cat advice

[poconip]

We picked up a tiny stray kitten 3 years ago out on the old Camp Meeker road, expecting to take her to a shelter, but ended up keeping her, getting her neutered, getting a microchip for her, and spending hundreds of dollars on toys, food, vet, etc. Three years later, we find ourselves in a dilemma about her. She is tearing up our carpet and furniture, and making it difficult to sleep at night due to her need to be let out a certain door at a certain time.

She tends to bite, scratch, and otherwise reject affection--but not always. So, we are on the fence about keeping her. There are many wonderful experiences that we have shared with her, but also many not-so-wonderful ones, and the latter seem to begin to predominate, as we calculate what it will cost to replace our ruined carpet.

The thought of de-clawing her feels awful, but so is the thought of living in a shredded house.

What are our options? Is there someone out there with some experience with feral cats who might take her? Do we have to de-claw her?

What to do? Any kind advice is appreciated.

[webturner]

3 years later its going to be a challenge to train the cat, but doable. The younger they are when you start the better. First off, get a spray bottle. When she scratches where you don't want her to. Pull out the bottle and spray her with it. Set it up to a stream so you have a long distance. (IF you can aim really well, put a mixture of vinegar & water to start. That makes a bigger no statement. DO NOT HIT THE FACE with the vinegar) Eventually if you just hold the spray bottle and she sees you she'll stop the bad behavior.

NEXT off. Cats need a place to scratch. So you need to provide her with something that she can tear up. They even have pretty in expensive cardboard scratchers that are on a slope. I think that the TREE's are the best and I personally have had the best luck with them. You should have some sort of carpeted cat tree. OR a jute rope covered piece of wood. Jute is pretty in expensive cover a 4x4" x 2' and attach to at least a 1'x1' piece of plywood. (my cats always liked the Jute rope so I usually covered the lowest carpet section with the rope because it will get torn up and you can always replace the rope when it does.)

This is much better than the carpet in house and/or your furniture.

The issue with the cat at night. Cats are naturally nocturnal. When they live with us you need to get them on your schedule. In the morning before you go to work wake them up and play for 15 minutes - 30 minutes (she is probably used to sleeping at this point in the day.) Then when you get home. AGAIN get her up and active with you while you're awake. She will learn to sleep on your schedule. (AGAIN, when first training use that spray bottle and don't let her out the door in question.; make sure you have a cat box so she won't have an accident OR make sure she's put out an hour or so before bedtime, call her back in, if she doesn't come leave her out all night, (unless your in an owl area and the cat box is a better option).)

OR you can provide a cat door to the outside where she has access all the time. (Owl area; maybe not) IF you live in the country this can pose other problems i.e. raccoons and other critters coming in when you don't want them to. AS well as the cat finding a prey and bring it back to show you her kill. (snakes, lizards, gophers, mice, rats, etc.)

[Rough house time] She wants to play and part of play is the biting. She is probably just playing and just gets carried away. Put something between you and her. (brown paper grocery bags and boxes are wonderful for this) Scratch on the opposite side of where she is and then she claws and scratches at the box/bag instead of you. OR toy on a string get them to run back and forth until they don't want to play that game any more. THIS will also accomplish her being tired and more willing to sleep through the night. She's about the age that she should start slowing down.

[Mellow time] no more biting or scratching. This can be accomplished by brushing her. Show her the brush (or comb) and that's when you want to stop. Usually cats love to be groomed and brushed. It helps calm them down and you're letting her know that rough house time is over and don't let her bite or scratch after you get her in the mellow mood. scratches on the rump and under chin are most effective at mellowing them out. IF she's insisting a to continues the fight. I usually give a quick flick to the nose, with a firm "no!" will learn not to bite. Put her down and walk away.

Another option is to get another cat. So they play with each other. (Its best if they are close to the same age and there are LOTS of wonderful cats in the shelters needing homes.)

I hope that you don't add your cat to this mix she sounds like a good cat. Having her locked up in a cage until she is adopted is not a good life for her.

Good luck.
Check out the youtube cat videos
1) YouTube - The Mean Kitty Song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo) (Listen to words of the song; click below and there is an explanation & words to song)
WOW up to 33 MILLION VIEWS
MOSTLY this line:
Look at him now, I kinda feel bad
He's the best little cat that I've had
and the one big thing I forgot to mention, was that
He wasn't fighting, he just wanted attention

2) A little long but dry sense of humor funny. Notice Oscar's cardboard art expression.
YouTube - An Engineer's Guide to Cats (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHXBL6bzAR4)

3) Here is one from a vet. YouTube - How to Train a Cat : Use a Spray Bottle as a Means of Discipline for Your Cat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BVjNnxloQ0)













We picked up a tiny stray kitten 3 years ago out on the old Camp Meeker road, expecting to take her to a shelter, but ended up keeping her, getting her neutered, getting a microchip for her, and spending hundreds of dollars on toys, food, vet, etc. Three years later, we find ourselves in a dilemma about her. She is tearing up our carpet and furniture, and making it difficult to sleep at night due to her need to be let out a certain door at a certain time.

She tends to bite, scratch, and otherwise reject affection--but not always. So, we are on the fence about keeping her. There are many wonderful experiences that we have shared with her, but also many not-so-wonderful ones, and the latter seem to begin to predominate, as we calculate what it will cost to replace our ruined carpet.

The thought of de-clawing her feels awful, but so is the thought of living in a shredded house.

What are our options? Is there someone out there with some experience with feral cats who might take her? Do we have to de-claw her?

What to do? Any kind advice is appreciated.

[kit-kit]

do you have a garage you can set her up in? Food, water, bedding, etc. where she can get outside on her own whenever she wants.

i had good luck going with furniture that didn't have fabric at the corners, a solid wood frame with loose cushions.

if cat is scratching carpet, she may be toileting there too, especially in the corners.

you can wrap cat securely in bath towel, clip claws' tips off - just like our fingernails, doesn't hurt the cat and claws are reduced from razor-sharp needles to blunt (hopefully non-human skin penetrating).

[Shandi]

I've just started volunteering in the RPk Shelter, and have been doing some
research on cat behavior issues.

Reading about your kitty challenges brings up some questions for me.

Since you got her as a stray, she may not have had the handling and socializing that's so important in those first weeks. Was she biting and
scratching from the beginning? Were you able to spend time with her?
How did you react to the biting behavior?

At the shelter, the advice is don't pull away, but stay still, and look away. You can also verbalize "no" or "ouch". If the cat is hit or physically punished, it will only increase the agression. Cats need something to scratch and bite, since it's their nature to do so.

Do you have children that may have played roughly with the kitten?

You indicate that you have bought many toys. If a scratching post is one of them, does the cat use it or not? Cat nip on toys or scratchers can increase
the cat's interest. There's a cat nip spray, in additon to repellent sprays for
furniture and carpets. Have you tried these?

I personally don't think vinegar is a necessary ingredient in the spray bottle.
Plain water should work just as well.

There are other solutions to keep cats from clawing furniture, during the temporary re-training period. Double sided tape on the areas most used
by the cat. Aluminum foil is also a deterrent.

Treats go a long way in training animals, cats included. I moved in with a man who had 2 cats who weren't affectionate. They were 8 and 9 years old.
Whenever he picked up his favorite cat, she fought to get down. She would
not let him pet her or ever sit next to him. The other cat was just frightened
of everything.

I asked if he'd ever tried treats. He had just resorted to thowing them to the cats.

I decided to try an experiment with treats that I knew they liked. I put the treats in a small can, and when I shook it I said "treats". Then I would put
one or two on the couch. They stretched up to get the treats, but still didn't
get on the couch. It took about 2 weeks, and moving the treats closer and
closer until the treats were near his lap. His favorite cat would jump up, get
the treat and jump off.

After a few more weeks, the cats began to stay on the couch when I was giving the treats. All I had to do was shake the can, and say "treats". As they ate, we began to pet them, so an association was made.

After a long while, the cats actually starting to come and sit on our laps, even when no treats were present, but we still rewarded their behavior.

So, my suggestion is to get creative with treats; they are a great training tool.

I took in a feral cat, and had the same problem of the cat meowing to get out in the middle of the night. I started saying "Shhhhh" loudly, and over a
period of a couple of weeks, she finally got the message. I didn't want her
out because of the night time dangers and potential cat fights.

Since your cat goes outside, declawing would leave the cat defenseless.

There are many solutions online if you type in "Cat behavior problems".
Also, asking your vet might give you some insight.

Whatever solutions you try, please know that patience and consistency are the keys, just as with child behavior issues.

Since you've had this kitty for 3 years, I think all you need are some solutions that you're willing to try. (Or a "Kitty Whisperer") If all else fails
you might want to ask for some help from someone who would come to
your home.

Please let us know how it turns out.


:tinker:







We picked up a tiny stray kitten 3 years ago out on the old Camp Meeker road, expecting to take her to a shelter, but ended up keeping her, getting her neutered, getting a microchip for her, and spending hundreds of dollars on toys, food, vet, etc. Three years later, we find ourselves in a dilemma about her. She is tearing up our carpet and furniture, and making it difficult to sleep at night due to her need to be let out a certain door at a certain time.

She tends to bite, scratch, and otherwise reject affection--but not always. So, we are on the fence about keeping her. There are many wonderful experiences that we have shared with her, but also many not-so-wonderful ones, and the latter seem to begin to predominate, as we calculate what it will cost to replace our ruined carpet.

The thought of de-clawing her feels awful, but so is the thought of living in a shredded house.

What are our options? Is there someone out there with some experience with feral cats who might take her? Do we have to de-claw her?

What to do? Any kind advice is appreciated.

[magenta]

:Yinyangv:consider flower essences. here's a link to a questionnaire for starters.
Healing Waters Online Master's Flower Essences Questionnaire for Pets (https://www.essencesonline.com/qnr-MastersPets.html)
best of luck:heart: