cat question (Page 2)

My cat Specs used to only drink from a plastic cup sitting beside my tub. She would jump up there and drink, but if the water level was too low she would either stand there and look at me, or knock the cup over. Thankfully she mostly knocked it into the tub, instead of the floor. The only problem is that I lock her out of my bedroom at night, so she cries at the door and sticks her paws underneath and scratches it. I didn't really figure it out until a few weeks ago that she may be thirsty. So, at 2:30 in the morning after listening to her for 15 minutes I grabbed her cup from beside the tub, filled it up, and set it right outside the bedroom door, then slammed the door. I could hear her slurping water. Oops, sorry kitty. 

She also has this annoying habit of clearing tables. She will get on the side table and try to knock everything off it. And she is left pawed I've found. Not to mention that she is inside/outside and brings in random things. Like the mouse I finally had to get a trap out for since it took up residence under the kitchen stove. 

But... I'd be bored as heck without her. 

What a mean mommy. I'm calling the SPCA.

Honestly, there are nights I wish I could toss them out of the room, but my bedroom is a loft open to the living room, and there is no door. I do laugh when I wake up in the morning and there is a pile of toy mice next to my pillow. Nice to know I'm loved

Ha! It's either lock the little nightmare out or not get any sleep. I've tried to let her stay in the room. I'll turn the tv off and everything gets quiet. That's when she decides she needs a bath.... A long, noisy bath. If I survive that she jumps on me randomly through the night and bathes more. I'm worried she would leave me a pile of mice on the bed, only they wouldn't be toys.

Had this happen once, the cat dropped a live mouse on my wife around 1am when we were sleeping. Kitty was so proud, couldn't understand why there was so much screaming or why I took it outside in a shoebox.

If they don't follow me up to bed at night or I don't see them already sleeping there, I have to find them before I get to sleep because they are definitely plotting evil cat schemes to be hatched at 3am. 

I"m so glad to be joined by so many cat owners as befuddled as I am.  I had just lost my dog, and she came into my life since a friend found 3 kittens.  What a funny, frustrating, yet endearing kitty she is.  I mean really, who has a cat that comes to them when you call?

Here's the kitty in question. She climbed up my fireplace mantle then jumped up onto the door frame.  Her favorite spot when I'm on the trainer.

There is no doubt they are better at hunting than I am. First time I went deer hunting I couldn't bring myself pull the trigger. Sold my rifle after that. Now fishing is another story, I'd like to see how they would handle a white marlin!

Can someone please explain why they come running the second the can opener comes out of the drawer and yet I have never given them canned cat food? Every couple of months I'll give them the liquid from a can of tuna, but that's it.

Get yourself one of these fountains.  It would be pretty hard to flip, especially the bigger ones.  We have the Big dog one for our dogs, but our cats love it too.

http://www.petsmart.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=drinkwell&origkw=drinkwell&sr=1&SR=sr3_11119995_go&gclid=CMvFr6Hy2rECFUKo4Aod6kcAuA

get rid of the cat, get a dog?

We have the "Platinum" the reason why we chose it is because it said that it is dishwasher safe, and because of the tank on the back.  It will go a couple weeks before needing to be refilled.  When it gets gross, I just take it apart and throw it in the dishwasher.  The others may also be dishwasher safe, we didn't compare  

I have a part Siamese and he flips bowls over that contain things he doesn't find appealing.  (Including food I'm trying to eat)  Based on how mine acts, I think it's equally likely that there is something about her water bowl that she doesn't like/wants to drink out of the faucet instead OR she just wants attention and is 'acting out' when you're gone.

I would definitely try the faucet dripping idea.  Mine refuses to drink out of his water bowl unless absolutely necessary.  If we don't turn on the faucet for him when he wants water, he'll attack our ankles.

Edit to add: my Siamese doesn't like the water fountain cat bowl things - he only wants fresh water out of the faucet.

Ginger does this too! Although it's not always...but it pisses hubby off because she gets whatever is on her paws into the water. We stopped giving them a bowl of their own that was next to their litter box. It got soooo much litter in it. Now we have an inter-species bowl. Its a big dog bowl. (Oh and do they let me know when it's empty! Sit in between the sink and the bowl whining...)

Also - that one (Ginger) started getting acne under her chin. I had to switch from plastic bowls, the vet said that could be a major cause.

Re: weird cats. I'm allergic to cats (& dogs). I am generally fine, but we don't allow quadrupeds into the bedrooms. (And also the bathrooms - and after watching that youtube video...and laughing so hard I cried - I realize thats a good thing!) However the boy cat has like a super power to know when doors are open. Its like he knows when there is a difference in the house force field that a door has opened. It was really warm here recently - and having no a/c - we blocked off the hallway to allow for the bedroom doors to be opened and allow for air flow. I'm not even sure how he knew I was moving the door blocking the hallway. I went into the kitchen, then head down the hallway and I've barely touched the door and he is sprinting up the steps (5 feet away...)

My favorite (as so far) black cat - who got very sick in 2009 was a friggin smart cat. He learned how to open the cabinet doors, but he did it so they would close behind him. I remember the first time I heard rustling in the cabinet... He also could open the doors with the flapper type handle. Then again...he would let my ex-bf drag him around - on his side - on the linoleum...so....?!!?

OP: The big bowls are good - go straight to the dog section at the pet stores :-)

ETA: If I can see Ginger (cat) - she comes when I call her. I don't know why. Its because she thinks she is getting attention, I think. But she squawks back when I say her name or she thinks I'm talking to her.

Our cat would meow loudly to drink out of the bathtub faucet. We had to break the habit so we bought the Drinkwell® Platinum Pet Fountain from the above link. I think we got it on Amazon for a little cheaper. She loves that thing and doesn't meow in the bathroom anymore.

I have been paying close attention to how my cat behaves re: water bowls lately and noticed that he only drinks out of the freshest water bowl available. We have two large Metal Dog water bowls available for him and they both get rinsed and refilled multiple times a day, however he always goes to the most recently filled one for a drink, even chasing the dogs away from it if he has to.

He will not go near a sink for a drink, no matter what we have done.

Like DanielG said, get her some toys. I actually have a basket that I keep all my cat's toys in. It's funny to watch him go over to the basket, select a toy, and then play with it. He has TONS of toys, so my house would be a mess without that basket. You can get cheap toys at Petsmart. My cat also likes tin-foil balls -- just take a piece of tin foil, roll it into a tight ball about the size of a golf ball, and let her have at it. Good luck!

It's even funnier when you move the furniture to vacuum and recover all those toys. I think the under-the-sofa record is 11 fuzzy balls and 5 mice. The girl cat also has a dog bone squeak toy that appears and then disappears for months.

But they are like kids, nothing beats an empty cardboard box!

This

Our cat's toy of choice is a jingle ball, a plastic ball with a jingle bell inside preferably purple.  I'll find 5 or 6 whenever I move a piece of furniture.  Whenever we get something in the mail, we keep the box for a couple days.  I like to see how small of a box she will try to get into.  

Amazon Prime delivers EVERYTHING!

(IMG_0115.JPG)

Get a dog. 

But seriously, dog dishes are wider and more stable.

My cat also has a toy that disappears for months and then suddenly reappears. I have no idea where he hides it -- it's not under/behind the furniture. I can't ever find it even when I'm looking for it. It's a little ball with a feather attached to it (he has a handful of feather balls, but it's one in particular that goes missing). Ramsey loves feather balls -- he plays fetch with them. I throw the ball, he runs, gets it and then carries it back to me in his mouth. He'll either drop it at my feet or in my hand. If I'm laying on the couch, he'll jump up on the couch with it in his mouth. Throw, repeat.