Cat thread

[Signe]

I'm sorry.     I hope that's not what it is and everything turns out okay. 

[Engels]

What is FIP? Feline something something?

[Sjofn]

Feline something something is about right. Feline Infectious? ... Psomething. But basically it's a mutation of a different virus and there's not anything you can do about it except treat the symptoms while you wait for the poor kitty to pass on.

At least it isn't contagious or something. Bleh.

[MahrinSkel]

Feline Infectious Peritonitis.  Believed to be caused by a mutation of a benign/symbiotic intestinal bacteria into a lethal form.  Inevitably fatal, although steroids and interferon can delay the acceleration of symptoms and gain some life expectancy.  In spite of the name, not considered contagious (mutated form of the virus is not expelled from the body until the very last stages).

--Dave

[Engels]

Blech. I'm sorry :/

[NiX]

Gilly is sick again and it seems pretty likely it's FIP. It's pretty depressing, she's only 9 months old. :(

I remember awhile back my Mom wanted to get me a cat, but being the overly caring person she was, she ended up with a litter of 6 that was supposed to be put down because no one would take them. Over the course of 4 - 6 weeks they started getting sick, took them to the vet and the vet only gave 1 shot, said the rest were fine. Within a week all but the one that got the shot was dead. Not nice either, we would wake up to another kitten literally stuck to the tile floor.

I'd say do what you can to keep the cat alive as long as it isn't prolonging pain.

[Sky]

Bart likes to hang out on the rug in front of the fire.


If not hanging out on the rug, he can be found nearby...

[Sjofn]

Took Gilly to the vet again today to get some fluids injected, she's gained back a little weight (she had dropped half a pound in a week) and she is gorging herself on dry food suddenly, so if nothing else she is feeling better. We have some test results coming back today, hopefully the news isn't too terrible. Bitch of it is that the dry form of FIP (wet form builds up fluids) is really hard to diagnose concretely. Whee!

[Signe]

I know.  There's no good tests for some of this stuff, is there?  I'll cross my fingers and anything else I can still cross that everything is okay for you guys.   

Also, I've decided that Magenta and Bart are related.  They're very nearly the same cat!  (except I think Magenta is the tiny, female version of Bart)  Both my cats, especially Lister, have become very affectionate towards the fireplace, too.  Giant Lister curls up on the hearth rug and looks like a medium size dog. 

[LK]

Signe's avatar is really distracting.

How many of you have pet insurance? ShelterCare is offering me a pretty good deal of $3000 per incident and $36000 lifetime coverage for a decent monthly rate ($20 I think). My cats are pretty happy and healthy though Gilly's story is depressing.

Petra's found her place as a princess who mews warmly for attention and petting, and Mesa's a homewrecker who seems intent to destroy my HDTV with his claws, but the two of them get along great both in play and in relaxing with each other.

[Ingmar]

After this whole business with Gilly, I wish we had it. It has been expensive.

[Mrbloodworth]

Anyone have the problem of a cat peeing on the floor? The odd part is, he never did this before, its only since we moved into the new apartment. He has two spots he does this in, I have already scolded him a few times. But he continues to do this while we are out. This has already cost me some nights sleep and a 150$ steam cleaning vac.

[Ingmar]

Anyone have the problem of a cat peeing on the floor? The odd part is, he never did this before, its only since we moved into the new apartment. He has two spots he does this in, I have already scolded him a few times. But he continues to do this while we are out. This has already cost me some nights sleep and a 150$ steam cleaning vac.

Likely some other cat peed there before (a prior renter) and he's trying to mark it as his own.

[Mrbloodworth]

Yeah, I figured this. One spot is directly in front of the door, the other is in front of one of the room doors.

I am open to suggestions on how to get him to stop, so I dont have to steam clean every weekend.

Forgot to mention, we have started using Feliway.

[rattran]

I think the name of the 'enzyme cleaner' I use is Nature's Miracle Advanced or some such. Gallon jug or spray bottle from Petsmart. My roommates cat developed a bladder infection and peed in a couple places, then all the other cats followed suit. Spray lots on/around the spot, put an inverted rubbermaid tub over it to keep the cats away, let it soak overnight, wet-dry vac it, and let it dry. Has worked on both spots for a couple months now.

Dunno the actual name as I put what was left of the gallon into a generic spray bottle.

[Signe]

I have pet insurance through the ASPCA.  It's not the best out there but it helps support the place where I got Lister.  It paid about three quarters of the operation Magenta had last year and it covers a few annual thingies.  If anything big happens, it covers $3500 per incident - I forget how much per year.  I took the coverage that was smack in the middle of almost nothing and way too expensive.

[Sjofn]

Whelp, the vet just called and he feels about as confident as he can given some test results that came in today that it is indeed FIP. This sucks. :(

[Yegolev]

I adopted a cat once, name him Duncan... anyway, Duncan got pissed at us for something, like we left town for the weekend maybe, so he shit in the house.  Out he goes for about a week.  We let him back in and the first thing he does - I mean like he was WAITING for it - was to drop a wet pile of shit behind my computer desk.  My diagnosis, Bloodworth, is that you cat is angry at you.

Duncan moved in with a neighbor family.

[Sjofn]

Duncan was just telling you that you aren't the boss of him!

Ingmar's sister had a cat (his parents have it now) who would poop on her bed when she displeased him.

[Signe]

This is the Cat Thread, dummies.

[rattran]

Removed the other stuff. Topics. We have them for a reason.

Also, Oscar's latest fascination seems to involve taking pieces of paper, crumpling them up, playing with them a while, and putting them in my boots.

[Sky]

Topics. We have them for a reason.

Could've at least moved the sweater link to T&A :)

Also, on-topic conversation 

[Sky]

I told the boy to get his kicks with the xmas stuff, it all came down this weekend. I like the way the gold paper and the rim of iris work together.



I call this one Long Arm of the Paw:

[sickrubik]

So, I've regalled Ingmar and Sjofn with stories of what our youngest, Bella, likes to eat. (Spoiler: Everything)

However, this is probably the most amusing thing we've come home to:



That's a nice sized avacado there, so it wasn't just one bite. Someone went to town on that avacado.

[LK]

Nom nom nom.

[Nebu]

I have a new ragdoll kitten that loves honeydew melon.  I'll have to get some pictures of her.  

[Bunk]

Wow, my cat won't even eat canned fish, I can't imagine her going near any sort of non-meat food. The only non-catfood things I've ever seen her eat are Tuna sashimi and KFC.

[Rasix]

My maine coon mix eats veggies.  He'll fish green beens out of can.  He even eats baby food peas, which my son will not do.  The wet food we give our cats now is turky and vegtables, and he's done well before the other 2.

My recently deceased cat (looked remarkably like the white cat Signe posted) was a carb fiend.  He loved nothing more than stealing a piece of tortilla.

[Sky]

My cat eats his dry noms. And lint, wood, insects, hair, tinsel, and dental floss. Found that last one in his poop.

[stray]

My cat doesn't eat veggies, but needs to have them "anyways", since the dog likes them, and the cat feels left out.  

I love maine coons.. Any dog and cat with big coats like that. I've never had one though. Feel like kidnapping a friend's cat though.

[edit] I hate the word "noms" as a noun. lol, in Thai it means tits.

[Brogarn]

[edit] I hate the word "noms" as a noun. lol, in Thai it means tits.

Then why hate? 

[Signe]

Magenta goes nuts when I cut melon (especially watermelon) and apples.  Lister wants meat, meat and more meat.  Especially very stinky tinned mackerel in gravy.  At $30 a case, he has champagne taste buds.   

[LK]

Might explain why my cats get all inquisitive and crazy whenever I bring food into the house. They have only experienced dry catfood so far.

[Sjofn]

Gilly wants to at least TRY anything she sees us putting in our mouths, basically. She seems to especially wish I would let her eat pizza (she has run off with crusts a couple of times). I could tell her medicine was making her feel better because she's started climbing all over me whenever I am eating ANYTHING again. Lizzie is slightly more controlled, but if I'm eating, say, a tuna sandwich, all bets are off with her too.

[NiX]

My maine coon mix eats veggies.

Is your cat giant?