My two cats have been mostly outdoor cats up until about two months ago, when I got married and moved to a less cat-friendly neighborhood. Since the move, they have been completely indoor cats, and they are adjusting pretty well for the most part. However, my new husband isn’t really a cat person (yet), and he isn’t used to cats meowing in the night, jumping up on countertops, doing smelly things in the litterbox, and shedding shedding shedding. Frankly, the kitties are getting on my nerves just a bit too. I spend all my free time at home trying to keep the house just as clean and quiet as it was before they moved in, and it just isn’t working. The other night they were chasing each other around and they smashed a lamp. I need to make some improvements around here pretty soon.
A squirt bottle has taken care of most of the night meowing, and I am trying to teach the kitties the meaning of the word “Down!” (Is that even possible?) I clean the litterbox two or three times a day, sweep constantly, and scrape fur off the couch with a little plastic squeegee. I also treated them a few days ago with some flea stuff I can’t remember the name of right now, but if it’s working I haven’t noticed yet.
Please, if you have any recommendations for products that make your life with cats easier, or any ideas I could try, I would love to hear about them. (Especially those related to shedding. I am smothering in the cat hair!)
I don’t know the specifics of each, but I have seen the “Pet Select Love Glove Pet Grooming Mitt” in action on a short-haired cat and it worked really really well. (Love Glove?!)
It sounds like you have young energetic cats, where my guy is a fat couch potato. Maybe you could burn off some of their energy if you play with them with those feathers on a string or those plastic rings that have balls inside that the cat can bat around?
I wish I had an answer for you regarding the shedding, because it’s driving me nuts, too.
Try the squirt gun method to keep them off the counters and furniture. It’s the only thing my cats have ever responded to, but I have one that thinks we’re playing when we squirt him!
Your husband may come around a little, too…those little softies are pretty irresistable! Hopefully the kitties will meet him half-way. Good luck!
How do you know the neighborhood is less “cat-friendly?” I’m a big proponent of keeping cats inside, but as long as they’re fixed and safe, I have no problem with them going outside for a while. We live on a busy street, so we don’t let ours out at all, but if I was in a different situation, I’d be cool with it for brief periods.
Toys, toys, toys. It sounds like they need continuous entertainment, and toys can help with that. We keep a basket of toys for the Wonder Cats[sup]TM[/sup], and they just go over and pull out the toy they want to play with at any given time. If you want them to stay a little calmer, I’d stay away from the catnip toys.
To keep them off the countertops, you can try something we were told to do with our crib before the baby comes - put some aluminum foil down for them. When they jump up, they apparently hate the feel of foil on their paws. Some friends I know of swear by it - works like a charm. Once or twice should do the trick.
I’m in the same boat, Dung Beetle, so I’m glad you posted this because I hadn’t gotten around to it. I don’t have many suggestions, but tons of empathy.
Five pissed-off cats – three fairly young (~2 yr) and energetic, one that hates all the other cats – that have always been indoor/outdoor cats and are now forced into indoor-only mode. Not only are they shedding incredibly (especially the long-hair) but evidently they actually needed those thrice-daily dustbaths I used to laugh at, because they’re also getting greasy/dirty.
We’ve bought them tons of new toys, but they would much rather fight and chase each other around. They ignore the toys for the most part, even if we try to get them to play. Fortunately they were pretty well cabinet-trained before this, so that’s not been a problem so far. (One has taken to pooping in the bathtub to show her disapproval, but I’m good with that - it could be much, much worse.)
And I used to think it was a small house…little did I know.
Trust me, he’d be even more unhappy if they start doing the smelly things elsewhere in the house!
My husband (also not really a cat person, and allergic, to boot) learned to love (I mean, really love) my kitty after he spent enough time with her. Deciding you actually enjoy the cat itself can help make a person more tolerant of the less-pleasant things that go with having one. With any luck, he’ll get there.
Meanwhile, it sounds to me like you’re doing a bang-up job of “re-training” the kitties, and keeping the home clean, etc. Brushing or using a grooming glove is a great idea; my kitty used to love the grooming sessions and come running when she saw me holding her brush.
Sometimes diet has in influence on the amount of shedding. You might ask their vet, or do some research.
Definitely there is a difference in shedding patterns between indoor-only and outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats. You may find that the shedding will taper off as they get used to the steady temperature inside and do not grow a heavier coat seasonally for winter, but the downside is that they will never actually stop shedding (whereas they would retain more of their fur in winter if they needed it to keep them warm outside).
Can you put the cats in their own room at night? On the other side of the house?
Our cats don’t get up on counters. I think it’s because there’s nothing on the counters that they’re interested in. They have access to window viewing – bookshelves and a buffet that they can sit on and look out.
They’re older - 10 (I think) and 14 – and mostly they just sleep.
I can’t help with the meowing or counter surfing, but to help with shedding I use a scalp massager to defur the cat. It is very flexible so it feels as if you are just petting the cat.and my cat loves it. “Oooh! She’s gonna TOUCH me! Purr, purr, purr.” It’s also really cheap.(There is one that has a handle that fits between your fingers. It is not flexible at all and the cat hates it.)
redtail, I am restraining myself from throwing my arms around you and having a good cry!
I do comb the kitties frequently, but their little fur factories are more than equal to the task of keeping up with me. (However, I did get a giggle out of the Love Glove.)
I think part of the reason they’ve adjusted so well to being indoors is that I’ve bought them so many toys. Their favorite is the one with the ball in the plastic circle. They are also getting a lot of use out of the things I’ve bought them to scratch. I have some spray that keeps them from scratching up the furniture. Note to self: hide the catnip.
Kalhoun, the new neighborhood has a rule that all pets must be on leashes. (I put a leash on a cat once. Once.) Most people around here are dog owners, and of course, some of them ignore the leash rule.
Anyone know whether I should try a Swiffer mop? Anyone know of a cat litter that can turn turds to tulips and piss to perfume?
Swiffers are great - I use my all the time. I don’t know if you mean the wet cloths, though - that would depend on the kind of flooring you have (we found that they left a suspect white residue in the seams of our laminate flooring).
If you have cats, 2 machines definitely make your life easier: a good vacuum, and a portable carpet/upholstery cleaner.
Most of the house is tiled (the better to smash lamps on!) and when I sweep with a regular broom, all the loose hairs and swatches of fur go flying into the air and very little gets collected. I guess I need a vaccuum and a Swiffer.
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Cheesesteak**, they get canned Friskies and some generic dry food. The litter I’ve used so far is a generic clumping litter. I never even thought about the smell being caused by cheap food. What do you recommend?
My SIL uses that crystally stuff. She says it’s the miracle litter. I use clumping and our four furballs are very cool with it. The crystally stuff eliminates every. trace. of odor.
I’m having good luck with the crystal litter too. I feed Iams Indoor Cat Weight Control Hairball formula, dry, and occasionally a can of Iams wet food.
I don’t clean the three boxes nearly as often as I should, but there’s remarkably little stink when I do.
Do to the Saga Which Is My Life (which I’ve mentioned here and there so I won’t mention it here) I have also moved from a house to an apartment. And my cat’s have suddenly, and no doubt tramatically, become indoor cats. The one thing that seems to help is…well, you see we have a balcony here and we put out birdseed. Because we like birds. So do the cats. But in a different way.
The point being they have spent hours just sitting and watching the birds. It’s like kitty TV. If that’s at all possible where you are, it might give you some peace for a while.
I was going to mention fequent combing but it sounds like you’re already doing that. I dunno…a lot of vacuuming? As vacuums are the natural enemy of the cat it will teach them not to shed.
Oh, go right ahead, I don’t mind. Hmmm? No, no, of course I’m not bawling, that’s just something in my throat. And eyes.
We’ve mostly got carpeting, so it’s not the fur on the floors that gets me (vacuuming gets that up), it’s the hair on everything else. The living room set is covered in something very similar to corduroy - I haven’t been able to find any way to get them clean. Vacuuming doesn’t even come close - the ridges in the material prevent the vacuum from getting enough suction going to scrape the hair loose. I’ve tried brushing, and some miracle sponge thing - the ridge/valley setup defeats them all. And my clothes. I guess I need to bring a lint thingie to work, because there’s no way to get out of the house without being covered in fur.
They won’t hold still for brushing, but I’ll try one of the gloves. That may or may not work - a couple of them don’t like to be held/petted, and the others only like it sometimes. What I really want is a brush attached to a very, very, very long vacuum tube, so that I could vacuum the kitties. And a remote control for the vac. If I had that, I’d figure out some way to get them to hold still for a couple minutes.
Your cats play with that? Mine just stare at it. Sometimes they will deign to move their heads to watch the ball go 'round, as long as I sit there and bat it for them. <sob>
Yep, I used Iams and/or Eukanuba, and both reduce the bulk and smell of feces. Probably any premium pet food will do the same.
Before you object to spending the premium price, I will also mention that the likelihood of your pets being healthier from the consumption of premium quality food usually means less money spent on vet bills.
You know, I normally hate TidyCats litter, but they came out with this new stuff called “Small Spaces” - when we move into “bigger spaces”, I’m still going to buy this litter! We have two cats in a small apartment who make a lot of poop. We used to use the crystal stuff, too, but this stuff is just awesome. I’d say it’s at least worth a try.
Other than that, everyone else has the right idea - proper grooming, plenty of toys to keep them occupied, a spray bottle and lots of patience - this is a big shift for them, too, and they are still getting used to the new arrangements - and you’ll all be fine.
