Anybody want a cat?

[alarimer]

I think I have to get rid of mine. The little fucker keeps ruining my window screens. He has ruined my furniture and carpet as well. I can't keep asking maintenance to fix the screens. I can't keep the windows shut because it is too fucking hot. I have tried spraying water, everything and he will not leave them alone. I can't take anymore of this.

[Drum]

1. He sounds wonderful, but I'll have to pass.

Thanks and good luck.

[graywarrior]

2. Get that spray that keeps cats away from your stuff.

They sell it at pet stores and even Wal-Mart (damn them).

[alarimer]

3. How well does it work?

This cat is really stubborn.

[graywarrior]

4. My cat hated my guts for a week.

But it worked. You have to respray every day.

[alarimer]

5. Is it that bitter apple stuff?

I think that's what it's called. I am going to have to try it because I am at my wit's end. I can pay for new screens (I don't think it would be very expensive). I just can't keep doing it over and over again. As for the carpet, it's pretty well shot anyway but I may lose my deposit if I decide to move.

[graywarrior]

6. No idea what it's made of. I jut know my cat HATED it and me.

He actually howled at me. I sprayed it on my bed quilt (bad idea). He likes to sleep with us, so I just ended up spraying it near the slider door so he wouldn't climb up on the screens.

[Demoiselle]

7. Get Sticky Paws. (Google stickypaws.com)

It is clear, virtually invisible tape, sticky on both sides. Cats hate the feel of it . Put it on your furniture, put it on your window sills to keep the cat from getting near the screens.
It really does work better than anything else I've ever tried. I put it in all the strategic places on my new slipcovers and my cats haven't gone near the sofas. (The stickypaws is long gone, but the cats still avoid the sofas. ) I have 6 inside cats at the moment, and a couple of ferals under my porch. I, um, know cats pretty well.

[graywarrior]

8. Whoa, that sounds even better.

[alarimer]

9. I tried that on my mattress and box spring

But it didn't seem to work. It just came right off.

[BikeWriter]

10. Ha ha ha ha ha!

:rofl:

[alarimer]

13. I know a lot of that is just what cats do

but he is such a brat.

[BikeWriter]

14. That, my Friend, is why I don't "do" cats. :-)

You can always ask a dog to go lie down and stay there. Nine times out of ten a dog wants to please you.

[Maddy McCall]

11. That cat needs Soft Claws.

http://www.softclaws.com/

Have you have his goobies chopped? That solved ALL the problems that our male kitty had, including rambunctiousness and spraying.

[alarimer]

12. Yes, he has been neutered

It was a couple of years ago; he was about 3 when I had it done. So he is still very rambunctious.

[BikeWriter]

15. I never tolerated much of that, even from my Sons.

[radfringe]

16. we had same problem with our cats

between the scratching of the screens and leaning on the screens while lounging on the window sill we lost several.

instead of patching or replacing the screens - we bought those little sliding insert type screens and put those up


works good. cheap to replace/patch. comes in various height/width

[chknltl]

17. Further suggestions:

...Anti scratching measures on your possessions is one prong of a two prong attack. It is obvious that kitty feels a need to scratch stuff so add a scratching post to your strategy. If the cat chooses to ignore that then with a little trial and error on your part I am willing to bet that you could create a substitute worthy of your cats attentions. Please keep an eye on your construct as you don't want to accidentally hurt the kitty. Adding a climbing tower, a few toys, and some quality playtime with your pet might drain a bit of the creatures boredom as well. There is one family in my neighborhood that goes for a walk often. This family consists of three yappy Westies taking the lead with a pair of elderly pet owners following the dogs and bringing up the rear, (but never too close), is a very aloof fat grey cat.
Good luck fellow pet-owner. :hi:

[LostinVA]

18. Do you have two or three scratching posts set up around your place?

He sounds like he likes/needs to scratch. You can usually train them to use one in a day or two.

[huskerlaw]

19. I second the Soft Paws suggestion

They're not that expensive, they're easy to use...and after my cats wore them for about a year, they no longer scratched anything so now we're back to bare claws.

[xchrom]

20. i hate to suggest this to you --

but what about a buddy?

somebody for him to play with?

he sounds bored.

and it could be a dog instead of another cat.

[alarimer]

24. Another pet would mean another pet deposit

I am not sure whether the apartment complex allows more than one pet. I can't have a dog because of my work schedule. I can't reliably get home at lunchtime to walk it.

[Wcross]

21. I'm glad nobody has suggested de-clawing the poor critter.

I am totally against declawing cats. If he ever got outside he would be defenseless and worse yet, he wouldn't be able to hunt if he needed to survive.

[Dangerously Amused]

22. Another alternative: PetScreen

Link here:

http://www.petscreen.com/



Also, recently per vet's suggestion I've cut back a bit on the amount of kittie's food to bring their weight down a pound or two per kittie. Unfortunately this made for kitties prowling the countertops at night in search of any tidbits left behind. Bad kitties! So I took some masking tape (make sure it is not super-sticky, only a very light tack is needed) and cut it to lengths to run along the countertops, placing it sticky-side up just an inch or so from the edge (where paws are likely to land). As a result, on several nights I awoke to a loud thud and kittie feet running frantically from room to room, then went to find the kitty (hiding in a corner with a very surprised expression!) to pull the tape from their feet and tail. Worked like a charm!


*Again, I specifically used tape with only a very light tack, which did not pull any hair from the kitties or otherwise hurt them during removal. The idea, of course, is just to surprise/frighten them when the tape "grabs" them as they wander into the restricted area, and not to cause them any discomfort. Also, of course, one must never use this method when the kitties are unsupervised, which is to say when one is not standing (or sleeping, in my case) nearby so as to pull the tape off immediately. This method worked for the countertops, but I bet it would work for other restricted areas... shelving, mantles, dressers or whatnot.


Good luck.

[grasswire]

23. also, cats will not step on crumpled aluminum foil

Many people have trained their cats to stay away from certain areas (such as flower pots) by using foil.

[alarimer]

25. Thanks to all for the good suggestions

I am not really serious about getting rid of him. He is pretty nice most of the time. For now I will keep the windows shut when I am gone and try some of the other things the rest of the time.