Educating The Furry Felines - Cat Owners Reply Please. - by Mr.Duck
Hewer on 23/9/2009 at 23:18
Quote Posted by Turtle
Save the money and fill a spray bottle with white vinegar. Cats don't like the smell, so if you spray it on your curtains at their level they should leave them alone.
Cats generally don't care about catnip until they're around 6 months old, so don't worry about that, yet.
Tape(sticky side up) or aluminum foil will usually keep them off counter tops, but they really are (mostly) too young for training right now.
But it doesn't mean you can't re-enforce positive behaviors and squirt them for bad ones.
I hadn't heard of vinegar- good idea. I've heard of using a cayenne pepper solution to keep them out of your plants and flower beds, but that would be nasty to use on drapes.
And I had forgotten about using tape. We had a cat who would scratch and rattle our bedroom door yowling every night until I finally put a bunch of tape sticky side up right where she would have to stand to do that. Fixed that situation up quick.
PeeperStorm on 24/9/2009 at 01:47
The spray bottle method works for me. I just use plain water. In an area where I don't want water squirting around (like near my computer) I use a can of compressed air to scare the crap out of them. I've also found that any percussion instrument that rattles loudly (like a maraca) can substitute for the air can.
Jennie&Tim on 24/9/2009 at 02:31
The wrestling with you will calm down as they get older, if you don't encourage it now. I just stop playing, being boring is one thing a kitten won't be reinforced by at all. Kittens will wrestle with each other, they will squawk and have oodles of fun, don't worry.
All kittens have ADHD. So be prepared for tornados etc.
There are shelves you can put in windows for cats, if you do this and crack the window a bit; you will create kitten heaven.
Cats do not have to be sharp on five out of six ends; we have some clippers just for claws and trim them once a week or so. Makes life safer.
Plastic eggs make great kitten toys. They don't roll as predictably as balls.
Oh, and fun as it is; never ever leave a cat alone with string or yarn that isn't attatched to something large. They can swallow it and get hurt.
Brushing cats will cut down on hairballs.
Nicker on 24/9/2009 at 04:05
Inspirational toys? I like the plastic egg idea. Keep the little furballs guessing.
One toy I have found consistently satisfying for cats is the (
http://www.amazon.com/Ethical-Pet-Products-Spot-Maraca/dp/B0002567FU) Maraca Ferret. (I have no idea what claim to ethical superiority the seller makes, but I recommend the toy.)
Unlike all the other toys my cats had (even furry ones) the maraca ferrets were not played with - they were hunted and taunted and repeatedly dispatched with great prejudice. I had to hide them at night if I wanted any rest.
And not just my cats. I made gifts of these to a number of friend's cats and the response was virtually universal. One rattle and they hunt is on.
Some descriptions say they contain catnip, which is not true (having submitted one flayed specimen to vivisection).
OH - If you can get a
honeysuckle branch or log, your furniture should be safe from cat claws. Something about honeysuckle drives cats to distraction.
rachel on 24/9/2009 at 11:14
We spent quite a few euros on toys in the beginning until we realized she ignored them completely, having decided that a ball of rolled toilet paper was much more fun to play with. :p
SlyFoxx on 24/9/2009 at 14:46
One of the best cat toys is a golf ball sized ball of aluminum foil.
BrokenArts on 24/9/2009 at 14:51
Yup, we have one that will bring it back to us, he plays fetch, we think he's part dog. Anytime you have foil, he's right there, watching......waiting.
gunsmoke on 24/9/2009 at 15:23
My 1/2 ragdoll, 1/2 siamese cat Spinelli LOOOOVES those laser pointers. I have to hide them in really slick spots when she isn't looking if I want sleep. Great for wearing her out when she is especially meddlesome.
Inline Image:
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/1653/picturesfromcamera138.jpgSlyFoxx on 24/9/2009 at 15:37
+1 on the laser pointer. Back around '91 when they were still kind of new a friend brought one over to the bachelor pad. Our cat Bart went nuts over the thing. We called it the "Cat Remote"
Turtle on 24/9/2009 at 15:52
Quote Posted by BrokenArts
Yup, we have one that will bring it back to us, he plays fetch, we think he's part dog. Anytime you have foil, he's right there, watching......waiting.
Our older cat does this with yellow pencil cap erasers. Only yellow, no idea why.
Our kitten loves ping-pong balls and ambushing our older cat constantly and fiercely.
