But please, please, keep the cats indoors. They’ll get used to it, and it’s so much safer. I have never hit a cat with my car but even though I hate them it would break my heart to accidentally kill someone’s pet. They saunter across the road, get into scrapes, there’s dogs, rain, all kinds of inclement things.
And I know everyone’s going to yell at me and say who cares, but outdoor cats kill so many songbirds, voles, and other outdoor critters. If you guys love your cats, well I love the songbirds, and anyway it’s really gross to find little intestines everywhere.
Not to mention - lots of people are mean about cats and I have heard on this very board of people putting down poison for other people’s cats. And throwing stuff at them.
I would suggest this to anyone with cats, anyway. It’s just so much better in so many ways for everyone involved if cats never get into the habit of sleeping in the bedroom with you.
Keep your cats indoors. Outdoor cats make people who hate cats hate them even more, and all of us cat people and our cats would be better off with a whole lot less hatred of cats in the world. It’s also a lot healthier for the cats.
I have two indoor kitties, and I’d love to have a screened in porch for them like you have.
Do the cats have a habit of scratching on carpet? If not, there may not be a problem.
But what’s the point of having cats if you can’t wake up to one curled up against you and purring?
Years ago when I was still able to have cats (i.e., before my immune system started going to DefCon V whenever I saw one) we had a closed-loop carpet scratching post (not berber, something even denser) . Papa Zappa made it with carpet scraps. The cats really loved it because they could get a really good scratch and stretch - i.e., because their claws could catch in it. The cats never bothered with the carpet on the floor, because it was standard open pile and not nearly so enjoyable.
I imagine Berber carpeting would have a similar pleasing effect. So if you do leave the kitties’ claws in place, provide plenty of scratching opportunities that are better than the existing carpet. A lot of the commercial scratching posts just never seemed to appeal to my critters, hence the homemade posts (which were bigger, bulkier and far less tippable).
Oh, sure, they occasionally curl up and purr, but the rest of the time it’s jump up, jump down, jump all around, bounce right on you to make you come play, bite your feet, scrap with each other…plus my husband is allergic, so we try to keep the bedroom a relatively-hair-free zone.
Our house is kinda cabin-y looking. We have rough cedar on the walls. Our little softies LOOOOVE to scratch on the doorframes. They’ve been doing it so long they’re actually misshapen right at kitty height. They do scratch my carpeting in a couple key areas as well, but we think that’s just to piss us off. You could nail some of this wood up on your entryways if you don’t mind how unsightly it is. They simply adore it.
I agree. We buy cheap carpeting and figure we’ll have to replace it in 5 or so years anyway, so who gives a shit? Our little softies give us so much happiness…its worth the cost.
Why do people who hate cats always feel the need to come into cat threads and announce that they hate cats? The advice was right on the money, IMO, but really - why the preface?
Dung Beetle, you might consider getting cat harnesses and taking them outside for some supervised/controlled outdoor time. I know, that’s easier said than done with adult cats who aren’t used to harnesses, but that’s what I do with my cats. I started them on the harnesses when they were young, so not only are they comfortable in them, they get all excited and happy when I get them out.
I agree - that is very irritating to those of use who do love cats, and I cannot see the point of letting us know.
No one is going to disagree with the fact that cats kill a lot of wildlife and are better off indoors because of that (except for those who use cats to kill wildlife), but that is another reason I prefer my cats stay indoors. A big reason, in fact. I find guts to be not a good thing in my living area.
That sounds downright pleasant compared to waking up to a furball standing on my chest and being headbutted in the chin, while getting, “Miarooooow!” which translates rather loosely as, “Get your lazy ass up and FEED ME NOW!”
I’d say keep them as indoor only cats, if they will walk on a harness, then they can go outside for walks in your yard, maybe not the neighborhood if there are loose dogs around. If you can have some enclosure that would be safe that also is an option, as long as you are there while they are in the enclosure, just in case some creature tries to get in to your cats. You don’t have to declaw the cats either, try Softpaws on them. Here is a recent thread talking about this product. Good luck, I hope the move works out for everyone, cats and humans alike. (Try something like a Feliway diffuser also, when the cats are getting used to each other, and the new place.)
This is a great idea–they like to mark the same spot repeatedly, and frequently they’ll leave everything else alone. Ours have scratchers that they use almost exclusively, and we’ve had very little problem with inappropriate scratching.
I’m also voting for indoor only. They’re safer and so’s the wildlife in your area. Ours live indoors and seem to be very content with their windows and numerous perches in the house.
Another thing to try that can help if they get upset about moving is Comfort Zone. We tried it when we got our new cat, and it calmed all the cats down. It’s also supposed to help with inappropriate peeing and scratching, so it’s worth a try.
