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Desperately need advice
I posted earlier under "Cat tunnels" and included a link to a product
at Drs. Foster & Smith. It's a mesh tunnel that kitty can be in and get some outside time, but be safe. Closed on both ends. My little deaf cat is frantic about trying to get outside, and she's limber and fast....and determined. I normally put her in the bathroom when I'm going in and out, but last night we had a near disaster. A bad storm blew in, huge hail started, and I just wanted to know if the hail was big enough to gather the cats and head to the basement. I only opened the door a sliver, and she flew out. I had to get out in the middle of a storm to try and catch her, because she's in her own little world and doesn't understand that the world is dangerous. She's fearless. She was being pelted with hail and rain, and then the tornado sirens went off. She and I were outside during the worst of the storm (no actual tornado, but it was bad), and to her, it was just great fun and adventure. She even thought the hail and lightning was fun. Just fireworks. I did finally catch her and brought her back in...we were both covered in mud and soaked. But it scared the living hell out of me. She was happy as a clam. What I want to know, if anyone has experience, is: would getting one of those tunnels and letting her go outdoors once in awhile - with me - calm down her need to escape, or would it make her thirst for outside grow? She's a rescue and spent her first few months outdoors and apparently hasn't forgotten the adventure of climbing trees and such. The first time she escaped, she scaled a tree, then hung there, looking at the pit bull in the neighbor's yard, over the fence. The pit bull was going nuts, and she was just enjoying the view. She had no clue he would have eaten her in one bite. |
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Desperately need advice
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#3
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Desperately need advice
wrote in message ... I posted earlier under "Cat tunnels" and included a link to a product at Drs. Foster & Smith. It's a mesh tunnel that kitty can be in and get some outside time, but be safe. Closed on both ends. What I want to know, if anyone has experience, is: would getting one of those tunnels and letting her go outdoors once in awhile - with me - calm down her need to escape, or would it make her thirst for outside grow? Keep her in, get her window seats and such, and get in the habit of doing something that frightens her every single time you go to an outside door to open it. If she were not deaf, I would say a coffee can of marbles standing by the door, bells hanging from the knobs etc. What scares her? I really don't like the whole idea of using water as aversion therapy. But startling my cat worked to make her avoid the doors at all times. The doorbell rings or someone knocks and she runs and hides now. (Actually, what happened was, the last time she ran out, I was so terrified due to the busy street out front that I shrieked at her, "GRACIE, NO! and was instantly in tears." She is such a tuned-in little cat, she ran around the azaleas and back IN the front door to see what the hell was wrong with me, and never did it again.) She still enjoys her window shelves and watching birds and squirrels from behind screens, she just doesn't want to get out any more. She was 1-2 years old when we adopted her, is now seven or eight years old. It seems mean to scare them, but I cannot face the idea of her getting hit. |
#4
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Desperately need advice
Thanks, both of you, for the replies!
Yes, the story IS hilarious now, though at the time I was nearly hysterical. Usually the storms scare me and I'm in the basement, but this was all about getting her back in and my fear was focused. She's a real pip. On the scaring....NOTHING scares her except strange men (lol), but I can't hire men to stand at the door all the time. Pizza guys freak her out, but I usually put her in the bathroom when I'm expecting pizza. She does have a setup for birds - I have a regular birdfeeder attached to the window and she gets finches, cardinals and her favorite: mourning doves. Then in summer, I add a hummingbird feeder, and she LOVES those. It's actually a beautiful sight: she and the hummingbirds communicate. Somehow they realize she can't get them through the window, and they leave the feeder, go to her eye level and fly in place, just looking at her. Sometimes they dance around for her. It's brought me to tears more than once, because it's just spectacular. (I haven't been able to capture it on film yet...kind of like space aliens.) She also has her TV show (which I've posted about)...it's a tape of birds and squirrels, and she watches it about 5-10 times a day. (And then screams when it's over, and if I don't hop to and turn it back on, she goes to the pantry and flings things off the shelf until I do.) I once called a pet radio show, when I was trying to figure out ways to keep her off of certain things, and the vet suggested a pile of ping pong balls. I've never actually tried that (because the apple bad taste spray worked somewhat and I've built her some high shelves of her own - she likes to be high up and survey her queendom) I don't like the idea of water spray either, and I have this feeling she'd think it was a game besides. (She's the most unusual little cat) But maybe putting together a bag of ping pong balls, holding it above the door, opening the inside door, and then dumping them on her when she approaches might be worth a try. The radio vet said to make a pile of balls, and when she jumped on something, the balls would go flying and I guess scare her. I wondered if she wouldn't just think it was all a new toy. But I may give this a try. This is a cat that puts her mice in my iced tea when I'm not looking. I've had more than one mouth of toy mouse, and it's not a good taste. (But funny and sweet) BTW, I'll come out: I used to hang out a lot on this newsgroup under the name J u l s (spaces added for Googling) I just made up this email to foil a stalker (not cat related) I've got and don't want to use any names that could be googled. I don't know who all is still around from the "old days," but I've seen Phil P and Cat Protector (hi guys!). My first cat when I started here was sweet boy D m i t r i and then we adopted J a c k from a woman here who was dying. J a c k is still great..so happy. D passed away three years ago. The baby is J a s m i n e, although she's three now. She's still a baby and so tiny compared to her brother. I just didn't feel right posting without saying who this was. J |
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Desperately need advice
wrote The baby is J a s m i n e, although she's three now. She's still a baby and so tiny compared to her brother. Juls, she sounds really neat. |
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Desperately need advice
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#7
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Desperately need advice
On Jun 1, 1:05 am, "-Lost" wrote:
I do not mean to be rude in the least -- but being deaf, does she sound different than most cats when she verbalizes? Not rude at all. Yes, her vocalizations are completely different. I've read several things on deaf cats, and apparently they nearly always fall into one of two categories: 1) they rarely or never meow at all or 2) Like Jas, they have no volume control and everything is out of whack. It took her forever to stop screaming when she saw a bird, and sometimes she still does. But she's much better than she used to be. Her screams of joy sound like other cats' screams of agony - like you've stepped on a tail....but they go on and on. When I first got her, my other cat had a hard time getting used to that. She'd just be having a good time playing, start screaming, and he would go running to her, thinking she was hurt. He's used to it now, but I still don't think he understands she's deaf, because he occasionally will call her with a toy mouse in his mouth. And when she's saying "Hi, I need a cuddle," she has this teeny tiny mew that sounds like a six week old kitten. The mrrrrp must be inherited, because she does that like other cats. And she's very sensitive to vibrations. She can feel the toilet flush from another room (she's fascinated by the toilet and drowns her mice in it if I leave the top up), and I can get her attention with a heavy stomp on the floor. She also knows some sign language that I've taught her, but usually ignores it. (Unless it's the sign for hummingbird) I've had cats my whole life, and I have to say she's the most unusual little thing I've ever seen. So many hours of entertainment. LOL. |
#8
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Desperately need advice
wrote I've had cats my whole life, and I have to say she's the most unusual little thing I've ever seen. So many hours of entertainment. LOL. I want to see her! |
#9
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Desperately need advice
What I want to know, if anyone has experience, is: would getting one
of those tunnels and letting her go outdoors once in awhile - with me - calm down her need to escape, or would it make her thirst for outside grow? Because she is deaf, I would never leave her outdoors alone. Honestly I don't think I would trust my cat to a tunnel. I would probably want a secure structure or enclosure to keep her safe. Have you thought about harness training her and taking her out that way? |
#10
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Desperately need advice
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