Post by Marshal Corvus on Jul 22, 2016 13:45:29 GMT -5
D: any good tips/tricks for caring for a cat? I've owned dogs before but never a cat. How do I make him stop scratching couches (we're thinking about getting him declawed, but if he stops we probably wont because money)? How do I make him stop jumping up on counters? How much food/water is too much? Should he be purring a lot (like every time I pet him?)?
I heard lemons/citrus are good deterrents?? Help pls and thank!
Post by Jian Oreachi on Jul 22, 2016 13:58:49 GMT -5
Don't declaw your cat, it's like cutting off the tip of someone's finger. If you want a cat you're gonna have some clawed shit is probably the best advice I can give, but there's lots of ways to minimize or avoid it without declawing. There are little things you can put on their nails, you can trim them every week or two, you can put saran wrap on the things they shouldn't be clawing and they'll learn what they shouldn't/should be clawing.. Spray bottle is best solution for most disciplinary problem but you need to be consistent and patients, cats generally just don't give a shit. Get a scratching post but 50/50 they might ignore it! Also Cats really like climbing shit, so don't expect them to just be on the ground 24/7 like a dog, allow them some areas to do so, expect them to never learn the difference.
Cats are all weird and different, one of my cats purrs and flops over if she so much as realizes your paying attention to her, the other got real sketch if you tried to pet him on any time that wasn't his time. Food depends on weight, I've never heard of a cat drinking too much water, always have their water bowl full.
Post by Kamizawa Minoru on Jul 22, 2016 16:41:41 GMT -5
Cats are more temperamental than dogs in my own experience and as Jian said a spray bottle is the best way to go. Don't talk to the cat like its a dog, I've never seen a cat that responds to "come here boy, yes over here boy."
Also most cats are different in the type of food they like so you might need to experiment for a little bit, for example my cat, Ninja loves chicken and hates fish/tuna and will turn his nose at anything pretty much but chicken.
I'm a dog person as well however having a Cat is really fun especially when they are smaller and follow you around like a bad smell. I find cats have a more defined and broad range of personalities than most dogs so take time to learn what type of cat you have because just like us, each cat is a special little snowflake that has its own personality and needs. :^)
Jian has summarized quite a bit of my points and is a great pet parent, so listen to him too! He's also the proud catdad of a new litter of fuzzy jellybeans that're fucking adorable. My envy is completely real. That said, let's go into excessive detail!
Cats are a very big commitment; most of them live between 13 (the cursed number) and 18 years old easily, and can possibly live into their 20s! So be prepared to have a small furry child with an attitude for that duration of time. However; know that the commitment, in spite of the headaches and frustration even my own cat loving heart experiences when the assholery grows to proportions I feel like I can't deal with, is worth every last experience and financial investment because of the love and laughter they provide in turn. These little assholes steal your heart before you know it-- and that's why, when their time comes to a close 'too soon' (and it's always, always too soon.), your heart breaks over it. They become part of your life as naturally as breathing and not having them there just doesn't feel right.
First point to address: Do not ever declaw a cat. EVER.
Not only is it akin to taking the finger up to the first knuckle on a human, but there's an incredibly high infection rate even among the 5 star veterinarians who are even willing to perform the amputation at this stage. (Personal experience; we got a leather couch back when I was young. My father was like "The cat gets declawed because she's a huge bitch and goes right for it." He saw the way she looked after the surgery and wound up absolutely horrified when we nearly lost her to the infection/the trauma it put her and the family through. Never again, he told my mother. Couches/shit can be replaced and don't matter in the long run.)
There are things you can to do discourage; the water bottle trick usually working, canned air traps are also good at discouraging cats from shenanigans. Soft Paws is something we tried, but it was kind of too much of a pain in the ass/required two people (one to hold the cat, the other to apply the caps and keep the cat from moving/running off for about 2-5 minutes.) to do properly. Sticky paws is another thing (double sided sticky tape) that cats hate with a passion. Some people find it successful, some don't.
You could also try some of the scent stuff that they sell at the store if it's a nervous behavior. Cats usually scratch to stretch their paw muscles, mark their territory, and to keep their claws sharp.
Jian's recommendation of getting a scratching pad or two is also a great idea. My boys love their scratching posts and you can get all types from the store/shipped to you online. (My favorite is to invest in a cat tower; they will go batshit over it. Mine has the carpet covering, two sleeping baskets, and two different scratchers (rope and cardboard) and ran me fairly high in price-- but was purchased shortly before I moved into my current apartment and is still going strong. (Ouch, almost 3 years. RIP.)
As for food/water; I free feed my boys their dry food and give them a teaspoon/tablespoon of wet/canned kitty food once to twice a day with tuna/tuna juice for an occasional treat. Free feeding, btw, is just filling the cat dish up with food and letting them eat when they please. Keeping their food and water slightly separated is a good idea. Fill a large bowl with water--and know that the cat will probably be an asshole and be like "Hey I like this water in the glass you're drinking out of better, thanks Dad!" They all do it. ALL OF THEM-- and keep it fresh/change it daily/bidaily.
Good luck on the counter thing. Spray bottle/same tricks used for the scratching thing usually work. My dad's trick was to get one of those old cheap plastic dart guns like these and cock it back to scare the cat. It worked on the first two cats we had growing up. My oldest cat, Strider, is a little too smart for that and carries the darts off/hides them and thinks it's a great game.
Start reading up on/learning body language; that's going to be key and as a 'veteran' cat owner, is something that I'm picking up on more and more the longer I really observe and own them. Cats communicate primarily through body language and are very much social animals. They colonize. (Thus why you hear strays/ferals referred to as a 'colony' when there's a bunch of them.) It's not failsafe/foolproof, but it'll give you a headstart!
Toys help. Toys are a LOT of help; catnip is going to be your friend and will make you lose your shit when they go ballistic and pretty much incarnate the OwO face at you over nothing. Toys are also easy as shit to make to entertain a cat depending on their preference. Wadded up paper balls that crinkle and are thrown will offer much entertainment. A laser pointer (do not shine it in their eyes) running along the floor/lower part of the wall will make them go fucking postal, catnip mice/toys are always good. Jingle balls will drive you nuts, but they love to chase them-- some cats play fetch, Kija, my youngest, does.
Litter boxes: keep clean. Indoor kitties have a much higher lifespan and are less prone to get lost, get into fights with other cats, dogs, raccoons, squirrels, etc and thus will minimize your veterinary bills that way. Also keeps them from worms and fleas! Cats are notoriously clean animals and like a clean space to do their business. Prepare for healthy bowels because holy hell can they stink it up. Keep some air freshener nearby when they blast a particularly sick nasty duece.
Also, super important; ID the cat. ALWAYS make sure your animals are spayed/neutered and have at least one form of identification (tags with home/cell number, name, etc, microchip, or both) on them. It's heartbreaking to have a pet go missing and possibly end up in a shelter, or worse; on the side of the road/in the middle of the road.
Most of all? Have fun getting to know your new family member, as it sounds like you guys are keeping him, and know that he's essentially in the toddler phase headed for teenager. (By the time they're a year old, they're approaching 16-18 in human years.) Their personalities are so different and vary that it's never the same kind of cat twice when you get them.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head for now, if you have any other questions/concerns, let me know/post 'em!
Post by Marshal Corvus on Jul 22, 2016 19:55:30 GMT -5
Thanks guys <3 tbh, I really didn't know cats had personalities (cliche dog owner thing, I know, but I never gave it any thought). I'm pretty sure we wont be declawing him, the nail caps seem like a good solution.
Also, Jian, I too request pictures of the furry jellybabies.
Post by Marshal Corvus on Jul 24, 2016 0:23:16 GMT -5
So, my fiance said he likes to lick my leg because its hairy and he thinks he's bathing me. Is that a thing? Also, how do worms/fleas happen if a cat doesn't leave the house?
Post by Jian Oreachi on Jul 24, 2016 1:17:04 GMT -5
is your fiance the man licking your leg :S?
that's whatcha get for not checking your pronouns!
But no seriously, I'm not sure how super accurate this is but I believe all cats think we're gross dumb incapable cats that they need to take care of. As for fleas/worms, they can happen from things you track in, flies from outside, lots of various ways. Dogs/Cats on your front doors at nights or whatever.
Post by Kokuou Munashii on Jul 25, 2016 17:30:52 GMT -5
one of the best ways of keeping a cat off the counter is to use double sided tape along the edge of the counter, cats step on the sticky part quickly learn to stop walking there.
also things with high citris like natural orange clean spray and stuff will help since they dont like that smell they will avoid it.
given the natural coloring of that cat, just give up on wearing black and not having white cat hair on it.. just give up now. it doesnt matter if the cat has been dead for like 5 years, you will still somehow get white cat fur on that black shirt.
cats lick either because you have salt that tastes good or because its a comfort/grooming thing. they do it when they are happy, as a familial act ect
and fleas worms and ticks can be carried in by other people.
Most important rule. Know when you just have to compromise. Cats are stubborn little assholes sometimes. My grumpy 16 year old man cat has, over the course of a decade, designated the dining table as his sitting area. Leave him alone long enough and he will end up there. Drove my mom fucking insane and made me laugh so much to walk into the room and suddenly be aware he'd ghosted up there yet again. Finally, we have an understanding. He cant be up there while we're eating, but any other time is fair game and he gets whatever sauces or nibblets end up on the table. Its nit like he cleans himself up there or picks tufts out of his fur(unlike the rest of the house). He just sits, naps, and watches.
Also he is both old person and cat in one so his cery presence doubles down on the 'do not disturb' factor.
Post by Mirabelle Bonnet on Jul 27, 2016 11:22:49 GMT -5
Update!: Reed is very healthy according to the Vet! He's a healthy weight, has no ear mites (which leads them to think he was previously medicated for worms). He also purred for the Vet when he got his rebies shot as when they were trying to listen for his heartbeat. TL;DR: Reed is a healthy (and very friendly/happy) cat
Mirabelle's speech/'thoughts'
Beldame's speech/'thoughts'
"Sadako's Speech"
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