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Why Your Cat Thinks You’re a Huge, Unpredictable Ape

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Re: Why Your Cat Thinks You’re a Huge, Unpredictable Ape

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe he doesn't like to do different business in the same place? Try getting another box.

So at what point do you go insane? Should I just turn the whole place into a litter box? I have 3.

Did you try different kinds of litter?

My cats don't like the uber-expensive clot-forming synthetic crystal litter, and don't like various types of alternatives either - almost none from this list: http://www.petco.com/Shop/ShoppingGuides/petco_ChooseCatLitt... )

..but they do love some simple pebbles, which are, fortunately, dirt-cheap (or pebble-cheap :) ) although a little messier to clean than the above alternatives. I think they'd like sand as well (I live in Uruguay and those pebbles are from Argentina, so I don't know what alternatives are in the U.S.).

Re: Why Your Cat Thinks You’re a Huge, Unpredictable Ape

#112
post #56

How to Treat Your Cat (or Manager) 1. Any cat > any thing, no matter how expensive. I wish my carpets and furniture weren't all scratched up, but I really don't care that much. Corollary: Any manager > any project. The project may fail, but the manager may do another. 2. Let the cat initiate all action. They will let you know when they want to eat/sleep/play/cuddle/hang out. Respond predictably to their action. Corol…

Response to corollary on #7: "Anyone else" deserves about as much respect as your cat. The idea that a creature that enjoys destroying your possessions, arbitrarily ignoring you for most of its life despite depending entirely upon you, expects total obedience despite no contribution or investment, has never earned a dollar in its life and has no concept of what a dollar is or why that might be important to it, intrin…

What if he substituted 'restraint' for 'respect'? His argument wouldn't change, but would yours?

Re: Why Your Cat Thinks You’re a Huge, Unpredictable Ape

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So at what point do you go insane? Should I just turn the whole place into a litter box? I have 3.

Did you try different kinds of litter? My cats don't like the uber-expensive clot-forming synthetic crystal litter, and don't like various types of alternatives either - almost none from this list: http://www.petco.com/Shop/ShoppingGuides/petco_ChooseCatLitt... ) ..but they do love some simple pebbles, which are, fortunately, dirt-cheap (or pebble-cheap :) ) although a little messier to clean than the above alternati…

"Yeah that's great and all but I've tried that. 3 litter boxes. All cleaned twice a day, and he still shits on the carpet 2 feet away from the box. Lid on, lid off, big sidewalls, different cat litter. I've tried it all. The little shit just likes shitting on carpet I guess. And putting the fear of god into him does nothing."

Re: Why Your Cat Thinks You’re a Huge, Unpredictable Ape

#114
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone in your neighborhood would like to thank you for encouraging your cat to crap in their yards and letting them pick it up. Get a litter box and clean up after your own damn pet.

You know that cats bury their poop, right? When I lived in London, where it's the norm to let your cat out, I never encountered any cat poo in my garden, and we had around half a dozen local cats.

Where exactly are they going to bury it in the middle of a city? They're not capable of digging up concrete, lawns, hard-packed dirt, etc. So they're either crapping in the open, or they're digging up somebody's garden, neither of which is appropriate.

Unless you're literally living on a farm, the world is not your pet's latrine. Give them somewhere to do their business and/or clean up after them.

Re: Why Your Cat Thinks You’re a Huge, Unpredictable Ape

#116
post #56

How to Treat Your Cat (or Manager) 1. Any cat > any thing, no matter how expensive. I wish my carpets and furniture weren't all scratched up, but I really don't care that much. Corollary: Any manager > any project. The project may fail, but the manager may do another. 2. Let the cat initiate all action. They will let you know when they want to eat/sleep/play/cuddle/hang out. Respond predictably to their action. Corol…

Response to corollary on #7: "Anyone else" deserves about as much respect as your cat. The idea that a creature that enjoys destroying your possessions, arbitrarily ignoring you for most of its life despite depending entirely upon you, expects total obedience despite no contribution or investment, has never earned a dollar in its life and has no concept of what a dollar is or why that might be important to it, intrin…

your argument would've been somewhat palatable if you'd just left out

"has never earned a dollar in its life and has no concept of what a dollar is or why that might be important to it"

Re: Why Your Cat Thinks You’re a Huge, Unpredictable Ape

#117
post #84
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ahh, so much quiter without all those birds and other critters :P On a serious note: cats usually integrate well with their ecosystem and if they would really pose such a big threat, smaller mammals and brids would just migrate away. edit: I'm speaking of balanced ecosystems where cats have natural enemies, foxes and whatnot.

There's no scientific evidence that letting cats outdoors cause a decline in bird populations: and that's according to the UK charity that campaigns for the protection of birds[1]. The majority of birds that cats kill are frail, in poor health, or otherwise likely to have not made it through the season anyway. [1]: http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/gardening...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/outdoo...

I doubt that those are all frail and doomed to an early death.

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