Pets chit chat thread

[Shahaku]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

My pup has/had an ear infection. I'm supposed to continue using the ear cleaning every few days, then weekly, etc and kind of wean her off it. But man she hates that stuff.


My other dog has allergies too apparently. Been trying to figure out what's causing it cause he's never had an issue before. We've literally always fed him whatever was available. Sometimes my dad's girlfriend has extra bags of real good dog food because her dog is picky as hell and she's always trying to find a dry food he'll actually eat, so we give him that stuff a lot. And I usually pick up soft food for him to eat on occasion. And when I'm feeling generous I'll substitute a meal here and there with a boiled egg, chicken breast, etc. And then there's a potential of something on the lawn... cause we just moved here.

[anubisa]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

My vet recommended Science Hill dog food. We usually use dry dog food instead of canned food. She also said not to use chicken, beef, or lamb. She recommended fish and bison dog food.

[Shahaku]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

...yea. It's just most of that is really really expensive and my dog has never had a food allergy problem before. The only reason I'm thinking in might be the kibble and bits or whatever is because his muzzle was a little red after eating it a time or two. But it may have been that way from playing with the puppy too.. he gets pretty worked up when they get going. And they may have been playing before he ate, not sure. I'm honestly leaning more toward it being a possible yard issue, previous owners using lots of pesticide/herbicide type stuff to make the yard look good since they were selling it. Vet said that stuff can take a year or more to really go away.

And when I talk about chicken and eggs, I mean I cook a chicken breast or boil an egg, sometimes add some veggie bits that are safe and that they like. I don't do that too often, but a couple times a month as a special thing for them. Our dogs are the spoiled kind. They get apple chunks, bites of cantaloupe, real meat, broccoli, sweet potato/yams, carrots. I try to spoil them in ways that are healthy though. Cheese is probably the worst thing I give them. But they get bits from whatever we're having that's puppy safe. Honestly, if I could afford it, and knew enough about puppy nutrition, I would make them fresh food, from real food ingredients, all the time.

[anubisa]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

We feed our dogs real food too. Real meat and veggies. We try to spoil them but not too much. ^^

[kijani]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Vincent is doing so well. He made friends with one of the cats. It makes me giggle.

[nbdy]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

glitter dog.jpg

Had to share.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Ok so after a few weeks, we are having issues with Albert. After I originally posted in here, he started to settle in very well. He was affectionate and seemed comfortable. But then he started scratching at things. He has a very large cat tree for him to scratch and he does like to use it, but he also likes to scratch the rugs, furniture, and wicker baskets that we have around the house. He's also a huge climber and we're not so keen on him jumping on shelves and tables. We started telling him "no" and shaking a can of coins if he doesn't listen, but a lot of the time he doesn't listen. We have the feeling he was never not allowed to do things in his old home and he hasn't reacted well to not being allowed to do whatever he wants. Sometimes he's become aggressive about it, like we'll tell him "no" when he does something he's not supposed to and he hisses at us.

He also bites a lot. I get the idea that a lot of the time he wants to play (it's not hard or aggressive biting and he seems to act the same was as he does when he plays with his toys), but this isn't really acceptable playing. Is there anyway to train him out of this kind of behaviour? I'm a bit worried because a friend of mine trained her cat to roughhouse a bit and when they had kids, she had to give him away because he bit the baby.

I dont think he's still stressed out because none of his other behaviour indicates stress. He seems happy to relax a lot of the time. I also got the feliway plug-in and used it, but it hasn't changed any of the above behaviour. Is it something we're doing wrong? Or does he have to adjust?

[Rowanwood]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Ok so after a few weeks, we are having issues with Albert. After I originally posted in here, he started to settle in very well. He was affectionate and seemed comfortable. But then he started scratching at things. He has a very large cat tree for him to scratch and he does like to use it, but he also likes to scratch the rugs, furniture, and wicker baskets that we have around the house. He's also a huge climber and we're not so keen on him jumping on shelves and tables. We started telling him "no" and shaking a can of coins if he doesn't listen, but a lot of the time he doesn't listen. We have the feeling he was never not allowed to do things in his old home and he hasn't reacted well to not being allowed to do whatever he wants. Sometimes he's become aggressive about it, like we'll tell him "no" when he does something he's not supposed to and he hisses at us.

He also bites a lot. I get the idea that a lot of the time he wants to play (it's not hard or aggressive biting and he seems to act the same was as he does when he plays with his toys), but this isn't really acceptable playing. Is there anyway to train him out of this kind of behaviour? I'm a bit worried because a friend of mine trained her cat to roughhouse a bit and when they had kids, she had to give him away because he bit the baby.

I dont think he's still stressed out because none of his other behaviour indicates stress. He seems happy to relax a lot of the time. I also got the feliway plug-in and used it, but it hasn't changed any of the above behaviour. Is it something we're doing wrong? Or does he have to adjust?

He has to learn what goes in your house. I doubt coins will deter him. At the least I'd up the ante to a water spray bottle, and use it when he's a pain. Otherwise he'll never learn. Cats a smart. He's probably figured out the coins aren't a threat. They'll get his attention, but if there's no 'punishment' what does he care? But you may have a losing battle with the wicker. I finally gave up and let them have one basket that's fair game. Now they leave the other ones alone. Sometimes, they still claw the rug, but thankfully don't do damage. I pick my battles with the little fiends.

(I have 6 cats currently)

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

This isn't anxiety or stress, this is his personality lol. And you haven't done anything wrong... we're past the 'adjusting' part now and into the 'how do we all live together' part. There are a few things going on here...

But then he started scratching at things. He has a very large cat tree for him to scratch and he does like to use it, but he also likes to scratch the rugs, furniture, and wicker baskets that we have around the house.

This is 100% completely normal. Cats scratch stuff... we have to try and teach him what it's acceptable to scratch and what it's not acceptable to scratch (which is harder with some than others). First of all, figure out what he likes to scratch the most, and make his scratching tree out of THAT material. Cats get preferences as to what textures they like, and will completely ignore an expensive cat tree if it's not the right fabric. My cat likes vinyl... don't know why, he just does lol. He doesn't have a cat tree and never has had one... he has a vinyl outdoor chair that has become his scratching post. So make sure that Albert has something in his preferred fabric that he IS allowed to scratch at.

Also pay attention to whether he's a vertical or a horizontal scratcher... some cats like to stretch up tall while others like to stretch out along the ground and scratch the corners of the couch etc. Make sure that his cat tree allows him to do that and is in an area where he can do his thing without being disturbed. Sometimes we put cat trees in corners or next to doorways, which means that when they try to stretch out, they get interrupted when people walk past, or they can't get quite the angle that they're after... and so they use the furniture instead because it works better for them. If he likes to scratch at the carpet then he needs a patch that he IS allowed to scratch at... like a rug or square of off-cut carpet that he can use.

Next, get some clear contact or double sided tape, and some cardboard sheets... cover the cardboard so that one side of it is has the sticky stuff out. Then lay it over all your furniture and rugs that you don't want him scratching at. It's a right pain, but what it does is make all the other surfaces not attractive to him, while 'his' surfaces are.

Reward him when you find him using 'his' surfaces... this is hard to do with cats, because they are much harder to motivate than dogs and aren't usually that fussed about food rewards. But if he's affectionate then just a pat and some praise can work, or engaging in play with him while he's playing with 'his' things. If he's motivated by affection and attention then that can make a difference to him.

He's also a huge climber and we're not so keen on him jumping on shelves and tables.

Again, this is normal for a lot of cats. Some cats like to hide down low... some like to be climbing and sitting above everything else. My advice is to give him a shelf he is allowed to sit on, so that he has at least one perch that he can get up to and safely sit on. Then put the contact sheets on everything else.

If his instinct is to get up high, then you need to give him an acceptable outlet for that. Trying to stop it completely is very difficult and usually fails or ends up ruining the relationship.

We started telling him "no" and shaking a can of coins if he doesn't listen, but a lot of the time he doesn't listen. We have the feeling he was never not allowed to do things in his old home and he hasn't reacted well to not being allowed to do whatever he wants. Sometimes he's become aggressive about it, like we'll tell him "no" when he does something he's not supposed to and he hisses at us.

This doesn't generally work for most animals (dogs OR cats). This style of punishment generally only works if it's sufficiently unpleasant and the personality is to avoid it rather than confront it. In some cases (like Albert's) it just forces a confrontation which you are NOT going to win. Sometimes a water squirter works much more effectively than noise, because it's more unpleasant to the cat and it's not directly associated with you, so there's less chance of getting into a confrontation.

BUT... with this style of re-training you have to make sure that you aren't triggering or creating anxieties. It doesn't sound like it is in Albert's case, but I've seen lots of people actually create more problems by doing this, because the cat then gets anxious and therefore starts other things like urinating in inappropriate places or becoming antisocial.

This is actually not our preferred method of re-training. It's funny, because this sort of thing is completely out of favor in dog training and behaviour, but is still 'acceptable' in cat training. If you're going to do this than I would say use a water squirter rather than a noise generator. But be aware that on it's own it may not be enough.

He also bites a lot. I get the idea that a lot of the time he wants to play (it's not hard or aggressive biting and he seems to act the same was as he does when he plays with his toys), but this isn't really acceptable playing. Is there anyway to train him out of this kind of behaviour? I'm a bit worried because a friend of mine trained her cat to roughhouse a bit and when they had kids, she had to give him away because he bit the baby.

Was he hand-reared by any chance? He has no concept of how hard to bite or what is acceptable play. It's very difficult to stop this, because they are supposed to be taught by their mothers as kittens what is acceptable and what is not. Lots of kittens that go to homes too early end up with these problems... simply because they were never taught properly. The important thing is not to get confrontational about it, because if he's doing it in play then you 'fighting back' is liable to escalate into a brawl, which you wont win. His teeth and claws are sharper than yours

Stop playing with your hands. Use toys, sticks with string, little laser lights... remote play rather than up close and personal play. If he bites then play stops, stand up and walk away. IGNORE him when it swipes at you to make you come back. Make sure that you reward the not-biting play by engaging with it and stopping when he starts biting. Hopefully he will learn that biting gets him nothing and gentle play gets him play an attention.

This right here is the hard part about getting an older pet... their personality and preferences are already developed, and you're asking them to come into your house and change their lifestyle to suit yours. Some adjust and conform to your rules. Some get anxious and don't cope with being unable to live their own lifestyle. Some get stubborn and expect YOU to do the changing. My philosophy is generally one of compromise... he's an adult cat and yes, he needs to learn your rules and live by them if he wants to stay, but we also need to accept that he is a living creature with his own personality and preferences and see if there is some room for you to meet him in the middle, so to speak. Unfortunately we don't speak cat, so we can't sit him down and go through the 'housemate rules' lol.

I'll check with my behaviour vet tomorrow to see if she has any other tips for you. I know there's a website that she often recommends to our cat behaviour consults, but I can't remember what it is off the top of my head.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Wow thanks for the advice! I do understand that a lot of it is normal cat behaviour...it's just stuff we would like to teach him to not do. He has his cat tree to sit up high in (it's HUGE....we didn't buy it either, it came with him haha). He likes to scratch it, but unfortunately he likes to scratch everything and anything else as well. Carpets, furniture, walls, etc, etc, etc. I'll definitely do the double sided tape thing and I'll stop trying to scare him out of scratching.

I'm not sure how he was raised, to be honest. we wanted to ask the former owner a few questions but he hasn't gotten back to us yet. I like the idea of ignoring him when he tries to play aggressively. It seems easier for both of us lol.

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I have to be more patient as well. I lived with my old cat for a year in his former environment before he lived with me alone, so he had a whole year to get used to me. Even then, looking back, it took him a good two years to learn what was acceptable to me and what wasn't. My roommate (he used to be her cat) never had any rules and he used to do things like try to steal food off of my plate while I was eating it. I should remember that it could take Albert a while as well, especially since I don't think he had rules either.

[Shahaku]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Not sure if I've ever shared pictures, but here's my little guys. Stoeger, boston/French mix. And Koda, husky, more or less.

[Briar]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

[quote author=PharaohKatt link=topic=286.msg3827#msg3827 date=1287323196]
My cat is so silly. She makes these pathetic mews at me, gets me to follow her into the kitchen, just so I can watch her eat :P

It's not that she wants feeding, she just wants an audience.

My sister has a poodle and he does the same thing; and he wasn't very nice about it. After a while it got old so we wanted to see what he'd do if we ignored him long enough. He spent almost 3 days without eating, after which, he learned to bring the food to US. Yep, he takes a mouthfull of kibble and jumps on the sofa, or bed, or just the floor next to you and throws it on the ground and starts eating one by one. :[/QUOTE]

Social eaters...My brother had a shepherd that wouldn't eat without someone else being there so he went and bought another shepherd just so they could eat together.

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Shahaku, sweet boys!

[DanieMarie]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Shahaku, your pups are adorable!

Rae'ya, I took your advice about Albert. it worked out really well! He sometimes still tries to play that way, but we just walk away and he's doing it a lot less. I also got a cat repellent spray (just something that smells bad to cats...and to me lol) for the shelves and now he stays away from them. He still scratches the antique rug, but I think he's learning for the most part and I'm sure he'll learn to leave that one alone as well.

Today we decided that since he's not trying to attack play anymore, he can sleep with us. We let him into the bedroom and we all had a lazy weekend nap. He loved it! He just purred and purred.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Shahaku, your pups are adorable!

Rae'ya, I took your advice about Albert. it worked out really well! He sometimes still tries to play that way, but we just walk away and he's doing it a lot less. I also got a cat repellent spray (just something that smells bad to cats...and to me lol) for the shelves and now he stays away from them. He still scratches the antique rug, but I think he's learning for the most part and I'm sure he'll learn to leave that one alone as well.

Today we decided that since he's not trying to attack play anymore, he can sleep with us. We let him into the bedroom and we all had a lazy weekend nap. He loved it! He just purred and purred.

I'm glad it's working out! And lazy weekend cat naps are the best, no?

[DanieMarie]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Haha absolutely!

Another thing that has helped is that we let him outside on the terrace more often. I think this makes him a bit less restless. He loves being outside.