~ask The Cat Assistan ~

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

When cat's defecate or urinate in front of the owner/or on their things they are letting you know that there is something wrong with them.If they had a mouth they could probably tell you exactly what was bothering them, unfortunately for us the vet staff sometimes we have to play guessing games. They are not doing that to get you upset.

I would recommend that she goes and sees a Vet to get a rectal exam (yes, I know ouch!) to see if her anal glads have ruptured or are impacted. There could be other things going on such as behavioral (some change in the house and she dosen't like it),food, or inflammation of the intestines or colon..

Like I mentioned I'm not a Veterinarian, and without seeing the animal it's hard to diagnose it.

[freydis]

I know they carry the Royal Cannin food at Petco. It's a bit pricy.... but if I recall correctly, they also have formulas for specific breeds, too.

[Onyx]

They also have Royal Canin at PetSmart. It's so expensive. I switch between that and Iams because it's a little easier on the budget.

About my cats, they are actually fighting more. I did something stupid and tried to pull them apart because they were driving me nuts and I didn't have my water bottle handy. My older cat bit my hand! I should have known better.

I had some Feliway before actually, didn't seem to do a thing. I may get some more and try it again.

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

Ouch Onyx I hope your hand is ok cat bites are nasty...

If that dosent work there's allways AMITRIPTALINE (I think that's how u spell it), it would probably just make the instigating cat a bit drowsy so they don't pick fights as often. It only comes in pill form.

Yes they do carry over the counter Royal Canine food at the pet stores, but again thouse are not the presciption band (like Calorie Control, Hypoalergenic, Renal LP, just to name a few) and the pet stores really jack up their prices. If you are intrested in purchasing I can ask my boss if she can give me a discount because I get my food at the cost that we buy it at..

I wouldn't recomend Iams anymore because they were bought out by a bigger company now and have changed their formula to make it cheaper for them to make.

I found that purina natural over the counter (it's like $8 at wal-mart) has the full chicken meal ingridient (rather than chicken by-products) so I would recomend, when buying food try to avoid the ones that have corn or rice as their main ingridient.

[jadnifer]

I have a couple of questions:

1) Can you get de-worming pills at a pet store?

2) Can cats get chapped lips? Sometimes I will notice that my cat's "lips" (I'm not sure if they technically have them) are red and chapped. What could cause this? He doesn't seem to be in pain though.

3) I also notice once in awhile that he will grind his teeth. What would cause him to do that?

Thanks!

[freydis]

Amitryptaline for cats?

eergh... I would think it would have a similar effect on cats that it does on humans.....besides being an antidepressant, it's used to *slow down digestion*. Personally, I don't know that I'd be comfortable with that.

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

Some medication used in animals causes different effects. Amitryptaline is usually used with cat's that have an aggressive behavior or bladder problems (it helps with inappropriate urination). I'm sure it might be used for other reasons, but those are the top 2 that I know of.

To jadnifer, I don't believe that there is a over the counter de-wormer, but I'm so paranoid with all my pets and over the counter products that I just don't buy them. I have heard some horror stories from our clients and over the counter flea treatments.. I think that a de-wormer shouldn't cost more than $9 (that's about how much ours is and it kills mostly everything). Now it also depends on the type of worms that the cat has. Round worms are really hard to get rid of, just because you need to repeat the treatment other wise they just keep coming back, reason being is that they travel into different organs of the cat.

Do you by any chance know what kind of worms she has?

Now about the lip.. do you have plastic bowls ? If so many cats are sensitive to plastic and actually develop allergies over time. Also how often do you wash out their bowls? I would recommend every time you put new food out to refill the bowls just wash them out with soap and water. I mean you wouldn't eat out of dirty bowls don't make your kitty do that. See if this works out and if his poor lil chapped lips feel better :D.

[freydis]

How can you tell if a cat can't see too well? We adopted our two from a rescue organization, and from day one we've suspected Kittyhead might be just a bit nearsighted. She's been generally checked out by a vet and declared healthy, but we've never brought up the sight issue before. She's very skittish of people she doesn't know, and only after she's *very* used to them will she get friendly. She also tends to get weird around new inanimate objects in her territory. For instance: my husband left his belt from his terrycloth bathrobe discarded on the floor, and later, she very cautiously approached it, startling and jumping as if it were alive. Once she got very close and checked it out, she relaxed and was ok. Sometimes she gets really weird with random thing like that...I'm thinking maybe her fear of new people might be a little bit related to us looking like big blurry monsters?

[Fierce Critter]

Hey! Nice to have another "resident cat expert" in the house.

I'm not posting much, but I used to be the "go to girl" for cat questions due to my own experience with cats. I currently house 12.

I've always wondered about St. Julians. I haven't gone there because I'm wondering what they charge for services. Can you give me an idea of what things like office visits, vaccinations etc. cost?

Also, I wanted to offer something in regard to Jadnifer's question about over-the-counter de-wormers. I don't believe there are over-the-counter remedies for things like hook- or roundworm. But you can get pills for tapeworm from Tractor Supply Company stores that works fantastic. It's $12.00 for a bottle of 3 or 4, which doesn't sound like much. But depending on the weight of your cat, you might only need one tablet. I used it when I had a flea infestation that brought tapeworm into the picture. It worked fantastic.

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

munin218,

I'm not sure if there is a way to find out if your kitty is near sighted. However in order to check if she can't see we usually use a cotton ball and just drop it infront of their face to see if they will look at it or not (since the cotton balls do not make noise she won't be acting with her other senses to be able to see it). It could be that she's just very carefull toward new object, and people because of something that has happened in the past. Maybe it's just her personality, I have a kitty that when someone new comes in the house she tears off into the beadroom and hides untill they are gone, also I have no idea why but she is terrified of plastic bags.

Fierce Critter,

If you happen to have some free time just feel free to stop by and well give you a tour of the clinic (we do take pride in what we do, and we have nothing to hide from our clients) I know almoust all clinic do not allow people to check them out. Everything is sparkling clean, because I'm so anal about that so I clean all the time lol. You can meet Dr.Dickie she's very nice. The place is very homey, we don't have tile in the exam rooms or in the lobby, the cat's love it because there are no dogs. We try to make them feel really relaxed so we can work with them. A lot of Vet's takeout the gloves and the gas tanks when they hear a cat is coming in.

Our prices are very cheap, compare to the vet clinic's around us.

A regular exam is $40(kind of like an office visit for wellness)

An exam with Vaccination is $25

Rabies Vac. is $17.50

Upper Respitory Vac. is $14

So were reasonably priced. I know that at Vet Select they charge $30 for their vaccinations, and thats a bit too much. We even do vouchers for spay and neuters with the Dearborn animal shelter, but they are all sold out at the moment. We had some gentlemen all the way from Commerce TownShip by some I was amazed.

Let me know if you have any further questions I'll be more than happy to answer them

[Homicidalheathen]

I didn't know cats developed kleptomania problems.

My moms cat adopted a baby bunny once......she carried it in her mouth up from the woods.....at first we thought she wanted to eat it but she tried nursing it.

I think she stole it after seeing this.......maybe it wasn't an orphin!

There is a story in people about a cat thief. She steals peoples stuffed animals.......in through open windows.....and brings them home for the new baby.

And there is this...

Holly's A Puss In Boots!

May 2003

Pictured right cat burglar Holly the cat sits in the shadow of some of the boots, shoes, slippers and trainers she has collected from her New Zealand Manurewa neighbourhood.

When night falls in Manurewa Holly starts on her quest, prowling through suburban streets to prey on trusting residents.

Holly stockpiles her loot at the back door of her home in The Gardens. But if she's disturbed on her journey, she simply drops her goods in the street.

This petite and friendly female doesn't look like the stealing type. But this feline tabby has a shoe fetish rivalled by few others.

This cool cat even goes the extra mile to ensure she gets matching pairs. She will determinedly retrace her steps to pick up the second shoe.

Kay McKillion thought she was targeted by thieves when the seventh pair of shoes disappeared from her Norman Close doorstep. Mrs McKillion called the police to complain.

"Every time someone walked past my house I would go out and see if they were wearing my shoes," she says.

The mystery was solved when a neighbour told her about Holly and Mrs McKillion was directed to the house in Charles Prevost Drive, where boxes of shoes lie waiting to be claimed.

Holly's owner, James, doesn't know what to do with his cat burglar, who collects three pairs of shoes in an average night's work.

"She's not dangerous, she's not wild, she doesn't scratch. This is all she does."

But James believes Holly knows she's up to no good, because she only steals when no one's looking.

She has been caught with stolen goods in her mouth only twice by her owner, once when walking the streets and a second time while attempting to jump a two metre fence.

"We try and keep her inside at night, but she's quite clever."

James and his family moved from Weymouth last year, where Holly's habit was even worse.

"After six months we'd be putting out bags of shoes. A lot of people in Weymouth would have lost a lot of shoes and then it would have suddenly stopped when we moved!"

He says some shoes are able to be returned to their rightful owners as Holly's antics became known around her neighbourhood.

One neighbour clocked the cat stockpiling shoes by a tall fence at the end of his garden and circulated a flyer informing shoeless neighbours.

The seven-year-old cat started collecting shoes after she was spayed three years ago and James wonders if there's some connection.

Steve Merchant, of the Manukau Veterinary Group, says cats have a nesting instinct which often drives them to steal and take their goods to bed with them.

"I don't think cats know they are doing it, it's probably a subconscious urge," Mr Merchant says.

In his experience, cat burglars are females who usually hoard soft items like gloves, jerseys and slippers not shoes.

Mr Merchant says Holly could be collecting shoes to replace kittens, but says people often mistakenly blame changes in their cats on spaying.

"A lot of older unspayed cats are quite stressed and getting them de-sexed releases them from all that, so they can just enjoy life and do things they wouldn't normally have time for, like playing and stealing."

Holly's owners would like to return the stolen shoes to their owners, so if you live in The Gardens and have lost some shoes, take a stroll to Norman Close, you will probably find your shoes there!

Back to Cat Thief! - Index

http://www.cat-world.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=8080

Its the cutest thing!

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

Yes, they do tend to steal things. Depending on the cat. But that article was hilarious I have never heard of a cat stealing shoes I wish I had a cat like that.. I would never spend anymore $$$ on shoes ever lol.

However it's normal for the cat to still have mother instincts after she's spayed, and wanting to collect objects thinking it's her babies. All tough dogs, are the ones that get attached pretty well (they will even try to nurse a sock).

[Fierce Critter]

Here's one I can't ask of the cat group that I got banned from, but it's driving me crazy.

We have a Siamese named Asia. Don't know if she's purebred, she looks like one, applehead.

IN any case, one day, I could have sworn that her chocolate nose & muzzle & forehead area looked, well, speckly. I went to wipe what I thought was dust off her face, and nothing came away. I was puzzled, and thought, "has she always been this speckly? Am I seeing things? Have I never noticed before?

I really didn't know what to think. But then within a couple days of me first noticing that, my husband looked at Asia and said, "when did she get speckly?" I had not said a THING to him about my observation of the same thing.

WTF? It's obvious that random hairs in her T-area have gone lighter in in color from her chocolate shade. Just about freaking overnight. I have no clue what to think about this. I'd love to know if your vets have any insight. 'Cause if we're just crazy, well, BOTH of us are crazy.

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

How old is Asia?

The cause of the change in color can be caused by age or localized infection. As cats age, especially Siamese the melanin(the pigment that allows them to change color due to body heat) get's covered with fatty pads, thus causing the change in fur color. Even Orange Tabby's get this, but they get black spots in their oral cavity and some black hairs in their fur.. So no, your not crazy lol, trust me it's a good thing that you notice small things about your pets because you can catch something early, cats are great at hiding diseases.

I hope that helps

[Fierce Critter]

How old is Asia?

The cause of the change in color can be caused by age or localized infection. As cats age, especially Siamese the melanin(the pigment that allows them to change color due to body heat) get's covered with fatty pads, thus causing the change in fur color. Even Orange Tabby's get this, but they get black spots in their oral cavity and some black hairs in their fur.. So no, your not crazy lol, trust me it's a good thing that you notice small things about your pets because you can catch something early, cats are great at hiding diseases.

I hope that helps

Asia is about 5 years old. I'm still curious, because it's not whole patches or anything - it's a barely perceptible sprinkling of individual hairs throughout her face.

That's very interesting that you mention that about orange tabbies. My Fletcher has some of those black spots in his mouth/lips, and I had thought that he didn't have them, or at least not as many of them, when we first got him.

Each one of my cats is going to be going to the vet over the next few months. Time to get overall health checks and deal with some issues with some of them.

How is your place for behavioral issues? I have a couple pee-ers I'm frustrated about. If it doesn't turn out to be something physical, I'll need some input as far as dealing with it on a pyschological/tempermental basis.

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

The color change won't be into patches, it will be in a ticking pattern such as this one.. http://masshumane.org/lost_cat_sammy.jpg.

[Fierce Critter]

Seeing as how that's a calico cat, and I didn't know what it looked like BEFORE a color-change, that doesn't really help me. :D

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

Seeing as how that's a calico cat, and I didn't know what it looked like BEFORE a color-change, that doesn't really help me. :D

Yeah sorry that's the only color change they had online that I could use an example lol. And it's actually a Siamese Tortishell- point ...

[Homicidalheathen]

I am going to teach my cat to steal shoes!

My luck she will go for a goth and get kidnapped cause she is sooo good damn cute. Black with white spots. The purrfect goth kitty.

She looks like she walked through paint.

This lady I know is about to get a ex show cat put down cause no one will adopt her as she poos by the litterbox instead of in it....if anyone has only one cat or none she might use a litter box, she needs her own.

She is a ragdoll

But if she dont stop we are worried the person who adopts her might just put her out or something

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

I have a really good friend who breeds Ragdolls and they are very sweet cats. She should take it to the Vet's and have her looked at, because Ragdolls (due to thair size) sometimes suffer from arthritis or hip- dysplaisa, so she just maybe can't hop into the litter box because it's painful for her. Nothing some consequin(it's usually used for kitties who have arthritis) can't cure.. so it would be a shame to put her to sleep.

Our client basis has grown quite a bit since we opened and it's due to the fact that people would take their cat's to a dog/cat clinic and the dotctors at Vet. Hospitals like that usually try to keep up with dog medicine, because that's what most of their income from. Cat's are usually left with few options. I know that there is a Feline only clinic in Royal Oak as well as one on the east side(can't think were right now). Maybe the Vet can come up with a solution for her unappropriate elimination.

[Homicidalheathen]

thanks sweetie

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

I try.. ^_^

[Kit Kat P]

I was wondering how well the feline spray works since I have an 'aggressive personality' cat.

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

The spray is in the air temporarily and then it disperses. The diffuser just keeps working like a glade plug-ins so it's more effective..

[EnViOuSPoPpEt]

To all DGN-ers,

I would like to inform you that it's Kitten season, so if you are intrested in adopting a kitten or an adult cat let me know. Even if you know someone that is send them my way. We have a fantastic rescue group that we work with that have plenty of furry friends. All of their kitties are spayed/neutered, up to date with shots and Feluk tested. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!