"Cats and people who like them" topic

Laurieheels · 26th October 2003, 23:07

This is a topic abuot cats. Young, old, long hair, short hair...

if you do not like cats, please do not post here. This is for people who do like cats, to discuss cat behaviour, get help with problems, pick breeds for a new cat, things like that.

I suppose it could be called the cat fancier's thread.

I will start, since I chose the topic.

My mother has two kittens. My younger sister by a year has two kittens. By older sister has two cats, both adults.

So I am drawn into a cat family.

I am most familiar with my mother's two trouble making little rascles. We have a number of Danish nicknames for them. Since I cannot spell Danish words all that well, especially since the keyboard is not set up for that...

The younger is part british short hair. We thought she was a british blue, but her fur is looking a bit more like a grey smoke than the grey of that breed.

The other kitten who is a bit older is, well, he has to grow a bit more before we figure him out. Short hair, tabby markings, grey with black stripes, a white chest, not buttoned.

Both came from the shelter.

I find the older one, the male, is a suck for attention, especially when someone is at a computer. I often get meowed at, and then he needs to jump up for snuggle time, and putting his paw on the keyboard to imitate me.

So, how about your own little fluffy wonders? Share with us the strange world you've entered since deciding to take on a cat for a pet...

PJ · 26th October 2003, 23:18

I actually prefer dogs. But my girlfriend is having a cat problem that we have had some success in dealing with.

She has a 2 year old Calico. When she moved into my condo, most of the rooms had wallpapered walls. Within six months, the cat shreaded all the wallpaper that she could reach. It was an embarrassment to invite visitors over.

So I purchased a steamer and we removed all the wallpaper. Then the cat started to scratch the corners of the upholstered chairs. So we attached a scrap piece of furniture material to the corners and that prevents them from being damaged any further.

But now she has a tendency to scratch at wood furniture like dresser drawers. Does anyone have any ideas how we should deal with this? Should we have her de-clawed? After all, she is an indoor cat. We have tried a scratching post but she avoids them.

Thanks

Dr. Shoe · 26th October 2003, 23:32

Unfortunately our home is not cat compatible. We have a dog, three hamsters, a rat, three canaries and three budgies and our flat is on the fourth floor.

However, I was brought up with cats and my earliest memories included two black cats Sambo and Cindy and I vaguely remember Cindy's mother Sally.

Sambo died while we were living in Israel and Zoe replaced him. In Israel we had another cat a Tabby called Tigger who was spoilt rotten by our landlady who used to hand feed him Marmite on toast.

We lived with my grandmother for six months or so whilst our new house was under construction and so we then had Cindy, Zoe and her cat Tiddles. Zoe then gave birth to two kittens who we called Tigger after "the professor" (as our landlady called him), and Sambo after old Sam.

Sadly sambo was barely a year old when he got run over by a car but Tigger lived to the age of 16 but was almost outlived by professor Tigger who was nearly 18 when he died, a fine old age for a feline.

In the meantime I got married to a woman who was Horse and Cat mad and on our divorce we had no fewer than 27 of them!! (cats I mean, only 1 horse). Most of them were rescue cats and we were running our own rescue centre with the intention of re-homing them. 2 of them Buster and Tabitha went to my mum's and as kittens the seemed to regard Tigger who was already of advancing years as some kind of crusty old Uncle and at this time the neighbour's cat Mitsy sussed my mum out as a soft touch and so came in through the catflap with the others. Tigger thought that she was with the kittens and the kittens thought that she was with him!

About 2 years ago Tabitha died at the age of 15 and Buster is looking distinctly elderly but has been joined by my brothers cat (8 years old or so) misnamed Oscar because he thought that she was a he. Ironically, Oscar means "are you a man?" in Japanese! or so I gather.

I would love to have a house one day and get a cat or two as long as they couldn't gat at the birds or the rodents. Sam (our dog) was brought up with cats anyway and loves them dearly so he wouldn't be a problem.

Firefox · 26th October 2003, 23:54

I'm a cat person. My cats are very contented and well fed. They get all over the place. But I keep them in the kitchen when people come.

Skirted-UK · 27th October 2003, 00:59

I have always lived in a house that had a cat. I can't imagine a house without a cat. We currently have 3, but I have had as many as 7 at one stage.

Skirted-UK · 27th October 2003, 01:14

[quote="PJ"]I actually prefer dogs. But my girlfriend is having a cat problem that we have had some success in dealing with.

She has a 2 year old Calico. When she moved into my condo, most of the rooms had wallpapered walls. Within six months, the cat shreaded all the wallpaper that she could reach. It was an embarrassment to invite visitors over.

So I purchased a steamer and we removed all the wallpaper. Then the cat started to scratch the corners of the upholstered chairs. So we attached a scrap piece of furniture material to the corners and that prevents them from being damaged any further.

But now she has a tendency to scratch at wood furniture like dresser drawers. Does anyone have any ideas how we should deal with this? Should we have her de-clawed? After all, she is an indoor cat. We have tried a scratching post but she avoids them.

It sounds like this cat is bored, one of my cats will do things like this to get attention as he knows that clawing the furniture is a sure way to get himself notice.
Is your cat on it's own all day? Cats don't do well kept indoors all the time, they like to be out hunting. I know some people who keep cats indoors but they have someone with them all the time.
Have you considered fitting a cat flap?

PJ · 27th October 2003, 03:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skirted-UK

It sounds like this cat is bored, one of my cats will do things like this to get attention as he knows that clawing the furniture is a sure way to get himself notice.
Is your cat on it's own all day? Cats don't do well kept indoors all the time, they like to be out hunting. I know some people who keep cats indoors but they have someone with them all the time.
Have you considered fitting a cat flap?

In the condo live a mother and her two teenage children. The mother works full-time. The children don't work or attend school so they come and go through-out the day. However, at least one person is at home most of the time.

The mother and children do occassionally play with the cat and show it affection through hugging. But for the most part, the cat just lays around. The cat has full run of the condo and is allowed on the furniture and on the beds.

The only time the cat has been outdoors is on the condo balcony. But the cat will only go on the balcony when someone is with it. When they leave the balcony, the cat follows them. A few times that the cat was accidently locked out on the balcony resulted in panic scratching on the glass sliding door.

We can leave the front door open and yet the cat will not even venture out in the corridoor of the condo building.

You say the cat should be outdoors at least part of the time. I suspect the only way the cat will go out is for us to force it out. Is that what we should do?

Dr. Shoe · 27th October 2003, 13:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by PJ

I actually prefer dogs. But my girlfriend is having a cat problem that we have had some success in dealing with.

She has a 2 year old Calico. When she moved into my condo, most of the rooms had wallpapered walls. Within six months, the cat shreaded all the wallpaper that she could reach. It was an embarrassment to invite visitors over.

So I purchased a steamer and we removed all the wallpaper. Then the cat started to scratch the corners of the upholstered chairs. So we attached a scrap piece of furniture material to the corners and that prevents them from being damaged any further.

But now she has a tendency to scratch at wood furniture like dresser drawers. Does anyone have any ideas how we should deal with this?
Should we have her de-clawed? After all, she is an indoor cat. We have tried a scratching post but she avoids them.

Thanks

Get a scratch post, cats prefer a properly designed one from the pet shop to furniture.

High Heeled Sub · 27th October 2003, 20:24

We've got 4 dogs and 6 cats... and they all get along :D

I really like pets, they make the house feel alive, even when you're home alone...

Best wishes,

hhs

Ionic · 28th October 2003, 21:16

all your cat wants for xmas:

Go to

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3248035924

and you'll realise that ANYONE can utilise the services provided by eBay.

/Ionic ... nobody`s foil !