Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Coping with Cats

acesounderglass.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 163 posts

Re: Coping with Cats

#81

Post by danbolt »

gumby wrote: post #22
grawprog wrote: post #8

It's an alright list, but that's some beginner level stuff. Where's things like -cat is obssessed with plastic bags whenever he wants attention and ends up wearing them like a cape trailing it through the house causing havoc. -cat likes to knock over your breakable things just cause it likes to see them smash -wake up at 2 in the morning to some weird noises only to find the cat spiderman-ing up the screen on the win…

Aren’t these all reasons for having a cat as a pet? Intellectually it seems strange to have pets: after all we build homes to keep alien species out . Yet when I met a neighbor who didn’t have a pet it seemed weird and even somewhat of a personality disorder. Which is absurd: households with pets are in the minority. But I really can’t imagine living without dogs, cats and assorted other vertebrates.

It's interesting how you find it weird; I'm almost like the opposite side of the same coin.

I have pretty bad allergies to most pets and never grew up with them and find them. Apart from the itching and eczema, I don't really feel like I'm in a home when pets are around. For others though, I think it's the complete opposite. It must be with what we grow up with.

Re: Coping with Cats

#82

Post by tdeck »

beervirus wrote: post #14
grawprog wrote: post #8

It's an alright list, but that's some beginner level stuff. Where's things like -cat is obssessed with plastic bags whenever he wants attention and ends up wearing them like a cape trailing it through the house causing havoc. -cat likes to knock over your breakable things just cause it likes to see them smash -wake up at 2 in the morning to some weird noises only to find the cat spiderman-ing up the screen on the win…

An automatic feeder is worth having. It seems to decouple the food from the owner in the cat's mind, so that if they're hungry, they go sit by the feeder instead of complaining to you.

We always just kept our cats' bowls full of dry food all the time. Unlike dogs, most cats won't keep eating until they make themselves sick, even though they may get chubby.

Re: Coping with Cats

#83

Post by jstarfish »

r00fus wrote: post #66
jstarfish wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So venting them outside may cause other confidence issues This seems like perverse logic though. You're venting toxic ammonias and spores to the outside...where they're supposed to go in the first place.

So the litter acts as a trapping agent by desiccating the waste. Only occasionally (usually when we're lazy about cleaning) does the litter stink. The smells the cat cares about are its pheromones/scent. Cats are highly smell-oriented (they don't taste food as much as smell it), so venting all that cat-smell outside could cause the cat to find other places to mark.

I get what you're saying, but IME cats are more likely to start hunting for shoebins and handbags to pee in when the litter box is too dirty...not when it smells too fresh. They're pretty anal about keeping clean.

In any case, there is more at stake here than scent-- do mind that the ammonia vapors from cat urine are toxic and can lead to hard-to-diagnose respiratory and psychological issues. A dirty litter box will also breed toxoplasmosis spores (dessication actually makes this issue worse-- dry spores are more easily spread when disturbed).

You really don't want standing organic waste in your home if you can avoid it. It doesn't benefit you or your cat.

Re: Coping with Cats

#84

Post by Waterluvian »

One trick changed my life:

Get two large tupperware containers. One that fits the litter box. Other for food and water. Cut a hole in them, cat sized, about two inches above the bottom so there’s a lip. I found a jigsaw worked best.

You can then stack these and move them freely and put stuff on them. But they do a glorious job containing litter and food that wants to follow the cats out.

Re: Coping with Cats

#85

Post by poulsbohemian »

klyrs wrote: post #19
grawprog wrote: post #8

It's an alright list, but that's some beginner level stuff. Where's things like -cat is obssessed with plastic bags whenever he wants attention and ends up wearing them like a cape trailing it through the house causing havoc. -cat likes to knock over your breakable things just cause it likes to see them smash -wake up at 2 in the morning to some weird noises only to find the cat spiderman-ing up the screen on the win…

A friend's cat is like this. I fear that there's nothing for it. But, some things I've succeed at improving rambunctious cat behavior: 1. Play with them at least 30 minutes a day. If they're not bouncing off the walls during this play, you're doing it wrong. 2. A catio can provide entertainment. Kinda passive, probably won't be a significant improvement. 3. Never feed them human food, even if it hits the floor. Never…

> A catio can provide entertainment

First we built a cat tree, and it was good. Then we bought auction cup window perches, and they were even better. Then we built a catio and it was the best thing a cat could possibly imagine and their minds were blown. Then we got chickens that they could watch from these places and oh boy!!!

Re: Coping with Cats

#86

Post by novok »

com2kid wrote: post #70
r00fus wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My cats not only sleep through the night, they insist I go to bed on time (no later than 11) or they start getting upset. I wasn't ready for this - my kitten started doing this lately (or I have to seal off the room I'm working on, ignore her pleas and let her go sleep in a kids bed).

Every dog I've ever had has done the exact same thing. My current kitties also get upset if I wake up too early. Then again a lot of things upset them, including spending too much time with my wife, skipping home workouts (they get petted in between sets), and standing up too often to stretch (one of them spends ~50% of the day sitting on my lap while I code). Otherwise they are pretty chill.

You got to be more assertive with your cats, your literally 10-20 times their size, give them food and protection and they know it. One good technique I've found that doesn't escalate things is to blow air in their face (with your mouth). They tend to go away, but they also don't get pissed off. Don't want them somewhere, physically move them , without emotion. Find them annoying, blow in their face or move them (gently) away. You can escalate with water spraying.

Re: Coping with Cats

#87

Post by novok »

powersnail wrote: post #54
r00fus wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can understand the exhausting & feed him, but "poop him"? How do you control that?

I obviously can't force him to poop. But I bring him to the box at approximately the same time every day, and he kinda eventually gets it.

Cats are very in the moment. 50/50 chance they'll eat food if you put in their face lol

Re: Coping with Cats

#88

Post by novok »

tdeck wrote: post #82
beervirus wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An automatic feeder is worth having. It seems to decouple the food from the owner in the cat's mind, so that if they're hungry, they go sit by the feeder instead of complaining to you.

We always just kept our cats' bowls full of dry food all the time. Unlike dogs, most cats won't keep eating until they make themselves sick, even though they may get chubby.

That depends on if they went hungry at some time in their life or not! Something to keep in mind if your adopting a street stray.

Re: Coping with Cats

#89

Post by taneq »

klyrs wrote: post #19
grawprog wrote: post #8

It's an alright list, but that's some beginner level stuff. Where's things like -cat is obssessed with plastic bags whenever he wants attention and ends up wearing them like a cape trailing it through the house causing havoc. -cat likes to knock over your breakable things just cause it likes to see them smash -wake up at 2 in the morning to some weird noises only to find the cat spiderman-ing up the screen on the win…

A friend's cat is like this. I fear that there's nothing for it. But, some things I've succeed at improving rambunctious cat behavior: 1. Play with them at least 30 minutes a day. If they're not bouncing off the walls during this play, you're doing it wrong. 2. A catio can provide entertainment. Kinda passive, probably won't be a significant improvement. 3. Never feed them human food, even if it hits the floor. Never…

Also, like other mammals, cats start out hyper as kittens/teenagers and chill out as they get older. My cat is coming up on 8 years old now and he still plays occasionally but he spends way less time going berko and way more time sitting in my lap.

Re: Coping with Cats

#90

Post by novok »

underwater wrote: post #65
dmart wrote: post #11

I appreciated the recommendations, but from a tech perspective related most with this sentence in the opening paragraph: "when I tried to research mitigations for any of these it was 100% SEO listicles". I've found this to be true as well. Searching for impressions/reviews on literally any type of product is impossible now - the entire first page of results are just spammy sites either regurgitating PR for a specific…

I don't think the type of content you're looking for even exists any more. Even if someone has the desire to create a high quality, old-school, interest-based site, they're going to be dealing with the fact that Google won't surface the content because SEO magic, there is no community of similar sites who will link to them, and their content doesn't fit the format preferred by social media. I think the web has firmly…

Sadly you have to go to youtube outside of a few dedicated niche review sites like cnet / rtings / the wirecutter. Or forums.
Post reply on HN