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Quote from: Larimar on July 26, 2023, 05:17:04 AMOrangeGuy says congratulations EPW on being adopted by an orange tabby. He says they're the best!

Thanks all. I wonder if we goofed on the introduction. Our vet said he didn't need to be quarantined, since the foster had him so long and he had no signs of URI. He's had his first set of boosters, negative for FIV & leuk., got flea treatment, dewormer, etc. So, we set up his cat 'playpen' (enclosed 4+ ft. diameter circular hut) in our tv room. Youngest evil cat was not pleased. We thought we could introduce them this way so that there is a visible barrier between them. He's just a baby, but she ain't having any of it. Lots of hissing, staring, etc. on her part. Any suggestions on what to do, or should we just give it time?

Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on July 28, 2023, 07:43:50 AM

Quote from: Larimar on July 26, 2023, 05:17:04 AMOrangeGuy says congratulations EPW on being adopted by an orange tabby. He says they're the best!

Thanks all. I wonder if we goofed on the introduction. Our vet said he didn't need to be quarantined, since the foster had him so long and he had no signs of URI. He's had his first set of boosters, negative for FIV & leuk., got flea treatment, dewormer, etc. So, we set up his cat 'playpen' (enclosed 4+ ft. diameter circular hut) in our tv room. Youngest evil cat was not pleased. We thought we could introduce them this way so that there is a visible barrier between them. He's just a baby, but she ain't having any of it. Lots of hissing, staring, etc. on her part. Any suggestions on what to do, or should we just give it time?

No direct experience (mine are litter mates and came pre-bonded), but I've heard that giving them each other's bedding to interact with, or even rubbing it on them, can help, since smell is so important. Maybe also giving (the former) youngest EC lots of attention and treats in the room with the new kitten so she associates him with good things?

They should have their own litter boxes too. 

Quote from: clean on July 28, 2023, 03:35:26 PMThey should have their own litter boxes too. 

Yep. We're keeping everything separate for now. Youngest evil cat is still very unsure of the new kid.

It has been a roller coaster of a week over here. Newest evil cat (our kitten) has a URI. We went to the ER vet once and received meds. His fever went down (yes, we took his temperature rectally and that's how we knew he had a fever and why we went to the ER in the first place) and then it went back up again yesterday. Called our vet, she said double the dose. So, we took him to our vet bright and early this morning and she looked him over (gave him fluids, verified that his temp. went down after doubling the dose [we took it this morning and it was within range]). He's still sneezing and mucousy, but I think he's doing better than he was yesterday.

I am SO TIRED!!!

Poor kitten. Poor humans too. Hope the little orange one gets better quickly!

Quote from: Larimar on August 05, 2023, 02:29:55 PMPoor kitten. Poor humans too. Hope the little orange one gets better quickly!

Thanks. Our vet said the ER vet under dosed him (probably partially because he's a kitten). *Shrug* Anyway, he does seem to be feeling better. He actually got out of his comfy cat box (printer paper box with blankets in it) and rubbed all over his humans. Oh, and he drooled too. He's been eating and using the litter box this entire time, so that's something.

Poor guy!

Our own red cat has been limping hard for the last week, with some days putting no weight on his paw. Nothing showed up on the x-ray, at least.

It hasn't really been improving, though, which is leading is to reassess our planned trip to the east coast... Tuesday morning. It would be one thing if he were consistently improving, but...

Wishing a quick and complete recovery to your orange kitty too.

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on August 05, 2023, 05:42:55 PMPoor guy!

Our own red cat has been limping hard for the last week, with some days putting no weight on his paw. Nothing showed up on the x-ray, at least.

It hasn't really been improving, though, which is leading is to reassess our planned trip to the east coast... Tuesday morning. It would be one thing if he were consistently improving, but...

Is he an outside cat? Maybe he stepped on a thorn, or pulled something doing zoomies?

So sorry for this late reply to SCR's post about moving with cats, but I had a good experience moving our cats a few years ago and thought I would share.  We were moving cross-country.  There are quite a few companies out there that will manage the transport for you:  they do all the paperwork ahead of time; they inform you about every possible shot/medical treatment your cats will need (you have to confirm, for example, that their claws have been clipped); they instruct you about the best crates to get and how to attach packages with food and water to the outside (in case of a delay which would mean your cats need food and water); they also send a packet with stickers for the crates saying "live animals" and with the cats' names, so anyone handling them can use their name. 

The day of, you take the cats to the airport (you go to the shipping area of the airport, which is usually off to the side somewhere; the company also looked that up for me!).  My mom was with me when I did this (my husband was in the process of driving cross-country at the time) and I was an absolute wreck.  I was so worried.  When we got to the airport, I handed the paperwork to the shipping clerk and they looked surprised that it was all correct!  It was incredibly easy.  A British woman and her kids were shipping their cat back to England and had screwed up the paperwork and it was turning into a huge nightmare for them. 

As my mom would attest, as soon as we were driving away, I felt better. Still really worried!  But not looking at my babies and thinking "How can I leave you behind?"  We got home, and it seemed like about twenty minutes had passed when the guy from the cat shippers called to say: "Your cats are in Dallas; we have checked on them, nothing to worry about!" Then it was just a couple more hours before they were on the other coast, where my husband met them.  He said that the entire hour-long drive to our new apartment, there was not a peep out of the cats, though he was talking to them!  But as soon as he let them out of the crates, they took over the new apartment and were totally not traumatized. Indeed, the older cat had been way more traumatized by a cross-country move we did, with her in her crate next to us in a UHaul truck.  Cats don't sweat, except through their paws and their nose.  She was a white cat, and by the end of the two days of driving, she had a sweat stain on her nose!  It took several days to disappear.  And it wasn't hot in the truck; she was just really stressed, despite being with us the whole time.

So I can say that shipping the cats with the aid of professionals worked really, really well for us!  You can also do it so that you are on the same flight as your cats; we just happened to be traveling separately. When I did this, I googled something like "how to ship your cat by air" and various companies popped up. I wrote to several; they all wrote back with descriptions of how they did things, their pricing, and so on.  I talked to two or three on the phone, and chose the one I felt most confident about.

Anyway, SCR, I thought I would add my experience in case it helped to hear another option!

Thanks everybody for all your suggestions RE: moving with cats.

It looks like we are going to drive (should take 3-4 days). We bought a large 2-cat carrier that came with a portable litter box. There is space for them to stand and sit up. We set it up in the living room for now, and they are thoroughly enjoying it. Hopefully it will keep them comfortable. Kitties will definitely not be left in the car unattended.

We are going to ask their vet if sedatives are recommended.

epw, how is your little orange kitty doing?

Quote from: smallcleanrat on August 18, 2023, 11:43:05 AMThanks everybody for all your suggestions RE: moving with cats.

It looks like we are going to drive (should take 3-4 days). We bought a large 2-cat carrier that came with a portable litter box. There is space for them to stand and sit up. We set it up in the living room for now, and they are thoroughly enjoying it. Hopefully it will keep them comfortable. Kitties will definitely not be left in the car unattended.

We are going to ask their vet if sedatives are recommended.

epw, how is your little orange kitty doing?

Good luck with the kitties, scr. That carrier sounds very luxurious.

Orange man is doing MUCH better. He got over his illness and is now missing body parts (neuter). Poor little man. I felt bad, but, well, our cats were broken, so we had to fix them. Youngest evil cat, I guess I need to rename her since she's now an elder evil cat, is still quite pissed at our new addition. He is oblivious to her tirades, hissing and swiping. At least she can sit in the same room with him now.

Having a bit of a rough week, and could use a little cheering up.

Does anyone have anything cat-related to share? Funny stories, sweet moments, random thoughts?

Maestro and Caramelo are doing great. I love my sweet babies.

Lately I've been trying to get a good video of one of their cutest tricks: I say "Where's your brother?" and one cat pats the other with his paw. Both cats can do the trick, but only Maestro can do it ambidextrously.

Caramelo can only "find" his brother if Maestro is to his right. If Maestro is to the left, Caramelo's right paw lifts up and pats empty air. His little face registers something is wrong, but for the life of him he cannot figure out what.

Friend has a sweet cat. However, she detests her annual vet visit. Most recent visit: He captures her. She escapes. He captures her again. She escapes. He captures her a third time. She escapes—and hides herself so successfully in his tiny one-room apartment that he can't find her for the rest of the day. (The previous year, she compressed herself into a pancake and dived into a space beneath a cabinet that would challenge a cockroach.)

He had to postpone this year's appointment. On the day of the rescheduled visit, he swooped down on her with a towel and bundled her into the cat carrier as she hissed and fought. Luckily, she doesn't carry a grudge once the visit is over.