MY GARDEN IS PROTECTED !

[susieqz]

cud spent 14 hours outside, came in for a snack n went back out til curfew.
i think he is getting used to sleeping nights.

he is wandering pretty far.
this worries me a bit.
drifter is always within 75 yards of the house, so she is pretty safe.

 

[Redbert31]

I'm so glad cud came back though! I was afraid of what could have happened to him being out so many hours [emoji120][emoji120] is he able to keep food down now? I hope he's feeling better. Maybe he did catch something big and had a good meal out there somewhere. It's like being a mom when your kids are late coming home and your mind runs thru all the bad things that could be happening.... It's hard to control what happens when he goes out at night. And how scary it is when he doesn't come back as soon as he usually does. Thinking of you [emoji847]

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[susieqz]

cud spent most of today out again.
i think he has decided that he is no longer nocturnal.
when he plays outside a lot, he doesn't cry to get out after curfew.
looks like boys roam farther than gals.
drifter needs outside time, but doesn't go far.
in fact, she's in n out all day.
i pretty much answer the door every time a kit asks.
i was gonna stop doing this, but what if they want in due to danger?

 

[Salty RI]

We had a male cat that didnt come home for months at a time, he would show up, hang around a week or two and off again, we never worried about him, we just thought he was out having a good time. [emoji1]

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[les.b]

We had a male cat that didnt come home for months at a time, he would show up, hang around a week or two and off again, we never worried about him, we just thought he was out having a good time. [emoji1]

That sort of reminds me of me, (when I was younger, anyway)!!

But with cats, and living where suzie does, she has to worry about coyotes and other predators.

Best Regards, Les

 

[Redbert31]

I'd continue letting them in every time they ask... What do you have to lose by letting them in then... You never know what they've just seen out there or the reason they want to be in... As to cud, maybe the change in habits is just because he's finally fully matured... How is his behavior with drifter now?

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[susieqz]

cud n drifter still fight. i don't like it much, because cud is huge.
nothing i can do about it.
they play together, so drifter doesn't hate him.

cud acts like the world owes him a living.
he has been cared for by drifter n me for his whole life,
so he takes everything for granted.

drifter is more attached to me.
when not tending to important cat business,
she sticks to me.
if i'm in the living room, so is she.
if i'm in the bed room, so is she.
if i'm in the garden, so is she.

i find this endearing.

 

[susieqz]

THOTS ON CAT TRAINING

so far, i've found 3 methods that work :

VIOLENCE
yup, this works.
when someone tries to bite me or scratch me, they get whacked on the nose n yelled at.
i have only had to do this 4 times, in 2 years, so they learn fast.
since it's so seldom, they are not at all hand shy.
the problem with this is it must be instantaneous.
when cud ripped thru the screen to get in, a glass of water in the face would have taught him something,
but, by the time i got there, he was 6' into the house, so i could do nothing .
i don't do revenge.
i accept that cats act like cats.

BRIBERY
this works best.
when i call them in for curfew, they always come, because they always get a treat.
drifter has done this more than 800 times so it;s a habit.
she will come inside any time i call.
drifter would stand up on her hind legs n sing me a song if she thot she would get a treat.
unfortunately, i'm the problem. i don't know how to communicate that a reward will come if she does something.

TOUCHING
when i'm on the couch, drifter will come n stand on my legs n demand to be brushed, her fav thing,
i comply n after a brushing she naps between my legs.
this is as close to cuddling as she will allow.
drifter is still a wild animal that happens to live in the house.
cuddles will jump in my arms n get cuddled n brushed, after which he often falls asleep in my arms.
as i type this, drifter is asleep between my legs n cud is sleeping pressed to my chest.
today, this is very inconvenient because i have things to do, but i don't wanna disturb them.
i enjoy this cuddling as much as they do, but in the back of my mind, this is training.
it is important that they feel loved n comfy with me.
this training paid me big dividends.

one night, when it was very cold, both cats came n laid on my legs while i was in bed sleeping.
i really liked it. not just the warmth, but as they moved n their sleep, it was very comforting.
the next day, i racked my brains, trying to think of a way to train them to do this every night.
i couldn't think of any way to do this, but they came on my legs again n again.
every night they are on my legs as i sleep n it's great fun.
i now know they have been trained to do this by what we do on the couch.
they have come to think that being on me is pleasant, so they do it for fun.

anyway, that's how i train cats.
we learn this together.

 

[Redbert31]

Looks like you've got the cat training down pat! I think there's nothing else to say that I know is effective. You've got love, warmth, cuddling and they protect your figs. They've got you, a warm house, love and cuddles,food, treats and love... I'd say you've all got a very balanced happy deal going [emoji175][emoji175] keep it up. Les might have some additions. My kitties were never trained to do anything in particular. I was happy as long as they went potty in their box, were loving and didn't go out (it's suburban here but with coyotes, Fox and bear- and cars). Their rewards were warmth love food and treats and we were all happy. I'm still trying to train my youngest dog not to bark quite so much and to come to "here" (not only when he's good and ready.) And so it goes.... Have a great Sunday!

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[susieqz]

i was kinda hoping to hear other views on training.
i would like to put a screen in that window again.
i don't need silly tricks but i knew someone who had a kit that would play fetch.
i knew another kit who would whack a wad of paper when it was thrown high in the air. he never missed.
cats can do more than we think.

 

[Redbert31]

My daughter's kitty fetches. They started by crinkling up a"noisy" small sheet of paper, like Dunkin donuts tissue paper or wrapping paper. Throw it against the wall or up in the air till you find something that attracts them. They might bring it to you or not. Keep trying. Give a small morsel of treat if anyone brings it back. It may happen or it may not... It seems to be a"natural" move for those kitties who will fetch. Screens---that may not be possible considering what your kitties do outside. To make it less likely to scratch the screens, their front and back claws must be clipped close and often. I don't recommend that for you because they need those nails for survival. I think I once mentioned using metal screens that resist tearing and you said you had them. There are even stronger, heavier duty metal screens that may be able for you to re-do the ones that are most often torn up. Do they scratch on the screen to come in or to go out? There may be different barriers that would work- maybe an extra framed same size screen that could be made up of wood frame and placed/attached in front of the window on the side that gets damaged. This might be easier to replace occasionally than the real window one and be the"dummy" that saves your window one.... Just a thought.. I'm not sure how practical that would be. Screening could just be stapled onto a cheap frame and take seconds to "fix" or change if damaged. How you would fasten them against your window area would probably take some creative carpentry. Good luck! Let me know.... I'll ask my daughter any tips that helped her kitty to fetch. She's 18 and still does it, but started as a kitten.

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[susieqz]

thanks.
cud only cut thru the screen when he wanted in.
he knows i'll let him out when he asks, except at night.

it occurs to me that drifter may have solved the screen problem.
when she wants in, she scratches on the aluminum storm door, which i hear n let her in. lately, cud has started doing this too, so he knows how to get me to the door.
cud is smart. he saw how drifter gets me to open the door n learned from her.
drifter is smart because she figured this out first.
she won't meow outside, so she had to find a different way to attract me.

 

[Redbert31]

They're both smart in their own ways. Tip from my daughter with the kitty fetching... Take a tiny drop of cheese and melt it on the center of the paper you're going to crinkle into a ball.... Then crinkle it up and they'll smell the cheese and get interested. Ali thinks (and so do I) that bringing it back to you is just if the cat wants to... Except to have a tiny bit of maybe the cheese in your hand to entice them over once they catch or run after the ball. The side of a small paper bag works for making the ball also. It has to have a little weight so it will make a sound when it hits the wall to attract the kitty. Let me know if that works [emoji847][emoji175]

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[Redbert31]

Les, any ideas for Susie?

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[susieqz]

thanks for the ideas, red. i'll try.
a good game of fetch would be great fun.
probably something wrong with my basic technique.
i've never been able to train a dog to fetch n that's supposed to be easy.
too cold to go outside today, 15 degrees.
i told the kits it was cold, but they insisted on going out.
rather than fight about it all day, i let them out.
they were very happy when i called them in, 2 minutes later.

 

[BigBill]

All my cats are red dot laser trained as kittens.

Rambo when he was alive was a crazy kitten. He would run up the curtains in the living room thus the Rambo name. I seen a mouse try to run away from him zig zagging, by the third directional change the mouse was lunch. He wasn't a big cat but the size of a football and heavy but quick.

My yellow lab loves his frisby.

 

[susieqz]

red dot laser is a toy?

 

[BigBill]

The red dot laser pointer. Yup they can be found online cheap. Maybe eBay. The cats love it, even the dog goes after it. I keep it on the kitchen table they come up to me when they want to play. Just don't hit there eyes.

 

[susieqz]

ok, thanks.
ypu had me confused.
i have red dots on my guns.
you mentioned lazer training before, but i thot that was a metaphore.

 

[Salty RI]

My son uses a flash light for his cat, he shuts off lights and the cat will chase it up the walls.

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