Embarrasing Admission and cat advice.

[fitz19d]

So it happened, lady had us end up getting cats. I know theres some secret cat owners here. Been ages since I had one, now have 2 very affectionate young ones. Aside from introducing them to dogs and avoiding them getting eaten I have 2 issues to figure out.

Good dry cat food? Does costco make cat equivalent of the filler free dog stuff.

Cat litter... came with some ultra minty foul smelling fresh step. I seem to recall in recent years reading about non cat litter options that were good. Like wood shavings or something else other than the expensive processed smelly heavy usual stuff. Cats wont be allowed out so that's not an option.

[DFBrews]

Unabashed cat owner.. I use the arm and hammer clump and seal it has been really good for oder control and easy to scoop. Food I feed hippy natural stuff. Purina naturals was a hit before I went to blue buffalo.

I love dogs more than most people. but cats offer a differnet kind of companionship.

56393

[gnihcraes]

Tidy cat or Armand hammer work well for litter.
Food, always have fed ours dry food only. Purina indoor formula or now we feed better stuff like iaams.

[wyome]

I got some good soy sauce based recipes for them cats....just holler if ya need em

[Irving]

With two cats you, and they, will be happier if you clean the litter once a day, or every other day; especially if you only have one box. We use whatever litter is clumping, and cheapest. Have always fed them dry food, but never paid attention to which brand.

[brutal]

Male cats are susceptible to urine crystal formation and a blocked pee-hole if consistently fed dry food. I would think they better brands - meat and no fillers, might not be so bad.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2142&aid=2729

We had to have one put down due to this. Wife was pissed I wasn't gonna pay $1,500 to fix a damn cat - particularly no guarantee it would stay fixed.

[Irving]

Get them spayed/neutered when you can.

[boomerhc9]

Armand hammer

That sounds French. Is there a readily available American version?

[Fentonite]

We use the costco clumping litter. We started our kitten on Iams kitten, and haven't changed yet. She free-feeds on that, and gets some wet food twice a day when the dogs eat. She comes running in with the dogs when it's feeding time.

Irving is right - get them spayed/neutered as soon as the vet will. It prevents lots of diseases and behavior issues.

We had to have an animal trainer come out to keep the new dog from eating the new kitten. We tried everything we knew, but the pitbull we adopted really wanted to eat the new kitten (found on the highway). A couple hours with the trainer, and they're best friends. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

If you run into dietary problems, ask Bert (BPTactical). His wife knows just about everything there is to know about pet food and dietary issues.

Congrats on the new creatures!

[fitz19d]

Ones spayed, other needs a snip snip to his wee little balls. Almost dont want to since at the moment so mellow/controlled.

Know much about the dog trainer's method? Guess I'll look it up or call one if needed. They are being kept seperate until next day off to devote the day to it.

Also angry mod delete the anti freeze comment? I didn't mind it, I might do the dog approved toilet cat wash method myself.

[Fentonite]

...Know much about the dog trainer's method? Guess I'll look it up or call one if needed. They are being kept seperate until next day off to devote the day to it.

After meeting the animals, he walked the dog to establish some rapport. We muzzled Tango for the kitten's safety, and Sean (trainer/behaviorist) sat on the floor with her. He had her lay down on her side, and then basically let the kitten run around. Whenever Tango would try to get up, or even perk up her ears, he'd correct her and keep her down. Nothing forceful, just some noises and gentle touch with his fingertips. He never even said "No" (he kept that word in reserve for really bad behavior, like mauling of children).


Tango kept getting frustrated, but he didn't give her a break. His technique was beyond my depth of understanding. He'd see different body language/ whining/ sighing from the dog, and say it meant such-and-such, and change the way he was touching the dog. He said different sorts of touch meant different things to the dog. He never let her express any interest in the kitten. I gotta admit, I thought it was BS the whole time, and expected Tango to eat the kitten at the first opportunity. Before long (a couple hours), the kitten was walking on top of the dog, and Tango eventually just sighed and relaxed.


The kitten was only 5 weeks old, so she didn't have any fear of the dog, which certainly made it easier than it would've been with a grown cat.


They've been best friends ever since.


http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/fentonite/3F495AAF-5B63-4EB0-9539-4C29E5F2C244-515-00000059EA1978B4_zps4368d09a.jpg

[wctriumph]

We have cats. As far as food goes, it can vary so start with small bags and try a couple of different types, same for wet food. Our cats prefer the pate' type, they don't like the chunky types. We use Feline Pine litter, smells better than the clay type and we change it every other day. Our cats are indoor unless supervised outdoors and the neighbor's dogs don't bother them.

Here are two of ours, the onew I think is some kind of super cat, she has laser beams in her eyes!

[02ducky]

Dont forget to put the cat box someplace the dog cant get to it, dogs love cat crap for some reason.

[02ducky]

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz339/fentonite/3F495AAF-5B63-4EB0-9539-4C29E5F2C244-515-00000059EA1978B4_zps4368d09a.jpg[/QUOTE]

Thats an awsome pic, makes me miss my cat, gotta love animals.

[fitz19d]

Ya, that's our next biggest problem, places the german shepherd can't get to I think are too high for them to jump. (Shelf above washer/dryer) Might have to figure out something kinda tiered for them to reach.

[Monky]

My cat and dog are oil and water.. Dog loves the cat.. Cat hates the dog... well she really hates everyone. Unless you feed her and the dog is gone.

I have a covered litter box for her and the dog leaves it alone. Not much of a mess. Contains the smell a bit too. There are alternatives to the standard clay litter. The most effective I have seen is pine and looks like what you put into a pellet stove kind of.. It's certainly not as absorbent as clay.. or as odor destroying.. but if you're a hippy and such it'll work for you. Arm N Hammer's new stuff.. in the black box (can't think of what they call it) is amazing!

As far as food, keep in mind that cats are not omnivores. They are made to eat meat. Not plants. Not grain. You can find some lower end offerings that are grain free. You can also find the higher end... Mine eats the Blue wilderness brand. She's 6 and still gets some good running around done at stupid o'clock when she thinks she's a lion.

[Irving]

Covered litter box and face it toward the wall leaving a space big enough for car, but too small for dog. Between couch and wall is good, just in the corner with nothing blocking sides may not be good enough. We have one of those four panel decorative screens that we just set on the floor around one box in the corner. Kind of looks like a changing room for cats, but it keeps the box out of sight and out of mind for the dog.

[TheGrey]

We have five cats. We've had cats for 20+ years. Keeping them indoors will keep them safe from disease, from fights, predators, and vehicles. Having a kitty with a buddy means they'll be happier.

The two we recently added to our chaos of cats were eating Costco brand, and it wasn't giving them the nutrients the kitten needed. If your cats are under a year old, they need to be on kitten food. I'd advise leaving dry kibble out at all times, and splitting some canned food between the two (separate bowls for wet food, separate bowls for each cat.) The cheaper the kibble, the more they'll eat of it because their bodies aren't getting the nutrients they need. We now feed all five cats Blue Buffalo Indoor formula,and the hairballs have stopped, the stinky diarrhea has stopped, and they all act like they're feeling much better. Do NOT feed them people food. There's a list of things cats cannot eat, and it differs from the list of things dogs aren't supposed to eat.

Litter is a personal choice. The clay-based litter is heavy to lug around, and tends to create dust (even the stuff that claims it doesn't. Lies, all of it lies.) Cats will often not use litter that is heavily perfumed. I've found that Blue litter not only lasts a long time, but is the most efficient at trapping smells and clumping quickly. Don't use wood shavings- they'll get it stuck to their butts. Cats need to dig and bury their waste. It's a healthy behavior and they're not gerbils.

Cats also need scratching posts, pronto. Do NOT get scratching posts that mimic anything in your house. If you have caret and you get a scratching post that has carpet on it, what are you telling them? That it's okay to scratch carpet. Get a horizontal scratching post made from corrugated cardboard, and get another scratching post that stretches up vertically (at least as high as the cat can reach upwards when stretching), ideally wrapped with sisal rope. Cats MUST scratch- it's hardwired behavior and allows them to scent-mar their territory through glands on their paws, in addition to peeling the old layer from their claws to reveal new, sharp claws.

Don't get them declawed. Do get them fixed and microchipped. Cats are not trained like dogs; they don't learn the same way dogs do. Dogs want to please you. Cats are equals. Don't discipline by spanking, rubbing their nose in something, or time outs. They're going to need to learn from you what they're allowed to do or not do; a squirtbottle will deter them by distracting them from the behavior they were doing. Many cats don't enjoy getting wet.
Don't worry about bathing them. Do get a kitty brush to keep up with shedding.

Being a cat owner is cool now. :) You've joined a cool club. If you have any more questions, ask away!

[TheGrey]

Dont forget to put the cat box someplace the dog cant get to it, dogs love cat crap for some reason.

It's got a lot of protein in it.

[Puke]

[Great-Kazoo]

That sounds French. Is there a readily available American version?

kitty litter with some baking soda mixed in does just as good as the ARM & HAMMER litter.

[brutal]

Air-duster canned air works equally as well, if not better, than water for discipline. After a while you just have to think about the can of air and they stop what they're doing.