The cat appreciation thread

[Podaar]

 

[Chino]

Soo... I left the gate open today after confining the cat to the porch for the last three days. Thought I'd let him explore. I shut all the doors in the house and limited him to just the the sunporch, living room, the dining room, and my office. It's been four hours now and I can't find that fucker anywhere. I've put my head inside everything and checked everywhere I could possibly think to. I haven't cut open the couches yet. He's not tiny like a kitten. He's just shy of 9lbs. Where the hell can be be? 

[Harmony]

Soo... I left the gate open today after confining the cat to the porch for the last three days. Thought I'd let him explore. I shut all the doors in the house and limited him to just the the sunporch, living room, the dining room, and my office. It's been four hours now and I can't find that fucker anywhere. I've put my head inside everything and checked everywhere I could possibly think to. I haven't cut open the couches yet. He's not tiny like a kitten. He's just shy of 9lbs. Where the hell can be be? 

They are always in the one place you didn't look.  LoL.  Maybe cat treats will entice him out?  He's gorgeous, BTW.  Good on you for rescuing him.

After we lost our 17 year old cat to cancer, it took me a long time to feel ready to adopt again.  Almost a year later, we got our 2 boys and the weirdest sense of peace came over me.  Like it was what my boy wanted us to do - open our hearts and home again to these brothers in need of a good home.

[cramx3]

awww more cuties!  I do wish I was able to adopt siblings.  I feel like my cat would not accept any other cat in my house and the main reason I've stuck with 1 cat since I had to put down my 2nd shortly after adoption.

[King Postwhore]

Soo... I left the gate open today after confining the cat to the porch for the last three days. Thought I'd let him explore. I shut all the doors in the house and limited him to just the the sunporch, living room, the dining room, and my office. It's been four hours now and I can't find that fucker anywhere. I've put my head inside everything and checked everywhere I could possibly think to. I haven't cut open the couches yet. He's not tiny like a kitten. He's just shy of 9lbs. Where the hell can be be? 

Hiding. New environment and is scared. Our cats felt safe under the bed. One even got into the box spring. Lol. Sometimes the closet.

[Spiritus]

He's somewhere lol. First morning after we got our cat, couldnt find her. Tiny apartment, we searched everywhere. Baffled. She somehow managed to get in the bottom  oven drawer and behind it. How in the fuck.

[Melphina]

One of our little guys went to the vet today because he has been acting funny - not eating, laying around all day, losing a lot of weight. Results tomorrow but it looks like either heart failure or cancer of some kind. He has an enlarged liver, fluid around his heart, and a distended abdomen. He's supposed to turn 12 this summer along with our other oldest cat. I was just hoping it would be diabetes or teeth problems (he had a couple removed at the start of the year). Today is a total gutpunch. A few years ago my little sister passed and he was by far her favorite. I am bracing to say goodbye even though I don't want to, but I am hoping somehow there's a way he'll be able to pull through.

[Harmony]

What a gorgeous boy, Melphina.  I hope he gives you more time together.  It is so hard to get bad news from the vet. 

[Melphina]

Thanks, Harmony. It's been a rough day. He's having trouble breathing well. Still managed to jump on a chair and watch TV with me though. 

[Beavis]

Cat adoption papers - WTF?! I filled out less paperwork when I bought my truck!!

I've been watching Petfinder for a little over a week and yeah, for 99% of the cats I've seen, you can't find out ANYTHING about them until you fill out an application. And the ones I've filled out have all been 7-8 pages long!

Filled one out last week on Friday afternoon for a a gal named Nova, have not heard back from the rescue organization. Was looking yesterday and came across a really adorable kitten named Ted, so I filled out an application. Less than 5 minutes after clicking "submit", my phone rang. It was the cat's foster mom and she told me that she'd just listed him that morning and he was gone. BUT, Ted had a twin brother named Charles that she had just taken to the pet store that morning and she had 3 applications for him. Apparently she liked my application because she told me if I wanted him, we'd need to move quickly. She told me which store he was at and that she'd call them to let them know I was coming to visit him. Ten minutes after hanging up, I was headed out the door to meet the little guy.

He's between 8-9 months old and he came from Texas with 3 siblings, 2 brothers and a sister. Apparently, in their home, the male human of the house murdered the human female of the house. The cats were sent to a "high kill" facility, someone noticed the strong Maine Coon traits and saved them. Got there, picked him up and he let me hold him for a good 3-4 minutes before getting fidgety. At one point I was rubbing his ears and neck, I know he was nervous because I could feel him shaking, but I could also hear the purring and he was definitely making biscuits on my arm. Left the store, called the foster mom, so we're meeting at noon today and there will be a fluffy new kitty in the house this afternoon. We are still hoping to hear from the agency about Nova, she's about the same age as Charles, we've never had 2 cats and we've been thinking it might be a good idea to have a pair.

As far as vet visits, shots, etc., it's an annual thing. Our vet always sent a reminder notice or an email that he was due for his exam and to call the office to schedule it. A couple of the shots are annual, thinking Rabies is one of them. There is one that's optional and really only necessary if the cat has contact with other cats.

Meet the new kittah, Charles.

Believe it or not, this picture was taken 3 hours after I brought him home. He spent the first 2 hours going from room to room looking for a cat he could smell but could not find. 30 minutes after the picture was taken, he was curled up on my wife's lap.

We've NEVER had a cat like Charlie. We've had lap cats, but never one that wanted to be cuddled. This guy will DEMAND that you cradle him like a baby, and he cranks the purring to "11". He's very chatty and he follows you from room to room. It's going to be interesting to see how he develops, he seems to be a smart cat. He watches everything and he has no fear of Vakoom.

The one thing everyone notices about this picture are the size of his paws. He's only 9 months old and it takes almost 2 years for Maine Coons to reach full size, so I suspect he's going to be a big kitty when he's done growing. I've only ever had 2 requirements for a cat: Big and Fluffy 

[Chino]

One of our little guys went to the vet today because he has been acting funny - not eating, laying around all day, losing a lot of weight. Results tomorrow but it looks like either heart failure or cancer of some kind. He has an enlarged liver, fluid around his heart, and a distended abdomen. He's supposed to turn 12 this summer along with our other oldest cat. I was just hoping it would be diabetes or teeth problems (he had a couple removed at the start of the year). Today is a total gutpunch. A few years ago my little sister passed and he was by far her favorite. I am bracing to say goodbye even though I don't want to, but I am hoping somehow there's a way he'll be able to pull through.

*Internet hug*

What a handsome feline! I am wishing you all the best.

[Chino]

Wow! Awesome that he's so social so early. My new guy is finally starting to come around after 2 weeks. He jumped on the couch for the first time this morning!

[T-ski]

@melphina sorry to hear about your kitty, he’s beautiful.

@beavis that is a majestic looking cat.

An update on our new cat Lumos, he is a mischievous little shit. Likes to jump on the counters, drink from the sink and bathtub, and loves to steal laundry and carry it around the home. Then he jumps on one of our laps and takes a nap as if he was a perfect angel.

[Melphina]

Thanks folks.

I didn't think he was going to make it through the night honestly. Turns out he indeed had cancer, all over, and so my little boy made his final ride to the vet at 1 PM today. Mom held his hand until the very end. I've been crying all day. Tomorrow I'm going to pick up a bunch of photos of him I've collected over his 12 years from when he was a baby and give them to my parents.

[cramx3]

Very sorry for your loss, that's so sad.  Damn.  This thread is hurting lately.  :'(

[Chino]

Thanks folks.

I didn't think he was going to make it through the night honestly. Turns out he indeed had cancer, all over, and so my little boy made his final ride to the vet at 1 PM today. Mom held his hand until the very end. I've been crying all day. Tomorrow I'm going to pick up a bunch of photos of him I've collected over his 12 years from when he was a baby and give them to my parents.

Am so sorry  **Big hugs**

When my ex's father's dog passed, I made a folder with about 100 pictures of his dog in it. I bought him a digital picture frame and put them all on that. He's got it next to her urn. Just something to think about

[EPICVIEW]

 :  )

[pg1067]

This is Bernard.  My kid was sitting on the floor talking to me about something, and he just decided he would hop up on her back and hang out.  We were both laughing so hard, but he just stayed there about five minutes.

[Melphina]

That is an adorable kitty 

Copied from elsewhere:

Lou and Mira were found in the same box at the same age, so we have always considered them brothers. They were the only two we had for four years until the next came along. They never played together or got along - Mira always hissed at Lou and would eat his food, he was always grumpy  - but they never fought, either.

For the past few nights, ever since Mira went away, Lou has been walking around the upstairs and particularly my old bedroom, where Mira would sleep a lot, and meow in a worried way, loudly. That is very unusual because Lou has very rarely ever meowed or made much noise at all, and especially not this loudly.

It's weird how animals seem to know something is wrong, and that a member of the family is missing, but they probably aren't aware it's death. It happened so fast with Mira I'm not even sure the others registered that anything was wrong with him before he left. Watching Lou search every corner of the room multiple times a night, and the meowing getting louder and more frequent, is killing me. He's confused and worried and I don't know what to do to help him. All day long he just paces in and out of the bedroom yowling, I've never heard him make distressed meows like this before. It's breaking my heart. He knows something is wrong and that Mira is nowhere to be found. We could have let the other cats wait and see the body, but none of us wanted to let Mira just wait it out and suffer like that, so here we are.

I'm really sad. I'm glad I managed to get a photo of them sitting together a couple years ago. Very rare sight. My two good boys. 

[Chino]

For the past few nights, ever since Mira went away, Lou has been walking around the upstairs and particularly my old bedroom, where Mira would sleep a lot, and meow in a worried way, loudly. That is very unusual because Lou has very rarely ever meowed or made much noise at all, and especially not this loudly.

It's weird how animals seem to know something is wrong, and that a member of the family is missing, but they probably aren't aware it's death. It happened so fast with Mira I'm not even sure the others registered that anything was wrong with him before he left. Watching Lou search every corner of the room multiple times a night, and the meowing getting louder and more frequent, is killing me. He's confused and worried and I don't know what to do to help him. All day long he just paces in and out of the bedroom yowling, I've never heard him make distressed meows like this before. It's breaking my heart. He knows something is wrong and that Mira is nowhere to be found. We could have let the other cats wait and see the body, but none of us wanted to let Mira just wait it out and suffer like that, so here we are.

My dog was in a similar funk when I put down Tomás last month. I don't even remember where he was when I was getting the cat out of the house, but I can't help but think that his last visual of the cat was me putting him into a bag at an odd hour and whisking him away. I hope he was still in bed, but I don't remember.

I've read about that before as well - animals frantically looking for their buddy after one passes. I've seen lots of people recommend bringing the other pet with you. They can smell death (I know that sounds morbid). But the idea is you let them sniff the other after they've passed, and they'll understand what's going on at that point. You'll bring them home and they'll already know where the other one is. Hang in there 

[EPICVIEW]

Love this thread


Love you all.

God Bless everyone here

[chknptpie]

The two kitties I've had to put down were both scenarios I would recommend
- bring the other cat to the vet so they can see/smell
- at home euthanasia so the other cat can see/smell

Both situations, my other cats did not do the searching or yowling. They do go over to the ashes and sniff the collars though, which I find sweet.

[Chino]

The two kitties I've had to put down were both scenarios I would recommend
- bring the other cat to the vet so they can see/smell
- at home euthanasia so the other cat can see/smell

Both situations, my other cats did not do the searching or yowling. They do go over to the ashes and sniff the collars though, which I find sweet.

Do you let the other cat/pet come in while the other one is getting put down, or after? I don't know if dogs/cats think in that capacity, but I'd be so worried that if I took Norman to the vet to see Tomás get put down, when his time came, he'd know what was coming and be worried. Is that personifying an animal too much?

[chknptpie]

The two kitties I've had to put down were both scenarios I would recommend
- bring the other cat to the vet so they can see/smell
- at home euthanasia so the other cat can see/smell

Both situations, my other cats did not do the searching or yowling. They do go over to the ashes and sniff the collars though, which I find sweet.

Do you let the other cat/pet come in while the other one is getting put down, or after? I don't know if dogs/cats think in that capacity, but I'd be so worried that if I took Norman to the vet to see Tomás get put down, when his time came, he'd know what was coming and be worried. Is that personifying an animal too much?

My other cat was there for the whole process and seemed pretty much oblivious to the situation. When it was her time, we did it at home and again she was pretty oblivious to what was happening. Definitely discuss with your vet if you're going with that option, I'm sure they have preferred methods as well.

[Harmony]

My sincere condolences to those who have shared their losses here.  There just are not enough words.  :'(

As for the remaining pet(s) mourning, when we put our last 2 down, we had a vet come to our house to do it which was far less traumatic for all of us.  And she made a point of having us bring the remaining pet into the room afterwards.  I don't recall there being any reaction that I could detect anyway, but the vet indicated that the smells would be enough to give the message.  Maybe some type of pheromone?

[chknptpie]

More sad news for this thread One of the strays that I feed was hit by a car last night and was killed. It was less than a year old and I've seen it around since it was a kitten. This has hit me a little harder than I expected. I'm gonna miss that little cutie. I was only ever able to touch its head lightly like twice, it always kept its distance but liked to play in the drive way, climb our trees and run around on our roof.

[Chino]

That sucks. Poor kitty.

[Melphina]

Brother cat is still walking around meowing in ways I've never heard before. I imagine it's going to take a fair bit of time before he stops looking for him... if he ever does. Still absolutely crushes me and makes me cry when I hear him, especially when he looks right at me like he's asking where tf his brother is. Fuck, man. I didn't think it would be this hard, 3 weeks later and it still feels like yesterday. It's just destroyed me emotionally this month. I've noticed he absolutely does not want to be away from me for very long. He's purring way more and is far more open to me petting him extensively than ever before. Just wants my attention then he's off for a few minutes until he comes back for more. Wish I could talk to him so that he understood me even for 1 minute.

[WilliamMunny]

Beyond bummed and heartbroken—we made the tough decision to part with our cat of 5 years a few weeks back as he is not at all jiving with my 4 month old (has even begun showing signs of aggression).

I worried this would happen, but we were determined to try and make it work. Bottom line, the cat is miserable, and by proxy, so are we.

Got a call from the shelter today and they moved up our appointment to Monday.

I'm normally a pretty pragmatic guy and typically have no problem being decisive in my life, but I have surprised myself with how difficult this decision 'feels'

[Chino]

That's a huge bummer

The cat was going after your young one?

[WilliamMunny]

That's a huge bummer

The cat was going after your young one?

Yes. At first there was general disinterest, but now that my kid is beginning to become mobile, we've witnessed stalking and hissing.

The cat is afraid, nervous, and just plain miserable. After months of trying literally every suggestion under the sun, we've made the decision that he'll be happier elsewhere.

[Harmony]

Ok fellow cat lovers - I need some help.  One of our 2 boys found a way outside (they are indoor only) last weekend and had a taste of freedom for about 5 minutes.  Ever since, he has been attempting to jail break every day and jumped past my husband coming inside with the mail last night.  He is chipped and neutered and so far when he gets out, he comes when he is called.  I feel like this is just the beginning so we are talking about finding a vest and leash for him and seeing if we can get him outside that way to stem his curiosity.

We tried this with our last cat and the second we put the harness on, he flopped and refused to stand up.  I've also been reading online reviews and every single one there is some review saying their cat got out of the harness.

Anyone have any luck with this sort of thing?

[Chino]

Harness was a no go for my new cat, but I got him one of these and take him out with the dog and I all the time when we walk. He can also come safely hang out in the gazebo with us too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZNWFF9M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I left it out and fully open for like two weeks before taking him on his first adventure. He became accustomed to it first and puts up no fight when I put him in there myself.

[cramx3]

Harmony, what your cat is doing is what I fear.  Luckily my guy has never attempted to try to leave the house and I'm happy about that, but I always worry that if he did get the curiosity it would become a huge annoyance as one of my previous cats was one that you needed an eye on whenever the door was open.

[Lethean]

I never did, but I'm pretty sure there are harnesses you could get that a cat wouldn't be able to get out of.  Whether they would like it or not is another thing entirely.  My cat certainly did not.  She also tried to get outside at any opportunity.  It wasn't just outside - it was basically any closed door; she saw it as an opportunity to explore I guess.    I just got in the habit of opening the front door slowly when I got home, sometimes saying "no" and "not gonna happen!" She would usually back away but sometimes I had to crouch down and threaten to pick her up, which she didn't like. My vet was never a fan of letting cats outside, leashed or not, so I never really tried that part except on a road trip one time.