[OT] Anyone good with cats?

[BVB]

If the cats have been living together in peace and harmony for a while and are still doing so, I'd tend to look at the cat litter itself first as the potential problem. I remember my cat, Sylvester, got some really obnoxious chemical burns on the pads of his feet that were the result of the new-fangled clumping litter. Poor kitty. We didn't realize it until the vet asked if he had walked through something, and even then it took a few more days to figure it out.

We never did figure out why Sydney (his younger, adopted "sibling") started peeing in a corner all the way across the house. They had both been neutered at a young age, and Syd had already been in the household for two or three years before he began marking. By the time we noticed the scent, it was too late -- nothing could adequately break it down or mask it. Thoroughly soaked the baseboards. But Sydney was a very insecure kitty and very jealous of Sylvester when he got any attention at all. Ultimately, he found a new home (as the only pet) for a woman who had just lost her own cat to cancer. Our vet knew she wanted a replacement kitty. It was a fortunate relocation for everyone. ... But until that point, we tried just about everything we could to alleviate the problem.

Our current cat, Seven, is about the simplest-minded, most easy-going, friendliest, no-problem cat you could ever meet. (Although I dread the task of replacing our furniture some day and trying to teach her not to use the couch as a scratching post. Seven may have to lose her claws. We'll see.)

 

[Kahuna Burger]

(Although I dread the task of replacing our furniture some day and trying to teach her not to use the couch as a scratching post. Seven may have to lose her claws. We'll see.)

WHAAAA! Henry just stopped the second most common pet related flame war, and here comes the biggie!

But maybe we can just leave this as an aside, with a recomendation to start the retraining and nail trimming process early if you feel this will eventually be a concern... (insert canned speil about how I trained my cat through operant conditioning to lie on her back and let me trim all four sets of nails without anyone having to hold her down.)

Kahuna Burger

 

[Mercule]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. Keep it coming.

As far as the bones of contension here, maybe I can do something to reduce them.

I've had cats almost continuously for about 30 years. I'm not sure I'd know what to do without one around. Also, I'm generally good at figuring them out, I've just never had such an un-repentant excretor before. I got into the deal knowing full well what sort of commitment I was making, and have put in hundreds of dollars on the health of critters (ferrets can be quite costly to maintain, especially in their twilight years), so I'm not exactly going to let the fellow wither if it's medical.

Also, if it does come down to our inability to give him the attention he needs or some other issue that we can't resolve, euthanasia is not my first option. It's my last. So, we can probably avoid anything relating to a pep talk on responsibility or commitment from either side for this one. I know where my line is, and no one is likely to convince me to move it in either direction.

My goal is to figure out how to modify the cat's behavior to get him to use the box consistantly (he's about 85% in the box right now, I'd guess). The timing of his refusal is too suspicious for me to be inclined to jump to medical reasons immediately. Besides which, after having been laid off since last December (I've got some income coming in now, but we're still trying to stabilize and fix the damage from the extended vacation), spending money on a vet bill is a #2 solution, not #1. I'll do it if I have to, but I'm interested in trying to retrain him, first.

That said, I don't have the same level of commitment to the cat as to a person. If this isn't medical and I can't retrain him, he's going to have to find a new home. I don't want to do this, though, because of the fact that we've have him for eight years (he's older than both our kids put together) and I feel that I've got a responsibility to him. Thus, I've posted my (grossly off-topic) question here in hopes of tapping the vast talent and knowledge of ENWorld to help me come up with the best solution.

The short version is: I've already got a philosophy and don't need another one, so it's really off-topic for this already off-topic thread to go there. Solutions are more than welcome, though. (Hmm... that should either serve to defuse things or totally piss people off. *shrug*)

Oh, and Djeta, if it does come to it, I'll definitely seek your help in finding a no-kill shelter. Even if I have to drive quite a way, I'd rather a) find a good home, or b) ensure that he'll be cared for by someone who isn't going to gas him.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

it is a terrible shame when people do that. however, i inherited my two lovely cats when some friends of mine had a baby and didn't want the cats in the house any more. they were "afraid the cats might hurt the baby." strangely enough, they kept their Doberman.

here's something worse : where I live, if they were an adoptive family they would not have been allowed to keep their doberman, no matter what its temperment. (and unneutered male springer with a history of agression would have been fine, but no "mean" breeds)

is 8-10 years old really considered geriatric for a cat? i guess my perception is skewed because every cat my family has had (excepting one who tragically died of feline leukemia at age 4) has lived to be at least 17 years old. Old Mrs. Riley died about six months back, and she was 21. (old enough to drink! )

well, to make this vaugly fit in with the boards supposed purpose The age chart for a kitty and a human might look like this :

Age*****Human*****Kitty
Adulthood**15*****6 months
Middle age**35****5 - 7 years
Old*******53****10 - 12 years
Venerable**70****16 - 19 years
Max Age**+2d20*****+1d4

Just as a 40 or 50 year old woman may be hale and hearty, but still starting the yearly mamograms, calcium suplements etc for "adult female health" a 8 to 10 year old cat might have half his life ahead of him and his owner shoudl still be thinking about a senior food, regular checks and watching for signs of kidney or thyroid problems to make sure that last half happens happily.

Kahuna Burger

 

[Mercule]

Our current cat, Seven, is about the simplest-minded, most easy-going, friendliest, no-problem cat you could ever meet. (Although I dread the task of replacing our furniture some day and trying to teach her not to use the couch as a scratching post. Seven may have to lose her claws. We'll see.)

Grr... And here I just said "keep your philosphy to yourself".

Since I don't believe it's humane to amputate the tips of a cat's fingers (declawing requires removal of the last phalanx), I found an alternate solution. You can get some little vinyl sheaths for your cat's claws. They even come in designer colors (we put hot pink on our gray tabby ).

You trim the tips of their claws and then glue the sheaths on. It takes about 20 minutes to do. You're supposed to have to do it about once a month (cats' claws shed in layers, so it isn't permanent), but we found that they'd actually lose about one every week or so, which made it really easy to keep up with. Five minutes while talking on the phone or waiting for dinner to cook is quite casual.

If you want to try them and can't find a store in your area that carries them, let me know and I'll get you in touch with someone who does.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

You can get some little vinyl sheaths for your cat's claws. They even come in designer colors (we put hot pink on our gray tabby ).

You trim the tips of their claws and then glue the sheaths on. It takes about 20 minutes to do. You're supposed to have to do it about once a month (cats' claws shed in layers, so it isn't permanent), but we found that they'd actually lose about one every week or so, which made it really easy to keep up with. Five minutes while talking on the phone or waiting for dinner to cook is quite casual.

Yeah, Soft Paws, AKA lee press-on nails for cats! There was never a big call for those when I was grooming, but they are a handy item esp for transitions. Its best, IMHO, to have the vet or a groomer do the 'full install' to avoid frustration, and then learn to to the maintenence replacements yourself. You can continue with them, or phase over to just trimming the nails, depending on the situation (soft paws when the new furniture is first moved in, trimming as they learn to ignore it.)

Kahuna Burger

 

[BVB]

re declawing comment:

Grr... And here I just said "keep your philosophy to yourself".

Since I don't believe it's humane to amputate the tips of a cat's fingers ...

It's not a philosophy, and I wasn't suggesting anyone else do the same. And your "Grrr" wrist slap comment was unnecessary, in the same vein as my "whiners" comment earlier.

 

[Henry]

This thread went far beyond its original question in many flame-prone ways, and it needs to take a breather. I've read it twice now, and how a discussion on helping a cat with a behavioral and/or medical problem became a discussion on Animal rights, Euthanasia, and Abandoning Pets is still boggling to me.

Thread closed. Mercule, I hope you found some useful advice for your little one in this thread.

UPDATE - Thread still closed, but Mercule asked politely if I could add something to this thread. I don't normally do this, but since he asked politely to explain himself, I'll let him:

Is there an "approved" way I can explain my 'Grr... And here I just
said "keep your philosphy to yourself".' comment to BVB and let
everyone know I wasn't trying to attack him.

My "Grr..." was an expression of frustration that I was probably going
to come off sounding like I was advocating something just because I was
offering an alternative. It wasn't aimed at BVB, although I can see
where he would get that.

And that's all I have to say about that.