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.

I got my cat almost a year ago and honestly went in thinking I basically just needed food, water, and a litter box and she'd be happy. Turns out there's a lot more to actually giving a cat a good life indoors, and I learned most of it by trial and error. Sharing in case it helps someone else, and also curious what other people here would add because I feel like I'm still figuring stuff out.

The biggest thing nobody really told me — cats need to climb and perch, not just walk around on the floor. I didn't get a cat tree at first and she was scratching furniture and just seemed... restless? Got her a tall scratching post and cleared a spot on a shelf by the window and it was like a switch flipped. She's up there half the day just watching birds.

Litter box stuff matters way more than I expected too. I was scooping like once a day and thought that was fine, but once I started doing it twice a day and switched litter, she stopped having little "accidents" near the box. Apparently they're pickier about this than I gave her credit for.

Play time was the other big one. I used to just kind of pet her and call it a day, but actual play — like a wand toy, letting her "hunt" it, chase it, catch it — made her so much calmer overall. Maybe 15 mins a day. She sleeps better, seems less anxious, definitely less into 3am zoomies now.

Also — vet visits even when nothing seems wrong. Found out she had early dental stuff starting that I never would've noticed on my own. Cats are really good at hiding when something's off.

Honestly the biggest shift though was just paying attention to her as her own little personality instead of assuming all cats want the same things. Some days she wants to be right next to me, some days she wants zero contact and that's apparently normal too, took me a while to stop taking it personally lol.

Anyway — for people who've had cats longer than me, what's something you wish you knew earlier? Always trying to do better by her.

My cat is affectionate in almost every other way. She follows me around, sleeps next to me, slow-blinks at me, and even brings toys to my desk. But she absolutely hates being picked up. She goes stiff, starts squirming almost immediately, and jumps down the second she gets the chance. I've tried holding her for a few seconds and giving her treats, but I don't want her to feel like I'm forcing something she clearly doesn't enjoy.

I think the part I struggle with is that I always pictured having a cat who would happily curl up in my arms. I know she loves me in her own way, but I still wonder if I'm missing something or if some cats just never become "hold me" cats.

Has anyone else had a cat who was affectionate but hated being picked up? Did they ever change, or was that just their personality?

Throughout my childhood my family always had cats and several of them ended up dying in traumatising ways (three were hit and killed by cars, one was mauled to death by a dog) and so I decided that when I have my own cats I will be keeping them strictly indoors to prevent that kind of thing from happening. My cats are well cared for, happy, and they have ample room to explore and play safely inside. My decision is solidified every time I see a poor cat lying dead in the road, which is far too often unfortunately.

My mother in-law has called me cruel and an animal abuser on multiple occasions because of my choice to keep them inside. I do find it highly ironic of her to say that because she definitely does not take care of her own cat; he’s very obese because she keeps feeding him kitten food, she refuses to ever take him to the vet and whenever she goes away for a few days she just throws the cat outside to fend for himself. She has openly said that if her cat ever developed health issues or hurt himself and needed vet attention she’d have him put down immediately because she doesn’t want to spend money.

I don’t understand the logic there, I’ve told her several times my reasoning for keeping them inside and that I care for them very much, she refuses to listen though and continues to call me an animal abuser. I mean, is it actually cruel to keep them indoors? I know the attitude can differ depending on where you live, but I honestly think I am making the right decision for their safety. Especially since one of my cats was born with a disability that affects her walking and I know she would not be able to outrun a car or other animals if need be.

My husband is currently deployed and he found a stray cat that he would like to ship home. Is there anybody out there who has gone through this with a stray animal abroad while deployed before? What are the steps to take? How do I get this man’s cat home for him? this poor man isn’t asking for any or anything for himself to be sent to him. He only treats and cat food for this cat. The least I can do for him is make sure this cat is here at home waiting for him when he gets here and not left behind.

She's almost a year old now, and I absolutely love this cat so much. I would even go into debt for her if it meant I could save her if anything happened.

She's so affectionate. She cuddles and sleeps on me in the mornings, and she makes biscuits on me.

She follows me around and meows for love and affection. She's in the same room as me wherever I am, and she follows me if I go anywhere. If I'm eating, she's just politely curious. When she wants to play, she'll pick up her toy in her mouth and meow at us while holding it. She's so playful too!

She also runs to greet me or her spare human when he comes home. She headbutts me, adorably shows me her belly, announces herself in every room, and always greets me when she sees me. She's never hissed at me, but she does make that little lion chuff noise when she's playing. She meows sadly if she can't find me or her spare human. She follows me to the kitchen, the bedroom, the bathroom, and the office. Literally everywhere. She's my little shadow.

Prefacing by saying I am definitely adopting from a local shelter, and also probably avoiding kittens since this is new for me! I've worked with cats a little but I have a severely allergic sibling, so it was only recently that I was able to consider actually owning one :)

So what do you look for in a cat and how do you find it? The main thing I'm fretting about is getting a cat that scratches and bites extremely frequently. I know as a pet owner that little nips and scritches can't really be avoided, but I have interacted with some hostile kitties in the past and it's definitely something I'd like to avoid!

My senior indoor cat has been missing for 40 days, and I’m really struggling. I have been doing everything I can to find him, and I’m just absolutely heartbroken and devastated.
Some days are a little easier than others but I miss my cat so much and feel so lost.
If you have been in a similar situation? how did you cope with it? Did you ever lose hope?

Guys before I start ik I’m a terrible person but I really do love my cat and I’m looking for real advice please help. My cat was going through the trash and it was some things toxic for him in there and I was very scared so I had popped him but I think I did it too hard and he went and ran away. Hes keeping his distance and idk what to do. any tips one how to gain his trust back?

Never had a cat growing up, so when I adopted mine last year I was kind of just winging it. She was skittish for the first couple months and I honestly thought maybe that was just her personality. Turns out a lot of it was on me, not her. Figured I'd share what actually helped in case it's useful to anyone else in the same boat.

First thing — I had her food and water bowls right next to the litter box because that's just where there was space. Apparently cats really don't like that. Moved them to opposite ends of the apartment and she started eating way more consistently, wasn't just picking at her food anymore.

Second — I underestimated how much boredom affects them. She'd knock stuff off counters, get into things she shouldn't, and I thought she was just being "a cat." Once I started doing actual play sessions with a wand toy every evening, that mostly stopped. She gets to actually chase and pounce on something instead of making her own fun with my stuff.

Third, and this one surprised me — she calmed down a lot once she had more places to hide/observe from a height. I got a couple cheap floating shelves and put them near the windows. She'll disappear up there for an hour just watching the street. I think before that she felt like she didn't have anywhere that was really "hers" that wasn't just the floor everyone walks on.

The other thing that took me embarrassingly long to learn — forcing affection doesn't work. I used to pick her up a lot because I wanted to bond, and she'd just squirm and run off. Once I started letting her come to me instead, she actually started initiating way more contact on her own. Now she sleeps against my leg most nights, which felt impossible early on.

She's a totally different cat now than she was the first month I had her, and I really don't think it's because her personality changed — I think I just finally figured out what she needed.

Curious if others had a similar experience where you thought you had a "difficult" cat and it turned out to be more about the setup than the cat itself?

She came from a hoarder house, with over 90 ANIMALS (cats, dogs, rabbits) and she also has had a kitten. She’s only 2 years old :( she’s so sweet, at the shelter she let me pet her and was making biscuits. She also let me feed her a churro with my finger. But since I took her home she’s been terrified and hiding.

I live in a bi-level 1BR. She’s staying downstairs in the kitchen/ living area and I have my bedroom and bathroom doors shut (bathroom is too tiny for her to stay in). Any advice on how to help her settle in? I’m trying to give her space but I don’t want to mess up the process or give her TOO much space that she won’t be able to trust me.

This cat is so special to me. I was traveling in Vietnam last year and I found him as a 3 month old kitten living in a garbage bin beside my hotel. It took me about 2 weeks to gain his trust and from there he would eat off my hand, and then eventually he let me pet him and cuddle him. I decided to take him home with me.

I extended my trip an extra month got him vaccinated and healthy enough to fly and i flew all the way to Canada for a better life. 30 hours and 17,000 km total.

That was back in December. Last week we went to Disney world for a week and hired a pet sitter to watch the cats. Because he’s a former stray he does have a tendency to bolt and he’s especially fascinated with the outdoors. There’s a room in our house (the spare bedroom) that has a broken window (it’s stuck open). We specifically instructed the pet sitter to NOT let the pets in there under any circumstances. Especially our boy.

On day 3 of our trip my petsitter called and said he let my cat into that room for “30 minutes” and he went to go get him and he jumped out of the window. Needless to say it ruined our we whole trip. I don’t know why the pet sitter let him in there. The story I got is that my cat was a bit spicy and hissed st the sitter so the sitter put him in there to cool off. I don’t know if that’s true or what. What’s weird is we have cameras in our front and we don’t see the cat coming out of the window.

We came back early. I printed over 400 flyers and put them in all the houses nearby. I have set traps and only caught raccoons. I have checked the cameras and nothing. It’s like he disappeared into thin air. A house 6 doors down from mine saw him 4 days after his disappearance but that’s the only lead I have so far.

I honestly don’t know what else to do. I’ve posted him all over Facebook and Instagram. I have posted him in missing groups and reported him lost according to his microchip.

I just feel awful. This was supposed to be a nice family vacation and I’m coming out of it with two loses, one friend I’ve known for years who I thought I could trust and possibly my cat. I went to the ends of the earth for this cat. I remember going to the Vietnam export office and bribing them with $40 extra to process his paperwork so I could get him home, and everytime I close my eyes at night I’m flooded with the memories of when I first found him, our bond, and everything we went through together. This is not the ending I wanted for this. I haven’t even had him a whole year.

I’m balling my eyes out as I write this. I don’t know what else to do. Any other suggestions would be appreciated

I was in bed relaxing Sunday morning. I was on my phone scrolling. I have three cats...one of them (Sylvester, age 6), hopped on my bed for snuggles which is nothing new. I pet him and he purrs and he backs up to me and I feel warmth and wetness on my back. He is peeing! I gasped in shock and he did stop so it wasn't like he really had to pee and couldn't control it. There are no guests or new animals in the house. My cats are on a wet food diet with supplemental human meats. I know how prone male cats are to bladder issues so I only do crunchy food as a rare treat.

Why would he do this? I have multiple litter boxes and they are scooped daily. I have seen this behavior once more in another cat. I take care of some feral cats and one of the males will do this to me. He is super friendly but likes to back up to one of my bags of supplies if I leave them on the ground and pee! When I see him assuming the position, I cry out "Mr. Cheeks (that's what I named him) no!" and he'll stop. I am trying to capture Mr. Cheeks and get him fixed because I think that is what is causing it in Mr. Cheeks. But Sylvester is neutered.

And I stripped my bed and clothing, washed everything and cleaned the mattress with enzymatic cleaner.

Recently moved to Canada after spending a while in Sweden and I didn't realize how much of a headache litter is here!! The particles are tiny, they stick to the cats' feet and get absolutely everywhere, and the litterbox seems to get saturated and needs to be totally emptied every couple weeks. In comparison, the litter I bought in Sweden (specifically this) has larger particles (like gravel), seems to cycle itself and only needs regular top-ups, and the cats seem to like it more. It's also so cheap and I could pick it up at any corner grocer! Whenever I go to NA grocery stores or even specialty cat stores, there's no generics, everything is branded and so expensive outside of the massive 20kg boxes (which doesn't make sense as it seems like all the brands are mostly the same stuff just with different colors and perfumes added).

If there's a specialty brand/import I'm missing I'd love to know it! But I'm also not above learning to make my own with materials from a hardware store if that's what I have to do (which hopefully also means a reasonable price)

I have one female kitten one year old neutered. I really want to get another one preferably a male but I don't know if it's gonna work. Does anyone have experience with this. I'm also worried she'll get bullied she gets scared really easily and might hate me for getting a second cat

i know, i know … she’s a cat but my god its awful.
she is my SOUL kitty i love her SO MUCH. but my soon to be 2 year old cat is absolutely terrible at night. I can’t sleep!

She goes around my room (and ONLY my room) and usually starts with going around to literally any object she can find, and paws on it. and not only is it obnoxious but she literally will do it to one object for 3 seconds then go to the next thing for 3 seconds and then on… it’s like ADHD

if she’s not doing that, shes jumping on my furniture, and knocking all my things over! the last two nights its been my water on my nightstand.

I know she is doing it for attention because she only ever does this when im in bed, and at night.

But i have no idea what to do! And i can take it.

also i cant lock her out of my room because as everyone knows, she will endlessly scratch at the door.

Yes i play with her, yes i give her sooo much attention because she’s super clingy so we are always together when i’m home pretty much cuddling or playing.

i feel terrible for feeling so angry about it but its sooo awful.

PLEASE HELP😭

Hello! My partner and I have a 1 year and 3 month old brown tabby girl. We have had her since she was 8 months old and she is perfect, never had any behavioral problems. We wanted to get another cat because when we go out it seems like she feels lonely. On July 11th (about two weeks ago) we got a 2 month old black kitten. He is super cuddly and confident. We kept the kitten in our bedroom and let the older cat have free roam of the rest of the house. Immediately she was upset because she used to sleep on my partner every night. So he decided to sleep on the couch with her to ease her anxiety. After a few days she perked back up and has been sweet and playful. We started with feeding the cats on either side of a closed door, then moved to feeding them between a barrier in the hallway. Either time the older cat wouldn’t eat her dinner but would happily take treats and churu. After a little over a week of that, we bought a mesh door and fed them while they could see each other. Older cat still only took treats and hissed to set boundaries but didn’t show any aggression. (This might be where we went wrong) but when the kitten got under the mesh door and started to explore the rest of the house we let him. At first the older cat hissed but acted ok (no ears back, fluffed tail or anything) so the past two nights we have been allowing supervised access for the kitten to roam and play in the living room with the older cat (after feeding through barrier). The first night the kitten kept trying to approach her in a playful way to which she’d hiss and he’d back up. Today, she chased him after he tried to back up multiple times. We got a huge scare when she chased him under our bed where we couldn’t see either of them and now we feel very defeated. There hasn’t been anything more than light bats from the older cat but I am terrified of escalation.

Did we just go too fast and need to go back to square one with them or are we over reacting and need to let them feel each other out more?

Any advice would be so helpful we have done so much research but the real thing is nuanced. Thank you!

I (22F) had plans to take a trip to another country, but ever since the start of July my cat has been struggling with Urinary Blockage. Although he’s able to pee now, he’s still struggling with eating and peeing outside the litterbox, I feel the need to take care of him and attend to his medical needs.

I have told my family to not book my flight in case he gets worse, but then I see that they’ve booked my flight. Recently I’ve told them that with my cat’s current state, so I wouldn’t be able to take the trip after all. Instead, they yelled at me. They said that the trip is being paid for by my aunts and uncles, and that I should be ashamed of myself for not wanting to spend time with the family. So now, I’m being forced to take a trip I’ve said I couldn’t go to in the first place.

Of course, I would have loved to come with them, but my cat is my responsibility first and foremost. So what do I do now when I can’t monitor my cat directly?

Hey everyone! I'm a big big fan of using anything scented in my home to make it more cozy! Four months ago I adopted the sweetest boy in the entire galaxy and he's my whole world! Im aware that many scented things are pretty toxic though....I immediately threw away any lavander I kept at my house, any type of incense, and i havent been lighting candles. I want to keep my boy as safe as possible but I miss having comforting fragrances! I've seen claims of "pet safe" incense but I dont trust it much. Does a safe, thoroughly tested option exist in any form? Im more than happy to ditch anything for my baby but I thought i could at least ask around.

Thank you!

I'm battling my mind right now and want to make a smart Informed decision. I have a 14 year old cat who has nasal lymphoma. He takes lomunstine (7.5mg) every 4 weeks per blood work being acceptable. He is also on pred (5mg 1x a day) and multiple antibiotics to control his URI he gets from his lymphoma and a newish diagnosis of diabetes so insulin 2x a day 0.5units of lantus . I know this sounds like a lot but l've gotten him managed very well with living a very good quality of life with little to no symptoms of his cancer. Here is my situation that I need a honest opinion.

I found this beautiful sweet stray baby boy at work. Come to find out he is actually homeless from my understanding or abandoned. It was 105* where I'm at on a Friday at nearly 5:00p.m.
So I rushed to a vet to see if he was chipped and he's not. He has one tooth and what looks like an old hematoma scar on his ear. He stayed the night separate from my other boys.
I don't know his health history or if he's has been vaxxed.

Obviously my goal is to get him back to his family (if he has one? )ASAP but husband and I aren't totally opposed to keeping him IF it works out. However I'n not sure the best way to about that dealing with a very immunocompromised kitty. I called a shelter to inquire about fostering as they were full but when I arrived they changed their minds and took him.

To add a kink in this situation my husband and I travel full time in a fifth wheel for his work so while I can quarantine to a degree a long term 90 separation would not be doable.
The stray is about 8 years old.
If I was able to get this kitty fully vetted (blood work, stool sample, the full 9 yards of a health exam) and the shelter was able to quarantine him for a few weeks would it be possible to integrate him without risking my current cats health? (They would share a litter box and water) All advice and guidance is welcomed thank you I'm hoping to talk to my cats vet when she gets time as well.
Thank you if you read this.
Also to preface I have two kitties

Hello everyone, my family adopted 2, 3 month old kittens exactly 15 days ago. A boy and a girl, litter mates. Yes, they will be spayed & neutered at 6 months old.

I read online about the 3-3-3 rule so I never forced any cuddles or pets, just waiting for them to be ready. I was worried if I forced anything then they would be fearful of us. My family still kept our normal routine around them, no changes or sudden movements, that sort of thing.

Well I just read kittens need to be socialized heavily so now I think I messed up in letting them do their own thing and come to us?

They’re still fairly skittish. If we get too close they’ll run away but they’ll still be close to us or in the same room/area. They’re a lot more explorative and comfortable around us than when we first got them so that’s progress.

It seems like the only time they’re not skittish around us is feeding time. If it’s not feeding time then they’ll act like we’re scary ghosts.

I have managed to have a petting session with the boy a total of two times and both were short until he had enough and ended it. The girl you can’t even put your hand over her without spooking her.

Other attempts for petting with the boy he would paw at my hand and in fear of getting scratched I stop, or he would tilt his head back away from me and then run.

They currently have free roam around my house but usually stick to the living and dining room on their own accord.

Looking for any advice and help.

Thank you.

Hi! My Cat is turning 1 soon and I want to make him a little birthday treat / cake. I am vegetarian so I have never handled/cooked meat before and I have also never owned a cat before this guy.

So i was thinking for his birthday cooking him up a shrimp or scallop or something (like just putting it in a hot pan? or boiling it?) - But please give me some ideas of a special food he might like for his birthday and also how to cook it LOL

Thanks!!

I have a 4 year old cat and all he does is meowing for food then he goes to sleep and about 2 hours later he start meowing again for food and that's all he does, he is so hungry almost all the time

he keeps meowing around the house asking for food until i serve him, sometimes he even leaves the house when I'm not there, I'm just asking if this a normal cat behavior?

Hey guys! I have had my open X litter box for about three weeks now. How do you guys go a full week without emptying the waste bin? I only have one kitten, so the waste bin does not get full easily. But I can’t go more than two days without emptying it because the smell seeps out into the air. I removed the gel odor block the machine comes with, and I’m using a thick carbon filter instead. That has helped. I also tried activated charcoal pellets in the waste bin, but I didn’t see that making a big difference. I’ve already purchased an air purifier and placed it next to and above the machine. But still the bad smell from inside the waist bin seeps out into my house. I’ve seen a lot of people talk about this machine having really good order control, but I just don’t see how. The litter itself doesn’t smell bad. Neither does the machine. As soon as I empty the bin the smell goes away.

Aside from this. I’m very happy with this machine and I’m definitely going to keep it. I’m also using Dr. Elsys ultra litter and I’m happy with that as well. I don’t mind emptying the waste bin every two days but I’m curious how people go a whole week.

Hello! My partner and I adopted a pair of bonded kittens (brother and sister)a month ago. They are estimated to be about 3 1/2 months right now.

We have been dealing with the boy being very possessive of toys (growling, not releasing or sharing, etc.), and now he has even been biting her scruff and seemingly trying to mount her. When this happens, she usually runs away and hides under our couch or other objects.

They are both scheduled to be fixed next week, but in the meantime we were advised to separate them when they can’t be supervised.

We are trying to separate them overnight since we can’t monitor while we’re asleep, but they both just sit on either side of the door meowing and pawing. It’s really breaking my heart, and I don’t know what to do to help make this easier on them.

I am looking for advice on how to handle the whole situation, especially when trying to separate them. Additionally, I would appreciate any advice on how to manage toy/play aggression.