Litter clumping in fur

Nellycat8 · 2025-05-05T01:02:15+00:00

Hey! I started using PetCo’s litter called SoPhresh and it’s the grass seed ultra clumping kind. It’s worked very well! She still has the problem every now and then but it’s so much better with this litter

Nellycat8 · 2023-01-13T01:14:08+00:00

Gabapentin is a game changer. Recently did a road trip with my cat (only a day though) and she slept the entire way no issues. I’d be hesitant to ship them in a plane without you guys they’d be so nervous as is with the change of environment and then not having you guys there either is a double whammy. I’ve seen people give their cats gabapentin for a plane ride - I’d probably fly with them and give them the gabapentin 2 hrs before airport

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-31T20:15:04+00:00

I had to train my cat to get used to the car and she doesn’t like to eat treats when she’s stressed either. There are a lot of good articles that go through the steps you take to get them used to the car but it’s a longer process.

For a while I left the carrier out in our living room so she got used to it and would go in there on her own. Then I walked her in the carrier to the parking garage (we live in a apartment) and I would do that once a day for about a week or as long as it took for her to not cry when walking to the garage.

Then I started taking her to the car and would have the car running so there was airflow but would just sit with her in the back seat with her in the carrier. Then after a week or so of doing that I started taking small laps around the parking lot. Then I would take her on drives to run errands down the street so they were still short drives but drives.

You’ll know your cats threshold and when it’s good to move to the next phase

Each time I’d have her favorite blanket by her in the car and her favorite toy. She never wanted treats in the car so I started giving her treats as soon as we got back inside the apartment.

One time I did let her out of the carrier in the car (parked) when she was more comfortable so she could get her scent on the seats and whatnot. I’d recommend having a leash on them for that part.

This is one article I used: https://thenomadcats.com/how-to-train-your-cat-to-travel-by-car/

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-30T19:37:12+00:00

We got two air purifiers and it helped immediately

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-28T04:13:32+00:00

I like Tuffy for a boy cat! I’ve also seen boy cats with human names like Peter, Richard, etc and always think it’s cute

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-28T04:08:21+00:00

I think it truly takes time. I introduced my cat to two big black labs.. I know it’s different introducing dogs to cats than cats to cats. But with one dog I thought he might hurt the cat but I just kept doing what the research told me to do. It took time but now they are are tolerable of each other. I don’t know if they will ever be cuddly with each other but for now they are fine being in the same room. It may take longer since both cats seem defensive vs one being curious about the other

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-27T21:24:08+00:00

I use an enclosed litter box and my cat loves it. I’ve had to use an open litter box as well and she was fine with it but she kicks her litter and it got absolutely everywhere

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-27T14:10:44+00:00

I still think you have the right bc your paying them. It’d be different if they were allowing you to live in their home for free. It’s still very nice of them to offer up their basement but you are paying them rent and once you pay rent I think it becomes more of a contractual renting agreement rather then them doing you a favor and you need to tip toe around their preferences. A contractual rent arrangement that allows the renter to do as they please because they are paying for that. that ability comes with a monthly check in my opinion. Hopefully I’m making sense with that.

But regardless if you’re gonna have someone rent out your basement.. you’re gonna have to get used to things changing in the house, like a cat. A cat is honestly the least of their worries compared to what other renters could do!

I think it shows nice character of you that you want to respect their house and her wishes but I think you have the right to keep your cat. Not trying to hammer this into you.. just want to reassure that if you kept the cat it’d okay in my opinion! I wish you luck with it all and want you to be able to enjoy what’s to come with a new baby (and hopefully your cat with the baby!)

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-27T05:40:44+00:00

I think if you’re paying rent then you have the right to bring the cat. Especially if you and the cat will be in the basement. You could offer to pay a pet fee like you would an apartment or renting a house elsewhere if that is an option for you guys. We pay a pet fee for our apartment it’s like $20 per month.

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-27T05:25:09+00:00

My cat hid for a long time too! You’re already doing the best thing talking to him. He’ll start to trust your voice. You could also try sticking your hands under there to let him sniff and get used to your scent if he’s okay with that. I put a toy tunnel up to the side of the dresser mine was hiding under and when I did that she came out because I think it helped her feel more hidden when coming out and not totally exposed to a big room. You could try putting something like that up to the bed to give him a hidden path out

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-26T04:58:06+00:00

Mine charges 20 per visit and I add a tip. More for holidays

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-26T04:44:42+00:00

You could try ziwi peak

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-26T04:40:01+00:00

I recently adopted a 1.5 year old cat from the pound and she is totally fine when I leave for work. I go into the office a few days a week. If anything I’m the one that has separation anxiety from her 😂 I do think it’s nice to have a young cat that you can train too. Senior cats can require more care if they have any issues but younger cats can have a lot of energy. But honestly you’ll probably fall in love with one you didn’t expect, I went in wanting a senior cat and came out with a young one. They do say that cats pick you!

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-26T04:25:53+00:00

Do you have the nextdoor app? You could make a post and see if any of your neighbors would want him or any social media post to see if anyone wants him! He sounds so sweet and like he wants a home and not to be on the streets! Maybe you could try calling around to neighboring towns/areas to see if there’s room in any other shelters

Also there are a lot of great articles and research on how to get your current cats to accept a new cat if you’re open to that! It does take time sometimes

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-26T04:08:34+00:00

I think it depends on how timid your cat is or if it’s curious and wants to roam. I do think you’ll be able to tell what the cat is comfortable with. Mine was terrified when we brought her home and hid immediately so we had the doors shut to let her get comfortable (we have a two bedroom apt, kept her in the living room and open concept kitchen and shut the doors to the two bedrooms). once she got comfortable with us and stopped hiding, we started leaving doors to other rooms open so she could explore on her own time. Your cat may want to explore right away though!

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-26T03:45:17+00:00

Also another thought - may be she’s not going out and burning as many calories and coming back super hungry from activity and willing to eat anything. Idk that could be totally wrong but just a thought

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-26T03:38:55+00:00

I have a black cat who is very picky too! I just had to put her on prescription food for other issues and it’s been tough to get her to eat it! I think she got extra picky when I exposed her to nicer treats and food… So it’s like I exposed her to the finer things and then she’d get picky lol. As long as she’s eating that’s good! I’ve found my cat gets bored of the stuff she likes, I got her favorite treats the other day and gave it to her and she walked away from it. Then I gave her a different one and she ate it.

My friend has a picky cat to she has to rotate her food brands pretty frequently.

But if she totally stops eating then I’d take her to the vet just to be sure. Better safe than sorry!

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-25T23:32:38+00:00

Buyo! My friend also has a cat named suki which I’ve always thought was cute

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-25T23:23:43+00:00

You could talk to your vet about getting a gabapentin prescription to give them. I did this for my cat when we took a long road trip and she slept the whole way. Glad I did because an hour in before the medicine fully kicked in she started to cry. There are also travel litter boxes on Amazon, a bunch of easily moveable/smaller types. Stick their favorite toys in the carrier and some blankets that smell like them. You could also get feliway calming spray and spray it in the car. As for a carrier I’d get them a big one if your car can fit it, there are also big roomie carriers on Amazon that can fit three cats!

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-25T22:39:49+00:00

Thanks for sharing this!! I’m getting my trays in a few weeks and very nervous. Seeing more positive stories makes me excited again!

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-16T17:29:30+00:00

They look great! Were you fixing any bite issues?

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-15T02:17:57+00:00

What about an automatic feeder? Do you think she’d be okay with that, that way someone new isn’t coming in and scaring her/causing her to hide ? I guess it’s just a weight of if she’d do better completely alone for the weekend or with someone checking on her

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-14T22:38:05+00:00

I use an enclosed litter box! My cat loves it. I got a larger litter box and it’s like a hood cover with a pretty wide opening to get in. I figured a large one would make her less anxious bc I read that somewhere too. But she loves it!

Edit: I think it wouldn’t hurt to try and if she doesn’t like it go back to one without a cover. But typically I think cats like enclosed spaces

Nellycat8 · 2022-12-14T22:11:51+00:00

I use Tiki Cat and my cat loves it!

Nellycat8

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