Kitty on the screens??

[Crazyredhead]

I need some help here. My cat will not stay off of my window screens. (mad) I just got new screens for the entire house and in less than a week she shredded one and pulled the other out of the frame. I have put it back in the frame about 5 times but she keeps pulling it out. This is her way of asking to be let in.

I have tried the spray bottle technique but the look on her face is comical, it is the look that you would have on the Queen of England if you would have gone up and sprayed her. :eek: And it doens't work. I have even thrown a bucket of water at her through the window. But I feel abusive when I do it.

I have gotten some new screens from my neighbor, but I don't want to put them up for fear that she will ruin them. She knows which window to go to. The one in the living room, the one by my computer, the girls room (my youngest daughter is her slave. She will get up in the middle of the night to let her in).

I have seen the heavy screen that you can purchase but I really don't want to shell out the extra money. I simply refuse to get rid of her, as crazy as she is. Clipping her nail is like risking your life. She stays outside a lot of the time, I am afraid of her not being able to get away from a dog or other wild animal if she gets declawed.

I am open for suggestions. I would post a pic of her but she will not sit still long enough, she is very skittish and standoffish. The smallest noise or movement will set her off. I have had her for almost 4 years and although she is better, she is still a very nervous cat. But with all of these kids around I'm not surprised. If I had to give her up she would have to go to either a family with older kids, a childless couple, or a single person. She does not do well with other cats (she only tolerates the other cat, but only to a short point). She wouldn't do well with dogs, even small ones (she'd either fall over with a heart attack or she would try to kill the dog.) She wants to be the only cat and the queen of all she surveys. She is not vocal like most siamese but she will love you to death if you give her a chance. She is also very thin. The doctor said that she has a high metabolism. I have had animal control called on me several times by concerned citizens claiming that I don't feed her. Although she will gain weight in the winter she will lose it all in the summer and does look underfed. She has a constant supply of dry cat food and when I can afford it, canned food, so she is not hurting for food. She eats like a bird, except when it comes to canned food. She is fixed so I don't have to worry about babies. She hates my hubby. She has hissed at him on different occasions and would probably attack him if given the chance. My husband has killed one of my kittens for hissing at him before. :cry: He says that it was an accident but he threw the kitten again the corner of the chair and it didn't look like an accident. He broke his neck or his back, I don't know which and it really upset me. :cry: :cry: I won't let that rest. I am used to sleeping with cats but he hates it and will kick them out of the bed. She'll sleep with me when he is not here but when he comes home she will run.

If anyone has any suggestions I would be happy to hear them.

[LostMyMind]

I would say it's too late to get that her to stop. You could just not let her outside anymore, but I'm guessing that not much of a option either. You could electrify the screen until she learns not to do it, but I'm guessing that not a option for you either.

[Broomjockey]

I've heard the standard thing if you want a cat to stop going somewhere is to put sticky stuff on the floor, as they hate the feel of it on the pads of their feet. Maybe if you could find something to put on the screens that would stay sticky, that would work.


This reminds me of one time I was getting ready to leave the house one day, and I hear a noise on the front step. I open the door, leaving the screen door closed, and see a cat sitting on my front step (never owned a cat, never had a cat visit before, don't know where it came from). I wave hi to it, then I bend down to tie my shoes. All of a sudden, I hear a *thump*. Look up, and see the cat clinging to the screen, looking at me! Still tying my shoes, I ask the cat nicely to get down from my door, as I'll be out shortly. And it got down! 20 seconds later I leave, and he follows me to my bus stop about a block away, waits with me for a minute, swishes his tail, and walks off.

Wierdest experience I've ever had with a cat.

[Crazyredhead]

Actually I heard that a cat is a reincarnation of a person when they die. I don't know how true that is but I wonder sometimes.

[Trishlovesdolphins]

i have a few suggestions.

declaw, a lot of people find that cruel though, all 3 of mine are front declawed, and the deaf/retarded one is rear as well (she couldn't control herself, scars on my legs to prove it)

nail caps, at pet stores they sell these plastic caps you glue to your cats' claws, i think it would be hard to get the cat to let you do it.

spray, go to the pet store and tell them you want the NO! spray, or something similar. i used it on my dinning chairs when they were new. you spray it and it repels the animal for upto 5 feet. you would just spray the window sill, or even the screen. it lasts about a week or 2 on fabric, i dunno about window sills or screens.

loud noise, but if you feel bad dumping water on her, you might not like that either.

aluminum foil, our vet swears that cats hate the feel of it on their feet. but you might not like the way it looks.

[One-Fang]

:eek: I have no suggestions on the cat, but if I'd had your experiences, I'd be divorced now.

[Seanette]

Gotta agree with One-Fang here. If someone has such bad anger management issues that he'd kill a kitten for hissing at him, I'd be afraid to ask what he might do to a human being who disagreed with him.

Crazyredhead, I'm actually worried about *your* safety in this situation, let alone your pets'.

[CanadaGirl]

She hates my hubby. She has hissed at him on different occasions and would probably attack him if given the chance. My husband has killed one of my kittens for hissing at him before. :cry: He says that it was an accident but he threw the kitten again the corner of the chair and it didn't look like an accident. He broke his neck or his back, I don't know which and it really upset me. :cry: :cry: I won't let that rest. I am used to sleeping with cats but he hates it and will kick them out of the bed. She'll sleep with me when he is not here but when he comes home she will run.

:eek:

1. Most people who will intentionally hurt or kill small animals are not very good people.
2. Cats and dogs seem to have this inner feeling or something, letting them know who is a "bad" person or "good" person. If your cat hisses at your husband all the time, then maybe it's time for divorce-talking?

If my fiance threw my kitten against the wall and killed it, I'd attack him myself with anything I could get my hands on, then dump his crazy cat-killing ass.

[Tikki]

You could place strips of double-sided sticky tape on your screens. Twist it a little so that it'll stand off the screen and will have more of a chance to stick to her paws. She'll hate that. It will probably take just a time or two to make her swear off of screen climbing for life.

Oh, I have another idea. You know that stiff cellophane stuff that Easter baskets sometimes come wrapped in? You can usually get that in stores that sell greeting cards and gift wrap. Get a roll of the clear kind and cover the side of the screen the cat is most likely to jump on, using clear packing tape or duct tape to secure it. When she jumps, the noise will be so scary that she won't try it again. Or maybe just the sound it makes in the breeze will be enough to make her think twice and after a while, she'll forget about jumping up.

Redhead, it sounds as if you're quite stressed out right now, worrying about this cat, the dead kitten, your husband, money and maybe other things. I wish I could do more but I'll keep you in my thoughts and I hope things get better for you soon

[Kiwi]

can you spray a cat retardant onto the windows?

like the opposite of catnip?

[LadyMage]

There's an alternative to declawing: a tendonectomy.

That's where the vet severs the tendon that the cats use to put out their claws - declawing is VERY painful for cats because the claws are their toes - they need them to walk.

A cat retardant is either menthol or citrus, preferrably lime and lemon. Cats cannot stand citrusy smells.

[COMINATCHA]

One of my kittys is part siamese. When he was really young, he was the most stressed out, nervous cat ever. He was so stressed (about what, I don't know) that he started losing his fur. We took him to the vet and she prescribed drugs, and a special diet for him. He improved so much, I couldn't believe the difference.

LadyMage, I agree that going to the extreme of declawing seems a bit cruel...but they do put them asleep before they do it though, right??

[Crazyredhead]

The kitten incident happened about 10 years ago and it hasn't happened since. He said that it wasn't intentional. But as I said, I will never let that rest.

[Ree]

:eek: If your cat hisses at your husband all the time, then maybe it's time for divorce-talking?I would be concerned about someone who would be so angry that he would toss a kitten in a rage and accidentally kill it. :(

The thing is, though, none of us know Crazyredhead's marital situation, so don't you think it's a little presumptuous for a person to be advising divorce based on the fact that a cat hisses at her husband?

Crazyredhead has children. I assume he has never hurt your chidren or you in a rage?
Am I right in assuming that this was one isolated incident 10 years ago?

It was a horrible thing to do and I know it must hurt, and I can completely understand why you will never let go of it.
I will, however, reserve any judgment and dispensing of advice and just say that I am very sorry it happened, (and I assume your husband is, as well?)

[Trishlovesdolphins]

This was supposed to be the qoute about the putting them to sleep before declaw... i f'ed it in the a apparently.


oh yes, they are. and most competent vets wont do it if they're more than a year old unless there is a good reason why, not just "we got new furniture, take em out". after that they have more pain and will remember, as well as take longer to heal. my vet did slate's back claws after she was a year old, but told us the only reason she agreed to do it was because we had tried everything to help her learn but nothing worked.

also, when a cat is declawed, you don't let them out. they won't be able to climb to get away from dogs as easily if at all. my 2 that are front declawed (fubar we had declawed, and higgins was already declawed when we took him in) are only allowed on the front or back porch and only if we're out with them. they do pretty well sitting there.

and everyone is correct when they say its painful, however, after they're healed its ok, and fubar and slate haven't had any personality changes or even mind people rubbing their feet, in fact, slate love to be rubbed on the feet so much she'll put them in your face till you do, then fall asleep with in 3 mins. so cute... i really should get that on video. Fubar's did get infected, but he's such a person cat he slept in the litter box because he didn't like being locked in the tiled bathroom (better than carpet on healing feet)

[LadyMage]

LadyMage, I agree that going to the extreme of declawing seems a bit cruel...but they do put them asleep before they do it though, right??

Yes, they do; it is a surgical procedure.

Still recommend the tendonectomy though; same effect as a declaw but nothing gets removed. They just won't be able to put out their claws anymore.

[Trishlovesdolphins]

i wish i had known about that when we have fubar declawed.

[Crazyredhead]

...none of us know Crazyredhead's marital situation, so don't you think it's a little presumptuous for a person to be advising divorce based on the fact that a cat hisses at her husband?

Crazyredhead has children. I assume he has never hurt your chidren or you in a rage?
...I am very sorry it happened, (and I assume your husband is, as well?)


Thank you Ree. Although he has said that he was sorry, it hasn't changed his feelings towards cats. He dislikes cats. We are different in this area very much. I was raised with cats in and outside of the house. I used to sleep with kittens and cats (which is why I don't move when I sleep). I have had, at one time, at least 6 siameses in the house and aout 14 outside. Me and my mom had a soft heart for cats. Including a German Shepard outside and a poodle inside. They all were fed and well taken care of. The cats inside were all female siamese. My mum used to breed them and sell the kitten.

My hubby was raised the baby of four brothers. They had cats but were always outside. He was not raised with them nor was close to any. I am used to cats and if they are on the table or the counter it doen'st bother me. I am a cat magnet, and my two daughters are the same way. I thing of my kitties as one of my children. I have even been adopted by the neighbors cat and she won't leave my house.

I have actually sat down and tried to come up with things that me and hubby have in common, and I have only one thing, well five, out kids. I am laid back and take things as they come, he is a control addict and has to plan everything. But I love him, very much. He has never struck me or the kids out of anger. He has disciplined them and yes he uses a belt, as I do sometimes. Even though he can be verbally abusive at times, it is due to stress. He is a good man, he takes care of his kids and me. I don't work. Not because I don't want to, but mainly cause I don't have to. I know it is hard to understand this but I do love him. If you were a fly on the wall, you all would say to divorce him and leave his stupid ass. I have been told that he is an ass hole, and I have even said it as well.


*EDIT-No need to quote whole post.

[protege]

Replacing screens suck. Even though my cat lives outside, he still managed to ruin the kitchen door screen. Whenever it was feeding time, he'd try to 'stand up' to look into the kitchen. I didn't have to do much to get him to quit that--just a swat on the tail, and a firm "Bad kitty!" and he eventually stopped. If you do this, you just want to startle the cat, *not* hurt it.

Fixing the screen was annoying, but not difficult--just remove it from the door, pop off the retainers, and replace the mesh.

I'm not for declawing cats either. My feeling is, if they get outside, they'll need the claws not only defend themselves, but to hunt, or to escape trouble. That's why my cat still has his claws...even though he scratched the living shit out of me when I took him to the vet.

[Bella_Vixen]

A cat retardant is either menthol or citrus, preferrably lime and lemon. Cats cannot stand citrusy smells.

Not mint. Mint is related to catnip, and we KNOW about that. Citrus should work...unless you have a cat like my Emily. She LOVES oranges! I've seen her dive into garbage cans to eat the peels. Rookie, on the other hand, HATES oranges and will run away when I start peeling one.

[Barefootgirl]

Declawing cats is illegal over here, thank goodness (although docking dogs' tails isn't, which seems to be much the same thing). I have two cats and my house isn't scratched to bits. A tendonectomy sounds more humane than de-clawing, but is still dubious if the cat goes outside, as she needs to be able to defend herself against other cats at the very least.

One thing you might try with the screens is strips of wide double-sided sticky tape placed at claw level. Cats really hate the sticky feeling on their paws. Combine the sticky tape with a good supply of scratching posts indoors (impregnated with as much catnip as you dare) and she might decide that there are better places than the screens to exercise her claws.

[Bella_Vixen]

I got Rookie declawed when she was 1-2 years old. I didn't want to, but I was living at my Grandmother's house and she made me. Emily is NOT declawed, in face I had to sign paperwork when I adopted her saying that I would not get her declawed.

Once when I was very young, one of my sisters got one of her cats declawed. When she brought the cat (I think it was Witchcraft. Becks?) home, his paws were BLEEDING! I never was a huge fan of declawing even at that young age, and that brought it home even more. I fought to keep Rooks from getting declawed, but Grams said if I didn't, I couldn't keep her, and Rookie is emotionally dependant on me.

[LadyMage]

Not mint. Mint is related to catnip, and we KNOW about that.

That I didn't know...when I still had Finster, he'd run like the wind from me if I had so much as a trace of VapoRub or tiger balm on me. Bugger despised menthol/eucalyptus smells. And hissed if you used lemon scents near him.

[Becks]

Once when I was very young, one of my sisters got one of her cats declawed. When she brought the cat (I think it was Witchcraft. Becks?) home, his paws were BLEEDING!

:thinking hard: Yes, I do believe it was Witchcraft. A possibility that it was Gizmo, though.

In a way, I'm glad that Milenko ran away* (she was a barn cat that I'd adopted...prettiest cat besides Bella's Rookie) before I was forced to have her declawed.


*Milenko ran away because she was in heat. I was saving up money for the trip to the vet to get her fixed...

[Trishlovesdolphins]

i didn't want to get mine declawed either, but in retrospect, i would do it again if i had to. the pain doesn't last a life time, and i'd rather be able to keep them inside than be able to let them out unattended and be hit by a car, stolen, or killed by some freak. granted its not the ideal situation, now that i know about the tendon thing i'll research that if the topic ever comes up.

people are making it sound like anyone who has their animal declawed is cruel. i'm not cruel. declawing was my last resort, i didn't want my cats to run outside all the time because they would scratch up things if they were left inside without supervision (you know they do everything they know they're not supposed to when you're away) you never know what could happen to them outside, predators, pet theives, rabid animals, all kinds of bad things could happen

i researched the topic, researched the vet, asked questions, and after talking with my vet, who by the way has a small farm with tons of cats, all the indoor ones are declawed, i decided that while temporarily it would hurt my cat in the long run it was better for them. one of the reasons i like my vet so much is because she is so careful to make sure that the procedure is done correctly, and as fast as possible to limit the pain, and time under anesthetic.

granted, i don't think that they should be rear declawed, there is no reason any animal shouldn't be able to defend themselves, unless like Slate's case, they are unable to control them. We tried not having her rear declawed but she kept hurting us, the other cats,visitors including kids, and even herself, she would scratch too hard and cut up her ears because she couldn't figure out how to retract her claws (part of her brain damage apparently) she's such a cuddler, it wasn't fair to her not to be able to have as much love as she wanted or anyone else who was scratched DEEP when they picked her up because she couldn't retract. which was the only reason my vet agreed to do it, she very rarely does rear declaws and before slate had never done one on a cat as old.

i'm not saying that you're irresponsible to declaw or not, just that as with any medical procedure, in an animal or human, you weigh the good and bad, you get as much information as possible and make your decision and not everyone will agree with your decision is doesn't matter what you decide.



BTW if Bella and Becky, if your cat was brought home bleeding, that's bad. they shouldn't have been sent home. my vet wont allow any animal to leave her office if their stiches aren't set and secure because they could get infected

[protege]

My cat still has all of his claws. He's an outside cat, and needs them to hunt, as well as his protection. Nearly everyone I tell this thinks that he'll instantly rip up any furniture or drapes he comes across. After 12 years, he hasn't done any of that. He will though, "paw" the recliner he's allowed to sit on. He never did that to Grandma's couch, the other (nice) recliner, or even the rugs. I'm not sure why, but he leaves the drapes alone. He knows he'll get spanked (not hard, just enough to startle him) if he attacks the drapes.

[lordlundar]

I remember when we got our cat declawed. He was a fighter before (and I had the claw marks to prove it:D ) and he still was. He just changed tactics and used his back claws to fight. Left deeper marks too.:devil:

If the pain is the issue, I'd look into laser declawing. It's a lot more expensive, but the pain is non-existant and there's no real wound. The vet also doesn't hve to cut so deep.

[Banrion]

Cellophane & double stick tape are both good suggestions. Also, is it at all possible to maybe install a kittydoor so that she can come and go as she pleases?

My kitty Keelin (my avatar) is not declawed, and we got her from the MSPCA almost a year ago, she is 5 now. It took us less than 3 days to teach her where she could and could not scratch when we brought her home, but we used a squirt bottle, and she responded to that every time. My kitty is not siamese though (a very nervous and finicky breed), and she has gotten used to us clipping her nails. If you could get a hold of her long enough to give em a clip once in a while, they wouldn't be sharp enough to cut the screen. Best of luck to ya CrazyRedHead, just remember that cats are very independant and stubborn, sometimes just takes some patience.