Cats, cats, cats
Comments
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That's a great idea to make a tuna slurry to increase his water intake! Ice cube tray full of tuna cubes. It might be hard to get my daughter to do it as she is vegan but she LOVES Pinky and will do just about anything to keep her furball going. I might make them and freeze them and then give them to her. I give my cat Percy canned people tuna all the time.
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I made catnip tea for my boy with kidney failure. He liked it and it didn't make him too high. You can also add water to canned food. Just enough to make it moister without making soup. It's fine for us to be vegan, but cats are carnivores and programed to eat mice and birds.
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love the tuna ice cube idea!
One of the axioms of cat food, and I believe from catinfo site is "the worst canned food is better than the best dry food."
I am 3 months into raw food feeding now. My rescue got extreme gastritis / diarrhea from just 3 doses of an antibiotic. For 7 months i went with the Vet Rx of bland food (Purina EM) as I refused the typical pill cure of metrodiaznole. I could only imagine my cat's reaction to that drug (basically flagyl). Diarrhea cured in 1.5 weeks from the time I fed her raw!
I took 3-4 weeks to totally transition and no more dry food. No more kibbleheads. My cats eagerly eat their raw chicken and beef. No leftover wet food to throw away.
I am a believer in raw, but now must solve the expense, but I can tell you this, if you make it yourself (join a fb group like Completely Raw abd Proud (CRAP) for recipes) it will be cheaper than the cheapest canned food you can find. I currently feed commercial raw and spend $90 per month per cat! According to others, they can do from $10-$25 a month per cat making it themselves. And all the things they say are true...cat drinks less because they are getting hydrated well from food, less solid matter in the box because they use the food, ie no filler, less smelly (I have nothing to compare to).
I think hydration is the key for UTI, so stay away from kibble, whether raw or cooked wet
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Rosevalley ~
I never heard of Wysong Uretic . I looked it up and wow! That's some good stuff, really impressive ingredients. 10% Moisture is good too. Wish it wasn't so pricey
I just compared ingredients on these:
Hills Science Diet Urinary Hairball Control - 8% Moisture ......Wheat and corn are 2nd and 3rd ingredients.
Purina ONE Urinary Tract Health Formula - 10% Moisture.....6.2% Ash....Corn Gluten Meal & Ground Yellow Corn are the 1st and 2nd ingredients.
My Step-Son has a neutered male kitty, I have a spayed female. We both feed the "house" brand of dry food sold at Tractor Supply. We also feed our cats low ash canned food in the evening. Neither of our cats has any problems so far.
4health Grain-Free - 10% Moisture....Chicken, Chicken Meal & Garbanzo Beans are the 1st three ingredients. It also has probiotics and Omega 6 and 3.
Ahhhh the stuff we do to keep our babies healthy 'n happy
Wren ~ The senior kitty that was adopted....was that the same sweet old lady that was so mean to Squeakers? So nice to hear of kitties finding their furever homes! Hope the old gal behaves herself! Catnip tea sounds like a lovely treat. Less messy and less goofy!
CJ ~ Speaking of behaving....I read your Gus story and had a brief moment of panic! Thank goodness he returned home to you. I hope he is staying put now. Wishing you happy healing and lotsa kitty snugs.
Feline ~ I Googled Aoshima to learn more about it. I can't imagine so many cats in one place! Lots of neat sites with photos. I found this one The 11 Cat Islands of Japan . I'm totally charmed at the thought of all the folks and kitties living together so nicely. Thank you for sharing!
Loving everyone's pics of their lovely cats. Ruth's big white and black "kitten" is adorable
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The other axiom of cat feeding, your cat doesn't have a problem until it does. Sadly, our cats are very good at hiding brewing problems, then one day they have severe heart disease, cancer, UTIs, FIP, diabetes, etc.. Even my traditionalist Vet said if you can, only wet food
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My vet says that cats are 'stoic', which is why you don't know they have a problem until it is pretty bad. Our 17 year old Oreo is having some problems which the vet has traced (through clues) to arthritis in his hind legs. We are trying an anti-inflammatory for pain, a cookie sheet for a litter box (so he doesn't have to climb in to go), and a stool softener (so he doesn't have to balance and strain so much on his hind legs). It is good to have a smart vet!
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Second that ruthbru - a smart Vet. I live in a rural area and there is only one Vet in my area I would go to, but now he is only doing surgery. I've spent so much money on bad diagnoses, no diagnoses, etc.. I lost a cat to FIP in 2013. A few labs, some fluid withdrawal and I should have had a definitive dx. It is a fatal disease, so could have just brought her home to die. Instead I got failed test interpretations, overnights at the hospitals, more tests, more ultra sounds and finally, I did a necropsy because I wanted to know. $4000 later......
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Ruth ~ Good vets are hard to find! The cookie sheet litter box is a clever solution. My vet had my senior kitty take Cosequin for Cats for his arthritis. It was amazing how well it worked. Kitty went from barely walking to being able to jump on the kitchen chairs, sofa and bed again. He was 14 or 15 when he first started taking it. Cosequin is glucosamine in a form that cats can metabolize. It also coats the inside of the bladder to protect against infections. The caplets are easy to open and mix in food. Pumpkin is good for diarrhea and constipation. Cats can take Benefiber too. Depending on how big a kitty, they can have 1/4 to 1 tsp 2x daily mixed in wet food.
Gosh, I think everything I know about health stuffs is because of my critters 😜
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Thanks for the tips! I am going to copy them & print them off!
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Shepkitty, The adopted senior was a different (nice) cat. The mean one went to another cat volunteer who has no other pets. She is basically hospice, except he said she's gaining weight (good). We're getting good adoptions at the shelter. Friday an 11yo and 12yo were adopted together.
I don't know if I could starve Squeakers into canned food or not. He sure won't eat it on his own - unless another cat in the house is eating it. He managed to open the front door the other evening and was working on the screen door when I went to see what the noise was. His current favorite sleeping place is the laundry basket (for light colored clothes - he's black). I don't eat meat, so I don't think I could prepare it for my cat.
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Wren ~ Yay for all the seniors finding just the right people for them! Ms. Grumpy Lady must be very happy to an "only" - awesome she is gaining weight. I do believe it is the natural instinct of all cats to be attracted to laundry of an opposite color
Can Squeakers use doorknobs? Smart kitties are hard!
Miss Pris loves canned cat and dog food (ick) in small doses. Andy, her predecessor, despised most canned food. And most type of any food. He would make a horrible, disgusted face, look at me with revulsion and then try to "bury" the "poop" I was serving him. He was kind of a jerk. He did looove pumpkin, sweet potatoes and peach cobbler; that was how I'd trick him into his meds and Benefiber
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This is my cat Gracie that I inherited from my mother in 2006.0 -
Aww, Gracie is a cutie.
My son had a female cat who could open windows that slid open sideways. The frame was out of shape due to earthquakes. His male cat couldn't do it. He'd escape, she stayed in. Hmm, looking back, I wonder if that was her way of trying to get rid of him
So glad the elder cats are getting adopted.
Interesting discussion on food I feed a couple of the neighborhood ferals. Give them both wet and dry. From what I'm reading, it looks like I'll stop the dry. If they aren't on the porch when I open the door, they come trotting when they hear it
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Gracie is beautiful!
We had a cat who liked frozen peas (after they were cooked). Another loved bread and a third was crazy about corn on the cob. We thought it was the butter, but then she started shucking raw corn to get to the kernels. We had a male cat who would not touch people food of any kind.
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Knew a cat who liked peppers and mushroom peelings (vegetarian in a previous life?)
123abc Welcome. So wonderful for beautiful Gracie that you could offer her a home.
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Update on Oreo. The Laxotin/anti-inflammatory combination seems to be working. He has been pooping.....and in the litter box (he has scoffed at the idea of going to the bathroom on a cookie sheet). The vet is ordering some Cosequin for cats for him, as she can get it cheaper. Once it comes in we will see what happens. Thanks so much for the suggestion shepkitty!
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Once in a while we get cats at the shelter who don't recognize what they use for litter. One volunteer went over to a vacant lot and dug some dirt for the litter box. You've never seen such a grateful cat.
Oreo's scoffing at the cookie sheet reminds me of DH, who will accept no accommodations.
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Ah that was so astute and kind of that volunteer.
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Interesting challenge, bought DD a great second hand bike. Saw the bike outdoors, DD rode it etc.
On the way home in the car we realised the tyres had been sprayed by a Mr. T'homme Chat Esq, Unneutered.
Got the smell out of the car with febreeze, as it was just from indirect contact with bike.
The bike is great except for stinky tyres!
Did a google and you would not believe how many motorbikers out there have had this problem.
I got an empty spray bottle and sprayed the tyres with vinegar but now they just smell of vinegar with an undernote of eau de t'homme chat.
I was worried to try baking soda in case it corroded tyres.
Any suggestions?
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I would try white vinegar and water and then rinse it. Then leave it out in the sun to air dry. I doubt baking soda would be too bad for tires.
My cat Percy sprays our neighbors car tires. He thinks their house is his house. sigh... after 16 years I can't change him.
Thanks for the suggestion of tuna ice cubes for my DD's cat with urinary issues. Yummy! It's a hit. She is willing to make him tuna cubes being vegan. First set came from Grandma... (me).
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Thanks Rose will try that.
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My cat peed in the hall and I put hydrogen pyroxide on it. It took out the small and some of the dark stain. Stupid cat sitter had just covered it up rather than cleaning. She's not the cat sitter any more.
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Wren- really try ALIVE liquid enzyme cleaner at a vacuum store. Works great on getting out smells and stains. We love it. I would worry about hydrogen peroxide taking the color out of the carpet. Finding a good pet sitter is really hard. I guess your cat was angry you left!
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ALIVE is working really well for me. I got it off Amazon.
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I'm done animal sitting, they're back home, I'm back home. These are their fur babies. Cleo is a cow kitty!
And Ben
These guys were born in my sisters backyard. My DGD tricked her dad into getting them!
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Feelingfeline, I second the suggestion of an enzymatic cleaner for getting rid of the cat urine smell. Another brand is Nature's Miracle, from the pet store. (I hope you can translate this into something available where you live.)
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DH is going to be in NC in both Oct and Nov. He's flying over just for a weekend in Oct for surprise 70th birthday party of a former teacher of his who became a lifelong friend. Then in Nov he is visiting for 2 weeks which takes in his Dad's 80th so will have to send him to a Petstore and a vacuum store! I will throw the ewhole lot incl the white vinegar at the bike! I may have made a booboo with my initial vinegar attempt as I used apple cider vinegar which was what we had in the house.
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The pee was on hardwood floor, not carpet. Probably easier to get up than carpet would have been. The hydrogen peroxide completely obliterated the smell, but would probably ruin carpet. I have seen both of the enzyme cleaners here, so I'll use them if he has any more episodes.
The rescue where I clean cages had an adorable calico kitten today. She is very shy. I touched her fur and she pulled away. I could see her rapid breathing and heart rate from being scared.
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Hopefully she will come round with some TLC0 -
Thankfully a happy ending to a terrifying predicament...
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