8 ms·

It's an alright list, but that's some beginner level stuff. Where's things like -cat is obssessed with plastic bags whenever he wants attention and ends up wea

It's an alright list, but that's some beginner level stuff. Where's things like -cat is obssessed with plastic bags whenever he wants attention and ends up wearing them like a cape trailing it through the house causing havoc. -cat likes to knock over your breakable things just cause it likes to see them smash -wake up at 2 in the morning to some weird noises only to find the cat spiderman-ing up the screen on the window because some rats or something were outside -on the note of two in the morning, that's of course the cats favourite time to run around the house meowing on the top of his lungs, just because. -if you have a cat and get a puppy, get ready for that puppy to start walking on window sills, the back of the couch, and even up on the coffee table even if it's over 50lbs and clumsy as hell, cause the cat does it. -Oh, you were 5 minutes late feeding the cat, well have fun with non stop fucking around for the rest of the day or night -made some steak, fish, chicken, even salad...and turned your back for a second, well that cat's gonna be all up in that, as a bonus, maybe he'll knock it onto the ground so him and the dogs can feast. But despite all this...and more, still love the furry little bastard.

beervirus 6y ago
An automatic feeder is worth having. It seems to decouple the food from the owner in the cat's mind, so that if they're hungry, they go sit by the feeder instead of complaining to you.
- Jtsummers 6y ago
  I feed my cats at a random time between 7am and 10am (between 7 and 7:30 during the work week, between 8 and 10 on the weekend). They never bother me in the morning on the weekend, and on the rare occasion they do they usually want to play. I think the randomness has helped, especially the extreme variability of the weekend.
  - vharuck 6y ago
    I have my cat trained to expect a phone alarm for breakfast time. Total accident at first. It was my wake-up alarm, but I started always walking up before it, and then it was the "owner's awake and over here" signal. Any meowing before it gets a strong tone at first and a spritz if continued. Now that I'm working from home, I'll also start using an alarm for dinner. I had tried to teach her to read an analog clock by putting it near her food dish. No change in behavior except she kept knocking it over. My previous cat was like yours, though. She didn't expect meals at usual times on weekends. We can train them somewhat, but they do have unique personalities.
- tdeck 6y ago
  We always just kept our cats' bowls full of dry food all the time. Unlike dogs, most cats won't keep eating until they make themselves sick, even though they may get chubby.
  - novok 6y ago
    That depends on if they went hungry at some time in their life or not! Something to keep in mind if your adopting a street stray.
    - danaris 6y ago
      That's not the only thing it depends on. We got 2 cats who were brothers—littermates—from a friend of a friend, who owned the mother and took very good care of all the kittens until they adopted out most of them. One of the two brothers is obsessed with food, and would cheerfully eat himself up to bowling ball proportions if we let him. The other would, if permitted, be a very happy "graze when it suits him" cat. Alas, given his brother's propensities, this is not possible. At least feeding him in a little ball with adjustable holes means he no longer regularly wolfs his food so fast he throws up...
  - ComputerGuru 6y ago
    That has always been my experience (lifetime cat owner), but I’ve also seen friends/family whose cats need to be fed “meals” because they devour everything that’s set out for them immediately. Then again, we have two kids and basically from birth (ok, from weaning) one we need to coax to eat more and the other appears to have a defective float switch that never seems to trigger...
klyrs 6y ago
A friend's cat is like this. I fear that there's nothing for it. But, some things I've succeed at improving rambunctious cat behavior: 1. Play with them at least 30 minutes a day. If they're not bouncing off the walls during this play, you're doing it wrong. 2. A catio can provide entertainment. Kinda passive, probably won't be a significant improvement. 3. Never feed them human food, even if it hits the floor. Never let them on counters or tables. Use spray bottles, clapping and hissing to enforce rules. 4. Give them safe places on high -- cat towers are cool, shelving and ceiling-height bridges are awesome. And of course, you've already got a relationship with your cat. They'll be very slow to learn and possibly vindictive. Sorry. Better luck with your next cat.
- wila 6y ago
  That's my cat :) Yes on all these points. Although I never had to resort to use spray bottles or hissing to enforce the rules. Use their name often (they love that). Also surprisingly sniffing things is everything to them. When playing do not let them use their nails (Just saying ouch and immediately stop playing is enough to point out you do not approve). My cat will tap my hands when playing, but rarely use his nails, only by accident. Make sure that there are multiple spots in the house where they can sharpen their nails. A single scratching pole is probably not sufficient.
  - klyrs 6y ago
    We made the mistake of laughing when she pounced our toes in bed. Oh dear, when her claws need a trim and she lands on a thin blanket, it's no good. So we run her more during the day and she isn't as feisty at night. Come morning though...
- poulsbohemian 6y ago
  > A catio can provide entertainment First we built a cat tree, and it was good. Then we bought auction cup window perches, and they were even better. Then we built a catio and it was the best thing a cat could possibly imagine and their minds were blown. Then we got chickens that they could watch from these places and oh boy!!!
- 6y ago
gumby 6y ago
Aren’t these all reasons for having a cat as a pet? Intellectually it seems strange to have pets: after all we build homes to keep alien species out. Yet when I met a neighbor who didn’t have a pet it seemed weird and even somewhat of a personality disorder. Which is absurd: households with pets are in the minority. But I really can’t imagine living without dogs, cats and assorted other vertebrates.
- danbolt 6y ago
  It's interesting how you find it weird; I'm almost like the opposite side of the same coin. I have pretty bad allergies to most pets and never grew up with them and find them. Apart from the itching and eczema, I don't really feel like I'm in a home when pets are around. For others though, I think it's the complete opposite. It must be with what we grow up with.
  - gumby 6y ago
    > It's interesting how you find it weird; Totally! Having live with pets for almost my entire life, it feels “obviously” normal, but if I step back, I (and the rest of the world’s pet loving minority) are actually abnormal. Fascinating.
  - xyzzy_plugh 6y ago
    Honestly I have terrible allergies and am so happy to have pets. After around 6mo of cohabitation my allergies settle down, not to zero, but manageable.
    - danbolt 6y ago
      I tried acclimating through pets at work and taking allergy shots, but I didn’t have any luck improving symptoms over a year. I wish I was in your situation.
      - xyzzy_plugh 6y ago
        I know at least one other person who managed to adopt cats and dogs after I told them my journey. Basically, I took a lot of antihistamines and over-the-counter anti-allergy steroids regularly for the first year or so. I still get allergic reactions if I stick my face into my cat, so I don't do that. Having good air filtration helps, as does frequent vacuuming. Regular hand washing is a must. In general though it's very manageable now. I still take allergy meds regularly for seasonal allergies, so that helps too. Work pets/shots never worked well for me. Good luck!
powersnail 6y ago
> wake up at 2 in the morning to some weird noises I used to have that problem. But I now make sure to exhaust my cat, feed him, and poop him before I sleep. And he no longer wakes me up in the middle of the night. Works like a charm.
- r00fus 6y ago
  I can understand the exhausting & feed him, but "poop him"? How do you control that?
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - powersnail 6y ago
    I obviously can't force him to poop. But I bring him to the box at approximately the same time every day, and he kinda eventually gets it.
    - novok 6y ago
      Cats are very in the moment. 50/50 chance they'll eat food if you put in their face lol
- omginternets 6y ago
  >poop him Like... do you hold him over the litter box and squeeze or something?
  - powersnail 6y ago
    Bring him to the box, and verbally encourage him. 70% of the time, he'll poop.
    - ianai 6y ago
      Wow that’s impressive
com2kid 6y ago
> -cat likes to knock over your breakable things just cause it likes to see them smash My cats are super careful and have maybe knocked over 1 thing. > -wake up at 2 in the morning to some weird noises only to find the cat spiderman-ing up the screen on the window because some rats or something were outside My cats not only sleep through the night, they insist I go to bed on time (no later than 11) or they start getting upset. > -Oh, you were 5 minutes late feeding the cat, well have fun with non stop fucking around for the rest of the day or night My cats are under weight (!!) so I try to feed them as often as possible. Never had them really beg for food, though if I am eating string cheese they'll beg for that.
- r00fus 6y ago
  > My cats not only sleep through the night, they insist I go to bed on time (no later than 11) or they start getting upset. I wasn't ready for this - my kitten started doing this lately (or I have to seal off the room I'm working on, ignore her pleas and let her go sleep in a kids bed).
  - com2kid 6y ago
    Every dog I've ever had has done the exact same thing. My current kitties also get upset if I wake up too early. Then again a lot of things upset them, including spending too much time with my wife, skipping home workouts (they get petted in between sets), and standing up too often to stretch (one of them spends ~50% of the day sitting on my lap while I code). Otherwise they are pretty chill.
    - r00fus 6y ago
      Ours is upset we don't watch more TV [1] - amazingly good cuddle time for her and I'm not sure she isn't also watching. [1] TV watched when we should be playing with cat results in frustrated and distracting cat.
    - novok 6y ago
      You got to be more assertive with your cats, your literally 10-20 times their size, give them food and protection and they know it. One good technique I've found that doesn't escalate things is to blow air in their face (with your mouth). They tend to go away, but they also don't get pissed off. Don't want them somewhere, physically move them , without emotion. Find them annoying, blow in their face or move them (gently) away. You can escalate with water spraying.
_jal 6y ago
My cats get fed when I start making dinner. They're really mellow about feeding time, I think it is that there's only an approximate time and that it is tied to me feeding me, they don't get neurotic about it. The worst stupid cat trick I've put up with was one who would dart outside if he got the chance. Problem was, he had never been an outdoor cat, was pretty dumb, and would immediately panic and hide. Once ended up talking to the cops about breaking into my own house when someone saw me crawling underneath after spotting his eyes reflecting back at me.
- mcguire 6y ago
  "Once ended up talking to the cops about breaking into my own house when someone saw me crawling underneath after spotting his eyes reflecting back at me." One great thing about pets is the new people you get to meet.
  - jacobush 6y ago
    You weren’t shot, so there’s that.
- bloodorange 6y ago
  I have long thought about how to solves this problem with my cats. I currently have a two-door setup (analogous to an airlock) and this is not a problem. Nevertheless, what I try is to teach them that anytime I open a door which was previously closed, they have to first sit and then wait for me to give them permission (I say a specific word) before they are allowed to pass through it. Until then they must be seated. Sometimes I open the door, go to the other side and do my stuff and get back and don't let them through. This also lets them know that they don't _always_ get to go through that door. If I see them make the first small movement as if to get up, a stern "hey" makes them drop that idea. Of course, there is no risk _now_ as they can't go outside from the 2-door arrangement but I may move to a different house some time in the future and that might be set up differently. Also in general, I don't want them to have a habit of running through doors that just opened.
bloodorange 6y ago
Some of your complaints stem from the cat(s) not having learnt what is and is not acceptable. They love to manipulate things with their paws and naturally many will try to swipe/push things and sometimes off ledges, shelves etc. You can teach them that that is not acceptable and they will learn. It is even easier to discourage such things from a young age. Also, it's good to never give them your food and make them learn that they never get food from you at any time other than their feeding time (barring the occasional treat) and always only in their food bowls. A lot of it is consistency and discipline. I've had multiple cats start the behaviour of swiping/pushing things off surfaces but it wasn't hard at all to curtail that. While I've raised a non-trivial number of them, I've never had a cat which considered that s/he got food when humans are eating.
- clairity 6y ago
  yes, they're quite clever and attentive. the cats i've had have always known what was in and out of bounds. just like people, some push the boundaries and other don't. my now 2-year-old cat is exceedingly and surprisingly mindful of all of my what must seem to be arbitrary to her rules around tables and scratching and such (whereas my former two cats were always sneaking behind my back and breaking the rules). the only one she routinely disobeys is munching on the plants. but that's partially my fault, as i always take too long to replenish the cat grass for her.
aahortwwy 6y ago
Almost all of these sorts of behavioural issues (with the exception of the food-motivated ones) tend to disappear when you allow your cat the freedom to go outside whenever it wants. They're not well suited to confinement and it always shows in their behavior. Sometimes they just get depressed and mopey, which a lot of people interpret as their cat "not minding" its confinement. Other times they try to relieve the soul-crushing boredom of their lives by knocking things over, yelling, or actively messing with you. Sure, you can "train" your cat not to engage in these behaviors (as other commenters note, however, they're smart enough to realize you're not always watching them) or you could just allow them access to the far more compelling activities that exist outdoors. They'll even choose to do mundane stuff (lie in the sun, poop) outdoors nine times out of ten. They just prefer being out. Reading some of the things people in this thread do to their cats made me sad, especially the people talking about techniques for preventing their cats from getting out the front door.[0] If you would never treat a human the way you treat your cat on a regular basis, that should give you pause. If it's "for their own good" you made a selfish choice in pet ownership. [0] An airlock system where the cat is required to sit perfectly still before you open the door? Don't they do similar stuff in actual prisons?
- WalterBright 6y ago
  I tend to agree. On the other hand, in my yard I often see coyotes, bobcats, eagles, and large owls. Any cat would soon be pining for the fjords.
- leetcrew 6y ago
  the indoor vs outdoor debate wrt cats is a timeless one, but I don't think the answer is so clear cut as you make it seem. in principle, I would like for our family cat to have free rein of the outdoors, but we don't quite feel it is safe for him. in addition to the local predators that actually have to work for a living, my parents live right next to a six-lane death road in the city. the speed limit is 30 mph, but people routinely drive in excess of 60 mph on the downhill side. I'm confident the cat can avoid vehicles moving at a reasonable speed, but that road is unsafe for humans, let alone cats. there's also the issue of housecats killing a staggering number of birds each year. tbh, this is not really a factor that weighs heavily on our decision, but it's something to think about. finally, many cats are rescues for whom living freely outdoors was never an option. imo, it's better to be an indoor cat in a loving home than a dead cat.
snvzz 6y ago
>cat likes to knock over your breakable things just cause it likes to see them smash Depends on the cat. One of my cats would walk super carefully as not to throw anything.
arethuza 6y ago
Our cat (we used to have two but sadly his brother died) was named by the breeder Purfedelis Tasmanian Devil - which perhaps gives some indication of his temperament. He is a bit aggressive with other people but is friendly and very affectionate with me (and to a lesser extent my wife). I'm definitely in the "love the furry little bastard" camp.

beervirus 6y ago

An automatic feeder is worth having. It seems to decouple the food from the owner in the cat's mind, so that if they're hungry, they go sit by the feeder instead of complaining to you.

Jtsummers 6y ago
I feed my cats at a random time between 7am and 10am (between 7 and 7:30 during the work week, between 8 and 10 on the weekend). They never bother me in the morning on the weekend, and on the rare occasion they do they usually want to play. I think the randomness has helped, especially the extreme variability of the weekend.
- vharuck 6y ago
  I have my cat trained to expect a phone alarm for breakfast time. Total accident at first. It was my wake-up alarm, but I started always walking up before it, and then it was the "owner's awake and over here" signal. Any meowing before it gets a strong tone at first and a spritz if continued. Now that I'm working from home, I'll also start using an alarm for dinner. I had tried to teach her to read an analog clock by putting it near her food dish. No change in behavior except she kept knocking it over. My previous cat was like yours, though. She didn't expect meals at usual times on weekends. We can train them somewhat, but they do have unique personalities.
tdeck 6y ago
We always just kept our cats' bowls full of dry food all the time. Unlike dogs, most cats won't keep eating until they make themselves sick, even though they may get chubby.
- novok 6y ago
  That depends on if they went hungry at some time in their life or not! Something to keep in mind if your adopting a street stray.
  - danaris 6y ago
    That's not the only thing it depends on. We got 2 cats who were brothers—littermates—from a friend of a friend, who owned the mother and took very good care of all the kittens until they adopted out most of them. One of the two brothers is obsessed with food, and would cheerfully eat himself up to bowling ball proportions if we let him. The other would, if permitted, be a very happy "graze when it suits him" cat. Alas, given his brother's propensities, this is not possible. At least feeding him in a little ball with adjustable holes means he no longer regularly wolfs his food so fast he throws up...
- ComputerGuru 6y ago
  That has always been my experience (lifetime cat owner), but I’ve also seen friends/family whose cats need to be fed “meals” because they devour everything that’s set out for them immediately. Then again, we have two kids and basically from birth (ok, from weaning) one we need to coax to eat more and the other appears to have a defective float switch that never seems to trigger...

klyrs 6y ago

A friend's cat is like this. I fear that there's nothing for it. But, some things I've succeed at improving rambunctious cat behavior: 1. Play with them at least 30 minutes a day. If they're not bouncing off the walls during this play, you're doing it wrong. 2. A catio can provide entertainment. Kinda passive, probably won't be a significant improvement. 3. Never feed them human food, even if it hits the floor. Never let them on counters or tables. Use spray bottles, clapping and hissing to enforce rules. 4. Give them safe places on high -- cat towers are cool, shelving and ceiling-height bridges are awesome. And of course, you've already got a relationship with your cat. They'll be very slow to learn and possibly vindictive. Sorry. Better luck with your next cat.

wila 6y ago
That's my cat :) Yes on all these points. Although I never had to resort to use spray bottles or hissing to enforce the rules. Use their name often (they love that). Also surprisingly sniffing things is everything to them. When playing do not let them use their nails (Just saying ouch and immediately stop playing is enough to point out you do not approve). My cat will tap my hands when playing, but rarely use his nails, only by accident. Make sure that there are multiple spots in the house where they can sharpen their nails. A single scratching pole is probably not sufficient.
- klyrs 6y ago
  We made the mistake of laughing when she pounced our toes in bed. Oh dear, when her claws need a trim and she lands on a thin blanket, it's no good. So we run her more during the day and she isn't as feisty at night. Come morning though...
poulsbohemian 6y ago
> A catio can provide entertainment First we built a cat tree, and it was good. Then we bought auction cup window perches, and they were even better. Then we built a catio and it was the best thing a cat could possibly imagine and their minds were blown. Then we got chickens that they could watch from these places and oh boy!!!
6y ago

gumby 6y ago

Aren’t these all reasons for having a cat as a pet? Intellectually it seems strange to have pets: after all we build homes to keep alien species out. Yet when I met a neighbor who didn’t have a pet it seemed weird and even somewhat of a personality disorder. Which is absurd: households with pets are in the minority. But I really can’t imagine living without dogs, cats and assorted other vertebrates.

danbolt 6y ago
It's interesting how you find it weird; I'm almost like the opposite side of the same coin. I have pretty bad allergies to most pets and never grew up with them and find them. Apart from the itching and eczema, I don't really feel like I'm in a home when pets are around. For others though, I think it's the complete opposite. It must be with what we grow up with.
- gumby 6y ago
  > It's interesting how you find it weird; Totally! Having live with pets for almost my entire life, it feels “obviously” normal, but if I step back, I (and the rest of the world’s pet loving minority) are actually abnormal. Fascinating.
- xyzzy_plugh 6y ago
  Honestly I have terrible allergies and am so happy to have pets. After around 6mo of cohabitation my allergies settle down, not to zero, but manageable.
  - danbolt 6y ago
    I tried acclimating through pets at work and taking allergy shots, but I didn’t have any luck improving symptoms over a year. I wish I was in your situation.
    - xyzzy_plugh 6y ago
      I know at least one other person who managed to adopt cats and dogs after I told them my journey. Basically, I took a lot of antihistamines and over-the-counter anti-allergy steroids regularly for the first year or so. I still get allergic reactions if I stick my face into my cat, so I don't do that. Having good air filtration helps, as does frequent vacuuming. Regular hand washing is a must. In general though it's very manageable now. I still take allergy meds regularly for seasonal allergies, so that helps too. Work pets/shots never worked well for me. Good luck!

powersnail 6y ago

> wake up at 2 in the morning to some weird noises I used to have that problem. But I now make sure to exhaust my cat, feed him, and poop him before I sleep. And he no longer wakes me up in the middle of the night. Works like a charm.

r00fus 6y ago
I can understand the exhausting & feed him, but "poop him"? How do you control that?
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- powersnail 6y ago
  I obviously can't force him to poop. But I bring him to the box at approximately the same time every day, and he kinda eventually gets it.
  - novok 6y ago
    Cats are very in the moment. 50/50 chance they'll eat food if you put in their face lol
omginternets 6y ago
>poop him Like... do you hold him over the litter box and squeeze or something?
- powersnail 6y ago
  Bring him to the box, and verbally encourage him. 70% of the time, he'll poop.
  - ianai 6y ago
    Wow that’s impressive

com2kid 6y ago

> -cat likes to knock over your breakable things just cause it likes to see them smash My cats are super careful and have maybe knocked over 1 thing. > -wake up at 2 in the morning to some weird noises only to find the cat spiderman-ing up the screen on the window because some rats or something were outside My cats not only sleep through the night, they insist I go to bed on time (no later than 11) or they start getting upset. > -Oh, you were 5 minutes late feeding the cat, well have fun with non stop fucking around for the rest of the day or night My cats are under weight (!!) so I try to feed them as often as possible. Never had them really beg for food, though if I am eating string cheese they'll beg for that.

r00fus 6y ago
> My cats not only sleep through the night, they insist I go to bed on time (no later than 11) or they start getting upset. I wasn't ready for this - my kitten started doing this lately (or I have to seal off the room I'm working on, ignore her pleas and let her go sleep in a kids bed).
- com2kid 6y ago
  Every dog I've ever had has done the exact same thing. My current kitties also get upset if I wake up too early. Then again a lot of things upset them, including spending too much time with my wife, skipping home workouts (they get petted in between sets), and standing up too often to stretch (one of them spends ~50% of the day sitting on my lap while I code). Otherwise they are pretty chill.
  - r00fus 6y ago
    Ours is upset we don't watch more TV [1] - amazingly good cuddle time for her and I'm not sure she isn't also watching. [1] TV watched when we should be playing with cat results in frustrated and distracting cat.
  - novok 6y ago
    You got to be more assertive with your cats, your literally 10-20 times their size, give them food and protection and they know it. One good technique I've found that doesn't escalate things is to blow air in their face (with your mouth). They tend to go away, but they also don't get pissed off. Don't want them somewhere, physically move them , without emotion. Find them annoying, blow in their face or move them (gently) away. You can escalate with water spraying.

_jal 6y ago

My cats get fed when I start making dinner. They're really mellow about feeding time, I think it is that there's only an approximate time and that it is tied to me feeding me, they don't get neurotic about it. The worst stupid cat trick I've put up with was one who would dart outside if he got the chance. Problem was, he had never been an outdoor cat, was pretty dumb, and would immediately panic and hide. Once ended up talking to the cops about breaking into my own house when someone saw me crawling underneath after spotting his eyes reflecting back at me.

mcguire 6y ago
"Once ended up talking to the cops about breaking into my own house when someone saw me crawling underneath after spotting his eyes reflecting back at me." One great thing about pets is the new people you get to meet.
- jacobush 6y ago
  You weren’t shot, so there’s that.
bloodorange 6y ago
I have long thought about how to solves this problem with my cats. I currently have a two-door setup (analogous to an airlock) and this is not a problem. Nevertheless, what I try is to teach them that anytime I open a door which was previously closed, they have to first sit and then wait for me to give them permission (I say a specific word) before they are allowed to pass through it. Until then they must be seated. Sometimes I open the door, go to the other side and do my stuff and get back and don't let them through. This also lets them know that they don't _always_ get to go through that door. If I see them make the first small movement as if to get up, a stern "hey" makes them drop that idea. Of course, there is no risk _now_ as they can't go outside from the 2-door arrangement but I may move to a different house some time in the future and that might be set up differently. Also in general, I don't want them to have a habit of running through doors that just opened.

bloodorange 6y ago

Some of your complaints stem from the cat(s) not having learnt what is and is not acceptable. They love to manipulate things with their paws and naturally many will try to swipe/push things and sometimes off ledges, shelves etc. You can teach them that that is not acceptable and they will learn. It is even easier to discourage such things from a young age. Also, it's good to never give them your food and make them learn that they never get food from you at any time other than their feeding time (barring the occasional treat) and always only in their food bowls. A lot of it is consistency and discipline. I've had multiple cats start the behaviour of swiping/pushing things off surfaces but it wasn't hard at all to curtail that. While I've raised a non-trivial number of them, I've never had a cat which considered that s/he got food when humans are eating.

clairity 6y ago
yes, they're quite clever and attentive. the cats i've had have always known what was in and out of bounds. just like people, some push the boundaries and other don't. my now 2-year-old cat is exceedingly and surprisingly mindful of all of my what must seem to be arbitrary to her rules around tables and scratching and such (whereas my former two cats were always sneaking behind my back and breaking the rules). the only one she routinely disobeys is munching on the plants. but that's partially my fault, as i always take too long to replenish the cat grass for her.

aahortwwy 6y ago

Almost all of these sorts of behavioural issues (with the exception of the food-motivated ones) tend to disappear when you allow your cat the freedom to go outside whenever it wants. They're not well suited to confinement and it always shows in their behavior. Sometimes they just get depressed and mopey, which a lot of people interpret as their cat "not minding" its confinement. Other times they try to relieve the soul-crushing boredom of their lives by knocking things over, yelling, or actively messing with you. Sure, you can "train" your cat not to engage in these behaviors (as other commenters note, however, they're smart enough to realize you're not always watching them) or you could just allow them access to the far more compelling activities that exist outdoors. They'll even choose to do mundane stuff (lie in the sun, poop) outdoors nine times out of ten. They just prefer being out. Reading some of the things people in this thread do to their cats made me sad, especially the people talking about techniques for preventing their cats from getting out the front door.[0] If you would never treat a human the way you treat your cat on a regular basis, that should give you pause. If it's "for their own good" you made a selfish choice in pet ownership. [0] An airlock system where the cat is required to sit perfectly still before you open the door? Don't they do similar stuff in actual prisons?

WalterBright 6y ago
I tend to agree. On the other hand, in my yard I often see coyotes, bobcats, eagles, and large owls. Any cat would soon be pining for the fjords.
leetcrew 6y ago
the indoor vs outdoor debate wrt cats is a timeless one, but I don't think the answer is so clear cut as you make it seem. in principle, I would like for our family cat to have free rein of the outdoors, but we don't quite feel it is safe for him. in addition to the local predators that actually have to work for a living, my parents live right next to a six-lane death road in the city. the speed limit is 30 mph, but people routinely drive in excess of 60 mph on the downhill side. I'm confident the cat can avoid vehicles moving at a reasonable speed, but that road is unsafe for humans, let alone cats. there's also the issue of housecats killing a staggering number of birds each year. tbh, this is not really a factor that weighs heavily on our decision, but it's something to think about. finally, many cats are rescues for whom living freely outdoors was never an option. imo, it's better to be an indoor cat in a loving home than a dead cat.

snvzz 6y ago

>cat likes to knock over your breakable things just cause it likes to see them smash Depends on the cat. One of my cats would walk super carefully as not to throw anything.

arethuza 6y ago

Our cat (we used to have two but sadly his brother died) was named by the breeder Purfedelis Tasmanian Devil - which perhaps gives some indication of his temperament. He is a bit aggressive with other people but is friendly and very affectionate with me (and to a lesser extent my wife). I'm definitely in the "love the furry little bastard" camp.