Posted on 12/01/2015 8:04:21 AM PST by Vigilanteman
Freepers are such good sources of information (with an ocassional goofball mixed in) that I thought I'd reach out to get a little additional advice.
Recently, my daughter got a major job promotion which includes a transfer to Japan. One problem with the transfer is that they couldn't take their cat whom my son-in-law, she and our two young grandsons adore.
So we offered to take her for the duration of the assignment, probably about one year. She is a wonderful cat, sweet with the boys (doesn't bite or scratch when they get rough with her, just walks away and hides for awhile) and getting accustomed to us. After pouting and hiding for most of the first day with us, she has picked my Mrs. as her favorite person and sleeps at her feet.
We believe she is a Chartreaux cross as the description at the link fits her nearly perfectly, but she is not a purebred as our daughter adopted her from one of those pet store rescue programs, which is not a logical place for a purebred Chartreaux. She is spayed but not declawed; they advise against it for an adult cat as it cause arthritis later in life.
She is clean, litter box trained and very low maintaninence except for wanting to play laser tag and get petted which we all enjoy even if her timing isn't always best.
Only complaint is that we can't seem to get her interested in her scratching pad. She prefers the carpet or, worse yet, one of our reclining chairs. She does stop when we yell at her but, of course, often goes off to pout for awhile. Other than two active little boys who play rough with her at times, we have tried to duplicate her environment at home as nearly as possible, right down to the cat tower, scratching pad and design of the litter box.
I live very rural, my cats LOVE logs with rough bark. If you can get a log with rough bark, and set it up, they’ll know exactly what it’s for.
I'm going to try some of these great ideas immediately. In fact, I already have.
And kitty is not getting declawed given the wide variety of alternative and more humane solutions. FWIW, kitty actually decided to share the foot of the bed with me last night. But since I am a tosser and turned and the Mrs. is a sound sleeper, kitty was back at her feet as usual by morning.
Only needy insecure lonely people need a smelly, garbage poop eating, noisy, needy wreckless dog.
Buy a few carpeted cat scratchers and put near the furniture kitty likes. Then cover your furniture arms with throws until kitty likes and learns her scratching post.
Thanks for finding that image. It is the only one we have of Skeeter(the one on the right). He stayed with my wife in freezing temperatures after an accident and saved her life, sadly he gave his. Unlike my mother’s can the ate on her body when she died in her sleep.
Thanks for sending me your photo I had requested. You are aws I imagined you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.