Declawing: glad I took the time

wrote:

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 20:25:17 GMT, "Mary" wrote:



Gotta shut her up when you are not there. It is not cruel. But her in
a utility room, spare bedroom or


We have a 16' X 16' "four seasons room," we just call it the sun
porch. It is shut off from the rest of the house with french doors.
Is it possible to put her AND a litter box in a room this size, or is
that too close?

This was the room I would put a cat tree in as well.

I wish there was a room with linoleum to keep her in, but we have an
old dog who has lost control of his functions, so he stays on the
linoleum.

That sounds like a great room - she'll love the sun. She'll think she's
in heaven. Thank you for taking care of this little kitty!

K

"-L." wrote in message
m...
wrote in message
. ..


As far as training her, does it matter that she was feral until about
9 months old?

I've got to make up my mind before the real cold comes.

Well, IMO and IME, it is easy to make an outdoor-only cat
indoor-outdoor, but nearly impossible to make them indoor-only. Some
people can and do, but many times it takes persistence and dedication
that many people don't have. An unhappy cat will eliminate
inappropriately - and I have found this to be common with
outdoor-onlys who are made indoor-onlys. If it were my cat, and she
was happy outdoors, and I could provide heated shelter for her during
the winter, I'd be very reluctant to try the transition. But that's
just MO - take it or leave it.

And, BTW - thanks for understanding the seriousness of declawing - it
is nothing to take lightly.

-L.

My very first cat (many years ago) was feral. I lived in a busy area of
town at that time, so it was essential -- for my new cat's safety -- that I
train the cat to be indoor-only. As it turns out, it wasn't difficult. It
did take a considerable amount of time for the "bonding" process because the
cat was feral, but he eventually became a truly loving companion. As far as
indoor-only "training" was concerned, there was no real difficulty. I had
to watch him closely for awhile because he would head for the door. I would
back out and lean down to place my hand in his way if he tried to exit. As
time went by, he showed less and less interest in "the great outdoors."
Eventually, I could stand with the door wide-open and he would ignore it. I
never punished him. During the training period, I would simply say "no"
gently and place my hand in his path if he started through the door.
Incidentally, I eventually trained him to walk on a harness and leash, and
then I would sometimes go for walks with him. Actually, he took me for
walks because I would follow along wherever he wanted to go. I got some
very strange looks when people saw me "walking" my cat, but I also struck up
some new friendships that way.

As for scratching posts: he took to them instantly. It almost seemed like
"second nature" for him to scratch on the posts I provided. He especially
liked sisal, but he also shredded several carpet-covered posts. My
furniture remained completely intact and unscratched.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

"-L." wrote in message
m...
wrote in message
. ..


As far as training her, does it matter that she was feral until about
9 months old?

I've got to make up my mind before the real cold comes.

Well, IMO and IME, it is easy to make an outdoor-only cat
indoor-outdoor, but nearly impossible to make them indoor-only. Some
people can and do, but many times it takes persistence and dedication
that many people don't have. An unhappy cat will eliminate
inappropriately - and I have found this to be common with
outdoor-onlys who are made indoor-onlys. If it were my cat, and she
was happy outdoors, and I could provide heated shelter for her during
the winter, I'd be very reluctant to try the transition. But that's
just MO - take it or leave it.

And, BTW - thanks for understanding the seriousness of declawing - it
is nothing to take lightly.

-L.

My very first cat (many years ago) was feral. I lived in a busy area of
town at that time, so it was essential -- for my new cat's safety -- that I
train the cat to be indoor-only. As it turns out, it wasn't difficult. It
did take a considerable amount of time for the "bonding" process because the
cat was feral, but he eventually became a truly loving companion. As far as
indoor-only "training" was concerned, there was no real difficulty. I had
to watch him closely for awhile because he would head for the door. I would
back out and lean down to place my hand in his way if he tried to exit. As
time went by, he showed less and less interest in "the great outdoors."
Eventually, I could stand with the door wide-open and he would ignore it. I
never punished him. During the training period, I would simply say "no"
gently and place my hand in his path if he started through the door.
Incidentally, I eventually trained him to walk on a harness and leash, and
then I would sometimes go for walks with him. Actually, he took me for
walks because I would follow along wherever he wanted to go. I got some
very strange looks when people saw me "walking" my cat, but I also struck up
some new friendships that way.

As for scratching posts: he took to them instantly. It almost seemed like
"second nature" for him to scratch on the posts I provided. He especially
liked sisal, but he also shredded several carpet-covered posts. My
furniture remained completely intact and unscratched.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

"Mary" wrote in message
. com...

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: James Janko

She's a 6 month old KITTEN. They have a wild stage which they grow
out
of,

No, she's not. I didn't say she was 6 months old, I said we've had
her for 6 months. She's actually a year and a half old, our other
cat
is two years old. That's why it's so frustrating, she's no longer
a
kitten. It's not just one piece of furniture she finds attractive
either, it's ALL furniture. She has shredded chairs, couches,
futons,
ottomans, carpets, rugs, and for some odd reason, the closet door.
Our other cat learned very fast and won't touch anything, this one
just seems slow in the head. I'll hear her scratching the couch
and
I'll spray her with the water bottle. She'll slink away but as
soon
as I walk away she'll immediately go back to scratching the same
couch
or whatever it was she was scratching. She knows she's doing
something wrong, I can tell by the way she crouches and slinks away
when I catch her scratching something. As soon as I'm out of the
room, though, yahoo!

Do what Megan told you to do, i.e. cover the couch while you're
training her,
and as she explained, negative reinforcement does not work. Her
slinking only
indicates that she is reacting to your negative reinforcement.

I am totally amazed at how much praise can affect a cat! It is like it
helps you bond with them emotionally. I call it "talking stupid"
because it sounds so dumb. I have rarely heard a man do it the way
they like it. The vet said to make your voice pleasing and velvety,
almost like a purr. I tell Cheeks "Gooooooooooooooooooooooood
Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlll, gooooooooooooooooood girrrllllllllllllll,
look at the beautiful little girrrrrrrrllllll, ohhh she's so
gooooooood and fine" while petting her. I sound like an idiot but she
absolutely blooms. :0)



That sounds exactly like what I do. I have never hit a cat, squirted a cat
with water, etc. A gentle "no," distract the cat to the desired
alternative, and lots of praise is all that is needed. In fact, I was so
exuberant in praising Holly when I first adopted her and was training her to
use a scratching post that she soon associated it with affection. She would
run to the post, scratch, stop and look at me, scratch again and look at me
.... and so on until I stopped what I was doing and went over to give her
more praise and scritches.

MaryL

"Mary" wrote in message
. com...

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: James Janko

She's a 6 month old KITTEN. They have a wild stage which they grow
out
of,

No, she's not. I didn't say she was 6 months old, I said we've had
her for 6 months. She's actually a year and a half old, our other
cat
is two years old. That's why it's so frustrating, she's no longer
a
kitten. It's not just one piece of furniture she finds attractive
either, it's ALL furniture. She has shredded chairs, couches,
futons,
ottomans, carpets, rugs, and for some odd reason, the closet door.
Our other cat learned very fast and won't touch anything, this one
just seems slow in the head. I'll hear her scratching the couch
and
I'll spray her with the water bottle. She'll slink away but as
soon
as I walk away she'll immediately go back to scratching the same
couch
or whatever it was she was scratching. She knows she's doing
something wrong, I can tell by the way she crouches and slinks away
when I catch her scratching something. As soon as I'm out of the
room, though, yahoo!

Do what Megan told you to do, i.e. cover the couch while you're
training her,
and as she explained, negative reinforcement does not work. Her
slinking only
indicates that she is reacting to your negative reinforcement.

I am totally amazed at how much praise can affect a cat! It is like it
helps you bond with them emotionally. I call it "talking stupid"
because it sounds so dumb. I have rarely heard a man do it the way
they like it. The vet said to make your voice pleasing and velvety,
almost like a purr. I tell Cheeks "Gooooooooooooooooooooooood
Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlll, gooooooooooooooooood girrrllllllllllllll,
look at the beautiful little girrrrrrrrllllll, ohhh she's so
gooooooood and fine" while petting her. I sound like an idiot but she
absolutely blooms. :0)



That sounds exactly like what I do. I have never hit a cat, squirted a cat
with water, etc. A gentle "no," distract the cat to the desired
alternative, and lots of praise is all that is needed. In fact, I was so
exuberant in praising Holly when I first adopted her and was training her to
use a scratching post that she soon associated it with affection. She would
run to the post, scratch, stop and look at me, scratch again and look at me
.... and so on until I stopped what I was doing and went over to give her
more praise and scritches.

MaryL

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "Mary"


I am totally amazed at how much praise can affect a cat! It is like
it
helps you bond with them emotionally. I call it "talking stupid"
because it sounds so dumb. I have rarely heard a man do it the way
they like it. The vet said to make your voice pleasing and velvety,
almost like a purr. I tell Cheeks "Gooooooooooooooooooooooood
Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlll, gooooooooooooooooood
girrrllllllllllllll,
look at the beautiful little girrrrrrrrllllll, ohhh she's so
gooooooood and fine" while petting her. I sound like an idiot but
she
absolutely blooms. :0)


Well if you sound like an idiot, I must be one too

Fun, innit? She talks to me too. I love when she runs by and gives me
a little
chirp. Like, "Just me, carry on!" Or the sound when I was losing some
skin trying to get her into the carrier for the vet. The kitty
equivalent of
"Noooooooooooo WAYYYYYY!" Or the annoyed sound when she is
being a pill and I want to pet her. The close-lipped, between the
teeth,
very low volume but high-pitched "mmmmmm ...."

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "Mary"


I am totally amazed at how much praise can affect a cat! It is like
it
helps you bond with them emotionally. I call it "talking stupid"
because it sounds so dumb. I have rarely heard a man do it the way
they like it. The vet said to make your voice pleasing and velvety,
almost like a purr. I tell Cheeks "Gooooooooooooooooooooooood
Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlll, gooooooooooooooooood
girrrllllllllllllll,
look at the beautiful little girrrrrrrrllllll, ohhh she's so
gooooooood and fine" while petting her. I sound like an idiot but
she
absolutely blooms. :0)


Well if you sound like an idiot, I must be one too

Fun, innit? She talks to me too. I love when she runs by and gives me
a little
chirp. Like, "Just me, carry on!" Or the sound when I was losing some
skin trying to get her into the carrier for the vet. The kitty
equivalent of
"Noooooooooooo WAYYYYYY!" Or the annoyed sound when she is
being a pill and I want to pet her. The close-lipped, between the
teeth,
very low volume but high-pitched "mmmmmm ...."

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
...

"Mary" wrote in message
. com...

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: James Janko

She's a 6 month old KITTEN. They have a wild stage which they
grow
out
of,

No, she's not. I didn't say she was 6 months old, I said we've
had
her for 6 months. She's actually a year and a half old, our
other
cat
is two years old. That's why it's so frustrating, she's no
longer
a
kitten. It's not just one piece of furniture she finds
attractive
either, it's ALL furniture. She has shredded chairs, couches,
futons,
ottomans, carpets, rugs, and for some odd reason, the closet
door.
Our other cat learned very fast and won't touch anything, this
one
just seems slow in the head. I'll hear her scratching the
couch
and
I'll spray her with the water bottle. She'll slink away but as
soon
as I walk away she'll immediately go back to scratching the
same
couch
or whatever it was she was scratching. She knows she's doing
something wrong, I can tell by the way she crouches and slinks
away
when I catch her scratching something. As soon as I'm out of
the
room, though, yahoo!

Do what Megan told you to do, i.e. cover the couch while you're
training her,
and as she explained, negative reinforcement does not work. Her
slinking only
indicates that she is reacting to your negative reinforcement.

I am totally amazed at how much praise can affect a cat! It is
like it
helps you bond with them emotionally. I call it "talking stupid"
because it sounds so dumb. I have rarely heard a man do it the way
they like it. The vet said to make your voice pleasing and
velvety,
almost like a purr. I tell Cheeks "Gooooooooooooooooooooooood
Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlll, gooooooooooooooooood
girrrllllllllllllll,
look at the beautiful little girrrrrrrrllllll, ohhh she's so
gooooooood and fine" while petting her. I sound like an idiot but
she
absolutely blooms. :0)



That sounds exactly like what I do. I have never hit a cat,
squirted a cat
with water, etc. A gentle "no," distract the cat to the desired
alternative, and lots of praise is all that is needed. In fact, I
was so
exuberant in praising Holly when I first adopted her and was
training her to
use a scratching post that she soon associated it with affection.
She would
run to the post, scratch, stop and look at me, scratch again and
look at me
... and so on until I stopped what I was doing and went over to give
her
more praise and scritches.

MaryL

That is REALLY cute. I wish more people would realize that they are
emotional beings.

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
...

"Mary" wrote in message
. com...

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: James Janko

She's a 6 month old KITTEN. They have a wild stage which they
grow
out
of,

No, she's not. I didn't say she was 6 months old, I said we've
had
her for 6 months. She's actually a year and a half old, our
other
cat
is two years old. That's why it's so frustrating, she's no
longer
a
kitten. It's not just one piece of furniture she finds
attractive
either, it's ALL furniture. She has shredded chairs, couches,
futons,
ottomans, carpets, rugs, and for some odd reason, the closet
door.
Our other cat learned very fast and won't touch anything, this
one
just seems slow in the head. I'll hear her scratching the
couch
and
I'll spray her with the water bottle. She'll slink away but as
soon
as I walk away she'll immediately go back to scratching the
same
couch
or whatever it was she was scratching. She knows she's doing
something wrong, I can tell by the way she crouches and slinks
away
when I catch her scratching something. As soon as I'm out of
the
room, though, yahoo!

Do what Megan told you to do, i.e. cover the couch while you're
training her,
and as she explained, negative reinforcement does not work. Her
slinking only
indicates that she is reacting to your negative reinforcement.

I am totally amazed at how much praise can affect a cat! It is
like it
helps you bond with them emotionally. I call it "talking stupid"
because it sounds so dumb. I have rarely heard a man do it the way
they like it. The vet said to make your voice pleasing and
velvety,
almost like a purr. I tell Cheeks "Gooooooooooooooooooooooood
Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlll, gooooooooooooooooood
girrrllllllllllllll,
look at the beautiful little girrrrrrrrllllll, ohhh she's so
gooooooood and fine" while petting her. I sound like an idiot but
she
absolutely blooms. :0)



That sounds exactly like what I do. I have never hit a cat,
squirted a cat
with water, etc. A gentle "no," distract the cat to the desired
alternative, and lots of praise is all that is needed. In fact, I
was so
exuberant in praising Holly when I first adopted her and was
training her to
use a scratching post that she soon associated it with affection.
She would
run to the post, scratch, stop and look at me, scratch again and
look at me
... and so on until I stopped what I was doing and went over to give
her
more praise and scritches.

MaryL

That is REALLY cute. I wish more people would realize that they are
emotional beings.

wrote in message
...
I'm really disappointed that you have chosen to abandon advocating
for
the *best* situation for this cat. She's socialized and agreeable
enough to the OP, and she has a chance at a safe indoor home. I
don't
see any reason not to give her exactly that.

Megan

Hi Megan ,
It seems to me that what is *best* for the cat depends on who's
posting the reply ! *Why* does the cat have to permanently indoors or
permanently outdoors?
This cat has successfully lived out side , there's no need to make it
stay in permanently.
The happiness of an indoor cat depends very much on the owners
knowledge and commitment and many indoor cats end up in shelters
*because* of their behaviour problems. Will the OP be able to make
the commitment an indoor cat needs or will it all end in tears?
Alison