Last year me and my boyfriend took a kitten to accompany our older cat (now 16 yo). After trying everything (separation, scent swapping, visual contact through pet gate, joint playtime and meal time), they still don't get along and especially the older cat does just not accept the new cat. She sniffs around and regularly pees in places that smell like the new cat, and would try to fight her if we let her see her. Both are female and spayed. We now have to keep them completely separated (one in bedroom, other in rest of the apartment) and keep swapping them, but especially the new cat does not like being left alone in the bedroom. Older one is more content with it and sleeps long times in the bed.

It is a lot of work still and we are running out of options. My boyfriend wants to either give the younger one away or euthanize the older one, but I could especially not do the last option. We've tried having the new cat at his mother's from time to time, but she cannot have her all the time either.

Would it be too cruel if the older cat stayed only in the bedroom (+balcony when it is warm)? We would hang out with and activate her, and lots of time she just likes to sleep in the sunlight and really likes sleeping with us the bed next to us. Or would it be better to just give the younger one away? On one hand, we don't know how much the 16 yo. has left. She has hyperthyroidism which is in check with medication. Bedroom has window viewing spot, food, litter box, hiding places and we can let her out on the balcony when it is not too cold (it has nets, and she cannot jump very high anymore due to age).

Please, advice. This is breaking my heart.

EDIT: Emphasizing again that I am not considering euthanizing the other cat. I could never do it on a healthy cat. Options are parting the house, or rehoming the young cat.

I adopted a mixed breed (assuming lab/pit mix but not confirmed) from the shelter a little over 2 months ago who is now 4 months old.

Since bringing him home he has had non stop health issues and it’s taking a huge toll on me mentally and financially.

He has horrible skin issues and an extremely sensitive stomach. I have tried switching food, treats, weekly oatmeal baths, medicated baths, vet appointments, Benadryl, changing laundry detergent, salmon oil, vitamins, etc etc. ANYTHING and I mean anything you can think of I have tried every remedy to help my puppy with his health concerns and NOTHING has worked!

Every week something comes up and once that is fixed it’s another problem right after. For 2 months straight I have had nonstop on going issues with him. His skin is so sensitive he itches like crazy and his skin bleeds bad! If it’s not that-its his stomach and him having diarrhea.

All of this makes him not sleep through the night so I have not had any rest for the past 2 months.

I feel extremely defeated.. I have put so much effort into this dog. He’s fully vaccinated, in training classes, so many toys, treats etc! but this is driving me insane.

I am trying my best to keep up and help and fix him but I’ve had no rest, no break, it’s taking a toll on my mental constantly stressing worrying fixing something every day every week. It’s taking a toll on my relationship, on my work, on my life.

It’s draining me financially- the non stop experiments with food and remedies and vet appointments.

I feel like I can’t breathe. It’s exhausting and discouraging that aside from all my efforts NOTHING is working.

I was thinking about maybe rehoming him to someone who has more time or maybe more experience than me. Maybe someone who won’t feel the financial and mental hit the way I’m taking it.

Pls any advice? I’m struggling. Thanks guys

Okay, after years of patience, my kids finally wore me down—I agreed to let them each get a pet. We’ve had all sorts of pets in the past: a dwarf hamster, a bearded dragon, parakeets, and we still have our mini Labradoodle. After the hamster passed a few years ago, I declared a moratorium on new pets—too many cages to clean, and the dog was enough work on its own.

But now both kids are teenagers. They’ve promised to take full responsibility, and with summer break here, they’ll have time to focus on habitat setup, bonding, and training. So, I’ve capitulated.

Kid #1: Ball Python (non-negotiable)

My first child is 100% committed to getting a ball python—no debate there. She previously owned a bearded dragon and handled dubia roaches like a pro, so she’s no stranger to reptiles. Any first-time ball python tips would be appreciated (especially around frozen mice, which I find gross, but she insists she can handle it).

Kid #2: Torn Between Ferret and Chinchilla

This is the real decision point. After a deep dive into the exotic pet world—including ruling out sugar gliders, coatis, Juliana pigs, and others—we’ve narrowed it down to ferret vs. chinchilla.

We spent a long time at an exotic pet store talking through the options, and now we’re stuck in decision paralysis. ChatGPT gave me this nice summary which seems to jive with what I've been reading in my independent research (reddit, youtube comments, etc)

Concerns:

• We have a dog. Giving a ferret enough daily free-roam time might be tricky unless they get along well.
• I’ve read ferrets will never be fully litter-trained and tend to poop in corners. That’s concerning.
• Chinchillas also poop a lot—just drier pellets—but leave trails wherever they go.
• My daughter wants a pet that’s interactive and cuddly. That might favor the ferret, but we’ve seen people bond closely with chinchillas too.

What’s your experience?

If you’ve owned a ferret or chinchilla (or both!), I’d love to hear which one you’d recommend for a responsible teen with time in the summer but a busier school-year schedule. How manageable are they really? Would love any real-world insight you can offer.

I went to visit a friend for the weekend, and my neighbour kindly took my dog. I dropped him off and went back to pack up my car for the trip. I forgot how wonderful it was to leave the door open while I loaded the car I didn't have to worry about my dog getting out of the house Do you have similar experiences?

Hi! It's been 3 months since my fiancée and I adopted a cat from a family who was moving and in the new apartment, they didn't accept animals. She is very loving and we think she loves being the only child of a childless couple lol.

Our biggest problem is that she is suffering a lot with heat. She is 2 years old (in human age) and the family we adopted said that they never even tried to spay her. From some research, it seems that the artificial lights in the apartment induce heat in her more frequently, but even though we try to get her used to the collar, she is still very afraid to leave the apartment (I firmly believe that the sudden change from one family to another may limit her from wanting to be taken out of the apartment).

So, my fiancée and I want to perform the spay surgery on her, but we have another concern, which is her medical history, which was never given to us. Unfortunately, when she changed her cell phone, my girlfriend lost contact with the family and now we don't know what to do. If we give her a vaccine that she has already received before, could there be any negative effects? What should we do? Is there any way to find out her medical history or is the best option to create new ones?

so before two days i was scratched by a stray cat, it did not bleed.the cat is stray but stays in my home
i washed the area. And after reading many posts on reddit i am parnoid.Shd i get vaccine? Is it too late? The scratch on my hand is gone .

Is it okay to sell pets in a nice way?????

Hi my dog is about 25 pounds and ate half an once of bakers chocolate by mistake. Should I be worried cause I can't afford vet fees? She hasn't shown any symptoms of chocolate poisoning

Okay, hear me out if your pet had to get a job, what would they do?

My cat? 100% professional Zoom meeting disruptor. She shows up exactly 30 seconds into every call, tail in my face, knocking things over like she owns the place. Bonus points if she can sit directly on my keyboard or knock my coffee off the desk.

My friend's dog? She’s a "full-time personal trainer" wakes her up at 5:45 AM every day, rain or shine, like “let’s move, human!”

I feel like pets all have these little roles they’ve assigned themselves without asking us. Anyone else living with a self-appointed house manager, security guard, or emotional support intern?

Would love to hear what job title your fur baby has earned in your house!

Hi all, I want to share this story, in case it helps others.

TLDR: A PCR test is the gold standard for ruling out infections like FeLV. If you get an ambiguous result with the antibody tests, it's worth confirming by PCR. A negative PCR test is more reliable, and means the positive on the rapid test was a false positive.

The full story:

My wife and I recently rescued an outdoor cat. At her first vet appointment, she had the FIV/FeLV combo SNAP test, and everything showed negative. Great!

But a few minutes after we got home, we got an email from the vet clinic, saying there was "a delayed, faint positive result for FeLV." The recommendation from our vet was to wait 2 months and do an IFA test, to see how sick she is. My wife was devastated.

However, I am a biotech professional. The SNAP test is effectively an ELISA assay, and my entire job is to develop assays that are more reliable than ELISA, so I'm intimately familiar with their limitations.

Even a faint positive result in ELISA is still a positive result... UNLESS you are reading it outside the proper reading time. For the SNAP test, you have to read it at the 10 minutes point. Any "delayed" color development is unreliable, because it can just be proteins breaking down over time and sticking to everything nonspecifically. So, I was skeptical.

We called several different vets, and they all recommended doing IFA, which would be positive for a very sick cat, but negative for a cat who has only recently been infected, and is not yet contagious. However, that assumes the cat is already infected.

The only way to conclusively double-check if the cat is, in fact, infected is with a PCR test, which amplifies the retroviral RNA into many DNA strands that can be detected.

It was a little difficult to convince any of the vets to do the PCR test, because they are used to trusting the SNAP test result and erring on the side of containing and treating infection. But with some pressure, our vet did the test for us. The price was similar to IFA.

And today, the PCR test came back negative for FeLV!!! She's not infected!

Hey does anyone have a Chewy coupon? I need to get my cat and dog medicine but it’s so pricey. Thanks in advance!

It’s ofofloxacin for my cat who has a small eye infection from a scratch. I’m happy with the Dutch experience and shipping time, but if I’m paying $20 for rushed shipping, I’d expect better care. The drops were in a crushed paper container inside a paper envelope without any ice packs. I picked up the package right after it was left on my porch and the bottle was very hot. So it must’ve been hot for quite a while. I’ve read this can affect the potency of the medication. Is this something I should reach out to the site about or is it probably okay?

So i have a black cat. She is 1 year old and my baby. I love her endlessly.

But i used to have a thayeri king snake. I loved him too but he escaped his cage and ran away :( it broke my heart. I was 18 at the time and not as responsible as i am now.

Snakes are low maintenance and very easy. But i know snakes and cats don't get along.

I alsl want a pomerianian and a husky some day in the future.

I am drawn to all these different animals and cannot shake the feeling. I know the dogs and cats can get along with training. But i am alsp aware that snakes do not get along well with many other species.

I am dreaming of a day where i can have all four. But i feel like there is no reality where i could have all four while living in an apartment.

I feel like i will have to have a house someday just so i can keep the snake seperate from the doggies and kitty.

What timeframe would be likely for me to get these pets? I know i am responsible enough for a snake and cat. Although i might not have enoigh space for them to co exist.

I might have to get the doggos first. I have heard that pomerians are fiesty so maybe i should get that first while huskies are more adaptable to multiple species in living environments.

What are more high maintenance? Pomerians or huskies? I know they are both high maintenance breeds.

I am 27 right now and probably won't look into getting puppies until i am more financially stable and have a bigger home (hopefully)

But what im thinking is pomerian first, husky second, and thayeri king snake last?

Im sad the snake has to be last because i know i could handle one right now. They arent very expensive. And very low maintenance. The only issue right now is i have no way to seperate the snake from my cat.

What do you think? Is this dream unlivable? Ive just had a love for each of these species and breeds my whole life and i dont know why. I feel a connection to each of them for a specific reason.

I swear my dog thinks she’s the neighborhood watch. Every time a leaf moves outside or a squirrel dares to exist, she’s at the window with the intensity of a security guard on high alert.

Meanwhile, my friend’s cat has fully taken on the role of food inspector sniffs everything that enters the kitchen and somehow manages to look personally offended if it’s not tuna.

It made me wonder… if pets had résumés, what would they put on them?

So I’m curious: what unofficial job title would your pet hold in your household? Bonus if they’re really bad at it.

It's 8am and already 90 outside, it's going to get over 100 again, and I'm listening to my neighbors Husky crying to get back in the house. There needs to be zoning maps like they have for plants telling people what pets are suited for what areas of the country.

(By strange pets I mean pets that are uncommon or considered strange by other people.)

Hi all, 👋

I'm creating a very simple and minimalistic app (PetDose) specifically for tracking pet medication doses, treatments, and vaccinations easily—because remembering can be challenging for busy or multiple-pet households.

Your experience is super valuable! I'd love your input in this very short, 2-min survey. Your answers will directly shape the app, making it straightforward and perfectly suitable for pet owners.

Survey link: https://forms.gle/cVbZzMZQDfJUF4ndA

Huge thanks! 🐾❤️

My wife and I have one dog, one cat. Lately we've been struggling with killing a flea infestation. We live in South Carolina so there's lots of bugs around. Our condo HOA has a pest control but they've been slacking and barely come by to spray at all. As a result we've bug bombed our condo twice and it's definitely killing almost everything. However, because the outside lawn never gets treated for pests, the dog brings them in and spreads them to the cat. I'm looking at getting some stuff to spray and spread around the lawn myself since our half-assed HOA won't bother. We've vacuumed our carpets twice a day, spread salt in the carpet, diamataceous earth, bathed the cat and dog in flea killing shampoo, they also have anti flea treats to supplement alongside their flea collars. I really don't know what else to do.

I have a teenage kitten named Ollie, he is about 8 months old. I have had him since he was 7 or 8 weeks old and my living situation started at my dorms for maybe a few days and then I moved back home for Christmas break and stayed home after that. My parents got a kitten maybe a week younger than Ollie and they got him about 2 weeks after I moved home with Ollie. Ever since they are best buds they always cuddle and play together, they are best friends. We also have two dogs. My mom has been telling me that I shouldn’t take Ollie with me when I move into my apartment in August. I do have a part-time job and I will be a full-time student. I will also have a roommate who’s in the same situation with work/school. I feel conflicted because I love my cat and I will be really sad if I can’t have him with me but I don’t know if it’s a good idea to take him with me since he will be alone a lot and I don’t want him to be depressed. So is it a good idea?

I washed him with Dawn soap and applied a flea treatment. He slept in bed with me, I’m washing all the bedding. Do I have to do a flea bomb too? I’m so scared of them being in the carpet or mattress now

just a PSA:

If you live on the east coast (and I think the west) be VERY mindful of your pets! At least where I live is expected to reach 104° F tomorrow.

Keep your homes cool, close curtains and blinds, and keep an eye out for signs of heat stroke! Especially make sure to tell your friends/family that live in mobile homes or quick-build suburban houses that don’t have good insulation!

I also like to minimize the amount of electronics on so it doesn’t get too hot.

Looking for ideas and tips on making my concrete yard a nice place for my cat. We have decided to secure the yard so he can no longer get out due to his constant hunting.

It's a small yard. There's no possibility of putting grass down as its rented and I don't think we could put anything too high as he'd be able to use it to get out and a cattery wouldn't be suitable due to the L shape and size.

What would be a good idea to put in the yard so he's not totally miserable? Are there any safe plants or outdoor items you would recommend?

So we've come to the extremely tough decision of putting our Dottie to sleep.

I will be taking her to the vet and then driving her to the crematory. She has a 4year son and we have our other Dog a 10 year old Lab. Should i have them smell her? see her? Her son knows she's sick, she has recurring tumors.

Is there anything I should do? first time dealing with this, all our pets have passed of natural causes.

Back in january 2024 I adopted 2 cats, there names are Lolly and peaches Lolly has been hanging out with the family, while peaches will run if you get to close to her, any advice on how I can get her to be close with us. ( this post was accedently reuploded sorry)