Tag: pets

what’s your advice for keeping snakes and cats in the same home? do they pose a risk to each other? what precautions do you take to make sure no harm comes to them?

zooophagous:

fantasticbeastsandhowtokeepthem:

fimbry:

The snakes have their own room and cages within, and the cat isn’t allowed in there. 🙂 A secure room is best, otherwise secure cages! Better if both though.

Also, if you don’t have a room specifically for your snakes or if you bring them out of that room for handling, lock the cats away securely & double check it when you’re handling the snakes. Cats are the bigger danger to the snake by FAR – even an accidental scratch or puncture from a claw can easily cause an infection.

My partners’ cats are both old & low prey drive enough that with three humans to watch everyone, they’re allowed to stay out IF they are being chill & not cuddly. If they get too active or start looking at the snake literally at all, they get put away. If they’re active or cuddly or antsy at all before handling time, they get put away. When snake lived with me, Ebony got put away anyway just because she decides to be cuddly at the worst times & I’m anxious. I would absolutely not let Ditto be anywhere near a prey animal ever because she’s so driven to chase things. I would always suggest you err on the side of caution though. If you have any doubt at all – put the cats away. Literally the only reason I’ve compromised with the partners’ cats is because one is an arthritic 16 year old who just wants to sleep & the other is a ball of anxiety who’s afraid of her own shadow.

As someone with a very driven and energetic cat and four vulnerable snakes, I would recommend a no cats allowed snake room if you can. For me, this is the spare bedroom in my 2 bedroom apartment. Next step is to have tanks with locking lids, that are set up in a way that they can’t be tipped over. Aster has come close to knocking a snake tank off a dresser before when he got behind it and pushed it towards the edge. So, a locking lid and heavy weight of some kind if it’s in a cat frequented room.

I also recommend if you must keep them in the same place, try and find a way to cover the snake cage when you aren’t around so the cat can’t see into it. Aster becomes obsessed and will stand on cage lids and try to pry them open if he sees a snake inside. By covering it up when he’s in the room I prevent him from stressing out the other animals. He also gets banished to the bathroom when its reptile/small animal outside play time. Most small pets only tolerate short handling sessions anyways so it’s no major inconvenience for Aster to be locked up while they get their rounds.

Do you have any cat treat suggestions? Both my girls are pretty picky and I have a hard time finding a treat they will grudgingly eat, but I need one they get excited about so I can work on training.

fantasticbeastsandhowtokeepthem:

vet-and-wild:

fantasticbeastsandhowtokeepthem:

Boy, I feel that problem. Neither of my girls are very food-oriented & I’m baffled by this (despite also not being very food-oriented myself, lmao – I keep telling them they’re not supposed to take after me). 

I did finally find something Ebony LOVES – these tubes of chicken puree https://www.chewy.com/inaba-churu-grain-free-chicken-puree/dp/169570 There’s a section for lickable treats on Chewy if you want to look at other brands & such, this is just the one I ended up getting. This is my “sorry I put cold wet stuff in your ears” apology treat for her, as well as bribe treat, mix medicine into it treat, etc. Very useful! I wish Ditto liked it too, but she won’t even give it a lick anymore.

Have you tried any freeze dried meat treats? Both girls like freeze dried duck liver, so that’s my usual treat for them. They’re Ditto’s favorite treat I’ve found so far. I tried FD chicken, which was a “meh, okay” and shrimp, which they both went “uh wtf” at. 

Tbh I’ve also considered trying something like cheese to see if it could be a high value treat, but I haven’t tried yet. 

Garrus really likes meaty baby food and cheese. Especially kraft slices of American cheese. Obviously not given super often but great as a high value treat every once and a while.

That’s exactly what I was thinking of trying! We have a bunch in the fridge right now, so I should give it a shot with Ditto.

Hi there! Wondering if you have any advice to deter cats from door darting. For context: I have a 4mo very playful indoor kitten who has discovered that the doors to the outside are full of wonderful new smells. He hasn’t gotten out yet, but I worry like crazy about it. I know it’s his natural instinct to explore new sensations, so I can’t fault him for it. But it gives me a heart attack every time I see him dart to the door when he hears it open. The sound always piques his attention. (1/2)

happyhealthycats:

(2/2) My previous cat once got out the door and was missing for a week. It was the worst week of my life- a complete nightmare. I know that’s informing my anxiety, but I can’t seem to get over it! I need to take some measures to reassure myself. Doesnt help that we have dogs who go in and out all day to their fenced yard, and one slip of attention means he could dash right past someone. (Maybe instead I should be asking how to not worry about my cat all the time! Is this how parents feel?!)

You’re in GOOD company, my friend. While I’ve trained my cats (still training Seymour) to avoid the front door, I watch them all like a HAWK when coming and going. It’s a real concern.

First, if you haven’t already, make sure your cats are microchipped. A lot of times they’ll do it during desexing surgery, depending on the age of the cat. But in all honesty it’s quick and quickly gotten over. 

You can teach your cat tricks like “place” and “sit” (which I recommend getting “Clicker Training for Cats” by Karen Pryor if that’s the route you want to take). Usually good for younger cats, ESPECIALLY if they’re food motivated. If they’re less likely to stay still, you can hide some toys by the front door. When you go to leave, toss one so the cat sees it, if you know they’ll go after it. Sure it requires cleanup, but it’s the quickest fix I’ve come up with.

Now, if it’s a SERIOUS problem, like you need the cat to avoid the front door, you can set up motion-activated canned air (about $30 on Amazon all told, refills are like $15). Just make sure if you do this, there’s nothing near the door that your cat would otherwise need or want, like a scratching post, litter box, food, toys, something along those lines. It will trigger if he gets close, and won’t hurt him, but he’ll learn very quick to avoid it.

Pets and Low-Income People.

dovahfem:

Pets are expensive and if you can’t afford one, of course, doesn’t get one, but the conversation shouldn’t end there. We need to help low-income people be able to keep their pets somehow. Landlords being more open to them is a start, but also financial aid for pet food, vet care, etc. 

Yes, I do think we should have financial aid programs for low-income people with pets. I’m tired of this rhetoric where we just scream at poor people for wanting a dog instead of finding ANY ways to help them keep one. 

I get what you’re saying, but why do we just END it there? 

I am currently living in a place where we are allowed to have our dog so although I’m not in a rush to move, I’m finding it very difficult to find ANY apartments in my entire town, and the surrounding three areas that accept animals. In my opinion, this is a problem. This does not help animals get adopted, it’s assisting in the issue of animals being surrendered to shelters in the first place, which is what I am getting at in my post. It would be helpful to renters and animals if more landlords were accepting of dogs.

Big ones are so often denied a home. This is an ongoing problem and it being so widespread is only contributing to animals being surrendered to shelters. Choosing to stay where I am despite wanting to move is a choice I have to make, thankfully it’s a choice that I am ALLOWED to make. Not everyone gets so lucky, and there are plenty of situations where animals wind up having to be surrendered, it’s not a choice people make eagerly. This hurts low-income people the most, who have to choose between their family pet, or having a roof over their heads. Now before you jump on my post accusing me of telling poor people to get pets, you’re wrong, that’s not what I’m saying at all so slow down and re-read it. 

Bottom line: We need more pet-friendly housing and a program for low-income people to help with food, vet-care, medication, and other things they might need. We should point people towards these programs instead of shouting them down if they so much as THINK about owning a dog while being low-income. Some people have pets but need a little help from one month to the next with food or medication, and accidents/emergencies happen. We would have more houses, and better, happier homes for people and animals if we implemented these policies.