After getting great advice the last time I asked a cat question (on claw trimming), I’m back with another. My girlfriend has two cats, a male and a female. The female generally seems to be more intelligent, but there are times that I think the male just plays dumb to avoid scrutiny. For example, the female will try to open door knobs while the male stares at her blankly. However, when it comes to digging food out of the kitchen trash, the male is a master.
The male’s name is Butch like the bulldog in Tom and Jerry. This is because he has 7 claws per paw and she thought he looked kind of like the cartoon character. Recently though, my girlfriend generally just calls him “The Little Fucker.” He’s a very pretty long haired cat. I say pretty because most people that see the pair figure that he is the female. He weighs about 12lbs, so he isn’t huge or anything.
We have a standard sized kitchen trash can. It’s the size that is supposed to use the tall kitchen bags. It has a hinged lid. We used to leave the lid off. First the little monster figured out how to knock the can over to get at the contents. This was no problem. I put 20lbs of weights in the bottom under the bag. This worked for a while, but he must have got desperate because now he jumps right in. We put the lid back on, but he knocks the lid off with no problems. We put things on top of the lid, but he knocked them off too.
My girlfriend wants to bring one of the 30 gallon outdoor style trash cans in and use that. I don’t want that in my kitchen. The cabinets are not such that we can put the trash in one, nor do we have a suitable closet. I can probably make a lid out of 2x4’s or metal, but that wouldn’t be much better than the 30 gallon trash can. I want to teach him to stay out of any trash. What I’m really looking for is some kind of electric fence or shock collar for The Little Fucker. My dad probably has a spare electric fencer from his hobby farm, but I think that might be a little much for about a 3’-4’ run of wire around a trash can. Does anyone know of anything like this made for small animals? Does anyone more used to living with cats than I am (only 6 months for me) have any better ideas?
Have you tried the “squirt gun” method of training? Buy a plant sprayer and adjust the nozzle so that it shoots a thin stream of water, and keep it on the kitchen counter. The next time you see him nosing around the trash bin, give him a squirt. Repeat as necessary.
Of course, if TLF only does “investigates” the trash can when you’re not around, or doesn’t mind getting a little wet, then this obviously won’t work.
Scare him. Balance empty pop cans and small lightwight plastic containers on the lid, enough so that the lid is covered. Put a few coins in each pop can. Fill the containers with water. Watch him jump up and knock the cans over. Listen to the cans make a clattering ruckus. Watch him get wet. Watch him skid on the kitchen floor desperately trying to get away. Point and laugh.
Be careful not to use containers so heavy that they could hurt him if they fell on him or knocked against him. Pop cans, not soup cans. Disposable Glad brand tupperware containers, not heavy bowls.
Electric fencer? Like the fences designed to keep cattle in or deer out? Wouldn’t the voltage be too high for a 12 pounder?
Put some kind of lid on the can. Set several small mousetraps on the lid. Spread newspapers over the traps. When he jumps up the traps will snap and scare the hell out of him but the paper will keep them from harming him.
Three dogs and three cats here - I have a really nice looking stainless steel tall trashcan with a lid (step on the bottom to open) I got from Target for about $30. It’s heavy enough to not be easily tipped over, and they can’t open it. I suppose the dogs could open it if they really tried, but the cats are too light to trigger the lid - it is rather heavy.
The step-to-open trashcans are attractive and virtually cat proof. I like them better than the swing-lid cans, because the trash never has to touch the lid, and the lid never falls in or gets lost.
The other thing you can do is put the trash under the kitchen sink and then get one of those childproof latches for the cabinet door.
(But I hate putting the trash in the cabinet… if my hands are dirty, then I have to touch the cabinet door and get it dirty, too.)
Thanks for the replies. I knew I came to the right place. I’m answering a lot of people here, so I didn’t quote everyone.
TLF… I like that.
The squirt bottle will not work with this cat for two reasons. First, we do use a squirt bottle for some things. It works good on the female. With TLF, if he really wants something, he will let you soak him. Second, he knows he isn’t supposed to be in there. He runs if he hears us walking towards the kitchen. It’s kind of funny really, since he gives himself away.
Yes, the type of fencer designed for cattle would be too much for the cat, especially with that small run of wire. I was kind of hoping for something scaled down to cat size.
I like the mouse trap idea, but do I have to put newspaper over them? :rolleyes:
The cans idea is good too. I think I’ll try that tonight.
The stainless steel trash can with a lid really sounds like the way for me to go if I can find one that we like. I think part of the problem is that we haven’t found a trash can that we do like. Sadly, it really won’t teach him anything though. I know it shouldn’t be this way, but I do have a strong desire to teach TLF a lesson.
Do you want to solve the problem, or do you want to punish the cat? 'Cause with a cat that stubborn, you can do one or the other, but not both. The cans and mousetraps will probably scare the crap out of him, but when the dust settles he’ll be right back in there. It’ll punish the cat, but it won’t resolve anything, because he’ll still be getting in the trash. The metal trashcan will stop him playing in the trash, but you don’t get to make him suffer.
You have to decide which is more important to you and work from there.
When I had a problem with cats clawing up the tops of books, I found a dusting of cayenne pepper will stop them. Cats really hate hot pepper. I’m not sure how you’d use this on a trash can – maybe dust the lid. Good luck.
I second the hinged lid with a foot pedal. Keeps the cat out, doesn’t involve strewing moustraps, ammonia or gravel mines all over your kitchen.
The hot pepper trick can backfire. Years ago we had a dog who ate her own poop. Disgusting, especially when she tried to give you a big lick when you walked in the door. Neighbour suggested pouring cayenne on her poop, one bite and she’d lose the urge.
Being a good little engineer I decided to try an experiment first and gave her a corn chip loaded with cayenne powder. Dog ate it, drank a lot of water, then came back, sat down and fixed Sad Starving Doggy Gaze on me, waiting for more.
I could be completely wrong here, but don’t dogs go off taste and cats go off the scent (before they eat the object). The only way I know this is because back when I used to spend summers on a farm and savage wild dogs would come and attack the chickens and livestock, the owner of the farm would mix some hamburger and antifreeze to kill the dogs (I don’t condone this activity and since it wasn’t my place to say anything I didn’t; so don’t bite my head off over his actions). Anyway, one day I asked him how come his wife’s cats never died from the hamburger and he told me that dogs just want the hamburger and will go after it more, but the cats are more curious and will smell it more. Now maybe this logic makes no sense or the cats truly did have nine lives I don’t know. BTW, this is yet another reason for people who don’t like their dogs, not to just leave them out in the country.
Why do you want to injure your own cat? I would think a mousetrap could break a foot or a tail, or whatever else got caught in there. Doesn’t feel so great on your own fingers when you’re trying to set the trap and the damn thing snaps back on you.
Why do you even have a cat if all you want to do is hurt it because you can’t win the game? I assure you, the cat is not keeping score. But I’m pretty sure you are.
I think you should find a nice home for both of your cats and get a goldfish.
And I think you need to lay off the caffeine. Read my posts and work on reading comprehension. The second line says they are my girlfriend’s cats, not mine. That said, did you see the emoticon? (little hint: that usually means joke) Have I said anywhere that I have done anything worse to a cat than spray it with a spray bottle? Sure, I might have evil thoughts, but it seems like most of the readers of this thread have managed to figure out when I’m teasing and when I’m being serious. You see, it’s considered funny to talk about doing mean things to cats. You can see it in every cat thread (and most dog threads). So, are you keeping score? So far all you have done is be a jerk in a light hearted thread.
Sorry that someone had to blow the mood there… Thanks for all of the other answers and help. Now back to the issue at hand.
I don’t think hot pepper would work with TLF. These cats normally only get cat food or cat treats. Once in a great while they will get something like a small bite of cooked meat. We don’t want to teach the cats to be beggars, but they do beg once in a while. One of the times TLF decided that my Flaming Hot Cheetos must be really tasty. Those things are pretty hot. Well, I did finally give him one figuring he would take one lick and head to the water bowl. It turns out TLF likes spicy food too. Sigh!
It looks like we will be heading to Target to shop for a trash can. We have looked other times for better options, but now I have something actually in mind, so it might be easier to find.
I have this exact problem at home except both cats (male) work as a team. We’ve tried several tricks, so far nothing is 100% fullproof. What seems to have had partial success is a trash can with a locking lid. Two plastic handles swivel up and lock the lid in place. To combat that the cats learned that if they claw at the bag edges hanging over the lip of the trash can they can force the lid open a crack. They’ll then force their bodies through the crack and into the can.
I’ve come out in the morning to find them both sitting in the bottom of the can, lid discarded to the side, covered in trash but with a look of satisfaction only a cat can muster on their evil faces.
The best solution will be a very heavy trash can like you see outside of McDonalds. It would need some kind of heavy lid which secures to the top. I’m sure they make it out there somewhere, let me know if you find 'em cheap!
If you are patient enough to catch them in the act, you could put on a Nixon mask and leap into the kitchen yelling, and with squirt guns blazing, terrorize them. Once they make the behavioral connection between the appearance of the angry man that makes our fur wet, and staying away form the trash, your problems will be solved. That or they’ll think you’re nuts.
First, the shock from a fencer designed for large grazing animals would likely be dangerous to a small cat, as you noted.
Second, these work by the animals’ body completing a circuit between the insulated fence and the ground. One wire of the fencer will be connected to a grounding rod driven into the conductive ground. Your kitchen floor is unlikely to be conductive like the ground is. Maybe you could put down a wire mesh or aluminum foil over the floor around the wastebasket, but not very practical. (Actually, that probably would work for a day or two – he’ll be having too much fun demolishing that to play in the trash.)
Also, the fencers work because a grazing animal touches the fence while still having it’s feet on the ground. Your cats are most likely leaping onto the top of the wastebasket, so they wouldn’t actually complete the circuit to the fencer.
You could possibly do something with an electric shock collar on the cat, triggered by a small radio transmitter near the wastebasket whenever they come in range. But it would be hard to get the range of the transmitter small enough not to scarfe them away from the whole kitchen and whatever room is on the other side of the wall. Plus I expect such a collar & transmitter would have to be custom made, and thus expensive.
A different possible fix would be loops of duct tape (sticky side out) on the wastebasket. Most cats really dislike touching something sticky like this, and will learn to avoid it. (They’ll also learn to recognize the tape, and that it’s safe to do this when it’s not there. So you may be busy putting tape there for months.)
You might also consider what you’re putting in the wastebasket that encourages this. My cats rarely go into the wastebasket; only when I’ve put something good to eat in there. Using either a compost heap or a disposal for such items will avoid the problem (and be more friendly to the environment, too).
But you may end up just having to live with this behavior; picking up spilled wastebaskets occasionally isn’t that bad. It may be the price you pay if you want to live with the cats (or top live with the girlfriend that owns them).
