Post by Shawn on Dec 12, 2016 21:48:09 GMT -5
I've got a cat that I'd like to boot into the next county. (Ok, that's the toned down version. )
We have a female cat that we've had now for 2 years. She's probably at most 4 years old. She goes in and out of the house at will. She is fixed, but not declawed.
She apparently thinks we are her personal door people. For ex. she goes out in the evening, then about 3:00 AM she wants back in. We had a chair or BBQ grill by the window, at first she would sit on that and scratch the screen. I tried squirting her with water. I got her twice and now she scratches and runs. I've been able to break every other cat we've had of window screen vandalism with a squirt bottle, but not her. So we moved stuff, but she just leaps up and then is gone before you can discipline her. So after we did this for weeks, I changed tactics.
A year ago September DH was gone for several days, so I would go to the back door, catch her coming in, and take her to the garage (detached) and shut her in. Ok, after a couple times of this she would run away from the back door. So I'd let her in, but have the mudroom doors shut so I could corner her to catch her. Then I just started taking her to the garage before I went to bed. (See the theme here, a very smart, in an irritating way, cat)
So this treatment seemed to get my point across for a while. She would do pretty good about staying off the window for a week or so, then we'd have a refresher course in the garage. Rinse and repeat.
Then she started in again and it seems no amount of "retraining" makes a difference. And combine that with menopause and me not being able to fall asleep for an hour or so afterwards and you have an almost (cat) homicidal mentality. So I suggested having her declawed. DH had a fit. Can't do that to her, she's too old, etc. etc.
Fast forward to this last week or so and DH put up a guard on the window screen. It's a metal grate that protects the screen etc. So now instead of just the window screen sound, it bangs and clangs against the house so that NO ONE can sleep through it. Oh, and did I mention that sometimes she comes in at 3:00 and she eats and if the weather's nice, she wants you to let her back out in an hour!!*^^&**!!
So, after a banging, clanging night on Saturday, I heard DH "talking" to said cat. He said "I think we're going to have you declawed, mom was right." I didn't even turn around. I thought, hmmm, interesting how it was a terrible idea when it was only me being bothered. Last night she did it at 3:00 AM. Then she would run from the door when DH would try to catch her (he doesn't know the old trap in the house trick) and so we went through this until 5 when I finally let her in. I was awake for 2.25 hours. Just lovely.
I told DH we could put the cat carrier in the bathroom and shut her up each night, but she might yowl. If she does, I'd take her straight to the garage (in the carrier) and maybe that would get our point across. But other than a bullet, which I'm not totally against at this point , or the declawing, any other thoughts or solutions?? I told DH I would spend the $$ to declaw her in a heartbeat, but he gave me pause when he said "I wonder what she might do next?" At this point I'm starting to feel like I'm living with a terrorist...
We have a female cat that we've had now for 2 years. She's probably at most 4 years old. She goes in and out of the house at will. She is fixed, but not declawed.
She apparently thinks we are her personal door people. For ex. she goes out in the evening, then about 3:00 AM she wants back in. We had a chair or BBQ grill by the window, at first she would sit on that and scratch the screen. I tried squirting her with water. I got her twice and now she scratches and runs. I've been able to break every other cat we've had of window screen vandalism with a squirt bottle, but not her. So we moved stuff, but she just leaps up and then is gone before you can discipline her. So after we did this for weeks, I changed tactics.
A year ago September DH was gone for several days, so I would go to the back door, catch her coming in, and take her to the garage (detached) and shut her in. Ok, after a couple times of this she would run away from the back door. So I'd let her in, but have the mudroom doors shut so I could corner her to catch her. Then I just started taking her to the garage before I went to bed. (See the theme here, a very smart, in an irritating way, cat)
So this treatment seemed to get my point across for a while. She would do pretty good about staying off the window for a week or so, then we'd have a refresher course in the garage. Rinse and repeat.
Then she started in again and it seems no amount of "retraining" makes a difference. And combine that with menopause and me not being able to fall asleep for an hour or so afterwards and you have an almost (cat) homicidal mentality. So I suggested having her declawed. DH had a fit. Can't do that to her, she's too old, etc. etc.
Fast forward to this last week or so and DH put up a guard on the window screen. It's a metal grate that protects the screen etc. So now instead of just the window screen sound, it bangs and clangs against the house so that NO ONE can sleep through it. Oh, and did I mention that sometimes she comes in at 3:00 and she eats and if the weather's nice, she wants you to let her back out in an hour!!*^^&**!!
So, after a banging, clanging night on Saturday, I heard DH "talking" to said cat. He said "I think we're going to have you declawed, mom was right." I didn't even turn around. I thought, hmmm, interesting how it was a terrible idea when it was only me being bothered. Last night she did it at 3:00 AM. Then she would run from the door when DH would try to catch her (he doesn't know the old trap in the house trick) and so we went through this until 5 when I finally let her in. I was awake for 2.25 hours. Just lovely.
I told DH we could put the cat carrier in the bathroom and shut her up each night, but she might yowl. If she does, I'd take her straight to the garage (in the carrier) and maybe that would get our point across. But other than a bullet, which I'm not totally against at this point , or the declawing, any other thoughts or solutions?? I told DH I would spend the $$ to declaw her in a heartbeat, but he gave me pause when he said "I wonder what she might do next?" At this point I'm starting to feel like I'm living with a terrorist...