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Be kind to the old fellows
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2024
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My partner and I foster a lot of cats. Some of the sweetest cats take forever to get adopted just because they aren't kittens anymore. One of our fosters has been with us for almost three years now - just because he isn't a kitten and needs some inexpensive meds sprinkled on his food once a day.
We adopted a male cat who was a couple years old, he had no teeth and has stomach problems so he needs special food. He had already been adopted once and returned because of the issues and he got bullied out of his foster home by some other cats. Felt so sorry for him, he’s the sweetest boy and our other cat tolerates him ok (they have an older sister/younger brother dynamic), and she doesn’t usually like other cats.
The shelter staff made it sound like he was special needs but it’s literally just a slightly more expensive hard food. I guess after he was returned they wanted to make sure whoever adopted him knew what they were getting into. Love that little guy!
66% of our resident cats are on prescription diets. Total non-issue. I think people just worry about other unanticipated costs.
That's super awesome - both for the fostering, and for paying the cat tax in advance!
I like the idea of getting an adult cat - a bit bigger, a bit wiser, and a bit warmer to the idea of having a bed and a human to call their own.
Looks like a Bengal. I'm surprised he wasn't snapped up.
BTW as an elder cat caretaker, if he stops eating hit meds willingly (which can easily happen if his condition flares up), we have had amazing success with cutting the tip off a syringe, loading it with canned food and front loading the tip with their pills.
When cutting the tip, leave a tiny bit of material so the plunger still stops, but not so much that the pill gets jammed.
3/4 of our cats actually open their mouths willingly to be pilled because they only taste the food, the pill is swallowed without them noticing.
And yes, Bo is half (or so) Bengal. He came to us completely feral but needed those meds so he didn't go the TNR route. He's turned into a super friendly guy who craves getting pets - just took a bit to get there. He's also basically vocal chords on four legs - sings all day long.
If anyone is interested in adopting, he's listed with MEOW in Calgary, Canada!
Sounds like a Bengal to me!
When modding the syringe, I find it easiest to remove the plunger, and using a drill bit from the inside that is slightly smaller than this inside diameter of the syringe. 1/32" leaves enough of a lip to still stop the plunger in my experience, but YMMV depending on the plunger style.
We had a 5ml syringe with a fully plastic plunger (no rubber) that was amazing. Eventually lost it and haven't been able to find a replacement yet, but rubber tipped plunger are fine too, just wear out faster.
What a handsome spotted guy!
I won't adopt kittens, personally. Those little shits are cute, sure, but they eat everything and claw everything and try to kill themselves on everything. Just like a toddler.
Even if an older cat wasn't trained at all, they still get some sort of common sense level up after they pass kitten age.
SQUEEZIES! I know scruffing is wrong, but God dang, do they love sqeezies and butt spanks.
Scruffing is not wrong.
It mostly depends on weight. I can lift my Yorkie by his butt skin and neck skin, and he loves it. If I did that to a heavier animal without loose skin, it would hurt them. Cats tend to lose that extra skin pretty fast. They just like getting squeezed there. (Mostly if they're hand raised).
Of course everything is context sensitive. You can "scruff" a healthy adult cat without ever hurting them if you do it right. You don't lift them up by that skin.