Your daily cat and kitten news

[oryx]

Has anyone else got / had a cat who overgrooms?

Paddy has been a bit of an overgroomer as long as we've had him but recently it's got a bit out of hand. He's been grooming himself non-stop for about two hours and keeps looking up and about him. He's grooming all over, not in one particular place.

He had an altercation with next door but one's cat a couple of days ago and she scratched his face, although it's minor and healing up. He's a very nervous cat at the best of times.

Think I will get some more Feliway (was trying to wean him off it) then back to the vets if he's still doing it.

 

[Vintage Paw]

Peggy overgrooms. She's a fastidious washer anyway, but from time to time she'll fixate on a spot and lick it clean of fur. She'll pull the fur out too. I try to spend extra time with her, let her sit on me when she wants, play with her lots, and if I see her doing it I distract her with something else (rather than shouting at her, which can just make her more stressed and more likely to want to do it). After a few days it subsides and the fur slowly grows back.

 

[Saul Goodman]

OMG I dunno how you do it! Doesn’t your house absolutely stink? Props to you for managing them all.

I have 3 enclosed litter trays with flaps and charcoal filters, so it's not bad at all, but you can guess why I had to buy them!
I thought feeding them would be the most expensive part but litter is as big an expense. It's costing a small fortune changing all three trays every day.

 

[Saul Goodman]

12 7 was way too many for me when I had all the kittens. 3 seems good though.
One of my friends took one of the kittens, Beats, and she's on holiday so I'm going round to feed him and her other cat, poncho.

View attachment 127176

I keep trying to reduce the numbers but every time I think of parting with one, I simply can't do it. I love them all too much.

 

[purenarcotic]

I have 3 enclosed litter trays with flaps and charcoal filters, so it's not bad at all, but you can guess why I had to buy them!
I thought feeding them would be the most expensive part but litter is as big an expense. It's costing a small fortune changing all three trays every day.

Hah yeah litter isn’t cheap is it. Three doesn’t sound as bad as I thought - I was always told the rule was one tray per cat plus one spare so imagined stinky trays literally everywhere.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Hah yeah litter isn’t cheap is it. Three doesn’t sound as bad as I thought - I was always told the rule was one tray per cat plus one spare so imagined stinky trays literally everywhere.

The trays are huge, and the cats spend most of the day outside now, so they're using the trays a lot less than they used to but they still need changing daily.

 

[Epona]

Saul, it's not food or litter that is expensive, it's when there is a need for vet treatment where the cost for 1 makes your eyes water - potentially mutliply that by 12, doesn't bear thinking about. Loving them all is wonderful, but doesn't pay vet bills unfortunately - not judging whether you can afford that much btw, I don't know anything about you - but know from this end that despite having a good household income, vet bills can be an alarmingly regular financial hiccup/kick in the stomach!

 

[Epona]

oryx - Radar overgrooms, his pattern is a bit different though, he has seasonal allergies (unsure what he is allergic to, allergy tests are not usually conclusive on cats and generally not worth doing - to do with their loose skin apparently), and overgrooms certain areas of his body in late summer every year. The tops of his legs, both front and back, are prime targets - I think they are quite easy to reach. Sometimes he'll just make a bald patch overnight

 

[Epona]

BTW, Radar hasn't had much to eat or drink at all, he has camped out on our bed and slept and is refusing to move, eat, or drink - I've been syringing water and very mushed wet food into his mouth every so often (safely, just so I'm dribbling water or food over his tongue) because he is a bit dehydrated and very skinny, it's not like there was much of him in the first place the poor little sod, will keep him hydrated and phone the vet tomorrow

 

[oryx]

Thanks Epona and Vintage Paw.

He's fast asleep now, but so would anyone be after about three hours of licking and scratching!

I think it's a combination of nerves and allergies. He was overgroomed when he came to us from Celia Hammond, so much so that we thought there was something wrong with his back legs and wondered why the vet couldn't see anything wrong with them! (Vet was probably used to seeing far worse than thin fur and bald patches...)

He stopped overgrooming until last summer when he got fleas despite us dosing them regularly. He's overgroomed since and has had steroids but it seems to be a habit now.

 

[oryx]

Our other cat is fine except that I tried to make a fuss of her through the bannisters and she grabbed my nose between her front paws.

 

[trabuquera]

*yeowch* for your nose oryx. One thing I can think of (no actual knowledge of overgroomers here, but a guess we are often told that a cat's natural activity cycle is sleep - hunt - eat - groom - sleep - repeat. If your lad's already got a high Feliway tolerance then maybe you can tweak that cycle for him - either with repeated distraction when he overdoes the grooming, as other people suggest, and/or playing with him more and knackering him out before he eats (to mimic having to hunt and work for his food), so that he's only got the energy for a brief groom before sleeping? (<- no idea if it would work but I hope he gets sorted, anyway.)

 

[stavros]

Is it only when you're on the computer?

Pretty much. Nothing's changed from my perspective, and it's just in the last week or so.

She soon forgives me when I sit down in front of the telly, especially for any kind of quite lengthy sporting event. I think the 6 Nations is nearly as popular as the snooker.

 

[Manter]

Not happy kitties off for their annual jabs...

View attachment 126810

Are they ok in the same basket? We were wondering about ours- the basket is big enough but we thought they might murder one another just to pass the time

 

[A380]

Are they ok in the same basket? We were wondering about ours- the basket is big enough but we thought they might murder one another just to pass the time

Mother and daughter; it seems to calm them. Probably because they are plotting revenge...

 

[Manter]

Mother and daughter; it seems to calm them. Probably because they are plotting revenge...

Probably won't risk it with our dramatic teen romance pair then...

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Are they ok in the same basket? We were wondering about ours- the basket is big enough but we thought they might murder one another just to pass the time

there's also a practical consideration - you can usually get one cat in to a basket before s/he knows quite what's hit them, but then the process of grabbing second kitteh, opening basket and managing to stop kitteh 1 escaping while stuffing kitteh 2 in to basket can be ... interesting ....

 

[Epona]

there's also a practical consideration - you can usually get one cat in to a basket before s/he knows quite what's hit them, but then the process of grabbing second kitteh, opening basket and managing to stop kitteh 1 escaping while stuffing kitteh 2 in to basket can be ... interesting ....

Yes there is a big logistical problem - I can usually use one hand to prevent one cat popping back out of the carrier while the other hand shuts the carrier door, anything involving 2 cats would resemble a slapstick skit!

Also on a more serious note, cats can get stressed in strange or unfamiliar situations, and may take that out on even a friend in the same carrier - better to transport them in separate carriers for everyone's safety and wellbeing. IMO

 

[Puddy_Tat]

anything involving 2 cats would resemble a slapstick skit!

I don't think I can find the scar any more...

 

[Epona]

I don't think I can find the scar any more...

Don't get me started on cat related scars - I have one across my arm a bit up from my wrist (Radar trying to get settled down for cuddles at night, back foot skidded across my arm), I've had it for a year or two now and it doesn't look as if it is going to fade any more - looks like I've tried and failed to do myself in...

 

[Vintage Paw]

The scar on my finger from Catmageddon 2016 is still big and lumpy. And you can still see the scars across the palm of my hand if you look closely between the lines.

 

[donkyboy]

Rogue giving a nice pose in the stairway:

 

[Manter]

there's also a practical consideration - you can usually get one cat in to a basket before s/he knows quite what's hit them, but then the process of grabbing second kitteh, opening basket and managing to stop kitteh 1 escaping while stuffing kitteh 2 in to basket can be ... interesting ....

Yeah.... with normal cats. Mine are idiots though

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Yes there is a big logistical problem - I can usually use one hand to prevent one cat popping back out of the carrier while the other hand shuts the carrier door, anything involving 2 cats would resemble a slapstick skit!

Last time we had to force Katniss in, even going first. Deapite watching this Odin then walked in to investigate. They have such different tempraments.

 

[Epona]

Radar still hadn't started eating or drinking, so he's back in hospital tonight getting IV hydration and nutrition, if need be they'll fit a feeding tube tomorrow and train me how to use it until he starts eating of his own accord.

Although I am obviously upset, I am also kind of relieved, poor little sod was quite dehydrated and lost a load of weight (was already a skinny little monkey, so he now looks a bit skeletal ) - he's now getting what he needs at least.

 

[Baronage-Phase]

Radar still hadn't started eating or drinking, so he's back in hospital tonight getting IV hydration and nutrition, if need be they'll fit a feeding tube tomorrow and train me how to use it until he starts eating of his own accord.

Although I am obviously upset, I am also kind of relieved, poor little sod was quite dehydrated and lost a load of weight (was already a skinny little monkey, so he now looks a bit skeletal ) - he's now getting what he needs at least.

Sorry to read this ..
Hope Radar feels and is a lot better soon..

 

[Puddy_Tat]

so he's back in hospital tonight

((((Epona and radar))))

 

[Vintage Paw]

Good luck to Radar. Hopefully once the healing really gets underway everything will become easier for him.

 

[trabuquera]

Good vibes to Radar's radar and to Epona

 

[Epona]

Thanks everyone, I'm sure he'll be fine once they've got him hooked up and getting the IV, just upsetting you know.