Possible cat ownership.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Train a cat. That's to laugh. Cats love you or they piss on your boots. There's no middle-ground.

MEOW!

[MrFun]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Catnip can be used as a training aid, actually. It is also a drug (on the level of marijuana, but more of a stimulant). These two things are not mutually exclusive.

The first thing to remember with cats: There are no guarantees. Putting catnip on a scratching post can encourage them to use it, certainly, but it really depends on the cat - some will, some won't. My cats all prefer the cardboard scratchers, but they still scratch furniture some. Some cats can be encouraged not to (either through use of sticky tape, or sour apple).

Probably the most important thing to remember is why the cats scratch: to sharpen and shorten their claws. You can help this by cutting their claws regularly (once every two weeks, or so, for my cats). Some cats don't mind it much, some mind terribly - but if you're strong with them, they usually will calm down enough to let you do it by yourself.

I think at the end of the day, though, you just have to balance how much you care that your furniture is pristine, with how much you want to be humane to your cats

Thanks for this post.

[Zkribbler]

Or use a squirt gun. It doesn't hurt the cat. They just find it really, really annoying.

[Jon Miller]

My childhood cats were indoor/outdoor. It seems to be a good thing. Note that some cats are great and some cats suck... it can be hard to tell what you will get although how you treat them matters of course.

JM

[SlowwHand]

Only get one, or two, if you plan on keeping them. They're like kids. They depend on you. I wouldn't recommend letting them go outdoors. It's life-shortening out there.

[notyoueither]

They have to go outside, or you've got yourself the equivalant of a large, furry gold fish with no bowl.

[-Jrabbit]

Letting cats outside is dangerous to them. There's disease, predation, skunks, not to mention they get filthy... A lot depends on your local environment. Urban areas are not built for wandering critters. There's no place to hunt (which is what cats will do) and the only place to find food is in the trash.

It's a lifestyle choice. The cat would prefer the freedom, obviously. But if you take the responsibility of pet ownership seriously (as it appears you do), I recommend against it.

[Asher]

I've had two incredible 100% indoor cats. 1 died the other year (cancer) at 14, the other is 15 and is dealing with renal failure.

Our cousins have lots of outdoor cats, they all live to be about 6 or 7 max...

[notyoueither]

I'd rather give them a little freedom, risky as it may be, than a long sedentary existence.

A cat that doesn't stalk is a waste of a cat.

[Jon Miller]

My indoor/outdoor cat lived to be 12. He died being ran over (for the second time) when I was gone for Christmas my senior year of highschool (by our neighbors in the private alley we shared with them).

He was sick the last couple of years due to drinking some anti-freeze.

I really loved sam.

And I agree that cats who never go outside seem to be be not quite the same...

JM

[Asher]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
My indoor/outdoor cat lived to be 12. He died being ran over (for the second time) when I was gone for Christmas my senior year of highschool (by our neighbors in the private alley we shared with them).

He was sick the last couple of years due to drinking some anti-freeze.

I really loved sam.

And I agree that cats who never go outside seem to be be not quite the same...

JM

Yeah, in that they tend to be more of a lapcat than the outdoors, which tend to be more stand-offish.

[-Jrabbit]

So he got run over twice and drank antifreeze?
I rest my case.

BTW MrFun, your plan to get two cats takes care of this, at least in part, especialy if they're young. They will stalk and play with each other.

[Jon Miller]

Nah, my cat loved to be a lap cat and loved people. He even did well with kids. He would just try to stay out of their way when they pulled his tail/etc.

Indoor only cats always seem a bit skittish to me.

It is true that outdoor/indoor cats are a bit standoffish outdoors, that is for survival though.

JM

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
So he got run over twice and drank antifreeze?

I rest my case.

The first time he got ran over was before he was fixed and he was a roaming Tom.

It was actually quite expensive (his guts were outside of his rib cage and he had to be put on a breathing machine.)

JM

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
So he got run over twice and drank antifreeze?
I rest my case.

It depends on if you feel the relationship is more one way than the other.

Yes, there are risks. Would you keep a horse and not let it run? There's a risk for a horse every time it takes off across a field, down a path, or around a track.