# Few non-urgent questions



## XChibi (May 19, 2004)

Hey everyone!
New here and just thought I'd ask the rest of you kitty fans some questions that I have been curious about.

I have a domestic short hair and have been curious lately as to if there is anyway to determine what breed(s) he might be? I looked at a few pictures of other pure breeds just to get an idea of what he might be a mix of and he looks closest to a Burmese. 
Here are some pics of him as a baby and more recent:
http://www.strike9.com/file.ashx?path=/ ... ze/Me3.jpg
http://www.strike9.com/file.ashx?path=% ... ofess2.jpg
I'm sure their is no scientific way to go about this :lol: Maybe you guys can give your personal opinions as to what you think he may be? 

Also, I was reading through some topic about someone's cat vomitting and some other chatters suggested it may be because of eating too fast. My kitty has been throwing up about 5 times a month, today he threw up two times, so I fear it's getting worse. I first wasn't sure if it was hair balls or actual vomit, but now I'm positive it's actually vomit. So, is there anyway to actually get your pet to eat slower? 

Lastly, do any of you have luck giving your kitties baths? :lol:
I tried so many ways of trying to bath him and he meows like bloody murder and gives me those big, sad eyes before I even touch him with the washrag. (Then of course I feel like a terrible 'mommy' and reward the little piggy with tons of treats when I'm done 'torturing' him) One thing that seemed to work in the begging was the bucket method but he seems to dislike that now. *Sigh* I thought I had something going there, too. *Snaps fingers* Drats.

Thank you all very much for your time I really appreciate any feed back whenever you get a chance  
~XChibi


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## BoscosMum (Apr 29, 2004)

Sorry I cant help with the breed? 
Looks like a beautiful black cat to me!

I do not give my cat baths...I just give him a weekly comb out!


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## XChibi (May 19, 2004)

Aw thank you for the comment! 

I try to brush him once or twice a week but sometimes he just really gets tons of dandriff so I have to give him a bath. Usually I get a wet washrag and just pet him with it..but he just needs a REALLY good bath every twice a month.


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## Padunk (Oct 20, 2003)

Your cat is very pretty, it looks just like my brother's cat in fact. (My brother claims his cat is half-burmese.) Since you're without papers, there's no real way to tell, I suspect it's a domestic shorthair (DSH). You did a nice job taking that second picture because solid black cats are very hard to photograph.

There may be no way to have the cat eat slower, but you can decrease the amount of food you give per each meal. (while increasing the number of feedings of course.)

I have no luck giving my kitties a bath. Sometimes when their paws get gross in the litterbox I wash their paws off in the sink and they go ballistic. I use those kitty "wet-naps" and a powdered shampoo that you brush into their fur to keep my cats fresh and clean. :wink:


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## XChibi (May 19, 2004)

Thank you for the comment  
The second picture was actually taken in PetsMart by a proffesional photographer. I know what you mean about black cats hard to photograph. I need every shade open in the house and all the lights on to take a good clear picture of him. :lol: 

Yup, he is a little domestic short hair. I was just curious as to what he was "made up" of. (*Not that makes a difference, ofcourse. I'll still love him to pieces regardless.*) 

I guess there is a good chance then that he may be a burmese if he looks like your brother's cat and his cat is claimed to be a burmese. 

I'm worried cause my mom is going to take Chibi to the vet tomorrow and make him go through some testing just cause he vommited. But if it's just a matter of eating slowly I wouldn't want him to go through so much. He's just a baby  (*Well..ok..a big baby :lol: *)

Ooh wow what are these "wet naps" and powdered shampoo you speak of? You sprinkle the cat with the powder and wash it off? Never heard of these products! I would love to try them

Thanks so much!


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## brite (Feb 27, 2004)

giving Tyra & Tyson a bath is challenging. It takes 2 people -- and to protect ourselves, my bf and I wear ski jackets and rubber gloves (the kind for dishwashing) and then use big bowls to dump the water on them to get them wet and to rinse off the shampoo.

then i chase them around trying to dry them off with a towel and that's quite amusing. once they're done licking themselves clean, they get treats and everything goes back to normal


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## Padunk (Oct 20, 2003)

XChibi said:


> Ooh wow what are these "wet naps" and powdered shampoo you speak of? You sprinkle the cat with the powder and wash it off? Never heard of these products! I would love to try them.


These are the wetnaps that I buy. 

This is the powder shampoo I get. Just sprinkle it on their coat and brush them until the powder is gone. It makes them smell like baby powder for a few days. :wink:

These products don't replace an actual bath, but I think they make kitty need a bath a whole lot less often.


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## BoscosMum (Apr 29, 2004)

I suppose that any spec of dandruff really shows off on black cats!  
I am no expert on cat nurtrition...but I would recommend reading around the threads about cat food...I suspect that bad bad dandruff may also be 
related to diet? Did you know that when cats eat wet food, they actually will drink more water...which in turn keeps the urinary tract alot healthier!

I myself am just learning about this...I just think that is cool!


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## XChibi (May 19, 2004)

brite said:


> giving Tyra & Tyson a bath is challenging. It takes 2 people -- and to protect ourselves, my bf and I wear ski jackets and rubber gloves (the kind for dishwashing) and then use big bowls to dump the water on them to get them wet and to rinse off the shampoo.
> 
> then i chase them around trying to dry them off with a towel and that's quite amusing. once they're done licking themselves clean, they get treats and everything goes back to normal


Lol! Wow what an effort. I hate having to dry Chibi cause he runs all over, then plops just far enough so I have to move to reach him. He repeats this process over and over. I don't think I am up to that much of a task for giving him a bath. You must put a lot of work into giving 'em one. I find it ironic how when I am done giving Chibi a bath my clothes are more wet than he is.  

The lady at the pet salon said cats actually like taking baths but they don't want to give into the temptation :roll:


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## XChibi (May 19, 2004)

Oh thanks Padunk!
I will definately consider trying out the wetnaps. Don't know about the powder because I haven't seen it in stores and don't know how Chibi will react to powder. Hehe. But thank you very much 

BoscosMum:
Yup it sure does show up. Usually its not bad at all, but during this season the vet said a lot of cats' dandruff conditions really get worse. So, everyonce in a while if we don't give him a bath his dandruff comes up and then he is in dire need of one good cleaning.
When he was little his fur was terrible because of the poor food the humane society was feeding him. We give him Science Diet now and his fur improved so much! So happy *tear* Diet indeed plays a big part in coat condition 
And I didn't know that about the urinary track! Thanks for sharing that 
Unfortunately we don't feed Chibi too much wet food. He gets it every once or twice a week at "dinner", otherwise its dry food for him.


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## drjean (Jan 6, 2004)

Handsome cat! Of course I have a real soft spot for black cats.

He does not look at all Burmese to me; purebred Burmese have very round heads, big round eyes, and are typically quite small. However, they say that most solid black cats are part Siamese somewhere in their heritage. I did once see a whole family of cats that came in for spay/neuter (a little late, but at least they were there!)--two solid black parents, and 3 gorgeous seal-point Siamese kittens. It was quite something to see!

Most cats don't need to be bathed, unless they get into something icky. Personally I prefer keeping my fingers attached to my hands, in the order God put them, rather than risk bathing my rowdy crew! 

Cheers,
Dr. Jean


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## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

I just wanted to comment about the dandruff. My cat Cleo is also black and used to have fairly bad dandruff. I have had wonderful success with her, however, by switching the food combined with weight loss. She was obese to start with (14 lbs) and now that she is 10 lbs, she doesn't have a speck of dandruff on her. If your kitty is slightly overweight, even a small weight loss will make it easier to clean his back. Now that Cleo is skinny enough to reach her back, the dandruff is gone.

Also, I have switched her onto a top quality wet food which has made a world of difference. The added water content, I feel, causes her skin to be less dry. Although Science Diet is okay, there are better foods out there. I used to feed Science Diet dry and Cleo still had dandruff.


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## XChibi (May 19, 2004)

*Siamese?*

Wow never thought Chibi would be at all related to Siamese
Didn't look that much like one to me
I heard black cats were slaughtered terribly at one point in time cause they were considered evil so its hard this day to find a black cat without even a little spot of white or something. Course Chibi's brother was all a shade of black, but it looked kind of gray...anyway!

Yes Chibi is 14 pounds ...very..very hefty kitty.. He needs to go on a diet..though I'm not exactly sure how... All the vets I've spoken to said that its good to leave food out constantly for Chibi
I guess for him to diet we would need a set schedule of times for him to eat?
If you don't mind me asking, which wet food brands do you use *queen of the nile*?
We give Chibi all dry food except when we have dinner ..then he gets half a can of Science Diet wet food. 

Thanks for all your feedback everyone!
~XChibi


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

My last black cat had the conformation, the voice, and the personality of a Siamese. That's how I happened to buy Siamese cats. I missed all of that!


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## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

XChibi - right now I am feeding eaglepack. Other good wet foods I've heard of are Felidae, Wellness, Innova, Natural Balance and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. A food that is also good, and apparently cheaper, is Nutro Natural Choice. The best thing to do, however, is to educate yourself on what goes into a healthy cat food and then make the decision yourself. 

Here is a great article by drjean that can get you started!
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=004

And another extolling the virtues of wet cat food.
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=whycatsneedcannedfood

The reason I didn't like Science Diet was that I was told by my vet to switch to a better food to get my kitties to lose weight. I originally fed them Costco brand (el-cheapo) and they GAINED weight on Science Diet. Grrr... Also, Science Diet contains corn and by-products that are not preferred in a good food. You might as well get good quality food if your going to be paying the money anyway :wink: . Switching to wet food makes weightloss much easier because it contains less calories while still making your kitty feel full.

I feed my kitties in meals. They get 3 meals a day - 8 am, 4 pm and 11 pm. Each cat gets about 1 - 5.5 oz can of cat food split between the 3 feedings. I can't tell you how much of a difference a small weight loss will make. Chibi will be happier and healthier. My cats race around all the time now, even though the eldest is about 8 yrs and my youngest is 3 years. They are SO playful now that they have shed the pounds. I'm really stressing trying to get Chibi to lose weight because I would have never known the difference 2 lbs could make in my kitties lives! They are completely new cats now (better of course :wink: ).


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## BoscosMum (Apr 29, 2004)

Queen of the Nile? How long did it take your cat to lose 4 pounds?


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## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

It took them a year to lose 4 lbs each. It would have gone a lot faster, but I wasn't very diligent for the first 6 months. A good weightloss to aim for is 1/2 lb a month. I don't think you would want the weightloss to be much more rapid than that because the cat can get fatty liver disease. It was really easy as soon as I realized that my portions were all wrong and that I was feeding too much. Also, my kitties were less hungry and begged less when they were switched completely to wet food.


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## BoscosMum (Apr 29, 2004)

Hmmmm??? Bosco weighs almost 17 pounds now. He was 15 when I adopted him...so he has gained weight in my care. I want so bad for him to weigh 12 pounds or so. (since I gotta help him clean his rear end)
Did your cat get runny poo from the wet food? Bosco and runny poo 
do not agree!


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## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

No, their poo has actually been more solid because they can use more of the nutrients from wet food than dry. Since Bosco is 17 lbs I would really recommend the weight loss. At that weight you have to start worrying about diabetes  . When Cleo was overweight, I also had to clean her rear end because she would leave streaks on the carpet ==> . After losing about 2 lbs, she was more able to clean herself.


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## fbodgrl (May 10, 2004)

I have 2 all black cats. My overweight one has the dandruff problem. She has had it for years. Sometimes its better and sometimes worse. I tried putting that oil (lanitone or something?) on her food years ago. She used to pick through and spit out the kernals with oil. It was kinda funny to watch. For the last couple of years I have been using a spray they sell at the pet store for dry skin. I put it on when I brush her and it cuts down on the dandruff.

I'm getting ready to switch to a wet food diet for weight loss so I am hoping to see an improvement in her coat too.



Queen of the Nile.......how to you manage to get your catsd to not eat the others food? I just started giving wet food and the bigger cat goes back after the other 2 have left and eats whats left. I'm afraid to pick up the dishes when the other two leave.....beacause what if they didn't eat enough? I guess this may come from free feeding for years.


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## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

I feed the slow kitty first, and that gives her a few seconds head-start :lol: . Then I have to sit there and watch them. If I'm really busy, I will either feed them as I eat breakfast, so that I can monitor their activity, or feed them in the computer room as I check my email, or in the bathroom as I get ready... This is needed for my kitties, because the largest will just push the others out of his way when he is done his portion :roll: .

Your kitties however, actually finish and then leave, right? That means they are done for now. What I usually do in that situation is wrap up their leftovers and feed them a snack at lunchtime. If you are not able to be home all the time, however, just pick up their food and feed them again the next meal time. The kitties will have to adjust to the new schedule. Soon, they will realize that meals come several times a day and that they can't just eat whenever they want.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I changed my cats to at least 1/2 canned food, and I'm not free feeding any more either. After they eat their canned portion, I put a half cup of dry in the bowl to share. I have to supervise the canned food though, because I also have one thin cat and one overweight cat. However, I am noticing a HUGE difference in the litter box. It is a Littermaid, and is being strained to capacity since I made canned food a regular part of their diet. The clumps are really big, and the box needs to be cleaned more often. I wish I had the mega xize now. I have the small and the medium sizes now. They're a great help.


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## fbodgrl (May 10, 2004)

Thanks. I was just thinking of switching to the littermaid too. I scoop once a day and have two boxes, but its alot


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## BoscosMum (Apr 29, 2004)

queen of the nile,

Why are litterbox clumps larger now? (dont laugh)


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## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

More water in = more water out :lol: . Cats that eat wet food take in about twice the water of cats that eat dry. Even though they produce more urine, this is a blessing because the urine is more dilute. This decreases the chance of UTIs and urinary stones because the urine is more dilute.


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## KittyCute (May 23, 2004)

I used to have a kitty when I was in Intermediate school and he always vomited after he ate. Someone suggested raising the bowl off the ground about 6 inches on a box of some sort. At least high enough where he is not lying down and eating and he is more at a sitting position eating. This totally solved the problem. You may want to try it, it may work for your problem too.

Good Luck.

Can't help out on the breed . . . for I have 2 black cats myself-- I just like to think of them as special. . .heheh.


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## XChibi (May 19, 2004)

*Back!*

Hey everyone, 
I just got back from a stressfull week of final exams and a new job 
I just read all the new messages and have to thanks everyone for their feedback and especially queen of the nile for all her dieting suggestions for Chibi. I really worry about the little guy. My friend has a cat that is one big hair ball of weight with a little head and little legs and the cat seems to struggle a lot. 

I will attempt to put Chibi on a wet food diet, but my mom might not go for it. See, she has to clean Chibi's bowl after he finished his wet food and it goes dry. She also wants the bowls cleaned in the morning, afternoon, and before we go to bed... so that'll be a lot of bowl cleaning if we have purely wet food, and my mom really doesn't believe not following the Vet's suggestions. He said always leave some food out and dry food is healthy for their teeth. So it'll be conflicting to her if I ask "Can we put Chibi on a mostly-all wet-food diet?" 

That seems to be a problem, the wet food we buy (Science Diet and Whiskas I believe) dries out really quickly and sometimes Chibi will just lick the gravey and leave the meat... (I think he just likes to be hand fed...) 

Oh, and KittyCute :
I don't know how much I can raise his food bowls because if I raise it too high, the dishes and bowls are pretty deep so I don't know if he'll be able to get his mouth in the bowl.. I will definately try though
I'll go to a craft store and buy those little wooden tables.

Oh ..and about the ..uh..larger poo.... I hope they don't hurt Chibi when coming out hehe :lol: He might then hate me further for putting him on that diet!

Thanks Again!
~XChibi


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## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

XChibi, I'm glad you found all this information useful! The poop on wet food actually should be smaller, but the urine clumps will be bigger. As for the dish thing, you can buy small glass dishes in packs of 4 really cheap at Superstore and other large food places. That way, you would just have to wash the dishes once a day  . (That's what I do anyway).

Maybe you can get your mom to read that article on wet food?
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=whycatsneedcannedfood
You could let your mom know that it was written by a vet that has done a lot of research on feline nutrition. Most vets only get 4 hours of training on animal nutrition during their entire schooling. Maybe that would help her change her mind :? ? Good luck :wink: .


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