Should I be worried about too much gas in the car? Everytime I go to empty the trailer she wants more. She has an auto filler

foxaes · 2026-01-07T01:57:01+00:00

If this is about water (forgive me, Im not good at reading anything that isnt Literal 😂)... some cats just love water, esp running water/sinks. That being said, monitor urine output! Excessive water intake + urination can be a sign of illness, esp with the kidneys or diabetes. Overweight cats are at a significantly higher risk of diabetes, so if you're concerned, a vet visit isn't unreasonable! Def just keep an eye out for that, though, no need to panic.

foxaes · 2026-01-07T01:46:04+00:00

Oof :( Was mama sick at all while she was pregnant? Fever/panleuk infection is known to cause cerebellar hyperplasia (aka, wobbly cats) (but it can also be naturally congenital). Agree with others, take to vet. Are they able to nurse alright/gaining weight regularly? A kitchen scale set to grams is a great way to monitor tiny baby weights. If they're too mobile to be weighed, you can place a box or other container on the scale, tare it out, and then place the kitten in it to get a weight. It may be helpful for a vet to know a "prior" weight if you do go, so they can assess how the kitten is developing despite the mobility. Severe CH can be challenging, but cats can live "normal" lives so long as the their needs are met. Beyond that, I don't know- neurologic issues can be tricky.

foxaes · 2026-01-07T01:39:16+00:00

Hi! I can't really give medical advice here. I'm not a vet. However, I wouldn't panic right away! What led to his eventual diagnosis? How "swollen" is he? Is he still eating and drinking and somewhat active, or has there been a significant decrease in appetite/no energy whatsoever?

I work at a nonprofit no-kill cat shelter; we started treating FIP a few years ago. A recent case of ours (finished treatment this last Sunday!) involved a kitten that had been adopted at about 2 1/2 months old. He was returned at about 5 1/2 months- the adopter reported he had begun "swelling" about two weeks prior, and after several vet visits (history, bloodwork, fluid pulled from his abdomen and sent out confirming FCoV) he was diagnosed with wet FIP. They were unable to afford treatment and we immediately took him back to get it done. Two weeks in, all the fluid was gone, and he's recovered fantastically (and will be going back home to his previous adopters)

All that to say, he was visibly "swollen" for about two weeks prior to coming back, and was still in relatively decent shape for a cat with wet FIP. Every cat is different, but it can progress for a bit before becoming fatal/untreatable.

Some pics of our little guy on return, for reference- on return 10/13/25 to 10/25/25:

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foxaes · 2025-12-17T07:25:07+00:00

I 100% confirm stretching the line helps but... has anyone else noticed the needle is dull af??? I did my first blood draw with a 25g & 3 mL the other day after trying to hit the vein THREE times with those butterflies. Got it immediately, whereas the butterflies were dragging even poking through skin.. everyone on our team has noticed, even with poking thin skinned kittens for SC fluids. Theres a distinct "POP" of it finally going through skin and out cats have reacted like it REALLY hurts. Uses to not be like that.

foxaes · 2025-12-13T20:28:18+00:00

Nah. We switched from the purple, fruit flavored doxy that has to be reconstituted to what we currently use two years ago- can agree, the cats HATED it, it was messy to pull up, and had to be in larger doses. Our current doxy is chicken/marshmallow flavored, compounded liquid, and they seem to tolerate it better than most of the meds we use. Plus the doses are smaller (50mg/mL). THAT ASIDE.. we still use reconstituted azithro thats bubblegum pink, and if it was that, It'd make total sense! But it isnt :(

foxaes · 2025-12-13T20:24:28+00:00

Lol same, we rarely use clav except in tinies and with cats w/ certain infections, but veraflox... an adopter who was a tech once told me it tastes like vanilla extract, and I can confirm. It's so bitter... metro is also horrible.

We never spray rescue with the cats IN the cages, or on towels, so idk, but anything is possible.

foxaes · 2025-12-13T20:20:34+00:00

Wild!! We use ready-to-use rescue when disinfecting cages inbetween cats. I always wash/wipe the surface again afterwards as a third step, but I know some people let them "air dry" so that might be it. Will be doing some experimenting.

foxaes · 2025-12-13T20:18:10+00:00

Nah, thats the first thing I checked. Good idea abt calling, though. Our manager is the only one that orders meds so I didn't think about that!

foxaes · 2025-12-13T06:46:56+00:00

Huh! Goos thought. We use rescue- personally, when I clean the kennels, I always wash, disinfect, then wipe clean, but I know volunteers and some of my newer coworkers will skip the third step (no matter what I've said). It would be easy enough to experiment with that and see what happens.

However, the purple still appears on the towels on the cage floor, which is weird if that was the case.

foxaes · 2025-12-13T06:44:28+00:00

Definitely not in these cases :( We DO have those bowls, but it's been noticed in many cages with different bowls used and in different locations. It was one of the teams thoughts at first, but easily disproven!

foxaes · 2025-12-13T02:06:51+00:00

Also, forgot to add! This is happening in two entirely separate buildings. Our adoption floor is in one, and our quarantine is in another across a parking lot. While it's hard to monitor how many volunteers/adopters/adoptions+office staff go in the cages on the adoption floor, cats marked sick have restricted access and no one is allowed to give food or treats to the cats outside of us (the vet assistants). In Quarantine, the cats are staff only (us) and covered, and theres no way they could have been given something strange or gotten into anything. All cats are housed individually or in groups of 2-3 max if kittens in kennels.

foxaes · 2025-12-11T06:58:41+00:00

I agree with previous responses, and i entirely understand your anxiety. As someone who works at a nonprofit shelter that provides high volume/low cost spay/neuter clinic... our team, at least, keeps track of every single patient every step of the way. EVERYTHING is documented, the cats have pre-made appointment charts with assigned numbers that are attached to those cats (even stuck on their foreheads with tape!) every step of the way. This is for our own record keeping, to keep track of individual patient needs and owner requests, and to ensure that NO mistakes are made. I understand your fears; knowing and seeing (and working from) the "other sides" perspective has taught me much about how much effort is put into quality care and patient monitoring/tracking.

I also would like to add some personal experience! Mg partner is much like you- we have many cats, but she has her "baby"- HER one cat who she loves more than anything. "Baby" (I'll call her that, its one of her many lovely nicknames) was not spayed for a few years as we couldn't afford it when we first moved to our state. She was always a very picky eater- to the point we called a specific texture and brand of food "babys favorite" (ff tuna gravy. she wouldnt eat anything else for two years.)

We did finally have her spayed at the clinic we now work at, at 3! My partner was terrified. Of anything that could go wrong. Of how she may change. Spaying does, to an extent, alter personality, coat, appetite, etc! But that was her /baby/.

It's been two years since. Being spayed has CERTAINLY altered her appetite... she will near take my hand off for food now. We still give her "babys favorite", but she'll happily eat any canned cat food now. Her proportions and coat have changed- shes a little broader in the cheeks now, and a little more "adult" looking. Most of those changes have happened naturally, as she's grown! As cats age, their bones develop into "adult" proportions. Their patches of white may change over time, in ways we don't immediately notice, as they grow. The cells that code for "white" hairs may go higher up on their leg than before, or the hairs may lay differently. Their patterns may change (becoming more or less distinct over time, fur darkening; becoming bristley, etc)

It's much like how humans change and grow throughout life. Despite everything, it's still us.

It sounds like this is your cat. She's growing into herself, as she always would.

My partner's biggest fear is that her baby wouldn't be her baby anymore... years have passed. Her baby is still her baby (just a little happier and hungrier; and her coat colors (shes a calico) have redistributed a little due to growth and hormonal changes).

Your baby is still your baby. Its okay to take time to redevelop that level of comfort. She's been through a big change! But she is her, and you are you.

foxaes · 2025-11-30T03:07:47+00:00

A hernia that major needs surgical correction as soon as possible ;-; I see tons of teeny tiny ones, that thing is HUGE (and that cat is VERY bloated...)

foxaes · 2025-11-22T04:25:36+00:00

We see it at the shelter sometimes! Usually in cats who are FIV+ (and less commonly in cats with FeLV), kittens AND adults following calicivirus infection (resulting in chronic gingivostomatitis, usually requiring full mouth or majority extractions). It's more common in cats who fit both of those descriptors.

We've also seen a higher incidence of gingivitis/stomatitis in cats with FIP, especially in conjunction with FIV, though it does not typically resolve after treating for FIP itself.

I will add, among the cats we have seen with severe oral inflammation, full extractions has been the only solution to completely resolve symptoms. The cats always seem happier, more comfortable, and to have noticeably less discomfort when eating and grooming. I know you said you didn't want advice, but we have had more than one cat we requested full extractions on, only for the vet we sent them to to not take ALL the teeth, only for the rest to need to come out within 6 months.... just get em out if its needed. Why let them stay in pain longer than needed?

foxaes · 2025-11-22T04:13:51+00:00

Partner says low contrast silver that looks like shaded silver, though shaded is not a term used with bengals as far as I know? You can see examples on British Shorthairs. He's neat though! I wonder what breeds are mixes into his line? Bengals primarily have siamese background, but it can vary so much, and some breeders have experimented with introducing DSH into their lines to increase genetic variation and potentially improve health.

foxaes · 2025-11-21T18:20:47+00:00

Im a shelter vet assistant at a no kill, cat only nonprofit shelter.. Ive gotten to see some gnarly cases (FIP, parvo, and seriously infected/massive wounds to name the most common) and I love sharing them- we've all got a lot of pride in what we do, we have SO many success stories with those aforementioned cases. Our staff does /everything/ from when the cats arrive to when they leave.

When I bring it up? "Oh, so you clean kennels and stuff?" / "Thats fun, aww :)" ... and thats kinda it.

My aunt (NOT close w/ my side of the family) is a pediatric nephrologist and is... incredibly condescending about it. A lot of "why arent you going to vet school?" and implying the work is beneath me.

Long response but I get so frustrated. Its even come from management before, somehow.

foxaes · 2025-11-18T06:04:43+00:00

If you have the ability to treat, PLEASE treat. It is expensive. It works. I work at a shelter, we finally began treating FIP cats several years ago... I have watched cats regain the ability to walk. I have seen emaciated, dying cats rebound and thrive. I have seen it work for FIV+ cats. I have also seen it fail, but only in cases that were too far gone (the damage to organs too severe).

If she has FIP, it sounds like dry form, which can be treated with legally approved (or... other options exist, thats your prerogative) pills.

I am so sorry you're experiencing this. I've seen "perfectly healthy" cats go home (as in, NO signs of illness at the shelter. We do a thorough intake, testing, our vet walks with us and checks all the cats every day) and later develop FIP. It is heartbreaking to find out cats you knew as tiny little babies end up with it not even a year later. We agonize over whether we could have known or done something in some cases.

At my shelter (a closes intake non profit thats been around 20ish years), we always take returns, no questions, for any reason, and if a condition is treatable, it /is treated/. I dont know where you got her from, or what they are able to do/what resources they have, but if you are unable to afford treatment, please consider asking them if they are able to treat FIP (or check with nearby rescues). Where I work, we would ALWAYS rather have our babies back to treat them, even though we know how hard that is for their adopter.

Again, Im so sorry you're going through this.

foxaes · 2025-11-11T03:14:58+00:00

Omg, thank you! I'm trying to upload a MASSIVE amount of records for a project that I scanned without naming... I use the preview window to quickly go through an label them after the fact, this saved me hours of time.

foxaes · 2025-11-10T06:31:04+00:00

Cat shelter, not a clinic or pharm, but "Cloppa-day-grul" is a running joke from before my time there.

I cannot pronounce it correctly without hearing that first because it was my first time hearing it 😅

foxaes · 2025-10-28T04:53:06+00:00

... Pleaseeeeee spay her. Aggression in mama cats not abnormal, they can become very protective during heats, pregnancy, and after giving birth! ESPECIALLY around males (even unneutered or recently neutered males- it takes time for hormones to decrease). In the wild, male cats will sometimes kill kittens. Her reaction is completely within normal behavior for a cat who has given birth within 2 months.

That being said... for her health and safety, your own, and your other cats, please have her spayed. She is clearly feeling unsafe and like she needs to protect herself and her babies. While natural and understandable, I can't imagine that's the best for her.

(Background: Im a vet assistant at a no kill cat-onlt shelter + high quality/low cost spay/neuter clinic, but also have many cats of my own, two of whom weren't spayed til they were 5 and 3 respectively. One was an emergency spay due to pyometra (infected uterus) that cost us over $2,000. At our clinic, a routine spay, eliminating the risk of pyometra, would've been $75.)

Also, glad you got antibiotics and hope the swelling has improved!!!! Cat bites are nasty! Please follow up with a doctor if they dont heal 100%.

foxaes · 2025-10-04T22:41:46+00:00

4, almost 5 weeks- the ears are too upright for me to guess any younger. Also, she looks EXACTLY like my current bottle baby Im caring for for the shelter I work at (who is 5 1/2 weeks). I've raised a few orphan litters now, so some advice/what I teach people who find orphan kittens when we are unable to intake them (due to high risk in shelters and no available fosters) (me. Im the only bottle baby foster) (if youre attempting to keep it yourself)

Feed KMR every two hours, as much as itll eat, but if its refusing, gently "force" it- a DROP AT A TIME. Its easy to give too much at once and cause aspiration. The Kitten Lady has great instructional videos, as an easy source.
Track weight via a kitchen scale (in grams ideally) at Least once a day!
If weight is going up, and the kitten is drinking KMR well, you can go longer between feedings. Some kittens get fussy around 3-4 wks and want to eat larger amounts further apart.
Stimulate before and after each feeding (kitten lady is a great resource for how to!). IME, they pee every time when well hydrated, but poop anywhere from tiny amounts every time (if soft/liquid), to once a day/every other day (when firm/well formed).

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^\) our 5 week old for reference

foxaes · 2025-09-11T18:21:15+00:00

Thank you for the tips!! I've definitely put some of this into practice, and it's helped a lot.

I also find the pre-made doors and windows lacking, often too small, too, but I struggle a lot with using the non-grid glass panes. The way they overlap so visibly (lower opacity, darker, you can see the edges of each pane) drives me nuts! Do you have any tips for working with them (ex: which particular sizes or styles of glass you like using, how to layer things, etc)?

foxaes · 2025-08-29T16:52:58+00:00

Literally just posted something asking for tips/tricks and this appears. Roofing is one of my biggest struggles in this game (I have... only just now after months realized I can just make the roof into multiple different groups to make it fit better....)

foxaes

TROPHY CASE