catsindoors:

What often happens with cats who dislike strings, wands, and other interactive toys is that their caregiver isn’t playing with them quite right. Not all cats will scramble around the room after a toy, interactive play can be quite slow speed, cats are ambush predators after all. If your cat is staying still, eyeing the toy, tail swishing… they’re engaged! they’re interested! That’s what you want, hold out, be patient. Try a different approach to interactive play and see if you get a different result.

Cats have toy preferences, and with how many options are available it can take some time to figure out what your cat likes. Don’t give up, keep trying different styles of toy. Most corporate pet stores have good return policies, so if you try something and she really hasn’t the slightest interest, you should be able to return it as long as you hold on to the receipt. 

In the mean time, try to focus on environmental enrichment. Vertical territory, beds, tunnels, empty boxes, etc. If your cat is food motivated, consider utilizing puzzle feeders to get them moving. Clicker training can be another option for enrichment, and is a great way to bond. You can also offer new smells for her to explore, if you have friends with birds, rodents, etc. ask them for shed feathers, used bedding, etc. and hide it in toys or around the house for her to investigate.

As for introducing another cat, it depends on your cat. Has your cat been with another cat, before? How old is your cat? Introducing two cats is a process, do you have the space and time to do a proper introduction? If you get a second cat your primary motivation should be “I want another cat!” anything else, even companionship and exercise for your resident cat, should just be an added bonus. Here’s an article on choosing a companion for your cat.

catsindoors:

What often happens with cats who dislike strings, wands, and other interactive toys is that their caregiver isn’t playing with them quite right. Not all cats will scramble around the room after a toy, interactive play can be quite slow speed, cats are ambush predators after all. If your cat is staying still, eyeing the toy, tail swishing… they’re engaged! they’re interested! That’s what you want, hold out, be patient. Try a different approach to interactive play and see if you get a different result.

Cats have toy preferences, and with how many options are available it can take some time to figure out what your cat likes. Don’t give up, keep trying different styles of toy. Most corporate pet stores have good return policies, so if you try something and she really hasn’t the slightest interest, you should be able to return it as long as you hold on to the receipt. 

In the mean time, try to focus on environmental enrichment. Vertical territory, beds, tunnels, empty boxes, etc. If your cat is food motivated, consider utilizing puzzle feeders to get them moving. Clicker training can be another option for enrichment, and is a great way to bond. You can also offer new smells for her to explore, if you have friends with birds, rodents, etc. ask them for shed feathers, used bedding, etc. and hide it in toys or around the house for her to investigate.

As for introducing another cat, it depends on your cat. Has your cat been with another cat, before? How old is your cat? Introducing two cats is a process, do you have the space and time to do a proper introduction? If you get a second cat your primary motivation should be “I want another cat!” anything else, even companionship and exercise for your resident cat, should just be an added bonus. Here’s an article on choosing a companion for your cat.

drferox:

Anonymous said: 🐽 Hi Dr. F! I had a question about minor injuries on pets – the
kind of thing a human would stick a plaster/band-aid on and ignore.
Obviously a dog or cat doesn’t understand the necessity of an antiseptic
ointment or a plaster/band-aid, so what can we as pet owners do to make
sure any scratches or grazes heal well without wasting a vet’s time on
something very minor?

Dogs and cats get into minor scrapes all the time, but remember you’re not ‘bothering’ your vet or wasting their time so long as you listen to the advice you’re given. This is especially the case with cats which roam outdoors, what looks like a scratch to you may actually be a puncture wound from a cat bite and require antibiotics, otherwise it will turn into an abscess.

You have to remember that anything you put onto your pets, whether it’s a dog, cat, rabbit or anything else, will possibly get eaten. Bandages for human skin don’t really stick well to furry skin and they’re certainly not digestible.

If it’s minor you don’t strictly have to put a bandage of any kind over it, but you do want to prevent licking. Dogs and cats do not have clean mouths, despite some myths that seem popular.

You also don’t need any super-special antiseptic or topical antibiotics for a minor wound like a graze, in fact it may be better if you don’t, especially for sensitive creatures like rabbits. Don’t ever use Dettol on an open wound, or a healing wound. It’s not suitable for living flesh, and it hurts.

Instead, it’s wiser to use either:

• Plain, clean water
• Salty water
• Diluted iodine (betadine)
• Diluted chorhexidine (but not around eyes)

All of these things are fairly safe if the animal ends up consuming them too.

Thin skinned pets, like greyhounds, may need pressure applied for a little while if they’re bleeding, but if in doubt contact a vet anyway.

Another particular caveat is for white cats. Squamous Cell Carninoma (SCC) are a particularly nasty skin cancer induced by UV light, and they are insidious in that they can begin by looking like little more than a scratch, scab or ulcer. A normal minor wound should heal within two weeks at the most. A SCC will not, and will progress slowly, so must have vet attention. You really don’t want those to be left unchecked.

drferox:

Anonymous said: 🐽 Hi Dr. F! I had a question about minor injuries on pets – the
kind of thing a human would stick a plaster/band-aid on and ignore.
Obviously a dog or cat doesn’t understand the necessity of an antiseptic
ointment or a plaster/band-aid, so what can we as pet owners do to make
sure any scratches or grazes heal well without wasting a vet’s time on
something very minor?

Dogs and cats get into minor scrapes all the time, but remember you’re not ‘bothering’ your vet or wasting their time so long as you listen to the advice you’re given. This is especially the case with cats which roam outdoors, what looks like a scratch to you may actually be a puncture wound from a cat bite and require antibiotics, otherwise it will turn into an abscess.

You have to remember that anything you put onto your pets, whether it’s a dog, cat, rabbit or anything else, will possibly get eaten. Bandages for human skin don’t really stick well to furry skin and they’re certainly not digestible.

If it’s minor you don’t strictly have to put a bandage of any kind over it, but you do want to prevent licking. Dogs and cats do not have clean mouths, despite some myths that seem popular.

You also don’t need any super-special antiseptic or topical antibiotics for a minor wound like a graze, in fact it may be better if you don’t, especially for sensitive creatures like rabbits. Don’t ever use Dettol on an open wound, or a healing wound. It’s not suitable for living flesh, and it hurts.

Instead, it’s wiser to use either:

• Plain, clean water
• Salty water
• Diluted iodine (betadine)
• Diluted chorhexidine (but not around eyes)

All of these things are fairly safe if the animal ends up consuming them too.

Thin skinned pets, like greyhounds, may need pressure applied for a little while if they’re bleeding, but if in doubt contact a vet anyway.

Another particular caveat is for white cats. Squamous Cell Carninoma (SCC) are a particularly nasty skin cancer induced by UV light, and they are insidious in that they can begin by looking like little more than a scratch, scab or ulcer. A normal minor wound should heal within two weeks at the most. A SCC will not, and will progress slowly, so must have vet attention. You really don’t want those to be left unchecked.

juju-on-that-yeet:

“my cat from hell” cat owner: my cat is an agent of satan who derives pleasure from tormenting me. he has attacked me many times and killed two of my family members. he does not listen to reason, or accept any form of kindness. he knows only the tearing of flesh and the flowing of blood.

jackson galaxy: how often do you play with him?

cat owner: how often do i what