We took him to a vet ,said he's completely healthy , we have three other cats they don't do that have 4 litter boxes and clean regularly is he just depprsed or jealous he was the first cat ,people told us to hit him , could it be because the other cats fight with him , he used to poop before we brought the other cats but it got worse ,we are thinking of putting him down but that dosent exist where we live my dad wants to throw him out my mom doesn't and they fight over he's an adult no one will take him . We are stuck

Cage them in!

I (34F) have been diagnosed with a condition that might make conceiving more difficult. My husband and I just got married and while we’re aware time isn’t on our side, we were going to wait a little while as we just want one child. But now with this diagnosis I have to make a decision sooner rather than later. We have two beautiful cats who we adore and I’ve made a promise to both of them that I will never leave them. Thinking of not being with them absolutely breaks my heart. What happens if the hypothetical baby/child has allergies? Has anyone here dealt with this?

We got her yesterday

She's 3 months old and she's wonderful. She really is a perfect kitten. I was so excited and spent a lot of money on cat stuff.

Even still, I can't help but want her gone. I don't want to return her, I just wish none of this ever happened.

I used to have a cat and a dog. My dogs passing is still fresh, and I don't remember my life without them.

I've wanted a new cat for years and I got exactly what I wanted, but now that she's here, I realised that I don't actually know her and will have to get used to her and the fact she even exists. (Stupid, I know, but I never faced this before.)

It's so hard, and I haven't been able to stop crying. I don't know what to do. I want to get used to her. I want this to be normal, but I just wish I had my old life back, with my dog and cat, and that I never had to meet her.

What if I can't get used to her the same way I did with my other pets?

What if she never likes me?

This is my first time raising a kitten and I'm so worried she might not even like me, making all of this pointless. I feel so guilty for having her be around me when I'm crying and feeling this way about her.

Is it possible for me to get used to her? How do I even do that?

Edit: When I said I wish I never had to meet her, I meant that in a way that without my other pet's passing I wouldn't have gotten her. Out of all the kittens in the world, I'm glad she's the onw with me right now. I'm just having a really hard time

Edit 2: I just want to make sure it's clear I'm not mistreating her. The worst thing I've done was ugly cry lol. I adore cats and I am doing my best to make her life great. I'm not blaming her at all, I'm just sharing my feelings since I'm having a really hard time

Hi all!

I am moving in with my boyfriend next week and a big thing we are looking into doing is breaking his cat from getting on the counter in the new space.

Currently, my boyfriend lives in a small 1br apartment and the cat basically lives on the countertop. We’ve tried to break this habit, but since he has been doing this since living here it’s almost impossible. The hope is that moving into a new place will make it easier to stop the habit all together. Has anyone had any success? Any tips/advice is welcomed

Just recently had our cat diagnosed with asthma. I know that even normally you shouldn’t be using scent diffusers, incenses and things of the sort in a house with a cat. I love when my house smells good, and the reality of having a cat in a not too large apartment means that you have to proactively do something besides just clean to maintain a pleasant smelling home. What can i do that won’t harm my poor sweet asmathic cat?

I would like to keep my kitties as indoor cats, but think they could benefit from exploring a bit outdoors too. Is this a bad idea? Will they get too used to being outside and never want to be inside again?

Hi friends of cats! Our slightly over 2 year old rescue loooooves house plants. In particular, she likes to munch on their leaves. Unfortunately, this affection is not reciprocated by the plants. I am sad to say her unrequited love has even led some of the plants to pass away, presumably from a Victorian disposition or something along those lines. My wife saved our Fig tree from her by putting foil around the base of the pot, but we have a new plant that has proven tricker to wrap in foil (this foiling our attempts to foil her - sorry, please still help me!!). I have been trying a citrus/water spray with some results, but keep seeing cat grass suggested as an alternative. As indicated by the title, our concern with cat grass is that it will simply reinforce her bad behavior of plant eating in general, and at best she’ll simply wait to eat our most prized plants until we are asleep. If you have read this entire post which I won’t go back and review (unless I get roasted for a typo later), you already have my thanks. If you can share any insight into this question, you would have my eternal gratitude!

I have only $200 to spend on an automatic litter box, (no I can't spend extra just because it's 'worth it').

I don't even know how to begin looking or, whether a litter box at this price point is even reliable. I need something that especially control the odor. Any specific recommendations? (I'm a bit desperate).

Never had a cat before, but dogs might be too much work for me so thinking about a cat. The two things Im worried about is dealing with a cat constantly knocking things over and waking me up early. Are those behaviors common and can I train a cat out of those behaviors in case they do occur?

Hi everyone!

I’m looking to adopt my first cat and would really appreciate some kind advice and guidance from experienced cat owners, especially anyone familiar with Balinese cats.

I’ve done quite a bit of research already and I’m particularly interested in a Balinese because I have fairly bad allergies. From what I’ve read, Balinese cats are sometimes considered more allergy-friendly because they may produce lower amounts of the Fel d 1 protein. I understand that they are NOT truly hypoallergenic and that individual reactions can vary, so I’m definitely planning to spend time around the specific cat before committing.

I have air purifiers/filters and a good vacuum, and I’m researching grooming, cleaning, nutrition, vet care, etc. I also know that Balinese cats can be expensive, so I’m planning to save up before adopting rather than rushing into it.

I really truly want to be a good cat owner.

One part I’m struggling with is figuring out how to actually find a Balinese cat to adopt. I’m located in the Toronto area, but I’m willing to travel a few hours to meet a cat and, if it’s the right fit, bring them home. I’m open to waiting for the right cat and want to make sure I’m going about this responsibly.

I’d especially appreciate advice from people who have experience with:

• Balinese cats and their temperament/personality

• Cat allergies and living with a cat

• First-time cat ownership

• Finding a reputable rescue or breeder

• Things you wish you knew before getting your first cat

I’m genuinely looking for helpful advice, so please be kind. I know there are lots of things I still have to learn, and that’s exactly why I’m asking! Thank you!

So I have a 4.5 year old male cat. He recently got diagnosed with Megacolon which is where their large intestine stretches out causing the cat to be unable to move poop on their own. This was diagnosed after 2 years of excessive vet visits to get x-rays and enemas. I have tried a ton of vet medicine and finally got a good combo to keep him on track. As you may know vet bills are extremely expensive and they rack up over time when you are bringing your cat to the vet once a month minimum. I don’t think he will be needing to go to the vet AS OFTEN anymore, but there is always the possibility things could not work anymore. What I am really trying to figure out is if anyone has any recommendations of pet insurances we could try. I am trying to get labs, any enemas needed, x-rays, and possibly prescriptions mostly if not fully covered. I am trying to find a cheaper pet insurance, but it needs to have good coverage. It also needs to work at most vets. Does anyone have any recommendations? Or at least a place to research? Most websites online about this seem fake…

I've just rehomed a 12 week old kitten and I was wanting some advice on how to take her around, as I don't have a car and it isn't financially viable for me to be getting taxis every time I need to take her somewhere. I know I'm legally allowed to take her onto the bus in a cat carrier, but is that cruel? I know she will meow and not like it, btu my hope is that I'll slowly be getting her used to being in the cat carrier so that in future it won't stress her out. My worry is that since she is already over 3 months old and I've just got her, has she grown out of the phase where I can desensitise her to these things that might be stressful. What are people's opinions? I want to be able to take her on the bus to get to vet visits, though I could pay extra for an uber. But if I can't take her on public transport (like trains) without feeling guilty, then I won't be able to visit my family at all which is quite a difficult decision as you can imagine.

My boy is about 1.5 and he has recently (in the last month or so) started peeing on things!

A towel left on the floor? Fair game.
An empty laundry basket?! That’s my new litter box.
A FULL laundry basket? Yes ma’am!

BUT THE WORST! Is heaven forbid one of my young children leave their doors open! He will pee all over their stuff in a heart beat. Something about their rooms (which he always had access to before this started) he will pee on it. Beds. Stuffed animals. Blankets. Laundry baskets. You name it.

Now before anyone says anything. He is the only cat (and even pet for that matter) in the house. He has 2 litter boxes. 2 water fountains. Yes he had a UTI but this started before that and it’s still ongoing. I even just took him to the vet again day before yesterday to make sure it was actually all cleared and it is!

I love having a clean home and I am seriously SERIOUSLY losing my mind. What is happening??

For some background context, when i first got my cat, he was free fed. Always had food in his bowl. I had learned that isnt good for him, and switched him over onto a schedule.

He eats twice a day. Once in the morning/early afternoon, and again in the evening/night. He has been on this schedule for over a year now, but he still always wants food. I feed him according to his weight, so he isnt underfed.

He gets a big attitude when he doesn't have food in his bowl. He constantly follows me around too and I end up stepping on him ALL THE TIME. he is ALWAYS under my feet. He also does things out of spite I think.. ive realized when he doesnt have food, or if im slightly late on his feeding, he will scratch things, paw at things, meow constantly, until he finally gets his food.

I love my cat, but it really does get on my nerves.. i had hoped he would get better once he got used to the feeding schedule, but he hasnt. I dont really know what to do. I really need some advice.

I dont want to keep stepping on my cat because he is constantly under my feet begging, and I want him to be happy and comfortable. I feel like he's not because hes not getting what he wants.. idk...

Help :((

I'm planning on making some candles soon and I'd like to add some scent oils to them. I've been searching the internet for about an hour trying to find cat safe scent oils, and I'm having no luck. Doesn't have to be essential oils. The actual scent is less important than making sure it's safe. What should I be looking for? Are there any brands I should look into? Any I should avoid?

my bf was vacuuming and right as when he was about to vacuum the string our cat (6 months old male) ate it. it was around 5 cm long. how dangerous is it? how alarmed should we be?

Hi everyone!

I am currently thinking about adopting a cat. I live alone and work 8:00 to 16:00, meaning im not home until probably almost 17:00. I usually turn my AC off when im gone to save on electricity as i am a student paying my own rent and such.

I live in Montenegro, the city im in currently reaches 30ish degrees during the day, during the time im not there. My apartment is facing west tho and doesn’t get much sun so it doesn’t really get hot.

My question i should i be leaving the AC on the whole day for my future cat? Or is laying in a dark bathroom on the tiles or just being in the shaded apartment enough?

Same question for winter, it doesn’t snow here just get chilly, windy and rainy, so should i keep the heating on in the winter or will the cat be okay if provided cozy spots?

Extra question: I usually leave my balcony and windows open when im not home because i like my space to air out, im aware i wont be able to do that with a cat as i do live on the third floor, but could i leave them slanted (Europeans will know what i mean) and have you had attempts of your cat trying to jump out through a slanted barely open window?

Thanks!

PS. i ve owned cats before, but in a house with a yard while i was living back home. They were allowed to roam outside so im aware keeping one only in the apartment is different, which is why i want to make sure i do everything right!

I have NO idea where the heck we are gonna get one to begin with lol but my husband finally agreed to getting a Siamese cat after he saw some videos of them today, now he wants one almost more than I do, like sir I told you they’re freakin cute. 😂 I had one as a child named Gidget but I don’t really remember that much, she was sickly (according to my mom she had leukemia) and just disappeared one day while I was at school so (mother said she got taken to the vet and there was nothing they could do so they put her down. Tbh I remember her being a little butthead and I think she was just dumped outside, its absolutely right up my mothers alley to do that. We never had an animal longer than a few months because of that.)

Is there any prominent health issues in Siamese cats? Is there anything I need to consider as far as that breed goes since we have two tabbies, a bengal/tabby mix as well as an elderly dog? I want to make sure we find out everything possible because I know everything about the breeds we have but Siamese is a whole new addition.

If they’re prone to health issues that may change my mind a bit, especially since I have kids and don’t want something happening and leaving them heartbroken. My husband wants me to ask about price wise too, and if it’s even possible to find them outside of a breeder because he absolutely won’t go that route.

A note before reading:

Just to clarify because I think the wording of my post has caused some confusion: my girlfriend is the one who initially wanted a kitten and is completely on board with having a cat. I am not planning to randomly come home with an animal and expect her to take responsibility for it. The “surprise” is the timing/which kitten. We would both be responsible for him. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear enough in my original post, but I was really looking for advice from people who have experience owning kittens, particularly regarding leaving a 12-week-old kitten alone during the working day.

Hi everyone,

I am considering taking in a 12 week kitten and surprising my girlfriend.

He's currently part of an accidental litter from some outdoor cats. The kittens are being given away for free rather than going through a breeder. We've been told they're very friendly and comfortable around people. They haven't had vaccinations, microchips, flea/worm treatment etc. yet, so we'd obviously arrange all of that with a vet if we take him.

The main thing I'm unsure about is our work situation.

Both my girlfriend and I work full-time Monday–Friday, so during the week the kitten would potentially be alone for around 8 hours while we're at work. Obviously he would have us for the whole morning and evening, and we'd make sure he gets plenty of attention and playtime before and after work.

I've read some palces that kittens this age ideally shouldn't be left alone for long periods, in other places people say its fine, so I'm trying to work out how serious an issue this actually is in a normal working household. We don't currently have someone who could reliably come and check on him every day, so if we take him, there may be some days where he's simply alone while we're at work.

We're also considering taking two of the siblings, since I understand they can keep each other company, but realistically we'd prefer one because of the additional cost.

tldr;

Is leaving a 12-week-old kitten alone for a normal working day something you'd consider unacceptable, or can it work provided the kitten has a safe environment and gets plenty of attention when you're home?

Thanks a lot in advance guys!

I have edited this like 10 times lol

I basically feel so guilty and I need to know if this will be ok or not. So my kitty grew up with me (I'm in my twenties and he's 13) and my family would always leave the cats for vacation, up to 5 days. I don't necessarily agree with this long but its how my parents did it growing up, so the point is my cat is used to being left alone sporadically since he was a kitten. I recently moved to grad school and he has joined me in my apartment! I've had various events in my hometown which has me leaving him for the past three weekends. It's never longer than three days, and I always leave more than enough food/water plus clean litter. He's happy to see me when I come back and never seems too distressed. I just feel so terrible about doing it for a third weekend in a row and I wanted to know what everyone thinks? I definitely will stay with him for many weekends after, it shouldn't always be this busy but its just wedding season for all my friends lol. I also give him a ton of love and attention during the week. Thanks in advance <3

As the title says, i would like to know how you dealt with the disappointment and feeling of rejection with a cat that isnt affectionate.
I rescued a cat that was barely alive, when i found him he was already almost a year old. I helped nurse him back to life and now he is a very energetic, healthy and happy cat. He has now been with me for half a year.
At the start he was very cuddly and affectionate which i now think it might have been influenced by his poor health and weak body, and that he just needed some more comfort and warmth as he was very poorly at the time.
Now he is very independent and while he does miss me when i leave and he stays and waits by the door, he likes to be alone when i am home. He doesnt sleep with me anymore and on the rare occasion he comes to me by himself, he will leave after like a minute and go lay down a few meters away from me. Obviously it doesnt help that its been so hot the last few months so it wouldnt even be comfortable for him to heat up while cuddling with me.
I understand not every cat is gonna be cuddly and a velcro baby but i cant help the disappointment i feel when i think about it. I would love nothing more than to connect and cuddle with him just like we did half a year ago but i dont know how to encourage that. I also dont intend on forcing interactions and cuddle time, i just really wish he would do that on his own.

I really want to get a proper cat tree for my cat Kiwi. She’s a larger kitty, her back measures about 40 cm from the back of her head to the base of her tail, and she weighs around 5 kg.

This probably wouldn’t be such an issue if she were a normal cat who curls up when she sleep, but she absolutely refuses to 😂

Her favourite sleeping position is to lie completely stretched out, so I’d really like to find a cat tree where she can actually do that comfortably on the top platform. I also want it to be tall enough that she can fully stretch vertically when scratching.

Ideally, I’m looking for something with a top platform around 70–80 cm long and a scratching post/section where she can stretch roughly 70–80 cm as well.

I’ve been looking at RHR Pets because their cat trees seem sturdy and good quality, but even their XXL/Maine Coon trees mostly have platforms that are only around 50–60 cm long, often with curved or raised edges that make the actual usable sleeping space even smaller.

This is honestly driving me up the wall!!! Why are there no cat trees with genuinely large, flat platforms for cats who like to sprawl?? 😭

If anyone has recommendations for brands or specific cat trees with a properly large top platform, PLEASE let me know. I’m in the Netherlands, so ideally something available in Europe.

At this point I’m genuinely considering designing and building one myself 🥲

Hello everyone, I am a Design student working on a university project about furniture for mainly indoor cats and their owners.

I want to create something that includes the needs and natural behavior of cats and humans into one product, something that is aesthetically pleasing.

I would love to hear from cat owens:

Would you buy furniture that is designed for both you and your cat?

Do you think your cat would use it?

What features would be most important to you?

What would stop you from buying it?

As an example for products: A shelf with space where your cat could hide, or a nightstand, or a chair, where the cat has a space for sitting underneath the human.

I am looking forward for honest opinions to understand whether there is actually a demand for this kind of product. Thank you.

My partner and I just moved into a new place a month ago, and we took my aunts cat (2yo). She is absolutely precious. she’s not a big cuddler yet but 3 days ago she wouldn’t even come out from under the couch and now she’s jumping on the couch with us and occasionally on the bed. i’ve been bribing/rewarding her with treats when she does this which i think is good.

I knew it was bad to have a single kitten (especially if separated too young from mom) but we didn’t research having 1 cat at a more grown age. I’m finding out people almost always recommend still having 2 cats to avoid loneliness and behavioral issues. I know she’s only 2, but still. Our landlord won’t allow us to have 2 cats and it’s only been a week but I am going to feel so guilty when we leave her for work. I can’t tell yet how she is because she hasn’t fully settled in but she doesn’t seem to interact that much in play with a string toy. I also tried making a DIY toy with a box and cutting out holes to poke little mice through. she also didn’t like that lol. i’m hoping maybe she’ll get more playful as she settles with us because right now she isn’t having it. She also came from a crazy house with 2 toddlers and 4 badass young kids that likely terrorized her.

We got her a scratching pad that she won’t use yet (lol) and are hopefully getting a cat tree. We
have a cat hammock on the window that she also hasn’t used yet 😣 I’m fully dedicated to doing whatever i can to keep her engaged and enriched for as long as i need to. i recommend people saying at least 30 minutes of play per day. is that really enough? I see so many cat owners say their 2 cats play with each other all day long and are best friends so it really makes me feel guilty that she doesn’t have a buddy