Update on Riley - Writers Forum

The Backward OX · 05-23-2008, 02:31 AM

My week? My past three months, more like.

Some of you may remember we acquired a kitten at Christmas.

We named it Riley, although Olly agreed Adolf was a good alternative.

Three times it peed on the bed. Three times it nearly went back. Three times I relented.

And now? Who would have imagined that sweet, lovable, affectionate, fluffy li’l bundle of black and white fun could turn into a savage human-eating and house-destroying monster? My arms are a mass of bite-marks from my knuckles to my elbows, this monitor has been tipped on the floor – somehow it still works – upholstery buttons are being torn from the back of a lounge chair, venetians have holes bitten through them (that’s blinds not people, although give him time) indoor plants are being slowly devoured . . . . .

And then he curls up on your lap and purrs, and rolls on his back, and wants to be scratched.

Bah.

I think maybe Adolf was a better name.

Malone · 05-23-2008, 06:55 AM

Haha. I've only had one indoor cat in my life. Me and my girlfriend got her in college. Pretty much exactly as you describe. I remember the cruel treatment to my poor arms the most.

Foxee · 05-23-2008, 07:52 AM

Now we know where the blood in your avatar REALLY came from, Malone.

Sure does sound like Adolf would have fit. (Score 1 for Olly)

Never had an indoor cat though we have several that hang around the porch. One particular black one is the friendliest little cat you ever met and she'll beg to be petted all day. She belongs to the neighbors across the street so I don't have to worry about taking her in.

Sam Winchester · 05-23-2008, 08:48 AM

Animals aren't supposed to be kept indoors, Ox. Even if you coax our dog, she won't put more than two paws in the front door. No matter how much you train them, there'll still be things like hair and a bad smell around the house. What's wrong with leaving the kitten outside?

Sam.

The Backward OX · 05-23-2008, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Winchester

Animals aren't supposed to be kept indoors, Ox. Even if you coax our dog, she won't put more than two paws in the front door. No matter how much you train them, there'll still be things like hair and a bad smell around the house. What's wrong with leaving the kitten outside?

Sam.

“Will you come into my parlour?”, said the Spider to the Fly.

I’ve been waiting for a reaction like this.

Domestic cats are essentially wild animals. When we say we’ve domesticated them it is so much nonsense. There is nothing domestic about a cat. Cats are killers pure and simple. The unknowing might say that the bites and scratches I have all over me are signs of playfulness. No, they’re not. They’re Riley practising to kill and perhaps eat. Cats that live outside kill wildlife – they kill anything that moves – birds, possums, squirrels, rabbits, any small animals.

Here’s some quotes from an American site:

“Although most people supply their cats with a dependable supply of food, research shows feeding does not suppress the cat's instinct to hunt and kill.”

“Research in Wisconsin suggests that free-ranging cats may be killing up to 219 million birds in the state. Many are native songbirds.”

“Cat predation affects wildlife dynamics in other ways. Domestic cats eat many of the same animals that native predators eat. Studies show that large numbers of cats reduce available prey for predators such as hawks and weasels.”

“Free-ranging cats may also transmit diseases to wild animals. Domestic cats have spread feline leukemia virus to mountain lions and may recently have infected the endangered Florida Panther with feline distemper (feline panleucopenia)”

I could go on with more.

I have no time whatsoever for any person who owns a cat and allows it to roam.

It’s irresponsible, unthinking and damn stupid.

There is not one justification for it beyond laziness and unwillingness to suffer some inconvenience on the part of the cat owner. There are some here on this site who fall into this category and all I can say is that it’s just as well for them they are only an electronic blip on my monitor.

To you Sam I say that as usual you are talking through your cloaca. Why don't you just give up?

joifulartist84 · 05-23-2008, 10:57 AM

Cats can be trained, believe it or not. Well, to some things anyway. Ox, you might be able to buy some nasty-tasting stuff to put on Riley's favorite "chew toys" to discourage such. And make sure you have plenty of stuff he can chew on. By chewing on stuff you don't want him to, he might be bored and looking for ways to get attention, or he's bored and creating his own entertainment. Drag a string across the floor he'll LOVE that.

Our cat is pretty good; occasionally she sharpens her claws on the furniture and she won't stay off our bed even though she has her own. If we're gone all day and come home and go straight to bed without cuddling her, she gets mad and starts flicking on lightswitches. If it rains, she goes and hides under the bed (a recent development is if the bedroom door is closed, she gets into the kitchen cabinet with the pots and pans in it - gotta get some child locks for it).

And Sam, the problem with leaving the animal outside is that we are surrounded on 3 sides by street, there is a dog next door, and all kinds of wildlife to lure our kitty outside the fence. We bring her outside with us on occasion, but she has to be on a leash because we don't want anything to happen to her - or to other wildlife. She lounges on the deck or in the grass.

Hawke · 05-23-2008, 12:02 PM

I have two cats - both indoor. It's not only dangerous for cats to wander around in this city, it's also illegal. So they're inside and healthy and destructive and dangerous and happy. Well, one is happy and the other is as nuts as all get-out... but the nutty one came that way so that's beside the point.

Ox - I spray a shot of perfume on places they go after. Or if I'm worried that it might stain, I pin a perfume-sprayed napkin to it. That works. Sometimes.

Malone · 05-23-2008, 12:36 PM

I had a great, super easy trick to keep my cat off the counters, but I can't remember it now. It wasn't upside down bumpy floor runners or foil or tape or anything like that. It was something really simple that I always had lying around in the kitchen. It's going to drive me crazy that I can't remember this.

Sam: My dogs go nuts if they can't come inside. I'm part of their pack, so they always want to be inside so we're a family. They go outside during the day for periods to sunbathe and chase squirrels and play, but the rest of the time they're inside (obviously they go out for bathroom time). I've never seen a dog put its paws on anyones door step and not come in. Seems like every dog I know tries to bust their way inside the first second they can. There's dog hair, but the house gets cleaned all the time so it's not a big deal. I don't notice a smell at all, and I've never had anyone comment at any of my houses that it smelled bad (and I'm usually around the kind of people who would point such a thing out). Cats have the litter box smell, but if you keep that in the bathroom and keep it clean it's fine.

Ox: I've had two outdoor cats. They're just strays who wander up and discover I'll take care of them and play with them and feed them so they start living in the yard. In the winter I'll set up a little shelter with a heater for them so they don't get cold. Seems like that's better than chasing them away so they can go starve somewhere else. I guess I'm irresponsible and stupid. Well, I already knew I was, but I wasn't aware that it had pervaded into my cat care.

Interesting note about domesticated animals: A pig will go feral in a week of escaping domesticity. They'll start to grow tusks and everything. They're supposed to be the quickest animal that humans have domesticated to return to their feral state.

papertears · 05-23-2008, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawke

I have two cats - both indoor. It's not only dangerous for cats to wander around in this city, it's also illegal. So they're inside and healthy and destructive and dangerous and happy. Well, one is happy and the other is as nuts as all get-out... but the nutty one came that way so that's beside the point.

Ox - I spray a shot of perfume on places they go after. Or if I'm worried that it might stain, I pin a perfume-sprayed napkin to it. That works. Sometimes.

Its illegal where I live too. Mainly because they get eaten by coyotes, can get the plague, and people drive like maniacs and will run them down without a second thought.

I feel guilty about keeping Rozwell locked up, he sits at the windows and chirps at the birds a lot. I can tell he wants to eat them. However, he weighs a hearty 20 pounds so I found a dog harness that will hold him and I take him out when the weather is nice so he can smell things and chew on grass.

Yes, he still likes to bit my ankles because he's 2.5 and was abandoned so he never really got to play like a kitten should. So I have a cat toy I obtained from the store for a few bucks. Its a long stick with some feathers on it and if I play with him for long enough he gets a good work out and stops attacking my feet. Putting up two scratching posts has stopped the shredding of any furniture. Sometimes he likes to sharpen his talons on the carpet in one spot. I think it might be where someone spilled something? I put a piece of tinfoil down and he won't go near it.

He's a good kitty other than the fact that he likes to excavate in the litter box. I think maybe he likes digging quite a bit or has been watching the prairie dogs too much from my window. I just found a super deep pan at the pet shop, put that in a box that is a bit larger and now its not such a problem.

The only thing I can complain about is when I'm taking a nap and a 20 pound feline crawls up on top of me and leaves a footprint on my spleen. The vet says he's "Just a big cat."

Most cats I've had mellow out after about 5 and start the typical sleeping, eating and ignoring you. Depends though what breed is in them, some are meaner.

edropus · 05-23-2008, 02:56 PM

You're getting off easy. Our last kitten would wake my wife up by licking the inside of her nostrils.

Try a spray bottle. It's effective, but more importantly it's fun. After a couple weeks just picking it up is enough, you don't even have to fill it with water. But this isn't as fun.

Sorry I can't site it, but there was a recent study done about cats. It found that they are extremely, extremely susceptible to infection from tiny puncture wounds. As many of the animals that cats hunt have small piercing teeth, like mice and rabbits, cats have gradually developed weird hunting skills. They stalk, chase and 'play with' their prey for an extended period of time before actually trying to kill it. This exhausts the animal so that when the cat finally goes in for the kill, the chance of getting one of these often-fatal bites is less likely.

IE, cats have been bred to be total bastards.

smilinghelps · 05-23-2008, 02:58 PM

I've had 3 domestic cats, they were all bite/scratch free (humans that is) and very loving animals who never went outside. Ever.

If you don't want them to bite you, give them something else to bite, chew and scratch. A scratching post w/catnip works wonders. Like joi said, a ball of sting works great too. Play with him, but never with your hands. Hold a toy and only let him bite that and if he bites you, swat him on the nose. (swat not pummel).

Peppermint and citrus scents are great deterrents Cat Repellant Home Remedies if you want to keep your cat off furniture or countertops. A spray bottle filled with water does the trick too. Keep it nearby and a bell (one certain bell, not the same tone as a toy) as well. Ring the bell, if nothing happens, spray the water (in a stream). The cat will hate being sprayed. After a while, the bell will be the only thing you'll need.

Good luck, don't let Riley Adolf take over.

Sam Winchester · 05-23-2008, 03:11 PM

Our dog has like ten acres to roam around outside. She'd go nuts if she was inside, Malone. I guess some people have no choice but to keep them inside because of where they live.

NaCl · 05-23-2008, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

....although give him time) indoor plants are being slowly devoured . . . . .

And then he curls up on your lap and purrs, and rolls on his back, and wants to be scratched.

Bah.

I think maybe Adolf was a better name.

Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde might be good alternatives.

papertears · 05-23-2008, 03:34 PM

Oh Smiling has a good idea, give them kitty weed.

It is interesting how some forms of catnip make my cat go nuts and some he will walk away from. The really quality stuff, the kind that makes him totally happy and mellow, of course, is very hard to get and expensive.

Malone · 05-23-2008, 03:56 PM

That catnip really does drive them crazy. I bought some for my indoor cat, but she would flip out and start rolling around with it and it made me feel like I was pushing dope on a baby.

I've never seen anyone, nor even heard anyone until this thread, walk a cat on a leash. That sounds hilarious in a cute "I love my pet" way. My cat would probably just go nuts and try to attack the leash or me for leashing her.

Sam, I live on just under 100 acres of woods. I guess my dogs are just lazy. I have friends with lots of property whose dogs all come inside most the time the humans are in.