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My daughter came home and look what was waiting for her in her (unmade - don't judge) bed... and This makes me so bummed I'm in my kitty free office when this is awaiting me at home...

Hi! Cat newbie here. I am now the long-term foster auntie to Asher The Kitty, a dark gray mixed breed about five years old. He is a darn near perfect cat: not destructive, doesn’t climb on things or knock them over, gets along with everyone, is healthy, isn’t a picky eater, an overall delight—except for one thing: (gross-out warning) He almost consistently poops right next to his litter box, instead of in it. (He pees in the litter box like a champ.) I have been putting down a puppy training pad next to his litter box, and now he always poops on it, considerately folding over the pad to cover his mess and making it easy for me to clean up. I’ve tried everything I can think of: scooping out his litter box one or twice a day, changing litter brands. My niece (his real mom, who got him from a cat rescue about a year ago) had the same trouble and no success either. She suspects this is the reason he was re-homed. (Former owner claimed he didn’t get along with their other cat, which is most likely baloney, because the cat rescue people loved him and were sad to see him go.) She tried spritzing him when he did this, but admits it’s almost impossible to catch him in the act. Any ideas?

Bad kitties

Here’s the contest in a nutshell. https://m.imgur.com/gallery/9tOOl55

I am now 43 (yikes!) and time is moving too fast for my liking. Most day's I don't feel grown up enough to be an adult lol. My son is now 26 and after finishing college decided not to join the army but got himself a good job with plenty of opportunity for career progression and has already moved up in his company and is currently working from home like lot's of people due to covid. The kiddo is turning 13 next week and is finally back in school full time after lockdown 2 here. They came out as gender neutral to me last week and although they were nervous I am so happy they were comfortable enough to tell me. I will never reject my kids and as long as they are happy that's what matters most to me. They have kept up with drawing and has come on leaps and bounds since the day's of foxy. Alfie cat is now 7 (how did the time pass that quickly!) and still likes to pull dvd's out of the unit and steal my seat if he get's the chance. I also got myself a dog. Her name is Luna, but will answer to Lunatic and Lulu. She is 4 and is a chihuahua, I got her when she was 8wks old and although I had wanted a dog for a while I chose to get her as it coincided with my pain management course and was my way of helping to gently up my exercise without flaring up my fibro by doing too much too soon. She has been a god send during lockdown for me as it made me get up off my backside and go out to walk her.

So my son is just shy of 2 and all 3 of my cats HATE him. Like they are so terrified of him they will hide under our bed all day when he is home and only come out after he's gone to bed. They were actually fine with him when he was a baby and I even have pictures of them snuggling him but as soon as he learned to walk and talk they were done. Part of the problem is I cannot seem to teach my son to be quiet and gentle with them. No amount of role modeling the correct behavior, correcting/disciplining, or even role playing with stuffed animals can get him to stop yelling at the cats and then chasing them whenever he sees one. The frustrating part is that he LOVES "kitty-cats" and gets excited whenever we see one in a book or on TV and during those times I can get him to talk softly and say "hi kitty" all sweet and soft and he'll pet and kiss his stuffed kitties but the real ones get "HEY! HEYYYYYY!" and then get chased when they inevitably run away. This is all compounded by the unhelpful dog who normally leaves the cats alone but his prey drive must kick in when they run because then he joins in on the fun further chasing and barking at them. I am due with baby #2 in just 16 short days. Baby will be staying in our room for the first several months so I worry about how this will impact the cats since that is currently their only safe space. I'd ideally lock them out at night and during naps to ensure they don't lay in the crib with baby but I'm not sure that will be possible if they refuse to come out from under the bed. Our house isn't that big and there really isn't anywhere else I can offer them as a safe space. They do have access to my office which the kid usually stays out of and it does have a baby gate with a cat door on it but they have to come thru the kitchen and living room where we normally are hanging out to get there so they mostly avoid it during the day. So idk if there is anything I can do really, just wondering if anyone else has been thru this and if they found a solution or do we just have to wait for our son to mature and grow out of this? Proof that they haven't always hated him:

I took my feline headship in for her annual visit. Due to weight loss (which considering she was overweight a couple of years ago is not a bad thing - but this was a bit drastic year over year), the vet ran a blood test. Blood test result indicated possible kidney disease. So she got to do a return visit the next week in a day trip outing for a urine test. Urine test indicated kidney disease and a more in-depth test confirmed it. So she's now on rx diet for kidney disease with an effort to get her to drink more water. I'm in the process of giving her more wet food (Rx) to get more moisture in her. The Spook is not complaining about wet - she loves the stuff (but is a messy eater which is a whole other story). Any advice/tips on kidney disease is appreciated FYI she's roughly 14 or so years old.

My sister and brother in law brought a one year old tux home from the shelter. Not sure of his name yet. Cannot. Wait. To meet him!

So I'm in the processing of getting a cat for the first time. We had a cat when I was young, but he lived in my dad's shop and didn't affect my daily life. So I'm really new to cat owning, but I feel like I'm ready for it. I have my own two bedroom apartment, so dogs aren't allowed, otherwise I'd probably lean more towards a puppy. However, I'm excited to get a cat (a Ragdoll) and was looking for any tips to help kitten adjust to her new life! (Hoping to get the kitten in the beginning of 2020)

I’m in need of some help introducing a new kitten to our dog and cat. We have an11 year old Shih-Tzu, male, whom is very sweet, laid back, and is as dumb as a box of rocks. We also have a 4 year old cat, female, whom we adopted through a local independent rescue organization. Growing up we had dogs but my mom hates cats so I had no experience with them. We adopted her because my daughters love cats and asked. My 16 year old twin daughters put together a presentation about a week ago to ask for a second cat. My husband and I thought they had valid reasons and since they are the most awesome daughters anyone could ask for, we said yes. So, Today we adopted a second cat from the same rescue organization. He is approximately 4-5 months old and simply adorable. Our problem is the lady who runs the rescue said to introduce the kitten slowly to our dog and cat. When we brought him home my dog decided he should bark at the kitten; therefore scaring him even more. My daughter brought him in her bedroom to calm him down and kept him there until I got back from the pet store to buy him food and a litter box. When I came home she brought the kitten into the kitchen and I held him for a minute and tried to put him on the floor so I could give him food and water. Well, my dog was in the kitchen, too, and the kitten got startled and scratched my arm and hand. He has now been in my daughters bedroom for over 4 hours. My question is: How do I introduce them slowly when I can’t even set him on the floor? And, for your viewing pleasure, a couple photos of our new kitten:

My sister's sweet girl Maggie went to the rainbow bridge today. She went in to the hospital earlier this week but wasn't getting any better so my sister and brother-in-law decided it was time to let her go. She and Morgan have been reunited and are probably busily ignoring each other at the rainbow bridge now. Going to miss my sweet feline niece. Rest in peace Maggie.

My best buddy Buster was diagnosed with asthma today. He's my all time favorite cat and I need to switch him to a low-dust litter. I'm wondering if anyone has experience and recommendations. Thanks!

You go find your own damn beer.

Dailymail ran an article on cats' personality mirroring their owner's and it led to a link to a personality quiz for my kitty. In a nutshell there are five feline traits: Skittishness, Outgoing, Dominance, Friendliness and Spontaneity. Her results come across as mostly accurate, but I'm also the person who filled out the survey so it would be very strange if they didn't. She's typical on most, a high outlier on Outgoing and Skittishness and low on Spontaneity. They mention indoor cats tend to rank Friendlier, but taking a closer look it also impacts the Spontaneity score. She's lower than I would have guessed from my survey responses, so there's a weighted variable factor in play of the indoor/outdoor hours per day, FYI. Figured I'd share the links if anyone is interested, you get a report emailed to you that explains the characteristics and has a graph showing where they fall compared to other cats! I'm awake because of the cat and her made up games, this is first time she's had stairs and the novelty of sprinting them in her made up obstacle courses hasn't worn off. Her speed racer trilling is loud, but I appreciate that she cheers herself on. I don't know if that's one of the mirrored behaviors discussed in the article and project, because I too actively encourage myself and did so while cleaning out the fridge (whole other bucket of self examination there). She's a sweet cat, for the most part just wants to be wherever I am and opens door handles to get her way, bathroom included. She brings me toys to play with her, brings me her favorite bottle caps when I have a migraine and puts them in the bed to cheer me up. I'm a bit nervous about our future, my ex is really wanting her to come live with him or fly her out for a visit. I've got to do more research on it, he paid all of the adoption and vet fees, but also let me bring her when I moved. He can get very stubborn and currently has the upper hand financially, but I don't think it's good for her anxiety to start flying her about. If you take the survey let me know how your kitty ranks and how accurate you think it is!

I've been struggling. I've been going through a massive upheaval both in my life and internally the last year or so and every day I do the best I can to manage my stress. One of the things that helps when I can engage is mindfulness. So tonight I was doing dishes and strong in the mindfulness zone. I had one of my favorite soothing videos playing in the background and I was very conscious of the warmth of the water, the pretty scent of what my British friend calls fairy liquid...the opalescence of the bubbles. And I was filled with sense of gratitude...for the meal I was cleaning after, for my ability to feed my family nutritious foods they enjoy, for living in a place with an abundance of instantly available clean water, for my kitchen which I love. Peace of mind doesn't come naturally to me. I am a worrier. I have spent my life managing my anxiety by channeling it into avenues that don't work anymore, so while it's rather late in the game I have no choice but to learn new methods. As I was lost in mindfulness (which I'd been trying to achieve unsuccessfully for days) I felt this flood of certainty that came out of nowhere. Not hope, but certainty that the parts of my life I am rebuilding will not only be okay, but will be better than what I had. That I won't just survive, but will heal and that this collapse of certain parts of my life had to happen so I could eliminate the parts that were hurting me so I could be who I am supposed to be. The fear and pain is still there...but it's okay. It feels like when I had surgery, even though the pain during recovery was intense I knew it healing pain and I'd be okay. It was much more manageable than the pain pre-surgery when I was afraid of the worst. This has happened a few times - this feeling of confidence and certainty breaking through and flooding me with emotional strength; unfortunately I know it will pass. Hence why I'm still awake - I want to enjoy the much needed respite while it lasts. After I finished the kitchen and prepped the coffee pot for morning I returned to my bedroom. As I laid down I was thinking, "I need to keep focusing on what is most important" and just as I had that thought one of my cats jumped on my tummy and let out the loudest meow that sounded just like "MEEEEEEEE!" Like he could read my mind and wanted to make sure I knew that his noms and scritches are top priority no matter what human matters I insist on worrying about. I don't know why I'm writing this...it just struck me as funny.

I woke up this am feeling kind of crappy. Sore throat, groggy...remnants of a lousy night's sleep. I haven't been sleeping well lately due to some pain. Not significant enough to complain about, but too much to sleep sometimes. Anyway... So I get dressed, update my to-do list, get a couple things done, and decide to do a session of guided meditation which I've been using the last several months which usually really helps. I lie down and begin, planning 20 minutes and will get up and get back to my day. One of my cats crawls onto my chest, kisses me on both cheeks, and settles down in my arms. I wake up almost 3 hours later. I get up planning to get on with my day...I toss in a load of laundry and I'm trying to get my thoughts in a more positive place so I give the meditation another shot... I woke up 5 hours later at almost 8:00 pm. I couldn't find my phone anywhere, tore the house apart...finally found it in the pantry when I gave up and started dinner. Idk what the hell happened, I was sleeping the sleep of the drugged (none were involved.) My favorite jammies are laid out upon my bed waiting for me after dinner. That's usually an end of day treat but having slept all day I don't really deserve their coziness.

(Not so) Wee Wittle Thor is enjoying the window sitting. It hasn't begun to really get crazy here yet but the air is very lively & there are random showers, everything around my town is flooded at least a little. The storm in and of itself is enough. Add insult to injury, my ex is bound from his northernmost abode to gift his child with a car. Its not an unwelcome thing, I need the freedom it will afford my schedule. However he really thinks he can just show up into another state & drop off a random vehicle with random paperwork and it be possible for me to register it. Sadly the great state of La clings to civil code, therefore our laws of possession are much different. Never mind the fact that I simply hate seeing the SoB. Days off from school and work afford plenty of kitty & doggie squishing, so there's that. A piece of me twinges each time I go outside, I think there's something I need to do. Last year this time my yard turned into a lake, I worked furiously to lift doghouses onto pallets and laid tarps strategically to keep the dogs dry. My beautiful dog took on whatever bacteria that caused her infections that ultimately took her life earlier this year. It feels strange having all the kids indoors safe & sound. I feel content but restless all at the same time.. Ya know? On that note: I give you all, tropical storm cuteness.

Two of the kitties were due for a mani-pedi today. This was Griffin's response - as always. and Sham-Wow's - as always if he'd just cooperate we'd be done by now. And I wouldn't have a cat scratch dead center in my top pinky knuckle which hurts way more than you'd think. . Why won't he just...

So I finally caved in after struggling with combs and bristle brushes and bought a Furminator at the recommendation of a couple of websites and the woman at the Pet Barn (who clearly had no ulterior motive in selling me a stupidly expensive cat grooming item). I was skeptical and for $Aus56 I was crossing my fingers (and everything else) that it would be worth it. And then this happened....... This is thing is FREAKING AMAZING. Both of them sat for ages purring away and loving every second of it. Oh, and that bottom photo? That all came out of Alfie's tail. However I am feeling like a bad cat parent because I clearly haven't been doing much good with my previous combs and brushes

Happy International Cat Day to all those cats out there! And to the humans who love them. In honor of this holiday, I thought I'd share some pics of Murphy. I am still (!!) fostering him after all this time. It's really surprising that he hasn't been adopted yet, but I think people are interested in little kittens at this time of year. Only 2 people have even come to meet him. Nonetheless, I am really enjoying my time with him, though he really feels like "my" cat now. I'm not sure how either of us will cope when he eventually gets adopted. Anyway, I don't have to worry about that just yet, so for now, enjoy the pics!

My little man is good company in the quiet times.

I found a moment to not be cranky. In an hour or so I get in the car and drive which will likely make me cranky again (in time to discuss said cranky with the doc). In the meantime, I stumbled across the gem. Larger version can be found here: http://slowrobot.com/i/58358

Honest, she was helping. in that 'look at me! I'm being adorable!' while I'm trying to work kind of way. Then there was patrolling/securing the perimeter. Pardon, the crud on the windows. My apartment's windows get condensation all over them and I suck at wiping it off and this window is hard to get to because desk.

So my cat, Kingsley, keeps pooping just outside the litter box in the kitchen! It's really annoying. We have the roll-over litter boxes with a top piece, and he is big, so it's a close fit. But I know for a fact he can fit in the litter box, because he can pee in there (and sometimes poop!) just fine. The boxes are cleaned each night, sometimes more often. He was a street cat before we got him, but he is healthy and has all his claws. So I just don't know what the problem is! Advice?

I was going through some old emails to save the attachments I want to keep and found this picture of Riley (a/k/a EVUL) helping my husband fill out his NCAA bracket last year.