New cat - need tips

[Brother None]

You are seriously suggesting that most outdoors cats don't go around killing all sorts of shit?

Suggesting? I'm saying, because it's fact. I live in a street crawling with both cats and pidgeons (and geese, for some reason, FUCK GEESE), and none of them ever bother each other.

If you had actually read this thread you'd have noticed me explaining how my cat exterminated all nearby moles. So no, I wasn't suggesting cats don't kill. I was suggesting a lot of cats really don't do so a lot, and even when they do in most areas there's nothing to hunt that provides a problem.

As for the pidgeon thing, I guess it does depend on where you live.

All my remarks are predicated on you living in a civilized area, not amongst sociopaths or in the wildlands.

Any cat that comes over to my yard(if I had one, which I don't) is going to get something thrown at it so it will think twice before coming back.

Try talking to the cat's owners, dumbass.

But if you are inside and the cat is inside it's easy to pay a little attention to them.

For sure. But many people don't have that kind of time. Hence my remark on it being something to consider. I moved out of my parents' years back leaving my cat behind (no cats for student housing). My parents take good care of her but don't exactly have bundles of time to share. She's always happy when I come around but she hasn't gone insane yet. Why? Because her life isn't limited by our bullshit arbitrary brick walls.

And Indoor cats live longer and healthier on average.

They endure torture longer on average, yes. It's a tribute to their willpower.

 

[UniversalWolf]

I had a cat once that was a natural-born killer. She would catch four or five birds every day when she was in the mood. Best cat I ever had, actually, because she was exceptionally smart. After watching people use the front door to enter the house a few times, she got up on her back legs and tried to turn the doorknob.

I'd say about 10% of cats do about 90% of the killing. They usually start with birds, but if you leave them alone they eventually get bored and move on to rodents, which is a good thing.

If you have a safe outdoor environment for the cat, it's better to let them run free at least some of the time. Obviously there are more risks to the cat, but they enjoy life more.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Aaaahhh, not ashamed to say it Leon, they're cute.

As is yours Skull, and stop call her an 'it' please.

Here are two recent pictures of mine.

This is Vlammetje (little flame)

He is pretty much the baby of the two, demanding a lot of attention when he can.
Perhaps its because he's a indoor cat like BN said, still he is very sweet but often pushing the limits.

And this is Zippy.

He is the more calmer one of the two, preferring to stay a bit on the background but that doesn't mean he does not want attention or playtime.
Rather he sometimes prefers it that I come to him, perhaps because Vlammetje always tries to get all the attention.


Currently I am also taking care of a third cat, he visited me in the past but these last couple of weeks seems to have decided he wants to stay here.

He is a smaller black cat that seems to be more delicate built than the other two and prefers to sleep a lot, but he also loves attentions and purrs louder than my own two cats.

Sorry, no picture of him.

Edit:

Apologies for the size of the pictures, I did not know they would turn out this big.

 

[Verevoof]

Oh boy, more cats! Who cares about the size of the pictures, they're cats!

I love the tuxedo coat pattern. I don't know why, maybe because it's "sophisticated," haha. I dig a black and white tux with green eyes.

This thread makes me happy.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Hello verevoof,

I choose Zippy specifically because he has a tuxedo pattern.

Before him and Vlammetje I had another tuxedo patterned cat I called Twizzel who I got from someone who knew how lonely I was after my mom had passed away.

I loved Twizzel a lot and was devastated when he disappeared one day and I later learned from the Animal Ambulance that they had found him dead near a road

Zippy wasn't adopted to replace Twizzel but rather so I was reminded of him once in a while.
I treat Zippy as his own individual.

I think have some pictures of him on my old PC, when I had to make some pictures of stuff I wanted to sell online he insisted he was also put on the shot.

 

[Puokki]

Should we rename this thread to "The official awww- thread" or someting? Too bad I have a dog instead of a cat (thought it acts a lot like one) so I don't think it would be appropriate to post pictures of her.

 

[Brother None]

It's funny how you can just tell Zippy and Vlammetje's personalities from their faces.

I love how cats can have these weird idiosyncrasies. The best idiosyncrasy you can hope for from a dog is barking at ghosts.
Still, I like dogs. I remember my first day at the animal shelter, there's a few permanent residents who just roam around free, too old or weird to be adopted. There's two mop-like dogs, a big dog and this old, one-eyed tomcat. I was waiting for my first assignment one the couch and saw the big dog saunter over to the one-eyed cat and was all "uh-oh?", but the big dog just sniffed him and then started washing him. Cat loved it, leaning into the bats like nobody's business.

Cats are good.

Like how de Bies decided this plant's pot is a good place to rest.

I'd say about 10% of cats do about 90% of the killing. They usually start with birds, but if you leave them alone they eventually get bored and move on to rodents, which is a good thing.

Pretty much. And in cities here those killers really aren't a problem. Pidgeons or rats, they're all pests.

 

[MutantScalper]

Never had a cat myself.

On the subject of whether to keep a cat locked up or let it run around freely, I'd opt for keeping it indoors and using the leash to take it for walks. Unless you're living on farm and there aren't much other houses near by. This because all it takes is for a loose dog to catch up with the cat once and the cat is history.

I see cats running around freely all the time and wonder if the owners know about the dangers. I once saw a small dog that was kind of allowed to run around freely in the closed yard of house torn apart by stray dogs.

 

[UniversalWolf]

I see cats running around freely all the time and wonder if the owners know about the dangers.

I grew up on a farm, so I've had cats killed by other, feral cats, eaten by coyotes, run over by cars, trucks, and tractors, squashed by cows when they plop over, and a bunch of other things. I still have no qualms about letting cats run around outside. They're happier that way.

Cats don't have much trouble getting away from dogs, from my experience. Dogs are loud so the cats can hear them coming, and dogs can't climb trees, while cats are very good at climbing. Most cats would have to be pretty stupid or pretty unlucky to get caught by your average dog.

From my experience, the biggest threat to a cat comes from other cats. If you've ever seen a feral cat, you know what I'm talking about. Those things are irredeemable monsters.

 

[SkuLL]

Thanks everyone for the tips, I feel that operation cat domestication is well under way. She has been a lot friendlier, even came to my room last night and spent most of the time trying to walk over my face while I was sleeping.

Another picture:

BN, I like your black cat. Mine also seems to like the big plant pots. I have the same plant at home and the cat's already made it her mission to destroy it and drag soil all over the house.

Blank stare:

She's developed this blank stare, which can be pretty unnerving. Last night she'd sit on my stomach while I was watching some comedy and whenever I laughed or made a strange noise, she'd just lift her head up and stare at me. Endlessly. Made me feel awkward.

 

[TheWesDude]

one thing my last cat liked even if not for long

cradle it in an arm like a baby, head twords elbow and scratch its stomach

last one liked it for a minute or two then would try to get out.

if you are going to let it outside, probably not best to do it for a year or two until its bigger.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Its just such a cute kitty cat Skull, I wish I mine were kittens again.

And don't think to much of the blank stare, she is just curious why you are making that sound, you're her 'daddy' now so its important to know what makes you do that.

 

[Verevoof]

Oh. My. God. That kitten is beyond adorable.

Blank stare? No, stare of judgment.

 

[SkuLL]

This morning I had to chuck the cat out of the room and close the door. Normally, I sleep with the door open and she comes in at night to snoop around. Today it was too much - constantly walking over me, trying to play with my hair, chewing the cover every time I moved underneath it...

So tired now

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

Yeah, don't let her get used to that stuff at her age. Once the bad habits begin they're near-impossible to stop.

This is Bombadil

and his twin sister Tinu

 

[Xellos]

I also had a cat, unfortunately she died of cancer a few months ago, was 15 years old

Generally I would sign under all suggestions written in this thread (especially under the one that you do NOT want to have new kittens ). If you have a little garden or other green space of some sort, you might consider teaching cat to poop outside, than the litter box would be redundant. My cat went outside everyday, even in winter. Patting and jumping from the window when she was younger or using staircase during her elder age.

 

[SkuLL]

What's a safe effective way of getting a cat to stop doing something?

It behaves nicely, but likes to jump on the curtains. I don't know how to effectively communicate to it that swinging on curtains is a bad thing.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

water sprayers are good. I usually just yell really fucking loud, but that's probably not the best thing to do. my cats are p. well behaved though.

 

[Sicblades]

mine stopped doing that to the curtains after I yelled and "kicked" her out of my room. By kick I mean put my foot by her behind and push her out with my foot.

Water sprayers are pretty good too.

 

[Serge 13]

I used to own these cats 3 years ago.