Phlosphr submits to getting a CAT! The day of reckoning has arrived!

[Phlosphr]

Anyone know how to keep a cat out of the bedroom?

This weekend my wife finally hit the homerun in her eyes, she convinced me after 6 years of glee and joy to finally get a cat. She has wanted one for quite some time and finally she did it. Convinced me - the archetypal cat hater - to get a tortie point siamese cat. We went to the breeder picked out our kitten and now have to wait 3 weeks for her to get a little older and for us to make our house as cat proof as I (I mean we) can.

My only stipulation to getting the cat was this: NO SLEEPING ON MY HEAD, IN OUR BED, OR EVER ON OUR PILLOWS.

For those cat lovers out there: This is OK right, I mean I will be able to do this right? Our room is upstairs and the cat can stay downstairs during the night. All we have to do is close the door, right?

My wife is insisting it will be ok but I have the odd sense that she is just saying that to get the cat in doors. Then it's out with the husband and in with the cat.

I still have my dog Grissholm (Rhodesian Ridgeback) and she'll be my keeper...I hope.

So I need some opinions.

a) how hard will it be to keep the cat out of our room?
b) what do I do if our dog hates the cat?
c) should we get the cat declawed? (it's going to be an indoor cat)
d) what kind of food do siamese like? anyone have a siamese?

[Contrary]

Dunno what to tell you, I never wanted my cat to sleep away from me.

May I wish you good luck in this (perhaps fruitless) endeavor?

[Typo Negative]

To keep a cat out of your room and off your bed, you have to keep the door closed.

Be warned, though. This makes the room sooooo much more attractive to the cat. It will try to get in.

[tanookie]

You hate cats and you got a siamese kitten?

I can't wait for the threads that come after kitty comes home :)

I hope you plan to keep the door closed at all times and can stand the cat pawing at the door/meowing at the door. Oh and I hope you don't need to leave the room in the night for water/bathroom trips!

I love cats, we have 4, but they are all shelter kitties. They also have full run of the house except for the munchkin's room at night.

Our dog was a puppy when we got her and we already had cats then. The dog thinks she is a cat. You're probably going to have to introduce the dog slowly. I suggest letting the dog sniff the kitty through the carrier for a little while. Also the kitten will be spastic and a small fast ball of fluffy energy. Does your dog like to chase? Be wary of small claws embedded in doggie nose! This would not be a good start.

On declawing, We had one declawed when we rented but the others are all still with claws. It is a tough decision... can you see if the cat will be destructive first? (oh and kittens are always semi-destructive but a lot of fun :)

That's all I can think of besides enjoy and good luck. Cats do their own thing and don't take well to the meddling of humans :)

[MLS]

a) how hard will it be to keep the cat out of our room? -- very
b) what do I do if our dog hates the cat? -- sell the dog
c) should we get the cat declawed? (it's going to be an indoor cat)
NO! NO! A thousand times, NO!
d) what kind of food do siamese like? anyone have a siamese?
Same kind of food other cats like. Yours. No, seriously, ask your vet.

I've had a number of Siamese and they are wonderful, friendly, affectionate and talkative cats.

Introducing kitten & dog: I've had good results when adding a new pet with keeping them in separate rooms for several days so they can get used to each other's scent and presence. Then put one or the other or both on a leash at opposite ends of the same room for a period of time every day, so they get used to sharing space as well. Take it gradually and they will most likely adjust.

Cats can be taught to not scratch on furniture. Get a good, solid scratching post setup for kitty. (They have really good ones at PetSmart.) Praise the cat when it scratches there, assault it with a water pistol when it scratches on furniture.

My husband thought he wasn't a "cat person" either, until we got our first Siamese kitten.

[Edward The Head]

a) how hard will it be to keep the cat out of our room?

Well unless you keep the door closed 24/7 you can not keep a cat out. If you just don't want it there at night then just kick it out when you sleep and it will not mind.

b) what do I do if our dog hates the cat?

I'm sure they will get along fine. Maybe not at first but they should get along ok. Heck maybe they will really like each other.

c) should we get the cat declawed? (it's going to be an indoor cat)

No, just get some things for it to claw and then show it not to claw other things. I just got a cat a couple of weeks ago after not having one for awhile. He took right away to "his" things and I haven't seen him claw anything else.

d) what kind of food do siamese like? anyone have a siamese?

Probably just like every other cat, what ever you give them. Lately everyone has said Iams so that's what I've been giving mine.

[jjimm]

First, congrats. Even kitty-haters find they change their ways after a few days.

a) how hard will it be to keep the cat out of our room?

Not hard if you shut the door. You may have kitty scratching at the door in the morning, and/or finding inventive ways to wake you up (last week my wife caught our cat just about to pour a pint glass of water over my head).

b) what do I do if our dog hates the cat?

Here's some advice (http://www.bluecross.org.uk/content/animal_advice/cfintro.html).

c) should we get the cat declawed? (it's going to be an indoor cat)

NO. Get a scratching post and create a 'punishment' regime (e.g. While my cat was a kitten, if she transgressed, I clapped my hands three times, then held her by the scruff of the neck as mommy cats do, until she looked uncomfortable. Now all I have to do is look like I'm about to clap my hands, and she'll stop doing what she's doing. After enough repetition, she won't even attempt to do the thing.)

d) what kind of food do siamese like? anyone have a siamese?

I had a siamese cross. It liked cat food. ;) Just get prescription diet - cats don't necessarily go for variety, so something that's properly balanced that you can save every day will save you money.

[tanookie]

One thing with water pistols... we used to do that until the dog decided water from the pistol was the greatest treat known to doggy kind. She will mow down anything in her path for the opportunity to bite the water from a pistol. Not worth the carnage in my house!

[AskNott]

On scratching: We have a scratching post that looks like a traffic cone with sisal rope wrapped around it. It's important to get one that won't fall over when your kitty scratches. Dust the post with catnip, and put a treat on top of it. Keep baiting it with a treat until the kitty gets the habit of clawing the post.

[Phlosphr]

Hmmm.


So it's going to be difficult to keep the kitty out of the bedroom. Well, we can keep the door closed at all times I suppose.

See our house is wide open, very airy. We have cathedral ceilings open to the kitchen, dining room, and living room, and one bedroom downstairs. There is a staircase on one side of the big room leading up to our guest bedroom and den, and a staircase on the other side of the big room leading up to the master bedroom and 2nd guest room/first borns room. On one of the walls up stairs there is a trelace leading to the master bedroom, so we can look down on the big central living area. That has no door, but the jump to get to it would be like an 8 foot horizontal jump from the top stair.
Siamese can't do that can they?

There is no way I'm getting rid of my dog.

[tanookie]

I don't know about an 8 foot leap (our ceilings aren't that tall!) But our cats can get on top of our 6 foot bookcases... and if kitty has a trellis? to help...

[jjimm]

By the way, keeping the bedroom door closed at all times is guaranteed to pique kitty's curiosity... You're DOOMED!

[Phlosphr]

Jeez why are cats so damn persistant? If they are renown for being so smart don't they know where they are not wanted?

[Phlosphr]

Jim - phlosphr will freak out if said kitty finds it's way into our room at night, onto our bed, and on my head... Freak out ok?!

I just finished reading Steven King's Dreamcatcher...

[lachesis]

Jeez why are cats so damn persistant? If they are renown for being so smart don't they know where they are not wanted?
ahh, but that's where you're mistaken. obviously, Mrs. Phlosphr wants kitty.

my hubby wasn't a cat person before we married.







he converted.

starts taking bets on how long before the first "aww, isn't kitty cuuuute" post appears under Phlosphr's handle.

[whiterabbit]

If there is a way into your room, the cat will find it. Be warned. The only thing that keeps our tortoiseshell kitty, who has a very Siamese attitude, from sleeping on my mom's husband's face is his CPAP machine. She used to sleep on him, and he's slightly allergic to cats!

Be prepared for a very vocal cat. Every Siamese I've ever known has been very talkative. I find it to be great fun, myself. I read somewhere that when cats figure out that humans communicate vocally, they start talking to us a lot more than they would to other cats. I think Siamese have this in their genetic codes. :)

Cats go where they are not wanted because they KNOW they are not wanted there. You have to learn to submit to the cat. The Egyptians had the right idea when it comes to cats. :D

[In Conceivable]

When my cat was a kitten I would shut her in a spare room at night and when I wasn't at home to keep an eye on her. She never minded, but that might be because it started when she was a kitten. The spare room was set up to be kitty paradise with lots of toys, comfy sleeping places and a big windowsill. Also, her food and kitty litter always lived there.

I used a spray bottle to keep her off the bed. Nothing upsets a cat more then being woken up by a large spray of water to the head. (Water guns were too whimpy for me. I used a large water bottle with the sprayer attachement.)

[jjimm]

You say that now, but after a few weeks, you'll wake up with a little ball of fur between you and mrs philosphr, and go "aaah", and give it a tickle under the chin.

It will be then that you realise the door is STILL SHUT! And evil red eyes light up in the dark as the phantasm shape-shifts into its awful demonical reality...

Then you'll wish you let kitty into your room.

[godzillatemple]

A little recent history....

I grew up with cats. At one point, as a child, I lived with five of the cute buggers, and as an adult I own one really big kitty. I am, as you can probably guess, perfectly acclimated to sharing a bed with cats. Doesn't bother me a bit -- in fact, I've always found it rather comforting.

When I started dating the woman who would eventually become my wife, she told me that she always wanted a cat when she was little and really liked them. After a brief period of stand-offishness on the part of the cat, the two seemed to get along wonderfully. In fact, whenever she would come over for a visit, the cat would spend more time cuddling with her than with me.

And then we got married (my wife and I, not the cat and I). For reasons I won't go into here, both my wife and I had decided to "save ourselves for marriage" and had therefore never shared a bed before getting married. I assumed she knew that cats liked to share the bed with their humans. The thought, however, had never occurred to her, and she completely freaked out the first time the cat jumped up on the bed (right near her head -- did I mention that the cat seemed to like her a lot more than me?) And the second time. And the third time.

After a couple of sleepless nights (or so she claimed -- personally, I don't understand how she can live with my snoring but not with a cat's purring), she said that we either lock the cat out of the room or else she was going to sleep in the second bedroom all by herself. And so, deciding which of the two pussies I wanted to be whipped by, I agreed to lock the cat out.

The cat, of course, was not happy. In fact, he meowed, scratched, and even head butted the door for hours on end. My wife blissfully slept through all of this, but now I couldn't get any sleep.

Anyway, to make a long story [slightly] shorter, we eventually came up with two solutions/compromises. First of all, I agreed that the cat absolutely, positively could NOT be allowed to spend the night on the bed, and to that end we started shoving him off whenever he tried to come on. At first, he didn't seem to get the point, but then the wife shoved him so hard he actually hit the wall and I guess he didn't like that very much. Second of all, we brought his favorite chair up from the living room and placed it in the bedroom. These two things in combination seem to have worked. He knows he is not wanted on the bed, and he has his favorite chair to sleep on while still being in the same room as us.

Short answer -- don't try to keep him out of the bedroom, but train him to stay off the bed and give him some other place in the bedroom where he enjoys sleeping at night.

Barry

[Phlosphr]

I am a very hard sleeper, it takes a lot to wake me up. We sleep with a white noise machine because I find it makes things much more rhythmic and perfect for sleeping. Having a pulsating fuzz ball purring in my face is not the epitomy of a good nights sleep.

What happens if you roll over on it?

[jjimm]

Our cat occasionally comes and sleeps between us, down near our feet. However, most of the time she uses the spare room (where we've put a blanket to stop her from furring up the bed) presumably because she gets a better night's sleep there, and doesn't have to cope with two big lumps under the duvet - it works both ways. Neither of us have ever rolled over on her, and if we did I think she'd just screech and run away.

I don't know why everyone thinks cats will sit on your head in the night. I've never met one that does.

[auntie em]

I am allergic to cats.

My fiance has two of 'em.

Funny thing, though--the itchy eyes and inability to breathe through my nose, when I'm sleeping at his house, is a thousand times less irritating to me than when the damn things chase each other across my head and ass while I'm sleeping! Scares the living shit out of me.

What will be equally irritating, I imagine, is that when we finally manage to find a way to keep their asses from getting into the bedroom at night (I swear, those things have Superhuman--err, Superkitty strength, because no matter how we block the door, they always seem to push their way in and lo, I wake up with a rumbling love machine in the back of my neck), they'll sit outside the door and yowl all night.

Yep. I'm definitely a dog person.

We may actually get rid of the cats, which I think will cause me more guilt than it will my fiance. I may not like the little suckers, but I keep imagining their poor little faces and I feel sad thinking about how confused (and possibly very upset) they'll be when they wind up in a new and unfamiliar place.

[lachesis]

"oh, auntie em, please don't let them take away Toto!"

well, SOMEone had to say it!

[Nate the Great]

Try this (http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_id=324&category_id=486a4129d0c6546da1120645d7ef3d64&ps_session=329f0e7c488580c4383dce576da0fc56) or this (http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_id=327&category_id=486a4129d0c6546da1120645d7ef3d64&ps_session=329f0e7c488580c4383dce576da0fc56)

These are pet gates. I haven't used one, but my wife and I are are getting kittens and are considering this.

[irishgirl]

My parent's old cat, Misha, used to climb up a drainpipe, push open the window and get into their bedroom from the OUTSIDE.

Our other cat, Hamish, used to climb over the dog (a lab/alsatian cross who hated him) who sleeps at the bottom of the stairs, to get to my parent's room.

I think you need a big padlock.

[tanookie]

Nate... those things would just be ladders for kitties!

[MLS]

Originally posted by irishgirl
My parent's old cat, Misha, used to climb up a drainpipe, push open the window and get into their bedroom from the OUTSIDE.

Our other cat, Hamish, used to climb over the dog (a lab/alsatian cross who hated him) who sleeps at the bottom of the stairs, to get to my parent's room.


On the other hand (or paw), some cats are smarter than others, to put it kindly. For example, one sweet but dumb-as-a-post fellow we had could not figure out how to get back in the kitchen after I'd put him into the hall and shut the door. He sat there YELLLINGGG forever. Our smarter cat turned around and scampered through the living room, through the dining room and through the OTHER kitchen door before I could close it.

[Doomtrain]

I don't think you know cats very well. Your room will now be its favorite room in the whole house and it will always be in there. It'll burrow through the walls, if it has to. Doom. DOOM!

[indecisive1]

What happens if you roll over on it?

Awww, see Phlosphr, you are already getting soft on your no cats in bed position and the little bugger isn't even home yet. How sweet of you to worry about little kitty's safety!

Everything will be just fine.

[Peg]

Oh happy days! Your wife got (or is getting) a cat! While it's totally not true, I feel like I helped in the process. (Yes, that song is about me.) I'm not sure about your/her choice of a Siamese, but hey, more power to ya. Likely a repeat of what lots of other people have told you, but....

a) how hard will it be to keep the cat out of our room?
Keep the door closed. All the time. Be prepared for lots of protesting and meowing. With a Siamese, you may want to invest in earplugs. My cat sleeps with me (quietly and usually at the foot of the bed, where I've laid down a towel) so I don't have first hand experience in this, however, a friend is the same way about her new kitten. After a couple of weeks, she thinks that the cat has gotten the message, or at least she doesn't mew as much by the door any more.

b) what do I do if our dog hates the cat?
No clue. Keep them as separated as possible? Seriously, I don't know except that with enough time, most dogs and cats can be trained not to eat each other/claw out eyes. Maybe one good kitten claw to dog nose will do it, or you never know - your Rhodesian could love the kitten.

c) should we get the cat declawed? (it's going to be an indoor cat)
NOOOOOO!!!!!! It's just mean and really unnecessary.

d) what kind of food do siamese like? anyone have a siamese?

Don't have a Siamese (partial to whatever shows up at the shelter) but I would recommend a high quality food for kittens like Iams. Stick with the dry stuff, as the cat's poo will be less odiferous and easier to clean. Nice thing about cats is that they usually come litter box trained.

FWIW, I found Cats for Dummies quite educational. Maybe you will, too.

[DrDeth]

Originally posted by Phlosphr
I am a very hard sleeper, it takes a lot to wake me up. We sleep with a white noise machine because I find it makes things much more rhythmic and perfect for sleeping. Having a pulsating fuzz ball purring in my face is not the epitomy of a good nights sleep.

What happens if you roll over on it?

They sleep by your feet, between your legs, usually.

They have very fast reflexes, and except as a tiny kitten you can't move that fast. Don't worry.

Introduce the cat & dog slowly. Give the cat his own room for a while, with all his stuff, including his litter box, food & water, scratching posts, and a place to sleep. Let it become acclimatated for a few weeks before getting the two of them together. Some dogs will kill cats. Rare, I'll admit. You will need a place where the cat can hide from the dog- like a real small "pet door" into that room.

95% of cats that are declawed have this done to them unnessesarily. I don't say "never" but this is an absolute last resort.

I would NOT recommend a siamese for a new cat owner! :dubious: I'd go for a shelter adoption of some cute little shorthair of no particular breed.

[porcupine]

From what I know of Siamese, they're the most likely to be able to get into your room in some sneaky way, the most likely to want to sleep on your head (just because he'll somehow know you don't want him to), and the most likely to meow outside your door the entire night. If any cat can jump 8 feet easily, it's a Siamese.

Also, the most likely to beat your dog into submission is a Siamese. ;)

Seriously, I remember the old thread, and I don't really think a Siamese is a great choice, but if that's what your going with, good luck. They're beautiful, but probably the most demanding type of cat out there.

You've gotten good advice on your Qs so far. Most cats and dogs will at least tolerate each other eventually. Tell your cat breeder that you have a dog and if the dog absolutely cannot live with the cat, return the cat to the breeder.

[Mr. Miskatonic]

Kittens, for some reason, may try to make a nest out of your hair if it is somewhat long. They seem to outgrow that after a while.

[Doomtrain]

I had long hair for a while and our roomie's cat would regularly pounce my head. I don't know if "outgrow" would be the right term.

[TVeblen]

IIRC you have some allergy problems, right? Well, good luck on keeping the adorable little furball completely out of your bedroom. But you might want to consider keeping your pillow well covered during the day or even storing it away in a closet or dresser drawer.

I like cats but I'm allergic to them; not horribly but there it is. (Flonase helps keep some of the worst symptoms in check, i.e. throat tightening up, head clogging, itching, etc.) I can even stroke them and play with them as long as I remember to wash my hands immediately. Otherwise, one careless touch to my face and there's hell to pay.

I can have some real problems when I stay at my sister's house if her cat has gotten on the bed, which the little sweetie always loves to do. The trouble is, if she sleeps right on the pillow or the bed clothes nearby, my face inevitably nestles into that spot while I sleep. The results ain't pretty and can be damned painful, as in rashy skin, eyes burning--I mean hurting and swelling almost shut. So...you may want to take a few simple precautions. If I keep the pillows covered (or stored) during the day and fold the coverlet well back the problem's solved. Simple.

FWIW I polled some of my cat-loving friends and most of their purrs do the head-snuggle thing. Highly unscientific but apparently it's not unusual behavior. It sounds wonderful from a snuggling aspect but it'd just about wipe me out otherwise. I'll leave that one to more cat-experienced Dopers though.

Veb

[FranticMad]

Siamese love heat. They will crawl under the covers and sleep by your feet. Such misplaced trust.

[Doomtrain]

If you have allergies, you may want to check out Zyrtec, they keep advertising it for cat allergies.

[Phlosphr]

Oh geez folks you are not going to beleive what Mrs.Phlosphr brought home last night.
Check out this (http://www.smarthome.com/6123.html) selfwashing litter box. **the link is to the discontinued model, Mrs.Phlosphr bought a newer model...Looks the same.

This is a damn $350 self-washing litter box that doesn't use kitty litter but some sort of granules. That it actually washes with a flushing solution... Check out the specs on the link.

"But Honey! we're trying to have a baby in the next year or so, you don't want me to get sick from cleaning the kitty litter do you?"

:rolleyes:

"Baby, of course I don't but why did you go out and spend $350 dollars on a friggin washing machine for cat poop? I would have cleaned the mess!"

It's beginning, I can sense it.

ENTER THE QUEEN

After a couple margarita's last night we actually spoke civily to each other, and worked a couple things out. The cat will have free reign but not in our room. We will take every precaution. The cat will most likely sleep downstairs in our finished basement. However, the dog kind of ownes that right now. but We'll see.

BTW, the siamese idea is her own. She grew up with one, and loves the breed.

VEB I am very allergic to cats as well. I have flonase and it should work. People tell me that I will grow accustomed to it and I will get used to it just from being around it everyday. My sister-in-law, who has feline neurosis (cat psychosis - she worships her kitties) - trained my brother to not be allergic, so she is egging my wife on saying everything will be ok.

The fight will be on and I will win! That cat will not enter the master bedroom. No.

[papergirl]

Good heavens.

Phlosphr, thank goodness you're okay. I thought you were having a CAT scan, and I was worried about you.

:D

I feel much better right now than I did about 30 seconds ago....and good luck with the kitty.

Best,
karol

[tanookie]

Thanks for the link ... we got a good chuckle out of that one!

I think we will stick with tidy cat ourselves... and being pregnant I never have to so much as see the boxes... they live in our unfinished basement next to the washing machine I also haven't seen in months :) Lucky me!

With the allergy issue I would keep your bedroom closed at all times. Good luck! I'm not sure what exactly you're allergic to in the cat but train kitty from the moment you get her that baths are good and that may also help your allergies!

[lachesis]

most people with pet allergies are reacting to the dander in the animal's coat. unfortunately, cats tend to be high on the dander-meter, compared to other animals such as horses, cows or dogs.

i believe i've heard that the dander is basically formed (in good part) from the cat's saliva.

so, IN THEORY, teaching kitty to accept being bathed could help cut down on the allergin triggers.

however, if the "no declaw" chorus has swayed your thinking on that issue, may i say that i would not be a volunteer in helping you teach kitty the joys of the bathtub. :dubious:

(i had an episode or two of that with my own Siamese, many many years agone. she was declawed, so i and any other participants did survive the experience. however, let us say that she did find a certain .... payback methodology that pretty much gave a graphic depiction of her feelings on the whole undertaking.) :eek:




p.s. re The Kitty Pan ....

Oh
My
Ever-
Lovin'
GAWD
!!!

i am truly impressed with the inventiveness of people when it comes to separating pet owners from their money.

[porcupine]

Originally posted by Phlosphr
The fight will be on and I will win! That cat will not enter the master bedroom. No.
Bwahahahahaaha!

;)

I'll second (third?) the idea of getting the kitten used to being bathed. Some cats actually tolerate it pretty well, and it will help with your allergies a lot.

[porcupine]

Oh, and you know after two or three nights of putting the kitten in the basement at bedtime, you won't be able to find the kitten to put it in the basement at bedtime, don't you?

Bwahahahahahaha!

[Phlosphr]

Porcupine - You're scaring me.


What do you mean won't be able to find the kitty?

Why all the laughing? What are you hiding? What am I getting myself into? I just put a $350 cat poop toilet together for Chrissake!!

WHAT ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME!!!!!!:eek:

You are playing with my virgin cat owning psyche aren't you...

[Syntropy]

My very dear Phlosphr, please do not tell me I have heaped such high praise and respect on a CAT HATER!!

One thing to remember, dear man: Cats are 1 person people. Usually, they choose cat haters as that one person. As my tabby did with my husband. Also: leaving kitty out to play with puppy is HIGHLY risky. The dog may confuse kitty with a chew toy. Thus ensuring Mrs. Phlosphr's ensuing tears and rage. Cats are such independent creatures that eventually, she will decide that she prefers to prowl, as opposed to sleeping with boring humans.

[Contrary]

You will go to find the cute adorable little kitty but he or she will scamper about and hide amongst small little nooks and crannies. You will be amazed at what little amount of space a kitty needs in which to hide . . . . .

And then pounce . . .

And probably bat with those ultra sharp kitten claws at YOUR bare feet and ankles . . . .

And then run off and do it all again.

Yes, good luck indeed in getting the kitty to the basement each evening :D

[Syntropy]

HAH!! Was just reminded by Mr. Maureen of his encounter in the basement with Smeagol (yes, Smeagol...my son named him). He went to see what all the banging was in the laundry room in the middle of the night, and, um, forgot to put anything on. Looked around for the (12 week old) kitten. Turned, and saw kitten, ready to pounce.

Pounce he did, ran up Mr. Maureen's leg using claws as traction, and, ah.....swatted.

[Sqwerticus]

The cat is a wily creature. Having been escorted from the room a few times, and realising that you have hardened you heart to his sad pleading that he will be good, and quiet etc, the cat hits upon a new strategy.

Hiding. Come bedtime he will already be in the bedroom, having secreted himself under a chair, or somewhere equally inaccessible until the lights go off. He'll give you long enough to start nodding off. Unable to contain his delight any longer, he will emerge the hiding place to demonstrate his love for you. And he will be escorted from the room once more.

Repeat the above process, with cat waiting in hiding longer, but not being able to refrain from starting a smug purr. He will be escorted from the room once more.

I think this is the sort of thing that the Bwahahahahahaha! refers to. Good luck, and enjoy discovering just how inventive a cat can be.

[porcupine]

Originally posted by Sqwerticus
I think this is the sort of thing that the Bwahahahahahaha! refers to.
Indeed it is.

[Doomtrain]

Alright, I'll level with you. Cats are smarter, more devious, and more cunning than the best human. And they know it. And they'll know about your allergies and you will be their new best friend. You'll be the cat's favorite person. You think you're logically approaching this. After all, it is just an animal, right? Bahahaha.

[Doomtrain]

Your cat may also decide to hide under furniture. Alright, that's a given, but it may, say, decide to stick out its paws and grab your feet, then give em a good bite. While you flail around, thinking the chair's attacking with you.

[Phlosphr]

Maureen - I'm not a cat hater per se. I have grown up with a cat allergy, and that has contributed to my prejudice of them. My wife one the other hand grew up with a siamese cat who lived to the ripe old age of 18. Since being with me - 6 1/2 years she has wanted one. We are both 33 and trying to start a family etc..etc.. and decided with consultation from the doctor that when we have a baby the kid is less likely to develope an allergy if they are exposed early...

There are hidden reasoning interwoven into this cat scheme, I mean decision. :)

[Syntropy]

Phlosphr, I think it's great that you're inviting a kitty into your family. If your allergies are mild, you can get over the counter fexofenadine, and make sure you vacuum frequently.

Now, as to that jumped up kitty box cleaner....welll,.....I don't know that my hubby would be as understanding about $350 as you were, but, hey....at least baby (when you have one) won't be playing in dirty litter!!

An added plus: most babies and cats are incredibly curious about each other, at least mine were, and as long as you teach the bambino how to be gentle, they'll get along great together.

[Koffing]

Make absolutely sure that the cat can't get into your bedroom. Buy an air filter, keep it running in your bedroom, and keep the door closed. Sucking in cat hair and dander for eight hours will make you suffer, allergy medicine or not. No matter how much your wife may eventually want to let kitty sleep with you on occasion, don't do it.

Good luck with the baby turning out non-allergic, BTW. I developed my allergy to cats literally overnight, when a friend's cat decided to sleep on my face while I slept. One massive overexposure later, I'm very allergic to cats.

[Syntropy]

Koffing, do not scare Phlosphr off!! This is exactly what he is afraid of!

Phlosphr, if you use that post to kibosh your wife's plan of getting the kitty you have already paid more than enough for, i will quiver my bottom lip at you.

[Siemsi]

Phlosphr,

My parents got two kitties (bro and sis) and they are trained to sleep downstairs each night. My father can't sleep with cats on the bed as they become too excited and mischevious.

Now, the two felines, Sergei and Sabena, know exactly whaqt to do when 11 pm comes around. They have to go downstairs soon. Sergei will meow to Sabena and they both trot happily downstairs.

It can work! Good Luck and congrats on your new family member!
:)

Now when my dad leaves for work in the a.m., he lets the kitties up and they snuggle with my momma. Spoiled rotten.

[ENugent]

Phlosphr, please come back and let us know how that litterbox works out for you! I've seen it before and thought about getting it, but $350 is a lot for an experiment. One of my cats is extremely fussy about smells, though, and his "hobby" is spending hours in the litterbox recovering the already covered poop. I've also thought about getting a Littermaid, but after this story (http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/02/Dec/litter.html), I'm not so sure.

[t-bonham@scc.net]

If your objection to having this kitten in your bedroom is the idea of it sleeping on your head or pillow, you might consider providing kitty with her own place to sleep in your bedroom. (Because she's going to get in there, unless you are really, really compulsive about keeping her out. And even then, she'll probably get in some times.)

Kitty will want to be in the room where the 2 of you are, and having her own bed in there will help keep her out of yours. (But, realistically, it will take a while to train her to that. At first, the idea of being on the bed with you, and pouncing on those enticing toes moving under the covers, will certainly attract her. Just keep working at teaching her to stay in her own bed.)

A friend has one of those hole-in-a-cylinder hiding beds (see
example here (http://www.petsmart.com/cat/shopping/homes%5F%5Ffurniture%5F%5F%5Fscratching%5Fposts/homes%5F%5F%5Ffurniture/products/product%5F26066.shtml) set up on a bedside table (high enough for the kitten to see you from it). Now at bedtime, the kitten follows them to the bedroom, and jumps into her bed when they get into their bed. But it did take a while (and several boxes of cat treats) to teach this.

Of course, if having the kitten in your bedroom aggravates your allergies, this may not work for you at all.

[Koffing]

Originally posted by Maureen
Koffing, do not scare Phlosphr off!! This is exactly what he is afraid of!
I'm making sure that he knows exactly what he needs to do to minimize his allergy suffering when he gets that cat. An air filter can be had for far less than that poop-o-matic litter box.

The fact of the matter is that he's allergic to cats, and he spends, I'm guessing, eight hours a day in the bedroom, breathing deeply. Keeping the cat out of the bedroom, keeping that door closed, and keeping an air filter running are all things he can do to co-exist with the thing. If he can't avoid the allergens, then he can at least minimize them.

Phlosphr, keep the cat out of the bedroom entirely. I'll provide cites if you feel it's necessary.

[Syntropy]

Nonono, I wasn't talking about "factual cites." I was talking about your horror story specifically. All the man needs is to be able to point and say: see!See!! I told you! NO CAT!

[Koffing]

Originally posted by Maureen
Nonono, I wasn't talking about "factual cites." I was talking about your horror story specifically. All the man needs is to be able to point and say: see!See!! I told you! NO CAT!
I don't think we need to worry about that. It sounds like the day of reckoning is inevitable; I just want to make it as comfortable as possible.

As an aside, my family apparently had a cat when I was a toddler, and my cat allergy didn't kick in until my friend's stupid cat slept on my face in my teens. Unless kitty makes a habit of sleeping on the baby, I'd think that there won't be a problem.

[Phlosphr]

Thanks Maureen. I'll be fine. We have several more days cat;ess for me to think of a strategy of keeping kitty out of house, and for making the proper arrangements in the room. Our room is rather large, and I am a little worried about the balcany over the living room. There is no door separating the balcany from our bedroom...I may put up some saloon doors this week. I have to run it by the Boss (Mrs.Phlosphr) first.

Koffing - We have several HEPA filters around the house. One large one in the living area, one in the basement, and one in my Den. I'm going to take that one and possibly put it into our room. Again I have to ask the boss. But we have actually been thinking about that for a while...

Ok the Kitty Box/toilet on steroids... Thats the best way I can describe this thing.

I turned the damn thing on last night in front of my better half and we both looked at each other and started laughing histerically. It sounds like your dishwasher at home...It's freaky to say the least... All this for a damn cat....I mean cute little kitty.

Anyway the cycle isn't long and the box is really really really clean after it cycles through. Basically, it has these granules in it, that are to be ... Ahem ... shat on.

Then the box cycles through a washing mode where the granules are washed, then dried... The solution can be bought at Pet-Co and only needs to be changed every two months... Plus I never have to see cat poop..ever, because it is washed right out with the draining water and into our sewer system... I am chuckling right now as I type this... I would have never thought there would be such an invention.

Well Mrs. Phlosphr is due back soon so I had better get some dinner cooking... I'm off all summer so it's Chef Phlosphr most of the summer.

I'll check back in when the 'IT' arrives... Just kidding... I'll check back tomorrow.

[Phlosphr]

Good God looking at that first line I must have been paying attention to something else when I wrote it...

It should read: We have Several more days CATLESS for me to think of a strategy for keeping kitty out of our room...

:smack: kitty sickness already....

[Peg]

Let us know when you catch yourself baby talking to the kitten!

[Phlosphr]

I'll admit the commercial where the stay-at-home mom is talking to the baby and saying "Is Daddy Waddy home from Worky Jerky"

But thats not me. ;)

I'll admit the little puff balls pretty cute.

[Contrary]

So your new kitty is at home with you now?

Male, female, details please.

[Phlosphr]

No not yet, but we have been to the breeder to pick her out. She'll be home in a few days. I thought it was going to be three weeks, but it's actually more like mid next week.

[Cobalt]

There is another option for dealing with kitty claws. I agree with those who say you shouldn't declaw the cat, but even with a scratching post and with your trimming the cat's claws regularly, you might not like kitty having bare claws (e.g., when giving a bath). Once the kitten gets to be a certain age (maybe 3 or 4 months?), try using Soft Paws (http://www.softpaws.com/). They are great. They're basically little plastic caps that you glue onto your cat's claws. They fall off after 4-6 weeks, at which point you trim the talon and put on a new cap. With these things, we don't care much at all when our cat stretches out on (and incidentally scratches at) some of the woodwork. And giving them a bath is no problem -- they can claw at our arms all they want, and it doesn't hurt a bit -- we mostly laugh at their scrabbling.

Side note: Training kitty to get used to baths very young (again, not until they're ~4 months old, I think) by bathing them once per week is a good idea. As adults, ours still don't like baths, but they're relatively calm about the whole thing.

Oh, and I'd recommend looking up some books on cat training & psychology. You'll get a better idea of how to train the cat as a kitten so that it's relatively well-behaved as an adult.

Cobalt

[mcms_cricket]

I'll second the SoftPaws suggestion -we use them for one of our cats and they work really well. We started using them when he was still a kitten and the judicious application of Kitty Treats whenever new caps needed to be attached kept it from becoming a fight. Now, a few years later, it only takes about 10 minutes every few weeks to trim any cap-less claws and add a new cap.

Cricket

[Phlosphr]

IT'S COMING TOMORROW!!!!

[Balance]

Originally posted by Phlosphr
IT'S COMING TOMORROW!!!!
Is it just me, or does this look like a "screamer" ad for a bad horror flick? :D

[lachesis]

DA-Da-da-dhummm. < end portentious entrance music >

[Syntropy]

Hooray!! One question, Phlosphr ;

How did Mrs. Phlosphr work it so that she gets the cat, and you get to stay home with it for the summer? One talented woman, I must take notes!

Also, if I could hijack your thread momentarily, can I get your professional opinion on this thread? (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3577645#post3577645) I was hoping you'd have some theories on behavioral science for auntie em. Pure speculation, no diagnosis expected...

[Shirley Ujest]

Have you gotten pussy yet?




:)




And




Will there be pictures?

[Phlosphr]

Well Maureen - Actually, Mrs.Phlosphr is home quite often, she has a home office but is only here 50% of the time. So I woll certainly have to do some of the raising. I got a blanket from the breeder yesterday, one the kitten has been sleeping on for a while. I put it near my dogs bed. He's completely oblivious of it. Doesn't look like he cares much. Then again he's pretty well trained and doesn't really do much without say so.

My wife on the other hand thinks I am very well trained as well, but much to her chagrin I have some tricks of my sleeve when it comes to kitty..

Yes, there will be pictures!!

Yesd, I will look into the other thread.