6 Things you need to know about cats before getting one
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2024
- If you have never had cats and are thinking about getting one, this is the video for you. I go over six things that you should know that normally do not get mentioned. They include: cat hair, sleeping issues, hiding, climbing, optimizing scratching posts and night activity.
Here is the link to the longer video on scratching posts.
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I hope everyone thinking of getting a cat watches your video. It will save frustration for the potential owner and give them realistic expectations and give them a happier kitty!!!
I hope so, Dianne! Thanks for the comment!
Thank you so much for this needful information. I made many sad mistakes with my cats and dogs and they suffered for it.
It is very true how unrealistic many are about their idea or reason for having cats. I hope this info will reach out to many people so that more cats will go to a loving home. Thanks again!
Thanks for your comment, Jennifer. We all make mistakes, but hopefully we learn from them.
I’ve had cats my entire life, 50+ years, I thought I knew everything, then I just stumbled on this channels and have watched 3 videos and realized there’s still more I can learn… I guess you can teach an old cat new tricks! 😂
I know! I learn new stuff all the time!
Good video, all very important points to realise about cats! My one year cativersary is coming up in May, and my catification is still very much a work in progress! I have a massive floor-to-ceiling scratching/climbing post with sleeping platforms (doubling as window observation perches) and hammocks, and it’s absolutely a hit, but even that is still a work in progress! The platforms, including the base and the ceiling tension top plate, are faux fur on both sides, and I have wood laminate floors, soooo… bit of a design flaw, not enough friction to keep it all securely in place and at the right tension (especially when my two giants hurl themselves up and down it and have fights at ceiling level) 😬 I’m going to get a rubber mat of some kind to go underneath/above, or maybe an adhesive carpet tile… but I have to take the whole thing apart to make that modification, so I’m going to try and also borrow an extra pair of hands and a stepladder to make it less of a painful experience! I think I’m also going to replace one of the hammocks with another platform because it would make more sense in the space/for how the cats are using it, and I’m only taking the damn thing down once, so I need to line up all the modifications in one go! And one thing leads to another… since I’ll have a spare hammock, I’m thinking I should get another smaller tree to go in my bedroom where I can make use of it…
I’ve got one good and sturdy tall scratching post/column they use multiple times every day (and one of them especially likes to sit on top of it and survey the room!), but lately they’ve seemed to want something even taller to stretch up against, and for whatever reason the doors and doorframes in my hallway seem to be the designated spot! Harvey (the biggest) can easily reach up to the doorhandles now and he’s still growing (Maine Coon), so I think I need something at *least* 40 inches tall for him, and located in the place where he most wants to stretch and scratch! Basically the tips you mentioned was already in my plan 🙌
Thanks for the comment,. Emma. The modifications you mention sound really useful. I'm sure they will improve the experience. Sometimes my cats slap fight up there, and I think I would be nervous if it was slippery.
I smiled all the way through this video because everything you're saying is so very true.
About 6 months ago, I adopted a cat that I later found out had been rescued from being tossed into a dumpster along with another cat. In the shelter, she was totally afraid of everybody and couldn't be held or touched. I visited her a couple times and just lay in front of the cubby she was hiding in, talked to her and eventually got to scritch her chin a bit. She spent 3 months under the bed and even now if you make any kind of a move that she sees as trying to pick her up, she's gone (vet visits have not been fun but the vets have dealt with her well). She was great right out of the box at using kitty boxes and (many) scratching posts and she's likes her approved perches better than the tables and counters, so I'm thinking she was in a home at some point but wound up living on the street. Now that spring is arriving she's showing signs that she want's to be back outside on her own. I'm feeding her raw food to try to satisfy some of that wanderlust.
I brought her home because I'm a single retired guy in a quiet building where we're only allowed to have one cat. I matched up with the type of home they were recommending, and I also love the personalities of Russian Blues.
She uses the whole co-op now but she still doesn't like people much. She still uses under the bed as a safe space, but she has a little donut bed on the floor near the edge of the bed in the sun where she sleeps most of the day (VERY nocturnal still and she's converting ME) but also loves to be petted there almost completely fear free. She's cuddly as heck in just that one spot. She's weird. 😼
I see her as a two to three year project that is going as well as possible. She'll probably never be a lap kitty who wants to jump up in your arms, but I'm pretty sure that we'll find that Russian Blue trait of DEMANDING attention and playtime. Looking forward to the day.
Sorry for going on so long but I've spent the last 6 months living this post and I'm happy for it.
I love the work you are doing with your cat, Al M! Those cats that really need patience are the hardest to find homes for. I'm so glad that she is improving, even if it is slow. Thanks for sharing!
@@9LivesToLive When I kept spending time with Margo at the adoption center, one of the volunteers said something about "this is not the cat that we would have shown you" because there were many friendly cats at there. I'll confess that the main draw for me was that she was a Russian Blue, but I also realized that with her rap sheet about not being good for a household with kids or other pets, I was probably her best chance. She had been at the center for a month so they were pretty surprised and happy when she got adopted (despite their loss of blood while getting her into my carrier. Only half joking).
It's so great that you did that!
We love your videos. It would be wonderful if everyone getting cats (always get two) for the first time could see this video. You are so right about beds. Find one you are sure they will love and it will sit empty for three months. Then comes the time when counting cats and one can’t be found: “You won’t believe where Mittens is sleeping”.😊😊
You are so kind, Suzette.
It's obvious you are a good Cat Daddy. I had a look at your 2-year old video about scratching, and you didn't suggest this. So I will... Those corners of furniture that are in obvious pass-through locations can be covered in strips of regular (clear) packing tape. You don't need "Sticky Paws", which are strips of double-sided tape and a bit expensive for what they are. Cat's, at least mine, don't care for the slick feel of the tape and move on. After a few months, you can remove the tape and they are none the wiser. Great video! I struggle with the cat fur and have a tape roller in my dressing area and a velvet-type wand in the laundry room. We adopted 2 sisters when their owner passed away. I'd love to catify our space more, or even build them a catio some day.
Thanks for the great suggestions, Diane!
Really good points, all of these! 😃
Thank you, Mette!
If I can throw in a shameless plug for the Toyota 4Runner of cat perch and scratching furniture. The name of the company is Purrniture and have a website under that name. Their workshop and store are in my home city of St. Paul, MN and their structures are very stable and indestructible, although a dedicated scratcher will eventually do a number on the carpet. They're pricey but you very much get what you pay for. They're also sold at Chuck & Dons if you have one of those around. They've been around for years and I now have three of their products in my place that my Margo loves to use. I'm a big big fan of their stuff so I hope this comment can stay up.
Thanks for the recommendation, Al M! Anything that helps cat owners find good products can stay up as far as I'm concerned.
Useful info, much appreciated
My pleasure, Nerina!
I currently have 3 cats, all black and white. I've always had old comfy clothes that I wear at home and I only change into my outdoor clothes just before leaving home and swap again as soon as I get home. No probs ❤😊🐱
Great strategy!
Loving any animal is a healthy expression that is…..doable usually for people who do not feel safe loving a possible human partner, due to past dark wounds for the human. This loving and unconditionally loving and enjoying of a dependent animal/cat is very healing. Even loss of them is a kind of safe healing experience for a human. Cats are people……but wiser more able to take care of themselves……while we learn from them. They teach healthy bonding, self-care and healthy timely releasing of….when loss occurs. Pain yes! But valuable internal growth for the human. They say that elephants linger and grieve a loss of one of their own. This is a powerful mirroring of healthy movement thru stages of our lives. I have buried many sweet pets..….in my back lot over the last 15 years. They were deeply loved AND appreciated.
Ahna. Atlanta. Ga.
Yes, animals can give us so much we sometimes forget. Thanks for the comment, Ahna.
Very nice info, I adopted a Rescue cat on december 12, and she is already settled much.
Thank you Francesco. I love your channel and your nice and honest approach.
Many blessings for 2024 and keep on posting your lovely videos, please 🎁🎀💥🎇🎆✨🍀❤️🙏
You are welcome! I appreciate your comment! And thanks for watching.
i have 4 cats and you are well said. totally agree with you.
Thanks, DZB!
I love that scratching post location 👀 Wonder how hard it could be to make one
Not hard at all. In its simplest version, a 2 x 4 and some sisal rope.
Lots of good points! I'd add something about throwing up. If a dog throws up, it's cause for concern and probably a trip to the vet. Not so much for a cat.
Yes this is a common thing especially for longhaired kitties. Also if you hear the kitty trying to expel a fur ball without it coming up it may need help with a home or vet treatment. 🐈⬛💗🐈💗🙀
Good point! If you have never seen a cat trying to cough up a hair ball it can be rather frightening.
thanks
You're welcome!
Question--you mentioned having 3 cats. What about the Torti? Thanks for the great tips!
The Torti is one of my girlfriend's cats. She has 5 (!) and they appear in my videos frequently because they are always doing interesting things.
Do you have any unfurnished apts that you might have for rent? I would furnish the apt myself. I really hope you do or at least unfurnished in the living room. I would furnish the rest. Thank you. I love my cats and would never think of getting rid of them.
No. Nothing for rent.
My babies like to lay on their sides and kind of repel around the couch. Any recommendations for something that they will enjoy equally but, won't damage the furniture? Thinking ahead for a new sofa
I have seen cats do that. I can't think of anything right now, but I'll post it if I do.
@@9LivesToLive Wonderful! New subscriber. Looking forward to information on the channel!!
I had to have my baby girl euthanized 6 months ago because she was dying of cancer. If you're getting upset about your cat scratching furniture or destroying anything, I guarantee that it won't matter when they are gone. I have several shirts that have pulled threads from her kneading me when I held her. I can't throw them out. I also don't want to get rid of the expensive recliner she destroyed with her claws. Those scratch marks are what makes the chair valuable to me now.
Sorry to hear about your cat! Thanks for the great reminder that they will not be around forever. We all need to hear that.
Your ideas and videos are pretty good. Would you like to make a video with a cat door for the interior door? We can send you one for free. Are you interested? Please kindly let me know if you are interested or not. Many thanks. ❤ PS: If you don't like my comment here, please let me know and I will delete this comment. Sorry in advance.
Not right now, Joy. I have an interior cat door already. Thanks for the offer.
My cat is unique. He is the first cat I have that just came in said nice digs. Social with anyone. I want to get his brother who was returned but my problem is I live in small apt n unless I put another cat box in my bedroom which I might step in getting up or kitchen I don’t have room for a second box. His box is right between the toilet n tub n so actually being older I can just sit n scoop right in front of me. I rarely have company. Can a second box go in the same room about 3 ft apart?❤
I would think so, as long as they are not right next to each other. Sounds like a great idea.
@@9LivesToLive rats, I got the second box n planned my trip 3 hrs away to get my cats brother. Just as I was packing for trip to my sisters n she told me someone adopted him the day before. 😮