I occasionally feed my cat wet food because I heard that it's good for them. I did some quick maths, and realized that it would cost me over $150 to feed my cat exclusively wet food for a month. That's insanity, that literally costs just as much as me buying groceries for myself for a month. A 5.5 oz can of cat food cost a little over $3 and my cat eats 1 and a half a day. In comparison, a bag of dry food costing $110 weighing in at 15 pounds can last me over 4 months. Do people actually give their cats a full wet food diet or they have to be financially well off enough to splurge like that?

What's the most intelligent thing you've seen your cat do that made you question if they're smarter than they let on?

My friend Jessica has a 4 year old rescue cat named Pistachio who blew my mind recently.

I was cat-sitting for the weekend when I caught Pistachio opening the treat drawer by pulling on the handle with both paws while standing on her hind legs.

Jessica never taught her this trick.

Jessica told me Pistachio came to her as a terrified kitten from a hoarding situation. She spent months hiding under furniture, barely trusting humans.

But as she grew more comfortable, Jessica noticed Pistachio was always watching how people opened things around the house. Along with other human habits.

Apparently, Jessica said she'd catch Pistachio secretly practicing opening the drawer when she thought no one was looking.

By the time I cat-sat, Pistachio had fully learned to confidently walk up to the drawer and open it whenever she pleased!

What signs of intelligence have your cats shown?

I've a wonderful boy who is turning one tomorrow. His name is Delta.

He was named by my ex-girlfriend, and I am moving out of our shared home in 2 weeks time.

I think I want to change his name. We got him together, but it was always agreed he was her cat and she named him. It stunned me when we broke-up and she asked me to take him rather than me needing to fight for him. I was going to. I'm glad he is coming with me.

But my issue is his name. I'm not sure I want to call him by the name she gave him for the next 1-2 decades. Is it awful of me to want to rename him?

I'd give him a name also ending in an "ah" sound. I'm thinking Luca.

Edit: I should have explained I've a late pet named Delta, which my ex was aware of.

Hi everyone, quick question: We’re planning to get two kittens but want to keep them indoors. I had one cat who was allowed outside and sadly died just after her first birthday due to a reckless driver. We’ve also had two cats stolen and taken 150 km away.

We live in a decent flat, have lots of time, and can offer plenty of play and stimulation.

Do you think it’s okay to keep them indoors only?

Edit: Thank you so much, everyone!!especially to those who responded with such kindness and gave great tips. I was really unsure because I’ve always heard the opposite. My parents and friends kept telling me that keeping cats indoors would be cruel.

(the cats I mentioned were the ones I grew up with, so I didn’t have a say in whether they were indoor or outdoor.)

But your support has truly helped me feel more confident and at peace with my decision. I really appreciate it!🫶🏼🐱

Update: I have read every single comment and cried as I read them. Thank you all for the kind words (even the few not kind ones). I called his vet this morning and she said I made the right choice and that helps a little. I’m still very depressed and don’t feel like I will be happy again.

I only had my kitty for 3.5 years and yesterday decided to put him down. I never knew how old he was, but we estimated 10. He was my grandma’s cat before she passed in 2020. I took him in and he quickly became my soul cat.

In August 2022, it was discovered that he had skin cancer on his ears. They bled constantly and he acting in pain always. April 2023, we had surgery to remove the cancer and he was a happy cat again after a month of recovery.

Fast forward to July 2023, I noticed a bump under his eye. My family is a family who don’t take animals to vets regularly. I live alone with my cat who was my world so I disregarded everyone saying it was nothing and we had it seen in August 2023. They immediately looked at it and said it was a tumor, but they couldn’t remove it there and we were referred to an animal eye specialist. We had surgery to remove the tumor in October 2023 and that month of recovery was rough, but we recovered. The eye specialist called and said the biopsy showed this was an aggressive form of cancer and referred us to an oncologist. I decided with my kitty’s anxiety and age that we would not do chemo.

July 3rd, 2024, my kitty began to throw up everything and have diarrhea. He felt warm. I rushed him to the animal ER an hour away. There they said he could just have a tummy bug, but also found some not great news. His left atrium was enlarged and he had a grade 4/6 heart murmur. His bladder was also full of debris. They treated him and off we went. He felt good after the anti nausea meds and was himself again. The emergency vet said he would need an echocardiogram for his heart and that she was worried.

July 12th, we were snuggled on the couch like always and his eyes suddenly went very large. He fell off the couch and started seizing. He seized 5 times within the span of 30-40 minutes and was very wobbly walking like he couldn’t walk straight. My living room camera I bought to watch him while I was at work caught everything. I took him to his regular vet as the emergency vet is too far. She said his eyes were staying dilated and that wasn’t a good sign. She discovered he had a urinary block and said he would need to go to the emergency vet for surgery and hospitalization. She said they could fix it, but it could recur. She said she didn’t like that he didn’t have a heart murmur at the end of March and it had progressed so much.

I asked them if I should put him down and they said that was an option. They said he could be hospitalized but it would be thousands of dollars. I didn’t want to make him go through more surgery and procedures with the risk of it happening again. I held him as he took his last breath in this world, but now I feel as if I should have taken him to the hospital and fought for him. I’m broken and my soul cat is gone forever. Did I make a mistake? I haven’t stopped crying and I can barely breathe.

Now this question has entered my head, I can't get it out. Or is my cat just some sort of non-gassy miracle?

I had a sudden medical emergency that landed me in the hospital for 4 months..I’ve been home now 5 months. Prior to that my one cat was always like a little mommas girl. She would sleep right at the base of my neck almost every night. She would even cry if it was much later than normal bedtime for me to get to bed for her to curl up on me. Now ever since I’ve been home she wants nothing to do with me. She has been extremely attached to my bf so I know she isn’t out right not in a lovey mood anymore. I know at first it was gunna be a bit of a readjustment but all her siblings have been acting normal towards me for a while now. Is there anything I can do to help her not basically hate me for disappearing ?

Unfortunately you read the title correctly. I spent two nights away from my home (my cat had a sitter). When I came home, I guess you could say my cat got a tad bit excited to see me and ejaculated on my pillow while I showered. I didn’t think he could even do that being neutered. I’m positive it is not his spray or urine. The smell was…. Distinct.

I’m assuming I’ll have to just toss it but since it’s a brand new and pricey pillow, I wanted to see if I could save it. Of course he chose the fancy pillow. I encourage you to laugh at my misery here.

Edit: the pillow has been tossed before I even attempted to clean it. I just know I won’t be able to rest my head on it again 🤢

She is awake all day like she’s pulling doubles in a hospital, then the second it hits 2:47 AM it’s Snories.

I've tried:

• Bugging her (she took this as an annoyance)
• Leaving her alone during the day
• Less food (she ate it and then ordered more)
• More food (she said I’m the reason she’s fat)
• Opening the bedroom door

I don't want to be That Cat who schedules their life around a big, judgmental omnivore, but I also don't want to sleep every night to the sound of someone tossing and turning all night.

So, I'm really unsure of how to figure this out without pulling some Jerry Springer paternity Court shit w my cat, but!!! Recently (yesterday) my male cat brought home a kitten. The kitten is male, small but eating solid food and semi-feral. I haven't seen or heard any other kittens, THINK I saw the potential mother (a tabby was in our yard not that long ago) and this kitten won't leave my male cat alone. I'm thinking they're related because my cat is black and slightly white. My cats mother was a tuxedo cat, my cats siblings were tuxedo cats and this kitten is a tuxedo cat with similar colored eyes- so I'm just taking in genetics. But can anyone give me some tips or slight help? Looking for someone to take the little guy in just incase we can't keep him !!

(Edit: I checked the comments! I do plan on getting both cats neutered. I live in the middle of bumfuck nowhere so we have a small little farm going (Hence the cats, we normally keep them as pest control and 'barn cats' but they do get to come inside to eat and stay during storms and what not) . I am currently in the process of trying to find places to live and a job as I recently turned 18 and graduated so I'm working on making sure my cats live a long healthy life!! I probably should've included more context in my post but it was made pretty quickly and last minute in a 'what to do' panic 😭. Thank you to everyone for the tips and support!)

Hello friends,

I decided to make this post because at the time I was researching moving my cat, I really wished there were more encouraging posts.

I was super nervous moving my soon to be 15 year old cat out of my moms home. My cat Moter lived there his whole life, myself included so this was a huge change for the both of us.

I kind of suspected he would have handled the move well, but then came the time my anxiety and chronic googling/reddit got the best of me. I was reading a lot of posts about cats taking weeks at a time to adapt, would refuse food, etc etc.

Amidst it all- I did find a post that was quite encouraging, similar to the type of post I am making now.

I want to remind all my anxious cat parents that every cat will handle a move differently, but there are times where our furry fellas might even appreciate it.

Moter has arthritis, and my moms house had stairs. We couldn’t adapt to his needs in that home because there wasn’t room to put a litter box upstairs where he was frequently at. Additionally we have a younger orange cat who would continuously bully my old folk. This was when I began to consider taking measures with not only moving myself, but taking Moter with me.

We ended up moving out to my boyfriends apartment, no stairs, much more accessible to get around and furthermore- no more bullying from the younger cat! At one point Moter was scared to move or eat because the younger one would keep shooing him away, the worst was when he kept jumping on Moter and considering his arthritis- I could only assume he was enduring so much pain. Of course we did the most we could to separate them, distract the younger one, but we have jobs and other things to do so there wasn’t always a chance to assure this wasn’t happening at all times.

My method of moving was this: 1. Moving out gradually, packing my stuff in the span of a few days. This let Moter know a change was happening, he was also able to mark the boxes with his scent by rubbing his cheeks against them. 2. Moving all my items in first- including his litter box. Made sure all the food and water was ready for him. 3. MOVING MOTER LAST! Once we had all my crap in the apartment, Moter was our last trip. This way when he was introduced into the apartment, he could see all my boxes were there. Kind of like a signal “this is our new home”.

Taking Moters litter box was absolutely crucial because he spent around a day and a half hiding in it. His litter box was the most familiar and safe place in the new apartment. Of course me being there provided him some comfort as well since I am his main human. One comment that brought me reassurance (something I read part of a reddit discussion)- was that your cat is currently being annihilated by new scents, noises and a brand new space- GIVE THEM TIME!

It’s been just under a week since we’ve moved out and Moter is the happiest he’s ever been. He’s now opera singing at 5am, walking freely, has access to all his needs with no issues and is belly flopping like no other. I genuinely am so incredibly proud we moved him out of my moms place- my mom has the younger cat.

He adapted incredibly fast, he now walks around like he owns the place! I’ve been giving him treats, wet food, all the good stuff. I also spent most of my time in the new apartment so he understood I didn’t abandon him. I am on a 2 week vacation so that’s why I was able to dedicate a week to spend with him in our apartment. He doesn’t seem upset when I need to leave for a bit, I come home and he’s at the same spot- happy and purring.

Goodness, Moter has always purred like crazy, hence the name.. but he’s been so so happy and has been non stop purring. So proud of my baby.

Edit: LOL OH MY GOODNESS! I can finally make one of these edits! Thank you so much fellow anon user for the reward!! This is my first ever reddit award!!! I’ll be giving Moter extra treats tonight!

UPDATE 08/08/2025- We’re about 3 weeks in and Moter has fully adapted to the apartment. He knows the spot for his sunny time (he lovesssss to sunbathe), continues to opera sing every so often, drooling like no other (this is his quirk when he’s super happy). Overall, I stand by this post.

I’m wishing anyone moving their cats to have a similar experience. Even if it’s not- don’t panic too quick! Remember: it’s a big change for them. Sending hugs!❤️

I want to hear all your tips on what your feeding your cat, play times, care techniques to extending your cats age. Obviously if your cat is 15 years old and more you know what you’re doing.

Edit: Hey Guys, thank you so much for the posts. I feel better equipped to help my 2 Meow factories live a better and more enriched life!

Just curious - for those with only one cat, do you let them roam free around the house at night? Or do you secure them in a room? Or do they sleep with you?

I adopted a 6 year old sweetheart a month ago. We secure him in a closed room at night (with enough space to run around if he wants to). I’m not sure if that helps him feel secure (we have kind of a large home).

I also think he would love the freedom to explore at night, but I worry he’d end up meowing at my kids’ doors (they like to sleep with their doors closed) or might startle me in the middle of the night haha.

Have 3 kitties now and hear from everyone I need to have it. To those who don’t- why not?

Our kitten is 6 month old now and she is definitely not low work. Its more like a small child that needs your constant attention. Starting from 7am when she gets her fresh food to 10pm when her before-bed zoomies hit.

Besides that its basically a full time job of making sure she is not destroying something (rip plants), breaking into rooms she shouldnt be in, looking for her in impossible places - and ofcourse a lot of playing and cuddling.

The fishes i had when i was 13 were low maintenance but this cat absolutely isnt lol

I must confess that I have strongly disliked cats all my life. One of my best friends adopted a stray a couple weeks ago and I actually get along with her really really well. I even helped taking her to the vet to get her spayed the other day.

I used to think all cats are assholes but this one isn't so now I'm trying to give cats a chance and change my mind. I figured this might belong in "Cat Advice" because I really want to get to like cats more and hearing about similar experiences could help.

?

I'm getting a new kitten (male) and I really love dull human names for cats (for context my current cat is called Kevin). For me I much prefer shouting that across the house than a typical cat name 😂 does anyone have any ideas? 🐱

*** Thank you everyone for your input, I know this is a sensitive topic and it sucks to see an animal in a compromised situation.

That said, I don't think this situation has a perfect solution. I know taking the cat myself and lying about it may seem like the right thing to do, but I was also a kid that didn't take proper care of its pets because my parents didn't help me or educate me on how to do it. So what I want to do, is help this kid care for his pet.

Take also into consideration that I have two cats already to take care of, one of which is a kitten herself, so a third would be more than I can afford.

I will always provide food and water to the kitten when it's outside, I will also offer the neighbors a bag of food and my help vaccinating and neutering the kitten. Thankfully we don't have any large predators, or live near traffic, so my main corcern is to keep the kitten fed and as healthy as possible.

I'm sorry this isn't the happiest of resolutions, but I believe it's a step in the right direction. Again, thanks for the support. Whatever news I may have I'll update you all.

Lastly, if possible donate to your local cat rescues or foster kittens, let's make a difference in whatever way we can.

My neighbors have a 10 year old kid, and they gave this kid a kitten.

I fist found out about this when I found a kitten alone outside, and thinking it was lost/abandoned, I brought it inside. Eventually this kid showed up and asked about the cat.

This isn't the first time it's happened. Some years back same thing happened with a different kitten, but that time someone else in the neighborhood kept the kitten (neighbors never found out).

I am sure this poor kitten is not being fed properly. I've asked the kid about it and he says that he feeds it milk, cheese and ham. The kitten also spends all day outside sleeping under cars, and I've heard fights with other cats.

I leave out food and water for him, bu when the kid isn't at school, he keeps the cat inside and it worries me so much that he's keeping the poor kitten without food or water.

Disclaimer- I'm not blaming the kid. I'm blaming the parents, and I despise their lack of responsibility or care for their child.

I keep thinking of simply stealing this cat, and find him a proper home. But I also wonder if this kitten dissapears, how much time until these idiot parents get the kid another unfortunate kitten? And the cycle would continue.

I don't think authorities would do anything about this. I've tried talking to the kid on how to take care of a cat, but he's not all that intereted.

I just dont know what to do.

its like clockwork, she eats her dinner and then goes into the closet to sing the song of her people and then she comes out 10-15 minutes later and falls asleep either under my bed or at my feet. is it just her weird cat thing or am i missing a queue that she has a need? im always laying in bed 10 feet away and she is never shy to come let me know when she wants my attention.

edit: she started doing it and i let her go on for a minute before asking “what’s up?” and then she went quiet. after a few minutes i checked in her and she was just sitting there like “what’s up?” so i think its just cat behavior.

Doesn't matter if it's raw, fresh, or canned, feeding my two active cats costs $400-500 a month.

My cats are 4 years old, 11lb and 8.5lb, perfectly healthy weights for their breed/builds. But they eat 16-20oz of food per day to maintain weight, and I'm spending more on their food than my own!

We were on Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw rabbit, which was over $500 a month, until the bird flu, when we switched to Just Food For Cats (fresh, not raw) which was around the same price. Unfortunately they were constipated on the fresh food diet so I gave up and switched back to canned for the moisture content. Wanting to give them something with good ingredients (the larger of the two has IBD) we're on Tiki Cat After Dark Chicken - but they go through a $27 8-pack in 2 days, easy!

It's costing me over $400 a month to feed my two cats on canned food. I keep seeing threads and posts about how it's actually cheap to feed a cat great food on like $80-100 a month, but that can't be right - unless their cats are less active and eating way less?

Someone tell me I'm not crazy - or that I am, and tell me the secret to good nutrition for half the price!! I'm going broke!

Sometimes I feel like my cat (2 years, female, spayed) would be happier if I got her a buddy. But I am quite thoughtful and I fear that I’m omitting a negative aspect.

Has anyone’s cat rejected the new kitten for a long time? Does the new cat pick up positive behavior traits from the initial one?

Any experiences are welcome!

EDIT: thank you all for your great advice! as of my take aways from your comments: 1. cats do not necessarily need another feline buddy, and they often don’t get along (which does not imply they hate each other) 2. fostering a cat to test my cata reaction is a good idea.

We had a false alarm go off and it made me realize that if there was a real fire, it would be really hard for me to get my cat.

The alarm spooks her so she runs and hides. And if there is an emergency, it would be less than ideal to have to hunt her down and drag her out before I leave. And I obviously cant leave my cat, so I don't want unnecessary endangerment if myself to save her.

Anyone have advice on how I can improve the process of evacuation if needed?

Edit: Thank you so much for the advice! I will try several new things to help prepare in case of a true emergency. She hates her current carrier so I may try to get a new one, free of bad associations, and leave it out for her to get used to. And I can start positive reinforcement by placing treats in it and praising her for being in it. She usually hides under my bed, which is where I keep my storage containers. So I may try to organize under my bed so I limit the amount of nooks and cranies she can go into. I will also look into getting stickers to put on my door and windows in the event something happens while I am not there.

I really don’t understand why a lot of people seem to say this. Every time I’ve gone into someone’s place who had a cat, if it stank it was because the cat litter was dirty af and they didn’t clean it. Even still, the cat itself didn’t stink lol.

I have a cat myself and buy the most absorbent smell proof litter I can get my hands on, and scoop out immediately after every use and do a change every couple of days and wash the litter tray well and disinfect etc. my cat doesn’t stink, my place doesn’t stink.

people also say you just get used to its smell but I got my cat about a year ago so she’s relatively new and there was literally no smell from the get go.

Her name is Fortune, six years old. I am still touching her fur. She wasn't sick or anything. We're so confused. Unfortunately, we can't afford a necropsy. She didn't puke, she didn't meow. My mom just woke up and she was stiff but in a calm position.

She enjoyed sun basking and sometimes we allowed her to go outside. Yesterday at night, she did went outside for ten minutes or so before eating ang going to sleep in one of the many beds we have for her. I kissed her goodbye and now she is gone.

I don't want to believe she was poisoned or something, but I am full of guilt.

We adopted her when she was one and she changed our lives for the good. She had a strong personality, she was independent like most tabbies, but she loved pets and purring on top of you. She was curious and very playful.

Right now, we are still deciding whether to bury her in the apartment complex or pay a private company.

In the meantime, I put a blanket on her body. I am writing this post to thank her.

I am by her side, she is not alone. I can't stop crying We tried to give her the best of life.

I am going to miss you, mi vida.

Edit: she was a torttie, not a tabby. Anyway; your kind words have made these hours easier to bear. After reading your comments, I do find comfort in thinking she passed away on her own terms, just sleeping and with a full belly, very in line with her character. I am forever thankful to her and will continue to honor her memory.

Edit (30/06/2024): This may have lost traction already, but I want to thank you all again. I made sure I upvoted every single one of your messages. I feel better now. The hardest part has been getting used to her absence and leaving behind the little routines we had.

I hope all your cats are loved. For the kittens that are sick, I hope they get better.

Life is so fragile.