I like cats. Really.
Jun. 22nd, 2002 10:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rushthatspeaksI do like cats. Said mini-cats are presently in a ball of sparring black-and-white fluff in the middle of the living room floor, which works nicely and is very cute. They are very cute all the time, really. Raphael is the one with the all black nose with a thin streak of white along one side, and Lucien is the one with the diamond of black on his nose inside a thin symmetrical border of white. They both have black backs and legs, white spats, white tummies, and green eyes, and ears ten sizes too big. They purr very loudly whenever they are petted, and they are very sociable and come to us to be petted often. Ruth calls them our devil-angel kitties.
Sadly, this is entirely accurate.
It is not their fault that they are five weeks old and composed entirely of rubber bands, and that, since last night was their first night in the house, Ruth and I are each running on less than three hours of sleep apiece. I keep telling myself that it is not at all their fault. It sort of helps. I'd start to drop off, and they'd hurtle over and under and around the bed, kitteny lightning, thumping all the way, and attack each other on my feet, or they'd find something to knock over I had thought was perfectly stable and I'd have to rescue it and put it on the counter out of their reach (our counter is starting to look like a refugee camp for breakables, and how I'll ever cook anything again I don't know), or one of them would find a way to get the bathroom door open somehow and get stuck in the bathtub and start yowling. And just when Ruth and I would start talking longingly of violin factories, they'd do something unbelievably cute and endearing. I am proud of the fact that it took me until five-thirty in the morning to become hysterical from lack of sleep.
By that time Ruth was pretty hysterical, too, so we took their litterbox and their food and water and blanket and a bouncy ball and put them in the book closet and put the kittens in and closed the door and put a chair against it and made sure the closet door had enough of a crack under it for air circulation and then the two of us passed the heck out.
I have been vaguely concerned ever since that this might be cruelty to animals, but have comforted myself with the fact that not doing so would have been intolerable cruelty to me. They seemed to do okay, and we let them out when we got up and they seem to still like us. Tonight we are going to remove everything even remotely breakable, movable, rustleable, or shakeable from the floor, and see if that helps; if not, I think we start training them to sleep in the closet. (I informed them that cats sleep twice as much as any other mammal and up to eighteen hours a day, according to the handout from the shelter, but they weren't listening.)
Anybody who has had kittens, is this in fact cruelty to animals? Any advice at all about how to live with two five-week-old kitties in a studio apartment without somebody going crazy would be much appreciated. How old will they have to be before they stop tearing madly around the apartment all night? Or will they ever stop?
I love them dearly, they're adorable, and they're taking years off my life. So it rests.
Oh, and I got a rejection slip for Crying Queen yesterday evening.
Angst-O-Meter: Not that high; about three. I'm just exhausted.
Sadly, this is entirely accurate.
It is not their fault that they are five weeks old and composed entirely of rubber bands, and that, since last night was their first night in the house, Ruth and I are each running on less than three hours of sleep apiece. I keep telling myself that it is not at all their fault. It sort of helps. I'd start to drop off, and they'd hurtle over and under and around the bed, kitteny lightning, thumping all the way, and attack each other on my feet, or they'd find something to knock over I had thought was perfectly stable and I'd have to rescue it and put it on the counter out of their reach (our counter is starting to look like a refugee camp for breakables, and how I'll ever cook anything again I don't know), or one of them would find a way to get the bathroom door open somehow and get stuck in the bathtub and start yowling. And just when Ruth and I would start talking longingly of violin factories, they'd do something unbelievably cute and endearing. I am proud of the fact that it took me until five-thirty in the morning to become hysterical from lack of sleep.
By that time Ruth was pretty hysterical, too, so we took their litterbox and their food and water and blanket and a bouncy ball and put them in the book closet and put the kittens in and closed the door and put a chair against it and made sure the closet door had enough of a crack under it for air circulation and then the two of us passed the heck out.
I have been vaguely concerned ever since that this might be cruelty to animals, but have comforted myself with the fact that not doing so would have been intolerable cruelty to me. They seemed to do okay, and we let them out when we got up and they seem to still like us. Tonight we are going to remove everything even remotely breakable, movable, rustleable, or shakeable from the floor, and see if that helps; if not, I think we start training them to sleep in the closet. (I informed them that cats sleep twice as much as any other mammal and up to eighteen hours a day, according to the handout from the shelter, but they weren't listening.)
Anybody who has had kittens, is this in fact cruelty to animals? Any advice at all about how to live with two five-week-old kitties in a studio apartment without somebody going crazy would be much appreciated. How old will they have to be before they stop tearing madly around the apartment all night? Or will they ever stop?
I love them dearly, they're adorable, and they're taking years off my life. So it rests.
Oh, and I got a rejection slip for Crying Queen yesterday evening.
Angst-O-Meter: Not that high; about three. I'm just exhausted.
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Cats
Date: 2002-06-22 09:50 am (UTC)We often keep our cat inside the bathroom with her litter box and food and a little towel when cat-allergic people come over to my house. While she is very grumpy for the first hour or so, and doesn't look happy when we let her out, she gets used to it after a while. It is by no means animal cruelty - you're giving them food and water and a place to sleep and a litter box, and you're not keeping them in there all day.
In fact, I recommend kind of making the closet the "cat room" if possible, keeping food and water, etc., in there and the door open so they can go in and out when you are home, so they get used to it when you have to keep them in there when cat-allergic people visit or when you and Ruth have to go out for the day.
Sadly, cats keep tearing around the house. My cat has a bit of arthritis and is nearing 10 now, and she periodically zooms around the house at 11:30 at night a few times a week. It gets a lot better after about the first year, though.
If they whine for attention and you give it to them every time they whine, they will soon learn that "whining means I get attention." So as hard as it is, try to ignore the yowls for a while. They will get the hint. Cats aren't dumb.
A few reccomendations: get a lint brush for your clothes. The dark hairs find their way to light clothing and the light hairs find their way to dark clothing.
If they are going to be indoor cats (safest for them), I would reccommend that if you don't want to declaw them outright, get (or make) a scratching post, a pair of nail-scissors, and a styptic pencil (stops bleeding if you make a mistake), and find out how to trim their nails from a book. Do it now on a regular basis. That way, they will get used to their paws being touched and their claws being clipped, and will not struggle and leave nice long welts down your leg like my cat does once they are old and set in their ways.
If they are going to be outdoor cats, just do the scratching-post bit.
Other thoughts: if you feed them dry food it is better for their dental health.
Make sure you pet and play with them each day, this gets them used to being handled in case you ever have to go to the vet's. Also if you can, get them used to people poking about a bit in their mouth. Older cats often have dental problems, and the cats that are used to having people poking about in their mouth have a much easier time with teeth-cleanings later.
Get catnip. It's fun.
In regards to the breakables: put a lot of stuff on top of the refrigerator. Refrigerators are pretty stable, and if my guess is right it would be kind of hard for the kittens to get up there.
I asked Jane, who also has cats, if she has any advice. She says that sometimes a ticking clock with a blanket calmed her cat down when it was a kitten. Also: "It's a little bit like having a kid. They calm down after a while but you just have to put up with it."
Hope this advice helps! *Merph* and hugs about the rejection-letter. Wishes for better luck on the next mail-out.
Re: Cats
Date: 2002-06-22 12:54 pm (UTC)In recent years, there's actually been a lot of controversy over declawing, and I'm not going to recommend that you do it. My grandparents had cats for years, so I've learned a thing or two.
There's a thing you can get called SoftPaws. They're sort of like claw covers for the cats, and they work quite nicely (and yes, they do come in kitten sizes). Considering that declawing actually messes up a cat's paws pretty severely (you have to remove a good amount of bone, not just the claws), I'd recommend this route if at all possible. And if you do decide to take it, best to start now. Best part is, if you decode you don't like it, it's reversible; just take the covers off. Can't do that with declawing. However, the kittens are probably too young for them just yet (they say 12-16 weeks).
Just a suggestion, of course. In the end it's your call.
no subject
Date: 2002-06-22 02:13 pm (UTC)We have bought them a scratching post, but I hadn't thought of nail clippers. I'll have to get some. They're exceptionally handleable cats-- I held Lucien by his back feet earlier this morning to try to keep him from attacking my hair again-- so it shouldn't be too hard to trim their claws.
They are also certifiably mental-- at least, Lucien is, as he spent most of the morning trying to a) attack my hair and b) sink his teeth into the side of my neck like a miniature vampire, purring all the while like a buzzsaw-- but what can one expect from cats, anyhow?
Re: Cats
Date: 2002-06-23 10:19 am (UTC)I personally think it's kind of cruel and better for them to keep their claws and just get used to handling. But some people are big on declawing, so I wanted to give you an unbiased analysis at first.
catnip
Date: 2002-06-23 03:16 pm (UTC)Because, well... if it isn't... I, um...