1734 cat problem

I'm sorry to hear you're having difficulties. I hope you can hold onto your little buddies. But I'm confused. Why do your parents have any say in the matter?

guest Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm sorry to hear you're having difficulties. I
> hope you can hold onto your little buddies. But
> I'm confused. Why do your parents have any say in
> the matter?


I wondered the same thing since you have your own place. If the parents are paying the rent, it is sticky situation. A lot of college "kids" do find that they are still held accountable to their parents when they are paying the tab.

yes, that would make more sense then

Don't worry the cats (and you) will be fine. They will also tolerate the move fine when you do move out of state. There are plenty of websites on cat behavior to help you along the way. The biting is a common kitten problem. They should grow out of it but don't encourage it by using your hands as a "toy" for them to chase. Always use a real toy. The lamp thing, well, that's just cats. You have to "cat proof" your house somewhat. I just got two NEW cats (now I have 4) and my mom was mad too. Oh, BTW I'm 47 and she's 80! Good luck with your parents, I'm sure the issue will blow over. Oh you were spot on when you adopted two together....they keep each other company. Get one of those really tall cat trees. Put it by a window if possible. They might be spendy initially but your cats will love it. IT will give them some vertical space since there's not as much room horizontally. Please feel free to email me if you have any other cat problems. GOOD LUCK!

Cats are fine in small spaces! Many people have cats in small apartments and they do just fine. And besides, you won't be living there forever.

Don't worry about whether they can tolerate the move or not: of course moving is stressful, but they'll adapt. It'll probably take them a few days to get used to a new place, but they'll be fine.

And even if you are busy a lot, the cats are better off with you than back in a shelter. They have each other to play with.

The way I see it, if it's a problem regarding pets, then many CF won't mind if it is posted, as many of us are pet-fanatics.

Do you live near campus? Usually, those apartments are usually small, and somewhat expensive. Look to see if there are apartments about 20 or more miles away from campus. Usually, 2 bedroom apartments far away from campus can cost as much as an effiency apartment near campus (however, it's more costly since you do have to commute.) That should help the litter box problem, but is more costly in the long-run.

As far as the moves, cats do get used to things very easily. My soon to be duh brother and moo sister-in-law have moved a lot, and their cats haven't really have any problems as far as that is concerned. One isn't bothered at all since it's moved more times than what they have (they also adopted it from a pet shelter). The other one was okay after about two days, even though it was the first time it moved.

Usually, cats grow out of things like knocking over lamps and such. However, some don't, and my two didn't. What I did is used something similiar to what they do for obedience training for dogs. I call it reverse clicker training. Instead of using a clicker to praise a dog, I made them learn to associate the sound of the clicker to being hit with a newspaper. In other words, they did wrong, I made a sound with the clicker, and tapped them on the head with the newspaper (which they really hate.) Now, whenever they hear the clicker, they think they're going to get tapped with it. But, when they stop doing the thing they were doing wrong, I rewarded them with treats they love so much.

It took them a while to learn, but at least now they know when they hear the clicker, they know they're doing something wrong, and stop immediately (it's a very rare occasion that I even have to use the clicker anymore, and they haven't even been tapped with the newspaper for such a long time). If they don't learn by what I did (try finding something they really hate, even if it's a loud screetch, but don't make it torturous--the more painful it is, the less it will work), try looking up behavior modification techniques, or any kind of behavioral type of training. if you can't find any, try finding a senior psychology major in a highly behavioristic/Skinnerian/Pavlovian psychology department.

If you can't reach an agreement with your parents, see if they'll take care of your cats while you're in grad. school. Having them take care of your cats is definitely better than taking them back to the pet shelter.

Good luck on your graduate studies and the pet situation.

lemon zest soap, that can stop cats from scratching and stuff, just rub it on the item or furniture and cats will avoid it..

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

Hi LTCF - I'm sorry you're having problems with your little sweethearts.

But, like the others have already said: cats are very good at adapting to anything. As long as they have you to love (and love them), they'll be fine. And having two precious little bunnies is better than one - I suspected as much but now I know for a fact with my two little angels. They can never be bored or lonely when they have each other!

They say you can use vinegar to keep kitties away from a certain spot. Not sure about that. But then, I never had a scratching problem. Though my Mina did chew my stereo's wires - and her sister Lucy chewed my headphones' wires, too. But I replaced them, and everything is fine now.

Anyway, good luck! I hope everything will work out for you and the little honeys!

1. Kittens are like babies, they will continue to be mischievous until they are about a year old. When mine were growing up, I couldn't have anything nice out for quite a while. They will practice their little "top cat" things with each other, trying to figure out who will be boss.

2. Buy a GOOD scratching post and show them how to use it, please don't declaw them. I have 6 cats and no one touches a stitch of furniture.

3. Why do your parents have any say in this?

4. Cats are highly adaptable to new places, space size, etc. Provide them with enough toys to keep them busy and entertained. Spend just a little time with them each day.

5. Keep their potties scooped daily and use good clumping litter.

6. If you ABSOLUTELY DO have to get rid of them, don't separate them. They have already bonded and it wouldn't be fair.

7. Get them spayed/neutered when they are 6 months old.

8. Keep them at all costs. Cats are awesome pets and you'll be so glad you did. I never started out in life saying, "I want 6 cats when I grow up" - they just happened upon me and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Good luck!