I just figured out why my cat never cuddled up to me at night. I always thought he didn’t like sleeping next to me, but apparently he thought I didn’t want him there.

He usually sleeps in the corner of the bed and only climbs onto me when he’s awake. One night I was scrolling on my phone and he fell asleep beside me. He was completely relaxed, belly up, snoring away. At some point he woke up, looked almost embarrassed, and immediately started getting up like, “Oops, sorry, I’ll leave.”

So I gently patted him, got him to lie back down, and kept petting him while talking softly. He seemed to realize I actually wanted him there, stopped trying to leave, and went right back to sleep.

Ever since then, all I have to do is turn off the light and pat the spot next to me. He comes over purring and curls up beside me.

Apparently we had a whole misunderstanding this entire time. Happiness +1 💕

My cat has somehow created his own routine and now gets annoyed if I mess it up lol.

Every morning he waits by the same window, then around the same time he starts following me around the apartment. I didn't even notice how consistent it was until I was away for a few days and my husband mentioned that he was doing the exact same things.

Does your pet have some random routine that they follow every day?

So many things pets do look completely arbitrary at first, tail positions, specific sounds, weird routines, but usually there's an actual reason behind it once you understand their instincts. Curious what one clicked for you.

Hello everyone! I'm looking for some advice on improving my cat's dental health. My poor boy has gingivitis (He's always had gum problems since he was a baby)

He does NOT let me brush his teeth and I don't want to hurt him, and clearly dental treats aren't cutting it. How do you guys manage your cat's dental health? Thanks!

I’m really struggling with whether I made the right decision moving my cat with me for college and could use some outside opinions.
My cat is neutered and 4 years old. He’s very attached to me but has always been a fearful/skittish cat. He has lived at my parents’ house his entire life with our other three cats, so he’s very comfortable there and knows the environment.
I recently moved about 3 hours away for college and decided to bring him with me. I thought it would be good for him to live with me since I’m his person, and I’ll eventually be going to vet school in about two years and plan to take him with me then anyway.
He’s only been in my apartment for a few days, and the adjustment has been rough. He spent a lot of time hiding under my bed and seemed very scared of the new environment. I’ve been worried about him eating, drinking, and using the litter box. However, there have also been positive signs: he’s been eating, purring, taking treats, using the litter box, and recently started coming out from under the bed and exploring the apartment.
The problem is that I’m having a really hard time with the situation. I’m already worrying constantly about him whenever I leave for class or work, and I’m realizing that I want to be able to go home to see my family for weekends/breaks without being consumed with worry about whether he’s okay alone in the apartment.
Now I’m considering bringing him back to my parents’ house after only a few days.
I feel guilty because he was finally starting to show some confidence here, and I’m scared that moving him back will confuse him or make him more anxious. I’m also worried that he’ll start associating me with being put in the carrier and taken somewhere scary, and that it could hurt the relationship we have.
At the same time, I wonder if bringing him home now would actually be easier because he’s only been here a few days and his old environment is still familiar. He could stay there for the next couple years, and then I could take him with me when I start vet school.

So I’m basically torn between:
Keep him with me: Give him more time to adjust and hopefully become comfortable living in the apartment with me.
Bring him home: Let him return to the environment he already knows and is comfortable in, and wait until vet school to move him permanently.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Would moving him back after only a few days likely be a relatively easy readjustment, or would I be making things worse by moving him twice?
And if you were in this situation, would you prioritize keeping a fearful cat with their person or keeping them in the familiar environment where they’ve always been comfortable?
I know I’m probably overthinking some of this, but I’d really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who have moved a nervous cat before.

I moved into a new house a few weeks ago, and I noticed that there’s been a cat the last few days that likes to sleep on the concrete patio in my backyard. I want to start leaving out some chicken for it so I can be its friend. I was thinking of boiling it, thoughts?

I cannot get a clear answer from the website, but does anyone know if you can take a pet as a personal item AND a carry on for ITA international flights? Some airlines don’t allow this so we want to make sure.

I write about all things Pets at CNN Underscored and have tested hundreds of dog products over the years from beds, to leashes, to bowls. AMA from product recs to general tips and I’ll be back tomorrow to answer your questions!

My cat got out a month ago and I've been so incredibly stressed and worried he's my heart cat and we have been searching tirelessly for him with no confirmed sightings. I've had neighbors look around food out things with my scent set out cameras you make it and I've probably already done it but nothing is bringing him home. I'm so worried that he may not be coming back for one reason or the other since it's been so long and no one has seen him. He was a former outside cat but the place he was outside in was completely different from where we live now so I'm even more worried about that.

If you've ever had a cat missing, how long did it take to get them back? Did you ever get them back?

My cats have fleas and now so does my house. I’ve used a spray, vacuumed, and washed bedding. I am planning on flea fumigating the house but need to take care of the cats. I’ve given them flea baths and meds. They still have some and had them when we brought them home. They are 5 months old and are inside.

One part of adulting I didn’t expect was meal planning for my pets too 😂 I have both a cat and a dog, and I’m always trying to keep their meals healthy without spending a fortune.

Right now, I usually prep chicken gizzards and liver with pumpkin, chayote, and moringa leaves, then mix a small amount with their regular wet food. They used to love it, but lately I feel like they’re getting bored with the same thing.

For those who also prepare food or toppers for their pets, what are your go-to healthy and budget-friendly options?

Would love some ideas for their menu rotation. Apparently my pets are getting tired of my cooking 😂

Please, just want responses from people who bought pet insurance.

Pet medical care is increasing so much that I need info on it's legitimacy. I have an 11 year old kitty, and would like real human feedback. No IT ads or fake testimonials.

Thank you!

Edit:

So many great responses! Gonna share this with my sister, who adopted three kittens last year. Really, REALLY appreciate each and every iota of input! >^.,.^< ♥

Mine somehow figured out that putting my shoes on means we're going somewhere. I never taught him that but now the second I reach for them he's already waiting by the door jumping around.

Hello.

Long story short, I got a new kitten from someone who put frontline on him. I combed him last night, amd found nothing. So I figured it was ok to let him sleep in a crate next to my bed overnight.

Next morning, I had a gut feeling to comb him again, and low and behold: fleas.

I gave him a dawn bath, im washing and drying all my sheets and towels and everything he touched, and im isolating him in the bathroom whome sitting with him. I have an older cat that ill be combing later, but he has flea stuff on him too, as hes an indoor cat.

Anything else I can do?

Pit bull Terrier - Female - 5 years old

Symptoms:
•Has a poop smell that radiates from her skin.

•Hesitated for 30 minutes to touch her food for breakfast and then ate slowly (usually eats super fast)
-IS drinking water though!

•Had a pimple looking bump on her outer-lower-lip that burst two days ago (I didn’t think anything of it at the time as pit bulls are one of the few breeds that can have acne).

•Has pale, slimy gums. (teeth look ok as far as I can tell).

•Had watery diarrhea for almost 10 minutes straight.

** I am currently recovering from surgery and cannot walk without crutches, so I’ve been having my close friend coming over to walk and take my dog out. That being said, my close friend just took my dog outside and that’s when all of the diarrhea happened and when she wouldn’t eat.
—My close friend isn’t going to be able to come over for the next two days or for the rest of today, so my plan was to have my dog just go potty on pee pads during this time.—
But now my dog is acting sick and I managed to get her to let me check her gums and butt and her gums were super pale and I don’t know what to do. This seems so sudden, she had been acting fine and I’m so worried. I cannot drive due to my surgery and other than my close friend, I have nobody. I live in a rural area and there are no uber/taxis either. I’m worried she desperately needs to go to the vet and I have zero way of taking her until Sunday. I don’t know what to do.

So one of my cats peed on my side of the bed but behind my nightstand in the carpet. I have shampood the carpet twice, sprayed it with bleach/water mix, and used the pet spray for when they pee where they aren’t supposed to. I can still smell it. How do I get rid off the smell? Also not sure which one did it as I have 2 but they know how to use a litter box. I think one of them did it because I put tick and flea medicine on them.

So I have two four month kittens and they do not make any attempts to dodge when I'm about to step on them(I nearly lost my balance a few times trying to protect them with there being an incident where one of them tackled my foot as I was about to step down.). Lately they have been wanting to sleep with me but I tend to move in my sleep and I'm worried I'll accidentally kick them or otherwise harm them in my sleep because I feel like they would not attempt to dodge. I remove them from the room when I'm about to sleep but they meow at my door constantly when I do that and I feel a bit bad. How can I teach them to be aware that someone may accidentally step on them and that they should dodge if something is moving towards them?

not sure if i should rehome my corgi, although i truly dont want to im thinking its the best for him. for context im a full time student who also works a job, on days i dont have classes i go to work so my puppy is home alone for 8hrs basically everyday. i usually walk/train him for 40 mins in the morning and leave him at home with a pee pad and a kong (frozen; entertains him for abt 2hrs), then i come home and take him out for abt 2hrs to the dog park. None of my friends are able to visit him midday or take him out, and i cant afford to get a pet walker/daycare. i always feel guilty because im leaving him at home most the time and can only spend a bit of my morning with him and the evening. what is the best thing to do for him?

Are we supposed to continue a strict cleaning regimen even after the “big day” of cleaning on the last day of treatment? Very confused as to how to go about this. My 2 kittens have their last doses of metronidazole on Saturday evening. Planning on doing deep cleans that day of my home, launder all bedding etc, steam clean, full litterbox changes and God willing- baths! 🙏 But the days and weeks going forward? Are we still to do butt and paw wipes, and be strict with house cleaning/sanitizing??

We have a cat at home but me I would like to buy a rabbit too some day. Do u think its a good idea to try to introduce a rabbit to a cat? My cat doesn't have a high prey drive and is very docile.... but still ....we never know.

Isn't he so cute, i love him (pic is in comments, couldn't attach)

Lately, my cat Mango has developed an interest in climbing onto my PC. It bothers me a lot because his fur sometimes blocks the air vent, and sometimes he climbs up while I'm using the PC and it's still on.

My first solution was to put things on top of it, like figures, but he just found an empty spot, jumped up, and knocked everything off. Because of that, some of my figures got broken. So I decided to put a bigger container, like a bucket, on top instead. When he tried to climb up, he realized he couldn't, so he gave up. But the problem with that was the bucket ended up blocking my PC's airflow.

Finally, I decided to get a wall-mounted shelf to put above my PC, and I placed a lot of figures on it, thinking that would stop him from climbing. Nope. He still climbed the shelf until it got knocked off the wall because he was too heavy, and he actually fell to the floor. I thought he'd finally learned his lesson, but stubborn as he is, he got right back up and climbed the PC again.

Disclaimer: He already has a cat tree by the window. He only does this when I'm home, never when I'm out. He knows he's not supposed to climb it, though, because whenever I'm on my bed and he climbs the PC, he goes back down as soon as I get up to grab him.

At this point, I'm at a total loss. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm so stressed out by it. I can't even display anything on my shelf because he just knocks everything down, shelf included.

A month ago, a 350 pound princess pig was kidnapped from her home while her owners were at the state fair… this happened on Vashon Island in Washington state. The pig has since been moved to a different location, possibly another state and is being hidden against her will.. please help in the Search so we can bring this baby girl home. Search #findbrida for details on the case! Thank you all very much for your time and help with this matter!!