rant about my sister's stupid cat

[arialmt]

Best Feather toy ever: 1 flexible plastic dowel/rod/stick, 1 clump of sewn feathers from like Michael's, 1 Velcro"zip" tie. I used to start with a store bought toy which would torn and frayed rather quickly by the cat and keep that stick and rebuild as needed fasting with the reusable Velcro tie. The flexible stick is important for making that "bird taking flight" sound that will have them begging to play all the time.

Also add another squirt bottle vote.

[DooLittle]

I'm gonna play the other side here...

First try to see that the cat is important to her, like your reptiles are too you. She loves one animal, you another. So, if you were on the other end of someone wanting you to get rid of your pets, wouldn't you want to work something out?

Ferel cats are more squirelly than a purebred. Regardless what kind of cat it is, you can't lock it in a single room. It does sound like some play may help him. Or maybe a kitty companion?? Maybe a cat condo with a view out the window or something? I don't think outdoor cat is the answer, they can get in fights, and hurt, and fleas, or hit by a car, worms from eating wild mice and rats... Yuk. My cats don't go outside. You could always call the cat whisperer, Jackson Galaxy, lol. Sorry, we watched the show My Cat From Hell. He always solved the cats problems (at least on tv).

I love my cats, and couldn't imagine getting rid of any of them, even though I have one or two who are trouble. I think maybe you guys should sit down and try to figure out something that will work. Maybe she can try to play more with the cat, maybe you can cat proof the house. My anoles tank is secured to the table, because one of my cats thinks they are there for her personal entertainment. She sits on top and watches them. (I think its really the crickets that get her attention though). Once in the beginning, they knocked it over, then I double back taped it to the table. Now the tank won't budge, so I don't worry.

Good luck working something out. I hope the kitty doesn't have to go.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

[gsarchie]

You don't want to know what I think you should do with it. Squirtbottles would work, too.

I also hate the fact that there is all this talk of an "outdoor cat" vs. an "indoor cat." I'm sorry (no, I'm not) people, but if you want to get a pet then you need to take FULL responsibility for it, and buying a cat that lives outside and comes home every so often is not doing that! Cats kill over 1 billion, that's BILLION bird a year in the U.S. alone. Many of the small bird species that they kill are endangered, but they don't stop there. They also kill herps! Small lizards, geckos, frogs, toads, snakes, etc. If you buy a cat, keep it indoors and look after it, period. Your local ecosystem didn't evolve with cats as a predator, so spare it from your cat by actually being a pet owner.

[carlson]

Bruce I couldn't have said that better! Where I live it seems like 80% of the cat owning people let their cats roam and have babies outside its terrible the only break we get is being so far north it gets so cold that some of the feral population doesn't make it thru the winter but enough do that it grows rapidly every spring.

[Kinra]

It sounds like an under-exercised cat. Your sister has to help the cat expend the energy by either walking the cat or playing with it (hunting play not some stupid little petting game). She needs to chase a feather on a rod for 10-15 minutes twice a day. She sounds like an indoor cat. I feel really bad for it since no one is taking care of her. She also needs proper scratching posts in proper areas. Poor cat. No offense but you should blame your sister for not providing the right care rather than blaming the cat.

I know it's my sister's fault, but it's hard not to get mad at the cat first. I have tried exercising the cat by playing with it but honestly between work, taking care of my hyper engergetic dog that needs to be exercised daily, caring for my reptiles and the thousand other things I need to do I don't have time to devote to the cat. I've tried doing what I can with the time and energy I can devote to the cat, but my sister refuses to do anything with her. The cat does have scractching posts, but my sister decided it would be a great idea to teach her to use one of them right next to my couch.

I'm gonna play the other side here...

First try to see that the cat is important to her, like your reptiles are too you. She loves one animal, you another. So, if you were on the other end of someone wanting you to get rid of your pets, wouldn't you want to work something out?

Ferel cats are more squirelly than a purebred. Regardless what kind of cat it is, you can't lock it in a single room. It does sound like some play may help him. Or maybe a kitty companion?? Maybe a cat condo with a view out the window or something? I don't think outdoor cat is the answer, they can get in fights, and hurt, and fleas, or hit by a car, worms from eating wild mice and rats... Yuk. My cats don't go outside. You could always call the cat whisperer, Jackson Galaxy, lol. Sorry, we watched the show My Cat From Hell. He always solved the cats problems (at least on tv).

I love my cats, and couldn't imagine getting rid of any of them, even though I have one or two who are trouble. I think maybe you guys should sit down and try to figure out something that will work. Maybe she can try to play more with the cat, maybe you can cat proof the house. My anoles tank is secured to the table, because one of my cats thinks they are there for her personal entertainment. She sits on top and watches them. (I think its really the crickets that get her attention though). Once in the beginning, they knocked it over, then I double back taped it to the table. Now the tank won't budge, so I don't worry.

Good luck working something out. I hope the kitty doesn't have to go.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

The big difference here between my reptiles and her cat is that I take the time to ensure they get what they need. I don't have the resources, the time or the desire to take care of her cat on top of all my pets. I also want to be clear that I don't hate cats, I hate THIS cat.

Everytime I try to talk to her about the cat she freaks out and just tells me to get rid of it. I am tired of going out of my way to take care of HER cat. I don't want to lock the cat up either, but I can't fit all of my reptiles in my room and I shouldn't have to either. She needs to take the time to work with her cat to train it and exercise it. As I said, she refuses to meet me half way and honestly that is was infurates me the most. I also feel the cat is a danger to my reptiles who were here first.

[barbie.dragon]

The scratching posts are probably in awkward places the cat doesn't want to go to. Also IT'S NOT YOUR JOB TO EXERCISE THE CAT! It's not yours and you have to put your foot down. You pay bills, it's your rules whether she likes it or not. Also explain to her your other pet's lives are in danger! And the cat will probably start a fire when you're not there knocking things over. Set firm boundaries and rules now to avoid anymore headaches. Letting her be irresponsible is detrimental for you, your reptiles and the cat!

[OsirisRa32]

Get a large enough and hungry snake that if the cat ever were to get into its tank.....OOOOPS!!

[Kinra]

I decided to take a gamble today and see if I can knock some sense into my sister. Last night I told her that if she wanted to keep the cat she needed to do two things: 1.) play with the cat for an hour a day and 2.) keep the cat in her room when no one is home. She told me to just get rid of the cat then. I don't think she took me seriously which is why she said to just get rid of it. I told her it would be gone today then. As she was leaving for work I told her when I picked her up from work we had a few errands to run. She asked what, and I told her we needed to go get more crickets and drop the cat off at the humane society. She didn't look happy about that last part.

My hope is that she will realize that if the cat goes to the humane society it's going to be locked in a small cage and most likely stay there for a while. She's past the cute kitten stage so she wouldn't get adopted immediately. I don't really intend to drop the cat off there because I can deal with it for a few more weeks while I try to find a good home for it and I'm sure the humane society wouldn't take her because most are at their capacities for cats.

If my sister hasn't changed her tune by the time I pick her up from work I will be stopping at the apartment, getting the cat and driving to the humane society, and I will be making my sister come with me. I can only hope that my sister will take me seriously by the time we pull into the parking lot if not sooner. If she calls my bluff then I don't know what I am going to do. I really would hate to give her pet away, but she doesn't seem to care about the danger her cat poses to my reptile collection or the damage it is causing to my property. The cat isn't getting the attention that it needs and I'm starting to doubt my sister is responsible enough to take care of it.

[Valentine Pirate]

Good luck Some people just aren't suited to owning pets (Or sometimes just a particular type of animal). Doesn't mean she'll never be suited to it! Or that she won't change her tune later! But it doesn't make it any less disappointing when things aren't going well for the animal

[barbie.dragon]

Make her pick up the cat, take it to your car, hold the cat while you're driving there. Explain the cat will probably spend the rest of its life in a small cage with no one to love it and it is her fault. And have her hand over the cat to the shelter and take a tour of the shelter. I sounds incredibly harsh but pets especially cats live terrible and sad lives in the shelter. And because like you said she's not a kitten, she will probably never get adopted. Good luck. And you're not doing the wrong thing by putting the cat in the shelter so don't worry about it. The cat's fate is entirely in your sister's hands. And maybe you can show her how fun it is to play with the cat. Most people don't realize exercising a cat is quite fun.