Backyard critters

[imref]

we tried confining our first cat to the basement as our kids were young and we didn't want him in their beds/cribs. That didn't work out very well as he would scratch at the door for a while and meow before settling down. Like dracnal said, cats want to be near their humans at night. And i've read that they get concerned by our long sleep cycles that we're dead.

We gave later cats run of the house. I've found they tend to explore a lot of first but then settle down as they get older. A nice cat tree is usually their preferred sleeping spot, especially if near a window.

[1995hoo]

Since we first adopted Precious in November 2021, I've used a baby gate in my home office door to keep her from coming in here because of all the wires everywhere. That's all the more imperative with our new cat because of the potential for disaster if she jumps up on my desk or the printer or the like. This is simply not a safe room for a cat. So, of course, she is able to jump over the gate. I put her back outside twice and she hasn't tried again so far, but now I'm contemplating whether the easiest solution would be just to stack a second gate on top of the existing one.

[1995hoo]

From my own experience with cats, many of them will want to spend at least some part of the night sleeping with their humans, if given a chance, so you'll likely have at least an initial period of door scratching and meowing if you keep her out. That will likely settle down some in time but she'll likely wake your wife up at least once in a while. Inconsistent things are a bigger issue and I suspect you're probably better off keeping the guest bedroom door closed most of the time rather than just when someone is sleeping in there. The cat is way more likely to want in if it's only closed on occasion and it sounds like a recipe for a really bad night's sleep for your wife if she's under the weather, sleeping lightly, and the cat wants in all night.

Cats can have an elevation preference in addition to whether or not they've got the hips for jumping and it sounds like you've got one that likes the high road. I suspect you'll have better luck taking a baby proofing approach of getting breakable stuff out of likely impact areas (leave the clock, lose the runner in your one example). Adjusting the areas where she's likely to go will be MUCH easier than trying to train her or change her habits, and trying to restrain an aerial focused cat is usually an exercise in frustration for both of you.

I think I may try getting a vertical sisal scratching pad to put up against the outside of the master bedroom door so that when she shows up to scratch during the night, she scratches that rather than the door itself. Has anyone ever tried one of these made specifically for the door and, if so, do you have any recommendations? Last night we put her in the master bathroom again. My wife was in the guest room because she still feels crummy. I heard the cat moving around and meowing a few times, but I slept reasonably well. I feel bad about confining her in there, though, and it's not a viable long-term option. (As I type this, my wife is still in bed in the guest room feeling crappy and the cat is in there quietly sleeping by her feet.)

[wj73]

She may settle down as she learns the house rules. If not,  and the office remains a problem, you could install a screen door on your office. We did that when we had birds and one particularly persistent cat who kept trying to eat them. It might look a little weird having a screen door inside, but was a lot easier to go in and out of the bird room with a screen door than going through a couple of stacked baby gates.

[1995hoo]

She may settle down as she learns the house rules. If not,  and the office remains a problem, you could install a screen door on your office. We did that when we had birds and one particularly persistent cat who kept trying to eat them. It might look a little weird having a screen door inside, but was a lot easier to go in and out of the bird room with a screen door than going through a couple of stacked baby gates.

Fascinating idea. Thanks for that. She jumped in here earlier this morning and went under my desk, where there are loads of wires, so I set her back out in the hall (after petting her and saying soothing things). I know she just wants to be where I am and to explore all the new spaces.

[dracnal]

Fascinating idea. Thanks for that. She jumped in here earlier this morning and went under my desk, where there are loads of wires, so I set her back out in the hall (after petting her and saying soothing things). I know she just wants to be where I am and to explore all the new spaces.

I like wj73's idea on this one as well - during the first month of a new house, there will definitely be a period where the cat is learning and will try very persistently to explore all the areas. The screen door combines ease of use and securing the office with visibility for the cat to see you and observe. From what you've described so far, I expect that a lot of solutions like leaning something or stacking things that aren't securely attached will end up getting knocked around or being pushed out of the way.

Honestly, I think this is going to be largely a first month problem regardless and you'll have a settled cat with fairly predictable haunts before long once she decides which spaces she prefers.

[1995hoo]

The notion of the sisal pad for the bedroom door was simply trying to think of a practical idea for a way to let her scratch out there that might be less noisy than scratching the door itself. I think you're absolutely right that stacking a second gate atop the first in my home office door would be a rickety idea that would wind up not working.

I feel bad for the cat right now because she really wants my attention, but I'm working in my home office. She has been really clingy so far. I guess that makes some level of sense for a rescue cat. One of our Caps ticket partners thinks cats know you've saved or rescued them and they become attached to you as a result. The plus side of adopting her on a holiday weekend was that we had more time with her over those first few days, but the potential downside is that she has to adjust to my work schedule (and my wife normally works part-time and would not be home for several hours on Wednesday). We have lots of cat toys downstairs for her, of course. Just going to be a case of figuring out which ones she likes.

[dracnal]

The notion of the sisal pad for the bedroom door was simply trying to think of a practical idea for a way to let her scratch out there that might be less noisy than scratching the door itself. I think you're absolutely right that stacking a second gate atop the first in my home office door would be a rickety idea that would wind up not working.

I feel bad for the cat right now because she really wants my attention, but I'm working in my home office. She has been really clingy so far. I guess that makes some level of sense for a rescue cat. One of our Caps ticket partners thinks cats know you've saved or rescued them and they become attached to you as a result. The plus side of adopting her on a holiday weekend was that we had more time with her over those first few days, but the potential downside is that she has to adjust to my work schedule (and my wife normally works part-time and would not be home for several hours on Wednesday). We have lots of cat toys downstairs for her, of course. Just going to be a case of figuring out which ones she likes.

Yeah, just be consistent - if she doesn't get to be in your office, it's best to not say 'well okay maybe right now this one time.' She'll catch on to the rules before long. I suspect your partner's right - all that rubbing early on is a way to scent mark you and also for her to get your scent on her. It's how cats say 'we are family,' to anything with a nose that comes by and might be curious.

[English Natsie]

She may settle down as she learns the house rules.

I see. Oh - sorry - you mean the cat...

[English Natsie]

As has been stated, this is (most likely) a 28 day issue. Most rescues, particularly if they've been kept at the Center, need continual reassurance that their new situation isn't temporary - that they aren't going to be returned at any moment. Once puss feels safely established then settled routines shall follow. Sometimes you just have to be tough - one of our previous cats loved to be with us, at all times, and so we tried free-running. I eventually palled at being awoken, at 04:45 every morning, by puss getting up on the bed and sitting on my chest, purring loudly and kneading through the duvet...('where's my breakfast?...').

[1995hoo]

So last night we didn't confine her. (We did play with her for a little while after the NHL game and before we turned in so as to work off some of her energy.) All seemed to go well. I only heard meowing one time overnight, shortly after 4:00, but I rolled over and went back to sleep, and neither of us heard scratching at the bedroom door. That's promising. Didn't find stuff knocked over downstairs, either, and she definitely used the litterbox. The Furbo camera we have in the living/dining room (we live in a townhouse) did film her jumping up onto the dining room table at 3:59 AM, but we had anticipated that and removed a couple of Irish crystal glasses, a whisky decanter, and a vase.

I was looking at ideas for additional scratching pads around the house and saw this L-shaped device that could be put in front of, or next to, a door to provide an alternative to scratching at the door. The price is low enough that I may just buy it and see how it works, but I'm curious whether any of you have cats might have used something of this sort and, if so, what comments you might have. It strikes me as potentially a good idea for the hallway upstairs, or possibly for placing outside the bedroom door at night if she were to start scratching at it.

[English Natsie]

I was looking at ideas for additional scratching pads around the house and saw this L-shaped device that could be put in front of, or next to, a door to provide an alternative to scratching at the door. The price is low enough that I may just buy it and see how it works, but I'm curious whether any of you have cats might have used something of this sort and, if so, what comments you might have. It strikes me as potentially a good idea for the hallway upstairs, or possibly for placing outside the bedroom door at night if she were to start scratching at it.

My concern would be that it isn't as wide as a door (just 16''). My usual cheapskate option is just to find  a wide cardbox box (the sort litter is delivered in is ideal when placed wide edge down) and put it accross the door in question. If puss becomes adept at moving the box then you might have to weight it inside - I usually use a full 2 litre water bottle, again, placed on it's side inside the box. That's usually enough - Meows was the only cat where I had to use two bottles to keep the box in place. Contrary to intuitive thought, I've found that cats faced with this generally don't scratch at the box - they seem to learn that this is a barrier which is there for a reason.

[1995hoo]

Interesting, thanks. I may order that scratcher anyway just to have another for upstairs, even if we don’t put it at the door. Rather interestingly, she didn’t scratch at the bedroom door either of the past two nights. So perhaps that will be a non-issue, but extra scratching surfaces are never a bad idea. I just assumed she would scratch at the door trying to get attention.

This morning she started licking my hand when I was petting her.

[1995hoo]

Here is a much-delayed picture of our new little pal. She was at home by herself Friday and Saturday; our next-door neighbor came over to feed her and check on her. All went well and the house was not destroyed, so that's a good sign that she is settling in. This morning I just had to give in and let her explore my home office for a while. One of our relatives suggested I put a cat bed outside my office door because she might just want to settle down there to be near where I am (my wife sleeps later than I do). That seemed to do the trick today once she had finished exploring.

.

[imref]

an empty cardboard box works just as well as a cat bed, though our cat's favorite sleeping spot is a small flat cardboard box.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Beautiful tortie!

Our guys like chilling in woven baskets, especially in the summer...ventilation I suppose.  I have a large rattan frog hamper I picked up years ago that is very popular this time of year.  It's odd watching a cat leap into the gaping maw of a large frog. 

[wj73]

What a pretty girl!


Sounds like she’s settling in just fine. Love a success story!

[English Natsie]

What a cutie!  A great outcome for both you and puss.

[English Natsie]

And I concur with imref - I've never known a cat that doesn't like to have a cardboard box to curl up in.

[1995hoo]

And I concur with imref - I've never known a cat that doesn't like to have a cardboard box to curl up in.

Heh. It's funny you guys mention this because we have an old Amazon box under a chair in the kitchen that we use to hold the bottles for recycling (as you may know, in Fairfax County we can't put bottles out with curbside recycling, so we put them in the "bottle box" and I then take them to the drop-off point on my way to the grocery store each weekend). We didn't have any bottles in it on Sunday after having been in Charlottesville and the cat climbed into the box and was briefly lying there grooming—but only very briefly. Precious peed in that box once in late April, but it didn't damage the box in any way that prompted us to get rid of it.

Somewhat interestingly, we have two cat beds. One we were given when we adopted Precious in November 2021 and another that my wife bought to give Precious a bigger and warmer one. The latter is downstairs in the living room. As mentioned above, I put the former outside my office door. Yesterday she curled up in that one for most of the morning until my wife got up, and then last night she spent part of the night there. Guess she likes that one better. Or maybe she just prefers the location.

[English Natsie]

Remember how scent driven cats are. As Precious had urinated in the box, it's no surprize new puss didn't stay long. And if Precious prefered the larger bed, then the previous one won't smell of her, so much, hence kitty's preference. I don't mean to sound critical (as I'm definitely not being) but, in an ideal world, all previous items should be changed for new, in order to remove scent traces and help the new puss settle in. We usually donate items to the Center - they're always after things! (and, yes, I know how fortunate we are to be able to afford to do that...). Apart from special mementos, that's what we did with Meowser's things, so that we're ready to go when the time is right (keeping or fostering).

[1995hoo]

Remember how scent driven cats are. As Precious had urinated in the box, it's no surprize new puss didn't stay long. And if Precious prefered the larger bed, then the previous one won't smell of her, so much, hence kitty's preference. I don't mean to sound critical (as I'm definitely not being) but, in an ideal world, all previous items should be changed for new, in order to remove scent traces and help the new puss settle in. We usually donate items to the Center - they're always after things! (and, yes, I know how fortunate we are to be able to afford to do that...). Apart from special mementos, that's what we did with Meowser's things, so that we're ready to go when the time is right (keeping or fostering).

On the other hand, she quite happily uses the existing cat tower (she was sleeping in it when I went downstairs to get lunch). We washed several things that she now willingly uses. Your point is valid about the bed, though. I just got a second (taller) tower that arrived this morning and that I intend to assemble tonight, so we'll see how she likes that before we consider replacing the larger bed.


Edited to add: BTW, I don’t really want her sleeping in the “bottle box,” so if she doesn’t want to go in there because she detects Precious’s smell, so much the better. That box is for glass recycling.

[skippy1999]

She is beautiful, and such a lucky girl!

[wj73]

Do we have a name yet for our newest WNFF mascot?

[1995hoo]

Do we have a name yet for our newest WNFF mascot?

So far we are still calling her Soulweaver, the name the rescue had given her, primarily because neither of us has come up with a better name that appeals to us.