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CATS RULE, DOGS DROOL!


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  • 4 weeks later...

My little Pumpkin isn't so little anymore :'(

 

But what a freaking personality. Mischief and Pumpkin don't clash like they did before, she's gotten so used to him being around, but Pumpkin continues to torture the fuck out of Casper.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Came here for some cat advice.  My brother got a cat to give to his kids on Christmas, but obviously wants to wait till then to have Santa drop it off.  So in the mean time the unnammed cat is staying with me.  I do refer to it as Kit E. Kat.

 

The cats pretty great, just needs 100% attention.  This is the most social cat I've ever ran across.  When I leave the cat goes nuts for a couple seconds then seemingly spends the entire rest of the time hiding under my kitchen island / cart.  I've tried buying him a couple special toys that I'll only bring out when I leave but hes always hiding under the cart when I get back home.  I've tried leaving out the side door then sneaking in the front and the cat is just meowing sadly (or at least what I interpret as sadly) hanging out under the kitchen cart.  I've got the cat stuck quarantined in the kitchen and living room and if I go in another room the cat just waits outside the door meowing away until I come out.  I tried sleeping in my bedroom with him outside, but that didn't work so I'm now sleeping on the couch with the cap sleeping on my beard most of the night, frequently waking me up to groom my beard with his claws which I don't enjoy to much.  Basically the only time this cat isn't by my side is when he's pooping and howling away while doing so.

So anyone know how to get the cat more used to being alone a bit.  Is it normal for a kitten to get so attatched and need so much attention?  It's awesome this cats so social, and I don't want to make it more standoffish but I also don't want it to have a panic attack when I leave.

 

If you've got any advice on how to get the cat to use a scratching post that would be great because I'd like to keep my furniture.  Basically now I've just drapped blankets over all the furniture to protect it from his scratching.

 

Watching this cat is probably going to get me to pick up a cat (or probably a pair) soon.

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So anyone know how to get the cat more used to being alone a bit. Is it normal for a kitten to get so attatched and need so much attention? It's awesome this cats so social, and I don't want to make it more standoffish but I also don't want it to have a panic attack when I leave.

Whilst I'm not an expert on cats/kittens, I'd say it's just part of him growing up. Like with a normal (human) kid, you wouldn't leave them alone without any company or at least anything to do - this is the same. Obviously cats are known for being more independent then other animals, but he's at that age where he just wants to have fun. He won't freak if you're not home for a few hours or whatever, provided he has enough to keep him occupied, otherwise he'll just get curious and start playing with things you don't want him to! I once came home and one of my cats had somehow managed to pull all the dials off my oven and then hide them. Needless to say, dinner was fun...

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A couple of things that I have found helpful with new kittens. 

 

- Typically with a new kitten, I would seclude it in one room until it familiarizes itself with your environment and routine. This could help ease anxiety for both you and the new kitten. Keep it dark and cozy so that they sleep most of the time. Cats like dark small spaces which would explain why she hides under stuff. 

 

- Make them a nice warm bed to sleep in or a blanket to lay on. Every time they try to sleep on you, put them on the bed/blanket. Reinforce good behavior with treats, food or petting. 

 

- Make sure they have a stuffed toy to cuddle/play with. Make sure it's big so it seems like there is another cat with them. This will help with the anxiety of being alone all the time.

 

- Keep them as busy as possible with toys. Lots of toys are good. Tie some string to the end of a stick, make some paper balls to toss around. Cats love anything. Mine love to play with bottle caps, straws, string and anything that rolls. 

 

- Play with your kitten, feed her and then leave for work. Typically she will be so tired after playing and eating that she wont even notice you left. A good 15 minutes of playtime is recommended for cats each day. 

 

- Scratch posts are good. You can teach them to use it by dangling some string against it. They will play and scratch at the string, and thus enforcing the habit of them scratching on the scratch post instead of your furniture. Make sure to place the scratch post next to the furniture as well. This will show them that the post is for scratching, not the furniture. 

 

- I've taught my cats that when I snap my fingers or clap my hands once, they are doing something they shouldn't and they will typically stop and run away. It's important to set boundaries with pets or else they will terrorize whatever they can. Cats hate any loud sudden noises so you can clap your hands and scare them away or squirt them with some water in a spray bottle when they do something bad. I find the clapping/snapping is much better as it's easier to catch them in the act and clap my hands at them. Give them a treat when they do something good. 

 

Hope this helps a little bit. Good luck!!!

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23597312490_6569cf43a2_k.jpg20151220_193418 by rainbowtroutoctagon, on Flickr

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

Picking up a bigger stuffed toy is a great idea.  I've been trying to get him to stop nipping at me so much.  It's always super gentile but when dealing with my brothers kids in a few days that will be a bigger deal.  

 

I do have my kitchen set up as kind of a play area for him.  I've got a ribbon tied under my kitchen table to give him something to try and bat around.  I've got a few of the toy mice that I keep in there and a bird toy that sings when it move at all.  When I end up leaving or quarantining  him in there I'll hide that in a shoebox with a top that folds over.  That way he can bat around the box and hear it and try and work his to open it up.  I've also got tissue paper that I let him tear apart.  I've been trying to give him plenty of options for him to play with.  However, the only way he plays is if I'm actively playing with him.  If I give him a toy he'll play with it as long as I'm in the room with him or am actively playing with him.  The problem is when I leave the room he just sprints after me.  When I get him set up and playing in the kitchen and then close the door to keep him in there he'll almost immediately stop playing and just scratch at the door for a while.

Oddly enough, and I'm not sure why, but my brother doesn't believe in treats or catnip.  Thats been a bit of awkward trying to reinforce good behaviors.  As far as punishment, I've tried clapping but the cat doesn't really respond at all to that.  What I have done is started sprayin down areas I don't want the cat to go with a citrus oil, it does seem to keep him a bit away.  I've also wrapped exposed electrical wires I can't hide with a thick plastic coil that keeps him from being able to gnaw on it.

The cat bed seems like a good idea and if / when I get myself a pair of cats I'll make sure they have a dedicated bed/s.

 

I guess at this point I'm only a few days from Christmas and my brother picking up the cat for his kids so I'm not going to change anything now.  Realistically this cat should be awesome for a household with 5 people in it.  There should always be someone around for the cat to play with or cuddle with.

 

23264832664_fabfd07d9d_b.jpg20151219_084653 by rainbowtroutoctagon, on Flickr

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Parents brought in a stray young cat off of the street last winter (for those up north here last year, you can remember how brutal it was) since he was frail and hungry. Kept him for a while and my mum tried to find him a home in a shelter, tried to go around the whole neighborhood trying to find if someone had lost him (he was very well housebroken) - but no luck, so we just kept him, had him neutered, get shots, the whole thing. Feels like someone must have abandoned the poor soul. Here he is, a year later, a /much/ bigger and happier cat. He doesn't meow much at all, communicates almost entirely non-vocally, and is really energetic and curious (but he's probably only like 2-3 years old so that's normal, I'd expect), and he is the sweetest gosh darn thing ever. I love him so much.

 

Here's a pic of him in one of his many natural resting states

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

How did I miss this thread!? BEST. THREAD. EVER.

Here are my two boys :-)

Joe

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Colin

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Thought I'd post a little bit of news in here about Colin (above).

So it's Colin's 5th birthday today! We decided to get a picture made of him and Joe together. A lady here in the UK by the name of Elinor Geller does some great pet drawings. It arrived a week or so ago, going to get it framed up nicely.

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In addition, Colin has been pretty unwell lately. At the end of 2014 he injured his back in an accident. We think he slipped a disc. At the time he lost the use of his back legs, but over a couple of days he was walking again. Ever since then he's been dragging his legs a little when he walks. Things did improve over the summer but he's struggling more and more now.

Anyway, he's been referred to a neurologist locally to us. He may need surgery on his back, but we won't know until we see the specialist at the end of the month. Pretty nervous about it :(

On the plus side, the place he's been referred to is where a reality TV show called The Supervet is filmed. So who knows, maybe little Colin will get his 15 minutes of fame! The head surgeon there is incredible, so he's in good hands at least...

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Okay, here she is!

 

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Not the best pictures, I know.  She barely stays still!  We got her from the local humane shelter.  She's 8-12 months old and we named her Harley :).  She's incredibly loving.  The first night was pretty rough though.  I brought her to bed with us at about 1:30am, but she jumped out right away and went under our bed.  A couple minutes later she wouldn't stop meowing.  So I got her out from under the bed, but she went right back under and did the same thing.  Then I just put her outside out bedroom door and shut the door.  A few minutes after that, she started meowing again and clawing at/under the door.  So then finally I went out, picked her up, and set her down in our "movie room" (where we keep all of our blu-rays/DVD's) and shut the door there, and to our bedroom.  Ended up finally getting to sleep a little after 4:00am.

 

Any tips/tricks/ideas to stopping this?  I would feel terrible if I have to keep her secluded to that one room every night.  I'm not TOO bothered because it happened on a Saturday night when I don't have to be up for anything on Sunday.  But if this becomes a usual thing throughout the week when I have to get up for work, then it may be a problem.

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Okay, here she is!

12931301_1113990881954812_77555922979529

photo%2022_zpsehrkstm5.jpg

photo-1%206_zpsvxmkhhsg.jpg

Not the best pictures, I know. She barely stays still! We got her from the local humane shelter. She's 8-12 months old and we named her Harley :). She's incredibly loving. The first night was pretty rough though. I brought her to bed with us at about 1:30am, but she jumped out right away and went under our bed. A couple minutes later she wouldn't stop meowing. So I got her out from under the bed, but she went right back under and did the same thing. Then I just put her outside out bedroom door and shut the door. A few minutes after that, she started meowing again and clawing at/under the door. So then finally I went out, picked her up, and set her down in our "movie room" (where we keep all of our blu-rays/DVD's) and shut the door there, and to our bedroom. Ended up finally getting to sleep a little after 4:00am.

Any tips/tricks/ideas to stopping this? I would feel terrible if I have to keep her secluded to that one room every night. I'm not TOO bothered because it happened on a Saturday night when I don't have to be up for anything on Sunday. But if this becomes a usual thing throughout the week when I have to get up for work, then it may be a problem.

Exercise and play about an hour before bed. Like...until she gets worn out and comes back 3 times or so. It'll help her tire out and got to sleep. Cats are nocturnal creatures though, so keep that in mind. At some point she'll find her "spot" and hang out there more often too.
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Exercise and play about an hour before bed. Like...until she gets worn out and comes back 3 times or so. It'll help her tire out and got to sleep. Cats are nocturnal creatures though, so keep that in mind. At some point she'll find her "spot" and hang out there more often too.

That sounds like a good idea. This is the first time I've ever had a cat (or a pet in general), and my fiancée has had cats her whole life, but she's never had to really worry about taking care of them because her parents would do that. So basically this is pretty new to us. Me especially, so I'm pretty clueless on stuff like that.

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