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Rudyjohn

SoWal Insider
Feb 10, 2005
7,744
233
Chicago Area
Our standard poodle Pepper is not a climber, so she would never leave the patio area to which she is confined for potty time. But a cat can jump/climb outside the walls of the patio. I don't want it to be an outdoor cat because I don't want it roaming and bringing fleas into my house.

That cat is destructive, as evidenced by how she has torn up daughter's residence. Tell me how to prevent that, and I won't declaw it. But even then, it will have to be crated whenever we are not at home, just as Pepper is crated when we are not at home.

How do you train a cat not to get on your kitchen counters? I don't want a cat who has just taken a dump to then jump on my dining table or kitchen counters. I'd have to be bacterializing 24/7.

BR, I'm gonna make it real simple for you... don't bring a cat into your house. Your house is not suitable for one.

.
 

Mango

SoWal Insider
Apr 7, 2006
9,709
1,360
New York/ Santa Rosa Beach
Our standard poodle Pepper is not a climber, so she would never leave the patio area to which she is confined for potty time. But a cat can jump/climb outside the walls of the patio. I don't want it to be an outdoor cat because I don't want it roaming and bringing fleas into my house.

That cat is destructive, as evidenced by how she has torn up daughter's residence. Tell me how to prevent that, and I won't declaw it. But even then, it will have to be crated whenever we are not at home, just as Pepper is crated when we are not at home.

How do you train a cat not to get on your kitchen counters? I don't want a cat who has just taken a dump to then jump on my dining table or kitchen counters. I'd have to be bacterializing 24/7.

BR, you crack me up. First off, cats are not like dogs who take to crates like it is their bedroom. You could confine it to a room initially --your daughters- just make sure the litter box is there for it. Many people do that anyway when a new cat enters the house. Then gradually let it roam and explore.

My cats never jumped on my counters. One time, my fat cat did -- he fell trying due to his largess -- but he had a undiscovered thyroid issue and was trying to open the cabinet where he knew his kibble was.

To train a cat, use a spray bottle. If the cat does something wrong, you spray them with the water mister. They hate water and they will equate that behavior with the water, so they won't do it again.

Cats sleep most of the day and my cats have been restricted to certain sleep areas. They are not allowed in my bedrooms. Where they do sleep, I keep a blanket and they curl up on that. They knead the blanket, so put a nice soft one in your daughters room and a bed or even a window sill attachment. They like those so they can look out the windows at birds and things. Eventually, you'll find they sleep in the same place(s). My cats learned quickly. I've even hissed at them when they try to be a little sneaky, but all in all, they are smarter than you realize and have many behaviours like dogs. My cat waits at the front door for my hubby.

I have a small propelene (sp) carpet I bought on-line but you could also first try the scratching posts. You could put catnip on it to attract it to the post. They also sell cat furniture at PetSmart, etc. that have beds and a scratching post attached. I'll find a picture. Cats like to be higher up so they can see around their surroundings. I think that would be perfect for y'all initially.

Relax--A year from now, you'll be all gaga over the cat and when your daughter leaves eventually, you will be wanting her to leave the cat. :D

Edit: Here's a sample Kitty Condo. They make all kinds. Shop around. You see the roping? That is for scratching. There's plenty of inventory and no credit crunch. :lol:
 

Miss Kitty

Meow
Jun 10, 2005
47,017
1,131
69
BR...it sounds like instead of having the cat deCLAWed, your daughter needs to be deCARDed.

I agree with the posters above...please put this cat up for adoption.
 

Jdarg

SoWal Expert
Feb 15, 2005
18,068
1,973
Our cat is declawed, but we adopted him that way. He has the best personality of any cat we have ever had, and does not seem to have been affected by the declawing. He is now about 13, happy, and uses his litterbox faithfully, which is the the only difference between him and the dogs.

BUT- Sbartoldus is right. Declawing is very very painful. Seeing those little amputated toes with the claws attached wiil make you sick- I almost threw up when I was cleaning up the surgery room after a declawing, and had to empty the little dish of toes.

I remember running out of the room and yellng at my boss- "How can you do this?" He is a very practical vet, and explained that he himself abhors the practice, but here is what happens when he refuses to declaw the cat- the owners don't manage the cat properly from the start, the cat starts tearing up the house and/or them, then the family dumps the cat off somewhere, or worse. In his mind, declawing as a kitten (he would not declaw older cats) gave the kitten a better chance of remaining in a home where it would be cared for, and was better than a cat living as an outdoor stray on the street (and I agree with him on this, because I have huge issues with encouraging a feral cat population). He talked most people out of declawing, but if he ran across someone who was dead set on getting a cat and surgically adapting the cat to their living space, he would grit his teeth and agree, knowing these people would get the cat no matter what and do God knows what with it. So at least he stayed in the loop. :sosad:

BR- ask your vet to help you find a home for this cat. Another option is to learn how to trim the claws- it is not hard. All of our other cats have had claws and were indoors, and before we knew we could trim their claws, they shredded the house. You have to be patient- one or two claws at a time while they are learning to tolerate this. It takes very little time, and works well. You still need to provide something to scratch on because that's what cats do- even our declawed cat pretends he has claws and sharpens his toes every day!
 

floridafarm

Beach Comber
Mar 9, 2009
20
38
I've thought about the declawing issue for years. I'm always getting scratched, hissed at, my leg's getting sprayed so she can make sure that everyone knows that I'm "her" territory. Finally I had enough and went to the Vet.
He told me my wife wasn't nearly as bad as I have described...
 

Lynnie

SoWal Insider
Apr 18, 2007
8,176
431
SoBuc
Declawing is an absolute NO-NO!

I, too, not being a cat person was planning on having Cowboy declawed. He was given to me by a cat person whose opinions I respected. Her two cats were declawed! I told my family of my plans and was very gingerly told how this procedure truly works - amputation at the first knuckle! UGH!

I have very nice furnishings and there is only one item he has slightly damaged - it is one of my favorite pieces, but the love for the animal overrides this. He is now six years old. The squirt bottle came in handy on his initial training!

He lets me clip his nails with no resistance - he just lays upside down in my lap and stares at me while I clip - and he has his favorite trees outside where he sharpens weekly.

BR - I think you're really cool, but please rethink this! Buy a squirt bottle and get a soft shoe to kick him in the butt. Cowboy gets a spankin most every day! In a good way, mind you. :D
 

Rudyjohn

SoWal Insider
Feb 10, 2005
7,744
233
Chicago Area
all of this has made me think about the damage my DOGS have caused!!!! Way worse than any cat I've ever had. My beautiful Rudy boy, when he was a puppy chewed and gnawed on every piece of nice furniture I have in this house. And trust me, Mr. JR is never going to replace it just because of that. It has to be broke-down busted before he'll spend big bucks again. Besides, he was MY dog that I adopted unannounced so it was MY problem. :roll:

And let me say this, Mr. JR is anal on the quality of our furniture - it has to be good (which equals $$$$). We just try NOT to look at the corners of our expensive dining room table or lamp tables, book cases, sofa legs - you name it. Even my gorgeous dresser has friggin' deep claw marks across the whole top & down the front where he was trying to "get something." ugh!

I'm actually more of a "cat person" so I never realized the amount of training that goes into a puppy and young adult dog.

Ok that's my rant. Pets in general require lots of maintenance and monitoring. But it can be done if you take the time. :wave:
 
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