-Staci West Winfield NY

There are many pet clinics that offer low cost care but I don’t know of any that will share costs for a stray, unless it were a specific breed then there are breed rescuers that would be helpful. A call to your local vet or local animal shelter would be the best solution to finding what’s available around you that offers low cost care. It may take some prying but there are different options available in different areas.

However, if the cat is well mannered like you say, it may not be a stray, it may just be lost. Typically strays will not be friendly. You could again contact your local vet to see if anyone has reported a lost cat. Also check with local shelters and the newspaper to try to find it’s owner.

If you do decide to get the cat medical attention you may find it’s not as costly as you suspect. It all depends on what’s really wrong. Most vets and pet clinics will give you a breakdown before moving forward. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking if what they are suggesting is really necessary, or if there are alternative healing options that may be less expensive. Or will the problem heal on it’s own without care. With cats this can be an option more often then people realize.

Craig

Unfortunately this is not an easy answer. Is it a territorial thing? Possibly. Is it a multiple cat thing? Possibly. Is it because your female isn’t spayed yet? Possibly.

Having your cat spayed should indeed help stop new future incidents. In fact if you didn’t already have an appointment set up it would be the first thing I would recommend.

The second is to make sure that the litter box is accessible and clean. This sounds simple and silly to point out but cats can be picky about their boxes. Some will share, some will share and then all of a sudden decide not to, some will only use it if it’s in an empty room, some will use it with a lid some not, some only if it’s freshly cleaned, etc. In fact just because it was working before doesn’t mean it still is, especially in a multiple cat family.

You can also add another box. It is usually recommended 1 box per cat. More never hurts.

To treat the items already peed on you can get a pet cleaner like Nature’s Miracle. There are others but this one is by far the best. It will remove the odor. It may take several attempts but it will work.

In the meantime, anything that you are in the process of treating you need to make sure it is out of reach of both of your cats. Although you say it’s your female, repeat problems could come from either as they try to be the last to make their mark. You may also find that it is an ongoing problem for certain items, in which case you’ll have to get rid of those items or keep them out of the cats reach. (Any time we leave a wet towel on the floor it’s guaranteed to be peed on.)

Typically by spaying, using multiple boxes and keeping prior contaminated items out of reach of your cats will stop the problem. However, if none of these things work I would consult a vet. It could be a urinary tract infection or a bladder problem.

It sounds like your kitten wasn’t completely weaned before taking it away from its mother. If your kitten is already eating solid food then it’s nothing to worry about and eventually your kitten will grow out of it. If you can’t wait for that to happen then every time you catch it suckling try redirecting the kittens attention. Take it away from your other kitten and put the male kitten in another room. If you give it food or play with it as your distraction, you’ll be conditioning the kitten to expect those things to happen when it suckles. For your kitten the suckling is more of a comfort thing (like a baby sucking on a pacifier) then it is an attempt to look for food.

I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions for me to keep my cat from going onto my bed, when I am sleeping or otherwise. One reason is that I am losing sleep as she wakes me up almost every night. But the main reason is that she has flared up a breathing problem for me as her dander gets on my bed.

Redirection is the best way. Every time your kitten jumps on the bed take the kitten off the bed and say no. You can even take it into another room. However, don’t give it food or play with it when you do this as you will be conditioning your kitten to expect that to happen when it jumps on the bed.

Keep at it and do it every time. This will be time consuming but will work with time.

They have all their milk teeth at 8 weeks of age and permanent teeth will appear around 12 to 18 weeks.

I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions for me to keep my cat from going onto my bed, when I am sleeping or otherwise. One reason is that I am losing sleep as she wakes me up almost every night. But the main reason is that she has flared up a breathing problem for me as her dander gets on my bed.

Redirection is the best way. Every time your kitten jumps on the bed take the kitten off the bed and say no. You can even take it into another room. However, don’t give it food or play with it when you do this as you will be conditioning your kitten to expect that to happen when it jumps on the bed.

Keep at it and do it every time. This will be time consuming but will work with time.

Denise, Florida

This is pretty typical. Some cats will put just about anything they are playing with in their water bowl. Some will even drop toys in the toilet.

It’s an instinctual thing.

It could be ear mites. If there is any brown/black waxy/gritty material in the ears then this probably ear mites.

You could try cleaning your kittens ears and see if that helps. Simply take a small pad of cotton or cloth and lightly moisten it with olive oil. Insert the oiled cotton/cloth into the outer ear and use a gentle, twisting motion to clean. Don’t try poking inside with your fingers or Q-tips as you could easily damage the kittens ear.

If it continues you may want to consult a vet to get some medication.

You can take your cat to a groomer or vet but if you’re up to it there is no reason not to do it yourself. (of course your cat may think otherwise but it’s always worth a try)

To trim the nails place your cat in your lap or on the floor between your legs. Press on the pad of its paw with your fingers to make the claws come forward. The main part of the claw includes the pinkish-colored area, which contains nerves. Do not cut this part. The white tip (just past the pinkish area) is the dead tissue, which can be cut. Simply take the nail trimmer and cut this white tip off.

If the kitten has already been box trained it will squirm to get away. If your kitten isn’t boxed trained yet you’ll be able to tell because it will crouch with its tail raised. If it does this put it in the box.