Hi its me again, the guy that was asking Q's about feeding mice to his cats. I was mostly just kidding about that, although I did find the idea interesting. Anyway, I kinda have a legit question about my cats now.

They are about 4 months, a boy and a girl, brother and sister, we got from the humane society. The girl is all black, the boy is a black/white (tuxedo).

Apparently all kinds of tuxedo cats can be highly prone to over eating. He's always the first one to start whining/begging for food, although the girl will join in. Her meows are much cuter and diminished, sometimes it sounds like shes saying BEEP BEEP. The boys meows are much more defined and have different inflections.

At first we were feeding them twice a day (breaking the suggested amount in half). We switched it to 3 times a day, split 3 ways, hoping it would make them feel less hungry but it seems to be about the same, maybe worse.

Anyway, anytime they hear the food bag or treat bag, they flip out. They run around in circles, and continuously meow, gets progressively louder/more often. They will jump on chairs or counters, maybe they think they'll snatch the food bag out of my hand.

I believe they are getting enough food and its just the boys obsession with eating thats driving most of this. But I'm a little concerned/puzzled with their behavior, also I'm hoping they aren't waking up the neighbors downstairs when i feed them at 7 am, because they go freaking ape. I should get this on video for you guys, but it might be embarrassing for me.

Also I would add that they seem to get comparatively 'spastic' when they're playing/wrestling with each other sometimes. Could this kind of hyper activity possibly warrant more feeding than suggested?

We got a grass plant, hoping that would provide them a little nutrition and some calorie free 'munching'. The girl likes this a lot more than the boy. Usually the grass just makes him angry.

I'd love to add more/answer Q's, wondering what you guys make of this.

PS- Also would add that they like to climb up onto counters when they find ways (especially the boy) this is always in an attempt to get food of some kind, so we've gotten better about not leaving anything out, and trying to prevent their ways up there. I add this to show that he seems to be thinking about food around 90% of his awake time.

I have no 1st hand experience bringing a cat into a dog's home but I imagine it is the same type of process that I wrote about before. They essentially need to get used to one another's scents and become comfortable with each. I would be even more cautious and allow more time. Make sure when they do meet face to face someone has control of the dog and you have control of your cat just in case a war ensues. Anyway, maybe someone else here has done this before and can provide better information. Good luck!

@Samdash after your prior posts I am not sure what you are serious about or what is a joke with you but I do feel for your cats if you are serious.

Cat grass does not provide nutrition. It helps with digestion and getting up hairballs. It is not a food source.

Your cats are only 4 months old so why are you so concerned about weight? They need proper nutrition now more than ever. Why are you cutting the suggested portion size? I hope you are not starving your cats. If you are that concerned about them becoming overweight I would feed them a high quality wet food (like some of the brands discussed earlier in this thread). One of my girls, Belle, was getting heavy and when we brought her to the vet the vet told us to cut out the dry food and increase the wet food and Belle lost weight. The dry food, although a quality brand, still had 3x as many calories than the wet food. How much do they weigh now?

The constant begging for food could also be psychological as they were once strays and may have at one point or another not had enough food. It is important to keep a strict feeding schedule because then they become confident they are going to eat. Cats are very regimented.
They are kittens and are going to look spastic while playing. My girls will be three in April and they still play with each other spastically but they are having fun. Never hissing or injuring one another. This is a good thing not a negative.
My cat Tinker used to jump onto the countertop while I was preparing the meals. She was just excited but nonetheless I had to break this habit. I did this keeping an eye on her while I was preparing their meals and when I saw her in the leap/jump position I would put my hand out to block her path and say no. She would then try to jump up on another section where I was not standing and I would watch and run over there and put my hand out flat blocking her from jumping up. If she had tried with my hand out she would have jumped into my hand and she never did this as cats are smart. Eventually, she stopped trying to jump on the countertop.

Hey jessiep I really appreciate all that,

Last time at the vet (~3 weeks ago) I believe they weighed around 3.5 lbs each which was a nice increase from their first visit. I would guess theyre around 4-4.5 lb each right now, and they'll be going to the vet again in a few days.

We're feeding them the amount of dry food for a 5 lb. cat, split up into 3 portions per day. We also give them a couple small cat treats each 3-4 times a day. I've figured we're easily giving them 25%+ more calories per day than suggested and thought that might be about right for an active kitten.

We've been giving them some wet stuff, like canned fish/chicken/shrimp for cats type stuff just 1 or 2 times a week as a treat. I like the idea of adding a little wet food to their usual meals. Low in calories/high in protein seems like a good addition.

WOOOOOOOOOO.

Some 500 dollars later, Beatrice has been diagnosed with a "beautiful" heart and appears to be totally healthy.

I can't describe how good I feel right now.

I used to have Ocicats here are some pics. Best cats I ever had. Beautiful with dog-like personality.




The Ocicat looks wild but it is not bred to a wild cat like. The Ocicat is an official CFA breed that is a cross of the domestic breeds of Abyssinian, Siamese and American Shorthair. Bengals are a cross between the Asian Leopard Cat (a wild cat found in SE Asia jungles) and a domestic cat.


Here is a brown one:



They like feather toys a lot

Around here it is the other way round.
From time to time the cats bring home living mice so we degenerated shut-ins get in touch with something natural.
Any, yes, we then go and hunt them.

Those Ocicats look awesome. I've never heard of that breed. And yay for Dids/Beatrice!

I have a slightly weird question about my two bengals. One of them licks/sucks his brother's crotch in a very weird way and I don't like it. He excessively kneads and he sucks on blankets sometimes so I guess he has mommy issues? He's also the dominant one--I have to feed him in a cat carrier or else he'll eat all of his food and half of his brother's.

When his brother is laying down he'll stick his head right into his crotch and just go to town. It makes this really weird noise like he is lapping up water. Basically he's going down on his brother and it grosses me out. Is this normal?

new pics (not of the aforementioned problem):

I am glad to hear that


me too...

almost scared to ask... but any news here?
I am so sorry to read this. I really hope she is back by now.

It seems like it's only this week that Bea has stopped trying to nurse from her brother. She'd just dive into his stomach and start sucking on imaginary nipples. I asked the vet, and they said that it is normal, and that as long as she isn't hurting her brother and he tolerates it it's fine.

I think the tipping point was that he starting kicking her in the face a lot when she tried.

What do you mean by "imaginary"?

I searched a bit in some dedicated cat forums, and general agreement is: sucking is due to mommy issues.
It is considered mostly harmless and should go away after some time; some say neutering helps, other say not.
I say "mostly harmless", because too much sucking might cause inflammation. If it does, vets should have some smelly lotion to stop the sucking. (Though I cannot figure out how the poor tomcat can bear it if his member smells ugly )

Aside of that, bengals rule! Never seen these breed before.


Oh, and: William M, I hope Ally is well, too! Maybe she just lost orientation but found someone else taking care of her, so she is well off but simply has no idea how to get back home?

a few days ago, I was driving home from the casino at about midnight, and about 1/2 mile from my house, I was stopped at a light and I saw a cat that looked like her prowling in the night. I said/shouted her name and the cat paused and looked at me. I was fairly convinced it might be her at that point, so I got out of the car, and she then took off into someone's yard. Keep in mind it was dark out and she's an all black cat, so I couldn't really get a positive ID.

I went home, grabbed some catfood, my laser pointer, a leash, and a carrier and went back looking for her again, but no luck.

So I stayed up all night til morning broke figuring when it gets light out I'll search the area. Morning came and no luck. I've searched the area another 5 or 6 times, asked residents that were outside if they saw her, but nobody seen anything.

Animal Control has a number that gives a recording detailing injured/sick/dead animals found in the previous 24 hours, I've been calling that as well, but she hasn't turned up there either.

This has really driven me crazy, I've lost so much sleep over her; every time one of my other cats or dog just simply walks by my sliding glass door and looks out, I absolutely must take a look outside the door as well, just to make sure.

Ugh, my cat managed to escape into the hallway for a bit last week, and the basement is filthy here, along with the neighbor across the hall having a dog, and so my cat got fleas from it. I've already used Advantage and NaturVet Herbal Flea Spray a few times the last few days (along with flea powder for the floors/furniture and vacuuming), but he still is licking his backside pretty hard. Should I just try and go for a full flea bath for him at this point or keep using the spray/brushing him? I'm ruffling his coat so the spray gets to his skin, and he doesn't seem to have problems elsewhere. He's improved a little bit each day but last thing I need is this.

Advantage is the best thing for fleas. It you use advantage, do not use collars, powders or any other form of flea remedy.

If you can see fleas in the armpits and legpits of the cat, you should give it a bath. Use cat shampoo or human shampoo. Cat will probably not like this so it is best if done by two people (one holds cat by scruff and the other does the bathing). Sink with removeable head works well. To dry off the cat, use a towel as much as you can then leave them in a dust/lint free envoronment (like a tile floor bathroom) for a couple of hours. You can try a hair dryer but the sound makes them upset.

If he is licking his but it might be worms. Look for rice like things in their stool. See vet for this.

sorry to hear that william, best of luck

Like Advantage, Revolution is another excellent, once-monthly topical that is applied to the cat's nape, and it will rid him of fleas, flea eggs, ear mites, roundworms, and hookworms. This product is sold by vets, which makes it a bit more expensive than most treatments- but it is extremely effective and very safe. My Zeuss was born in a warm, tropical climate, where fleas and other bugs thrive. He used Revolution at the tender age of 3mos to rid himself of his childhood fleas/wormz. Within days of the first application, his body was clear.

I agree with most of what Orange posted, but disagree on two small points: using human shampoo and a blow-dryer on your cat.

Many human shampoos will irritate a cat's skin, and the scent can confuse them. No need to take that risk. Cat shampoo is easy to find, SAFE, relatively inexpensive, etc. Go with that. For fleas, use Advantage/Revolution as opposed to a flea bath/flea dip.

Most cats clean themselves adequately, and never have to be bathed at all.

Blow dryers can also be a bad idea. The heat can burn a cats skin, especially if the human is inexperienced (aKa using it on a cat); heat also dries up the natural oils that protect the coat and make it shine. A better cat-drying idea is to use a thick towel. Dry the cat thoroughly by hand and let him finish the job himself, by grooming with his tongue. After he's done with his own grooming, give him a light brush, good to go.

Blow drying is always done for the benefit of the human, not the animal.

I think jessiep gave an excellent answer to your dietary question, and I wanted to elaborate on it a bit.

The weights read well, IMO. Appropriate for their age, which is excellent.

I think you need to increase the kittens wet food. IMO, it should be fed to them daily, not as a treat- about 50% of their diet. Kittens especially need the better nutrition of wet food, as well as the hydration it provides.

If I may offer a hypothetical menu:
Each of these kittens could/should be eating a 3oz. can each daily, as well as 1/2 cup dry. A bit more is fine, since kittens should pretty much eat what they need. A bit less is fine also, if the kittens are full and food is left all day. Adjust as necessary, and feed the same amount each day. Over the course of the first year, increase the meal-size as the kitten grows/puts on weight. (Most cat/kitten foods have dietary recommendations based on the kittens' age and weight printed on the can or bag. These are good guidelines to start with.) As the kittens age, their appetite should level off- with the help of the owner. Cats won't overeat unless they are overfed, but that's off-topic.

P.S. Remember to refrigerate all opened cans/unused portions of wet food. Sh** might spoil on the counter.

True story... my ex-gf has/had a large male orange-and-white outdoor tabby who loved to hunt. She lived in a relatively rural area, on a cul-de-sac, which was ultimately safe for her cats and had many small species of animals. My ex used to leave a roof window open at all times during the summer, which allowed her cats to come and go as they wished. Her orange tabby loved to be out late at night, and he often left gifts for her/us outside the front door- and occasionally right outside the closed bedroom door. The gifts were almost always dead mice, although I spotted a dead baby squirrel one morning, as well as a decent amount of small dead birds. (I also noticed that he ate most of his bird victims, as opposed to gifting it.)

One night we didn't close the bedroom door properly. Her cat came into the bedroom and jumped onto the bed. I felt him on my legs and I woke up suddenly, and when I sat up quickly I scared him. The cat ran, I got up and closed the door properly, and hopped back into bed. My ex awoke, but immediately went back to sleep.

Until she felt something run by her feet. She screamed, scared the sh** out of me, and then I felt the thing run by my feet!

I jumped out of bed and turned on the lights. My ex stood on her pillow while I ripped the sheets back off the bed. A small field mouse flung off when I did this, landed, and ran under the very same bed. More screaming.

I had to let the cat back into the room to help catch the little guy. The cat went under the bed, and came out with the mouse. But he dropped it before I could take it, and the thing ran again, behind a bureau this time where a cat couldn't reach it. Eventually I pinned the mouse by his tail, and managed to trap him in a cup. It took a while though, and was a pain in the ass. I released the mouse out into the backyard.

Cliffs: cats brings gift into his owner's bedroom, dropping a live mouse onto the bed at 2:30AM. Cat startles human, human startles cat, mouse hides in bed. Within moments all hell breaks loose when mouse brushes across the humans' feet. Mouse disturbs human sleep for more than an hour.

My cat collects flip flops from around the neighborhood and leaves them at my backdoor. She's also brought me 2 rubber balls (4" diameter), a child's pool floatie, a pair of child's knee pads, and countless articles of trash. Also, she seems to think I want to make the final kill on all the cockroaches in the neighborhood and brings those directly inside. She's killed over 20 birds and also lays waste to any lizards she finds. For some reason the lizards are not impressive enough to bring inside.

kitty klepto

and where's the pics?

More pics of Ally's sister Marshmallow
she's in her favorite chair

Thanks Orange, the NaturVet spray bottle actually says on the back "This will not interfere with other spot-on products such as Advantage". I'll be picking up some Revolution this weekend as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm3dm5J5r0A