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jumpjunkie2004

Question for Cat owners

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I live in Montgomery County, Maryland - and I've been told it's illegal to let your cat roam here.

I'm not sure about the declawing - it seems a cruel.



Wow! Illegal :S Do you guys take your cats out for walks then? :D
**Those who refuse to live and learn simply exist**

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I have just one cat, but then I also have two high energy dogs (ok well one used to be high energy), so the cat is happy when it gets some peace and quiet. Lately though I've been pretty busy and not able to sit on the couch in the evening petting it so it has figured out a way to get petted when I'm not around to do it. It walks up to our new dog when he is having a calm moment and will rub up against Sherpa until he starts getting grooming, then he will lay on the dogs paws while the dog licks him. Oddest thing because just 30 minutes earlier the dog will have chased him up to the top of the cat condo.
Fly it like you stole it!

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You CAN leash train a cat, it just takes time and patience. :)
I've got 3 essentially indoor cats, but I do let them out in our yard as long as someone is with them. They can't just roam freely- too many hazards out there!

My oldest would probably be perfectly happy being the only cat in the house soaking up all the human attention he can get, but the other two enjoy playing with each other. So, in a way it depends on the cat! And my personal experience- neutered males seem to be more even tempered and affectionate than females. But our female cat has lots of attitude that really makes me laugh!:D

Whatever you choose, spay or neuter at about 6 months! And remember, no matter what your kids say abotu how much they'll help, etc., the cat(s) will be YOURS! That's a 10-20 year commitment.

Good luck!

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I live in Montgomery County, Maryland - and I've been told it's illegal to let your cat roam here.

I'm not sure about the declawing - it seems a cruel.



It's not hard to teach a cat to use a scratching post, they are smart and all you have to do is feed off their territorial instincts. All I did was scratch at the post myself and the cat would come running and start scrating at the post "trying to cover up my scent with his" I kept doing this and in no time it was scratching at it all the time. He now has one that is part of his kitty condo and I'm going to have to replace the rope because it's shreded, while my furniture just has a few snag marks from him trying to claw it. As an added bonus for me both dogs know it's game on when he is scratching the furniture and they get after him if they hear him doing it.
Fly it like you stole it!

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All I did was scratch at the post myself and the cat would come running and start scrating at the post "trying to cover up my scent with his" I kept doing this and in no time it was scratching at it all the time.



:)
Sounds like cats are easier to train than kids.

I keep showing them what to do...dishes in the dishwasher...clothes in the hamper...coats on the coat rack...they still don't get it!
Jump, Land, Pack, Repeat...

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All I did was scratch at the post myself and the cat would come running and start scrating at the post "trying to cover up my scent with his" I kept doing this and in no time it was scratching at it all the time.



:)
Sounds like cats are easier to train than kids.

I keep showing them what to do...dishes in the dishwasher...clothes in the hamper...coats on the coat rack...they still don't get it!



As a bonus you can put the cat in a closet when it annoys you. :P
Fly it like you stole it!

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I was looking around for Tyson when I got up this morning, but didn't see her. After my shower I expected to find her sitting on the towel cabinet as always, but she wasn't there.

Then I hear this 'meow' from behind something... so I look and look and call her. 'Meow!'

She had slinked into this tiny little hall closet last night while the door was momentarily opened, and she greeted me as her hero when I let her out. She still managed to maintain an air of, "I meant to do that," though. :D

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

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All I did was scratch at the post myself and the cat would come running and start scrating at the post "trying to cover up my scent with his" I kept doing this and in no time it was scratching at it all the time.



:)
Sounds like cats are easier to train than kids.

I keep showing them what to do...dishes in the dishwasher...clothes in the hamper...coats on the coat rack...they still don't get it!



As a bonus you can put the cat in a closet when it annoys you. :P



My closet is an acording type - foldout from the middle. Mine can get out in only a few minutes.

I've heard that the ideal scenario is to get litter mate bro and sis kittens and neuter and spay them. You can get them fixed as early as 2 months. It used to be that you had to wait until around 4 months for females, but that was several years ago. The vet told me 2 months for females now less than a year ago.

I have a male orange tabby that is just over a year old. He is very affectionate and gets lonely easy. I was plesantly surprised that he wasn't completely pissed when I finally got home last night after being gone since Friday morning. He wanted to cuddle TOO much last night though, inhibiting sleep.

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Two kittens are better than one. Get them at the same time so there's no territory problems.

If a cat has another cat to play with, he won't be playing with your potted plants, furniture, or other stuff that is "not for kitties". When there's another cat around to entertain them, they're a lot less likely to entertain themselves in ways you wouldn't like.

The cost of two cats isn't much more than one, and both you and the cats will be much happier. Cats, although they don't show it sometimes, are social animals and get lonely when left by themselves while you're at work and the kids are at school.

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Regarding claws:
I clip my boys' regularly. To get them used to it, massage their paws so they are comfortable with you touching their paws. You can use a regular fingernail clipper, but don't cut them that far - don't get the pink part (the "quick") or they will start to bleed. You need to have the cat in a docile mood (e.g. half asleep). It won't happen if they are in a playful mood.

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If a cat has another cat to play with, he won't be playing with your potted plants, furniture, or other stuff that is "not for kitties".



Two (or three) cats is definitely better than one, but that doesn't keep them from playing with things that they're not supposed to (in my experience), especially if they are indoor-only kitties.

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Unfortunately, even neutered males can spray....:S



And neutered females. We have three cats, 2 female and one male. One of the females will spray if stressted about something. The male rarely sprays but pisses on the floor beside his litter box...which pisses me off.

One of the females ...the one that doesn't spray... is a wonderful cat..affectionate, clean and quiet. The one that sprays is more of a loner and has a nastier disposition. The male is a great cat (except for the pissing problem)...he hangs out with the kids, is very gentle...he's never scratched anybody and is just a very easy going cat.

I think that having two is good....but it depends. The ornery female would likely be happier if she was the only cat in the house. I also think that as they get older they become much more solitary animals...which is more in their nature...lions are the only cats that are pack animals...the rest are solitary hunters. Our cats all have their "spots" where they sleep...they never sleep together now whereas they used to when they were younger...up to about 2 years of age.
--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

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We just got two new kittens, 10 weeks old. One is a male, the other is a female. They spend quite a bit of time playing together, and sleep together. They were already littered trained when we got them from ASPCA. The vet is saying have the male neutered at 4 months, the female at 6 months. The male is already using the scratching post, while the female hasn't quite caught on yet (...no major damage). At this time, we're trying to teach them they're not allowed to get on the dinner table. Other than that, absolutely no problems, and quite a bit of fun.
We are all engines of karma

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