is the perfect indoor dog never pees or poos in the house.
But when I bring a playmate over for him he will wiz on the floor a little.
Also does this when guests come over.
I think it is a nervous thing. You know they get used to a certain way and then you bring another animal into there house.
Maybe it there way of telling you no guests.
No idea.
It was definitely the excitement thing! Plus, I think she was nervous after it happened the first time that 'Mom' was going to yell at her... We fixed the problem with treats and lots of positive praise and petting when she went outside. ;)b
I don't know. I've only ever had one cat live with me. What I learned from that is if you observe a change in behavior take your cat to the vet. They'll do bloodwork to rule things out. For Cat, he didn't show distress symptoms until his kidneys were functioning at less than 10% and by then it was too late.
I used google & found out that he probably associates the litter box with discomfort or pain, so that could be why he is using the plant pots. Also found out that he shouldn't be eating exclusively dry food (why make it if it increases their risk?) & he shouldn't be eating a *light* recipe (once again, increases the risk of FUTD?). He has been eating Dick Van Pattens Ultra Premium Reduced Calorie Formula for a few years now.
I am thinking that he probably does have some kind of urinary tract infection/blockage/stones :'( Now I am really worried...gonna keep a close eye on him.
Kidney problems aren't wham bam, so you don't have to rush him to an emergency room, but if it's kidney failure of whatever degree there are things they can do to help it in the early stages. Once the kidneys are damaged they don't recover so it's important to catch it as early as possible.
Monk didn't eat anything from his bowl yesterday but he was drinking & there wasn't much in his litter box to clean out this morning. I have been watching him closely all morning. He was quite vocal first thing this morning, so I got DH to get a can of salmon when he went to the store to buy his morning paper. Monkey ate about 2 tbsp of salmon & that at least made me feel better.
He is still using the house plants when he's upstairs & I have noticed that there is blood in his urine. I would think it has to hurt like hell but he doesn't cry at all. He is peeing frequently.
DH & I were talking about this last night & we realized that he has probably been sick longer than we first thought. Monk normally will follow us to bed at night to get his belly rub & cuddles but hasn't been around for at least 4 nights....around the same time his toileting habits changed.
One of our dogs, Stu had a bladder infection last week & he's on antibiotics. He is fine now but it's some kind of weird coincidence that now the cat is having urinary problems. (I still think he has crystals) Stu seems to sense that something is up with the cat & he's pestering him a little more than usual. Our older dog Boots is Monk's protector. When Stu gets too close, Boots steps in....Stu backs off. :)
So, needless to say Monk will be visiting the vet tomorrow & I'm hoping it is something that can be easily taken care of.
I hope Monk is okay! It's good that you knew to take behavioral changes seriously- it's not something a lot of people would think was a medical issue. My mom was really surprised when I passed along all the info the shelter gave me about cats, mainly that if mom's kitten suddenly stops using the litterbox, DON'T punish her, because it's more likely to be something wrong.
Of course, Pouncival will pee in a basket of clean clothes if my boyfriend and I stay out past 11:00pm and he gets mad at us... soooo...
I put the basket in the closet now.
;D
Let us know how the appointment goes.
The woman who used to be Pouncival's "foster mom" at the shelter emailed me the other day. She had found three "baby pics" of Pounce (back when he was called Randy) and she wanted to send them to me, since he's mah baby!
I thought that was so incredibly sweet of her. She wanted to know how he was doing and everything, so I told her he's just fantastic, and spoiled, and she's welcome to come visit him whenever she likes. It's gotta be tough to have a foster kitty for over a year and then he just gets adopted right up. He's such a lovable kitty, and she got all teary eyed when she left him with us, even though she was so happy he had a home.
It was just amazing she thought to send his baby pics. Then... she cashed the $100 check for the adoption fee. That kinda cracks me up, because the week of Christmas is such an inopportune time to have $100 go away... but it's kinda like a present to me anyway. That means the adoption is really final now... we've had him for 2 months, and now he's really ours!
I <3 my fur baby. I hope she sends the paperwork soon!!!
Thank you for asking about Monk :-*
jc, what a sweet story. I can't imagine how difficult it is for foster parents to say good bye to their fur kids when it's time. Are you going to post the baby pics of the furbabies thread? Yeah, you should :) btw, congratulations on the official adoption of Pouncival.
Your right about not punishing the cat if he doesn't use the litter box. Each time Monk would pee & lots of times he missed & it went on the hard wood floor. I would cringe when he did it but kept thinking thank god I have hard wood floors & not carpet! Even though I told him it was ok, it's hard to figure out a cat....cuz they're cats! With a dog you know when he feels shamed because of his body language but a cat just looks at you as if to say....meh, what? LOL
The vets in our little animal hospital are both off this week so DH drove Monk down to Welland to a larger animal hospital. The vet there checked him over & said not to worry....it's not an emergency. Most likely, he has crystals or passed a stone. We are suppose to bring in a pee sample tomorrow morning for them to look at. LOL It was hard enough trying to get a sample from a very large dog, getting one from a wittle kitteh is gonna be next to impossible. Once they do a urinalysis, we'll know more where we stand & what kind of meds he'll need.
I want to talk to him about Monk's diet too. I am really confused about what I should be feeding him. I do know one thing though, it only took one day but Monkey is really getting to like having salmon. He was hollering at me this morning because he was hungry. His food bowl was full so I let him sqwack....he calmed down once he realized salmon wasn't on the breakfast menu.
So one more little hurdle to get over tomorrow, then I will be breathing a lot easier.
Thanx again
Be careful when you ask your vet what to feed him. I would bet you $100 that the vet recommends some prescription IVD/Hill's crap that is AWFUL food. Do your own research. Vets aren't trained in nutrition (I know because I planned to apply to vet school and looked through countless curriculums) and only know what the pet food companies tell them. Cats NEED moisture in their diet because they don't drink enough water like dogs do. Feed them wet food (or raw meat is best if you can) at least once a day. Kibble was made as a convenience food for human caretakers and as a way for grain companies and slaughterhouses to make money from their leftovers.
I'm glad your kitty is OK!
I just got Pouncival's water bubbler! Speaking of cats not drinking as much water, lol!
He just checked it out and seems baffled and amazed. Hopefully it will encourage him to drink more... at least I know if nothing else he'll be drinking water off his paws when he tries to catch the bubbles.
He keeps looking at me like "Aww, ma! Show me how to CATCH them! Don't just laugh!"
I'll post his baby pics in the furbabies thread, and jessesmum, I did invite his former foster mom to visit him anytime she likes, so I hope that will make it easier for her.
:)
http://img.skitch.com/20081225-jwmcy18scdbfmgnean6e8ttm15.jpg
Let me introduce you to Norbert, my roomate's cat. He was playing with a candy cane, so I had to photobooth him! :D
ETA : He keeps rubbing his head on my laptop screen. What's up with that?
I gave Lacey her gifts last night. She got a little bag of catnip that she just layed on for a while and a pole with little felt fish dangling from the end. She loves the pole thingy. She was dragging it around after me all night...like.."come on mom let's play some more.."
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