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Coping with Cats

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Re: Coping with Cats

#131

Post by atombender »

leetcrew wrote: post #129
aahortwwy wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost all of these sorts of behavioural issues (with the exception of the food-motivated ones) tend to disappear when you allow your cat the freedom to go outside whenever it wants. They're not well suited to confinement and it always shows in their behavior. Sometimes they just get depressed and mopey, which a lot of people interpret as their cat "not minding" its confinement. Other times they try to relieve the so…

the indoor vs outdoor debate wrt cats is a timeless one, but I don't think the answer is so clear cut as you make it seem. in principle, I would like for our family cat to have free rein of the outdoors, but we don't quite feel it is safe for him. in addition to the local predators that actually have to work for a living, my parents live right next to a six-lane death road in the city. the speed limit is 30 mph, but…

Cats do kill an insane number of birds. We've found that attaching a large, colourful collar with reflective bits helps immensely on our cat. Birds are highly sensitive to colours, and our observation is that the cat simply isn't able to catch any birds anymore. They see him coming far too early.

As for the other points, I suspect you're overestimating the dangers, but that's not my call. I personally think no animal should be kept imprisoned in a home, though; I don't want to give any animal less freedom of movement than I have. Imprisoned pets even more depressing to me than zoos.

Re: Coping with Cats

#132

Post by lovehashbrowns »

IncRnd wrote: post #91
coryrc wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cat parasites are not removed by sewage systems and hurt fish. Do not flush. https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/08/19/flush-cat-poop-dont-d... https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/dnrp/solid-waste/ec... http://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-an... https://keepingitpawsome.com/never-flush-cat-poop/

Those are links to Dear Joan columns and the Seattle PU that don't apply to my septic system that is large enough and capable of handling this. Water from my toilets goes through a home recycling system. Pregnant women who drink water at my house are not susceptible to toxoplasmosis. People didn't invent cats, who have been self-burying their feces for a long time. Seattle and the municipalities in your links may not…

I'll add an additional link as context:

Transmission of Toxoplasma: Clues from the study of sea otters as sentinels of Toxoplasma gondii flow into the marine environment.

https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/assets/pdfs/vetsci-strand... [PDF]

I did not know this as a potential risk of flushing cat feces in the toilet. But it also seems that cats defecating outside is likely a more significant contributor to Toxoplasmosis in wildlife.

Re: Coping with Cats

#133

Post by klyrs »

wila wrote: post #68
klyrs wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

That's my cat :) Yes on all these points. Although I never had to resort to use spray bottles or hissing to enforce the rules. Use their name often (they love that). Also surprisingly sniffing things is everything to them. When playing do not let them use their nails (Just saying ouch and immediately stop playing is enough to point out you do not approve). My cat will tap my hands when playing, but rarely use his nai…

We made the mistake of laughing when she pounced our toes in bed. Oh dear, when her claws need a trim and she lands on a thin blanket, it's no good. So we run her more during the day and she isn't as feisty at night. Come morning though...

Re: Coping with Cats

#134

Post by renewiltord »

aahortwwy wrote: post #121
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…

Almost all of these sorts of behavioural issues (with the exception of the food-motivated ones) tend to disappear when you allow your cat the freedom to go outside whenever it wants. They're not well suited to confinement and it always shows in their behavior. Sometimes they just get depressed and mopey, which a lot of people interpret as their cat "not minding" its confinement. Other times they try to relieve the so…

Our cats were outdoor cats with unlimited access and quite the range. Still knocked things off shelves. Still stole my food. Still Snoop and D.R.E.

Re: Coping with Cats

#135

Post by aahortwwy »

whichquestion wrote: post #130
aahortwwy wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost all of these sorts of behavioural issues (with the exception of the food-motivated ones) tend to disappear when you allow your cat the freedom to go outside whenever it wants. They're not well suited to confinement and it always shows in their behavior. Sometimes they just get depressed and mopey, which a lot of people interpret as their cat "not minding" its confinement. Other times they try to relieve the so…

I agree with this, we should allow our cats to be outside. However, I do not think we should allow domestic cats to roam wherever they please. We should let them roam in a somewhat controlled manner. Additionally, feral cats are awful for native bird and small mammal populations. Your cat will probably hunt and eat small mammals and birds if you let it roam freely. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_predation_on_wil…

They'll establish their own territorial limits without our help. That's part of why they like roaming.

If you care about native bird and small mammal populations then don't introduce a cat into the environment. I used to live in an area with a lot of endangered native rodents and while I would've liked to have a cat around I didn't get one. It's not complicated.

Re: Coping with Cats

#136

Post by aahortwwy »

leetcrew wrote: post #129
aahortwwy wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost all of these sorts of behavioural issues (with the exception of the food-motivated ones) tend to disappear when you allow your cat the freedom to go outside whenever it wants. They're not well suited to confinement and it always shows in their behavior. Sometimes they just get depressed and mopey, which a lot of people interpret as their cat "not minding" its confinement. Other times they try to relieve the so…

the indoor vs outdoor debate wrt cats is a timeless one, but I don't think the answer is so clear cut as you make it seem. in principle, I would like for our family cat to have free rein of the outdoors, but we don't quite feel it is safe for him. in addition to the local predators that actually have to work for a living, my parents live right next to a six-lane death road in the city. the speed limit is 30 mph, but…

It's completely clear cut before you're responsible for the animal: don't bring a pet into an unsuitable living situation. This is why the safety and environmental arguments ring hollow for me - nobody forces you to get a cat.

Re: Coping with Cats

#137

Post by gfaure »

Two data points: our cat's poop doesn't smell bad at all when she's eaten homemade food, while if we feed her canned food or dry food, it smells stereotypically bad.

Also, cats don't necessarily knock things over just because they don't have access to the outdoors. Our indoor cat is very careful and has never knocked anything over intentionally in her life.

Re: Coping with Cats

#138

Post by bigtechdataeng »

aahortwwy wrote: post #136
leetcrew wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the indoor vs outdoor debate wrt cats is a timeless one, but I don't think the answer is so clear cut as you make it seem. in principle, I would like for our family cat to have free rein of the outdoors, but we don't quite feel it is safe for him. in addition to the local predators that actually have to work for a living, my parents live right next to a six-lane death road in the city. the speed limit is 30 mph, but…

It's completely clear cut before you're responsible for the animal: don't bring a pet into an unsuitable living situation. This is why the safety and environmental arguments ring hollow for me - nobody forces you to get a cat.

This mirrors a lot of rhetoric that you might but want it to.

Re: Coping with Cats

#139

Post by BLKNSLVR »

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.

I actively chose not to replace our cat when it died a few years back because I wanted the freedom to go for holidays or weekends away without having to organise people to look after our pet, being too time poor to give the animal the attention it needs (yes, even for a cat), and also the environmental destruction that cats cause.

Took about 6 months before a local cat adopted us as it's preferred owners, most likely due to the lack of another cat having claimed our yard as its territory. This new cat is the one I've referred to in a previous cat / pet related HN story.

Re: Coping with Cats

#140

Post by quicklyfrozen »

renewiltord wrote: post #134
aahortwwy wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost all of these sorts of behavioural issues (with the exception of the food-motivated ones) tend to disappear when you allow your cat the freedom to go outside whenever it wants. They're not well suited to confinement and it always shows in their behavior. Sometimes they just get depressed and mopey, which a lot of people interpret as their cat "not minding" its confinement. Other times they try to relieve the so…

Our cats were outdoor cats with unlimited access and quite the range. Still knocked things off shelves. Still stole my food. Still Snoop and D.R.E.

Yeah, but the 2AM stuff is less of an issue.
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