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Pets MEGA Cats VS Dogs - POLL!

The Big Question - Cat v's Dog

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    164
Some updates: Charlie almost always uses the litterbox by now. I taught him this by doing exactly what wolfmans brother said in post 78. It took about 4 days for him to learn this. However, we put him in the kitchen when we go to bed and sometimes when we get up in the morning, we find a turd on the floor. Could this have anything to do with him being alone for a relatively long time? (He seems very attached to us; sometimes he even cries when we go to the bathroom.)

He's also been having runny poop since we got him. We called the vet because we thought he might have worms, but the vet thinks it's just because of him being in a new home and possibly the food he got (dry food, canned food and kitten milk). Now he's on a diet of exclusively rice/pasta + boiled chicken, nothing else. We should report back to the vet if he still has runny poop after 4 days of this diet.

I'm only a few posts short of being allowed to post pics so they should be here soon.
Thanks for your interest in my thread guys!
 
Mel22 said:
Just thought I'd chime in here to advise any new cat owners that the above information on diet is absolutely incorrect and would be detrimental to your cat's health.

Ninae, I think you need to do a LOT more research on cat nutrition before you recommend feeding solely fish and rice INSTEAD of specifically formulated cat foods. Giving a cat (which is obviously a carnivore) such a large amount of starchy carbohydrates is a good way to ensure your cat dies prematurely.
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Agreed. Unless your vet specifically instructed you to change your kitten's diet...
 
Hey BL'ers
The chicken and rice/pasta diet seems to go very well: no more diarrhea!
He's almost always using the litterbox now but we still have a problem: he only wants to use it if there's newspapers in it. This isn't very convenient because everytime he has to pee, he gets wet and runs through the house on his wet paws. Any alternatives? He refuses to use the litterbox once the newspaper/grains ratio gets below 50%.
 
milfhunter said:
He's almost always using the litterbox now but we still have a problem: he only wants to use it if there's newspapers in it. This isn't very convenient because everytime he has to pee, he gets wet and runs through the house on his wet paws. Any alternatives? He refuses to use the litterbox once the newspaper/grains ratio gets below 50%.
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There are absorbent pads you can buy for this - should help.

I'd slowly start adding handfuls of kitty litter (or whatever you're choosing to use) each day, and hopefully he'll slowly get used to it.
 
525803_3530829823717_318688159_n.jpg


Feeding time at our house ......
 
I know I'm coming late to this thread, so what I say has probably already been said by people more knowledgeable. Anyways, my tips:

*Get a scratching post. My cats seem to especially like the disposable, catnip-infused cardboard ones, though note that these make a mess.

*Make sure any ornamental plants you have indoors are not poisonous; some popular ones are really nasty, like Dieffenbachia.

*If a scratching post won't work, take your cat to the vet for claw trimming; my local vet does this for free, but even if they charge you shouldn't have to do it more than once or twice a month. In any event, it will be lot cheaper than new drapes, a mattress, or upholstery.

*Some cats will never, ever get along with other cats; prepare for the friction.

*Feed them only at set times; leaving food down all the time led to one of our cats becoming truly obese before we put her on a diet (her weight is about normal now).

*Wet food is supposedly slightly better for them, not least because it provides more liquids.
 
Luckily, both of our cats are pretty good at managing their own diet, so we can always keep their bowl full.
 
same here. we only use dry food (albeit the expensive kind designed for these breed/long fur conditions), so it can stay out. i do have a nightly ritual of giving each three small "treat" bikkies before bed. so much so they complain if i almost forget. some nights i give them some specialty cat mince too.
 
Definitely consider feeding wet food - the health benefits can be quite significant.

Do a quick google search, and you'll find lots of info on this.
 
Funny Max, don't forget twice a day feeding plus all the kitty litter i scoop . On top of that i have 4 strays outside i take care of , $130 a pop the have them spayed & neutered.
 
^ More expensive than you might think... because those cat food tins are from the Gourmet Solitaire range.

We feed one of our cats on that stuff and bemoan the expense. I can't imagine that 13 times over.

We usually buy in bulk to keep costs down. In the event of a nuclear winter, our garage will be commandeered by mutant cat militias, bent on preserving stocks for themselves.
 
Do name it something that ends in an "ee" sound, they respond better to names like that. Things like "Katie".

Do speak to it in a higher pitched happy voice when it's not chewing up wires or climbing up your curtains. They like and respond to a higher voice better than a lower one.

Do play with it A LOT. And carry it around. Kittens who get played with and carried turn into awesome cats. Kittens who do not get played with and carried turn into those cats who hate everyone and are assholes.

If you want to teach it to come when you call for it, choose a simple sound to make, I use a kissy noise, and from the first day you get it make the sound and when they come to you give them some kind of treat. It won't be long before you won't need the treats and they will come every time. They seem to like the kissy noise, it gets their attention.
 
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