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.