Cats

[Wookieinmashoo]

Does he get to go outside?

Maybe he's made some bad eperience with someone wearing those shoes, or throwing them or something...?

 

That might sound weird, but e.g. one of my parent's cats gets scared when he sees my father in jogging trousers and shoes. Our guess is that he's made some bad experience with a jogger and connected that with the clothing.

Other than when I found him as a kitten he's never been outside.

[kittygrl]

maybe the shoes make you seem more intimidating and make your steps loud. i know my cat hates loud noises and shoes make oyu clunk? i dunno, just a suggestion

[Kelkelen]

I should really stop stalking this thread. It makes me too jealous and gives me too much stress on the heart after looking at all these cute pictures of kitties <3

Aww! But... can't kitties be good for the heart, too? <3

 

@Wookieinmashoo -- where do you work? Cats rely most strongly on their sense of smell, so it's possible that, even if no new person or thing has entered the house, you've carried in a dog-smell or something from walking on the same floor as a co-worker who has a dog.

 

Anyway, I'm very glad to hear that your kitty is calming down a bit, albeit gradually.

[Rosedamai]

Aww! But... can't kitties be good for the heart, too? <3

If I keep watching, I'm going to start cuddling my little wooden cat statuettes and mutter "my precious" to myself all the time

[kittygrl]

maybe he wants you to talk back XP i dont know how to really solve that problem but when my cats wont shut up i meow back and have a mini conversation and he'll shut up. try that?

[TikindiDragon]

Oh, my. Darrow has gotten bigger (much bigger since e first got him). He's also gotten more vocal, unfortunately. I know it's the Siamese in him coming up, but does anyone know how to make him less vocal? It's becoming a bit of a problem. I check his food and water when the meowing is excessive, as well as his litterbox, and everything is perfectly fine. I KNOW it can't be for attention, since he gets love ALL the time from both me and CorruptOtsego. We seem to go out of our way to give him attention, even.

 

I tried nearly everything to get him to stop being so vocal. He gets a good squirt from the spray bottle when he's being excessive with meowing (which is usually when we're in the kitchen or at the table, either cleaning or eating). But I can't even close a door without him getting extremely vocal (if I close a door, he wants in or out, but it's usually in - and whenever he's let in, he still won't stop meowing). God forbid I go to the bathroom. He's either in there, meowing at me, or outside of the door, meowing at me. He's got toys o' plenty, and I play with him all the time. I take him outside from time to time (which he doesn't care too much for). So, I don't get it. It's like the only time he's quiet is when he's sleeping, and hardly then, what with the mini meows.

 

Does anyone know how to get a cat to stop being so vocal? I love Darrow with all my heart, but his meowing is driving me and CorruptOtsego insane.

He's trying to tell you about something, although you obviously aren't doing whatever it is he wants. To be fair most people can't *always* do precisely what a cat wants, so you have to learn to ignore them asking. You may also have just got a talkative one. Most siamese are quite when they're happy, but I've known one or two that talked non-stop regardless.

[Wookieinmashoo]

Aww! But... can't kitties be good for the heart, too? <3

 

@Wookieinmashoo -- where do you work? Cats rely most strongly on their sense of smell, so it's possible that, even if no new person or thing has entered the house, you've carried in a dog-smell or something from walking on the same floor as a co-worker who has a dog.

 

Anyway, I'm very glad to hear that your kitty is calming down a bit, albeit gradually.

A local theater, so no animals coming in or out. As far as I know the two bosses don't have animals and my friend that works there does have a cat but they come over often so he's used to the other cat smell.

 

@kittygrl: it's the place where the shoes are that makes him scared, not people wearing them.

[kittygrl]

well then that's a very odd fear... im not sure why your cat would be afraid..

 

my cat is terrible skittish around my boyfriend and my boyfriend really really likes cats and its n early upsetting to him that all forhd does is run from him. my boyfriend is very gentle and has been coming to my house for about 2 years now, he's only a head taller than me, quieter than me, and forhd acts like he's trying to cut his head off when he gets near him. any suggestions to calm my cat as well?

[Kelkelen]

well then that's a very odd fear... im not sure why your cat would be afraid..

 

my cat is terrible skittish around my boyfriend and my boyfriend really really likes cats and its n early upsetting to him that all forhd does is run from him. my boyfriend is very gentle and has been coming to my house for about 2 years now, he's only a head taller than me, quieter than me, and forhd acts like he's trying to cut his head off when he gets near him. any suggestions to calm my cat as well?

...Maybe have him sit still quietly with treats, not moving, and wait for the cat to come to him? He shouldn't reach out for it or try to touch it the first few times, just let it get close and investigate. It may take a few days for it to actually decide it's safe to approach. After it's comfortable with coming close and has done *that* for a few days, then you could try to pet it, but retreat if the cat is startled. It would be best to try this at roughly the same time each day, or as part of the same routine, like for the first hour of every time he visits you.

 

That's my best 'generic taming' advice. I don't know why your cat is scared, though. I have a cat, Shivers, who must have had a bad experience with men -- she's been scared of all male humans for all her life, with only one or two exceptions. She's finally mellowing a bit in her old age, though, and is less skittish of my father than she used to be.

[kittygrl]

well he's tried that and refuses to go near him, we found forhd on the road at two weeks old so i dont think he'd remember if anything happened to him. and my boyfriend only comes over once a week. but still, you'd think he would've calmed down by now.

[Kelkelen]

It's crazy. I've tried everything, and I do mean everything, that would, when he was a couple weeks younger, stop meowing. I don't get it. Sometimes, if his meowing has gone on long enough, he'll make himself hoarse. Maybe he's trying to tell us that he doesn't feel well, since he hasn't had his shots yet (although he hasn't displayed an signs of sickness - if there were any that would be displayed without him hiding it). He's getting them on Sunday, though.

 

He's just... very tiring right now. He's all over the place, constantly meowing, and into everything. I didn't think cats, even kittens, got this energetic. >.<' Hopefully he'll calm down after we get him neutered.

He may just be a talkative cat -- though I'd bet the talking will calm down a bit, once he's grown up some. My cat was SUCH a pain when he was in his first two years; he needed constant attention or else he'd be fussing, mewing, clawing at furniture, running around, and you couldn't close a door or he'd cry and paw until you opened it. When I watched a movie with friends, we would take turns dangling a string for him to play with, because otherwise he would drive us all nuts. The kitten phase is VERY energetic and crazy-making, but it does pass.

[fainewebbe]

This is our latest adopted rescue, snuggling with one of her new big brothers:

 

Edited June 26, 2012 by fainewebbe

[Kelkelen]

This is our latest adopted rescue, snuggling with one of her new big brothers:

 

So so so so SO cute!!! *ODs on cuteness and falls over*

[fainewebbe]

So so so so SO cute!!! *ODs on cuteness and falls over*

 

Hee-hee! He is a very protective older brother! This pic was taken less than 24 hours after we brought her home--so they became friends right away.

[Kelkelen]

 

(Horatio, pretending he is the size of a normal cat. I am not fooled!)

[fainewebbe]

(Horatio, pretending he is the size of a normal cat. I am not fooled!)

 

Aww....how beautiful he is--his coat is gorgeous!

 

 

[xhunter]

my family ended up with 8 cats. anything from 15 to 2 months in age. at one time all of them were strays but now their fixed little speediers. but other than that their amazing and we have had cats all my life, i rather prefer none pure blood cats because their healthier and strays can make amazing pets with some work!

[7Deadly$ins]

They aren't always healthier, depending on the circumstances. Genetics are a complicated thing.

[xhunter]

They aren't always healthier, depending on the circumstances. Genetics are a complicated thing.

ya though you sometimes have to worry about upper respiratory infections around the changing of the seasons. un-fortuity I've been seeing more of that problem with cats as well as people, defiantly at my local animal shelter.

 

but in all they are very much healthier

[Kelkelen]

Aww....how beautiful he is--his coat is gorgeous!

Thanks! It's so silky, too -- when he was younger, I could do all of his grooming with a fine-toothed flea comb. After he turned about 4, he grew a fluffy, frizzy undercoat, so I use a slicker brush rather than risk pulling, but it's still mostly combable with no problem. He doesn't shed very much, either!

[hazeh]

This is our latest adopted rescue, snuggling with one of her new big brothers:

 

Aw, I wish my cats would have gotten along like that when we brought the kitten home. Even a year later and Lyra still doesn't like her little sister, though Maddy adores Lyra ;n;

[HollyTheColliegirl]

Beware, the following pictures contain content that is too cute for some viewers. If you are prone to squeeeing at animals, you may not want to look. Or you might.

 

Trying to squeeze into a box at Christmas

Sleeping with stiff legs

Giving me a half smile/grimace

 

 

This grey little girl is named Pipsqueak because she does a high pitched squeak instead of a meow. We call her Pippy for short. We got her as a barn cat when one of our cats went missing (yes, the fat one who was gone for 11 months) and kept her when he came back. Pippy seriously fell in love with our black and white cat, probably because she didn't remember any other cat in her life. She was always running over to him and flirting with her tail.

 

Warning: Very sad

 

When the black and white cat was on his deathbed, she guarded the box he slept in. She rarely left his side during those few days before he died in February. Its now almost July and she still looks to the door he used to come in from outside (he was an I/O cat and she was strictly indoors only). I catch her sleeping next to the door at night, every night, and looks up at me with sad eyes. Worst of all, she will run to his box anytime someone passes by the room it sits in. Almost like she's waiting for him to come back, but he never will. The two of us still grieve for him while the rest of the family has moved on.

 

Now to lighten the mood, I shall end on this note:

 

I see you!

[Kelkelen]

Beware, the following pictures contain content that is too cute for some viewers. If you are prone to squeeeing at animals, you may not want to look. Or you might.

 

Trying to squeeze into a box at Christmas

Sleeping with stiff legs

Giving me a half smile/grimace

 

 

This grey little girl is named Pipsqueak because she does a high pitched squeak instead of a meow. We call her Pippy for short. We got her as a barn cat when one of our cats went missing (yes, the fat one who was gone for 11 months) and kept her when he came back. Pippy seriously fell in love with our black and white cat, probably because she didn't remember any other cat in her life. She was always running over to him and flirting with her tail.

 

Warning: Very sad

 

When the black and white cat was on his deathbed, she guarded the box he slept in. She rarely left his side during those few days before he died in February. Its now almost July and she still looks to the door he used to come in from outside (he was an I/O cat and she was strictly indoors only). I catch her sleeping next to the door at night, every night, and looks up at me with sad eyes. Worst of all, she will run to his box anytime someone passes by the room it sits in. Almost like she's waiting for him to come back, but he never will. The two of us still grieve for him while the rest of the family has moved on.

 

Now to lighten the mood, I shall end on this note:

 

I see you!

*dares to look at the links*

 

...

 

*keels over twitching from cuteness overexposure*

 

She's such a pretty girl! I love that soft, mottled grey/brown coloration, and her huge ears. Also, that "snail pose" she's sleeping in -- darling! So sad about her buddy cat, though. I'm sorry for your loss, and hope the two of you can comfort one another through it.

[HollyTheColliegirl]

*dares to look at the links*

 

...

 

*keels over twitching from cuteness overexposure* 

 

  She's such a pretty girl!  I love that soft, mottled grey/brown coloration, and her huge ears.  Also, that "snail pose" she's sleeping in -- darling!  So sad about her buddy cat, though.  I'm sorry for your loss, and hope the two of you can comfort one another through it.

I swear if her ears were any bigger they might as well be wings used to fly around the house! Pippy and I thank you for your compliments as well as your kind words.

 

Its hard to imagine something so sweet and delicate was originally living in a horse barn with 40+ other cats. She was actually the runt of the litter and most of her siblings as well as her mother were black. Pip is still smaller than the average cat, and she never really grew much bigger since she was a kitten.

 

We went back to visit the barn a year or two later and found that many of her generation had died due to sickness. The rest were thin and/or had noses coated in mucus and it was just horrible to look at. We were so glad we adopted her when we did, otherwise she might not be living the life of luxury like she is now.

 

A couple years back we got a Collie puppy, the dog in my sig, and the other two of our cats did not like her at all. The one who had gotten lost was terrified and the black and white one saw her as an invasion of his space (he had been ruling the house and the neighbor as king in his mind). But Pippy was actually open to the dog, and made friends with the most unlikely. You see, Pippy was a loner, and never really socialized with anyone. They now will sit together like old pals while the other remaining cat still hides in the basement. The black and white one hated that dog up until the day he was put to sleep...

 

Here's a picture of the handsome guy for reference.

 

He was playing peek-a-boo with me!

 

Man I miss that cat.

Edited June 28, 2012 by HollyTheColliegirl

[TikindiDragon]

She was actually the runt of the litter and most of her siblings as well as her mother were black. Pip is still smaller than the average cat, and she never really grew much bigger since she was a kitten.

Dad would have been ginger - she's got tell-tale cream patches that mark her out as a tortie. That grey colouring (it's known as blue) is a recessive gene, so there was only a 25% chance of any kittens showing it anyway. Doesn't suprise me the rest looked black