I am trying to understand my cat

by Fisherman 60 Replies latest jw friends

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  Nathan Natas

  Do I need to give my cat any veggies or herbs?

  In the produce section of many supermarkets you can find little flats of wheatgrass. I get a flat every couple of weeks, and sometimes I will see him grazing a little, as he feels the need. Most of the flat ends up in the yardwaste when I buy a fresh one, and the cycle repeats. If you are using a good wet or dry catfood, they are pretty well balanced (and the primary ingredient is corn). Oh, you should definately keep a little catnip plant around for them. THAT they will eat down to the roots, if they like catnip. Some cats don't but most will, and they get a lot funnier when they are "nipped-up."
• 

  erynw

  When I dont pet him he extends his leg and with his paw he grabs my hand and pets himself with my hand

  My cat does this when he knows that I am upset. It's really quite endearing.
• 

  MeneMene

  My current cat is the best behaved I have ever had. In the evening he does get "wired" up and goes tearing back and forth through the house. We will play 'chase' with him and wear him out. He was a stray we got from the Humane Society and is about 2 years old now. He sleeps most of the day on his perch at the window where he can see the birds and rabbits. When he is laying on the floor and you walk by he will often just reach out and touch you. I've not had a problem with drool but that tongue sure does hurt when he wants to lick your face.

  He usually sleeps at the foot of my bed but I'm not used to sleeping with anyone and he usually ends up on the floor after I accidentally kick him a few times during the night.

  You might want to clip his front claws with a nail clipper. Just be careful not to clip too much - just the sharp ends. He has a tall perch with a rope scratching post which seems to satisfy his need to scratch.

  Thanks to Elsewhere telling us about potty training his cat, I bought the Litter Kwitter training set from PetSmart and started training my cat to use the toilet.

  He has progressed to the green ring stage and is very successful at doing #1 in the toilet. He's having a little more trouble with #2. He now at least goes to the bathroom and starts scratching around on the floor and meows. I can tell when it's time, I go in with him and close the door. I have to put him up on the toilet a few times (he wants to jump down and scratch on the floor) but he will go in the toilet after a few times of setting him back up on it.

  No more litter box !!! Thanks Elsewhere.
• 

  Barbie Doll

  I Give hairball Remedy to my cat.

  He should have a toy with catnip and play with him.

  Don"t let him grab you, get a spray bottle put water in it, spray him and say NO.

  He gets on the Furniture or scratch the furniture, or gets on your counter, get a spray bottle and say NO. When we sit down on the furniture, then she can sit in our lap.

  I don't uses the bottle anymore, I just say NO, It works.

  I put a blanket at the end of the bed and that is her blanket, she sleep on it. She does't get on our blanket.

  When he starts to scratch your furniture or you , cut his nails with clippers.

  Is your cat a indoor cat or a in and out cat? The cat is a better cat if it stays in.

  Your cat wants to be petted and wants to play.
• 

  Scully

  One of my cats goes into hunting mode every evening after all the lights go out. In the morning we usually find her "catch" deposited in her water dish. She has a "baby" that she trots around with in her mouth and takes to bed with her to groom.

  She gets into freak out mode every so often and runs around the house with her tail poofed out like a bottle brush, jumping up on the window sills to check out some movement in the backyard, and then running like a meshugenah through the house again.

  While I agree with Nathan about declawing, this cat has destroyed our new sofa and lazy boy chair with her scratching and biting. She does her worst scratching damage to the furniture and carpeting when there is nobody home - maybe out of boredom or possibly out of insecurity. Scratching posts do not interest her in the least.

  She attacks my feet when I'm sleeping. I'm sure she's hoping to drag me to her water dish and drown me some day.

  My other cat is a bit older, and she sits next to me on the sofa and snuggles in when I watch TV. She'll also sit on the floor beside my chair when we're eating dinner and prod me with her front paw to offer her a taste of what we're having.
• 

  Tara

  People don't own cats. Cats own people. He is marking you as his. He also loves to play. You've got a great cat there. I think he must have lots of personality. Enjoy him.

  Some cats hardly ever acknowledge their people.
• 

  Sawyer

  To add just a bit to what Barbie Doll said:

  To teach your cat NO is one of the best things you can do. If the spray bottle isn't handy (spray bottle training works great) gently push the palm of your hand against their nose while saying NO. That's how the mother cat teaches them when they are young - she pushes against their face to keep them out of danger, etc, etc.

  After they learn the word NO, teaching them not to climb tabletops, countertops, and refrigerator tops becomes a piece of cake.

  And the person that said - don't use your hand as a toy - excellent advice. If you train them to play/attack your hand, they will learn that lesson well. When they are a kitten, it's fun and cute. When they are grown, not so much!
• 

  carla

  'like a woman' - LOL

  It is a bit strange how very affectionate it is. Is it a Mancoon by chance? They are notorious for being very affectionate. Could just be the breed.
• 

  bikerchic

  Fisherman I have no clue as to why your cat has certain behaviors but like you I think there must be a reason for them and it would drive me crazy trying to figure it out too!

  I've been thinking about getting a cat to replace the dog we had which died recently. Hubby and I are still in the talking cat vs dog mode but I have been doing some research online and found this great website you might want to take a look:

  http://www.cfainc.org/index.html

  And here is a CATalog (lol) of some helpful books:

  http://www.cfainc.org/catalog/books.html#catbehavior

  Boy I may will have to eat my words after saying on a previous cat thread that cats belong out side.....after reading a bit on that website above I'm seeing things differently about that!

  Anyway I wish you luck in figuring out your cat it sounds like you really enjoy the little critter and that's the best part.
• 

  Gregor

  Just a note to Nathan "That isn't funny" Natas. Over the years my family of five have rescued more cats, spent more money on vets, cleaned up more hairballs (and worse) than you've had hot meals. We also have had a cat declawed. She recovered in a few days and lived a happy life of luxury as an indoor pet for nearly fifteen years.