r/ExoticShorthair

I couldn't believe it when I saw him! I'm hoping that his lovely foster liked me after we met, and she said she did, so fingers crossed. In the lucky chance that I get to be his mama, is there anything that I should know? So far I know:
Brush coat every week - they shed a lot
Wipe eyes every day - they water often
Prepare for vet bills, and test for PKD
He's likely going to be sneezy and snotty

He's about a year old, and a rather picky eater apparently. He's getting his nares widened in a week or two, and I'll be able to take him home then, provided that I'm chosen. Any other advice that I might not be aware of? Thank you!

Recommendations for a good cat litter, I’m using pidan- tofu but it’s pricey , and I feel like it’s not hiding the smell that well, any other ones yall recommend?

Hii everyone,

My husband and I have two exotic kittens 2.2 months old. Both are litter trained and when we brought them home 2 weeks ago they would sleep on our bed at night. Their pen is open in our room and their litter is inside that.

They’ve regularly been going in their litter but recently I noticed a pee stain on my bed. I’ve realised that one kitten has now started to pee on our bed!

First time we didn’t catch when it had happened but yesterday he started to squat on our bed to start peeing and I quickly grabbed him into the pen and into the litter.

I’m really worried he has now become fond of peeing on our bed. How do I get him to shake this habit? I don’t want to keep them locked in their pens all day because I really enjoyed them sleeping in bed with me. Does anyone have any advice or experience? It’s also just the one kitten who does this, the second one always goes back to the litter box. When they are locked in their pen the one who has been peeing on our bed also uses the litter box normally.

Hi everyone,
My cat is a 1.5-year-old male Exotic Shorthair, weighs 4.1 kg, and is an indoor-only cat.
Last Tuesday, he suddenly developed the following symptoms:
Horizontal nystagmus (his eyes were moving side to side involuntarily).
A slight head tilt to the left.
Occasional loss of balance and stumbling.
While walking, he will suddenly turn two full circles to the left and then continue walking normally.
He is still alert, eating normally, drinking water, playing, and using the litter box as usual.
I took him to the veterinarian on Friday.
The vet examined his ears and eyes and did not find an external ear infection. He said it could be vestibular syndrome, although he couldn’t completely rule out an inner ear or neurological problem. He also mentioned it could have been caused by a minor head injury.
He prescribed Meladex (meloxicam) for 4 days and said that if he doesn’t improve, he will recommend further diagnostic tests.
Since then:
The nystagmus has completely resolved, which is encouraging.
However, the head tilt is still present.
He still occasionally loses his balance.
He still sometimes turns two circles to the left before continuing to walk.
Today I noticed something else that concerns me.
My cat has chronic dry eye, so I have to apply lubricating eye drops three times a day. While doing that, I noticed that the left eyelid (the same side as the head tilt) doesn’t seem to function the same as the right one.
He can blink, but the left eye doesn’t always close completely. When I gently open his eyelids to apply the eye drops, the right eyelid closes firmly and offers normal resistance, but the left eyelid feels noticeably weaker and doesn’t close with the same strength. The eye itself is not red or irritated.
Has anyone experienced something similar with their cat?
Was it diagnosed as vestibular syndrome, an inner ear problem, facial nerve involvement, or something else?
Did your cat recover completely?
How long did recovery take?
Did anyone notice weakness in one eyelid along with the vestibular symptoms?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!

Hey everyone. I’ve been reluctant to post this for a long time because I know this breeder is popular on this sub - and my experience may not be your experience but I think it’s important to share this. If this was not your experience - I am glad!

I purchased a kitten from ArtInMotion (Jen) in August 2025 that came with a host of health problems that now, almost a year later, he is still being treated for. The list included URI at the time of purchase, coccidia, Giardia, and ear infections. This is a kitty that has never been exposed to other animals, nor taken to play outside, living in a single pet, clean home.

This being my first kitten experience, at first I thought maybe the URI, or one parasitic infection may be par for the course (I no longer feel this way; I think this is unacceptable), but as the months went by with countless vet visits, tests run, medications, insane cleaning protocols of my home, and a complete lack of response from the breeder who I have reached out to several times --

I know that the cats from the AIM cattery are very special, the cat I got from Jen means the world to me - that’s why I want to share. I am in the process of filing formal complaints with VDACS and CFA. Sharing this so others can make an informed decision.