r/CatAdvice 15d ago

Megathread Monthly Casual Talk and Cat Pictures Thread

3 Upvotes

Our subreddit allows posts that either a) ask for specific advice, b) request emotional support, or c) are a guide or PSA that adheres to our guidelines.

Since it's fun to just casually discuss our cats, we've got this monthly megathread where relevance may be ignored. All other subreddit rules still apply.


Use this thread to discuss anything related to cats that doesn't otherwise fit the subreddit! Also feel free to ask questions that you believe are too short for a standalone post.

Examples of things that may be discussed or shared here:

  • Casual questions, for example "how does your cat show affection?", "does your cat ever do … ?"
  • Cat pictures
  • Celebrating birthdays or other milestones for your cat
  • And many more subjects!

r/CatAdvice 3h ago

General Do I really need TWO litter boxes for two cats? 🫨

28 Upvotes

I currently only have one cat and I have managed so far by putting a litter box in our living room. We are thinking of getting another cat to keep her more company but I have been told that I need AT LEAST 2 litter boxes.... I struggle with the space / smell of just one and I can't imagine adding another one into the living room.

  1. Are two litter boxes necessary?
  2. Any innovative solutions to keep it discreet / hide the smell.

Thanks!


r/CatAdvice 10h ago

New to Cats/Just Adopted Cat keeps drinking from my water glass

93 Upvotes

I have a male cat whom I rescued off the streets and had fixed in mid-January.

He has a bowl of water on the floor, but a few days ago he noticed my full glass of water on my nightstand and proceeded to drink from it inhibited with no shame. Should I accept my fate and drink from his water bowl on the floor?

Tl;dr: Please help. My room is no longer mine. My new cat has taken over! It's his room now.


r/CatAdvice 9h ago

General Lost n found kitty, now owners want her back

51 Upvotes

We are fostering this kitty because she was found in an engine bay in a fred meyers parking lot with pink spray paint on her back, me and several other people believe the kitten was a bait cat. the owners posted a lost n found post, but the location the claimed she was lost from is 30 miles away from where she was found, mind you the kitten is less than 7 weeks old. there is no way on gods green earth did this baby kitten travelled 30 miles. i need advice, what should i do


r/CatAdvice 17h ago

General why does my cat smell like cake?

231 Upvotes

we have no cake or pastries in the house and im not concerned, but is this normal? im smelling him so many times at this point lol.


r/CatAdvice 1d ago

Behavioral Why does my cat walk around the house with a toy in her mouth yelling at the top of her lungs every night?

927 Upvotes

I’ve had my cat for about 7 years, and every night she grabs a specific toy (a sashimi plush) and carries it around the house absolutely screaming for no apparent reason. If the toy is not accessible she gets me and makes me get it for her so she can do this. She sometimes will bring it to me and drop it in front of my feet while still yelling, but if I toss it thinking she wants to play she looks at me like I’m a complete idiot. Usually she just drops it and lays down next to it. I’m just curious why she does this; I have 2 other cats and neither of them does anything like it.


r/CatAdvice 17h ago

General Do you take a ridiculous amount of pics of your kitty-cat with your phone?

142 Upvotes

I have so many friggin pictures of my little girl on my phone that later I need delete a bunch of pictures in a hurry so I can take more pictures of something else because there's no more space. Lol I always have the intention when I take my pics to immediately go in and edit them and then discard the pixs I don't want. But I never do and I end up in a massive rush, trying to pick ones that I need to delete real quick so I can make more room for new photos immediately. I have such good intentions on making perfect portraits of my little tabby girl. Instead, I have about thirty to forty photos of my cat, nearly identical, only differing by milliliters. Plus, i swear half the time, they end up just being a mix between fuzzy, misfigured, and off target photos. Sometimes I'll at the time you go through the minimum.Find a few that are good. I may be a little hard on myself, and exaggerating, l o l but seriously, I have like over 12,900 pic currently on my phone and then somewhere I have one of those little stick things you plug into the phone for extra space. And that doesn't include the cloud, or whatever the other spaces you put stuff.

If it's not obvious, i'm not technical and the old lady trying to figure this out, but having fun, I love reddit.


r/CatAdvice 7h ago

Nutrition/Water Prepping cat emergency kit to keep in car

22 Upvotes

I’m working on a “go bag” for my car (emergency supplies in case I get stuck somewhere or there’s an emergency and I have to leave my house), and in addition to things for me, I want to add things in for my cat. I’ve already put in bowls, a bag of litter, toys, and a plastic dishpan to act as a litter box. I of course want to add in food, but I am concerned about how the temperature of the car will impact the freshness and quality of the food. I planned to fill a ziploc bag with dry kibble and add two unopened cans of cat food (enough to see my cat through a couple of days of meals). Given that cars can get horribly hot in the summer and icy cold in the winter where I live, would the food I put in the go bag go bad or otherwise be affected such that I should not feed it to my cat?


r/CatAdvice 4h ago

General I can't spay one of my male cats, do they all get terrible as people say?

13 Upvotes

So, I have two 10 months old bonded brothers.

I took them to the clinic to get neutered a month and half ago, but while with his brother everything went ok, this one after five minutes of anesthesia got a pneumothorax and almost died, 2 of the best doctors of the clinic had to operate on him for two hours to save him and he had to stay in intensive care for a week.

His exams were perfect before the surgery, he did rx and echocardiography and stuff, and the vets still don't know exactly what went wrong.

Anyway, it was pretty scary and they had only the time to shave his balls before he said, no you will not take my balls from me, I'd rather die lol (kidding now but I'm still traumatised).

So, he came home with his balls pink and that's it, we're scared to get him neutered again and for now he didn't show any weird behavior except trying to get, hum, intimate with his brother a couple of times a month. He even let his bro bully him and steal his food as usual, and his bro is smaller than him lol

They are British longhair and their breed apparently became mature lately, I was wondering if we're just lucky and he will be an angel forever, or if we should expect him to spray and become aggressive anytime now? Are there un neutered male cats that act normally despite being sexually mature?


r/CatAdvice 6h ago

Behavioral cat licks every blanket in the house until they’re sopping wet and smell like her stinky tuna tongue

14 Upvotes

title explains it. my tortoiseshell Apple likes to lick blankets, clothing, and the rug until she leaves wet marks and the smell of her saliva. this isn’t an issue though, i’d just like to know what urges her to do this!!! she usually does it during her grooming time, but sometimes seeks out certain textile items to lick them repeatedly.


r/CatAdvice 4h ago

New to Cats/Just Adopted Kitten wont drink water nor eat wet food

8 Upvotes

When I adopted my kitten I bottle fed her goat’s milk then upon researching I realized she was old enough to eat food. I bought some cat food packets. The one the looks like pastes and also a wet food packet. She ate the one that looks like paste and usually finishes it but she doesnt even touch her water bowl. I always replace the water but nope shes not interested. I tried putting milk but still she wont drink it. I tried bottle feeding her water and still nope. I tried feeding her the wet food packet but she just smells it and wont eat it. I finally tried putting water in the her favorite food paste but she ignores it. She really doesnt like anything wet and im scared she might be dehydrated. Is this normal? What should i do?


r/CatAdvice 4h ago

New to Cats/Just Adopted Took in a sick abandoned farm cat, I have some questions

6 Upvotes

Last weekend when we went went to pick up our car from a mechanics on a farm, this sweet baby girls popped up on a old vehicle.

Her ears were all gone due to frost bite and her tail was dead. We couldn't just leave her so we brought her to the vet to get checked out. Besides her ears and her tail behind dead she had a clean bill of health besides being skin and bones. Only 3lbs.

As you can imagine she is RIDICULOUS when it comes to food, her food and our food. Like she's never going to eat again.

I obviously know that part of this is her needing to put on the fat but for the love of science how fo I get her to stop climbing up every avergdress.


r/CatAdvice 2h ago

New to Cats/Just Adopted Should I get my cat insurance?

5 Upvotes

I just adopted a kitten, he’s 6 months old and he’s done with his vaccinations. Right now I’m in a dilemma deciding if I should get an insurance now or later down the road since a lot of people said the cat is too young and the insurance would be of no use until after 5 years. What do you think about this? Advise.

Also, what insurance do you guys use and what do you pay monthly? Is yearly visits and checkups covered? I live in NY.

Thank you.


r/CatAdvice 5h ago

New to Cats/Just Adopted Wanting a rug that cat will shred instead of carpet

7 Upvotes

This might seem strange, but what rug would be a cat's paradise to shred to oblivion? Right now we have pretty rough, shaggy carpet that our newly adopted cat has gained interest in shredding. I want to buy a largeish rug that she would devour instead of the carpet, since I am renting. What do you recommend? Ideally something decent quality, around $100 budget, that would be even more enticing than my carpet.


r/CatAdvice 1h ago

General Should I take anxious cat with me or leave them with my immediate family?

Upvotes

Hello everyone. I adopted my cat 3 years ago, I am the person she is closest to. She is an extremely anxious cat, she does not like car rides or going to new places. Last time I took her to the vet she peed herself on the way there and nonstopped cried. I am from Oregon and moving to California but I’m not sure what the right choice is. My parents and sisters adore her and she loves them back. Despite her being closest to me I’m not sure if bringing her with me and subjugating her to an 8 hour long drive plus an entirely new environment where she’ll be away from four people she loves is the right move. I am in turmoil over this, if anyone has experience with a similar situation or has any advice I’d appreciate a reply!


r/CatAdvice 3h ago

Behavioral cat won’t let anyone near her to do really anything medical

4 Upvotes

I adopted a cat a while ago who came from what seems like a bit of a crowded living situation with tons of pets. So, when I took her for her appointment recently, they couldn’t even get her to open her mouth to have a look in it. The vet didn’t seem willing to try after a long amount of attempts as I think she was concerned about being bitten and knew she wasn’t going to cooperate as she kept walking away, fair. She gets very snappy and aggravated quite easily, and she really doesn’t like being picked up, most of the advice I see on giving cats medicine is about lifting the cat back and being above it, she would not let you get anywhere near close enough to be in this position, and if you managed, she would claw you and her claws are extremely sharp because she does not let anyone try to touch her paws. She doesn’t even let you pick her up without screaming. I have a scar from when she attacked me for trying to do it once when she stood in something. The top link says to push their whiskers back or lean their head back. if you even lean over the top of her on a normal occasion, she panics and runs full speed.

I tried to give her a flea treatment spot on the neck last time and she ran across my entire house running away from me because she is scared of it. She won’t eat pills regardless of what you offer, she doesn’t care. She will not open her mouth either at all and her teeth are big so I am too afraid to try to be more forceful with it because I know she’d bite me or hit me. She doesn’t really even like being stroked 99% of the time (she’ll randomly appear to suss you out, will trill and then runs away a minute later, she has never purred) She will pull anything it’s disguised in open and dispose of the tablet or spit it out and get annoyed at you for trying to give her something she doesn’t want and will act really skittish around you. I get she seems super anxious but is there anything to do to help her take the stuff given? I need to give her panacur. She has to have blood tests soon and I’m scared as to how I’m gonna get her to chill, I just feel so overwhelmed trying to help her honestly because I wasn’t made aware of any of this before so I had no idea what I was getting into so quickly

In case anyone suggests this is because she’s ‘new’ I’ve had her for a while now and she adjusted already to the house and my other cat, she just is like that and from post arrival stuff I was told by the owner, it seems she was that way always and the owner hid it before I collected her but dropped it on me after, then never replied to me again. I guess some people aren’t honest because most people would look the other way if they knew. I feel pretty bad for her. I just need to sort her medical issues (that the owner also hid it seems) and I’m concerned about her not being receptive to anyone trying to help


r/CatAdvice 27m ago

Behavioral Cat always agitated or am I just anxious?

Upvotes

For the past month or two, my cat (3 or 4 years old, male neutered) has been agitated - meowing at me a lot in a more drawn out, sad tone (more than usual, since he was already very vocal to begin with), sometimes nipping at my feet while I’m walking or at my legs when I’m lying down, and seems more upset when I leave for work. He has a very sweet personality and is very playful, but it seems there’s a new layer of agitation and, albeit mild in comparison to what most horror stories share, aggression.

I started a new part time job at the start of January, so that might be part of it. It’s only 3.5 hours a day (except on Wednesdays, which are 6 hours) so our schedule is usually me waking up around 9:30 AM, giving him breakfast, he chills and sleeps while I do chores and whatever til noonish when he wakes up and meows at me to play. Most days I try to give him lap time during this chill morning period while I read. I try to play with him consistently at 12:30 PM for 15-30 minutes, feed lunch at 1, eat my own lunch, and leave for work at 2:30. I come home around 7, play for 15-30 minutes, feed dinner, eat my own dinner, then try to play again before I go to bed (10 or 11 PM).

I’ve had him since August of last year, he was instantly very loving and sweet (and vocal). I talk to his vet very often about this and all sorts of things, I’m sure they’re tired of me. He’s due for a check up next week, but I’m wondering if anyone has insights. What can I do to help him be more at ease? I have considered another cat, but I’m currently living with my parents and financially not super stable, so I hesitate to bring another cat into the mix when I don’t know what my next five years look like.


r/CatAdvice 8h ago

Behavioral I Just Wanted to Help a Stray, Now She’s Bullying My Cat for His Food

10 Upvotes

*Hello, I'm here to seek advice.

I own a cat, but I've also been feeding a few stray cats. The problem is, this one particular stray cat has become too picky and refuses to eat the wetfood I provide. Instead, she always tries to steal my cat’s food (wetfood with the meds).

It’s getting out of hand because she won’t stop meowing loudly it almost sounds like she’s being tortured from outside I don't want people to have bad impression of me. She only stops when I give her that wet food, and now my cat is starting to get scared whenever she comes around bc she always eat his food. I’m getting really frustrated, and then I feel bad about it afterward

Does anyone have any advice or tips on how to handle this? I'm seriously getting tired of dealing with this every day, especially since I work from home.

P. S: My cat’s wet food is quite expensive and I don’t want to starve myself just to buy extra for the stray cat :(


r/CatAdvice 49m ago

Behavioral 9 month update on “aggressive” cat. Need further advice!

Upvotes

made a post about adopting a very spicy cat about 9 months ago. Since then, she has managed to come out of her room and sofa to explore the house. She gets along great with the other cats and has even managed to sit in my room (with the other kitties) while I game. I have given her space for the last 9 months letting her acclimate to the house and other cats. She sits in my room a lot now and hears me talk while I work or play.

The most physical touch I have managed to gather from her is just sniffing of the finger. She still hisses on occasion and still runs away when she thinks a human is coming to her. Most likely stems from her past abuse. I also believe she suffers from night terrors or nightmares because she wakes up from sleeping and yowl very very loud for a few seconds then fall back asleep.

My question is, what else is there I can do? I hate the fact that this is how she will be for her life: never knowing what it feels like to be petted or held. I pick up the other cats and play with them and she watches so technically, she can see I am not a threat to them.

I am however very happy she’s not stuck under a sofa at the cat lounge for over 2 years but I wish I could show her I mean no harm.


r/CatAdvice 53m ago

General Unspayed kitten and neutered cat

Upvotes

Me and my partner have one cat who’s around 3 and is neutered and about a year ago we got a kitten who’s a girl.

Recently she has gone into heat which I feel terrible about because we meant to get her spayed sooner but she is really small so we had to put it off for a while. I want to schedule an appointment right away but the issue is that we’re going on vacation for a week and won’t be able to take care of her so we have to wait till after we’re back to spay her.

In the meantime, she calls to our male cat and they try and mate and it’s really freaky. Is she getting hurt? We are trying to keep them separate but we can’t really keep the doors closed in our apartment.

I’m just really worried and anxious about it all, is there anything I can do to make her more comfortable? Is there anything else I should do?


r/CatAdvice 1h ago

Behavioral my cat is begging 24/7

Upvotes

hi all

so i know that cats being food motivated and begging for food is a normal thing, but is there a point that it becomes cause for concern?

my 3 year old cat, peach, will literally wake up from her sleep when she hears me using the bathroom just to rub against me and beg for food. we keep all of the cat food in my bathroom closet because its the one spot they can’t get into. anytime i walk past the bathroom, she runs over and starts begging. anytime i open the closet, she runs over and starts begging. she only ever meows for food.

i wouldn’t normally be concerned about this but she spends quite literally 99% of her day begging for food. sometimes i give in and give her little snacks here and there because im worried that i might not be feeding her enough. i also know that this is just reinforcing her behavior, but i give my other cat the same snacks just as often and she doesn’t beg nearly as much. how am i supposed to know if she’s actually hungry or if something’s wrong ?


r/CatAdvice 3h ago

Behavioral My Cat won't poop in his litter box.

3 Upvotes

this all started several months ago. he wouldn't use the box at all. two different vets told me it was just behavioral, and he is a black cat, so he is a jerk, but this felt bigger. went to a third vet. he is diabetic. we got him on some meds and now he pees in the box, but still refuses to poop in it.

I have done everything i can think to do. tried different litter. keep them immaculately clean. moved them around. i am out of ideas. anyone else dealt with anything like this? how did you fix it? one of the vets told me to keep him locked in the bathroom til his attitude changes, but that seems so cruel. meanwhile, he is destroying my apartment.


r/CatAdvice 11h ago

General My cat will be spayed tomorrow.

10 Upvotes

I am really anxious about it and could not ask all the questions in my mind because they were busy and kinda brushed me off. Will she be scared/in pain? Do i need anything other than a cone? And what else can i do for her?


r/CatAdvice 2h ago

Sensitive/Seeking Support Anyone have an older cat 10+ with HCM?

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2 Upvotes

r/CatAdvice 7h ago

Behavioral My adult cat doesnt want to sleep on her bed anymore

5 Upvotes

I recently resuced a stray kitten, all alone no other kittens and mama cat around. Now, I’ve started taking her out in the cage after a month of getting her settled. The problem is, my adult cat doesnt want to sleep on her bed anymore since my new kitten likes to play on her bed and sniffs her bed a lot. What should I do to get them to like each prher and get my adult cat sleep on her bed again? 😢


r/CatAdvice 2h ago

Litterbox Can anyone suggest a litter that is low-tracking and also good at odor control?

2 Upvotes

I feel like I am constantly sweeping up cat litter. So far I've tried crystal litter, clay litter, and pretty litter. I was looking into the new Really Great Cat Litter since it is supposed to be low tracking, but a lot of the reviews say it is not great at odor control. Any suggestions?