From Samantha: I have a foster cat problem! She’s about 8 years old and is very overweight, that’s why she’s in foster care instead of an adoption center. We are making good progress on the weight and as she gets lighter she wants to play (GOOD RIGHT?).
That is where the problem starts. She doesn’t seem to have any idea what other cats are “saying”. She will get in my Man Cat’s space and corner him. He growls and hisses and poofs up to try to get her to back up and let him out, she doesn’t act aggressive… she just sits there with the “ok that’s nice hissing we play now?” face. Any advice? I feel bad for my permanent residents… because of her size (17 lbs) she can bully them but she doesn’t seem like she means to be a bully. Her body language makes me think she has NO IDEA what the other cat is saying.
As long as she isn’t cornering them my cats seem to like her and willingly go to her area to hang out so I know it’s not just that they hate each other.
Samantha, I am so sorry – I meant to post this earlier this week, but the week kind of got away from me! I can’t think of any suggestions off the top of my head – I think I’d be inclined to pick her up and move her away from the hissing cat in hopes that she’d get the idea (but that might be hoping for a little too much). I’m hoping that someone out there has some good suggestions for you and can chime in!
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Keri says: I have a question. A long and thorny question. Sorry for hijacking a happy post, but you guys give great advice.
Our not-quite-three year old darling, Squee, passed away suddenly on Tuesday. She had a sore leg, and the vet recommended an xray. She passed away under anesthetic. She hadn’t had issues before, and we were very shocked, and heartbroken. We don’t have a cause of death, and it is, from all accounts, “one of those things”. We brought her home and buried her, and let our other two cats sniff and prod her to let them know she wouldn’t be coming home, since they were looking frantically for her. They seemed much, much more settled after that, and although a little more subdued, they seem to be pretty much back to normal already.
My question is centered around getting another cat, and our remaining two cats. We’ve got our elder-statesman calico Polly, who is seven, and a MASSIVE cat/kitten lover and snuggler, and a four year old Ginger Tom who adores kittens, but isn’t as snuggly as Polly. Polly wants to be on someone or snuggled up to another cat at ALL TIMES, and Max is a boy, and likes an hour or two to himself, thankyouverymuch. Squee was a great buffer for Max, because Polly, although her first and most enduring love was Max, would be more than content to snuggle with Squee if Max wasn’t amenable. She was also pretty good at taking cues from Max if Squee was available.
As you can see, the three-cat dynamic worked really well, and my husband is very, very keen to get another kitten as quickly as possible. We are VERY aware that the new kitten will never be able to replace Squee either as a member of the household or in our hearts, but his reasoning is that we can’t foster (we’re renters), but we DO have both a house and two other cats who can accommodate a kitten who needs a home.
I suppose my question is, given the other two seem to be coping quite well with the loss, how soon is too soon? We are under no illusions that a new cat will heal the pain, but we’re keen to re-establish the dynamic for our existing cats sake, and we really do feel that one of the best ways to honour Squee (She was a rescue, as all our cats were, but more rescue-y than most), would be to give another cat a loving home. Frankly, if it weren’t for the fact that we were renting, we’d have a house full of cats, and we’re coming up to Kitten Season here very soon (We’re in Australia).
So, TL:DR, how soon is too soon?
That tribute to Squee is just so sweet – she was clearly a wonderful girl who gave and got much love in her too-short life. I am so very sorry for your loss, and I know you’ll miss her terribly.
I agree with what most of the commenters said in response – you’ll know when the time is right, and only you two can know when it’s time to start looking.
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From Brandy: I need some help!!!! My 2 cats (Hannah 7 and Murphy 10) are indoor cats. We recently moved into a new townhouse and one of the neighbors has an outside cat. This tom cat is at my window attacking it daily trying to get at Murphy (who is inside yowling and growling his little kitty head off). Murphy is starting to lose fur, weight and vomit multiple time per day due to the stress of trying to protect his window and his sister. This morning when I went to lock my front door, my window screens were laying on the ground because the outside tom had ripped them off my windows trying to get my cats. I bought this stuff hoping it would keep him away with no success. I’m at a loss. I feel bad for my cats and bad for this beat up looking outside cat that I’m half tempted to trap and bring to an awesome no kill shelter (Pet’s without parents in Columbus, OH). Any suggestions out there?
Rebecca said: There’s a vet who had problems with a bobcat visiting her house. Here’s a link to some of her suggestions (you may have better luck than her, since she had to avoid things because of her dogs).
Janna added: Have you tried a motion activated repellent, like a sprinkler or alarm? The idea is to make your home area unattractive to roaming critters. I looked up “motion activated animal repellent” on Google, and there were several options, and not all of them need to be hooked up to a plug or hose.
This is what I would suggest, a motion activated repellent. I would recommend this one. I bought it to keep the cats off one of the kitchen counters, and it worked a little too well – it scared me as much as the cats – so I think that it would keep the tom cat away from your window. Like Janna, I’ve heard of ones that use hoses, too, though I haven’t tried them myself, so I can’t recommend one particular type.
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From Christina: All right all you cat whisperers out there – HELP!
My two cats are both 7 years old and have been together most of their lives and get along quite well. Until recently. When the girl (Amber) goes to the vet, the boy (Chip) decides she returns as the devil incarnate. This is a whole new thing. The first time it happened she had been totally groomed and shaved a bit (long, long hair) and I thought that was the issue & he calmed down after 2 days. This week she went in for a teeth cleaning. That was Monday. It is Thursday now, and he is still hiding from her, hissing, spitting and growling like mad if she is within 10 feet of him! She, of course, is confused and now is being a royal pest playing the “How about if I get THIS close? THIS close? How about now?” game to completely set him off. I’ve sprayed Feliway around her, brushed her to try to get her scent back to normal with no luck so far. Is there anything I can do to get Chip to calm the heck down? At this point he cowers in my bathroom most of the day, and I have to bring him food because, you know, the devil is out there!
Elaine said: the only other thing you might try is to take a rag or washcloth and rub Chip with the rag and then rub Amber with the rag. It transfers Chip’s scent to Amber and might calm him down. The other thing you might try is to give Amber a bath to get rid of any remaining vet office smell. That is about all I can think of.
I was actually sitting here trying to remember the tip I had read regarding this very kind of situation, and Elaine posted her response. This is exactly what I’d recommend trying! I also like Kate’s idea:
My plan to stop this is to bring both cats to the vet. (I don’t think that would work for Robyn, but I’d like to be at the vet when she tries it:))This way they both stink so no one is the enemy. Sometimes my vet looks at me a little weird when I walk in with both cats and he only wants to see one, but I can live with that. Good luck! I hope they work it out soon!
There are other great suggestions in the comments, too!
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I have come to ask for advice my sister and I found a small kitten possibly four weeks old outside of a local place i have lunch at..he sat on my shoe and I just couldn’t leave him there, we checked for other kittens and a momma and couldn’t find any sign. he can walk just fine, his ears and eyes are completely open and he does eat solid food, he how ever hasn’t had used the restroom yet, so we’re hoping nothing wrong in that department. however, he keeps on crying out constantly, and we’re thinking its possibly because he’s a siamese mix and away from his litter if he had any. he’s also in need of a bath but he’s so little i don’t know whats safe to use on him. any ideas?
Debra, I hope you got the email I sent to you responding to this comment, and that the kitten is doing well! If you didn’t (and anyone who might have this question in the future), I said:
If you see fleas on him, you can use original Dawn dish soap (it will kill the fleas). If you don’t see any sign of fleas, you can use Johnson & Johnson baby wash.
If he’s eating solid food well, I wouldn’t be too worried about his not using the litter box yet, he could have gone a few days without food, and it might take time for his system to catch up. I’d make a point of putting him in the litter box after he’s eaten, just so he gets the idea.
I wouldn’t be too worried about him crying, either – I’m sure he’s confused and doesn’t know where his family has gone. It wouldn’t hurt to get him to the vet for a checkup soon, though, just to be safe.
And bless you for rescuing that baby! 🙂
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When babies go to Petsmart, do they take their names along with them? For example, when someone looks into adopting them, they say – “aw, look at Norbert! I’m going to adopt him and Scorch!”.
They do keep their names – once they’re named, that’s who they are in “the system”, and that’s who they stay ’til they’re adopted and (more often than not) renamed.
On a side note, a commenter referred to Scorch as “Scotch” the other day, and I actually think that would be a really good name for him!
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Is the typical age of the kittens about 3 months when they go to Petsmart? I know you’ve mentioned this before but I can’t remember how much time you get to spend with the little lovebugs before they’re off.
Yeah, 3 months is usually when they go off to Petsmart (assuming there’s room for them). They get their first vaccination at 9 weeks and their second at 12, and also their rabies shot at 10 – 12 weeks, so after all that’s done (along with their neutering), then they’re ready to go.
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Butter and his ears of annoyance! Love! Reminds me of Dramatic Groundhog.
I love that groundhog SO much!!!
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Have you seen the kitty circus video on Your Daily Cute? It is a commercial with a wonderful message.
I have seen that – and I love that video. It’s very well done (and very much what life is like in my house, heh.)
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When I read the Puffdate, I was reminded of this image that I saw over on Reddit this morning.
“The big one will act like he isn’t interested in going outside” cracked me UP.
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So, there was less of an overwhelming consensus about which Stark y’all thought had been spoken for. A lot of you thought Jon Snow, and a lot of you thought Arya. I saw Hodor’s name a few times (and not because Hodor was saying it), but I don’t think anyone guessed Brandon. Awwww. Poor Brandon. Obviously I need to up the Brandon pics, because he’s such a sweet and personable little guy.
But.
Brandon’s not the Stark who’s been spoken for. Who is it? Drumroll please….
“What?”
That’s right, Arya! The Starks actually went for their spaying and neutering yesterday, so all she needs is her final vaccination at the beginning of September, and she’ll go home after that. Arya is also going home with a reader! How cool is that?
‘Til then, she gets to hang out with us. I wish she could relax a little.
She was sound asleep. Yep, total stressball!
Her eyes seem to be going in the direction of matching her fur. SO pretty.
Sweet rumpled little monkey girl.
“Hodor?”
Dancin’ Hodor.
Look how long they’re getting!
Brandon the observer.
Brandon in motion.
There they go again, fighting through the headboard of the doll bed. Apparently that’s a thing all kittens like to do.
“Hodor,” he said affectionately to the long-legged cheetah.
“Hodor,” he said irritably, as Jon Snow slapped at his tail.
Such a pretty stripey boy.
Hmmm. And apparently I didn’t have any Norbert pics to share today. ONE day I’ll get the balance right!
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Oh, da Corbs. In case you can’t tell from the picture, he was actually laying on the couch, and I was taking the picture over the back of the couch. Not that it matters, because you can’t look away from his bedazzlingly gorgeous self long enough to wonder just what is going on in that picture.
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Previously
2012: “POLLY, HE IN MY BASKET.”
2011: “Wush up, guysh?”
2010: I guess that toy knows who the boss is now!
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.