General cat advice

hp3

Hi, I am almost new to having cats and need a bit of advice from some expert cat owners. We adopted our first kitten boy a couple of years ago, a great learning curve for me and loved him more than I ever thought I would. Unfortunately 9months later he had an accident outside and died on his way to the vets. After not coping very well (as I'm sure many of you will have been there) I decided never again. That was until my house was empty and felt the need to give another homeless cat a loving home. We adopted two year old cats last year who are amazing and very loving. We have a boy and a girl. Our girl is very confident and loves being outside, we have had a few gifts that we have managed to get off her before she can rip them apart through the house however, when I came home the other day she had killed a bird and left feathers all over the house and skinned body on the throw on the sofa. I know cats kill things and it's part of who they are but it's not nice to find and upsetting. I've therefore bought them both a collar with a bell on in hope it will stop her bringing birds home. Has anyone found this method successful or have any other advice for us? I am also due to have a baby in November and was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to prepare them for this or have any stories of success or unsuccessful things they tried?
Thank you

rising_from_the_ashes

Hi, so sorry to hear of the loss of your first kitten, it's absolutely the worst thing about pet ownership

Delighted you are now a cat slave again though!


Archie is a prolific hunter so sadly I too know the joys of presents ....


Are the collars breakable?

I have to say I personally hate them - even the breakable ones - as cats can get caught on things and have horrible accidents with them on

I don't think they're particularly effective either as when a cat stalks it moves so slowly the bell is unlikely to ring

Sorry ...

hp3

The collars are elasticated and snap release. She could probably remove it by pulling on it herself if she wanted to. She doesn't appear to mind it.

Oh dear, I might have to get used to it and not leave the cat flap open freely when the house is unattended then maybe I can at least try to filter some of the things she brings home and rescue if I can!

Thank you for your reply. Others have said they don't really work for cats who really hunt, as like you said they are so good at it the bell wouldn't move.

cavework

My 1st cat was chuffed to bits when my son was born.. sat next to the pram every day.. as he grew up the cat used to lie next to him on the floor when his nappy was changed.
They had a beautiful relationship for 12 years.
Be warned , I have had lots of rescue cats over the years and on both occasions when I brought my new born sons home , the cat at the time brought home a dead micky/ furry rodent . I think they were making sure the new arrivals were being fed correctly.

hp3

Eeek!I am warned.

My girl is very 'mummy' cat as she had a litter before she was a year old and treats us like her children so I'm prepared for her treating the new arrival as hers. My boy is very nervous with new people and sounds and looks for Tilly to guide him. I just hope their bond will see them both through it without too much distress to them. A few people have said we need to get rid of them which is not an option!

Thank you for the response.

meritaten

No, you don't need to get rid of the cats! what a stupid thing to say! just be careful when you introduce the new baby and watch the cats carefully to guage their reaction. some just ignore the baby, others feel they need to 'mother' it. I have never seen any of my pets react negatively. Usually they are curious, and want to sniff, then lick. (I used to take bootees off the baby for the pets to lick their feet - as its unlikely a newborn will put their foot in their mouths!)

Its using common sense really. the one thing I would never do, is to ban the pet from the room the baby is in. for one thing they need to be 'socialised' together. for another, it can make the pet jealous of the new arrival - and they are bright enough to place the blame for banishment squarely on the baby.
just be vigilant (which you will be anyway - I think I witnessed every breath my first baby took!), be sensible and give the pets as much or more 'loving' as they had before. Most pets take baby's arrival in their stride in my experience.

KxMx

The collars with bells can in some cases help cut down on the number of "presents", but nothing short of keeping a cat in 24/7 is going to stop them all together i'm afraid.

ERICS_MUM

hp3 wrote: »

The collars are elasticated and snap release. She could probably remove it by pulling on it herself if she wanted to. She doesn't appear to mind it.

Oh dear, I might have to get used to it and not leave the cat flap open freely when the house is unattended then maybe I can at least try to filter some of the things she brings home and rescue if I can!

Thank you for your reply. Others have said they don't really work for cats who really hunt, as like you said they are so good at it the bell wouldn't move.

This is what I did when my Eric was of hunting age. He's now retired from that sport at the ripe old age of 16 and a half, preferring to be a spectator of wildlife from the comfort of the kitchen window sill.

My most vivid memories are:

the skinned mouse at the foot of the stairs which I missed stepping on by what seemed a nano-second and one mm.

The apparently dead sparrow in the kitchen that suddenly rose from the dead and flew maniacally around the room shedding feathers and guano until I could shoo it out the back door.

The peculiar sound under the armchair which was revealed as a
small frog. Blimey do they squeal when scared - so did I ! I used the classic spider-catching trick to apprehend and remove it to a safe place.

Good luck - remember it's all worth it for the moments they sit on your lap purring like little motor bike engines !

Scrapaholic

I found the collar didn't make much difference and the cats lost them often. Have had all sorts brought in but at night the cats are in the kitchen and utility room with cat flap open . Presents were usually left in those rooms so slightly contained . Have had four grandchildren while we've had these cats . The cats were a bit curious at first but were fine . I never left a baby in a room alone with a cat just in case they wanted to snuggle in ! Best wishes to all .

z.n

Before children our cats had run of the house. Once babies arrived then we ensured the cats were behind a closed door until the children were older- and even then at night we keep the kitchen door closed as we found the cats would wake the children up. Be cautious with a new baby-just common sense - as cats will curl up with anyone or anything warm.