Thread: My cat...

Well, unlike an obedient dog, a cat is always a challenge!
If you have nobody to boss you around, get a cat.

(Skip to the last paragraph to avoid my ramblings!)

Right now we have one cat. She moved into our house during the construction process and is still here two years later. The farmer adjacent to our property told us there are many feral cats in the area that look just like ours. Essentially she is a feral cat that adopted us. She is smart enough to value our protection from the coyotes, foxes, and other dangers that are prevalent here.

We did have her spayed. As a matter of fact this "free" cat cost us over $300 as soon as we decided to keep her (as if we had a real choice). That's was for the spay, all her shots, thorough checkup, etc..

This is the first cat I have had that is not super affectionate. She resists being held most of the time and would never sit on anyone's lap. But she follows us around like a dog both inside and outside. She almost always picks a spot to sleep near wherever we are in the house. She stays in at night. She prefers to have one of us stand next to her while she eats. This is one of the few times she is happy to receive a pet. I think she takes it as permission to eat. I have heard that as kittens the mother's licking activates the nursing instinct so maybe this is related.

She is training us. Often she will come into a room and meow at one of us, asking to be followed. Then she does one of three things: run to her food so we can watch her eat (she expects a full-body solid pet before she starts eating), run to a door to be let out, or run ahead and hide so she can ambush whoever it is she has summoned.

As far as "pooping" outside, she does fertilize our flower beds and vegetable garden for us. Mostly she prefers to find a spot in the woods. We do keep a litter box inside for her but she prefers not to use it, but will do so if there is something scary going on outside -- thunder storm, construction activity, etc., but she can "hold it" for a very long time and will usually do so until the outside danger passes.

OK, to get to the OP's original point -- neutering cats is something we have done for a long time and it does not seem to have detracted from their quality of life. They all have/had unique, strong, personalities and seem to enjoy life to the fullest.

Originally Posted by TexasBob

She is training us.

Exactly. People don't have cats. Cats have people.

Originally Posted by Bruno

They tried. But to no avail.

People with cats are funny. The cat wants to pet pampered and petted so it will sit on their lap. When it decides it has had enough, it lashes out with claws and rip into the soft forearm flesh.
And then the owner shrugs it off with a smile and says 'he sometimes does that, the rascal'
..
..
..
Excuse me?
He did that before?
You consider this normal?
WTF is wrong with you?

I've never understood this sort of person.

cats are the sort that don't take well to punishment either

I have no use for an animal that attacks me and looks at me like I did something wrong.
I am the master and any domesticated animal who can't bring itself to deal with these terms need not eat my food or live in my house.

There are exceptions, falconry being a good example.

Originally Posted by gratewhitehuntr

I've never understood this sort of person.

cats are the sort that don't take well to punishment either

I have no use for an animal that attacks me and looks at me like I did something wrong.
I am the master and any domesticated animal who can't bring itself to deal with these terms need not eat my food or live in my house.

There are exceptions, falconry being a good example.

Ya know, I look at cats in a the same way I would look at falcons -- as a sort of window into the wild kingdom.

My cat never "attacks" me except in play and she knows the difference. Claws are always retracted and nips are always gentle -- never drawing blood. And I know how easy it would be for her to do so. I am not offended when occasionally, while walking through the house, I am surprised by a quick bat against the back of my calf! Cats do this to their pride-mates all the time. One must remember to be gentle in return. If you are the one to escalate, don't blame the cat.

The concept of punishing a cat is a little hard for me to grasp. We do "correct" our cat in several ways. One is to pick her up and remove her from the offending activity -- usually by putting her out the back door. As much as she likes to go out, she likes to do it on her terms. Another situation is clawing furniture. Here we used a squirt bottle with water in it. We now simply need to pick up (the now empty) bottle and the activity stops. More importantly, it rarely starts anymore.

I don't want to be the "master" of my pet. I have no need to call him, and have him come to me moving the tail, or bring my newspaper and slippers, or shake my paw.

Thats why I like cats, they are independent like myself, If they aren't in the mood for playing or cuddling they'll let you know, just like a person would do. And, if they want some attention, they'll let you know too. Here's my Loki asking for some serious belly-rubbing (sorry, couldn't resist)



Going back to the thread's original subject, he's neutered, and he's the most active, funny, healthly and happy cat I've ever had (He's the fifth).

Had a kitty named Hera, she died from cancer de mama (sorry, don't know english name for that). The vet said, if she had been neutered, probably she would have lived many more years. Since then, we neuter all our cats, and we advice everybody to do so.

Greetings

For all of you cat lovers/owners out there who missed it here is a thread I started some time ago where forum members post photos of their beloved companions. In this case more is better.

I am quite glad to say that my cat is snapping back... It's the second day and he is doing what he normaly does at this hour of the afternoon: take a nap!
Yesterday he ate normaly, though he was still a bit stoned. And the good sign of him snapping back was his wish to sleep on my the bed, with me, last night. He rarely does so... only when he wishes to do so. And that means he is not "offended". He's cool now... He even went out last night.

Thanks to all that gave their input and shared the experiences that eased my mind.

Cats are very independent. I like that. I am also very independent, therefore I respect my cat's moods, his attitude and his normal day-to-day activity. The best thing about cats - and those that have cats and consider themselves to be "cat people" - is that they need no authority figures like dogs do, because they are not pack animals. That is a glimpse at the wild side of our pets. They do need to know that there are rules, particularly when they are house pets. Sometimes a shout or some more aggresive stance - given that they did something you consider to be wrong - will sufice to remind them of the house rules. There is no such thing as punishment for a cat. They are not, by nature, obedient creatures. That's why when you call a cat or you have a cat following you around the house is such a pleasurable experience. They are doing so because they wish to do so... That's marvelous, in my book. That's why cats and dogs are so different in behaviour. I love dogs, as well, but the ideal pet - again, for me... - to have in a house is a cat. They are little lives much like your own. Do you like to bossed around? Do you like to take orders when you don't feel like it? Do you like it when somebody hughs you when you're not in the mood? No! Cats are like that... little people whith more fur and sharper fingernails!

I'm actually more of a dog person -- when I lived at home as a teenager we had five dogs, ranging from the most annoying little sh*tty Pomeranians (my Mum's) to the nuttiest Irish Setter to police Alsatians (Dad was a copper). Dogs are great, and I've never encountered a closer psychological connection to an animal than with a dog.

After I met my wife and we lived for a while in a small flat in London. No garden, no space... no situation for a dog. So we got a cat. Since then I've grown to appreciate these creatures much more. We've had 5 cats in 20 years together and sometime in the middle of all that I went from being a 'dog' person to a dog 'n' cat person. Cats are great for all the opposite reasons of why dogs are great.

Cats vs. dogs
Independence vs. absolute loyalty
Covering their crap carefully vs. laying on the ground in full view
Staring competitions with others vs. bum sniffing
Total disregard for your will vs. total understanding and love of your will
A whore for food vs. not touching a morsel on the end of his nose until you give the word

To not understand why cats are great pets is to see the world through only one lens.

Originally Posted by majurey

Staring competitions with others vs. bum sniffing

I'm crying right now