u/mirela4719

Hi everyone! I’d love to hear your experiences with leaving your cat home alone for around 8 hours.

My kitten is currently 5 months old, but starting in September I’ll have a different work/school schedule and he’ll have to stay home alone for around 7 hours on weekdays.

He is an only cat, and this is what worries me the most. He is very playful and loves attention, although he can also be quite independent. I’m worried that he might get lonely or bored while I’m away.

I’m planning to leave him with plenty of fresh water, food, a clean litter box, a scratching post, toys, and safe places to sleep and explore. I also have a pet camera, so I’ll be able to check on him while I’m gone.

I’m also considering leaving something playing on the TV, but I’m not sure if that’s actually useful. He loves wand toys, strings and bags, but obviously I don’t want to leave him alone with anything he could get tangled in or swallow. I also have big glass door where he spends a lot of his time.

For those of you who leave your cats alone for 7–8 hours regularly, how do they handle it? Do you do anything special to keep them entertained and happy while you’re away?

I’d especially love to hear from people with single-cat households. 🐱❤️

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Zdravo!

Zanima me da li ovdje ima ljudi iz Podgorice koji su vodili svoje mace na kastraciju i kakva su vam iskustva.

Mom mačku se polako približava vrijeme za kastraciju i, iskreno, prilično sam anksiozna pri pomisli da bih mogla izabrati pogrešnog veterinara. Prvu vakcinu je primio u Royalvetu, a za kastraciju se trenutno dvoumim između Royalyeta i Montveta. Naravno, ako mislite da postoji neka bolja opcija u Podgorici, voljela bih da je preporučite.

Takođe, pošto mi je ovo prva maca, voljela bih da čujem i vaša iskustva sa samom kastracijom – kako je protekao zahvat, kako je izgledao oporavak i da li ste bili zadovoljni veterinarom.

Hvala unaprijed svima koji podijele svoje iskustvo! 🐱💙

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This is something I've been wondering about ever since my kitten started jumping onto places where I don't want him. No matter what I've tried, I haven't been able to stop the behavior.

I often get comments like, *"If he's not allowed on the table, then he's not really part of the family,"* and similar things. But I don't agree with that at all. No one in my family climbs on the dining table or the kitchen counters, so I don't think it's unreasonable to have those as off-limits areas.

I've tried pretty much everything: being patient, using aluminum foil, calmly picking him up and putting him back on the floor every single time, and saying "no" without yelling. And just to be clear, I would never spray him with water—that's not something I'm willing to do.

I've also heard that kittens don't really start learning boundaries like this until they're around 6 months old, so I'm wondering if he's simply still too young (he's 5 months old).

Have any of you successfully taught your cat to stay off tables and kitchen counters? If so, what actually worked? I'd love to hear your experiences.

Dear Veterinarians,

I have a kitten (named Simba) who is about 3 months old. For the past few days, I have noticed that he occasionally squints with his left eye, and from time to time, a slight swelling is visible on that eye.

What also confuses me are the very noticeable changes throughout the day (I will try to post photos taken in the morning and evening of the same day in the comments). Simba is extremely cheerful, playful, has an excellent appetite, and is behaving completely normally.

Currently, I am cleaning his eyes exclusively with sterile gauze and saline solution (physiological solution) 2 to 3 times a day. Since I am unable to take him to a veterinarian for an immediate examination at this moment, I would appreciate your opinion. Is it safe for me to continue using only the saline solution until I can get him examined, or would it be safe to obtain some eye drops or ointment from a human pharmacy on my own initiative (such as Tobrex or Chloramphenicol), considering that he is still very small?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Species: Cat

Age: 3 months

Sex/Neuter status: Male, not neutered

Breed: Domestic Shorthair

Body weight: Around 1-1.5 kg

History: Healthy kitten, no previous illnesses

Clinical signs: Squinting with the left eye, slight swelling, symptoms change throughout the day (worse in the morning, better by evening)

Duration: A few days