Kitty advice

[Aggie_Ama]

After Maggie DH and I cannot bring ourselves to consider another dog. Heidi loved Maggie but we would have to find another mellow dog that could handle Heidi because she has puppy like energy. She is seriously like a child with hyper-activity and even high energy dogs tend to be annoyed by her!

I have always had cats growing up but Maggie was blind and I thought introducing another animal would be hard on her. DH finally agreed I could get a cat IF I consider all the negatives. To him this is: scratching, stinky litter boxes and being a PITA.

So is it possible to have no scratching? I have never had a bad scratcher but I have seen the damage by cats that do. DH said NO WAY to claw removal. Second do those self cleaning litter boxes work? DH can't stand the smell of litter. Finally how do you screen a cat for dog tolerant temperment? Is it even possible or would hyper Heidi be a bad situation for a cat? Heidi loves any other animals.

[tulip]

I grew up with cats. I hate litter boxes. Our cats got to be housetrained. They asked to be let outside. I don't believe that cats should be kept indoors--they are too curious and need to explore. I strongly agree with your DH about declawing. Clawing inside means they are bored and destructive because they can't get outside. A cat door is a good idea.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If you live right next to a busy traffic road then your outside cat may very well be hit by a car. I've seen it happen a million times to others....and for some reason I have yet to figure out, they always seem surprised when it happens. (hello?....)

Younger cats (less than 2 perhaps?) can be generously praised when using their scratching posts (hint, cats especially like TALL scratching posts or cat 'trees' with sections of sisal rope and carpet). They can be discouraged from scratching furniture if you keep an eye on them. We managed to train our cats to 'mostly' not scratch the furniture- gave them much better things to scratch on and praised them when they did good. :)

Old fashioned clay cat litter tends to smell a lot. There are many new alternative litters that are way less smelly- and of course if you offer a decent sized box and CLEAN OUT the deposits in the box every day, then there is not much there to smell- especially with only one cat.

As to 'being a PITA'- well not much helpful advice i can offer there, except that maybe he is not a good prospective cat owner?

[makbike]

Amanda I share my home with 8 cats all of which are indoors. I do not declaw my cats and have no issues with furniture being destroyed. All my cats are trained to use a scratching post and I trim nails every 4 - 6 weeks.

As for the litter boxes I am fanatical about cleaning them. I scoop them out 1 -2 times daily. All boxes are dumped and disinfected every week. As far as I know I do not have an odor problem.

If you adopt from a reputable shelter they should do a screening on the animals they take in. Explain that you have a dog and ask them to "test" the cat/kitten you are considering for adoption. When you bring the cat/kitten home work with Heidi when you introduce. Some shelters will encourage you to bring Heidi with you to see how she reacts to cats.

Hope this helps.

[Kathi]

I adopted a 6 yo cat from a shelter 5 mos after my 20 yo cat passed away. She was very shy at first, actually she hid under the bed. We thought we made a mistake because she was so unsociable. Now, a year later she has become such a little sweetheart.

She was trained to use a scratching post and I, too, trim her claws. I have a scratching post in all the rooms that she frequents and haven't had any problems with her using the furniture. The shelter tested her to see how she reacted to kids and dogs.

I did have to spend more money than expected because she had contracted a virus at the shelter and her teeth had not been taken care of so I had a big dental bill. She also has food allergies so I have to be very careful of what I feed her.

My fee from the shelter included required shots, testing and identity chipping in case she got lost.

I requested a house only cat. We have coyote and fox in our neighborhood and I couldn't stand the thought of losing another cat so soon. She has no interest in going outside but loves to sit in the windows so we provided lots of places for her to perch. Besides a cat that lives indoors typically lives longer than an indoor/outdoor cat.

You can buy strips of plastic that attach to the furniture to protect it until you're sure the kitty will use the scratching post.

There is lots of information on the web about adopting cats from shelters and how to introduce the newcomer to your family.

Adopting from a shelter requires patience since you don't get much information from them about the cat and you have no idea how they were treated in their former home so it takes time to understand their idiosyncrancies. The shelters are full of wonderful cats needing a home and I'm sure you'll find the perfect kitty.

[Tuckervill]

My cats have never torn up my furniture, either. My son's cats have torn up their furniture. I don't really get why. I know I pay attention to my cats when I think they're about to do it and I hiss at them. There's something about multitasking that my sons are not able to do! (Pay attention to what they're doing AND notice the cat is stretching up to scratch the furniture.)

I don't clip nails or anything like that. My cats do go outside.

I use the regular Tidy Cat litter, and one tip is to make it as simple and convenient as possible to scoop the litter. (My cats only use it when it's wet outside.) I keep the litter box in the upstairs bathroom, and I have a small trash can with a step-lid beside it. I scoop into that trash can when I scoop and then pull the bag out of the can when necessary.

I also use a large Rubbermaid tub for litter, not a short-sided pan. This cuts way way down on the amount of litter that comes out on their feet. I originally started using this because I had a small dog that probably would have gotten in the litter. I turned the tub upside down on its lid, and cut a cat-sized hole in the side, and put a litter pan inside. Kept the dog out. But now the dogs are different, bigger and not interested, so I just use the tub right side up with no lid. The cats seem to like it just fine, but they prefer to go outside. They have litter boxes on the market now that do the same thing, but the tub works just fine and is less expensive. If you get a kitten, you will have to provide a way for the kitty to get in the litter box on its own if you go this route. Or start with a short one.

There's a cat out there who needs your home! Go for it! :)

Karen

[Biciclista]

I find it interesting that you have a dog who is hyper and you are worried about a cat being a PITA? Cats are very low maintenance in comparison to needy dogs.
If you are going to get a kitten, it will easily get used to a dog. And many adoption agencies use foster families to socialize their cats and many of those have dogs. So if you specify you want a cat who is ok with dogs you will find there are plenty that are available.
We don't have carpets and we don't have any furniture that the cats are scratching. I have a cat tree in the livingroom, a box (corrugated cardboard cat scratcher) in my office, a door hanging thingy on a door knob, and
I bought some really really cheap carpet for my cats (just a 6 foot by 2 foot piece of it) to scratch on too.
I also trim toenails, maybe not as often as i should. And i have the cat litter in the basement where I don't have to smell it every day.
oh, and if you feed high quality food, the feces don't smell so bad.

[smilingcat]

Getting a cat or kitten from a rescue group will be far better way to go. You can ask a rescue group for a dog friendly cat. The cats in our rescue group are rated for multiple cat household, children, dogs, indoor/outdoor. The foster person should answer your question regarding hyper dogs and the cat they are fostering.

Get a tall scratching post. Atleast 3 feet in height so the cat can stand up on his hind leg stretch out and reach with front legs to scratch. Also having several cheap corrugated cardboard scratching post works wonder.

Litterbox clean every day! We also put some Litterbox treatment from Nature's Miracle to deal with the smell.

And what most everyone else said. We don't like cats to go outside. They get hit by a car, pick up FeLV/FIV when they get bit, come home all chewed up after a cat fight, rabies, coyote, barn owl...

[badger]

I went the other way, had cats all my life and got a dog later.

If the cat is from the shelter (and I SO encourage you to!) they are going to be grateful to be out of the shelter environment to begin with, and because your home will be completely new, s/he should adjust to a dog. That being said, I would slowly introduce the cat to the dog, maybe keep them separated in a room but can smell each other for at least a couple of days.

I think all our cats had some sort of scratching issue, but those are usually remedied by what others have said: scratching posts, or putting double-sided tape on sides of the furniture.

And there always seems to be at least one poor kitty at the shelter who'd been declawed. Declawed kitties need homes, too.

If there's going to be outdoor access, I've found that for the most part females don't tend to wander as far and wide as males do.

And (sorry this is getting so long!) most shelters these days do some sort of personality assessment of the cats. Just look for a cat that's boldly lounging in the middle of all the action - if they're mellow in a shelter setting, they can only be mellow at home!

[Norse]

Ditto what others said about training cats to use a scratching post. Some other thoughts/tricks:

- If they do scratch where they should not, put strips of scotch tape in that spot, they don't like that and won't scratch there again;

- When you catch them in the wrong spot, gently carry them over to the designated scratching post/spot and simulate with their two front legs the act of scratching;

- Keep front nails trimmed!

On the litter, our days of smelly litter ended years ago when we switched to bedding "litter" like that used for gerbils, rabbits.... Currently, we are using aspen shavings which absorb better than the pine or cedar. It is also much nicer not having to step on the little stray litter pebbles that make their way around the house.

[Norse]

Oh yeah, 1+ on what Mimi said about high quality food. We switched our two cats to a raw food food (chicken) diet about 3 months ago and really, their feces hardly smell at all.

[Irulan]

Consider keeping it 100% indoors. The statistic on cat death through cars and other encounters is very high. The hunting they do, while instinctual, is fairly devastating to the bird population. And lets not forget that roaming cats generally make the neighbors unhappy by pooping in their flower beds and going after the birds they are watching.

The solution I like is the fully enclosed outdoor kitty runs: they can be out and observe, but not roam and kill. It's humane and keeps them safe yet interacting with the outdoors.

confession: I am a bird watcher who is really sick of my neighbors cats lurking under the nests in my yard, and encountering cat poop in my gardens. If my pets hung out in your yard and I never cleaned up after them, how would you feel?

[Norse]

After too many close calls with prior cats and since we have 3 bird feeders out back and do not want to invite them to their deaths, our cats are indoor cats even though they like to go outside. The way we solved this is to buy them harnesses and attach them to long ropes or cables to let them go out. We only do this when we are in the backyard with them (wouldn't want them going after birds or chipmunks or being attacked and unable to get away). They seem quite content with this arrangement.

[spokewench]

Here's a suggestion about the litter box. We have a cat door out into the garage where we keep the litter box; then the smell at least is not inside your house.

If your cat is an indoor cat, you need to check on them before you open the garage door to make sure you don't startle them and make them run outside.

I have cats that were outside and inside cats. But, we have never lived on a busy street. One lived till he was 17 (had a heart attack) and the other is still hanging in there at 23. This garage cat litter box has always worked fine for us.

[GLC1968]

We have an indoor/outdoor cat, but we now live in the country and it's necessary to control the rodent issues.

When we got him though, we lived in the suburbs. In fact, we got him because DH wanted a pet that was 'his' and my dog was NOT dog friendly. We opted for a cat.

We picked one from a shelter that was very young. He was also extremely timid. This worked for us. 1) he was so young that he quicklly adjusted to the dog. The dog was fine with the cat once she learned that the cat was now a part of the family. We never had another issue. 2) he was so timid that he was terrified of even going outside!

Once he got the hang of going outside with us as attendents, he started to learn to go on his own but he never left the back deck. Then he advanced beyond the deck into the yard. He never left our yard and only once went to the neighbors when we'd accidently left him out in a rain storm and he needed a dry place to hide (under their shed). He did bring us the occasional mouse, but never any birds. We've since learned that his vision is off. He can't catch birds because his depth perception is wrong! He can only catch animals that he can corner!!

Now he's been with us 5 years. He's terrified of cars, stays near to the house even in the country and he won't even come out from under the bed when the coyotes are in the area.

We've never had a scratching problem (he does it outside) and he no longer even has a litter box because now he uses the dog door. We did keep a box for him in our other homes but it would reside in the spare bathroom and I don't think we had a smell issue. We did have trouble with keeping the dogs out of the litter box though - THAT sucked.

He is still absolutely a PITA though. I think that's part of being a cat (and clearly skewed by my opinion since I'm definitely a dog person).

[Aint Doody]

Another way to deter unwanted behavior is to keep a spray bottle with water handy. A quick spritz in the face works wonders. Then all you have to do is show the spray bottle, and they get it.

[badger]

one more thing to add about litter: After basically trying everything, I've found that using pine pellets (also used in horse stalls) are the best. They're also the cheapest when compared to everything else (about $5-$7 per 40lb bag). They puff up when they come into contact with liquid, so they can even be composted if you have the capability.

I find that if you clean it on a daily basis, the litter box doesn't smell at all. I found the clumping kind to be the worst in odor control and keeping it clean, and I also had my male cat get a slight urinary tract irritation from what I believe was the clay dust. And they're so bad for the environment.

[Eden]

I use Swheat Scoop its made of wheat, does clump, but is not dusty like clay and does really well at odor control. Most importantly the cats like it. I also provide them with a big box - not a litter box at all, but one of those under the bed boxes. (I have a basement fortunately, so I have space to do this)

My cats are entirely indoors. Outdoor cats around here disappear way too regularly. I would be absolutely heart broken if either of them was eaten by a coyote, killed by a raccoon or run over by a car - these things all happen here even though I live in the middle of the city!

[Biciclista]

I am surprised that so many of you do not use clay. Since 80% of the earth's crust is clay, why is using clay bad for the environment? I know it's bad for kittens and do no use it with Kittens, but why is it bad otherwise?

[Eden]

I don't like the dust, the perfumes that most clay litters have (though I'm guessing you can probably find brands that don't have this) nor do I like the tendency that it has to get a bit muddy when in contact with liquids... I had a cat who had a tendency to step in it, then track muddy clay prints around the house - icky.. Plus the wheat litter cleans out of the box better and is a better odor controller - without any added scents.

The shelter I volunteer at uses clay. Some of the shelter kitties sit in their litter boxes - they end up with clay all through their fur. It is nasty and I'm betting that it sure doesn't make them more adoptable...

[spokewench]

I used to use clay with my cats when they were younger, but with a 23 year old cat; it does not work. It gets stuck in his feet and creates a health hazard and causes him pain. I have used the pine litter and newspaper litter; both work well; and I'm glad they do not have perfumes in them.

[tctrek]

To train cats to use a scratching post, rub some catnip on the post :)... they really love the kind that is sisal rope wrapped around a post. You can make one yourself pretty easily. I don't use carpet scratching posts, 'cause that gives them the idea it's ok to scratch carpet.

I have nine indoor cats, all with claws and none of them scratch my furniture.

[Biciclista]

oh yes, SISAL! if you can find a cheap source of sisal, get some elmer's glue and make sisal spirals on a board. instant kitty scratch post!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

... they really love the kind that is sisal rope wrapped around a post.

Yes, the sisal rope one can be popular!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3599/3568812116_9de33cdb57.jpg

[tctrek]

Oh yeah, wrap/glue the sisal around the board and then staple a big loop of sisal at one end. Hang the loop on a door knob, rub a little catnip and stand back and watch happy kitty go to town.

[smilingcat]

Litter:

+1 with Eden. We use Wheat Scoop. Kittens may accidently injest the litter and with wheat scoop, it passes through their system. Clay litter does not. It can potentially become life threatening if they injest too much. For this reason alone, our rescue group recomment the Wheat scoop for kittens and wheatscoop or pine litter for adult cats.

Small amount of Wheat scoop does go down the drain when I wash and disinfect the litter box. The wheat litter decomposes and does not clog the pipe. Clay litter just turns into solid "brick" and clogs the pipe.

Also tried the pine litter but we prefer if the stuff would clump, not turn into dust.

We also do not like the smell of the clay litter with its perfume nor the clay dust it generates. And the clay dust is not good for the cat in the long run. Thinking of Silicosis (similar to black lung disease).

Water bottle:

my cats see that bottle coming out and they are gone under my bed in a nano-second. No need to squirt them anymore.

[Tuckervill]

I keep an old wooden stool around, unpainted, that sat around out on the porch for a long time and got weathered, just so the one cat can scratch it. He grew up scratching that stool and I don't want to take a chance on him scratching something else. I guess I could glue some sisal to the legs and he would love it that much more, but maybe not.

Karen

[badger]

spokewench: you have a 23 year old cat?!?! wow!! I thought I was doing pretty good with my 16 year old that still jumps around like a kitten.

The SPCA I volunteer at uses the pine pellets exclusively. For the price you really can't beat it.

Have any of you tried the Cat Dancer? It's just a stiff piece of wire with a couple of rolled up pieces of cardboard. My older one goes insane when I pull it out.

[Aggie_Ama]

We went to the shelter yesterday and home came a manx cat. :o She is a year old, vocal and sweet as pie! She is medium hair, white and brown tabby markings with a stumpy tail and seems like she will be huge. Oh and DH, she loves him and he spent all night petting "your cat". He likes her a lot, in spite of himself. The previous owner declawed her so I guess that settles the debate on indoor/outdoor and tearing up furniture. :rolleyes: We are trying the pine all natural litter, hopefully with routine cleaning DH won't notice the box.

They called her "Telly" but she doesn't answer to it so we are letting her name herself. I had a manx growing up but was looking at kittens but this little girl said "look at me, I am your perfect friend". We tested her with some shelter dogs and she gets along. Heidi is smitten and kitty is tolerant of her new hyper friend. Pics to come. :)

[tulip]

Awesome! That sounds like the best solution to having an indoor cat-getting a cat that has already been declawed by someone else. Manx cats are neat.

[bmccasland]

Congratulations on the new addition to your family! :D

Just because she's declawed, it won't stop her from trying. I have a woven market bag that my one declawed kitty loves to try to "shred". I ought to try a sisal post for her.

Look forward to pictures of your new family member, with Heidi of course!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Amanda- sounds like you got really lucky!!! What a perfect cat for you guys!
She's one year old so some of the craziest kitten stage is over with but she's still very young and playful and adaptable....dog likes her, DH likes her...
...and best of all you can feel really good about adopting a shelter cat that needed a home. Now another homeless desperate kitty will get her spot at the shelter and a chance at finding a home. :)

[Andrea]

I'm glad I saw this post! We're thinking about adopting a cat soon. I've been looking on Petfinder and found these two at a local rescue group:

Parker (http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=11471231)
Tigger (http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13783839)

Either of them sounds good since both ads mention that they get along with dogs & we've got two. The litter advice is interesting. I was wondering what would be best as far a cost/odor control/ease of use. Sounds like the natural stuff may be the way to go.

[Biciclista]

pictures! pictures! congratulations on the new kitty!

[badger]

congratulations!!

my parents recently adopted a manx kitty - he runs up and down their hallway like a speedster; they're sure built for speed!!

[Kathi]

I'm so glad you found a kitty. She sounds perfect and by adopting from a shelter you saved a life.

Scratching is normal behavior for cats. My declawed kitties loved the side of my couch. They didn't damage it like they would have if they had claws but I should have provided more for them to scratch on.

My new cat (with claws) loves this, http://www.catsplay.com/smartcat_post.php3 but also loves the carpet on her kitty tree and the regular rope sisal.

[Tuckervill]

I got to thinking...my one cat that we raised from a kitten, he grew up "making biscuits" on my chest (kneading). He doesn't scratch my skin if he can help it, but just in case I always try to put a quilt or pillow between his claws and my skin. (He still has to do it once or twice a day, at 7 years old.) But the quilt that he usually kneads on has never been torn or scratched up. It's almost like he knows better than to tear up the quilt. It's very cute to see him fall asleep while he is kneading, as if he was a kitty at his mama's side.

Karen

[jesvetmed]

Aggie: I'm so happy for you and also for your brand new kitty! Way to go adopting! Can't wait to see what he looks like!

[smilingcat]

Really happy for you. And big cheer for adopting a cat. It was meant to be. poor guy with no claws and your DH not wanting furniture to be scratched. Also have a really good excuse for not letting him out. ;) (not that you need excuse to have an indoor only cat).

:D :D :D :D

[Aggie_Ama]

I will have to try to snap pictures tonight, she is a cute little thing. We named her TORTILLA. Yes, it is weird. She looks like turtle ice cream (dark brown, light brown, mostly white) and I told my friend I might call her Tortuga. My friend said "you are naming her Tortilla?" I thought it was funny and so did DH so Tortilla is her name. :p

She is limping, they think it is from the injections they gave her at the shelter but just to be safe she is going to see our vet tomorrow. I hope it is nothing too bothersome for her.

She does have one really weird flaw I am hoping to break... When she is scared or nervous, she retreats to her litter box! We have one of those hooded ones and both nights she did it. Luckily it was post cleaning but I am going to look for a pet bed. I don't want her sleeping in her potty! :eek:

[Kathi]

She's not settled yet and still needs a secure place. When I got my cat I took cardboard boxes and made a cutout on one side for her to get into and turned them upside down. We have hardwood floors so I put lots of towels under them and some catnip. I put the boxes in every room she went into. Whenever she needed a secure place that's where she went. After a few months she abandoned the boxes.

I bought her a nice covered bed but no way would she use it. This winter I couldn't find her, typical kitty she was curled up in the bed. It only took 8 mos for her to discover it.

[Biciclista]

yes, once she gets used to you and your home, she will quit hiding in the litterbox. I agree that you ought to give her some cleaner options for hideouts.

[jesvetmed]

My foster kitty liked to hide, and I got her a "tent" with a bed inside. She LOVED it ! Ended up being her normal bed and she would "put herself to bed" every night at 10p! It went with her to the new home.

[Aggie_Ama]

Just a few snaps of our new baby. I bought her a hooded bed to test out and will look around I still have boxes from moving 3 years ago! :p I will have to get some more pictures, you can't tell how stumpy her adorable little tail is. She is the most vocal cat I have ever had, she meows and purrs like crazy. Yesterday DH caught her rubbing on Heidi like cats do to humans, I think they like each other enough.

[Blueberry]

She's beautiful!! Congratulations!!

I have always had indoor kitties - I strongly advise against outdoor life (I know it's a non-issue for Tortilla, but still....). Outdoor kitties are quite often nuisances to neighbors (I love kitties, but I'm really tired of the neighbors' kitty turds in my veggie garden) and it's really dangerous for them out there. Cars, owls, fights, etc. They really can be well-adjusted and indoor only.

As far as litter - we have found a strong preference for the silica litter. It lasts a long time (at least 3 weeks per jug for one cat), and there's really NOT much smell (and when it starts, it's time to change it). It doesn't track saw dust like the pine litter, and doesn't make clay slicks on the floor like the clay litter.

CA

[Possegal]

Oh my gosh she is absolutely beautiful, and look at her sitting with her new puppy friend. I love that picture!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Amanda! What a beauty she is!!!!!!!! Such a pretty kitty!!!- and look how happy the doggie looks!

You are all so lucky to have found each other!!!!!!!! :D :p :D :p :D

Truly, what a happy match made in Heaven. I can just see this kitty becoming your husband's little 'baby'. That's what happened to my Pearl- she's DH's Little Precious Princess. He walks aropund the house with Pearl riding on his shoulder purring wildly, and he says he's "walking the baby". This evening he was doing this and I said "What, does the baby have colic?".....and he replied "No, she just has 'lic'." :rolleyes: OMG too funny.

You got yourself a real treasure there!

[Aggie_Ama]

Our poor baby!!!! The limp was because she was bit by another animal at the shelter. Our vet gave her an antibiotic shot as a precaution and to knock out the little cold she had from the shelter. I woke up this morning to find Heidi snuggled on one side of me and Tortilla on the other. I love my little girls!

[Biciclista]

what a cute kitty!

[Ninabike]

What a beautiful kitty. My first kitty when I was 8 years old was a Manx. She had moderately long fur and her tail was a fur puff. She was so tolerant - she let me ride around with her in my bike basket. How very lucky your new baby is to have found you!!

[tulip]

When I was young (9yrs old or so) we had a Manx cat named Cabot. Cabot was a funny cat for the short time we had him. He followed us around and acted much more like a dog than a cat.

[badger]

that's amazing that Heidi and Tortilla are sleeping together so soon. My cat was all spit and vinegar and never got along with the foster dog I had for 2 weeks. He did sleep with Chevy, but it took a while.

Glad she's settling in, and I'm glad you caught the bite - one of my co-workers lost her cat due to a dog bite he incurred while in her friends' care. The woman denied the cat being bit, but when it became obvious, the wound had gotten infected and the kitty died :( so I'm glad you were cautious and took her to the vet!

[Aggie_Ama]

Badger- That is scary! She would have had to be checked for the upper respiratory infection shelter cats get anyway but I am so glad we took her. She is already much more mobile. And the vet said she is 9 lb which is already heavier than thought, I wonder how big she might get?

I don't know how she ended up at the local kill shelter, she seems like a good cat. I do wonder if she might have lived with a dog or small child because she is so tolerant of Heidi. We got really lucky.

Oh and I love the manx stories. We had one growing up named Sylvester, he was a great cat. I had one manx kitten after him that disappeared, I was heartbroken. I think people "re-adopt" them because they are naturally friendly. I am glad Tortilla won't be outside to disappear. :)

[Kathi]

What a pretty kitty, I love her markings.

Speaking of cats and dogs living together one of my cats appeared to be raised with dogs. Someone dropped him off at the school where I taught, he was about 3 mos. old. I couldn't resist him and took him home. At times his behavior was so dog like. He also loved being outdoors so we trained him to go out with a harness and leash. We kept a close eye on him and it gave him the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. I also had peace of mind because I always knew where he was.

BTW, last night I saw a coyote in my front yard. My cat was sitting in the living room window which was closed. The coyote stopped and looked toward the window. It was as if it saw my cat. Just the thought sent chills up my spine. I'm so glad she's an indoor cat.

[nancielle]

Love the picture of the two furkids together...very sweet. :) Congrats on the new addition.

[Aggie_Ama]

Tortilla is quite a hoot and really a love bug. She bathes Heidi! It is hysterical to see the cat licking the dog because Heidi used to lick Maggie. They chase one another, snuggle and have become quite the good buddies. Only problem is they sample each other's food. :confused:

The main complaint is Tortilla thinks my bedroom furniture is her own jungle gym. I wonder if a scratching post or tower would amuse her? They are pretty pricey so I am hesistant to buy the declawed cat a tower. But she does scratch at things.

[smilingcat]

Don't be shocked to see a declawed cat making it to the top of a floor to ceiling scratching post with landing/perch along its height. Cats can jump really well.

Years and years ago, my partner came home from work and found out that her husband had declawed both of her himalayans (by a vet). After recovery, the two cats still managed to scale their backyard fence.

[Biciclista]

declawed or not, adolescent cats need places to play and toys to play with!

[Aggie_Ama]

declawed or not, adolescent cats need places to play and toys to play with!

Good reminder, she likes her fuzzy stick cat toy and chasing Heidi. I will start looking for a cat tower so she can have a jungle gym of her own. This morning she was trying to scale a bookshelf. :rolleyes:

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Good reminder, she likes her fuzzy stick cat toy and chasing Heidi. I will start looking for a cat tower so she can have a jungle gym of her own. This morning she was trying to scale a bookshelf. :rolleyes:

Cat towers are very expensive, but I think they are well worth the money.
Your cat will see it as their refuge and 'lookout point', they will satisfy their scratching instincts on it (even when declawed), and they'll use it for hours every single day for years and years to come. Everyone in the family winds up being happy. It's the best gift you could ever give a cat you love.
A lot depends on where you locate it- if they don't like the first place you pick, try another location.

We don't have a cat 'tree'- but we have a tall scratching post and the special 'climbing wall' I made which Pearl absolutely LOVES:
We have a dark hallway with several corners that stick out. I bought a big 3' x 5 foot piece of brown carpet remnant and screwed it onto the wall, centered on a projecting corner and reaching five feet up the wall. OMG, you should see Pearl come racing down the hall and throw herself up onto the carpet 'wall' about 4 feet up from the floor, and then hang there for a few seconds like some wild thing with a crazed look, then ricochet off it with a huge leap and race back down the hall again. This simple carpeted wall corner has provided ENDLESS joy and excitement for Pearl over the past 6 years! She loves that it's so tall, like a tree trunk. it drives her wild.

Whenever Pearl does this wall leap, it always reminds me of the David Letterman Velcro suit classic segment (watch the famous Velcro leap at the end of the clip):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9uxxqKGmYg