Use this thread to discuss anything related to cats that doesn't otherwise fit the subreddit! Also feel free to ask questions that you believe are too short for a standalone post.

My cousin whos like my best friend got a cat around 2 years ago and I know they love her and do mostly treat her well. When she was a kitten she was the sweetest girl ever and she was so easy to pick up and play with. But imo as she grew older she became more independent and needing a more space which i think is understandable and completely normal for cats. But they treat her like shes a dog if that makes sense. They say she always hisses and scratches at them now (and ive seen it) but its mostly when ive seen the husband force her to accept his touch and mess around with her. Like pulling/pushing on her head and body. And then they just call her a brat. So in my head im like fuck maybe shes hissing and being a "bitch" cuz ur always manhandling her and bothering her. And they punish her more by putting uncomfortable clothes on her too thats hard to move in. And theyre just like, "you have to show her whos the boss and teach her we're allowed to touch her". With some dogs i can understand the agressive training but i dont think thats necessary for a lot of cats...

Shes more distant now and doesnt like people coming near her anymore and I really do think its how shes been socialized and treated by them. I honestly would love to have a convo about them maybe being a little bit more gentle with her but they both have stubborn and agressive opinions/personalities so.

In the past week i have been taking care of 3 ragdoll cats in 2 different homes. They were all so sweet and affectionate. Im 19 and i have never had a cat before. Im sure i will get a cat mby now if i can convince parents otherwise i will when i move out. My question is would you recommend me to get a ragdoll cat since i will probably be living in a kinda small apartment when i do move out or should I just get a normal cat?

Hi everyone! I’m 52 years old, and I retired from work about three months ago. Since I’m now spending more time at home, I recently got a cat who is about 1.5 years old.

I’m still learning about cat care, and one thing I’m unsure about is where to place his litter box. I know it can get messy, so I want to find a suitable spot that’s comfortable for my cat and keeps the house clean.

I’m wondering if keeping the litter box in the bathroom is a good idea or if there could be any problems with that.

For those of you who have cats, where do you keep your litter boxes, and what location has worked best for you? I’d really appreciate your advice and suggestions. Thanks!

a couple days ago i lost my 18-year old cat. my baby. we got her as a kitten when i was starting school, and now she passed a month after i got my master's degree. she would always be in my room, hanging out, sleeping, being close to me. she was very territorial and kind of mean to everyone but me. she was my best friend, my baby.

it was a surprise. she was healthy and wasn't struggling physically, but had been eating less and less. it was over quickly, she didn't suffer much. it happened it my room. i held her dead body in my arms. i cried the entire day. i asked my friends not to contact me. i've been feeling incredibly numb. upped my anti-depressant dose (with the blessing from my psychatrist).

does it ever....stop feeling like this?

We adopted a kitten in September, and within two weeks, our entire household was dealing with ringworm. Myself, our two toddlers ), dogs, and our kitten.

Our kitten had almost no visible symptoms, but under a Wood’s lamp, she was glowing green practically everywhere. Our vet said it was one of the most extensive cases she’d ever seen.

Our kitten is now quarantined and receiving oral and topical antifungals. We’re treating our dogs, and my oldest son has multiple spots on his scalp with hair loss.

The cleaning has been absolutely exhausting. Constant vacuuming, disinfecting, laundry, and worrying about spores on every surface. We’ve spent so much money and honestly just want our normal lives back.

For anyone who’s been through a widespread household outbreak:

How long did it take to completely get rid of it?
How much cleaning is actually necessary?
Did you disinfect couches, carpets, and furniture daily?
When did you finally stop worrying about reinfection?

I’m mentally exhausted and would love to hear what actually worked for others, especially families with young kids and multiple pets. I am truly most terrified of reinfection after we spend months getting it to go away. I’ve seen stories of people mentioning they did all the cleaning doe it to come back a few times!! It’s my nightmare.

So I have heard it is really common for cats to wake their people up early in the morning demanding attention or food. But my almost 3 year old girl cat doesn’t wake me up. She likes to sleep in. I wake her up in the mornings when I quietly get out of bed. I sleep great with her.

The fire alarm has malfunctioned in our building and my cat is just confused and pretty quiet as I take her outside in her cat carrier at 3 AM while firefighters inspect the building and find no fires. The cat meets the neighbors and she is pretty chill.

It’s really great so I’m just wondering how common this is? Honestly, my cat is purrfect and the best roommate.

Hi i have a 4 yr old tortoiseshell and and has been eating dry food on one side of her mouth. I raised this concern with the vet and this is the quote we got for her. ($1588-$2547)This is way way way more than i can afford right now and while she has some plaque this seems very high. Im located in Philadelphia.

I’m a street-cat rescuer, and two cats from a colony I care for recently tested positive for FeLV. Some of these cats have severe mouth problems, and I’m worried about the many kittens living on the same street.

For those who have lived with or rescued FeLV-positive cats, what has your experience been like? Have you seen cats live long, happy lives after diagnosis?

I’d really appreciate hearing your personal stories.

I recently adopted a 5 month old kitten about 2 weeks ago. For the first 2-3 days she was very afraid and barely coming out of hiding. After those first few days she started coming out more and more. Now it’s been 2 weeks and she plays a lot, runs around a lot, eats well, uses the litter well. Everything is well but she is a bit aggressive.

When she was newly adopted she was hissing which made sense. However now she’s been living with me for 2 weeks and she plays happily, eats well, but doesn’t stop hissing.

I haven’t heard her meow at all, just constantly hissing. As soon as I walk in the room, when I go near her food, when I go near her litter. Just always hissing at me. When I give her a treat, she comes to my hand while hissing which honestly frightens me thinking she is coming to attack.

She doesn’t run away or hide from me. She sits next to me and plays with me. She just constantly hisses. I haven’t pet her since I got her, as soon as I bring my hand down she starts hissing so I’ve never even attempted to pet her.

I heard that the Feliway plugin helps calm cats. I bought one and installed it about a week ago. I would say she has become more active and more playful since the plugin however she is still constantly hissing.

Does anyone know how long this will last and if there’s anything else I can do?

I need to take her to the vet soon but I’m not sure how to put her in the carrier since I can’t even get within 3 feet of her without her hissing at me.

Thank you guys for the help.

Hi everyone,

I’m a 27m who lives alone in a small apartment. I’ve never had a pet, but for the past few years I’ve become really interested in cats. I approach stray cats, my social media feed is full of cats, I read a lot about cats here on Reddit, and honestly, I’ve had this nagging desire to get a cat.

I adopted my cat two months ago (he’s a 5- to 6-month-old tuxedo). The truth is, he’s a good cat—he doesn’t destroy things, he eats well, he uses the litter box, he likes to play with me, sometimes asks for cuddles, and sleeps with me in bed. Although it’s true that for many hours of the day, he just likes to stay at a safe distance from me, grooming himself or watching me.

The thing is, I haven’t developed this love I read so much about on Reddit. I mean, sure, I like the cat, but I’m not ultra-mega in love with him, and I feel like I wouldn’t do anything and everything for him as I read from cat owners everywhere (obviously, I take him to the vet, make sure his life is as good as possible, and take care of him).

I just see him as a little creature who lives in my apartment and sometimes interacts with me.

Is this normal? I feel bad. I’m starting to wonder if I’m really a pet person. I’m having intrusive thoughts that I’ve put it to the test and it just hasn’t worked out for me. Thoughts about whether maybe it would be best to find him another home?

Obviously, the animal is a financial burden (especially at first with vaccinations, buying the litter box, toys, bowls, food, litter…), and sometimes I feel annoyed about spending money on it. Before adopting him, I bought everything with excitement and it didn’t bother me at all, but now it’s different… I also read about people who spend thousands of dollars on medical tests for their pets, and I think I wouldn’t be able to put my finances or my hard-earned savings on the line for him. (Obviously, I’m referring to major expenses.) Is this normal? I feel like a terrible person.

This money thing is just an example to illustrate my feelings toward the cat—it’s not like this is all about money.

I need advice/help

EDIT: Of course I play with him several times a day; he eats the best dry food and wet food on the market; I brush him and he purrs with pleasure; I give him lots of pets and he purrs like a motor! I’m just clarifying this to avoid any possible misunderstandings that I might be neglecting him.

And of course I love him—I watch him and laugh as he does his cat things—it’s just what I mentioned above: I don’t feel like he’s stolen my heart or that he’s my whole life. And since, after all, having a pet is a huge responsibility and requires several extra tasks every day, that’s where my doubts come in. Maybe it’s just that it’s still early and I need to get used to it.

I have an 11-year-old cat who is super affectionate, social, and pretty attached to me. I work from home, so she’s used to having me around a lot.

I’m leaving for a trip and will be gone for about 9-10 days. Unfortunately, I can’t bring her, so she’ll be staying at my apartment. I have a friend who can come check on her 1–2 times a day, feed her, clean her litter box, and spend some time hanging out with her. I could also hire a pet sitter for additional visits if needed.

My biggest concern is that I’ll only be home for 2 days before leaving again for another 4 days. Basically, I’ll be gone for almost two weeks with only a couple of days at home in between. I also just got back from a two-week road trip where she came with me, so she’s had a lot of changes to her routine lately.

She’s generally a pretty easygoing cat, but she’s also very cuddly and loves being around people. I feel guilty about leaving her for so long, especially with another trip right afterward.

For those of you with senior or affectionate cats, have you left them for this long with someone checking in daily? Did they do okay? Would you recommend twice-daily visits, longer visits, or having someone stay overnight?

I’m considering shortening the first trip so I can spend more time at home between trips, but I’m not sure if I’m overthinking it. I’d love to hear others’ experiences!

I just adopted a 1 year old cat and want advice please! She was feral, rescued about a year ago as a kitten and has been spayed/given shots. Her family had to find a home as they never intended to keep her and one member is allergic. I’ve released her in the basement after showing her where her stuff is. I sat on the floor for 15 minutes talking to her so she’d hear my voice. Now what? Do I just let her make her own way around the house and visit the basement off and on?

i am a vet tech and have consulted several vets who all say it’s behavioral but their advice keeps failing

My 4 month old orange tabby has litter small rocks stuck in his butt, because we recently changed from crystal litter to clustering rock litter. They're very small rocks, less than 1mm and there's two of them in there which you can only see when he flexes his butt while walking with his tail up.

I tried to clean them off but I couldn't because you can't see them unless he's walking flexing his butt and also I was afraid I'd push them more inside.

Has this happened to anyone else before?

What do I even do?

I adopted my cat a year ago. Back then i was living in a small apartment while studying in university and we were visiting my parents house occasionally together. But since june, i moved back home with my parents. Here, my cat has a lot of space to wander around and explore. He mostly stays in my room during the day cause he's sleeping, but at night he wants to explore and he walks around all 3 floors of the house. Now i am about to move into an apartment on my own. It's going to be 60 square meters so it's not going to be a small place, but it will still be significantly smaller than what he got used to now. I feel so awful for making him adjust to such a small place... We will have a balcony and i know that he's going to enjoy hanging around there and i also want to make the home entertaining for him by installing some climbing shelves. I know that it is important to keep him entertained, i always make sure to keep him active and play with him every day, so i will continue to do that, but i can't help but feel so guilty about the move...

A couple of months ago, there was an orange kitten living around the Rnb complex I was staying at. He reminded of me of the cat that i had in my Stardew Valley game, so I picked him up, took care of him, vaccinated and got rid of the worms. But then I had visa problems so I had to leave the country. I felt too bad leaving him on the streets again, so I decided to pay for foster care ( around €200 a month).

Recently after months, I went back, picked him up from the foster, and did a more than 24 hours travel to bring him to my new home.

He is a ~1 year old neutered boy. He settled well, but he is SO BORED all the time. I work full time from work, most of the time and I'm exhausted and have no energy to play with him unfortunately...

Another issue is currently he has some inflammation around one of his claws, and I have no money at all for the vet ( 100€ until the end of the month for me, my boyfriend, and a cat)

My life is a mess and I'm just so tired and don't If I can handle actually owning a cat...Maybe there would be better parents for him.

End of the rant, thank you to anyone who took time to read this

Um so I adopted a cat and she’s a year old and NICE AS FUCK to humans, but she hates my dog and my other cat. She intimidates them both and they don’t enjoy her presence. I am for now keeping her contained in the master bedroom most of the day while the other two animals have the rest of the house. I feel bad not letting the new cat roam the full house but I’ve seen her violence when she’s around my other cat and dog. Is this what I’m supposed to do? Also we’re about 3 weeks deep into her adoption. I just want the new cat to not act fucking cut throat violent and be cool around the others. Is there a chance she won’t ever be or do they usually get more chill after time? Pls help.

One of my kitties has some sort of IBS situation going on, that I am working through with my vet. This has required me to have her separate from the others right now so I can make sure she only eats her specific food.

This is fine for a temporary solution, but if it turns out that it needs to be permanent the current setup is not great.

I know she is lonely, and both she and the other cats hate being separated, and are frankly causing chaos at the door from both sides.

What I need is a way to let her move freely around the house, without her eating their food and them eating hers. I let everyone free feed because in the past, if I scheduled set amounts, several (including her) gorge themselves and then throw it all up.

I was thinking of some way of using one of those RFID pet doors in two places. One with her food and one with the others food. The problem is I have not seen any doors that will block an ID while letting non-id'd cats in (and I am not going to make all 7 wear collars because I know several will try to get them off immediately/not tolerate it.)

I know it would work to keep them from getting into her food. But that's also the less serious problem, because if she gets into their food we get terrible butt explosions of poop and she has painful cramps. If they get into her food, that's just expensive.

I wanted to see if anyone here has had this problem and how they solved it, or just in general wanted to pick your brains in case there is a better option I am not seeing. Thanks all for reading!

I love my automatic box. My cats love my automatic box. Unfortunately, my 3-legged angel always kicks litter out of the box when she buries her business. It’s become clear that this is unavoidable. So what I’m looking for is litter that:

1. Doesn’t smell
   
2. Is relatively easy to clean off hardwood floors
   
3. Works smoothly with an automatic box

I’ve tried “really great cat litter” and it stinks like crazy, especially with pee. It also stuck to the inside of the box. Gross. It was, however, easy to sweep/vacuum up.

I’ve tried arm and hammer “slide” and it smells way less and works way better with the automatic box, but is so fine that it’s an absolute nightmare to clean up.

I’ve tried putting a litter-catching rug/mat thing under the box. My 3 legged cat said “perfect! I’ll just pee on this!”

PLEASE HELP 😭 I can’t live like this 😭😭😭

Our sweet girl has been missing for 48 hours. We have been searching nonstop, on only a few hours sleep each night, trying to find her. I have to admit the search is getting harder as we’re losing hope :(

Could someone share some experiences with lost cats under similar conditions? Or any advice would be much appreciated.

- Female, 1.5 years old, spayed, microchipped
- We live in an area with many coyotes :( That is the most worrisome part
- We have walked the neighborhood and surrounding woods day and night, searching practically everywhere she may be hiding
- There are several indoor/outdoor cats on our block that belong to various neighbors
- She is indoor only, but with occasional supervised outdoor time on a leash. She loves being outdoors and has escaped on us a handful of times, but never this long. From those times, we know that she is aware where home is because she comes back after a while, especially when she hears our voices
- We have left the door ajar, as well as food, water, dirty clothes, and litter box out
- 100+ flyers given to neighbors and posted online and registered with LoveLost
- It has been around high 85 degrees and low 55 degrees. We’re so worried that she is/was overheating/dehydrating

Please help :(

On Wednesday I found 8 fleas on my cat, 6 of them after being washed with dawn dish soap, 1 on my bed. I took everything apart, washed everything, vacuumed everything, use wondercide everywhere heavy handedly and multiple times, got her a seresto flea collar, and I’m waiting for her frontline plus and a steamer to arrive, and I’ve been brushing her at least 3-5 times a day. Since Wednesday, I haven’t seen any more fleas, haven’t found anymore flea dirt on her, I haven’t found any eggs, and I’ve only been bitten twice. Please, *please* tell me I have it under control 😭

So I currently live with just my partner and my 5 yo British shorthair cat in the city. It's expensive and we rent and want to try and buy soon.

So we've decided to move back in with my family in my hometown for a bit, so we can work and save money. They have a little shed in the garden that's been converted into a little bedsit/studio apartment sort of thing - where we will stay. They have a large garden.

Only thing to consider is that they have a very big rescue dog. They don't know the breed but she looks like some kind of mastiff/great dane mix. She's a big, lazy softie and a friendly giant. She's not aggressive, but can be nervous. She has taken interest in the neighbours cats who come into the garden, but never chases them - we think she's probably lived with cats before. Our cat is a typical BSH, she's super chilled, friendly, sociable with everyone, independent and easygoing.

Basically, we've got a fair amount of time now before we move to properly prep. I need some advice to make the transition as smooth as possible for both kitty and doggy family members!

(Already thinking of ideas like cat flaps so our cat can escape to her own space should she need it, lots of high up spots in the main house). Any advice on success stories would be super appreciated!

Hey! Almost a month ago, i adopted a now 3 month old kitten as a first time cat owner. The first 2 weeks were emotionally challenging for me and i experienced what people call "kitten blues". Having a cat changed my routine and i was adjusting to that. Also, i was so worried about being a good parent, making him happy, being present, stopping him from getting into trouble etc., which really wore me out. Thankfully my kitten was patient with me, but i cried almost every day because i felt so overwhelmed and even questioned my decision.

Fast forward to now: i love my baby so much. I can't wait to get home every day to be with him! He's settled down to his routine and i adore him. Most of my worries faded away. Of course i still worry if he might get into mischief when i'm not home, or if he hurts himself somehow or gets sick, but those worries have taken a backseat and i feel like i can now enjoy the present with him. He's super sweet and cuddly; i adore nothing more than taking a nap and seeing him snuggle up next to me to sleep too (he's sleeping in my thigh now as i type this). In the beginning i thought i had to keep him entertained all the time and felt anxious about the possibility of boring him, so i bought SO MANY toys and played with him for hours a day. You know what's been his go-to toy for the past week? Yep. A CRUMPLED PIECE OF PAPER. NOT ALL THE FANCY TOYS I BOUGHT FOR HIM. 🤡 I'll be eating my food and throwing the paper around the house for him to catch and he puts The Flash to shame. And what's more, you know what really gets him entertained in the morning when i'm half-awake and dreading getting out of bed? A wrestling session with my stuffed animal. He LOVES it and I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO GET OUT OF BED FOR THIS! So basically, i realized that cats find their own entertainment too in the most unexpected ways. You don't need to be extraordinary to make your cat happy. Sure, they will annoy you sometimes, bite you, steal your food and whatnot, but 1. they can be trained, and 2. it's normal to feel angry, annoyed, sad etc. with your pet sometimes. It doesn't mean you don't love him, it means you don't like the thing that he did. That's okay!

So in the end, i wanted to post this in case anyone out there is also having the kitten blues. Everyone says this, but believe it: IT PASSES. Give yourself time. It's ok to not feel like you "LOVE" your pet at first. In fact, i think you might be feeling so down and anxious about your pet PRECISELY because you care so much and want it to work out. You will enjoy being with your new buddy as you get to know each other. Don't be so harsh on yourself, it's a lot of responsibility and you're feeling the weight of it, but give it time. Also, hold space for doubt. Maybe it'll work out, maybe it won't. Give yourself a trial period before making any decisions, for example. What if it doesn't work out in the end? You simply take the steps necessary to make sure your friend can find a new home that can better fit his needs. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH REHOMING (RESPONSIBLY)! Don't let strangers on the internet or people in real life shame you for that. Sometimes life happens, but it isn't so black and white as people make it out to be. My advice would be to give yourself the opportunity to fall in love with your new pet, which takes time, but if it doesn't work out no matter how much you want it to, don't beat yourself up over it. Whatever happens in the end, you can handle it. Stray cats who hated humans get re-socialized ALL the time - your cat will adapt even if he's not with you. But who knows, you might find out that cat you were crying every day over will turn out to be the loveliest and most precious part of your life!

I hope this reaches whoever needs to hear this now. Breathe! Thank you for the advice on my previous post on this subreddit, by the way - you all were right, it does pass, and now i have the lived experience to say it!

I'm at the vet and my cats doctor told me my cat has plaque build up and early signs of gingivitis. How do yall clean your cats teeth? Or other ways to keep his teeth clean?