Reconsidering cat ownership...

[sumi]

Declawing the monster, banning her from the house, or wringing her neck, gosh I was tempted to yesterday! She is too darn lazy to go downstairs to use the cat little tray (and when she does, can't be bothered to bury the messes as cats are supposed to, so the expensive odour control litter is a bit pointless then isn't it?) So when she's upstairs where she prefers to be, she "goes" under my bed I decided to retrain her when she comes into my bedroom then, picking her up and taking her downstairs, so she can do her business there, as she should… Not making a big fuss over it (from my side anyway), but the little turd clearly took a dislike to that idea yesterday…

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Holy Cow! That little stinker! (literally)

Maybe that's why my idea of a good cat is a barn cat. Hope she gets better for ya!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Sheesh! I thank my parents every few weeks for reminding me why I don't have cats (one of theirs is awful). So now I'll thank you for reminding me not to give in to their cuteness!

Good luck training that one!

 

[sumi]

She is FEM, I took her downstairs again today and paid attention this time, no matter how I hold her, the moment she figures out where she's going, she squirms and twists so she can get her claws into me. You can't tell from the pics, but she got me quite deep on my palm and wrist. I'd understand if I was mean to her (I'm not), but really? She's a darn brat!

 

[sumi]

Sheesh! I thank my parents every few weeks for reminding me why I don't have cats (one of theirs is awful). So now I'll thank you for reminding me not to give in to their cuteness!

Good luck training that one!

You're welcome! lol I must admit I had thoughts around "I'm sure there was a reason I never considered getting a cat" over the last week or so…

 

[baymule]

Some cats just need to belong to somebody else. I like cats, hate litter boxes and if a cat was pooping under my bed, it would be a gone kitty.

 

[tortoise]

Cat elimination problems can be difficult, but if you can think like a cat you might be able to solve it.

With such a young cat, I'd suggest putting her in a big dog kennel with a litter box, in the place you want the litter box to be.

Experts suggest to have at least 2 litterboxes for 1 cat, and the litterboxes should be 2 to 3 times the size of what you find in pet stores. If she's "going" under the bed, she may prefer an enclosed box. She might dislike the litter itself. The box might be in a spot where she feels she doesn't have an escape route. Unrelated medical issues can present as elimination problems. Most cat owners don't have patience to figure out the cause of elimination problems.

Personally, though, I prefer to housetrain a cat much like a dog. I like cats but hate litterboxes! And cats that..... act too much like cats.

My barn cat comes inside most days for at least half the day. My previous cat I got as a kitten and had her kennel trained like a dog, and house trained like a dog too. I like house cats, but I draw the line at litterboxes. Nope!!!

I'm also a stickler on cat nail trims. Cats are shockingly tolerant of nail trims and it's not hard on a kitten. Use a human nail clipper and cut the entire hook off the nail. Repeat weekly and you'll never get claw marks like that again.

I find myself getting less tolerant of animal shenanigans over time.

 

[Beekissed]

Me too...zero tolerance of bad animal behaviors, if they don't conform to the program, they are outta here.

I'd be confining her to the litter box area until that's the only place she goes for a long time...maybe put a hood over it, if you don't already have that feature, as she may be going under your bed for that reason. Feels more secure there, maybe?

But that scratching the hand that feeds her? That is never tolerated here and is rewarded with a verbal and physical reprimand. I'd not let her get away with that at all.

 

[sumi]

She seems perfectly happy using the tray when she has no choice and I suspect going under the bed is just convenient, or looking like a good spot for it, when she's up here. I locked her in the bathroom for a day after, with her litter tray and get this… She found the facecloth I had hanging over the side of the bathtub and pulled that off, into her litter tray and crapped on it. If it happened to anyone else I would've thought it funny, and I guess it is, but I was deeply tempted to kick her into the middle of next week when I saw that.

When she scratched me I slapped her hard around the head and have since, when I carry her, made sure to get a good grip on her legs, so she can't get to me. She needs to learn who's rules are being followed here and how to behave in this house. I love animals and I don't like being "mean" to them, I have my limits and getting scratched up like that for no acceptable reason is not going to fly again.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I have heard that you can place their box near where they're going and slowly move it a little each day until it's where you want them to go. My mom had a shower pooper... She has to use these canisters that spray or you walk in front of them. He goes in the box now, but if she forgets to put it back he goes right back in the shower. Jerk.