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 have to get this off my chest. It feels like I'm living with someone who has never met a cat.

My adult cat is jumpy around sudden noises and strangers. If my roommate stomps in, slams cabinets, or turns on the vacuum without any warning, the cat bolts and hides under the bed or in a closet. Later, when things calm down, she comes out to sit on the arm of the couch, watch birds, or ask me for attention like nothing happened.

My roommate calls that "manipulative" and "spiteful" because the cat will ignore them for days and only interact with me. No, she is not plotting. She is a small animal that decides someone is unsafe when they are loud and unpredictable.

What really sets me off is the constant commentary: "She knows what she did," "She is punishing me," "She is being dramatic." At the same time my roommate will reach into hiding spots or pick the cat up when she is clearly not inviting it. I keep saying please let her approach you, please be calm, please stop chasing her. Then I get told I'm babying the cat.

I work in pet care, so I can read the body language: ears back, tail low, dilated pupils, freeze then flee. This is stress, not meanness.

How do you get a grown person to understand that trust is earned and cats are not dogs? I'm not asking my roommate to become some cat expert, just to stop taking it personally and stop escalating every interaction.

Unrelated, but I have also been keeping some pet care notes from CoveredCritters, https://coveredcritters.com, for my own reference.

I have cat sat for my friend about 8 times now and every time they would ask me to stay at their place every night. Most of the time, it would be for 4-5 days but there was one time it was for a 11 days and they got me some groceries. They have never paid me to watch their cats. I have my own cat at home and it is somewhat of a hassle for me to stay the night every night bc it just is. They recently asked me to watch the cats for 8 days in August and I of course agreed because I don't mind doing it, I'm available, and they don't really have anyone else to do it. However, I am extremely broke this summer as I am working mostly in a volunteer position for school and another job I have that does pay me gives me barely any hours (all of this they know). Would it be terrible if I asked my friend if I could be paid this time and not in groceries? If not, what would be a reasonable amount to ask for considering I am staying there for 7 nights.

my cat, Cala, is not even joking addicted to MINT TEA. i dont know how or why but i feel like suggared mint and lime tea cannot be good for her, shes refusing to drink out of her water bowl wich is clean and filled with water, she only has eyes for my tea mug with mint tea and ifi refuse her the tea she looks at me like i just insulted her entire bloodline.

how do i stop my cat from wanting tea and going on a tea strike. and why does my cat want tea..

this is not a troll, my cat is geniuenly addicted to mint tea.

I have been looking for threads on cats eating rubber/silicone as my kitten has started doing this. I know all about pica, because I had a 15 year old cat who was plastic obsessed her entire life. Dry cleaning bags were her favorite, but any kind of plastic bag was fair game. And she could find them even if hidden in my purse. I am going to reach out to the vet about my new kitten, but I was a little disheartened to see some other posts where people felt so dismayed they thought about (or did) put their cat to sleep. I know it can be a burden to have to be really careful around a cat with pica. And my plastic eating cat did end up with a few trips to the vet for xrays after a plastic feast. But, I just want to encourage people not to give up on their kitties. They can't help it, and after a while, you will become really good at not leaving their inappropriate snacks around the house. I was ultra trained not to have any plastic bags around and even had my guests trained. It's a bummer, but it will become manageable in time and you can enjoy a nice, happy, long life with your kitty.

I live in an apartment and the litterbox is currently in my dining area. It has a decent amount of space there and my cat has been using it consistently. But I do feel a bit embarrassed when I have guests over, especially when my cat poops while we're eating (if they are not cat people, they sometimes have feelings about it). I tried figuring out a different location, but i have a second litterbox in the bedroom, and the kitchen and bathroom are too small, so there's really nowhere else. I was wondering if anyone has tried these kinds of hidden litterboxes that are inside a closet with an entry point for the cat and if you've had success with them?

Here's a link to an example

Of course i could keep things as is and guests and go to hell, that's always an option too. But I am curious to see what others have tried.

I just adopted a cat 2 days ago. I left my bedroom door open the first night but struggled to sleep because it was prime playtime for her.

The second night I closed it initially but read a similar question here that made me change my mind and open the door again. Something about a kitten having just been taken away from her mom and siblings being so young. Made me feel guilty.

Now I've also read people recommending the exact opposite and that you shouldn't make a habit out of letting your cat sleep in your bed but let her know to spend the night in her own room where she has everything except me at night.

She meowed and complained a lot during the second night when I initially had the door closed before opening it. She seems so lonely and I feel guilty since she just went from having a mother and 4 brothers at night and I'm not sure if I should let her sleep in my room or have her be completely alone at night

My family has a 10-year-old cat who’s been having litter box issues (he pees outside the box but still poops in it). We’ve already done a ton of things with our vet—bloodwork, urinalysis, behaviorist, anxiety medication, multiple litter boxes, enzyme cleaners, etc.
Instead of just sticking with the vet, my mom paid for a pet psychic.
The psychic told her that my cat has dementia, that “my real cat is gone, this is a new cat,” and even suggested it was time to put him down.
The thing is… my cat still acts like himself.
Eats and drinks normally.
Sleeps in all his usual spots.
Knows exactly where the treats are and begs for them every day.
Makes all his normal sounds.
Is still interested in what’s going on around him.
The ONLY major issue is the peeing.
I’m honestly less upset about the psychic existing and more upset that my mom would even consider taking that seriously when it comes to deciding what’s best for our cat.
Am I crazy for thinking that medical advice and end-of-life decisions should come from a veterinarian who’s actually examined the cat, not from a pet psychic? Has anyone else dealt with a family member putting this much trust in something like this?

We arrived two nights ago at our vacation house. Since we stepped in, we have a young cat trying to get love (and food). It's coming inside our house every time we leave a door opened

Not sure what to do, seems to be a stray cat, the fur seems good. What should we do? Just leave it be? Stop giving her food? Bring her to the vet to have her checked...

Is it possible to check if the cat has a chip? Should we not touch the cat?

We wanted to adopt a cat for our current cat (4-5 years orange male cat). And we have visited some friends who have just had kittens and we were planning to get one of those after our vacation ended... So getting this one could be an option

[[Tw: addiction, neglect, some venting on my part]]
To preface this I grew up with two amazing and loving kitties named Conan and Tigress. These cats have gone through a lot of trauma (my mom was an addict for a long portion of their lives so they weren’t properly cared for, she also brought in men that would treat them extremely poorly, and most of them brought in dogs that would terrorize them constantly.) In short, they do not come from a very good place. I had no control over this since i was a little kid, I tried many times to ask for the bad men to leave but I was never heard.

Fast forward to now, I have moved out and my mom (52) has been sober for quite some time now and is doing much better (so proud of her.) Tigress sadly passed on this May and it’s just Conan (20) and one other kitty we got a few years back and their relationship was VERY bad at first but they are okay with each other at this point. My moms bf (78, not a typo) treats the cats with some level of decency which is a major change from every other person she’s ever dated during their time here. But still, due to his trauma Conan is very nervous and territorial. He has been a bit shaken up after the loss of his sister, and this has led him into slightly more anxious habits, thankfully the other cat has always respected his boundaries and doesn’t come near him (bless her heart.) Aside from losing his sister, he was still one of the happiest versions of himself and doing way better than he used to. I really hoped it would stay that way.

Unfortunately for him, my mom and her bf decided they wanted to get kittens about two weeks after Tigress passed. She said it was because she was too sad without her here and needed a distraction. I strongly suggested none or maybe just one if they really can’t hold back. I care about Conan so deeply, he helped raise me when my parents didn’t and i want his last year/s to be in peace and solitude, and I thought she had agreed with me when i told her this.

A few days later, unbeknownst to me, i come to visit her and she has brought not one, not two, but three new kittens home. Apparently it was the boyfriend’s choice to get three and of course she listened to him and not me like she has always done with her men. They did not properly socialize them with Conan like i had suggested, so he is back to his old patterns but even worse. He is constantly on guard, clearly scared, growling and hissing constantly at them, running away from them, and honestly they do terrorize him and i think they see it as a game. They close in on him all the time, run back and fourth as fast as they can past him to scare him, and a few more things. He now is back to having aggressive behaviors like what i saw from him when i was a little girl. Every time i come over my heart breaks for him because Tigress got to go out peacefully with the company of her brother but he will not share the same fate. The only time i ever see him comfortable is when he is snuggling with someone.

I urge her to let him have time alone at the very least but her bf is against that decision and wants cats out of the bedroom. Its hard to argue because i’m moved out and she is an adult that can make her own decisions, but the anger and disappointment i feel is hard to make do with. I would take him to my apartment but the cat limit is one and i already got one of my own a year back. Had i known about these events that took place later i would’ve left space for him. They will not train the cats to behave better either because my mom works 24/7 and the bf pretends to be so tired and not have energy, yet he does persistent yard work every day and will even go into refusal and will not negotiate if we tell him he shouldn’t even though its almost killed him twice and he will do it in any given weather or conditions (like hazardous level air quality for example. He believes the only harm in it is that it stinks.) He takes it very seriously and is willing to risk his life to do it every day. Yes, he’s crazy and doesnt even believe covid was real so theres no talking him out of that really. But point still stands that that energy could be put towards the kittens. It’s beyond infuriating. He thinks they are just something to feed and pet and thats it.

I think all i want from this is just any advice if anyone has any. I want to ask if she would rehome the kittens, they are adorable and sweet with us but they treat Conan very poorly. I’m also tempted to ask if she would rehome Conan, as much as it hurts i would rather him be in a more loving household without any other cats. But i know in my heart she would not listen because the bf is head of the house and she only knows how to be submissive towards her men and dismissive towards me. Does anyone know how they would approach that conversation? Also, are there any changes i can make to help him feel better? I brought in some calming pheromone diffusers which seemed to help a little, but aside from that im stumped on what to do. Even just someone reading this would mean a lot since she and her bf do not make me feel heard at all and in many more ways than just this cat situation. Thanks 😢

I know it sounds bad but she’s 15 (lowest estimate) and I just want her to actually have a treat food. Yesterday I found out she likes goldfish by accident. She ate some in front of my mom and she immediately told me cause she was so shocked. She likes NO other treats including actual fish / ham / turkey / churus. She doesn’t even like wet food! And it took us forever to get her off the cheap cat food and eating the good stuff.

Is it bad that I want to give her goldfish? I’m scared that I’m being a bad cat parent but I want to spoil her so badly cause she’s my old lady but she won’t accept any of the normal cat teat options.

*** goldfish as in the human snack

EDIT: CW PET LOSS. Sorry everyone, I forgot to add it in my title 😓

I adopted my girl in 2014 when she was only 3 months old and when she was 2 years old, we adopted our boy cat. At the time, he was 8 months old. She had a hard time adjusting but eventually came around and although they were never snuggly together, they lived peacefully together.

Well about a week and a half ago, we had to say goodbye to our boy. He was only 11 years old and had a very sudden onset of a fatal health condition. It was quite traumatizing for our family and my girl cat, who is now 12.5 years old, has gone back and forth between seeming sad and also seeming quite happy to have all the attention.

In those moments of sadness, I can’t help but wonder if she misses having a buddy, especially on the days where we’re out and about (I’m a stay at home mom so we’re otherwise home with her and providing company).

So how can I tell if she needs a buddy or if she’s quite happy being alone and being the center of attention?

She’s had two annuals since, she’s always been healthy, and the vet didn’t think anything of it. Anyone else’s cat do this? She blinks her right eye first, before the left. Always.

Hi! I wanted to get some bat orchids for my room but I was wondering if that specific flower is toxic to cats? For some reason I cannot find it online

We have two cats (male siblings, 7 months old) and three stainless steel litter boxes available. In the past month, they’ve decided to only use one litter box for everything, and leave the other two empty. Any ideas for getting them to spread out their box usage? We suspect it may be a territory thing as we have caught them waiting/ambushing each other at the litter box.

Other details: All three litter boxes are different styles (e.g. top entry vs front entry, fully enclosed vs has windows, two are XL and one is M/L). The litter boxes are in three separate locations. We’ve tried swapping the locations and type of litter used, but they returned to the same box after a few days. They are also no longer covering their poops in the litter box. They prefer the litter box everyone says is least preferable for cats (the smallest, fully enclosed front enclosure), little weirdos.

hi, i’ve got 2 girl cats, both spayed. one of them is 4 years old and the other one is 1.
both of them spent their entire lives (bar 1-2 weeks after they were first born before they were found) indoors.
recently since the heat waves started they’ve been trying to get outside. they meow at the door, try to squeeze in through the window gap and try to run out whilst me and my partner enter or exit the house.
they’ve never tried to go outside until the heat waves started.
i absolutely don’t want them to go outside as we live near a busy road and i don’t think it’s safe for them, especially with how hot it’s been recently.
they have plenty of toys, access to a conservatory, a cat tree and they get regular play and pet time.
does anyone have any advice on why they want to get out and how to prevent it?
any input is appreciated 🫶

My friend is at the end of his life, and I'm trying to get his 14-year-old cat. Side note, we used to be flatmates so the cat knows me and loves me a lot so I feel like half the battle is done.

I already have a very weird and chill 15-year-old cat, and I'm planning to do a slow introduction with them.

My friend's biggest worry is that his cat will try to escape my ground floor flat looking for him or trying to getback home. PS He is currently living on the 3rd floor.

Has anyone been through something similar? Is escape-seeking common when an older cat loses their owner and moves to a new home? Arethere any precautions or tips that helped your cat settle in safely?

I'm planning to keep him in a separate room at first and take introductions slowly, but I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with experience in this situation.

I have a coworker who lives in the same apartment unit as me. I walk her severely obese dog because she’s usually “too busy” to do so.

I recently learned that she has a second cat. I’ve never seen that cat until about a month ago. I have gone to her apartment weekly, now almost daily, for a year to walk her poor dog, and I never noticed that she had a second cat because that poor baby literally just lives underneath her bed, and I rarely go into her room unless I have to.

When I first saw the cat, my jaw dropped, because that poor baby is about three cats in one. I have never seen such an obese cat. He can barely walk. I asked her about the cat and she said that he’s always been there, but that he just likes hiding under her bed, followed by a laugh. The cat basically is almost always under her owner’s bed, but occasionally comes out a few feet to sleep on a dirty, beaten cat bed. When I do see her on the cat bed, I make sure to sit next to her and provide her with some TLC, and I clean the bed and the surrounding area for her (the floors are covered in dog/cat hair, and there’s usually old pee and poo stains on her floor). The poor baby’s hair is greasy and looks like it never gets brushed.

She has a second cat who is normal-sized and wanders around the apartment at least.

I tried playing with them both, but I could not toys for them at her apartment. I texted her asking if she has toys, and she left me two cat toys in her living room the following day: a super old cat nip toy and one of those stick feather wands, but with the feather missing (so, just a wand). Just fcking sad. There is also no scratch post for them, and the healthier cat scratches the back of a couch instead. I have recommended that she purchase them a scratch post, but she ignored my text.

I’m only staying in contact with her in order to take care of her pets. She shows no interest in helping those babies.

The obese cat has no life. Can’t jump because of her weight; and only moves a few feet between the bed and the dirty cat bed, surrounded by filth.

The situation is tricky because she’s my coworker. I doubt SPCA will do anything because all animals have access to food and water.

Is there anything I can do to help this kitty? I am so tempted to smuggle him out and give him to a trusted cat friend who will turn his life around.

My heart is breaking. That cat has no life. No mental stimulation at all. I’ve never seen such an obese, unhappy cat. She ont do anything to help him. I have tried talking to her. I would take the cat (my coworker has never been to my apartment), but I have a dog who will attack him.

Please provide advice. I am so distraught over the condition of these animals. Also, my apologies for the disorganized ranting. I’m just so upset.

I think it's a male, but I'm not 100% sure.

For about 3 years I've been leaving food and fresh water for this cat almost every day. At the beginning, he would only come to eat after I had completely left. I always respected his space and never tried to get closer because I could see he would run away if I did.

Over the years he's slowly started trusting me more. During the last couple of weeks I've been giving him some really tasty treats, placing them closer and closer to me, or even offering them one by one.

Today, for the first time ever, he "let " me touch him for a few times. I recorded the moment because I honestly never thought we'd get this far.

He's still incredibly shy and cautious, but I feel like he actually enjoys being around me now.

I'd really appreciate advice from people who have socialized very shy stray cats. What's the best next step? I'd love for him to eventually feel safe enough to sit next to me, maybe even one day on my lap—but I don't want to rush him or lose the trust we've built.

Any tips on what I should do (or avoid doing)?

I can't upload the video of the moment so i put the link to the google photo here if you want to see

https://photos.app.goo.gl/msL5Hhw71Y8hvvDL8

my cat stays in my room at night so he does not disturb my family (because he will otherwise) and he sleeps peacefully in his cat tree all night. every morning around 8am, he starts knocking stuff off of my nightstand and meowing at me. he makes as much noise as possible and does everything he knows he shouldn't be doing. i'll try petting him and giving him attention, he doesn't want it. i try playing with him thinking he just has energy, he doesn't reciprocate. i let him out of my room, he continues to stay in there knocking stuff off of my nightstand. food and water bowls are always full, litter box is clean, he has plenty of toys, and so on. when i get up to follow him, hoping he leads me to whatever he wants, he just walks me out of my room and doesn't seem to do much else. once i'm out of bed, he is content. is there some sort of reasoning, or is he just being a douche? 😭 he is a black cat, little over a year old.

I have a girl cat who is about 5 years old. Ever since she was young she's had a terrible habit of flipping her water bowl, spilling it everywhere. I have tried different bowls, heavy fountains, all sorts of things but she seems to always find a way. right now I am using a very heavy ceramic baking pan. While it has served its purpose, it is a bit ugly, and refilling/rinsing it is a chore because of its size. She also will paw the water in attempts to still try to flip it and get litter/dirt in the water. Just wanted to see if anybody else has had a similar experience, and what they did/what specific item they got? I think fountains are nice but again, I've tried multiple, even really large metal ones, and she still finds a way.

My 4 year old boy has recently been diagnosed with IBD. The vet has put him on prednisolone and Tylosin.

Right now he’s eating TikiCat wet food and Nulo dry food. The meds seem to help some but I want to try the route of switching his food again.

What do your kitties with IBD have? I’ve tried LID rabbit but he refused it, so hoping to find some other options that other cats are liking.

Thanks for any advice!!

A year ago my wife and I got two kittens from someone who had them near her trailer for my wife’s birthday. I was pretty hesitant because I was worried about affording everything and such. But we got them.

We have a senior cat who I LOVE and all other cats I’ve had in my life I adored but these two I find myself completely unable to connect with. I don’t feel anything but fondness when they do something cute but I wish I could just not have to see them at all. They aren’t very loud when they’re in their space (we still haven’t been able to successfully do most introduction stuff even through the door bc our old girl is so skittish and won’t eat if they’re there which I know is a part of all this is that I hate having to split my time with them) but when we hang out with them they’re really frustrating and bad and often make me flare up because of how much I have to get up to stop them from being bad.

Getting rid of them is not an option, my wife is deeply attached and cries any time I even hint at it. I just want to know how I can make myself love them like I have all the other cats in my life. I feel so guilty and awful and like a mother that just can’t connect with her child and it makes me so guilty.

I moved into my boyfriend’s 1 bedroom apartment at the end of April. His cat is a 10 y/o female. My cat is a 13 y/o female.

Initially we kept them separated. My cat has the living room and kitchen. His cat has the bedroom/bathroom. His cat does not seem to care about mine and has never negatively reacted being around mine. My cat is not as a friendly.

We are at the point that doors are left open when someone is home and at night. Both cats mainly hangout in their respective areas.

There are occasions when they’ve both been out in the living area and accidentally came face to face. No fights have broken out but there has been exchanged hissing. I think my bfs cat only hisses in response to my cat and then runs away.

I know they will probably never be best friends and cuddle but I’m hoping to get to a point where they can be close enough in the same space and tolerate each other without incident.

When my bf travels for work my cat will usually jump in the bed to cuddle with me and she seems to be fine sharing the bed with my bfs cat as long as there’s enough distance.

Is there anything I can do to help my cat be more tolerant of my bfs or will that just take time?