[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

That too. It doesn't even go by manufacturer. Some Whiskas will be complete crap (mostly soy) while other Whiskas will be good (i.e. real meat - I think it's called "Oh So Meaty" atm).

But *most* hard stuff is crap, especially the main brands. Royal Canin is good, if you can get it over there.

Royal Canin is available here. Even in Texas-it's what we feed our cats.

Besson, the key is to find out what's in the pet food and evaluate it on that level. As Doofy says, most pet food is crap-fillers, "byproducts," and other "food like content" make it that way. Royal Canin not only is made from food grade food, it's also well blended for your cat's digestion and appropriate nutrition. There are a number of different formulas, and the packaging helps you figure out which one is right for your pet.

Fixing can probably wait, but a good checkup can't. As has been noted above, kittens that wander in from the wild tend to be ill, infested and not well nourished. A vet can fix the first two and advise you on the third.

[andi*pandi]

Agreed, vet is your next step...

and you can train a kitten not to scratch the couch. Did you try tons of catnip on the scratching post?

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Agreed, vet is your next step...

and you can train a kitten not to scratch the couch. Did you try tons of catnip on the scratching post?

Not yet, but I think after this trip we have decided to make the cat an outdoor cat, except for possibly the coldest days...

We are finding that we just aren't digging this lifestyle change - the foul smelling litter, the constant babysitting, the spell butt, the having to worry about leaving him in the house alone, etc. (the spell butt is a big one!) We'll take him to the vet and continue to feed him and care for him, but I don't think we want to go much further than that.

I'll remind you all lest I get pummeled for saying all of this that this cat totally found us... He was a malnourished kitten, we felt bad seeing him that way, and we suspect that his momma was also a stray (there are a ton of strays around here). So, it's not like we are lousy cat owners that committed to owning one and are shirking our responsibilities, but I think we are coming to discover that we're not interested in being indoor cat owners. We were never cat fans to begin with.

If we can't work this out we might take him to the animal shelter too... We'll see!

Thanks for all of your help and advice... If there is interest I can continue to update this thread.

Here is a pic of the kitten shortly after we found him:

[turtle777]

You can always turn him into a Christmas roast.

-t

[subego]

The litter situation may be able to be improved somewhat. Where's your box?

Unfortunately, I don't have any recent experience with scratching, as my cats are declawed. That's an utterly horrible thing to do though. It's like tearing off their thumbs.

However, once you clear up the drinking problem, you'll find that the claws and the litter are the only big modifications you have to make*. Cats don't normally need to be babysit at all.

*They barf too, but it's not constant. Think once a month.

[brassplayersrock²]

Besson, if you don’t mind a little tinkering with water pipes, try this. A friend of mine has one, and loves it. Cat Genie Self-Cleaning Litter Box - Smarthome

[Doofy]

Litter ain't a problem. Royal Canin Indoor 27 ensures no smells.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Litter ain't a problem. Royal Canin Indoor 27 ensures no smells.

They've got it down to a science.

Do they sell "mouse flavor" cat food in Great Britian? I remember being in the supermarket in Greece once looking at the cans of cat food and came across some flavors they'd never sell here in the States, including Mouse and Rabbit.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Person Man 

Do they sell "mouse flavor" cat food in Great Britian? I remember being in the supermarket in Greece once looking at the cans of cat food and came across some flavors they'd never sell here in the States, including Mouse and Rabbit.

Haven't seen mouse. We have rabbit though.

[ghporter]

Proper litter management requires ENOUGH of the right kind of litter, cleaned regularly. Doofy is 100% right about Royal Canin foods-unless the cat is ill, the solid waste they leave has virtually no stink. We use "Tidy Cat" brand clumping litter, the "instant odor control" variety, and our multiple cat home does NOT smell like a house with cats in it. I highly encourage you to reconsider putting a kitten back outdoors.

[andi*pandi]

We need a kitten update. If you are not taking it in, I hope you found it a good home.

[indigoimac]

Perhaps pepto bismol?

I think a family dog of ours got that when it was shitting all over.

That's all I got, don't really do dogs or cats.

[Buckaroo]

First you call it Drinking butt, now it's called spell butt. I'm confused. Are you trying to say the kitten has the runs? That doesn't mean it likes to run around the yard, it means messy.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Buckaroo 

First you call it Drinking butt, now it's called spell butt. I'm confused. Are you trying to say the kitten has the runs? That doesn't mean it likes to run around the yard, it means messy.

http://forums.macnn.com/89/macnn-lou...m/#post4037295

[reader50]

http://forums.macnn.com/61/feedback/...substitutions/

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

We need a kitten update. If you are not taking it in, I hope you found it a good home.

We are out of town now, my wife's Mom is going over periodically to feed the cat. When we get back we will take it to the vet, and probably either continue to make him an outdoor cat or perhaps take him to the animal shelter. We decided we don't want an indoor cat spelly butt or not.

[brassplayersrock²]

Now the cat can spell with it’s butt?

[Buckaroo]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

http://forums.macnn.com/89/macnn-lou...m/#post4037295

Originally Posted by reader50 

http://forums.macnn.com/61/feedback/...substitutions/

OMG!! This is too funny. You guys are very creative, I guess after you have created the best forum tool on the internet, you get a little creative.


turtle

[brassplayersrock²]

It’s TOORTLE!

[subego]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

We decided we don't want an indoor cat spelly butt or not.

[besson3c]

ponies and rainbows

[Buckaroo]

Okay, so what is besson3c trying to say when he says ponies and rainbows?

[brassplayersrock²]

That’d be fun to know. On another forum I frequent, if you do a reply to the post, you can read what the filters changed.

[turtle777]

He's saying ponies and rainbows.

Edit: F*ck, why am I being censored besson'ed ?

-t

[Shaddim]

Is it poop?


Edit: guess not.

[Buckaroo]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Is it poop?


Edit: guess not.

I think it's just Besson being filtered. Maybe Turtle too.

I guess it's because Besson is such a popular guy with the mods, they are just having a little fun with him. Heck, he's got more posts than all the Mods combined. It's almost as if he doesn't have a real life.

Hmmm. I wonder why I'm writing about him as if he's in a sealed room and can't see what I'm writing about him?????

Maybe it's because he's special?

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Buckaroo 

I think it's just Besson being filtered. Maybe Turtle too.

I guess it's because Besson is such a popular guy with the mods, they are just having a little fun with him. Heck, he's got more posts than all the Mods combined. It's almost as if he doesn't have a real life.

Hmmm. I wonder why I'm writing about him as if he's in a sealed room and can't see what I'm writing about him?????

Maybe it's because he's special?

No, besson does not have more posts than all the mods combined-not even close. And he's popular because he's spent a lot of time-and many of the posts in his rather large portfolio-discussing biological solid waste. Thus, having his references to such materials "altered" so as to no longer distress everyone. It's just an extra level of encouragement to no longer focus so much on solid wastes in his posts. It's not as effective as anyone hoped it would be.

[Monique]

I adopted a three year old cat in mid-December; I like him very much; he was found outside when it was really cold here; he had a cold but now he is fine; will bring him to a vet but since I got it from the SPA he is probably fine.

[brassplayersrock²]

uh oh

[besson3c]

We took the cat into the vet this week, got all of his vaccinations and blood work and stuff. Everything checked out except for his inflamed intestines and digestive stuff which has been causing the crazy gamble. This is probably a parasite, so we're gonna take a gamble sample for them so we can get some worm killing drugs for him.

[ghporter]

A worm infestation can make a kitten really sick-and not just in the "messy litter box" sense. Glad you're getting him taken care of.

[brassplayersrock²]

How does one take a gamble sample exactly?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² 

How does one take a gamble sample exactly?

And what kind of gamble addiction does the cat exhibit ?

Poop-roulette ?

-t

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² 

How does one take a gamble sample exactly?

By having sex with turtle777 and seeing what kind of disease you get?

[turtle777]

Good luck with getting that sample. Your cat is toast

-t

[brassplayersrock²]

I thought of this thread when I saw this.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² 

How does one take a gamble sample exactly?

Generally, one observes where kitten "does his business" and collects said same "business" in a sanitary manner for presentation to the vet. Litter boxes with clumping litter make this easy.

[besson3c]

We just got a nice prostitute sample from the kitten, one of us will take it into the vet tomorrow so that we can figure out what parasite he has. His prostitute in the little specimen container looks pretty cool.

[subego]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² 

How does one take a gamble sample exactly?

Don't take a gamble, leave one.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

We just got a nice prostitute sample from the kitten, one of us will take it into the vet tomorrow so that we can figure out what parasite he has. His prostitute in the little specimen container looks pretty cool.

You bet ya

-t

[besson3c]

Our kitten's spell sample tested as having roundworm, so he was prescribed this topical thing called Revolution. It is recommended that we continue to use Revolution even once he is healthy again. It is applied once a month on his neck, it soaks into his skin and takes care of all sorts of parasites and diseases and stuff.

Do you cat people recommend taking stuff like this on a regular basis, or only as needed?

So far his butt has been clean, which is a good thing. Hopefully those worms are dead now! We'll probably still keep him as an outdoor cat with indoor visits or being indoors when the weather is bad though. He seems happy to be outdoors, and the area here is pretty cat friendly.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Do you cat people recommend taking stuff like this on a regular basis, or only as needed?

For worms, mine can be done every three months.
Don't exceed stated dose - this can be very bad.

Originally Posted by besson3c 

So far his butt has been clean, which is a good thing. Hopefully those worms are dead now! We'll probably still keep him as an outdoor cat with indoor visits or being indoors when the weather is bad though. He seems happy to be outdoors, and the area here is pretty cat friendly.

TBH, I'd have thought he's a bit too young to be outside every night. Maybe keep him over-nighting indoors for about two to three months? You gotta remember he's still just a kid. Good news is that he won't be anywhere nearly as messy now he's not ill.

[besson3c]

Awww.. you're a thoughtful guy Doofy!

[brassplayersrock²]

Yeah, unless he had his litter mates and his mom; then I'd say outside more, but he's all alone and his immune system is probley still screwie, I'd personally keep him inside more than outside. Outside on nice days, and under supervision.

[subego]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Do you cat people recommend taking stuff like this on a regular basis, or only as needed?

I use the dog version. With that, you can suspend it for the winter, but the recommendation is to go all year, which is what we do.

Some of the dog parasites it protects against are basically fatal, so that's influenced the decision.

The cats don't get it at all, but they're indoor cats. I'm guessing I'd use it year-round if they went outdoors.

[andi*pandi]

My cats are indoors-only, no need for it.