Cat Chat 2

[~ moth ~]

hello! first time posting here, i would appreciate a little help with my situation.

my family is considering getting me a cat for Christmas, but only if i answer their questions or problems with actually keeping the cat indoors. you see, we can keep it outdoors since we have a backyard, which is what they suggested if they will get me one, but I am completely against that thought.I don't believe it is safe at all, especially if they're not supervised every minute. it's really easy to climb and get out on the street for a cat, and I can't care for it properly if they're always around danger.

would anyone be able to help me answer these questions and possibly find a solution? I absolutely love cats with all my heart, and would do anything to keep one.

the main problem for my family is 'the smell'. basically the litter box smell. is it really that bad? and if it is, would getting a different shaped litter reduce it? or is there anything that can get rid of the smell? this always comes in discussion when talking about pets.

my family says that cats can climb on the table when we're not looking or when we're not home. is this actually true? i've never met someone that said their cat steals food or climbs on the kitchen table. has it happened to anyone, and if it did, is it possible to stop the cat from doing this? i've researched a lot but couldn't find something quite accurate about this.

and lastly, could i get some advice for convincing them? such as telling them something, or things like that.

thanks for any help or advice!

i have two cats, one an indoor/outdoor cat and the other strictly indoor. my indoor/outdoor cat rarely ever climbs onto tables, however the strictly indoor cat does constantly find her way onto tabletops when no one or when she thinks no one is around or watching. there are a few ways to deter cats fro climbing onto surfaces, such as placing a citrus scent (which cats hate) or usung a deterrent that puffs air or water when it senses motion. i've never had a cat steal food, though, just knock things over and be a general nuisance, but i know someone who's cat does jump on surfaces and steals food.

when it comes to litter boxes, like others have said use an odor diffuser and clean the box regularly to combat the smell. you can also place it in an accessible spot for the cat but away from areas that you and your family members might be able to smell the odors. i personally keep the boxes in the basement

[mierose]

hello! first time posting here, i would appreciate a little help with my situation.

my family is considering getting me a cat for Christmas, but only if i answer their questions or problems with actually keeping the cat indoors. you see, we can keep it outdoors since we have a backyard, which is what they suggested if they will get me one, but I am completely against that thought.I don't believe it is safe at all, especially if they're not supervised every minute. it's really easy to climb and get out on the street for a cat, and I can't care for it properly if they're always around danger.

would anyone be able to help me answer these questions and possibly find a solution? I absolutely love cats with all my heart, and would do anything to keep one.

the main problem for my family is 'the smell'. basically the litter box smell. is it really that bad? and if it is, would getting a different shaped litter reduce it? or is there anything that can get rid of the smell? this always comes in discussion when talking about pets.

my family says that cats can climb on the table when we're not looking or when we're not home. is this actually true? i've never met someone that said their cat steals food or climbs on the kitchen table. has it happened to anyone, and if it did, is it possible to stop the cat from doing this? i've researched a lot but couldn't find something quite accurate about this.

and lastly, could i get some advice for convincing them? such as telling them something, or things like that.

thanks for any help or advice!

First of all, I absolutely agree. It’s completely dangerous for a cat to be living outside, as cats, unlike dogs, will not stay within the confines of a fence. For the litter box, if you clean daily, there’s really no noticeable smell at all. It only gets gross if you let it get gross. For the table, make it clear from the beginning you won’t allow it. Don’t put them up there and if the cat happens to jump up, put them back down. The cat will realize it’s not supposed to be up there pretty quickly, and a lot of cats don’t hop up in the first place. Hope this helps! I know there are a lot of cats who would love to find a home this year. <3

[Thalassic]

Have any of you guys watched Kitten Lady (Hannah Shaw) on youtube? She posts tons of educational videos on fostering kittens and they're super cute to watch! She has inspired me to foster when I'm living in a place where I'm able to have pets

I love her content! And hope to foster once I have space and enough income of my own!

-snip-
the main problem for my family is 'the smell'. basically the litter box smell. is it really that bad? and if it is, would getting a different shaped litter reduce it? or is there anything that can get rid of the smell? this always comes in discussion when talking about pets.

As with most things relating to pets, it's really up to how often/well you take care of said litterbox. Obviously anything that goes on there is going to have a smell, but cats are usually fairly good at burying their own waste, reducing the smell. It helps to have it in a well/easy to ventilate area. But most importantly: clean it our regularly. That reduces the smell a LOT. You can also get some automatic litterboxes but from what I've seen, those tend to be expensive and its much easier to just scoop once/twice a day.

my family says that cats can climb on the table when we're not looking or when we're not home. is this actually true? i've never met someone that said their cat steals food or climbs on the kitchen table. has it happened to anyone, and if it did, is it possible to stop the cat from doing this? i've researched a lot but couldn't find something quite accurate about this.

Cats are climbers by nature, so any sort of food smells will interest them. And while there are ways to teach them to stay off of tables, they still might do it when nobody is around, purely because its their instinct to hunt their own meals, and food left out on the table makes for easy prey.
To help with this, I suggest a mix of training and just keeping tempting things off of the table or covering them when nobody is around. One, fairly straightforward way to teach cats "don't", is to use a water bottle and spray in their direction while sternly telling them "don't" or "no" or something similar. You don't have to soak them, and don't spray them in the face/ears/eyes or anything, it just has to be enough to be unpleasant and make them relate "no" with this unpleasant feeling. And then any time they try to get on the table, you can tell them "no" and spray at them if necessary. Its pretty effective and eventually you might not even need to spray at them anymore.

and lastly, could i get some advice for convincing them? such as telling them something, or things like that.

The best thing to do is just do your own research. Learn as much as you can about cats and caring for them, ask questions, watch videos, etc, and tell your parents about the things you have learned. Not only will it show them that you are serious about caring for a cat, it will also teach them about how to care for them, since they will be living with the cat as well, and keeping a pet is a family commitment, not just something you alone will have to deal with.

And I agree entirely that outdoor cats face needless dangers that could easily be avoided. One thing to consider, if your parents are entirely against the idea of an indoor only cat, is to convert your back yard into a safe space for the cat. You can look up ways to cat-proof a space, as long as your back yard is already somewhat closed off. There are ways to stop cats from climbing over fences and such, but even if you choose to go with this, it's still suggested to only let them outside under supervision.

[catful]

thank you all so much for these wonderful tips and especially the advice! i appreciate it a lot, and will talk to them about this. If I, hopefully, do get a cat, I will update this <3 have a great day everyone and thank you again!

[cilliance]

I recently just adopted a kitten. His name is Whisper and he's a bengal/tabby mix (I think). He's a little special as he was born with only three toes on each of his back paws but he runs and plays like any other kitten.

He's very sweet and cuddly, but rambunctious sometimes, as any kitten is. I just hope he'll cool off as he ages since I'm registering him as an emotional support animal. He'll need to feel comfortable wearing a harness since that's the only time I can take him outside /: He's gotta be indoors since we've got too many wild animals here that'd eat a kitten like him for breakfast.

Anyway, the reason I'm posting here is not only to share my little pride and joy but to see if anyone else has experience registering a cat as emotional support and can tell me what it's like for them.

And, I know Bengals are hypoallergenic, but since he's a mix (99% sure) I'm wondering if he's hypoallergenic. Doesn't seem to shed....

Thanks guys

[Thalassic]

I recently just adopted a kitten. His name is Whisper and he's a bengal/tabby mix (I think). He's a little special as he was born with only three toes on each of his back paws but he runs and plays like any other kitten.

He's very sweet and cuddly, but rambunctious sometimes, as any kitten is. I just hope he'll cool off as he ages since I'm registering him as an emotional support animal. He'll need to feel comfortable wearing a harness since that's the only time I can take him outside /: He's gotta be indoors since we've got too many wild animals here that'd eat a kitten like him for breakfast.

Anyway, the reason I'm posting here is not only to share my little pride and joy but to see if anyone else has experience registering a cat as emotional support and can tell me what it's like for them.

And, I know Bengals are hypoallergenic, but since he's a mix (99% sure) I'm wondering if he's hypoallergenic. Doesn't seem to shed....

Thanks guys

kittens in general actually shed very little. It takes about 6 months to a year for their adult coat to begin to grow in, so you shouldn't notice much shedding for a while still.

as for cat allergies in general, you can be allergic to much more than just their shed fur. Like pee and saliva and dead skin, which all cats are going to have. So there are no truly hypoallergenic cats (or dogs), and it just depends on what you react most to.

[valyri]

I recently just adopted a kitten. His name is Whisper and he's a bengal/tabby mix (I think). He's a little special as he was born with only three toes on each of his back paws but he runs and plays like any other kitten.

He's very sweet and cuddly, but rambunctious sometimes, as any kitten is. I just hope he'll cool off as he ages since I'm registering him as an emotional support animal. He'll need to feel comfortable wearing a harness since that's the only time I can take him outside /: He's gotta be indoors since we've got too many wild animals here that'd eat a kitten like him for breakfast.

Anyway, the reason I'm posting here is not only to share my little pride and joy but to see if anyone else has experience registering a cat as emotional support and can tell me what it's like for them.

And, I know Bengals are hypoallergenic, but since he's a mix (99% sure) I'm wondering if he's hypoallergenic. Doesn't seem to shed....

Thanks guys

I have a Bengal mix and he sheds quite a bit. He's almost six months old. It might just be that his coat is still coming in so it might take a bit longer. Hypoallergenic doesn't mean that they won't shed, keep in mind

Your little guy sounds a lot like mine. Mine is a silver tabby Bengal/Ragdoll mix. He's quite crazy but can be cuddly as well. He's definitely calming down with age and having access to the outdoors has done him a world of good. Even if it is just with a halter, being able to keep him busy that way should help to calm him down. I halter trained my boy and he learnt to handle it really quickly, so hopefully it will go well for you as well. I don't have experience registering cats as emotional support animals, but I wish you all the best of luck with your kitty!

[pizzas and scream]

i really don't think i want to be thinking we should of just euthnised Gary, the vet said the skin opening from where sutures were was no big problem but he has been licking so much he is skining other places. the e collar has him thrash around so I had to make a smaller felt one. I don't know wich complications will arise and how much more preventitve antibotics he would be on, because it's like he is skinning his self. vet said it was worth amputating the cancer leg. and I just shouldn't go "well you two love each-other. you want him?"

[spacecatmint]

hello! seeking some advice, maybe you guys have any experience with this?

i have two cats and they've never really gotten along. the oldest one has always been very skeptical of other cats, so when we got another cat, they didn't get along for at least a few months. however, it did get better to the point where they could at least coexist, and be around each other without it mattering too much! which was a relief.

however, lately, it seems they've become even more enemies than before. they're always fighting, hissing, or meowing unfriendly at each other. they're a female and a male, but they're both castrated so i don't think that should be a problem.

does anyone have any idea how i can try and make them get along again? it hurts to see them fight like that,,

[pizzas and scream]

it turns out the flap of skin that is on Gary, from when it looked like he tries to peel hisself is supposed to happen. it still looks so gastly gross, and will when it falls off and the "it's not his flesh" showing is showing