BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: gnu
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 02:18 PM

Becca... growling is not cat behaviour? It was for mine. The first one I trained would do as I said but growl such as when I wanted her to come in the house. When I would use a low, stern voice and say, "In the house, now." and motion her to get her arse in gear, she would comply, sloooowly and growl distinctively. She was a VERY intelligent cat and she was about 6 years old when I first met her and my ex. I still recall the first time I trained her. Kitchen, sitting, she sat in front of me and, whilst my head was turned, suddenly sank her claws into my leg just above the knee. There was no growling, yelling, chasing or foot stomping.
Cheucie and I came to an understaning in less than two seconds.

Dan... so the cats have you trained to play with them on command eh? >;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 02:14 PM

The poor cat. I feel very sorry for it. It wants and needs to go outside, so put in a catflap. Cats love to go out and explore, to feel the ground beneath their feet and to sniff about. The other two shouldn't be penned-up in a garage either. All three should be free to go outside at any time. If a cat brings in 'trophies', it's to be expected - it's what cats do. It's frantically scrabbling at the carpet in a vain attempt to have freedom. Please please let it go outside through a catflap. And never never hit a cat. It achieves nothing except fear and increases their stress. Oh dear, poor little soul.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: Jack Campin
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 01:34 PM

Cat's don't like the smell of citrus. I have occasionally tried applying a few ml of industrial-strength concentrated grapefruit or lemon essence (as used in an ice cream factory) onto something the cats were getting too interested in. It worked reliably, but that quantity made the whole house smell of citrus for a month.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 12:40 PM

See rubber backed mats and wet tea towels or kitchen roll Bobert.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 12:38 PM

...& pigeons ~ wow the feathers. & recently she left a large rat corpse just outside on the patio. Glad we had taken to keeping the door pulled to before she found that one!

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 12:36 PM

...or, even, bring them in alive & hunt them for our entertainment & delectation, prior to eviscerating them on the sitting room carpet...!

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 12:26 PM

Trouble with that ~~ we used to leave the doors open for Cleo ~ who would then affectionately bring us delightful gifts of eviscerated mice as a love token. Now we can see thru the glass door if she is carrying a rodent when she wants to come in, and has learnt to abandon them first if she wishes ingress. I felt a tad unappreciative in spurning her well-meant gifts like that, but Emma insisted on my sorting out my priorities!

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 12:19 PM

leave the doors open?

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 11:55 AM

A lot of folks are missing the story here...

The cat ***never*** does this when we are around... It's always when we are either asleep or away...

The cat understands "no" fully so this is not the issue here...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: GUEST,olddude
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 11:23 AM

my old solution was to put them in the basement, they love being outside but come inside when the weather is cold. Now they howl cause they want up stairs with the big people ... drives me nuts. gotta go down and play with them to shut them up ...
ya can't own a cat they have their own way of doing stuff. When I had them at my office they had the run of the place .. now the basement ain't good enough

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: catspaw49
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 11:19 AM

Put in a cat door.


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 11:12 AM

Open the damn door!
That's what he wants.
Damn, what a bunch of...
SINS, whose cats rule the roost.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 10:17 AM

I also use a low, gruff voice and sometimes will hiss at them, like a cat, if they really aren't listening. Foster and smith have sticky mats, electric mat and noisy mats.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: Jack Campin
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 10:09 AM

He probably won't scratch the doormat if you crap on it first.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 09:28 AM

"NO" stated calmly in a *low voice", rather than shouting, usually successfully registers disapproval with our two without scaring them. They're smart enough to understand that a serious disapproving low tone means "not allowed". If repeated often enough, they get to learn to not do the thing we disapprove of. So they understand for example, not to walk on my lap top when it's on a desk. To avoid hot cups of coffee placed near a seat when jumping up on the sofa. To stop crying to ask to go out after "lockdown" (they have a kitty tray in the bathroom for night visits).

It's important to offer them an alternative scratching place though.

If he knows not to do it, but he's being naughty, I'd put a plastic or rubber backed mat in front of the door, and a wet tea towel on that. He'll get used to avoiding the damp.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 09:02 AM

We're never around when he does this stuff... He knows not to do it in front of us... It seems that he thinks if he claws at the door it will open???

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: Becca72
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 08:25 AM

Gnu - you didn't "train" them, you scared the shit out of them. What you were doing was not normal cat behaviour.

I would suggest either a repellent spray or a sticky mat in front of those doors. You may even be able to get away with putting down tin foil for a couple of weeks - cats don't like things that feel strange on their paws.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: Leadfingers
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 05:20 AM

Bobert - Alwways remember that Dogs have owners , Cats have Staff !

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: Henry Krinkle
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 04:12 AM

Just ignore it. Don't make it an issue and it won't be.
=(:-( ))

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: gnu
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 04:08 AM

I stopped cats from unwanted behaviour by growling and, if requires, letting out a deep toned (growl-like) yell and chasing them. When they hid, usually under a bed, I scolded them loudly and ended with stomping my foot. Then, complete calm but I gave them the silent treatment for as long as I figured was necessary. Worked for two of them and all I had to do with the last one was simply voice my disapproval but *I* trained it from the day it was brought home as a kitten and it was the only pet we had at time so that doesn't apply to most situations.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: GUEST,Peter
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 03:55 AM

The scent glands in the cat's paws will now have marked those patches of carpet so the cat will return to them.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: ragdall
Date: 06 Dec 12 - 02:14 AM

The cat does own the joint. He will not change. You may be able to keep him away from the door when you are armed and dangerous and on the same side as he is, but when you are on the other side of the door, forget it. He isn't scratching there because it's carpet like his scratching post, he's scratching because he wants to get through that door, dammit!

Put mats on the carpet, against the door, on the cat side of any door that you plan to close. If the cat scratches the dickens out of a mat, you can toss it and get another one. It's much cheaper than replacing a carpet. Vigorous scratching may   move the mats away from the door and expose the carpet. Pin the mats down if you have to.

rags

Subject: RE: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Dec 12 - 10:53 PM

does he have a carpeted cat "tree" to climb and play on? If so, he may think any and all carpet is a big scratching post. Can't put that genie back in the bottle. swatting won't do much, but water squirting should. thing is it has to be when he is doing it or VERY shortly after. I'd get some repellent treatment for the carpet from Drs Foster and Mith, online, or from a local pet store.

Subject: BS: Cat Issue Advice Needed...
From: Bobert
Date: 05 Dec 12 - 10:08 PM

We have 3 cats... Two live outside or in the garage... One is an inside cat and he thinks he owns the joint so...

...he thinks that any door that is closed at night while we sleep is game for clawing at the carpet in front of that door and so claw he does...

We started with holding his nose in the torn up carpet and then pounding him with newspaper... His response??? "Big deal, ya'll... Ya'll need anger management"...

So this time we tried squirting him with water...

Yeah, he's pissed right now... Who cares???

The main thing is changing his behavior...

Any additional ideas???

B~