Cats, goota lum em

[johnday]

Okay; As a few of you know, Jan and I rescue four legged friends. That means we've got a mess of cats, and four dogs. They get along very well.

The problem, how do you keep cats from spraying where you don't want them to? All of them are speyed and nuetered. I thought at one time there was some stuff you could put on the spot and it discouraged them.

Oh yeah, death is not an option, they are pets. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Pat]

John, There are various products touted to fill your need. "SHOO" is one brand name. There are enzyme based products for destroying the odiferous results of the animal's habit. OdorMute or equivalent is good. It is safe for your skin and won't hurt carpets or wood. It is safe for anything warm water won't hurt.

It is difficult to control the behavior of cats. For example: All the folks who think that their cats dont scratch their feces in the litter box and then jump up on the counter tops where you handle your food are deluding themselves. It is difficult to train a cat to stay off the counter tops. Most folks who try actually train the cat to not get caught on the counter top, not to stay off of it.

Want proof? Scatter a really light dusting of flour over the counter tops before you go to bed or are going to be in another part of the house to watch TV or whatever. Check the countertops the next morning and try to explain the cat tracks by other means than cats on the counter tops.

I'm sure that I could devise/use a humidistat or similar to detect the spray in the local area and hit the cat with a very unpleasant BLAST of ultrasonic sound. This would provide negative feedback/reinforcement like the anti-barking collars on dogs. If you put one of the radio collars on the animal you could automatically give it a mild? corrective shock. Temporary success might be achieved but the cat is likely to just spray elsewhere. Having the cat wear a device to detect the spraying is problamatical (electronic diaper???). There are inside cats and there are outside cats (sometimes called barn cats) and what you have sounds like a barn cat that just shouldn't be suffering to have to live cooped up inside just to fit into some fantasy of yours. If you trully do like the animals then give them a proper environment. Some just don't have the temperment to live inside and a good piece of evidence is the spraying.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[johnday]

Hi Pat; Thanks for the ideas on the products. We only have a problem off and on. But you sure notice it. [img]/forums/images/icons/mad.gif[/img]

About half our cats are barn cats. What we do, is let them decide where they want to live. I'll say this, if people would be more responsible, we wouldn't have as many as we do. Every one of them is a rescue, as well as two of the dogs. We've gotten pregnant cats, adult cats, and teenagers, handed to us. We have one large, orange tom, that uses the toilet. Just that he doesn't flush, and I always got blamed for that! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Pat]

John, We live far enough out that the city folk come out here to dump their unwanted animals, hence our feral cat population and every so often packed up dogs (strays and pets) This is cattle country and cattlemen mostly don't do rescue but resort to simpler soultions. One of my friends (cattleman) has a terrific companion dog that likes to go everywhere with him and even has a box on the fender of the tractor to ride along. It is one of those little Tibetan temple dog things. Cute, smart, and well behaved. It was dumped near his place several years ago.



[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[johnday]

Pat;
we don't go looking for them, believe me. We get them dumped on us too. Is that a Lhasa Apso your guys got? I like them too. Very smart dog, and they don't eat much!! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

We rescued a Border Collie 2 years ago. Mostly white with a black mask, he's turned out to my dog. Found him chained to a clothes post at a crack dealers place. I just walked up and took him, he was pitiful. Still bears some scars from that work of art. [img]/forums/images/icons/mad.gif[/img] No, I wasn't buying,my wife was doing homecare as a RN, and she liked for me to go with her in those kinds of neighborhoods. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Pat]

John, Not sure of the breed name. His wife matched the dog to breed pix but I can't ask her again as she passed away last year. One of the best dogs, personality wise, I ever saw and smart enough to stay out from under the cattle's hooves.

I have a friend about 75 miles from here that rescues Chinese dogs, Chin (sp?) They have had some success placing a few but have had as many as 6 in the house with them for a few years. Some of then were mothers from puppy factories. Those unscrupulous breeders should themselves be made to live in a cage so small it restricts their ability to turn around or stand errect. Every morning thay should be offered their choice of breakfasts: kibble or the "black pill."

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[johnday]

Pat; The black pill would be too good for them. I don't see how people like that should be considered anything more than they are, that being, self-centered, and just plain nonhumane. I'm really trying to be nice here. I've thought many times, that instead of humans training cats/dogs, maybe we should learn from them on how to get along with each other and how they treat their owners. No, I'm not a tree hugging Disney fan, I'm not referring to poor Bambi or Mickey mouse, I even know that critters don't talk speak better English than myself. I just can't stand to see animals, or people either for that matter, being mistreated. People that mistreat others, or animals, have to be one the lowest forms of life.