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Rae rae View Profile |
Cat question? kind of long story..
this is an old pic of my cat sasha. i’ve already told the story on here before of how we got her from the spca and she was a hurricane rescue. well she had a home, and was never abused or abandoned, the woman who had her couldn’t care for her anymore because most of her things were destroyed by the hurricane. (or at least that’s the story we got). well, my husband (we weren’t married at the time) got her when we were first dating. we brought her back to his apartment with all of her new things. she hid for the first few weeks or so. then, she would come out and be seen, but would never come to you for attention. she would always sit under the coffe table or end tables. she has never really been aggressive. we’ve always been able to give her a bath, clip her nails, etc. she doesn’t like to be held, or to sit in your lap. then, we got an apartment together once we became engaged. we aquired 2 more dogs. she was boss over the dogs, even though they are a pit bull and a german shepherd, lol. i of course raised everyone to get along. they don’t mess with her and she doesn’t mess with them. her personality is still the same at this point, about a year later. we lived in that apartment for about a year and then my "fiancee" at the time broke up. i moved out with one of the dogs. after 2 months we got back together (with a lot of begging and pleading from him lol), so i moved back in. the apartment complex then kicked us out. my husband is a cop and we had a courtesy officer’s apartment. they didn’t want that anymore....so....we both moved back in with our parents. we had aquired a third dog by that point. my parents allowed me to bring one dog and my lizards with me. my husband was allowed the other two dogs. neither parents would let us bring sasha. my good friend said she would keep her for me until we found our house to move into. she stayed with my friend, who had one other cat, for six months before we found a house. she still had her same personality while she stayed there. she hid most of the day, and did not like my friend’s cat at all. she has always hated other cats. we finally found a house and all became reunited again. we got married almost a year ago and have a nice happy family going on.... the family consists of mostly animals, lol. so all together we’ve had sasha for about 3 and a half years now.... i think lol. only in the past few months has she become extremely affectionate. it’s really puzzling as to why she has changed all of a sudden. she NEVER got on any furniture before but now always sleeps on the back of the couch or in the bed with us. she always used to hide when strangers came over but now she runs to them and demands attention. she never ever used to meow. now she meows when she’s hungry or wants attention. she sits in my lap now and demands for me to love her, which i guess is kind of an honor with her. she still lets me cut her nails and bathe her if i want to. i’m just wondering what’s her little brain thinking? i know dogs and the psychology of dogs like the back of my hand but cats are still a mystery to me sometimes. why all of a sudden has she become so social and sweet? we have lived in this house for a year now and it’s only within the past few months she has come out of her shell. i guess my main question is.... is it just that she’s completely comfortable now? if so, why wasn’t she comfortable for the two years we had her at the apartment? the only thing about her routine that has changed is the fact that she’s on a strict diet now. she was actually really fat.... her picture doesn’t give that justice lol. the vet said she needed to lose some weight so i gave her a strict feeding plan. maybe it’s because from losing weight she feels better and has more energy or something? i don’t know. what’s everyone’s opinion on this? |
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| 04/16/09 01:22am |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 1986756 Cat question? kind of long story..
When you lived in an apartment, the dog smell must have been through the roof. If she was territorial towards the dogs and ’put them in their place’, then hid all the time, there’s a chance that she had no room to claim as her own and was put off by the dogs, the air of the room, and the people she was unfamiliar with. To adopt a cat who’s already unfamiliar with you, then introduce two large dogs, you are only adding to the complexity of emotions that the cat already had. Upon moving to a house and away, you gave her more room and, therefore, a place to claim as her own. With more territory and less dog in her face, she had room to open up. The other part of this is, of course, passing her along. Cats remember things very strongly. She may have been upset that she was abandoned and thrown in a cage in the first place, even traumatized by loosing her territory and place of home in the hurricane zone. She did not want to immediately warm up to someone she never knew in a small place that she was unfamiliar with. However when you had your multiple breakups and gave her to a friend, the cat would have realized that she was abandoned a second time and taken away from a home she was only starting to get use to. The other cats probably knocked her around a bit as well. Upon seeing you, part of her past territory, the second time, the cat clung to you and was grateful that you didn’t get rid of her, that you were still around. When being ’abandoned’ a second time, all she wanted was to find something that she was familiar with in the past. The familiarization was concerning you and your husband. I hope that helps. Cats can be aloof creatures. You need to keep in mind that they need something, perhaps a room or floor of the house, to claim as their own. They remember things very keenly and can have a hard time loosing something, wether that be a friend, an owner, or a territory. |
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| 04/16/09 12:26pm |
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Rae rae View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1986982 Cat question? kind of long story..
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| 04/16/09 11:59pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 1987401 Cat question? kind of long story..
I’m 100% sure I can train him out of this behavior, but I have no idea how to go about it. |
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| 04/17/09 12:06pm |
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Rae rae View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1987622 Cat question? kind of long story..
anyway, about your corgi, this is very fixable. it’s natural for him to defend his territory against the intruding german shepherds next door. one thing to realize is what you’re doing when you call him back. if you call him back and give him a treat.... you’re rewarding his behavior and therefore reinforcing him to do it again. never pet, praise, or give a treat when he’s doing unwanted behavior. what i would do if i were you in that situation is a verbal correction. now i don’t mean screaming no at him. i mean a short but very firm, "out!!!" or i actually use the command "aaahh!!". when i say that my dogs know i mean business and come back and sit in front of me. removing them from the situation isn’t a good idea either because you have to have him in the situation to be able to correct it. if the verbal commands don’t seem to be working, there’s another method. take him on a long walk (at least 30 minutes). and this walk isn’t for him to sniff everything or pee everywhere. this is a structured mentally challenging walk. he has to be beside you or behind you but not in front of you. he needs to be focused on you, and where you’re going rather than everything in the neighborhood. it’s fine for him to look at things but not be focused or try pulling you to his interests. A KEY TO A PROPER WALK- HAVE THE COLLAR AT THE VERY TOP OF HIS NECK INSTEAD OF ON THE BOTTOM OR IN THE MIDDLE!!!! i can’t stress enough how much this makes a difference. if you have his collar at the top of his neck (like they do with show dogs) it makes him keep his head up and looking ahead. also, it’s the weakest part of their neck so they can’t pull you so much. when you have the collar on the middle or bottom of their neck, that’s the strongest part and they can pull you for days...even on a choke or prong collar (i’ve seen dogs do it). now, after the intense walk take him in the backyard up to the german shepherds with him still on the leash. if he goes after them, give him a quick swift tug on the leash, along with your verbal command of no, out, or aahh. when you tug, it’s important to tug to the side, not back. when you pull back on a leash it makes them go forward even more. pulling them to the side makes him snap out of it, and that’s what you’re wanting. have some treats with you....and this could take a while. keep going with your routine, as long as it takes, and when he finally reaches submission around the german shepherds.... that is he listens to you and is completely calm, give him a big reward; treats, praise, etc. this won’t change in a day. it takes a lot of patience. one more key.... don’t ever be aggrivated or mad or any kind of negative feelings when doing the training. the dogs pick up on that and won’t listen to you. good luck and let me know how it goes. |
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| 04/27/09 07:03pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 1994166 Cat question? kind of long story..
The act of grabbing his collar, touching his neck, or pulling his leash sets him off. Instead of paying attention to me, he for some reason uses that as a queue to execute his intentions. I’ve even forcefully made him submit and it doesn’t do diddly, no matter how long he’d held to the ground (and getting him to the ground is another problem altogether, due to his no-legged anatomy.) I feel that the only way to get him to change out of this is to train him, distract him, rework him so he reacts positively to a completely different command. Lately someone told me I should train him to stand behind my leg at a command every time he sees another dog. That would theoretically and naturalistically put me in charge of the situation. I have no idea how to go about doing this. |
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| 04/27/09 07:53pm |
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Rae rae View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1994206 Cat question? kind of long story..
1. take him on the long, proper walk. make sure he’s not sniffing every tree and bush, but he needs to be just in a following mode and focused on you. this mental exercise begins before you leave the house. do not put the leash on him while he’s excited. wait him out and ignore him for as long as it takes. once the leash is on, do not let him leave the house while he’s excited. and make sure he calmly walks out of the door AFTER you do still while being calm. 2. after your vigerous walk, bring him back into the house. make sure you’re the first one in the door. give him water in case he’s too hot. and this is where we begin to prepare to go out back with the shepherds. take him to the door that leads to the other dogs, and wait him out until he’s calm. make sure you’re out the door before he is. at the FIRST sign of him becoming anxious, nervous, or aggressive, stop immediately. say no, aahh, out, whichever you choose and make him sit. do not walk again until he’s calm. 3. you will make your way across the yard to the shepherds and just keep doing the same exercise over and over. the key is consistency. if you make him mind one day, and let him to run at the dogs the next day this will never work. it just isn’t allowed from here on out. if he gets set off by one of your corrections, do not give in. do not walk forward, but make him submit to you (being calm) before you move forward. this can be with a couple pops of the leash along with a verbal command. i’ve learned that when a dog does reach the high level and is in the zone of wanting to attack, any talking just makes things worse. that’s why i use the simple aahh to snap them out of it. if you yell or shout at this time it will only fuel his fire. 4. you may not actually make it to the fence the first day, and this is okay. this takes time. as long as you’re seeing some progress each time then we’re fine. heck, the first day you may only make it out the door and not even into the yard, but that’s okay. just remember to never end the session with him winning. always end the session in a position where he is calm and submissive. he has to be in the right state of mind when things end. 5. one method i learned from someone on here is a spray bottle. this can actually be used in all kinds of situations. it doesn’t work if your dog doesn’t mind being sprayed. it doesn’t work for my shepherd mix because when he sees the water bottle he runs to it wanting me to spray him in the face...he’s weird lol. it did work for a dog that i rescued that had extreme fears and bit me pretty good. if you feel like you’re becoming overwhelmed and you want to yell or you’re becoming angry...carry a water bottle with you, and just spray him only when he’s doing the unwanted behavior. all in all, he doesn’t see you as someone he has to listen to in all situations. when the neighbors dogs are concerned he makes his own rules. he doesn’t sound like a hard student but he is probably pretty stubborn as well. another tip; remember that dogs aren’t deaf.... by this i mean if he begins to act up wanting to go after the dogs and you tell him to sit... if he doesn’t sit don’t keep telling him over and over to sit. he isn’t deaf and he hears you and knows what you want. after the second time of telling him the command is when you make him do it. push his butt down and make him sit. now i wouldn’t tell you to do this if when you said he lashes out you mean at you. if there’s any worry there at all he will bite you then do not do this, because when a dog is in that zone a touch from you can make him bite, especially if you’re pushing on him and demanding something. highlights; always end the session with you as the winner. never ever train when you’re not feeling calm and in control. exercise before any training. hope i helped. keep me updated on how things are going. i’m not a big computer finatic, but i will eventually see your message lol! just know i’m not ignoring you! |
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| 05/01/09 09:53pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 1996603 Cat question? kind of long story..
He wont bite me; he only lashes out at dogs in specific situations, like when I grab his collar or tug his leash, then the German shepherds all the time. If he was biting people or lashing out at me, I’d be paying a behaviorist for more immediate help. I’m normally a very melo person, but I do get ’Post-traumatic stress disorder’ anxiety attacks, and I will admit that they have been more frequent as of late. That may be what part of the problem is. I think a longer walk would help the both of us. What about walking him on the treadmill? I put him on it to help him keep his weight down, but would it work mentally as well or would normal outdoor walks be the only way? I’ll take your advice and work with the walks and practice sessions. He’s been charging my doorwall/window that leads to the backyard aggressively every time he sees the two shepherds as well. I really want to fix that as well. I’m going to try your methods (though the neighbors only let the Shepherds out at random, so I always know they’re out when he freaks at the door), but is there any special tactic for indoors? An update on the progress will be forthcoming. |
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| 05/02/09 12:19am |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1996668 Cat question? kind of long story..
Hopefully it will show up. I took it back when it was -20F outside and he had to wear dog boots. He looks miserable. |
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| 05/02/09 12:21am |
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Rae rae View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1996670 Cat question? kind of long story..
about the indoor aggression; try the water bottle first. if he has already reached a 10 on the aggression scale the water might not even phase him. then try body blocking. make sure you stand up straight and proud and really focus on your state of mind. (this is what i do with my dogs) get in between him and the window and keep body blocking moving him away and saying your verbal correction. don’t do too much talking here because it can intensify the situation. i know he probably doesn’t stand in one spot and moves all around. just be patient and keep blocking him as long as he does it. don’t give up in this situation. if you give up here, it will make him stronger mentally and reinforce him to do it again and again. just make sure at the end of every session it ends with you as the winner...the dominant one. keep me updated. |
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| 05/02/09 08:21pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 1997203 Cat question? kind of long story..
Yeah, I had no real choice in the matter on the treadmill thing. Yuki was overweight last year and I needed to fix that. He figured it all out on the first day. I’ll re-state what I said before, since it might give you future ideas on how I could handle this: he’s a very smart herding dog and well-trained outside of the territorial aggression towards the other specific dogs. He knows a ridiculous amount of commands in voice, sound (’shi’ is sit, ’hua’ is down, ’saa’ is stay, etc), whistle, and sign language. He reacts to the silent hand signals the best. I’m sure I could teach him more, and while he can do the commands for anyone, he only takes me seriously. This is a dog that is his happiest when he’s working for me. Yet it’s clear he’s disrespecting me by not listening to me completely when he reacts to the other dogs, and it’s clear I’m doing something wrong in handling it. I’ve read all you’ve said and I’m trying out your ideas. Today I was able to get him to lay down by the doorwall, though he still paid attention to the dogs. I can also get him to sit on the porch and ignore the shepherds completely if he can only hear them. The second he sees them is a different story, of course. He also looked at me confused when I stepped on the other side of the doorwall and stood between him and the dogs. =P I was wondering about positive reinforcement. When would be a good time to show positive reactions? It doesn’t make sense that he’ll learn anything if all I do is give him corrections. |
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| 05/02/09 09:01pm |
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Rae rae View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1997244 Cat question? kind of long story..
but anyway, the positive reinforcement can be anything you want, just make sure it’s only when he is in the perfect state of mind. remember that when you give him love, treats, etc, you’re nurturing whatever state of mind he is in at that moment because dogs live in the moment. good luck and keep up the good work. |
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| 05/03/09 09:21pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 1997985 Cat question? kind of long story..
I learned today that the neighbors finally fixed their male German shepherd. They decided Geo’s on-going territorial, marking, and mounting behavior was not worth making puppies out of him with. This was very good news. I did what you said and, while the shepherds were out, I put Yuki on a leash and took him out the front - which is a porch leading to a walkway leading to the driveway. The neighbor’s dogs were over 20 feet away. I had to continually put Yuki through that doorway until he got the idea and stopped reacting immediately. It was funny. He sat and acted absolutely fine when he was inside the house, even while the shepherds were freaking out, then he lunged and such the SECOND he stepped onto the porch. After about ten tries, he sat and laid down (by command) on the porch and completely ignored the shepherds, instead paying full attention to me. He shifted right into work mode. I then slowly walked him down the path. He was fine half the time and sat, went down, for me. After a few minutes he started breaking out of his mode and reverting back to his lunging and growling behavior. I bodyblocked, at one time held his mouth where he immediately paid attention to me and went into submission, and it was a rocky ride. At the end I had to end the training prematurely, not because I was tired, but because the shepherds were so riled up that they were attacking each other. The female shepherd he all about ignored after a point. The male, Geo, he had a hard time with. Instead of bringing him back inside I took him to the Neighbor’s driveway, where their little girl and boy were playing. Once he was out of eyeshot of the other dogs, he immediately acted normal and submissive. While I talked with the kids, and he laid down and abruptly went to sleep, I let them pet him. They asked me why my dog wasn’t barking or acting like their dogs, why my dog was SO NICE, and I told them that not all dogs barked constantly =P They said he had velvety ears and he didn’t care one iota that they touched his face. |
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| 05/03/09 10:16pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1998039 Cat question? kind of long story..
I’m sorry about your dog growling at you and your son. In all honesty, I love my dog. But if he bites someone, especially a child, out of malicious means, I would put him down without question. I hope you never have to come to a decision like that and the behaviorist helps you. If phone calls don’t work, you could always find a behaviorist in the area that will come to your house and help you directly. * pun intended. |
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| 05/03/09 10:55pm |
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Rae rae View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1998068 Cat question? kind of long story..
anyway, it sounds like you’re making progress. it will just take time. if each and everytime you win, then it’s one more point for you. soon, the scoreboard will show human 10, dog 0! he will be the one to win in the end because he will be a much happier dog knowing he doesn’t have to attack the big mean bullies next door. i thought about it and the biggest problem is going to be the shepherds energy. it sounds to me like they are very unstable. a stable dog will naturally go after unstable energy. even the dog whisperer’s dogs will go after a dog that is not acting normal. but the key is to control your dog even around others that are unstable. to do that you have to be stable yourself. and in my family it’s hard to find someone who is stable lmao!!! my family is nuts lol! anyway, good job. patience, consistency!! |
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| 05/04/09 09:08pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 1998682 Cat question? kind of long story..
I have nothing new to report today. And yeah, the dogs next door are a handful, but if it was Yuki being the one in the right, then it would make no sense that he’d lunge and growl at other dogs as well. He’s still got kinks that need to be worked out. Now the real trouble is that the neighbors are on the police force =P |
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| 05/04/09 09:27pm |
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Rae rae View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1998698 Cat question? kind of long story..
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| 05/06/09 01:02am |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 1999384 Cat question? kind of long story..
Even then it ended with the dogs being silent and him laying down. This was a much better experience than previous ones. Making him sit definitely makes a difference. I also had an issue with the cats, who wanted nothing but to be with me. They aren’t outdoor cats, yet when I spent a prolonged period of time on the deck with the dog, they figured out how to open the screen door and jumped out to get to me. Except for one inquisitive sniff, Yuki completely ignored them. He knows better; they’ll smack him if he steps out of line... I don’t want a cat hazard while training the dog. It’s one thing to have a dog violently charge the side of my deck, it’s another to be surrounded by happy purring cats when I correct him. *I know you said no treat when he’s acting negatively, but this is a corgi we’re talking about. He’s driven by food and food comes ahead of EVERYTHING else. He’ll cure cancer if I gave him a treat for it. I did not give him the treat when he was aggressive, nor when he was being corrected, but at the very end when everything was silent and he was laying down and ignoring the dogs. I used the clicker when he did good things - such as paying direct attention to me, laying down, sitting on his own, etc. He paid more attention to me than usual probably because I had the extra-smelly treat. |
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| 05/06/09 12:11pm |
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Rae rae View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1999537 Cat question? kind of long story..
another topic. the clinic i work at is putting together a web site. there’s only 3 vet clinics in the whole county that have websites here. so we’re trying to make ours EXTREMELY informative and better than theirs, lol! i have been assigned to the part of the website that deals with animal behavior. well.. the dog part is a breeze, but the cat part i will have to do a lot of research on, lol. so i figured i could ask you a couple of questions that i think would be frequently asked; 1. how do you get a cat to get along with other cats when it seems to hate them? 2. my cats have always just used the litter box, do you actually have to litter train them? 3. how do you get a cat to stop being aggressive with you or a family member...biting, scratching, hissing, etc? 4. how do you keep a cat from jumping on your counter tops, getting into your fish bowls, especially when you’re not home? 5. when scratching posts seem not to work, how do you get a cat to stop scratching up furniture? thanks a lot for your help. i know nothing about how to get a cat to mind. my cat here sasha is queen bee around here. she gets what she wants when she wants, lol! well, i did put her on a diet here recently and she certainly doesn’t like that. |
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| 05/06/09 09:12pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 1999803 Cat question? kind of long story..
You asked many questions I could go in depth on. I may leave out one or two and reply later, as I do tend to type craploads. I am an expert in cats and have raised many, most of which that died have lived a good twenty years. 1. How do you get a cat to get along with other cats when it seems to hate them? Sometimes you can’t, and sometimes it all depends on the situation. A kitten may constantly pester an adult female for milk that the female will obviously not be able to produce. Two male cats may be permanently territorial towards each other. And some cats may never completely warm up to one another - but can live in the same house with no issues. However in all cases, the new cat should be in a room of their own for a few days to two weeks. You should rub both new and old cats with a towel so they can become accustomed to their scent, and after the first two or three days remove the new cat from their room temporarily and let the old cats in to smell it. After the new cat has settled in and been through all vet checks, they should be introduced directly to the old cats, one at a time. Don’t freak out if hissing or slapping occurs, as the old cat may tell the new one who currently owns the house. Once introductions are done (and it’s okay to introduce the cats on more than one occasion if the first doesn’t go as well as intended) the new cat can be let into the rest of the house. A crucial thing that must be remembered when introducing a new cat into a house that already has cats, and that’s to never forget your older cats. You should always give the older cats tons of attention when a new cat is brought into the house. Otherwise they can and will feel like they are being replaced. 2. My cats have always just used the litter box, do you actually have to litter train them? Yes, kittens should be litter trained at an early age, or they may get bad habits like marking around the house. It’s an easy task and not something to stress over. Keep the kitten initially in a small room (such as a bathroom or bedroom) with a litter box that is easy to access. Put the kitten in the box and have it examine the litter. Watch the kitten. Sometimes the kitten will immediately go to the litter box, as it is a place where they can dig and bury their waste. Other times the kitten may have a worried expression and start to sniff around corners. [This will probably happen in the first thirty minutes after they drink or eat.] If the kitten does not find the litter box, put them in it. They should quickly catch on. After the kitten uses the box, show affection and pet briskly. Sometimes grown cats may refuse to use the box for one or more reasons. The largest reason is the cat was originally outdoors and never familiarized with one. If the grown cat urinates on furniture, it does it usually to tell you that someone is wrong and should promptly be taken to the vet and checked for a urinary tract infection or similar ailment. Clean the litter out daily. Other factors may cause a cat to refuse the litter box: The litter should be nice on the paws. Regular clay cat litter and scoopable are fine. If the cat was an outdoor cat, try temporarily using playsand or dirt and see if that works, then casually replace it with normal cat litter. Cats normally refuse to use pellet litters as it does not feel natural under them. The litter should be only an inch deep in the pan. Cats like to feel the bottom of the box. The litter should be scooped out daily and changed weekly. This not only helps keep the smell down, but also will not deter the cat if the box gets too filthy. Each cat should have their own litter box. If you have one litter box between two cats, one may not want to use it, or one cat may pounce the other while they’re in the box. 4. how do you keep a cat from jumping on your counter tops, getting into your fish bowls, especially when you’re not home? A water bottle will work nicely. Unless the cat likes water, like the Mainecoon, it will be instantly deterred from repeating the action. A sharp clap and shouting something akin to "Get down, cat!" will work if water does not. Keep small pets, such as birds, rodents, and fish in small bowls, in a room away from the cats if you go out. Fish tanks should have a lid on them, which will provide ample protection. One product that should be avoided are smell-deterrents such as BitterApple. While it works great for dogs, it can and will lead to the cat getting an expensive eye infection and inflamed throat and lungs. 5. When scratching posts seem not to work, how do you get a cat to stop scratching up furniture? There are products out there such as liquid catnip, that can be sprayed on the scratching post. Put the post near a window or place where the cat is constantly active and they should put two and two together. If the cat scratches furniture, the water bottle will work effectively. I also found that using reverse psychology on a cat will work beautifully; if you catch your cat scratching the scratching post, yell at them and scare them away. Repeat as needed and they’ll start scratching the post constantly. I’ll get to question 3 tomorrow. |
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| 05/06/09 10:01pm |
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Rae rae View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1999838 Cat question? kind of long story..
about jumping on counters and such.. sasha used to be horrible at that. she wouldn’t jump on the furniture. she never got on the couch or the bed or anything. however i have found her trying to get to my bettas. so i would scold her when she did it. if you say her name harsh....it kind of sounds like a hiss...ssssssaaassssha!! she runs away. but she is an opportunist and would do it if you weren’t looking. i figured it out. one of my bettas was weirdly running out of water faster than the other one. one day i found sasha drinking the water. as soon as i moved the betta to a place she couldn’t get to the fish had plenty of water just like the other one lol. so i know that cats and dogs aren’t too different in the aspect that they will try to get away with things if they can but i know they are completely different as well. i guess i was lucky with sasha and scratching furniture. we noticed she began scratching up one of our living room chairs. my husband made a scratching post for her. looks just like one you would buy lol. she began scratching that on her own. since then she has never touched the chair. i do like your reverse psychology theory of scolding the cat when they’re scratching the post though. that is hilarious. it sounds like it will work. it’s like a kid. if they think it’s something they’re not supposed to do it makes them want to do it even more. lol!! and as for the other questions i’ll be waiting, along with your frustration you need to let out about something. |
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| 05/10/09 02:12am |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Rae rae In reference to Message Id: 2001666 Cat question? kind of long story..
I plan to write a book in the future covering such a subject, in fact, because there’s a large topic about indoor/outdoor animals that I have a wealth of feelings over. Feelings that would do well on multiple pages. I’ll restate myself that not all cats are going to get along. They all have different personalities. Some want to be friends with everyone, and can usually accomplish it over time. Others want nothing to do with other cats or pick their friends carefully. I have a ten year old cat named Puff right now. She has an undying love for me and will never leave my view. In the past I constantly found her laying next to and grooming my cat, Fatty Miss (she lived to be 21). She also slept next to my male cats Caesar and Teddy (both of whom also died from old age). These days she made partial friends to my cat Morris, and coexists with my long-haired cat, Mueshi, but will slap them once in a while and hiss. She never sleeps with them. She also beats up my dog if he gets too playful around her. While Morris tries to get along with everyone he comes across, and Mueshi loves human attention but doesn’t like the other cats. And it varies on all older cats I’ve had and come across as well. I should probably also bring up that Puff follows me outside, but she’s deathly afraid of grass and wont leave the deck area. I kinda feel sorry for her, but it’s very convenient in letting her see the sky and keeping her safe. ;) I find that when indoor and some indoor/outdoor cats get into their older years, they have a tendency to stay near the house when let outside. FattyMiss also use to go out with me, but never left the front porch. And I’ve had similar occasions with other cats as well. Though there are probably special circumstances, like how long you lived in that location and such, that aren’t factored in. I’m still not ready to write up how you can tame a more illusive, hissy cat. There are many different avenues I’d have to cover. |
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| 05/10/09 02:50am |
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Rae rae View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 2001674 Cat question? kind of long story..
sasha on the other hand hates more than she loves. she HATES other cats with a passion. she will actually tolerate dogs, but doesn’t really like them. she will coexist with them just fine. i give my dogs boundaries with the cat, and plus she will put them in their place if she has to. sometimes she comes out of nowhere and just slaps them for no reason? it’s not in a playful way either. her territory consists of the dining room, and half of the kitchen where her bowls are. she ventures down the hall only when she has to use the litter box. and another point on the inside/outside cats; i’m with you. i think it may be best in a lot of areas to have your cat stay inside. however if you want them to go outside then that should be okay too. as long as you are willing to take the risks. i keep tango fully vaccinated. he’s neutered and never ever runs off further than the neighbors house, if he so much as sneezes twice he is at the vet. i do take care of him and it makes me sad because he’s getting older. he is around 12 years old now. i know cats can live a long long time, but being a tech i’ve seen plenty of them have to be euthanized at his age because of kidney failure, or some other underlying cancer or something like that. he’s already had his old man bloodwork done a couple of times just to make sure. |
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| 05/10/09 08:11pm |
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