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[Keridwen]

A place for us to:

a) seek answers to pet-related questions
b) share lolcats
c) go grossly off-topic
d) waste time while we're trying to do politics essays.

My kitten, about 4 months old or so, is peeing on things. He's not spraying (I got him desexed and he's squatting while doing it) so I have no idea why he's doing it. His favourite place is in my washing basket - but he'll do it on any article of clothing on the floor, on my housemate's dog bed, on the hardwood floor, towels left on the floor - why?? He has a litter tray indoors which is just as easily accessed as these random piles of washing, and he DOES sometimes pee in the litter tray!

So I'm flummoxed. Any suggestions?

[GreenFroggie]

When my cat started doing that he ended up having a bladder infection. They are quite common in male cats too., and can be fatal. Check and see if there is any blood in the urine and possibly visit the vet just in case.

The vet says he was peeing everywhere because he probably thought if it didnt work/get better peeing in the litter tray then maybe it would work somewhere else.   

[Keridwen]

Oh crap.  One vet consultation will probably be like $500 million squillion dollars.

I'll just ask when I get him vaccinated. There's no blood at all yet.

[GreenFroggie]

Well it only cost me $90 when i went, and that was for the consultation, 3 injections and a weeks worth of antibiotics.

But we do seem to have a good supply of animal shelters/vets around here, which is why they are cheap-ish

I reckon its a waste of money vaccinating cats. Because i did my other cat and she still caught the cat flu!!

[blue]

Keri, where is the litter tray? Some cats are fussy, and will only pee in 'private'...

I reckon its a waste of money vaccinating cats. Because i did my other cat and she still caught the cat flu!!

How bad was it though? Sometimes vaccinated animals don't get as sick as the ones that haven't been done...

And if no-one vaccinated, then where would we be? 

[GreenFroggie]

Well she ended up spending the night at the vets with IV and other stuff....

But its like the normal human flu one. It only guards against certain strains and there is nothing to stop you getting another even-worse strain of flu.

They create new flu vaccines each year as the virus spread and outbreaks change every year. (human ones, i dont think they change the cat one)

[blue]

Ah yes, flu is a complete pain in the arse like that... 

Poor kitty. 

[grooviechickie]

How do I stop our dog from pulling on her leash? We've tried treats for good behaviour (didn't work), a choker chain for the noise factor as recommended by Dr Harry (she pulled so hard that she drew blood from the skin around her neck - the noise didn't bother her!?), a muzzle-type contraption called the Halti (led to her not pulling quite as hard but people recoiled, thinking she was a violent dog), and a full harness (doesn't work either).

We tried stopping the second she pulled and making her sit, but that didn't work if there was another dog in her sights. She loves other dogs but if they growl or try to get authority over her, she starts a fight.

[Fashion Zombies!]

How often do you walk her?

My dog does that too, but it's because he gets excited and doesn't get walked enough.

If you don't already, a walk a day should help. It probably doesn't look appealing, especially if she pulls on her leash but within a week she'll get used to walking and you should see some progress.

If you already walk her reguarly, then I can't think of anything else

[GreenFroggie]

I use the muzzle on my dog to stop him pulling.

And we take him to dog training, as he is still only learning, so maybe you could try that??

EDIT: what type of dog is it?

[blue]

Harnesses are useless for dogs that pull... they put harnesses on horses so they can pull carts. 

I thought people were becoming more aware of haltis these days. They're very good for dogs that pull, because you have more control over what they're focusing on.

[grooviechickie]

She learned how to pull quite hard on the Halti as well - she's bloody strong. She figured out how to put enough pressure on it to hurt me as well as being able to look straight ahead. Little cow... 

She's a Staffy/English Bully X - 16kg of pure muscle and brute force.

We tried taking her for regular walks but I'd come home with red welts on my hands. She'd pull the kids off their feet. The hubby is the only one who can do it and he's just started back up again, taking her for regular walks in the mornings before work.

I'd just like for her to behave...

[Mez]

I had never seen a halti till the other day, when I saw one on a beautiful Belgian Shepherd - a breed known for their marvellous natures.  My sister explained that they are very common in Sydney and quite a lot of people use them.  Whether it would help with your bully is problematic, as you say.  It may be a matter of getting the dog so used to the halti that it gives up.

As for cats peeing, my three-legged cat took up peeing on the bathmat and any towels left on the floor, because she didn't want to share her tray with the new kitten.  Result: we now have two trays.  You can buy a covered cat tray in a pet shop (they smell a lot better, too) for about $75 or you can go to the Reject shop and get the same thing for $25.  With a bonus scoop.

Are you keeping the tray clean enough?  If you buy clumping cat litter, you can scoop out the lumps every day or so - into a plastic bag then into the bin.  Plus, cats like those crystals; though they don't clump for easy cleaning, they soak up odours like you wouldn't believe!

I also provide a big deep plastic bowl outside for the cats - it's full of compost dirt, which cats like. Stops them shitting in the garden so much.

[Erubadhriel]

we had a halti for one of our dogs. you'd walk him and every now and then he's bring his front paws up and try and pull it off his nose. we've got full harnesses for our dogs (one red heeler and one border collie kelpie x, both weigh around 20 kgs) ours get walked almost everyday, and they go nuts almost everyday. and they pull. not as bad as yours by the sounds of it GC. there was one method i heard of where hen the dog starts pulling, you stop and go in another direction. cos they think they know where they're going or some shit. i dunno. didn't really work when i trried it with annie.

Keri: how old was he when he was castrated? i think they usually wait till they're around 6 months before they desex animals. that's just for my own curiosity, it's probably not related. our cat does her business outside. she never uses the tray anymore. she knows she gets kept in at night, and usually either makes sure she's done before she comes in, or hold on till morning.

[Lexii-]

Ohh my kitty got hit by a car the other day. He's alive, but has a broken pelvis and is stuck in a cage for 8 weeks. We have to make sure he goes to the toilet everyday, and because he can hardly walk, it ends up EVERYWHERE. Thank god it's in his little area thing, and I'm not the one cleaning it.

Anyway, onto my point. My other cat, purrs really loudly. Like, he sounds like a car motor and at night, you can hear him two or three rooms away! Does anyone know what the story with purring is?