Care of Magical Creatures

And not-so-magical.  Please use this space to share stories and pictures of your four-legged, feathered, or scaly friends.  Rejoice over the acquisition of a new companion, grieve over the loss of an old confidant, or vent because you have no idea what compelled the hair-brain to do what it just did.  If you need advice, nothing here can be taken in place of professional counsel, but there's no shortage of people who would like to help you find answers.  See if you can't base it a bit on your own experience, as we are all capable of googling for ourselves (for the most part).

My first question:  How do you get a lazy, overweight cat to play?  Her food's already being rationed, so no worries, there.  She's just so mellow that there's very little that will entice her.  I've never encountered such an uninterested fluffer.

All of my pets? Hmmm...with 5 cats, 2 anoles, and 9 stick bugs, where do I start?

You need to find the right toy for your cat. Different cats like different toys. I have one that can't get enough of pom-poms, another that likes to keep it simple with a crumpled ball of paper, and several who like store-bought toys like felt mice and this bouncy wire toy with a piece of cardboard attached to the end. One of them love a cardboard scratching pad with a ball that rolls around the edge. I would start with cheap toys first, then work up to the store bought stuff. I've heard good things about Da Bird, but I've never bought one. Oh, also consider that some cats hunt high, while others hunt low. In other words, some prefer things that are flying through the air, while other cats prefer toys that are dragged along the floor. Hope that helps!

Yep, still learning all that about this cat.  She isn't mine; my husband and I have two roommates that came with three cats.  Since I have the most unset schedule, I'm home more often to attend to the critters.  This one sleeps a lot.  I'm hoping she'll perk up a bit after we've finished unpacking.  One of mine sleeps a lot through stressful times, but this other cat has seemed oddly content through the whole experience.

Have you tried a laser pointer? That is by far Sophie's favorite toy.

Finnegan loves the laser pointer. He's a Welshie, but we've always thought he must be part cat b/c of some of his mannerisms.

>5 kirbyowns: Makes sense that it would appeal to terriers, I think. And I may not know Sophie's entire lineage, but the terrier tendencies are strong with her!

Only one of our cats likes the laser pointer. The others stare at my hand that is holding the laser pointer.

speaking of Care of Magical Creatures, when is the movie coming out?

>9 kirbyowns: What a shock. *rolls eyes* Someone at Warner Bros spotted a money-making opportunity, and they jumped on it.

I'm tired of trilogies.

Well, my youngest feline injured herself, so it's off the the vet with her.  I'll be getting an update in about an hour.

Oh, poor kitty! Hope she's OK.

The update!  As predicted, just a sprain.  They wanted to give her pain killers and have me lock her up for about a week.  I declined the pain meds, because they couldn't tell me what they would do to aid her healing, aside from take away the pain.  Seeing as she is a doofy, acrobatic kitten, I think she needs the pain to remind her that she needs to heal.  The vet tried to convince me to take the meds, reasoning that, "When we're injured, we take something for the pain."  Kinda not the right thing to say since I don't.  Maybe if I'm post-op and can't do anything but sleep, but when I wrenched my ankle over a year ago (took about a year to heal), I didn't take anything unless the pain/discomfort interfered with sleep.  The kitten is having no trouble sleeping or eating.

I'm sorry if this makes me look like a bad pet owner.

I agree, when I take pain meds I tend to overdo it and injure myself worse, and I understand that I'm still injured.

I agree too. I had a kitten who sprained his ankle and I didn't opt for the pain killers. He was tearing all over the house again in about a week. Adventurous kittens get hurt. Pain is the only thing that slows them down so they can heal.

One of my kitties has giardia, and now they all need to be treated.  There's no way she could have taken contaminated water, so this must hail back to over a year when I babysat a friend's outdoor cat.  I feel like an idiot.

Okay, let's see if I can remember how to do this without cheating and using my Google Fu... This is what I'm currently dealing with while attempting to play on LT.

Been there. Done that. Still do that regularly. :oP

>17 kgriffith: I currently have a critter curled up on my left arm. ♥

One of my kitties was peeing outside her litterbox, and it looks like the solution was prozac.  Can't say exactly how this works, but maybe this is a form of aggression?  Her behavior hasn't otherwise changed, so I'm happy.  I don't like medicating if I don't have to.

Sophie has an endearing habit of rolling around on her back and waving her feet in the air when she is wanting me to pay attention to her. It works. :-)

Wow, I'd forgotten about this thread!  Well, things have changed a lot since I started it.  One of the roommates from my first post moved out after six months and took her overweight cat with her.  I hope the poor critter is being properly cared for.  My youngest critter is in need of a new home, because our lifestyle is wearing on her (to grossly over-simplify the ordeal).  Prozac ultimately didn't help, and the peeing outside the litterbox continued.  I am saddened.

>20 foggidawn: One of my kitties gives an almighty FLOP when she wants attention.  It's adorable.