r/CatAdvice

I just want to ask you guys, have you ever had to defend your decision and how did that make you feel? Is it normal to feel so guilty, even when you know it's the right decision?

My furbaby got neutered yesterday, specifically because he has had issues with the hormones associated with reaching maturity, but also because I don't want him to get any more issues down the line.

He is 7months old and I love him so so much, I would never do anything to harm him. He's my first pet I've had on my own, but I grew up with a cat, dogs and have been around plenty of animals. I always knew he would be neutered, I didn't anticipate I would feel so emotional over it.

Yesterday a friend reached out while my cat was at the vet and asked to play a game, while talking I said that my little cat is at the vet and I'm super worried about him. My friend started saying that hearing this disgusts him, he gets mad that people "do this to their cats" and that I've "clipped his wings". He said I should've left him natural and let him make babies if he wanted, so I tried to explain that my cat has issues already, like his weewee getting stuck outside and major jealousy issues regarding my boyfriend. My friend still insisted that I was being cruel because of this. At first I was just appalled that he had this point of view and I tried to explain the health issues to him, but realised I was talking to a brick wall. I ended up having a major panic attack and I've cried about this, because I know I had to do this for my babys health, but I didn't expect to have to defend this choice around my friends... I ended up saying "I'm sorry you're so personally attached to every cat's balls" and then excused myself and left. I feel so vulnerable right now, watching my baby be drugged and confused.. I know it needed to happen, but seeing it is so hard, because I feel so guilty. I wish I could explain to my cat why this had to be done, but ultimately he won't ever know how much I wish I could take his pain away.

So my cat Reggie loves food he seems to eat anything other than his cat food, we’ve tried him on so many different brands. He starts off by clearing the whole lot every time we try a new brand but after a week or two he starts eating less and less to the point where he hardly touches it. Any advice?

Found a 7 to 8 month old kitten on our porch last night. He’s soooo sweet and clean but isn’t neutered. Going to get him scanned for a chip, but since he’s not neutered, I don’t feel confident that he’ll be chipped. We have two cats already, but this little guy just fell into our laps. Is having 3 cats crazy???? We live in a 1200 square foot apartment. Advice welcome :)

I went to refill the cats fountain and found these small worms in the bottom! What are these? Are they dangerous for the cats? Obviously, I do not want them in there. I run the cat fountain through a filter and change the water out every few days. Where could these worms have come from?
I tried to post a picture/video but it is not letting me do it. They look like tiny tube worms.

My cat is 7 years old 12.5 pounds she had been spayed and also had a teeth cleaning about 3 years ago. She’s a calico it look like she’s prone to tartar. Now 3 years later I have a dental cleaning tomorrow. I’m so paranoid and scared! Her bloodwork was done on Saturday and thankfully everything came back good tomorrow the will do the ekg and other things. I’m so nervous! Someone tell me that she will be okay. They will also have fluids in her.

Hi everyone,

We recently moved into a new area in the UK last November and saw a cat that appeared to be a stray cat staying in our streets. Our neighbors were trying to help feed as much as possible but no one could take the cats in because they already have animals.

Conscious that I have some cat allergy we tried slowly to help feeding the cat and slowly try to provide shelter to the cat in our home during the winter. It turns out that the cat adapted quite quickly to us and our home and my allergies were fine with her.

We talked to some neighbors and found out that the owner moved 100 m away in a flat and did take care of the cat, which stayed in the streets. Couple of neighbors did report the case to the RSCPA given the cat condition and we assume that the owner did abandon the cat as she did not try to take care of her cat.

We brought the cat to the vet and find out that the cat was unchipped and we chipped the cat to our address, also providing the annual vaccine.

Now this week, after almost 6 months where we take her in, the owner came to us wanting out of the blue the cat back making disturbance to all neighbors, which we had to give her back.

She is now claiming that the reason that the cat was outside is that the cat is to her a mainly an outdoor cat which is strange to us as during these 6 months the cat barely ask to go house and settle inside quite nicely.

We are not sure how to proceed and who to contact as the cat is micro shipped to us and we really want to do what is best for the cat, we can see the cat waiting most of the day at the neglecting owner windows.

Thank you for your advices

I'll keep this short; I got a 4 week old kitten from an informal source not long ago. She's been doing okay, but really bitey around my feet. She has a TON of toys, including a bird and fish that flop around.

My question; will being on her own in my home so young severly affect her behavior as an adult? I'm considering getting her a friend to prevent this, but want to know what others experiences are.

For context, I work remote so I'm home most of the day. She sleeps on top of/near me and purrs alot so she seems comfortable around me.

First time getting a cat of my own

One of my cats has always been a biter when he wants attention or food. He’s been doing this for years, and I take responsibility for not doing more to correct the behavior when he was a kitten. These bites are not gentle, but not mean-spirited, either. They hurt a good deal and usually occur on my face (chin and nose) or my hands. They’re usually when I’m sleeping or relaxing, so I don’t want to get up and disengage as many people suggest to do in this situation. I admit that I’ll usually start petting him in the hopes he’ll get distracted, and I know that’s probably reinforcing the bad behavior. I fear that since he’s so old now, he’ll never stop, and it’s getting to the point where it’s really affecting me and my husband’s sleep. Any advice would be appreciated!

Yesterday we ran out of the kibble her shelter gave us and were down to one can of wet food (We thought we had two left!)

We bought the exact kind of kibble but since she eats tiny tiger we had to order it off of chewy.

The issue is, she refuses to eat her kibble despite it being the exact one she's use to and we don't have any left to help "integrate" it to her. I didn't think we'd have to considering it is the exact same.

We've been mixing her food with her treats to try and get her to eat it but she only eats the treats, not the kibble.

I don't know what to do I'm going to cry why won't she eat this?? We have nothing else to give her that she's use to. We have adult wet food (because we were originally planning on getting an older cat) but she's never had that and we can't slowly introduce her to it.

Hi. I have two bengals who I love very much however they have a range of weird behavioural issues. This is however the worst

I’ll try and keep it as short as I can. I used to let them free roam in the evening with no issues then over the past couple of years they started throwing themselves at my door, literally sounds like someone is breaking in when they do it. (I’m a really light sleeper anyway so I’ve never let them sleep in my room)

So I started putting them in the front room, plenty of room for 7/8 hours and also everything they could need to keep entertained. However between 2-4am they started jumping up onto the mantle place and jumping down over and over which has a really loud banging noise (the floors are wooden)
I’ve tried putting them in the attic at night instead too, same amenities and the same thing happens except they jump off this structural box, it’s also very loud as it’s third floor.

I live in a terrace too so I’m really worried about neighbours hearing the noise so I don’t like trying to wait it out. Saying that they don’t ever really stop unless I feed them, even then this doesn’t always work. They have wet food twice a day and always have dry food available. I know feeding them might be the solution but I can’t justify it when they start doing it at 2-4am! They know they’re being naughty.

I’ve tried ignoring them but I physically can’t get back to sleep, sometimes I tell them off and they do stop but I can’t get back to sleep quick enough before it starts again. It got to a point where I was instinctively waking up at 4am every morning
I’ve also tried feeding them - this was when they were doing it closer to the 5am mark and then going back to bed for a couple of hours but this just isn’t sustainable for work days
I’ve tried feeding them later in the evening, no difference
I’ve even tried putting them in those stupid little pet jumpers to restrict their movement a bit but they just get out of them, plus I spent most of my time worried about their safety and watching them when I did this

I’m at a real loss. I love them so much but it makes me resent them in the mornings
They are also extremely needy with me which doesn’t help

Any advice? Sorry this is all over the place (I’m tired)

Side note: got these from the rescue but as kittens so have had them their whole life (4 years)
Love them so much. Couldn’t recommend getting bengals less 😂 especially paying from a breeder haha

Hello everybody! For context my partner and I are new to being cat parents and we have a 2 year old Maine Coon mix named Azula.

She used to be strictly on kibble with an automatic feeder that feeds her 3 times a day as a kitten (6am, 2pm, and 7pm). She then got 2 bigger meals as an adult (7am and 7pm)— not much mealtime interaction from us there.

Before her 2nd birthday we’ve transitioned to feeding her wet food only, which she loves! Our schedule for her right now is 7:30am for breakfast and 7:30pm for dinner (one can each feed: she is around 13 pounds and not super active but still playful).

My partner and I are in disagreement about her behavior in the early mornings/dawn (around 5:00-6:00am). This is when Azula gets the cuddliest and purriest… for food. She snuggles up to me and licks and gets in my face and I welcome/allow it because 1) she is too darn cute and 2) she only does this at this time of day (even if for a nefarious intent)! But of course, in exchange, my sleep and my partner’s sleep are disrupted. My partner believes I should ignore her and that I am enabling her bad behavior by petting on her and then being woken up enough to feed her. I worry when she is hungry. My partner on the other hand just ignores her and moves away from her. She has resorted to cozying up to me because she knows I will pet her and feed her.

What is the best solution? Should I have some kibble feed at around 5:39am and then we feed her canned food at 7:30an and 7:30pm?

Any m help tips or insight is welcome thank you so much for reading!

Im about to get my first cat on my own. I have a pretty small apt and a lot of stuff. I was thinking about putting the litterbox in a spare closet and just keeping the door cracked. Is this a good idea? Im worried it will stress the cat out or he wont be able to find it. For context he’s about 5 years old and I’ve been told he’s very good with the litterbox in his current home.

my mother showed up and gave me a kitten and said its mine now, i absolutely adore him already :)
ive had cats as a child and teen but they didnt belong to me nor was i the one caring for them so despite my time around them im not the most knowledgeable on their care.
im ordering wet food, dry food, bowls, a litter box, litter, a scooper, some toys, and a cute collar ! is there anything else i might be missing?
he was a stray so i am planning to take him to the vet and get him de wormed and flea treated. he also tends to get really hyper and bolt around my room knocking things over, i know cats will be cats but i can i give him a way to be entertained when im busy that doesnt involve the destruction of my room? tysm for reading and any advice or guides are much appreciated!

Methylprednisolone 4mg for cats (prescribed/diagnosed by a vet skin specialist for a skin reaction he’s dealing with) - what are your experiences? my cat is 8 and never taken medication and I’m worried about side effects

How long generally do you have to be away for cats to forget you even if they are obsessed with you? (Asking for a friend of course 😭)

My cat ate a string last night and i'm so worried. I took him to the vet and the vet did an ultrasound but couldn't see it inside, but he said that the bow movement is good. My cat doesn't show any signs that something is wrong. He is eating, drinking water, he has energy and if i touch his tummy he doesn't look like he is in pain. I will keep a close eye on him, but i am so worried and i could really use some advice if anyone went through something similar 🥺

I want to do something special for them. Do you guys make a treat cake? I don’t know I’m a man who hated the idea of cats and has learned to love his fur babies and need some direction.

Buenas!
He rescatado una gatita hace 3 semanas y ahora tendrá aproximadamente 1 mes y medio. El problema es que a veces entra al arenero a parte de para hacer pis y caca, para comer. No la dejo que lo haga pero cuando la saco ella interpreta que estoy jugando. Lo hace de forma habitual y no me preocuparía si fuera una vez, pero me da miedo que lo haga sin darme cuenta o se ponga enferma…
Alguien tiene algún método para que deje de hacerlo? O tal vez alguna forma de “regañarla” para que asocie que eso no se puede hacer…

My boyfriend and I rescued a 4 month old kitten about a month ago and at first she was completely fine. Everything was smooth sailing until one night my dad slept over at our place for the night and I picked up the kitten and passed her over to my dad which freaked her out big time. The next day she also escaped and I had to chase her and get her.
Ever since then she has been absolutely terrified of my partner, even though I was the one involved in the “scary” moments.
She hisses at him and hides whenever he goes near her. This is obviously upsetting him and it’s making me sad. The only thing I can pinpoint is he is generally loud, loud footsteps, trips on things, drops things, coughs, idk. Maybe just unpredictable?

I thought it might be just him but last weekend we had friends over and she warmed up to the females but wanted nothing to do with the males. Do you think it’s possible somethings happened to her with a male when she was a stay?

How do I fix this? I’ve bought a Feliway calming diffuser. She’s honestly a totally normal, naughty and playful kitten when he’s not at home, but as soon as hes home she is timid and scared.