To all cat owners...

[Phelps McManus]

Originally Posted by slitz

Is declawing actually legal in the states? That's cruelty to animals and should be punished by chopping off the balls of the owner.

Yes it is legal, just like docking tails and ears for dogs. I don't particularly care for people getting a kitten knowing that they will have to declaw it. However, a declaw is better than sending it back to the pound. I am sure the cat would prefer a good home over its claws.

One of our three cats is declawed. He is a fat, spoiled bastard.

[Etoille]

Originally Posted by Phelps McManus

This is a good guide.

I would only add on to #7 that this is a big socialization age for kittens, when mom and littermates keep their behavior in check. If the kitten is playing too rambunctiously, say "no" and stop playing

sorry i meant to respond to this

thanks! and i agree thats a good thing to do. i havent quite figured out when hes biting my feet thru a blanket how to 'stop' playing though haha. thus far ive just resorted to having cold feet.

[chaos]

Originally Posted by Sharmai

Yes its very legal here. Some vet's won't do it others will. The vet I went to had a vet who would do front claws then wouldn't do back claws for a couple of months later. The other vet wouldn't do either...


LoL didn't realize there were so many peta initiates on FoH.

To me, the relationship with pets is that of a friend or a child. It's not about PETA, shit I'm eating leftover steak right now. It's about not doing fucked up things that are unnecessary. As Phelps said though, better that than death.

[Sharmai]

Originally Posted by Etoille

sharmai theres no reason to do the back claws. even my cats that have been declawed in the past theyve always been front only. (my kitten will be keeping all of his this time around but hes aces at letting me trim his with a nail clipper)

Oh I didn't have nor ever intended to have the back claws done. Only the front claws because they wouldn't stop shredding everything I had. I bought the posts, shredding cardboard, about a dozen toys and they always went back to carpet edges, toilet paper (on the rare chance I forgot to close the bathroom door), sides of couches, the underside and sides of kitchen table chairs when now have gaping holes in them. Yes I tried the spray bottle and repellent method neither worked. I even put blankets of stuff and they tore holes in the blankets.

They still have their back claws though. Since the de-clawing I can actually look at getting nice furniture! It was necessary for me. I even bought those plastic tipped capped things and tried those and they would fall off or still scratch through stuff. Some people have the best pets that instantly train well and others need more work and still rare some have those pets which are just smart and evil little devils. Hell my female cat can open closed doors and closets. I haven't figured out how yet but she can and she won't do it when I'm around.


Now I am looking for the most humane way to teach my gf's dog how to pee and poop and the right place and it looks like 500$ lessons are the next thing I'll have to try...

[Koivu]

You missed the spot where I said the shrimps were treats. =P Personally, I see no difference in buying specific treats from pet shops/supermarkets or buying a bag of frozen pre-peeled shrimps for the purpose of giving to the animal when I feel like treating him. Except that at least with the shrimps I know they are fresh and don't come with any additives. Ditto for chicken. It's a treat, and usually tends to be leftover scraps from when I roast a whole chicken. Again, I prefer giving stuff that is suitable for human consumption as treats, for obvious reasons.

The mainstay of his diet is the Royal Canin Exigent 35/30, which is the only brand dry food he eats. Trust me, I've tried other brands, but when you see the food bowl go untouched for 5 days and with 3 different brands, I tend to think "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" and go back to the Royal Canin.

Yeah, the shower is extreme, and hence it's the ultimate, final punishment only to be used when all else fails. Had to use it only rarely, most notably to stop the cat from ruining the sofa, and later the surround stereo system.

[slitz]

Originally Posted by Phelps McManus

Yes it is legal, just like docking tails and ears for dogs.

WTF?
Why is that legal? I can understand the declawing even though I don't support such a thing and would never do it myself, but chopping off the tail or ears?

[Koivu]

Originally Posted by slitz

WTF?
Why is that legal? I can understand the declawing even though I don't support such a thing and would never do it myself, but chopping off the tail or ears?

It used to be the standard for certain breeds of dogs, notably for "fighting" breeds like Rottweilers and others of that kind. Originally these procedures would have been done to enable the dog to fight better (removing obvious weak points like long tail and large ears). I think these operations are illegal in most of Europe, and you're not allowed to showcase an animal that has had these operations. I know for certain that Nordic countries have banned the practice.

[chaos]

I spice my food too much to give it to animals, more than I'd be comfortable with anyway. Hey i don't really judge you for giving the cat shrimps life is short, fuck it we all might as well enjoy ourselves, spoil our pets and ourselves.

Animal rights in the US are viewed as some kind of lunatic fringe of the most liberal sensabilities. It's as if speaking about animal rights in any way automatically disqualifies you as a crazy person. This is partly due to PETA being a douchebaggy organization. But that's why it's still legal.

[Etoille]

Originally Posted by Koivu

You missed the spot where I said the shrimps were treats. =P Personally, I see no difference in buying specific treats from pet shops/supermarkets or buying a bag of frozen pre-peeled shrimps for the purpose of giving to the animal when I feel like treating him. Except that at least with the shrimps I know they are fresh and don't come with any additives. Ditto for chicken. It's a treat, and usually tends to be leftover scraps from when I roast a whole chicken. Again, I prefer giving stuff that is suitable for human consumption as treats, for obvious reasons.

The mainstay of his diet is the Royal Canin Exigent 35/30, which is the only brand dry food he eats. Trust me, I've tried other brands, but when you see the food bowl go untouched for 5 days and with 3 different brands, I tend to think "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" and go back to the Royal Canin.

Yeah, the shower is extreme, and hence it's the ultimate, final punishment only to be used when all else fails. Had to use it only rarely, most notably to stop the cat from ruining the sofa, and later the surround stereo system.

Originally Posted by Koivu
While my cat was not rescued from a shelter, it too was very skittish the first few days after I took it home. Not eating is part of the symptoms, and be prepared that even after the fluffy calms down, he still might not like the food you give him. My cat is an obnoxious, spoiled brat when it comes to food, and will only eat cooked chicken, peeled shrimps (his favourite treat, he'll do anything to get some, including purring and rubbing against a total stranger, which he doesn't do otherwise, being a shy cat by nature) and this special cat food we by from a pet shop that is specially designed for "Fussy cats".

Yeah i dont think i missed anything. Or that line about how to skip regular cat treats and go for shrimp lol. As chaos said its not a bad thing - until youve by default - you make your cat 'fussy'. Shrimp, chicken, turkey all as RARE treats and not the norm are just fine. But this (using this as a 'normal treat') also substantially increases the chance that the cat will beg or not know boundaries between what is his and yours. Its not great advice to give to a first time pet owner.

Its your cat but i dont think that giving what you do out as advice to the OP for standard or norm is a good idea. Just my opinion though.

[Phelps McManus]

Originally Posted by Sharmai

Now I am looking for the most humane way to teach my gf's dog how to pee and poop and the right place and it looks like 500$ lessons are the next thing I'll have to try...

To stop a dog from peeing when excited, stop getting it excited. For instance, if it pees when anyone comes in the door, stop giving it attention as soon as you walk it. Ignore the dog until it calms the fuck down.

To stop a dog from peeing or pooping in the house when you aren't around, get a crate.

Keep in mind that training lessons are for owners, not the pets. I still recommend them, especially for your first dog, but don't expect miracles (just instruction).

edit: If the dog submissively urinates, then avoid dominating stances/actions. Sit/Lay on the floor to pet it and avoid the top of the head (go under the chin).

[chaos]

I know it sounds dumb, but you should watch that Dog Whisperer show with Cesar Millan. I used to raise pit bulls for home health care back in Texas, and some of the stuff he is teaching is spot on. I think he gets a lot of shit because people try to take his methods as rules vs just general guidelines, I mean you have to tailor your methods to the individual dog, but I think for most people with limited experience that would be a good start.

[Etoille]

i have to echo what Phelps says about crate training. the number one problem with animals arent really problems with animals - its the lack of boundaries set by their human owners.

and its SO easy to fall into. "oh we just got a new kitten i want it to sleep with me" or "oh we can give fido a few pieces of steak a few times a week".

i actually JUST did this. two nites after pav came home i was like well time for him to have the run of the house. i was curtly reminded that being a pet owner requires responsibility like parenting. (to be fair it wasnt that he had an accident some where in the house outside his box he just got really really excited while playing and lost control we think - but it was a reminder that i needed to be responsible. went back to boundary setting etc and theres been nothing to note ever since well 2 weeks so we'll see.)

"fussiness", excessive scratching/biting, lack of bathroom control - typically a lot of these are caused/encouraged by owners.

you feed your cat/dog people food regularly as treats (even a few times a week) they learn that people food is also their food. it leads to begging or fussiness. animals are not by nature 'fussy'. they do not get peeled shrimp in the wild. nor would they in most homes. they may prefer certain things they may crave certain things as result of a deficiency but the fact is that no animal is going to starve itself because its family is serving it iams. never mind that if the pet owner lets it eat table scraps this results often in an overweight animal which can cause significant health problems. or if the animal has to go on a restricted diet when older, which happens often, the fussiness can be a MAJOR problem (please feel free to read this as at that stage in life the animal starving itself becomes a concern so your choice might be kill cat by continuing to feed it its normal diet or kill cat by having it starve itself).

excessive biting/scratching - the result of over stimulation (which will happen) but improper response to such (anger or 'punishment'/intimidation)

potty problems - improper boundary setting (once out of the kitten/puppy phase this can be really hard to retrain but it can be done).


right now my kitten has to be the center of attention. if im doing something he wants to do it. i was boiling water the other nite and he wanted to be up on the stove. if im clipping coupons he wants to shred them. if im reading he wants to chew on the book.

its a behavior im closely monitoring. it could be that hes just a kitten and he wants to play with me and if thats the case its fine. hes extremely social and outgoing (which is why we got him) but if when hes a bit older/more settled in (again ive had him for only 2 weeks) and he absolutely needs to be the center of attention well thats an issue ill have to address.

being a responsible pet owner is like being a parent. boundaries are SO important and often if there is a 'problem' its started or been exaggerated by the pet owner themselves not doing the right kinds of things to establish boundaries and who is in control.

( i say this knowing that one of my 'ticks' is i hate losing things. when the cat loses something under a piece of furniture like a toy i tear the house apart til i find it. i fear im teaching my cat a new game so im trying to break myself of my neurosis ).

[Koivu]

Originally Posted by Etoille

Originally Posted by Koivu
cooked chicken, peeled shrimps (his favourite treat,

Yeah i dont think i missed anything. Or that line about how to skip regular cat treats and go for shrimp lol. As chaos said its not a bad thing - until youve by default - you make your cat 'fussy'. Shrimp, chicken, turkey all as RARE treats and not the norm are just fine. But this also substantially increases the chance that the cat will beg or not know boundaries between what is his and yours. Its not great advice to give to a first time pet owner.

Its your cat but i dont think that giving what you do out as advice to the OP for standard or norm is a good idea. Just my opinion though.

I admit, the wording could have been more clearer, but I do think the bolded part about it being a treat is still there. Some cats are naturally more fussy, the same way other animals (and people) are. I never stated that this was the diet I gave my cat from the first moment I got him, since I do agree with you, you can teach your cat to be fussy. I tried several supermarket brands, wet and dry food, with varying success. Some brands he'd eat maybe one can/bag, the rest would be left untouched for days (and yes, I'd make sure the food was continually fresh). In the end, I gave up and went to a pet store where the owner gave me 100g trial bags of various brand foods (Royal Canin etc) and advised me to make a note which one my cat preferred, and go with that.

And I see no fault in offering advice to give a cat fresh animal protein for treats as opposed to dried, specially manufactured animal treats. It is up to the owner to teach the animal not to beg at the table, and treats are just that, treats. I treat mine rarely, maybe once or twice a month, so giving chicken or shrimps should not be an issue, if you're thinking about costs. I do give you the point though; I should have said my cat is an extremely, worst case scenario fussy cat, not necessarily the norm to which all cats comply.

[Araxen]

To each their own. I feed my cat science diet dry cat food and leave it out all day and I've never had a problem with her getting fat. She knows when to stop eating and to not overeat because the food is always available for her. On the flipside though one of my parents male cats is fat, so it depends alot on the cat if you can leave the food out all day or not.

I've never heard of this water fountain thing. I think my cat would more than likely play with it more than drink from it. What advantage does it have over a regular bowl of water that I change daily?

[Phelps McManus]

Originally Posted by Araxen

I've never heard of this water fountain thing. I think my cat would more than likely play with it more than drink from it. What advantage does it have over a regular bowl of water that I change daily?

Two of our cats are fascinated by it and do occasionally play with it. All of them drink though. We also have water bowls in their "dinner" area that we change out daily. We top off the fountain daily and clean it maybe once a week (sometimes every other week).

It is just something to entice them to drink when you aren't around. Cats instinctively prefer drinking running water.