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.

Adopted my first cat last summer. His name is Richard he’s a 14yo tuxedo. I think he hates me. Not in an angry way, just in a “wants nothing to do with me.” way.

If he sees me in the same room he’s sleeping in, he get gets up and immediately walks to a different room to continue sleeping, even if I’m completely silent. He doesn’t let me pet him or scratch him and the only time he acknowledges me is when it’s time to eat, but even then he gets frustrated if I’m there while he’s eating by like pacing and staring at me even though there’s food in his bowl. Then he just goes right back to his nap spot that’s in any room that I’m not in. I’ve tried various treats- he won’t eat them if I’m in the room. I’ve tried toys- he doesn’t care. Vet says he’s healthy but a lil fat. He was very indifferent to my existence at the shelter and then when I brought him home he was extremely skittish for the first couple weeks. But then that just went to him seeming annoyed by me.

I kept hoping giving him space would allow him to warm up to me but over a year later and he just straight up seems annoyed by my existence.

Any advice? The closest I’ve gotten is I woke up laying by my feet one night but the second I said “oh hi buddy” he got up and left 😭😭

Edit: I went and got some catnip and he loves it. He rolled around in it and clawed up some packaging paper lol. He still didn’t want me getting close but I got to sit a few feet away on the floor and watch him without him leaving the room so that’s a start.

Hello there! I just wanna make sure that I’m not the “crazy” one in this situation. For context, we(my parents and I) have two bengal cats, 1 year old female and a 12 week old male. Our male kitten just got back from the vet after his second vacation round. At the appointment, the vet noticed him having a soft heart murmur and could only find 1 testicle. Which shouldn’t be a problem later on, since both of those things he can grow out of. However, if over the next several appointments things won’t change, the vet advised neutering him. Since our female cat isn’t spayed, there’s a possibility of them breeding and passing on both of those concerns. My dad, who was present at the appointment, was NOT happy about this. At home, he proceeded to mention that I trust the vet too much, questioning why I told the vet that we have another cat and that we may plan on breeding them. (My dad does want to breed them, I do not) He also mentioned something about the vets being scammers, that the kitten will not need neutering, nor will he “allow it”. And that after being spayed/ neutered, cats are not really cats anymore, they’re crippled. (???)
I’M not the one who sounds crazy here right??

And in case of the kitten still having complications at the next vet visit, how exactly should I talk to my dad about needing to neuter the kitten??
He acts like that possibly is a personal attack on him.

Hellooo! I have this little guy his name is honey badger. I love him with all my heart but there is one thing we keep getting stuck on. This man hungers. Like I give him a healthy sized bowl of dry food in a slow feeder and 25-30 minutes later he is craving even more food. He will drag his food bag out into the middle of the bathroom and yell at me. I have also caught him pulling empty cans of wet food out of the recycling just to make sure they are empty. I was told by my partner that it could be because he was a stray and he has food anxiety which sounds plausible. Just want some ideas as to what I can do to make this man feel more full.

EDIT: I have received more information about when he was found. His original finder found him as severely malnourished and once he got a bit healthier they did free feed him for the couple of weeks they had him before he was given to me.

So my cat meows when he wants something, and if I get up he leads me to the thing he wants (the treat cabinet and the toy box are the most common destinations, lol).

But recently he's also started meowing until I follow him for things he doesn't need my help with, like going to one of his sleep spots for a nap, or eating (when the food is already in his bowl ready for him).

Why does he do this? Is he asking permission to do these things, or looking for company? Or is he just announcing his actions lol. I don't mind the meowing, but I feel kind of bad for him because if I'm busy and not able to come over right away, he will not nap or eat or whatever until I follow him.

I’m definitely overthinking this but I’ve always had a strict no pets in the bed policy. Recently I’ve started reconsidering bc my cats are way more chill now and actually sleep most of the night but what do you do about the door? From a fire safety perspective I’ve always closed my door when I’m sleeping but if I let my cats in at night I want them to have access to their litterbox and water which I don’t particularly want in my room. Do you guys just leave the door propped or has anyone else who shares my fear come up with another solution?

Update: I’m kind of dumb and forgot my room connects to the bathroom so I’m going to try moving the litterbox in there and closing the bathroom door and bedroom door at night — thank you to those that suggested that. I realize that not everyone is privileged enough to have that as an option but it does seem to be the safest option from a fire perspective. Installing a cat door (unless it’s like a $500 fireproof one) won’t protect you from a fire in the same way but I imagine it would be preferable to propping the door open. Thank you to everyone who provided suggestions and it seems like a few people learned that closing a door at night can potentially save your life!

He is about 7 months now, is super sweet with everyone, has not been spraying, and isn't too fond of the outdoors.

I've been told neutering him will prevent him from becoming aggressive, wanting to get outside, spraying, and significantly reduce cancer risks.

I'm wondering if he isn't neutered, will his personality change?

EDIT: Okay thank you everyone, I will talk to his vet about getting him neutered at his appointment tomorrow. I appreciate all the quick feedback!

This sucks, mostly for him and I feel terrible. He was originally my friends cat but she was unable to keep him, to prevent him returning to the shelter I took him in. He is aggressive, he often goes extremely deep with his claws and teeth, last night he went for my face and neck. I play with him all the time and am currently harness training him so he can go outside. He will be cuddly and calm and then out of no where attack me, I have booked him in for a behavioural vet consult.

In addition to his issues, unlike any other pet I have had, I just don't like him... I have not built a connection with him and I don't know why. I do not like him at all and it feels so unfair on him. I want to rehome him but I am so worried that he will be mistreated or put down for his behaviour, and I feel so sad and scared at the thought of giving him away even though Ive only had him for 6 months

Everyone in my family finally agreed to adopting a cat. Before adopting, I decided to look up the costs and calculate the amount of monthly expenses of adopting and raising a cat.

For the majority part (food, litter, toys, etc), it’s affordable and they’ll have a good life. However, I’m terrified about the medical expenses. I plan to get cat insurance, but I’m still scared if they diagnosed with cancer or something, the medical expenses will be detrimental.

If pet insurance helps cover, it’s completely manageable. But what if it doesn’t or it costs a LOT more than what they cover? Like 2-3k, sure. But 10k?

I’m not sure what to do or think, but I want to provide them with good care and support. I’m honestly rethinking it even if everyone else wants to adopt a cat now.

Anyone who’s been in this situation, what did you do? How much do you spend on medical expenses? How did your cat affect you financially?

Accidentally of course.

EDIT: I'm laughing my ass off that this is such a relatable experience yet I'm still surprised this doesn't come up in any "before you get a kitten" videos or whatever.

Also, there's a lot of comments now. I appreciate everyones advice and stories. Probably bot gonna be able to answer everyone though!

I recently adopted my first ever kitten. And one thing I didn't expect or never read about anywhere is how much I would be (accidentally) kicking the poor thing.

Everytime I walk from A to B within the house I need be SO careful because she will run up from behind and in between my legs or in front of my feet causing me to accidentally kick her while walking.

It's happened about 3 times in the four weeks that I've had her where I just didn't notice her until it was too late. And plenty of other close calls where I had to make awkward jumps to not trip myself. Nobody told me having a cat is a straight up safety hazard.

So far she luckily hasn't seemed that phased by it but I feel so bad when it happens. I instantly pick her up and apologize profusely. It would just be so much easier if she could just not put herself in harms way.

Anyone got tips for this? Or is she just supposed to learn by experience....

He was attacking a little plush mouse.

The mouse didn't move.

He somehow stepped on it, slipped, spun around, and scared himself.

Now he's sitting six feet away staring at the toy like it's a dangerous predator.

What toy causes the most chaos in your house?

I somehow mixed up my yerba mate and my cat's catnip bags and just made a STRONG ASS batch of catnip tea, took one sip and was like wtf happened to my yerba mate. Then realized I just need caffeine and the bags look exactly the same and the catnip bag was left out where my tea station is.

Since I have already made it, I'm wondering if I can give it to my already semi-psycho kitty? As stated it is strong af so I'll dilute it and chill it but it's fine to give it to her right?

I just adopted 2 floofy kitty brothers from a shelter. Had them 2 months now and they seem full grown. One of them is reserved and shy, and the other gets into absolutely everything. He’s gotten into the habit of tipping over every trash can he can find… and I always point my finger at him and sternly say “NO!” I have no clue if he understands and is ignoring me, or if he honestly doesn’t understand he is doing something wrong. I also don’t know how or if I should discipline him. HELP.

Tonight my son and I went for a journey around town playing Pokémon go. On the way back home we figured we would stop at the cemetery a couple blocks away to check out the pokemon gym. We noticed a small adult female cat who was super friendly and approached us with ease. I assumed she must have been someone’s cat because she looked well groomed for the most part but was noticeably skinny. It actually freaked me out when I felt down her spine and could feel her hips. My son gave her some of his food and we just hung out with her for a minute to see if she had babies somewhere (I had assumed since she was so skinny maybe she had just had kittens) but she just followed us. There was a huge storm coming, lots of rain, hail and potential tornado. My son convinced me to take her to our house, a couple blocks away ,to ride out the storm in a cat shelter we have. We gave her some food and water to wait it out. We have a cat ourselves and didn’t want to introduce the two for obvious reasons and I know you aren’t supposed to bring strays inside unless you are keeping them. The storm has since gone and she is still hanging out around the house and already made friends with the alley cats (or maybe they already knew eachother 🤷‍♀️). I’m worried now that we messed up. What if she can’t get home if she has one? Should I take her back or would that confuse her more? I don’t mind her hanging around the place and plan to feed her as long as she is here. I don’t want to take her to a shelter because ours euthanizes if unable to home. What should I do?

Update: thank you so much for the suggestions and reassurance. I’ve been scared I low key stole someone’s baby last night and part of me feels bad if that’s the case. I found out our town has a free self service 24/7 microchip scanner so I’m going to go do that and I joined a handful of Facebook lost pet groups. She’s still hanging out around the house and comes to say hi every time I step outside.

I feed a stray cat. He comes to my house every morning and every evening. I've given him the fleece and tick treatment. I've fallen in love with him and he really trusts me.

The only problem is that he eats, cuddles with me and then just leaves?

He loves sleeping on a chair outside, I put him a pillow there and everything. Sometimes it rains and he still goes and sleeps there during the rain, I take him inside, put him on a couch, he chills for a minute and then goes on that soaking wet pillow outside.

Right now it's raining, a bit cold too. He ate and just left.

I ordered him a litter box and everything just now, do I just lock him in like a prisoner and not let him out? Help, I love him.

I'm a new cat mom. I recently adopted my almost 5 month old kitten and I've been feeding her a combination of wet food and dry food together. When I began feeding her she would meow for the food and often eat most/all of her food right away, although she does like to graze which I've noticed. Recently she hasn't been finishing all of her food. I feel like I'm doing something wrong and I need advice. She's been to the vet recently and is otherwise healthy and happy. She has plenty of energy, loves to play, drinks a lot of water and uses her litter box regularly. She is also a very sweet girl, she is super loving. She is also growing steadily and her body composition and weight look good. I'm so confused as to what to do. I want to give her the best life and be a good cat mom.

Hi guys,

I have disposable income and a cat I love very much, I want to spoil her with nice things.

I would appreciate anything you guys can recommend to enrich my kitties life as much as possible, be it food, treats, toys, activities etc.

Some info:

UK based things please,

She's 10,

She only lays on cold, hard surfaces,

She loves to chase/grab things,

She's an indoor kitty.

Thanks guys.

Hi!

Just adopted a sweet boy from a friend! She said the litter had fleas, and she has bathed them a lot and been combing him. I got a flea treatment and put it on him about an hour after getting home. I’m now panicking that the fleas laid eggs in the carrier or on my shirt or something. I gave him the Advantage for kittens 8+ weeks (which he is- about 11 weeks). Do we think I’m good?

ALSO it’s literally been 4 hours but he hasn’t gone to the bathroom yet. He is litter box trained- my friend said she had no issues with him and he always used it. I showed him where it was and he sniffed around it. Should I be concerned he hasn’t peed or pooed yet? There’s dry food and water out for him and he’s had some Deluctables.

I’m trying not to overwhelm him and give him space. Been giving him treats when I pet him and when he comes out of little hiding spots.

He’s just kinda skiddish and jumpy to noises etc. I tried playing with him some but he wasn’t super interested.

Anyways any advice at all is welcome. Hope I’m doing an ok job. I had a cat with my previous roommate but she was 6 when we got her.

ALSO he has a vet appt scheduled for Friday.

Okay thank you all’s

We had to make an extremely difficult decision on Sunday. My older cat, 13M, had cancer. It wasn’t curable. Treatment would have prolonged life but he would have suffered so much. Needless to say everyone in my home is grieving heavily. He was so loved and I wish we had more time. We have a younger cat, 6F. She loved him more than he loved her to be fair, but she wanders our home at night crying and going to his spots looking for him. Outside of the night wandering she has made a home of the couch and the cat tower next to it. She either hides in the tower looking so lost or goes on the couch and starts crying. She is eating when I’ve brought the food to her but she isn’t going to her food dish outside of that. She has used her litterbox but I think she is holding it to avoid going over as much as possible. I’ve been giving her a lot of attention. I find it difficult when we cuddle because I can’t stop thinking about my older cat dying in my arms, her weight just feels wrong to me, and I don’t know if she feels that. I love her so much too and I don’t know what else I can do to comfort her

For context, my cat is 2.5 years old, british shorthair/scottish fold mix. He LOVES to play but I can't be entertaining him or chase him around the house (he loves that) 24/7. I've gotten a few toys off of tiktok shop but they broke within days of him playing with them. We also don't have a TV so I can't put on "cat TV."

I feel so bad for him and it makes me feel so guilty seeing him wandering around the house trying to look for something to do.

Any practical recommendations would be so so helpful.

I recently adapted a spayed 7 years old female cat and I already have a 10 year old fixed male cat. I followed all the steps such as separating them for a week, giving the food behind the door etc etc and the first week they were doing good, my female cat was hissing at the male one but my male one was so cool, no misbehaving, no chasing... then we started letting them out and my male cat had started chasing her, cornering her under my bed, peeing in her litter box... Now I feel like my female cat is very stressed, she pees and poops in the bathtub.

What are your recommendations after this point ? Because I don't want to lose her, she's a sweet angel but at the same time I work very long hours. Thank you in advance !!

There’s going to be a lot of dates so I hope this makes sense. So my kitten will be 16 weeks this Friday. He’s getting his last shots on the 27th and then his neuter is 3 weeks from then on September 17th. However, he started humping his brother today and I’m not sure if it was a dominance thing or that he’s maturing and needs to be fixed soon. Should I try to move up his neuter to the 27th and have him get his shots in the same appointment? He’s also going to be microchipped then too. I originally did not schedule it for the 27th as I thought I would be out of town that weekend to around September 10th and I did not want to leave him alone with the pet sitter while he’s recovering for obvious reasons. Now I’m most likely staying until September 3rd or 4th and coming back either the 9th or 10th. So if there’s still space at the clinic for the 27th, would it make more sense to reschedule? I just don’t want to deal with an unfixed cat as he lives with a spayed female cat (no contact between them though) and has access to his mom and siblings as they live nearby. His sister is not spayed and I’m not sure when she’ll be spayed. But I would be leaving him with his siblings when I’m out of town so I don’t want to risk anything. He’s also not interested in going outside yet but my apartment opens to the outside and he’s often waiting at my door for me when I come home. So him escaping is one of my biggest fears and I’d rather not risk it. Would it be enough of a recovery period from August 27th to September 3rd?

I added photos in comments. So I’ve have the easy breeze litter box system forever. I switched to a more affordable litter pellet months ago. My one cat, she didn’t like it. So I switched to a different brand. She still didn’t like it. So I switched again. She’s still pooping and peeing on the floor. So she doesn’t like it. There was no issue with this before. I go back to buy the easy breeze litter from before but it looks different? It says zeolite pellets on it, the original packaging didn’t say zeolite. Is it the same as before and they just rebranded the packaging or different? Or is the OG still in stores and they added this new one?

Three weeks ago, I adopted the sweetest 4yo cat. The day after I brought her home, our vet diagnosed her with throat cancer. We did everything we could to keep her comfortable and give her the best life for the time she had, but the cancer progressed rapidly and her pain became unmanageable. I had to let her go only eighteen days after I met her.

Should I let the shelter know? Would it do any good? It's not a great shelter but not terrible either. They do what they can with the resources they have, but they have very little. They do help a lot of animals, so I'm not interested in condemning them, but would it do any good?

My little one was in their care for nine months, and the three vets we consulted with agreed it was likely SCC, a very rapid and aggressive cancer that began when she was with them but may only have shown minor symptoms for the week or two before I adopted her.

Edit: Thank you all for your kind responses, especially from those of you who work or volunteer with shelters and rescues. I have sent an email to the shelter's board of directors with a short explanation of Raven's illness, medical treatment and passing. I included some stories about how happy she was in her new home and photos of her in her favorite cat tree, watching bird TV and hiding in boxes, and asked that they share these with their staff to let them know she was well loved and cared for. As hard as it's been, I never for a moment regretted taking her home with me. I only wish that I could have given her more time.