The Cat Megathread

[Eddie Teach]

No, just 6 years. I have two cats who tolerate each other, most of the time.

[Malthus]

Cats certainly appear to feel stress and boredom if left indoors by themselves - judging by their actions (they go 'stir-crazy' and start to display odd/disfunctional behaviours). I'm not sure it is too much of a stretch to call that "lonely".

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Is he named after the American ambassador to Denmark?

I think he is named after one of the most famous alumni of my wife's high school.

[Caliga]

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K?

[CountDeMoney]

I need some advice.

I have this cat, Missy.  She is a good cat, but she is incredibly lonely.

I don't know exactly how old she is, but I have had her for 7 years.  My ex adopted her, then got evicted from her apartment so I took both of her cats in.

At that point I had 2 other cats and my kids were teenagers and around all the time.

Now the other cats and the kids are gone (cats put down, one kid living in another state, the other basically living with her boyfriend).   Missy's behavior seemed to change noticeably when the last other cat was put down, but around the same time she was diagnosed with hyper-thyroidism and I wasn't sure what might have caused what.

She may have bonded with the other cat: even in multi-cat households, they can make a particular bond with one over the others, and separation can be difficult.  But she will get over it with time.  And even if she didn't, hyperthyroidism can be a significant behavior "cat"alyst!, and it happens with age and diet. 

I try to get her to sit on my lap when I am at the computer, but she isn't interested.  She wants me to sit on the couch with her so she can snuggle but I am not a sit on the couch person.  I have been making an effort to sit with her and read a book for at least an hour a night instead of being on the computer, but I just want to fall asleep when I do that.

What are you, fucking autistic? Snuggle with the fucking cat already.  Watch Sportscenter, the news, an episode of Seinfeld.  It doesn't have to be long.  Jesus H. Christ.
But definitely make some time for 10 or 15 minutes of quality playtime a day for the cat.  Laser pointer, feather toy, doesn't matter:  even that little bit of activity will do wonders for her WAIT FOR IT cattitude!

So I am thinking about getting another cat.  I don't particularly want another cat, but I think Missy really needs a friend, or at least something here in the house with her all day while I am at work. 

I would go to a shelter and get another adult cat that needs a home, but I don't know if I want to get a second cat I don't necessarily want just because the existing cat is lonely.

What say you?

I am not sure that getting another cat would be the best idea at this point;  there's all sorts of issues with introducing a new cat into another cat's territory if you don't do it right--particularly as they grow older into middle age, where career and dating opportunities shrink. 

And remember:  getting another adult cat at roughly the same age means dealing with twice the health issues at a certain point.  Hyperthyroidism is like diabetes: but with the right care, your little friend will continue to have a purrrrfect senior life!

And where the fuck is Seedy?

Trying hard not to blow shit up or shooting people in their simple ass motherfucking faces.

[MadBurgerMaker]

[Martinus]

 

[Brazen]

 

Taffy has hyperthyroidism and was really badly behaved and, well, hyper until we got his meds dosage right. I think he's OK now:


I think the previous owners lied to us about the cats being brought up together, they really don't appreciate each other's company and will both individually seek out human snuggles and games in their own special ways.

OK Harley, no favouritism:

[celedhring]

I have been cat-sitting this summer (an excuse to spend a couple weeks at a big house in la Costa Brava), and being a dog guy, I had forgotten how coarse cat tongues are; and she loves licking me for some reason.

Good to see you back, Seedy.

[Martinus]

It seems like Rufus has some digestion problems - he keeps dragging his ass on the floor and where he sits, it smells like shit. Should I wait it out or take him to a vet tomorrow?

[Razgovory]

Are you sure he's not just imitating something he saw you do?

[Martinus]

Are you sure he's not just imitating something he saw you do?

Go fuck yourself, Raz.

[Brazen]

It seems like Rufus has some digestion problems - he keeps dragging his ass on the floor and where he sits, it smells like shit. Should I wait it out or take him to a vet tomorrow?

Vets!

It could be diarrhoea and he's cleaning his fur, especially if it's long, in which case you'll need to clean his bum and maybe clip his arse fur. If you haven't treated him for worms it could be that. Or seeing as it smells bad it could be clogged anal sacs. Which the vet will show you how to clear manually. Nice.

Have you had him neutered yet?

[Martinus]

So it looks like diarrhea (his ass region was caked with shit) - I realised it after he smeared it all over the bathroom yesterday morning. Today his shit was normal but he puked some. So far got him special feed for stomach problems and if this does not go away will take him to a doc. I also suspect the shit problem could have come from a different litter I got for him which seems poor quality and it stuck to his tail so changed that too.

And yes he is neutered.

[Martinus]

Ok he puked everything. At the vet clinic now.