Cat Chat 2

[Vanillasaur]

So, we found Chip in November, 2016. So, he got to finally come inside half a month later after he showed up, around Christmas time. My Mom was going to sign him up for the vet, but we have not yet, now she says that she does not want to pay for the vert yet, as they are currently saving money. And if you read my post above, I'd need a break away collar.

Flea treatment really isn't that expensive, and untreated it will get worse over time. So I really suggest talking with your mom to get this solved as quickly as possible.

I'd still definitely try to get some kind of medication for him from a vet if it's at all possible, since I've had a problem before with one of my indoor-outdoor cats. A few years ago we found a tapeworm on him, and after taking him to the vet, we were told that fleas can act as hosts for worms and other parasites. Treating for tapeworms isn't fun for anyone(nor is it cheap!), so as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The sooner you can get your cat as flea-free as possible, the sooner there's less chance of something even worse happening as a result of fleas.

Not sure it's been suggested yet, but it wouldn't hurt to buy a flea comb alongside any flea treatment you might get(Combs are pretty cheap and effective!). As well as washing all sheets or anything your cat sleeps on, you could comb him daily when he comes in to try and rid him of fleas/eggs/larvae. Just have a bowl of soapy water on hand to dunk any fleas you come across in and make sure to comb diligently, because it's unlikely you'll be able to get rid of them just by washing your cat's bedding.

[Winstalgia]

So, we found Chip in November, 2016. So, he got to finally come inside half a month later after he showed up, around Christmas time. My Mom was going to sign him up for the vet, but we have not yet, now she says that she does not want to pay for the vert yet, as they are currently saving money. And if you read my post above, I'd need a break away collar.

Flea treatment really isn't that expensive, and untreated it will get worse over time. So I really suggest talking with your mom to get this solved as quickly as possible.

I'd still definitely try to get some kind of medication for him from a vet if it's at all possible, since I've had a problem before with one of my indoor-outdoor cats. A few years ago we found a tapeworm on him, and after taking him to the vet, we were told that fleas can act as hosts for worms and other parasites. Treating for tapeworms isn't fun for anyone(nor is it cheap!), so as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The sooner you can get your cat as flea-free as possible, the sooner there's less chance of something even worse happening as a result of fleas.

Not sure it's been suggested yet, but it wouldn't hurt to buy a flea comb alongside any flea treatment you might get(Combs are pretty cheap and effective!). As well as washing all sheets or anything your cat sleeps on, you could comb him daily when he comes in to try and rid him of fleas/eggs/larvae. Just have a bowl of soapy water on hand to dunk any fleas you come across in and make sure to comb diligently, because it's unlikely you'll be able to get rid of them just by washing your cat's bedding.

Ah, Yes! I have actually been trying to save up some money a bit to get some flea combs and more flea medicine. For now I am just going to try to get the fleas off him and off the chairs he naps on. He barely sleeps on his beds, as I find him on our dining room chairs, even as I type this. :I

Thanks, guys! I will be sure to say which and/ when I have gotten the items or whatever.
I appreciate all the suggestions, but bringing him to the vet will be the last thing I do.
We are a very busy family with a new baby on the way (I gonna have a baby brother! :D)
A hamster, I have two younger siblings as well, and my Dad works alot.
So, when my Mother is in the right mood and we are not that busy I will ask about all this flea stuff and
bringing my sweety to the vet. I'd hate for him to die from the fleas, as to much of them can irritate the animal they are using for the host and they can die.
I also will be sure to ask about the tape worm.
:3

[danibo]

Is it normal for one of my cats to urinate down the drain of our bathtub?

She only does it over the drain, not anywhere else. I'm not asking for medical advice, just if it's... normal. Her litter box is shared with another cat and it's cleaned regularly.

Should I reward her for this behavior?

She also drinks out of the toilet and faucet (her food and water bowls are always full) and she won't touch wet food, only the gravy.

Some of these are normal but strange behaviors. I really only want to know about the first one but information about the others are cool too!!

[Lunarsnow]

Is it normal for one of my cats to urinate down the drain of our bathtub?

She only does it over the drain, not anywhere else. I'm not asking for medical advice, just if it's... normal. Her litter box is shared with another cat and it's cleaned regularly.

Should I reward her for this behavior?

She also drinks out of the toilet and faucet (her food and water bowls are always full) and she won't touch wet food, only the gravy.

Some of these are normal but strange behaviors. I really only want to know about the first one but information about the others are cool too!!

I'd make sure she doesn't have a urinary tract infection as that can have cats associate peeing in their litterbox with pain so they go elsewhere since they think the litterbox is what's hurting them. And if that is the case then she may turn away from the tub too eventually and start using places that aren't convenient like clean clothes or rugs. As for why in particular she's chosen the drain, maybe it smells a certain way that makes her want to pee on it or maybe she figured out liquid goes down the drain haha

Drinking out of toilets and faucets is a common thing. It's fresh running water! The toilet may not seem like a place for fresh water but every time it gets flushed new water comes in and the ceramic/porcelain toilet bowl keeps the water nice and cool. You do have to be wary of her ingesting cleaning chemicals from the toilet though so you may want to start keeping the lid closed. Or maybe get her a fountain bowl and see if she likes that instead of the toilet?

Not wanting to eat wet food may be because she doesn't think of it as food if all she's had growing up was dry kibble. She may think it smells good so she laps up the gravy from it but the smushy food part confuses her. You can try mixing her dry food into it if you want her to eat the wet food! Or she could just be picky who knows? Cats are weird.

[PikaPerfect]

Hi! I have a little question and I'd like some input from you guys c:

Although I probably won't ever do this, I'd like to own a wild cat some day. Obviously not a tiger/lion/leopard/etc., but something smaller like an ocelot, serval, or geoffroy's cat (Which I only heard about on a post a few pages ago and they seem pretty nice). I know they need to have a big enclosure where they can "live" (I'm aware that having a wild animal running around my house would be a terrible idea), they absolutely cannot be able to escape, and they need a lot of space because, well, they're active! Also they're SUPER unpredictable and expensive.

What I'd like to know is what do you guys think? Do any of you have any wild cats, or wild pets in general? Are they as difficult to raise as people say they are, even if you train them from birth?

[Winstalgia]

Hi! I have a little question and I'd like some input from you guys c:

Although I probably won't ever do this, I'd like to own a wild cat some day. Obviously not a tiger/lion/leopard/etc., but something smaller like an ocelot, serval, or geoffroy's cat (Which I only heard about on a post a few pages ago and they seem pretty nice). I know they need to have a big enclosure where they can "live" (I'm aware that having a wild animal running around my house would be a terrible idea), they absolutely cannot be able to escape, and they need a lot of space because, well, they're active! Also they're SUPER unpredictable and expensive.

What I'd like to know is what do you guys think? Do any of you have any wild cats, or wild pets in general? Are they as difficult to raise as people say they are, even if you train them from birth?

I don't own a wild pet/cat, But I can tell you that even a lion -from birth or a young age can manage to bond with one person in particular. So, that means that can easily become over-protective with other family members

[flowercatt]

I know this is kind of random but here I go;

So a few days ago my mom let my cat outside. And she's an inside cat, and the only time she's ever been outside was when my mom accidentally let her out before but I went and got her about an hour later. Anyways, I wouldn't have been so mad. But, she let her out in the middle of the night when it was freezing and pouring down rain. That's what really made me mad. After me going out and looking for her for about an hour the next day as soon as I found out, I didn't have much luck. I was really upset with my mom because I was worried that something had happened to her. I went out a few more times that day to look for her but still no luck. I kinda gave up for the day, and right before I went to bed at about 11:30 at night I went to see if she was outside and there she was, sitting on the porch!! I was so happy!! It kind of amazes me how they can find their way back even after being gone so long (I know my cat wasn't gone that long, but I've heard of other cats being dropped off 20 miles away and still finding their way home weeks later.)

[Angelus Gaston]

Hi! I have a little question and I'd like some input from you guys c:

Although I probably won't ever do this, I'd like to own a wild cat some day. Obviously not a tiger/lion/leopard/etc., but something smaller like an ocelot, serval, or geoffroy's cat (Which I only heard about on a post a few pages ago and they seem pretty nice). I know they need to have a big enclosure where they can "live" (I'm aware that having a wild animal running around my house would be a terrible idea), they absolutely cannot be able to escape, and they need a lot of space because, well, they're active! Also they're SUPER unpredictable and expensive.

What I'd like to know is what do you guys think? Do any of you have any wild cats, or wild pets in general? Are they as difficult to raise as people say they are, even if you train them from birth?

I dont condone owning any wild feline as if they get sick or injured you can not find a vet capable of treating one and if you do treatment is often very very expensive and often stressful ( its one of the reasons zoo's know start to implement positive reinforcement training for vet treatment unless surgery is needed ). You can not feed commercial cat food it has to be meat and unless you know how to you can get it wrong.

There not a pet you can not interact with them like a domestic cat they wont cuddle or play and can be very flighty. Honestly why not just get a Bengal or savannah cat there far from a wild cat to be tame but require more energy than a normal tabby, yes they are expensive but not as a expensive as a wild cat.

[Thalassic]

Hi! I have a little question and I'd like some input from you guys c:

Although I probably won't ever do this, I'd like to own a wild cat some day. Obviously not a tiger/lion/leopard/etc., but something smaller like an ocelot, serval, or geoffroy's cat (Which I only heard about on a post a few pages ago and they seem pretty nice). I know they need to have a big enclosure where they can "live" (I'm aware that having a wild animal running around my house would be a terrible idea), they absolutely cannot be able to escape, and they need a lot of space because, well, they're active! Also they're SUPER unpredictable and expensive.

What I'd like to know is what do you guys think? Do any of you have any wild cats, or wild pets in general? Are they as difficult to raise as people say they are, even if you train them from birth?

They arn't just something that takes up a ton of space and money, but if you intend to train them, you'll have to invest a LOT of time into the whole thing. I'd suggest looking into rescue programs in your area, or even zoos to see if you could talk with an actual handler. Most people on CS are kids and young teens so I'm worried you might get some misleading advice from here.

But properly caring for a wild animal is a big commitment. Not something I'd ever recommend for 1 person. So if you can get in touch with a program that already cares for such animals, maybe you could volunteer there or even work there at some point. It would also be great if you want to care for them for the right reasons, not just because you think it would be cool or fun. There are wild animals out there that actually could use our help, but again, that largely depends on your area. So see if you can get in touch with a program that works with wild animal rehabilitation or something.

I don't own a wild pet/cat, But I can tell you that even a lion -from birth or a young age can manage to bond with one person in particular. So, that means that can easily become over-protective with other family members

Remember that a wild animal is still a wild animal, and is thus unpredictable, absolutely not a tame pet, and is probably much stronger and more dangerous than they look. Even if a lion or whatever has bonded to you, they might try to play with you as they would with another lion - which can result in serious damage for the person, if not even death. Let alone if they become angry for whatever reason. Wild animals are not pets and should never be seen or treated as such.

[Winstalgia]

Hi! I have a little question and I'd like some input from you guys c:


What I'd like to know is what do you guys think? Do any of you have any wild cats, or wild pets in general? Are they as difficult to raise as people say they are, even if you train them from birth?

They arn't just something that takes up a ton of space and money, but if you intend to train them, you'll have to invest a LOT of time into the whole thing. I'd suggest looking into rescue programs in your area, or even zoos to see if you could talk with an actual handler. Most people on CS are kids and young teens so I'm worried you might get some misleading advice from here.

But properly caring for a wild animal is a big commitment. Not something I'd ever recommend for 1 person. So if you can get in touch with a program that already cares for such animals, maybe you could volunteer there or even work there at some point. It would also be great if you want to care for them for the right reasons, not just because you think it would be cool or fun. There are wild animals out there that actually could use our help, but again, that largely depends on your area. So see if you can get in touch with a program that works with wild animal rehabilitation or something.

I don't own a wild pet/cat, But I can tell you that even a lion -from birth or a young age can manage to bond with one person in particular. So, that means that can easily become over-protective with other family members

Remember that a wild animal is still a wild animal, and is thus unpredictable, absolutely not a tame pet, and is probably much stronger and more dangerous than they look. Even if a lion or whatever has bonded to you, they might try to play with you as they would with another lion - which can result in serious damage for the person, if not even death. Let alone if they become angry for whatever reason. Wild animals are not pets and should never be seen or treated as such.

Ah, Yes! I know that. I would never get a pet lion or tiger, even a bear as it is illegal in most places. Even if it was allowed, I wouldn't-Couldn't. And.. I was thinking about lions so that must of made me type in lion instead of Several or Ocelot.