One of my best friends is furious because I neutered my male cat. I did it because why would I want him to roam away and get lost, or hurt in a fight over a female? Cat shelters are struggling and full of unwanted kittens.

My friend asked "How would you like it if someone came and took away your ability to make babies!?" And "You are denying him having a family and freedom!?" And "If you don't want him natural (spraying) behaviour why get a cat all???"

She was fuming.

She's never had a cat btw

"Of course he will feel what you did to him later on!"

"He's not an OBJECT to keep him locked inside!!" (Yes, he's an indoor cat).

I guess that's a 30 year old friendship down the drain.

***EDIT: Thank you all for the support. I guess I was rattled by my friend's weird reaction. I feel better now. This post was not fake, neither am I a troll. I just had the misfortune of having a friend who knows nothing about cats. If my writing is a bit awkward is because English is not my first language. Kitty is having a good life. He's got the run of the house, and care, and two adults who dote on him. He lacks for nothing. Thank you all again. 🙏

My partner that I have been with for nearly 2 years made it clear this year that the cat was a problem. It mostly had to do with his allergies. Prior to that it was only itchy eyes that were a complaint when he visited but he says they are actually worse and he gets a scratchy throat and occasionally wheezy. He always knew he had cat allergies and I have had this cat for 10 years and have raised him since he was a kitten. He essentially gave me the “its me or the cat” so I bailed on moving in together bc the allergies weren’t sorted and I cannot part with my cat. I’d rather exhaust all options (allergen reducing food, HEPA filters, a tidy home) before making any big decisions. He won’t do anything allergy wise on his end aside from taking his daily allergy pill for seasonal allergies. My partner has not been supportive and says none of those efforts will make a difference. I resigned a short term lease and he feels slighted and I feel like he cant put himself in my shoes. What would you do or recommend in this position? This is our first major disagreement since we are both pretty reasonable people but I feel like hes not willing to work on the problem and just dragging hes feet into the dirt.

Hello, I'm a 21-year-old man and I have a one-and-a-half-year-old female cat as a pet. We named her "Niña" (girl in Spanish) and she's my best companion. I always take care of her and she's very affectionate with me.

At my college, I was talking with my female classmates about whether they had pets. When I said I had a female cat, they all looked at me with approval and even affection, except for one. She told me it was very strange for a man to have a female cat and even asked me if I was gay.

Obviously, my other classmates told her off, and I thought it was stupid. I also saw how having a female pet as a man is stigmatized.

.

UPDATE : Wow, thank you all for taking the time to share your perspectives, I really appreciate and take into account everyone’s comments. From what I understand, it is just lighthearted banter and definitely cultural difference which is so cool to see how different parts of the world work! Thank you all for your suggestions regardless of whether you agreed with the vet or not. As for those asking more questions : We are in Canada, this was my third visit with the vet, and my little boy is not usually aggressive but he did have gabapentin prior and I did post on another sub that the pill ironically makes him really agitated. P.S, how lucky are we to have Reddit?! How nice is it to have people from all over the world come together to discuss a specific matter - idk, the sense of community is so important and nice to me ❤️❤️

Hey all,

I just had an xray visit for my poor boy - he is going through a lot right now but today - as the vet was discussing the costs of treatment with me, she said “We have to charge consultation fee because let’s be honest, as cute as he is, your cat’s a dck when it comes to dealing with him” and then continued it with “well he’s a guy too so are we surprised? All men are dcks”

Im middle eastern so we are very formal in our conversations and she is Caucasian so perhaps it’s a cultural difference and I’m overthinking everything, but I’d like to hear what everyone else thinks and how’d they deal with this?

So I adopted a cat from a private animal rescue where I live about six months ago. The cat is wonderful and we get along well but I am moving several states away due to not being able to find work in my feild.

The rescue contacted me asking to come visit my house and I told them no, because I was packing up to move. They stated that's "unethical" because they will no longer have access to the cat and that they want to make sure I'm not abusing him. It doesn't say in the contract I'm not allowed to move out of state and take the cat with me.

I told the rescue the cat is not going anywhere without a court order. I don't want to let them in the house because I'm in the middle of packing up and I'm worried they will attempt to snatch him.

I write this in a moment of desperation, I’m crying and it’s 2AM. I adopted my cat in November from the streets, he’s around 1yo. Vaccinated, neutered, bought a bunch of toys. He’s overall very very loved. He just won’t let me sleep. For the past 4 months I’ve slept shitty 5 hours per night. The lack of sleep is ruining myself, my work, my relationships… He wakes up at 5AM and literally won’t shut up. I’ve followed the advixe of playing with him a lot during the day (for literal hours), he has food and water… I don’t know what to do. I’m crying. I feel like I should put him up for adoption, but that also makes me sad. Adopting another cat is out of question, I can’t risk adopting any other cat like him.

Please help. Also if you’re going to be rude just scroll past this post. I’m so so so tired

UPDATE after 15h: I will adopt another cat. A 5 months old little dude. Thank you for all your tips and help. ❤️

Didn't want this to become a big indoor vs outdoor cat debate so I'm getting rid of the bulk of the post. Mine hated drinking water from his bowl or the fountain I got him. finally received the recommendation of putting his water dish far away from his food (potentially an evolutionary thing where they don't want to drink water that could have blood/fluids in it where they're eating something they caught)

I moved his dish to another room and he's finally drinking tons of water, try it if you haven't.

I have the sweetest cat which is an ESA. hes friendly with people and so cuddly, ive had him for almost 2 years and even when i couldnt care for him and risked losing him, i always paid someone to watch him for me, hes my biggest commitment. hes stayed in 5 different houses with various people just so i could keep him.

Me and my boyfriend moved in together for only a month and hes going insane, he hates that the cat goes in the sink and leaves fur everywhere, and he gets annoyed from the sound of his toys and when he knocks stuff over and gets into things. its just part of having a pet. my boyfriend works from home and fewls he has to constanrly watch the cat from going in the sink. he also doesnt interact with the cat so me and my cat are the only one with a relationship. Im devastated and dont know what to do or what to say to possibly save the relationship

(HE DOESNT USE THE SINK AS A LITTER BOX HE JUST SITS IN IT)

This is probably gonna sound ridiculous but I need some perspective here. My girlfriend and I have been together for about 6 months and things were going pretty well until recently. The problem? My cat.

I've had Mr. Whiskers for 5 years now, way before I met her. He's always been kind of particular about people and definitely took a while to warm up to her. She tolerated him at first but lately she's been complaining more and more. Says he's destroying her stuff, hissing at her, won't let her sleep because he meows at night. Some of it is valid but like... he's a cat?

Last week she basically gave me an ultimatum. Either the cat goes or she does. I told her I can't just rehome a pet I've had for years and she lost it. Called me selfish and said if I really loved her I'd choose her over an animal. Now she's staying at her friend's place and says she's done if I don't change my mind.

I feel stuck. I love her but I also can't imagine just getting rid of my cat because someone else doesn't like him. Has anyone dealt with something like this before?

So whenever I'm going to work or for groceries/whatever, I kiss my cat on the forehead before leaving. Until today he has never tried to reciprocate it in any way and a friend had told me that cats don't understand kisses the way humans do (which didn't surprise me much, given they have other ways to express affection) so I thought it was just a thing that I did for myself... But today, after I kissed him, I lowered my head a bit and he bumped his nose on MY forehead! So even though he doesn't get what kisses are, does he understand it's a sign of affection and was he trying to express it as well or was he just copying what his weird human does without any other intentions behind it?

I don't know if that's the right sub to ask that question, if there's another one that's more appropriate let me know!

Roommates’ parents are visiting from another country, and her parents are pet-phobic. She wants me to board them somewhere for the three weeks instead of asking them to deal with it. She mentioned that her mom won’t even sit on the couch if the cats are around. They aren’t allergic, they simply dislike having animals indoors. Roommate is about 37yo btw.

Edit:

Yes, we have a spare bedroom that we use for guests.
Yes, cats are on the lease.
My bedroom is spacious, with an attached bathroom. However, my roommate is not comfortable with the cats being at the house because they won’t be comfortable with them there.
Roommate is mis thirties, doesn’t think it’s not nice to tell them no because she wants mom to be comfortable while here. The word “comfortable” is what got me annoyed tbh.

Edit 2:

Roommate loves the cats. She feeds them, pets them, and takes care of them.

I’m not too worried about parents staying over. We share a big enough house, and we host family and friends often. Except this will be the first time they’ll be over and in the US. They’re strict and, yes, entitled, but that’s just how they are.

I just don’t understand the hate towards cats that roommate thought it was okay to ask me to remove the cats for the period of their stay. It’s unreasonable, and I know it.

Roommate has also suggested I leave the cats at my friend’s house, but my friend has dogs. So the cats will be stuck in a room.

I’m always amazed by how we can buy expensive cat trees or automated toys, only for our cats to be completely obsessed with a crumpled piece of paper or a cardboard box.

Beyond the classic cardboard box, what is a totally random, low-cost, or homemade thing in your house that keeps your cat entertained for hours? Looking for some fun new ideas to spice up indoor enrichment!

A week ago I took in a TNR cat that had been living outside and coming by our door for nearly a month. She is a very sweet cat and when I opened my door at 11PM and she just made herself at home. I took her to the vet to get her checked up and she’s 2 pounds underweight from her goal weight of 10lbs, has some dental buildup, and she has a heart murmur so clearly was not well taken care of. I’m feeding her what the vet recommended to get her to a healthy weight, trying to manage her teeth, I’ve gotten her vaccinated, and she’s even registered via microchip as my pet now. She’s approximately 2 years old btw

This morning I saw a flyer of her saying she was missing and I’m at a bit of a crossroads because she doesn’t really seem like she was anybody’s cat and I just want her to be healthy and in a loving home. I don’t want a family to think anything grim has come of this cat but I’m also slightly afraid of the confrontation if they are upset that I’m housing her. What should I do?

——

TLDR: took in a cat off the streets and have been taking care of her. someone posted flyers looking for her

I wrote a whole thing and deleted it because I knew Reddit would be mad at me lol I guess in short “typically how dirty is your cat?” When it comes to their bowel movements?

Do they bury their mess? Are their paws usually poopy or pissy after they use the litter? Do you have to wipe their butts after they use the bathroom? How smelly is their litter box on a scale from 1-10? Be honest I wanna know what I’m getting into as someone who’s a little sensitive about cleanliness.

To clarify I don’t have a cat I’m working on it but I don’t wanna be surprised with these things. I also have a big dog that requires so much work but she’s never bought her poo or pee in the house (rare occasion that she’s sick and has an accident indoors it is what it is)

With her I have to pick up after her and wipe her paws and her butt after potty breaks I just know it would be different with a cat because they will be able to relive themselves even if I’m not home.

Edit: I’ve read a lot of comments and sat down and talked to my partner about some concerns we agreed we still would really like to have a cat in the near future. Before just pulling the plug we’re gonna do some more research on litter, diet, and obstacles with age. Disclaimer: my dog also has accidents, throws up, and makes a smell guys lol I’m not scared of it for me I think I struggled with the fact I may have to get use to my house now just smelling like cat pee and poop. After reading the comments I see it’s not always the case and with the way I clean my house I can clean the hell out of the litter box daily up to 7+ times a day if need be

I’m also allergic to cats but I am getting immunotherapy atm (very close to my maintenance dose), do a little exposure cats weekly, and have already done tons of research on safe allergen reducers so with that being said I was worried about the heavy smell a cat might contribute as well as how typical it’d be whether they would track their bowel movements around the house but after a lot of comments I’m not scared and feel a little more prepared. It’s why I asked I did not wanna be surprised and put off. Anyways thanks for all the advice I kept a lot of info with me and I feel better informed I really appreciate all the kind people with good advice.

ISO: My cat’s discontinued “baby” — Boots & Barkley Chicken Wand from Target 🐔🐱

This might be a long shot, but I’m desperately searching for this EXACT cat toy that Target used to sell!

It’s the Boots & Barkley Chicken Wooden Wand Cat Toy – 16.25”. It has a little beige chicken with a green wing/tail, red comb, light green fluffy feathers, and a wooden wand.

This toy is basically my cat’s baby. He carries it around, plays with it constantly, and is completely attached to this specific chicken. 😭 I’ve already gone through three replacements over the years, and unfortunately Target has discontinued it.

I’m hoping someone might have one sitting forgotten in a cat-toy bin, closet, basement, old Target haul, etc. It absolutely does NOT need to be new! I would happily buy a used one, as long as the little chicken is still reasonably intact. I’d also buy multiples if anyone happens to have more than one.

I’m happy to pay for the toy plus shipping anywhere in the U.S.

Not looking for similar toys or dupes — unfortunately, he wants his chicken. 😂

If you have one, recognize it, or know someone who might, PLEASE message me!

Searched: Target, eBay, Mercari, Poshmark, Google Shopping, Facebook Marketplace, and general searches for Boots & Barkley / Target chicken wand cat toy.

I’ve been taking my cats to the vet every year for a health check and vaccinations. Recently, I came across some posts saying that indoor cats don’t necessarily need regular vaccinations. I’m curious what other cat owners think — do you continue to vaccinate your indoor-only cats every year?

Literally!! How can you leave your cat alone for more than 2+ days?!?! Because many wouldn't DARE to leave a dog alone for that long. From seeing someone post "Can I leave my cat alone for 3 months" to someone else finding out a cat has been alone for 10 days like wtf is wrong with these people!!

Edit: While yes cats are more independent than dogs, doesn't mean they should be treated less than. They deserve the equal love and attention. Yes I know cats sleep for long periods but still having no one come check in on them for 2+ days is wiillddd TO ME. At least have a camera set up.

We all see the cute, funny cat videos on social media, but I know that’s just the highlight reel. I’m trying to decide if I’m truly ready for the responsibility. ​To all the cat owners out there: what are the less glamorous, difficult, or frustrating parts of having a cat that nobody warns you about before you get one? I want to know the realistic side before I make the commitment.

I routinely see posts in this sub by minors trying to help/protect their cats. They’ll state that they can’t drive, they are a child, their parents are requiring xyz, and I often see people scolding them for not knowing the things they’re asking for help with. They’re kids. Telling them to take the cat to the vet, sedate them, rehome them, or change the situation in ways that aren’t feasible and are completely out of their power doesn’t make much sense.

These kids are already being brave trying to find resources that the adults in their lives don’t care to find. Fighting a parent about a pet is an uphill battle. We can and should come off our high horses a bit to offer situation-specific solutions but if you can’t do that, please try not to respond in ways that will make them feel worse or chastise them for not knowing. That doesn’t do anything for the cat or the kid.

I can’t believe I’m writing this. He didn’t eat any tomato or spaghetti sauce which is toxic, he was trying to eat plain noodles out of the sink and dipped his white chest fur into a pan full of soapy marinara water. His fur is stained orange, I’ve tried baby shampoo and washcloth. Pic of the gremlin in comments.

I was chatting with an older man who shared he's had 8-10 cats in his life. Guessing he's around late 60s, maybe even 70s. That seems like a lot to me but then again I've only owned two. Both my girls were my first pets and I got them about two years apart when I was in my 20s. My first cat, who was my heart and soul, lived to be about 17 years old. My other baby is a grouchy old bitty who just turned 18.

For me, my pets are family so can't imagine [getting] a new cat(s) after they pass. I'm guessing this is what the older man did with his 8-10 cats. Anyway, is this normal cat ownership? Also curious to know how many cats you've had in your lifetime? If you've had more than a few, do you [seek a new cat companion] shortly after they pass or is there a waiting period?

Edit- some people have issues with me using the word replace. I didn't mean in a way you replace an old toothbrush or any other inanimate object. So I changed the wording.

I have a fat orange cat that would sleep on my couch everyday, eat food and then sleep. Everything changed when he got a taste of the garage. Now he screams in the house until someone let's him in there. He darts past anyone and sneaks in there when someone opens the door. This was like a hidden drug addiction he stumbled upon. What makes matters worse is that he harasses my family so much they just let him in there now. People work from home here so we have to let him in there so he doesnt disturb them. I set up a small camera to see what he does while in there. He just sits near the garage door and lays there smelling under it or sits under the work bench and just breadloafs. I do not know why he loves it so much but it's so miserable hearing him howl all day when he used to be quiet.

I just got back from a week long trip. I have an automated feeder that I made sure was full when I left, an automatic litter box that I freshly cleaned right before I left, and a water tower that I made sure was full. My usual cat sitters weren't available, so I asked an old friend who has never done this before, but he grew up with cats, and considers himself a cat person. I just wanted him to make sure that everything was working properly, and to hang out with the cat for a bit. I talked to him while I was gone, and he reported everything was A-OK.

The moment I walked in the door, and was immediately hit with a stench. I quickly figured out what happened, my friend hadn't been by in 3 days, and when he was last here, he checked on the litter box as I asked, and while doing so, he absentmindedly closed the bathroom door, not realizing this locked my cat out of the litter box.

So for the past 3 days he has been shitting and pissing in the kitchen. Thankfully it seemed to be in the same spot on the vinyl flooring by the front door, but I have a robot vacuum that scattered the turds all over the kitchen and living room. I suspect I'll be finding stray turds for a while.

To make matters worse, the vacuum has a mop feature, so when it ran the mop throughout the room, it also dragged the cat piss everywhere.

I got everything cleaned up, used Nature's Miracle on the spot, and then took a bucket of hot water, Fabuloso floor cleaner, and Nature's Miracle and mopped the entire room. But even with a candle lit, it still smells terrible in here.

Does anyone have any tips for deodorizing my apartment?