Question About Cats? (to live, garden, safety)

[AlisonL]

Originally Posted by Pintada Kid

I Cats for instance you cant give them a Bath and about the only time they listen to you is when they are Hungry or want to go outsie

Dogs have masters, Cats have servants.

You can bathe a cat, but you have to start doing it when they are young. We had one who loved having baths, came in handy the night he came in and smelled like cat urine.
I have two cats now that are indoor only cats. They wouldn't survive outdoors as they are not used to it and both have been declawed.

[GregW]

I was considering having our cat declawed and when I mentioned it my wife commented. "Would you want anyone to take away your knives?" Instant reconsideration.

[Mike Horrell]

We had several Siamese for many years and while none liked being bathed, all
tolerated it because we'd trained them early on. Like Alison's cats, these never
went out so they didn't need to be bathed all that often and we stopped doing
so entirely after they reached about 16 years old. One made it to 19 but
we had to have him put down last year.

Our current cat was part of a litter rescued from a Panamanian trash dump by
neighbors who had a weekend home in the mountains bordering the rain forest.
Dora (short for Aspiradora; vacuum cleaner for her early eating habits) is
fascinated by running water and is completely impervious to the usual squirt
bottle training device.

Dora a couple days after rescue...



Dora just before we left Panama (don't have any good pics of her here..)





Tyger, a few months before he died (he thrived in the warm temps)

[AlisonL]

Originally Posted by GregW

I was considering having our cat declawed and when I mentioned it my wife commented. "Would you want anyone to take away your knives?" Instant reconsideration.

My cats came declawed. We inherited them when my brother in law passed away.

[songinthewind7]

Originally Posted by GregW

PK - word of advice - train yourself and your dog. You are responsible for anything and everything the dog does. In this respect a dog is no different than a gun. All dogs can be trained to do what YOU want them to do and what YOU don't want them to do. Please take the time.

Sorry Greg, gotta disagree with you on this one as far as being trained what to do and doing it.
Dogs can be trained to an extent but they have minds of there own and when they're onto something, they're not going to do what you want them to do. That's why you've heard to not allow a dog arond kids unsupervised and why dogs need to be leashed in public places.

[songinthewind7]

Originally Posted by GregW

I was considering having our cat declawed and when I mentioned it my wife commented. "Would you want anyone to take away your knives?" Instant reconsideration.

I wouldn't normally declaw a cat but if the cat is indoors all the time, unless you want your furniture ripped to shreds, it's best to have them declawed.

[AlisonL]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

Sorry Greg, gotta disagree with you on this one as far as being trained what to do and doing it.
Dogs can be trained to an extent but they have minds of there own and when they're onto something, they're not going to do what you want them to do. That's why you've heard to not allow a dog arond kids unsupervised and why dogs need to be leashed in public places.

I have to vote with Greg on this one. With the right trainer to guide you, you can have your dog respond to you and only you 100% of the time. Once you establish the fact that you are alpha, and not the dog, its very easy.

[catman]

Mike Horrell: Beautiful photos! Dora is extremely photogenic.

I'm against declawing cats even if they are strictly indoors. I have a "cat tree" that they love to climb. And if one of them ever got outside, he would be largely defenseless without his armament.

PK: So much for "I like all animals", eh? The poor cat on your roof was probably fearing for his life all the time. No wonder he cried. "Balance of nature", my eye.

[Mike Horrell]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

I wouldn't normally declaw a cat but if the cat is indoors all the time, unless you want your furniture ripped to shreds, it's best to have them declawed.

I'm going to politely disagree. I've probably had 30 cats over the years and none
of them has been a furniture shredder. Kittens can be a problem until they're
socialized but that's why God invented squirt pistols. The instant they misbehave
ZAP!! the Gods strike out of nowhere. Half a dozen loaded squirt pistols
salted around the house make perfect training tools.

[Pintada Kid]

The Cat could have left the roof or yard anytime he wanted to he was just there to bug me and my dogs. So we have Cat Lovers and Bears and Snake Lovers and Skunk Lovers what next? el pintada kid