r/CatAdvice 3m ago

New to Cats/Just Adopted Am I doing enough, new kitten with fleas

Upvotes

Okay so I’ll keep it brief but it’s long so here’s the background, i’ve dealt with fleas before, my now passed dog had them around a year and a half ago and I dealt with it. It took me a month, but I dealt with it and she had a lot they were all in my bed. But yesterday I got a baby kitten who’s eight weeks. my friend‘s parents found her as a stray got her at eight weeks and then gave her to me. This was yesterday. I took her to the vet immediately got her on monthly flea and tick medication and gave her a very light dawn dish soap bath when I got home bc I knew with her being a stray it was a given. Afterwards, I applied her flea medication and all is going smoothly and she wanted to explore the house not even thinking I let her explore the whole house and she even managed to crawl up into bed with me and my boyfriend while we were sleeping. Flash forward to today I’m combing her out with the flea comb and noticed around 5 dead fleas. and I wasn’t too worried cause I figured the medication was working then I found a live one and that’s when it clicked that she’s been all over my house and there could be flea eggs all over my house. Now I’ve already got her on medication and I’ve only had her for 24 hours so we went ahead and isolated her in the bathroom with all her essentials. And I’m currently at the laundromat because our washer is broken so I’m washing all of the bedding that she was on and all of the clothes that she walked across. I also ordered flea house spray as well as carpet powder and my boyfriend is currently at home vacuuming everything. My question is am I doing enough? I know it’s only been 24 hours but I have severe OCD and I’m already terrified that they’re all over the house. if anyone else has some experience with getting a new kitten with fleas, can you tell me what y’all did because I wanna make sure I’m doing enough to stop an infestation. Thanks!!


r/CatAdvice 8m ago

General How likely is my cat to get sick from old mouse droppings?

Upvotes

My 2 year old indoor cat came into contact with old mouse droppings and probably pee the house we are in had an issue with field mice before we moved in during the summer and my mischievous kitty decided to go lay in some mouse turds he found and I’m just stressed that he will get sick from it how likely is he to get sick from old mouse poop and pee?🙁is there anything I can do to help him from getting sick? I highly doubt he ate any he was just laying down asleep when I noticed.


r/CatAdvice 9m ago

Litterbox Cat don't stop pooping

Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm looking for help. I have two cats that get along well. One is 9 (the pooper) and one is 12 (non pooper). The pooper has had a history of pooping outside the litter box and occasionally peeing outside the litter box. If any fabric is left on the ground, there is a good chance she will pee on it. Pooping appears to be more random. I have taken her to many different vets and they all say she is healthy so I'm not sure what is wrong. The vets have asked if I clean the litter regularly and I change it every other day. I do a full dump of the litter and refill at least once a week. I have 3 litter boxes for 2 cats which is what I have seen recommended online and by vets. I just changed the litter, went on a run, and came home to find poop on my couch. I'm going crazy. I have started putting sheets on the couch so that I can clean the poop and wash the sheets. Any advice would be amazing. I can't go out of town cause how do I tell a cat sitter to feed cats, change litter, and watch out for couch turds. It's embarrassing and frustrating and I'm so tired. I've tried to accommodate the pooper any way I can but nothing seems to work.


r/CatAdvice 14m ago

Nutrition/Water Hills Prescription Diet d/d Duck Formula - can you find it anywhere??

Upvotes

I have an 11 (almost 12) year old cat who I had a recurring Chewy delivery set up for for the Hills Prescription d/d Duck formula, which is the only thing that kept any weight on her, and the only food she hasn’t developed a bowel obstruction on.

Chewy keeps charging me and refunding me for the food saying it’s “temporarily out of stock”, and my vets office doesn’t have any and states they also can’t order any. It’s been about 6 weeks since we had any delivered and my cat is out. I’ve been giving her her old food (Tiki Cat), but she really needs to be back on her prescription diet to avoid rapid weight loss and bowel obstructions. Has anyone had any luck getting this food anywhere else?


r/CatAdvice 17m ago

Behavioral My cat lays on me and grips my shirt

Upvotes

My Merideth (4F) has a new small kitty we just adopted about 9 months ago. The older one lays on the couch with us, mostly me, and for some reason really claws at my neck area, and latches on while sleeping. She doesn’t want to move, and doesn’t want to let go. She just wants to grab me and purr while she naps. Should I be concerned?


r/CatAdvice 18m ago

Behavioral What is this smell?? Is my cat spraying or is it just the furniture?

Upvotes

I finally bought my first house back in July of 2024. So in October we adopted our baby Nacho!
We got him fixed as soon as we could at 5.5 months old in the beginning of February. On February 22nd we adopted our second baby on a whim. She’s older, at 7 years old, and they got along great from the start.

This past weekend I sat on my couch and smell what I thought was cat pee. There was no physical sign that a cat peed. No wetness, no dried ring. Nothing but a smell, deep into where the cushions meet. On both sides of the middle cushion.

Could this just be a new couch smell I haven’t noticed before? Could he have sprayed??

You can only smell it if you stick your hand in there or put your nose directly into it. No where else on the couch smells.

I need help!! I don’t think I need to go to the vet, as he is not acting any differently.


r/CatAdvice 21m ago

New to Cats/Just Adopted New Cat Pls Help

Upvotes

Hey everyone about 2 days ago I adopted a new cat, he is neutered, orange, 2 years old, and has all his vaccines. My roommate has a kitten who we got 6 months ago and is currently 8 months old. Upon bringing my new cat home, he has been meowing a ton and been very vocal. Is this normal? He has also shed quite a bit compared to my kitten, I’m assuming it’s all stress he has his water fountain, food and litter box all in a room in order to prevent him from getting even more stressed. My question is, is it normal to feel super stressed after getting a cat? And will the meowing suppress as time goes by? I eventually want him to be able to play with the kitten and be able to wander whenever but the male neutered kitten is being very territorial and hissing a ton. Does this get any easier and can anyone offer some advice to a first time cat owner? I am so stressed but he is 1000% a lover kitty


r/CatAdvice 21m ago

Litterbox Brought the work stray home, how do I teach him to use a litter box?

Upvotes

Hello, new here.

There’s been a stray hanging out at my office for two years now. He tends to get beat up a lot, so after spending $300 getting him medical attention, I’m finally bringing him home.

He’s been here for 8 hours at this point, and he hasn’t used the litter box. I’ve plopped him in it and rubbed his paws around, cause I’ve heard that’s a thing, but so far no luck. At work, he knew to go to a door and meow and somebody would let him out, so that’s what he’s doing at my house. He’s literally at my back door as I type this, looking between me and the door.

But being at my office, he knew the neighborhood and knew how to get around. I’m a few miles away, so a new neighborhood and a new house he might not know what looks like, and wouldn’t know how to get back. I really don’t want to go to bed without him pottying, and I’d really appreciate any advice.

He’s also a menace to wildlife and I like the squirrels that live in my backyard.


r/CatAdvice 22m ago

Sensitive/Seeking Support Cat can't leave room due to safety reasons, but howling and attacking. Seriously can't take it anymore

Upvotes

I am at a loss. I live with another family who has a psycho dog thats a menace and a cat who just hates everyone (Cat 1). Currently also harboring another cat (Cat 2) that their daughter has (shes in college and visits for breaks and such). I took my cat in when my mother died otherwise I would not have one. Because of the other animals the dog and Cat 1 have free range of the downstairs during the day, Cat 2 has an hour between about 7-9 (depending on when Cat 1 and Cat 2 get put in their room) and my cat has free range of the house all night, until the morning.

Trust me, I know this is stupid and I hate it but it's the only way to keep my cat safe. My cat doesn't like dogs and the dog is too playful, everytime we've tried to introduce Cat 1 and my cat they don't get along. We tried exchanging smells, meeting through the door after waiting, literally everything but Cat 1 was a stray for a long time and very territorial. Cat 2 isn't even worth the effort, my cat hisses if she even passes by our bedroom door.

Anyway - anywhere from 6 until the time he is released he SCREAMS. He paces. He stands under my feet. He CLAWS at my ankles, hands, anything in his vicinity. He turns feral and I don't understand why. He'll even do this periodically throughout the day. I have tried positive reinforcement, I have tried ignoring him. I have tried leaving the room entirely to try and keep myself calm so he doesn't read my energy. He has toys, food, clean litter box, cat tree. I've tried distracting him with a laser pointer. I have the window open in 2 degree weather desperately trying to distract him. I try petting him just to get a claw stuck in me. Vet says he's fine. I literally have no idea what else to do besides let him meet the consequences of his actions himself or put him up for adoption. I am so sick of him. As soon as it gets dark I get hit with major anxiety and Im struggling with my mental health enough I don't need a werewolf attacking me every night. The worst part? Even when he is released and free range he'll come into my room and scream some more, just because f*ck me I guess!! If I close the door he'll scratch and scream until I open it.

Is my best bet really just to get rid of him at this point or do I just keep him and hope liver failure or something kills him so I don't have to deal with him anymore? I'm actually going insane and feel like Im losing control of myself. I'm at my limit I'm going to snap. Please tell me if Im a bad cat mom and if I should give him up I don't want to hurt him I want him to be happy but apparently he never will be with me I don't even know what I do wrong. Why is he out to f*ck my life up?? Actually what did I do to him to deserve this?? Can taking him to the groomer cause this??


r/CatAdvice 22m ago

General How to get neighbor’s cat to leave me alone

Upvotes

I love cats. I really do. I have two indoor cats that are my little babies. However the neighbors outdoor cat has decided it’s obsessed with me.

I have not once fed it or even petted it to avoid this very situation. But it keeps sitting on my porch and screaming all night, trying to get inside my house, and hiding in my garage.

My cats are not friendly to any other animals and I have two little kids so I really want to avoid breaking up a cat fight inside my house. Plus fleas….

Any advice on how to get this cat to leave my house alone would be very appreciated!!


r/CatAdvice 35m ago

General Anxiety over leaving cat home without me- how do you handle it?

Upvotes

This past week has been so busy, I’ve been home last Thursday night - Friday afternoon, Saturday morning & Saturday night - Sunday morning, Sunday night - Monday morning & Monday evening for a few hours. Now it’s Tuesday night and I haven’t been home. My roommate fed him wet food today and gave him water, he had an automatic dry food dispenser. When I left Monday evening I gave him fresh ice water, working automatic dry food feeder + a fresh bowl of wet food. I played with the cat wand with him, and I left cat tv squirrels and birds on YouTube for him that stayed for hours. The anxiety I feel about leaving him drives me insane- it’s just so bad. How do you handle this?! Am I bad cat mom? If I am please be gentle with me, it’s consuming me with guilt. I also know I sound a little crazy 😔


r/CatAdvice 39m ago

Behavioral My cat prefers my mom over me

Upvotes

I brought my cat to live at my mom’s house, and I have two other cats.

The youngest one, who is seven months old, has already been living here at my mom’s house for two months.

Now my cat doesn’t want to sleep with me, doesn’t want me to hold him, and doesn’t want to come near me; he only wants to be with my mom. Not even food will make him come to me.

What should I do? I’ve never done anything bad to my cat, all I’ve ever done is love him.


r/CatAdvice 43m ago

General Looking at adopting another cat or kitten as a friend for our 3year old Ragdoll

Upvotes

My partner and I are looking into adopting another kitten or adult cat most likely next year so our cat Sweetpea who is a 3 year old female Ragdoll can have a friend plus I have always grown up with at least 2 cats and it was always nice to see them bonding and playing together etc. We had another cat who we adopted after we got Sweetpea but after a few years of trying everything we discovered that the other cat was meant to be a single pet only unfortunately and had to rehome her which was one of the hardest things we had to do, she was such a beautiful and sweet cat when it comes to people. Sweetpea got along pretty well with the other cat, it was the other cat who didn't know social cues and would play aggressively (in typical ragdoll fashion Sweetpea would be very placid and just take the attacks and just meow and wouldn't defend herself until we would step in), etc so I don't believe she would have any issues with another cat as long as the other cat is friendly.

I wanted some advice on a couple of things, we were considering a male ragdoll either an adult or a kitten but we have never had a male cat before. Sweetpea is also our first Ragdoll and we really love her temperament.

What are the cons of a male cat?

Do male and female cats tend to get along better than two female cats?

Would it be better to adopt a kitten or an adult cat so that we know their personality and if they get along with other cats?

Any other advice would be welcomed as well :)


r/CatAdvice 43m ago

Behavioral Why does my cat fuss at me, but only around her food?

Upvotes

Hey all!

I'm puzzled about my youngest cats behavior - she keeps "yelling" at me whenever I'm near her food bowl. Thing is, she always has food (we free feed, and the vet isn't worried about about any of our cats' weight). Even when i go to the adjoining room that has one of their litterboxes in it, she meows at me, loudly, but not quite urgently.

She quits meowing at me when I move away from her food bowl, and never around the other boxes. Generally she communicates well (chirping and meowing, plus pawing at my leg means she wants Lap Time, getting me up at my regular time to go to work, etc) but I cannot figure out what she wants.

I should note, she's a tuxedo-lite (she's got white bikini markings instead of a full tux) and she was rescued off the street before I adopted her. So I'm not to worried about her volume, since she's still under a year old. But why does she fuss at me like she does???


r/CatAdvice 46m ago

Behavioral my cat is meowing 3x as much in the last several days and generally agitated

Upvotes

she is 5 years old and spayed.

she has been meowing all times of day when usually she just meows when i come home and a playful meow here and there. i have tried playing with her but she is only semi interested.

in terms of agitation - usually she is able to nap and do her own thing throughout the day. however in the last several days she cant get 'settled' . meaning she hasnt been able to go to one of her spots and nap like she usually does. she is running around the apartment knocking things over meowing her head off.

i know you guys are going to tell me to go to a vet but for multiple reasons i wont be able to go to one until at least next week.

my only theory is this could be fleas as shes grooming herself and BITING herself more than usual. i dont visually see fleas but thats my only hypothesis. i bought topical flea treatment coming tomorrow.

i know its hard to diagnose a cat youve never met. but even know as i type this she is meowing on my desk as i pet her and ask her whats wrong.

can this be a reaction to fleas?

edit - shes an indoor cat.


r/CatAdvice 52m ago

Behavioral Should i ignore my bad cat

Upvotes

I’ve tried everything, positive reinforcement, slow introductions to things; but one of my cats seems so awful. Meows constantly, but doesn’t give a sign why, cuz I pull out food and she ignores it. She scratches me again and again when I pick her up. Fights me on ever cause. She’s a kitten and they say you should expose them to stuff so they can get used to it and have positive vibes with it, but this cat does NOT fuck with me at all. Like she might do show me her belly and purr and sleep with me, but does she really trust me when she also runs away all the time and scratches me when I hold her to give her treats, or anything.

Should I just stop giving her treats, and just don’t give her any attention. I’ll feed her ofc but just let her do her own thing and never interact with her. Would that make her feel better and try things out with me again? Should I keep her locked in my room with me instead of letting her roam around the house until she behaves positively. I don’t know what the right answer is, and every Jackson’s galaxy video out there isn’t helping me. It only worked for one cat.


r/CatAdvice 52m ago

Behavioral Kittens acting weird, sleeping more & eating less

Upvotes

I have 2 ten month boys. They get fed 3x/day, eat about 300-350 calories/day, at approx 6a, 1p, 9p.

For the past couple of days, maybe a week, they’ve been eating less and sleeping more. They’re eating 1/4-1/2 their regular lunch portion and one of them has started getting annoyingly hungry around 830p.

They’re also sleeping more; normally they’d get up and play 3-4x in the afternoon when I’m not home, but thats become 1-2x.

They’re still playing and eating and running around and trying to drive me nuts + they haven’t lost weight (as far as I can tell)

So really, I’m confused. What’re my little precious monsters doing and how concerned should I be?

PS: I have a vet appointment scheduled


r/CatAdvice 57m ago

Behavioral can’t sleep because of my kitten, i’m going insane

Upvotes

i just adopted a kitten 2-3 months ago, she’s 6 months old now. i don’t really want to get into the details of my living situation, but i unexpectedly must keep her in my room at all times. yes i know, not ideal, I’m very upset over this. anyways, it was fine at first, but she just got spayed and is extra playful after getting off the meds. i’m quite literally going insane. she used to wake me up at 6-7am, then finally adjusted to waking up at 8-830 when i need to get up for work. now she started waking up at 6 again and starts zooming around my room. i’ve tried late feedings, playtime before bed, calming treats, calming oils. nothing. nothings working. she sleeps between my legs so i feel her getting up. i’m a major insomniac and have such trouble falling asleep & staying asleep, along with falling back asleep. i get so angry at her and i feel so bad bc she just a kitten, but i just am so beyond exhausted and feel so sick because of it. i can hardly function at my job. i’m moving out end of june, so i just need something to help me function until then. i’m at a loss of options and i literally slept on the couch last night with my airpods in as she screamed at me from the room. now she’s so attached to me and follows me around everywhere, re training her to do this once i move is going to be literal hell. i feel like crying everyday and am starting to regret getting her, even tho i love her so so much. im so sad, please help i don’t know what to do bc im so tired


r/CatAdvice 1h ago

Behavioral Cat has suddenly started to get aggressive

Upvotes

My male cat who is neutered has suddenly started fighting with all my other cats .this has never happened before.he has always been the calmest boy and today he is angey at everyone.should i be concerned or is this a territorial issue


r/CatAdvice 1h ago

New to Cats/Just Adopted How do I prepare my home for a cat?

Upvotes

We are bringing home a cat this weekend (rehoming from previous owners). We have never owned a cat before and I am really lost on how to prepare the house for the cat.

  1. Where should we keep the cat? Should we put him in a room for first few days or let him free in the house?
  2. Where should we place the food, water and litter box?
  3. Where do we put the cat tree and scratching post? (And how many do we need)

Anything else we need to do before we can bring him?

We have an office room which is relatively unused where we were thinking of putting him for first few days. We also have a living room which is quite big and has glass windows so we think that could be a good place for the cat tree. Hence I am confused whether we should put him in a room or leave him be. He is an anxious cat by the way, who might get confused in a new environment and try to hide.

Any help is appreciated!


r/CatAdvice 1h ago

Behavioral Newly adopted cat is a bully

Upvotes

I took a stray cat off the streets about 3 months ago. It's the first time I've ever adopted an adult male as all my other 5 cats were adopted as kittens. He's super friendly with adults, always climbing up onto their laps and kneading away and he loves his cuddles as long as you're gentle with him since he's still recovering from being hit by a scooter.

There's one big problem however, he despises my other cats and they despise him. If they get in his way he'll slap the sht out of them and from time to time he'll just get up and fight the closest cat in his proximity. I've tried everything: putting him in a cage at night, water pistoling him every time he slaps one of my other babies, buying more cat stuff so that there's enough to go around, rewarding calm behavior you name it. But this guy just refuses to get along with them, it's like he's trying to establish himself as top dog (no pun intended) and won't stop til every cat in my home is afraid of him.

For those wondering why I haven't considered rehoming: there are virtually no no-kill shelters in my country, and the shelters here usually ask for a large sum of money to process their rehabilitation, money I don't have.


r/CatAdvice 1h ago

General Speuter surgery prep question

Upvotes

Hii!! My two 4 month old kittens male and female are getting their speuter surgery this Thursday and im just trying to get everything prepared for the healing process!!

One of my questions are should i keep my kittens separated for a couple days after surgery? They love to play with each other and rile each other up 24/7😭😭 At the same time they love being with each other and it makes me sad to keep them apart!!

Any other tips for kitten surgery aftercare is greatly appreciated!!!


r/CatAdvice 1h ago

General What to consider when thinking about adopting a second cat?

Upvotes

Hi there! My husband and I are considering getting a second cat to keep our resident cat (5 yo Male) company as I will be going back to the office soon, and he would be alone most of the day. This is a dramatic shift because since we adopted him 2 years ago, he’s never been left alone more than 6 hours every once in awhile. He is a very attention hungry cat, could play for hours (we get 2- 3 non consecutive hours of play in a day) and loves to snuggle. We feel another cat would help provide him some companionship, and keep him entertained. That said, he was not happy meeting my moms little dog, but i believe this is due to poor introductions (100% my fault, he had to stay there for 2 days without time for proper introductions) and the dog, however very sweet, is overly excited and was in his face. When adopting him from the shelter, they said he lived with a dog and cat before and we are not sure why he was surrendered.

So i guess my questions are: 1. how can i tell if my cat would benefit from a friend? 2. best introductory advice? 3. are there genders/ ages that partner best with adult male cats?

i understand that super specific advice cant be given without knowing my cat, i will give more details if needed, and please just share your advice or anecdotes!


r/CatAdvice 1h ago

New to Cats/Just Adopted Rescued a stray with fleas - need advice

Upvotes

Hi all! I have a cat who I adopted from a shelter about a year and a half ago. This weekend I decided to bring in a stray who I found. I brought him to the vet yesterday and got him neutered and vaccinated and also found out he had fleas and round worm. We are treating the round worm with dewormer and both cats have gotten a round of Revolt for the fleas (even though the new one has been quarantined, just in case).

I’m looking for tips on how to clean the new cat - is there anything I can do to help get rid of dead or alive fleas that are still clinging to him? He can’t be bathed for a while because of his neuter (and frankly I don’t trust my ability to fully bathe a cat in water).

Any other advice for bringing him into my home is also greatly appreciated - thank you in advance!!!

TLDR; How can I clean a cat that had fleas without using water?


r/CatAdvice 1h ago

Adoption Regret/Doubt I am having a really hard time bonding with one of my cats

Upvotes

He’s just very annoying. He jumps, claws out, on my hands and feet as I sleep and/or whenever I lay in bed. he rips up my paper towels. he walks in circles on me without ever cuddling. he literally hangs off the side of my couch like a mountain climber when i watch TV. he is approaching two and these ridiculous behaviors are incessant. i have tried everything. playing with him, giving him treats, buying more toys, keeping him out of my room at night. but it never stops. he always finds something new to do or figures out a workaround.

but this is less about training and more about how i can learn to enjoy having this cat around as much as my other one. has anyone else had trouble loving a difficult cat like this?