Another worrying question for you. Briefly tied in with me previous post there's been a few incidents and I'd like to get some advice from you guys about what really could be happening.

His behaviour that I described from the last post hasn't ceased, indeed it's gotten worse. He not goes into rooms/places he knows he's not allowed like beds, the bathroom etc. We've had to keep picking him up and putting him outside of "off limits" time and time again and yet he still runs back inside. I'm not an expert but I was thinking perhaps he's 'cooling down' to put it nicely in a mental sense. Recently he's also been shaking his head vigourously quite a lot. He's done this in the past after a long scratch behind the ear, but now he seems to keep doing it several times a minute a few times an hour.

Last week a black spot appeared on his lip and seemed to grow, so we took him to the vet who said this was down to his immune system is weakening and he could possible have contacted AIDs, although this hasn't been confirmed or anything. She gave us some tablets for him to take along with a few injections. Since then his behaviour has been normal as it can be over the last month, expect this evening he wet himself while laying on the rug downstairs. He's never done this before, and didn't even ask to go outside (he's not house-trained btw). Upon further inspection it seemed to me as though he didn't even notice he'd done it.

Sounds ominous and I appreciate you can't give professional advice but does this sound like the symptoms of a cat who could be coming to the end of his life?

Thanks.

This message was edited by Daviesw on Nov 26 2005.

Quite frankly, this sounds like a cat with a brain tumor, possibly associated with feline leukemia.

You need to take the cat back to the vet and have a 'combo test' done. If the results come back positive for feline leukemia, the cat should be euthanized.

Also, you may want to talk with the vet about the general deterioration in the cat's behavior. Like humans, cats reach a point at which they have no quality of life. They are simply existing. For such an intelligent, active animal, this is no way to live.

Depending on the cat's age, it may just have reached the point at which life is nothing but a slow downhill slide. Particularly if either side of the combo test comes back positive, it may be time to let the cat go.

Hey Kei, I have a question about snakes. I'm not quite sure of the degree of intelligence in snakes. Can snakes actually disearn their handler from anyone else?

The larger snakes have some degree of intelligence, although I prefer to think of it more as cleverness than intelligence.

Pet snakes and captive snakes do learn to recognize their primary handler, both by scent and by heat signature. In some cases, this can lead to a form of affection as the snake begins to equate the handler with safety and comfort.

I don't think they are capable of the kind of pet/master or even family relationship that develops with mammals, and I would never trust a large constrictor or a venomous snake even if they do show signs of recognition and/or affection.

I have another question. Can dog food hurt cats or cat food hurt dogs? My pets keep eating each other's food and I want to make sure it's not harmful.

In small amounts, no. However, dog and cat foods are entirely different formulas. Dog food has a much greater concentration of cereals, where cat foods are primarily protein.

To cross-feed the animals for any length of time or great amount would have serious consequences on their digestive systems and general health.

I have recently caught a mouse that was roaming around the house and am planning on keeping it as a pet, i have had 3 gerbils before and i think that one mouse should be much easier to care for, i don't know what kind of mouse it is though, whenever i find the camera i will likely take a picture of it, likely just a field mouse, it is quite small but has a tail longer then its body, almost twice the length of its body i think, it has calmed down so far, and isn't jumping to try and get out of something it can't. should i keep it or set it loose in the old house or wood pile(rotten branches, old lumber etc), or keep it in an aquarium, i so is it safe to use sawdust? if not i will likely fill it with some hay, i have been feeding the mouse bird seed so far, two cats aren't to happy now cause they can't enter my room anymore cause of the mouse

You should have the mouse checked by a vet to ensure that it doesn't have any parasites, but it should have a much healthier, happier and longer life with you than it would in the wild.

Don't continue to use bird feed (unless it is parrot or cockatiel mix). Regular rodent foods are better for the mouse and considerably less expensive.

With any organic substrate, such as sawdust or hay, you have the risk of harboring harmful bacteria and parasites. The best substrate for any terrarium animal is plain old newspaper. Just try to avoid pages with colored ink on them as, when these get wet, the inks can be absorbed into the animals body, sometimes with toxic results.

Just wanted to post that regarding my previous two posts in the thread, my cat was put to sleep earlier this evening after succumbing to what turned out to be fatal kidney failure. The vet said there was treatment he could have had but ultimately were it successful he'd only have a 10% function of his kidney after.

Completely heartbroken watching him pass away, but at least he's better off now. I'd like to offer a special thanks to Keiichi for his advice.


Does anyone have any tips about burying pets in your back garden as this is our plan, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks again.


Goodbye, Gunner.

That hits awfully close to home. I've lost four cats in the past two years to kidney failure, and my oldest daughter just had to euthanize her tomcat for the same.

Our deepest sympathies to you, and our fervent wishes for Gunner's happiness in the next world.

So far as burial, you should dig a hole at least three feet deep. The body should be placed in a waterproof plastic bag (heavy duty garbage bags work well for this). The ground placed back into the grave must by firmly packed.

Examine the grave every day for about two weeks. If there is any indication that the ground has settled or been disturbed, replace or add more soil and again tamp it down firmly.

You may also want to check with the Animal Control authorities in your town. Many jurisdictions have laws that specify how pets or other animals may be buried on private property. In some cases, it is prohibited. In many others, they'll tell you just to be sure the grave is deep enough that scavengers can't dig it up to get at the body. It's well worth checking.

Sorry to hear about your cat Dave. Almost exactly this time two years ago I lost my best pet ever, a black cat named Cat. He was very old but still could outrun any dog in the neighborhood. I would let him roam freely outside and never worried about him. Until one day he met his match. He lost his life to a dog but it was due to the fact that there was snow on the ground. Cats simply can't move that well through snow.

Anyway, I buried him myself in the backyard. Made the hole plenty deep. However, I placed him in a biodegradable sack. Keiichi, why exactly do you recommend a waterproof bag? I'd think you'd want the pet to return to the earth? Are you worried other animals may catch the scent and dig the animal up? I wasn't really worried about the scent factor with my pet because it was the middle of winter and I had to dig through a foot of snow before I got to the ground.

Anyway, sorry about your cat Dave.

A waterproof plastic bag does just that; it makes the body harder to smell.

That type of bag does eventually deteriorate, and it is not air-tight, so the body does decompose. It simply makes it harder for a scavenger to detect the body before the grave has time to settle and become more or less permanent.

Most rodents love active toys of that nature. They are extremely nervous animals with very high energy utilization curves. They need to burn off their energy frequently.

Many pet rodents that are considered "destructive" are really just bored. They need something to do.

This is true of any intelligent pet. Cat and dog owners often encounter the same phenomenon, although it may manifest itself in different behaviors.

quote CDIAZ17

The cats don't do that but I will give the newspaper a try. Thanks for the help.

Ive Got A Question.
Ive Got One Goldfish In A Tank.
It Was Fine, But Now Ive Been
Hearing A "Plop!" Sound From The Tank.
Now Ive Never Seen Whats Actullay Happened
So I Asked My Mum She Said The Must Jump
In The Tank. Now This The Part That Worries Me
My Tank Has A Top On It So Im Wondering If
He Would Hit The Top When He Jumps Or
If He's Doing Something Else Not Jumping.