When your pets act like children...
Okay, I am really at a loss, so all you pet people, please help me..
Its my cat. I swear to God she does things on purpose to piss me off. I will be in bed sleeping and she will claw at my bed, wake me up and then I have to yell at her to stop, then I will just be getting to sleep and she will jump on my bed, start "playing" with my feet or my ears or my hair until I wake up.. then I yell at her again, which then prompts her to leap from the bed to the dresser and knock over everything on the dresser and look in the mirror and start meowing.
Then, she does laps around the furniture.. like a dog. I had her fixed. She is still like this. This cat is more work than my child.. she jumps up onto the fish tank and tries to "paw" off the lid.. she jumps in the shower after I get out and just sits there.. then she rolls over on the floor and then "sneaks" up on me while I'm on the computer, claws at the back of the chair and then scampers off...
I love this cat, but I'm tired. ANyone else have pets that act like kids?
Re:When your pets act like children...
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she jumps in the shower after I get out and just sits there..
My cat does the same thing..
She also rushes to the sink when I'm brushing my teeth or washing my hands in hopes of catching the trickling water. ;D
She chases me from behind and pounces on my legs everytime I walk by.
This is all normal playful cat behavior. Some can take it, others are just not meant to have cats. She drives me up a wall also but in the end, I love her and would not dream of getting rid of her. Have your cat declawed if it is really bothering you about the scratching. Good-luck! ;D
Re:When your pets act like children...
Cat Rules
I. DOORS
Do not allow closed doors in any room. To get a door opened, stand on hind legs and scratch the frame. You may also reach under the door and pull clothing towards you; silks get the quickest reaction. Once door is opened, it is not necessary to use it. After you have ordered an "outside" door opened, stand halfway in and out and think about several things. This is particularly important during very cold weather, when it's raining or snowing, or during the height of the mosquito season. Swinging doors must be avoided at all costs.
II. CHAIRS AND RUGS
If you have to urp, get to an overstuffed chair quickly. If you cannot manage this in time, get to an Oriental rug. If there are no Oriental rugs, shag is a good substitute. When urping on shag, be sure you project; it is a must that it stretch for as long as a human's bare foot.
III. BATHROOMS
Always accompany guests to the bathroom. (See Rule I) It is not necessary to do anything - just sit and stare.
IV. HELPING
If one of your humans is engaged in some semi-closed activity and the other is idle, stay with the busy one. This is called "helping"; humans are known to refer to it as hampering". The following are the rules for "helping": a) When supervising cooking, sit just behind the left heel of the cook. You cannot be seen and thereby stand a better chance of being stepped on and then picked up and comforted. b) For book readers, get in close under the chin, between eyes and book, unless you can lie across the book itself. c) For knitting projects or paperwork, lie on the work in the most appropriate manner so as to obscure as much of the work or at least the most important part. Pretend to doze, but every so often reach out and slap the pencil or knitting needles. The worker may try to distract you; ignore it. Remember, the aim is to hamper work. Embroidery and needlepoint projects make great hammocks in spite of what the humans may tell you. d) For people paying bills (monthly activity) or working on income taxes or Christmas cards (annual activity), keep in mind the aim - to help! First, sit on the paper being worked on. When dislodged, watch sadly from the side of the table. When activity proceeds nicely, roll around on the papers, scattering them to the best of your ability. After being removed for the second time, push pens, pencils, and erasers off the table, one at a time. e) When a human is holding the newspaper in front of him/her, be sure to jump on the back of the paper. They love to jump.
V. WALKING
As often as possible, dart quickly and as close as possible in front of the human. Especially effective places to strike are: 1) On stairs, when they have something in their arms; 2) In the dark; and 3) When they first get up in the morning. This exercise helps with improving their coordination skills.
VI. BEDTIME
Always sleep on the human at night. If there are two (or more) of you, book end the human putting off the greatest heat. They will try and squirm but your sheer numbers and inert bodies will effectively keep them pinned.
VII. COMPUTERS
1: Only show interest in computers that are turned ON, the operator will need your help.
2: Monitors are bad for human eyes. It might ruin your owner's sight and cause them to buy less cat food. Always get in between the monitor and the person operating the computer. For best results, stands as close to the monitor as possible. If you are removed, go and sulk in a corner for a minute, then repeat. Look as innocent as possible.
3: Keyboards are great to lie down on. Make yourself as comfortable as possible. Marching over the keyboard several times is fun too. Practice aiming at alt-F4, N, and ctrl-alt-del.
4: Always chase the mouse. Your owner can't blame you for this, since it's your feline instinct to chase mice.
5: Floppy disk make great scratching posts. Nothing beats floppies when it's time to sharpen your nails
Re:When your pets act like children...
Leave it up to Moj to grant us with another great laugh.... :rotfl: ;D
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Mojo.. you always make me laugh
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;) gotta be good at somethin
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Our cats pick on each other. But, not until we've gone to bed. You hear the bigger one chasing and jumping on the smaller one...you hear the smaller one dash away and take out everything in it's path...and the bigger one just follows along after her. They'll scream and hiss and fight all night.
Grey Girl (the smaller cat) likes to sit in the bathtub with the lights out and "sing" to herself. She'll also do this in the closet. She prefers to do this at night...I'm sure my neighbors love it as much as we do. :D
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My cat sometimes comes in my room and tries to wake me up too. I usually shut the bedroom door so she can't come in the bedroom at all- some cats may try to scratch the bedroom door to get in but my cat is declawed. (She was that way when I got her from a shelter.) Anyway I think keeping her out of the bedroom is worth a try. Also when my cat does try to wake me up I pretend to still be asleep which I think somewhat prevents it in the future-she doesn't get the attention she wants.
Your cat sounds a bit like my mom's fiance's cat who acts like a monkey- he jumps up on everything including shelves that are 10 feet tall. They still haven't been able to tame him much but I've read in cat books that if a cat does something you don't want- right afterwards you can flick them with a little water with your fingers or from a water gun.
It sounds to me like your cat is acting like that because 1)that's its personality and 2) it wants attention. I don't think it's a good idea to pick the cat up and give it attention after you yelled at it for acting bad because then it gets the attention it wants (petting) from acting bad.
How old is your cat? If its young it maybe the cat has lots of energy because it's young and that's part of its personality-my mom's fiances cat is like that and is 4. If the cat is old (maybe 8 or over) it could have a hyperthyroid condition. My cat is 9 and blood tests showed she's boderline hyperthyroid. She runs around alot which isn't as common for older cats (cats usually sleep more and are less wild when they're old) also eats and drinks alot. If your cat is old then it maybe worth a blood test from the vets since hyperthyroid should be treated.
I'm not sure if ignoring the cat or flicking w water would work but I think it's worth trying a few times to see if the cat starts doing it less. Maybe you could ask your vet for other ideas when you take your cat in for yearly shots.
I hope things get better for you with your cat Gynger.
That list is funny and true Mojo. I also heard on a Robin Williams comedy show- cats are like mini drag queens. They walk with their butts high in the air, swish their tail and butt, act really dainty licking themselves and doing other things and if they don't like somthing they'll throwup on top of it.
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I have spoiled my puppy Prince so badly that I don't know what he is going to do when I go back to work. I can't even leave him for a few minutes with out him crying. Cats are a whole other story. My last cat got so mad when me and my ex got back together that he urinated all over my gray leather love seat.
Re:When your pets act like children...
I have a dwarf girl bunny...very spoiled. The vet suggested only veggies, no pkgd. food. She decides one day she luvs something, the next day, eh? She luvs to go "shopping" when I opend fridge door. When she feel like ignoring me, being in another room, etc, fine. But the minute she smells an apple, yogurt, or other treat, she materializes out of the blue like magic. She also likes to push things around to make noise sometimes early am to wake me up, jump on my bed to "walk" on me, chew my hair, etc. She is paper trained, but sometimes chooses to forget, & likes to "train" me by choosing a non-paper spot.
Re:When your pets act like children...
Oh my gawd !! This is so true for my two....
As for what Mojo posted... hmm.. one of the cats in my household (the fat, black male one) definately has a version of these rules.
The problem with my household is that my flatmate's cat was already 4 or 5 years of age when he was introduced into the household with my cat being around 8 years of age at the time.
She really didn't like him for the first 6 months or so.. it wasn't pleasant at all. Now she just tolerates him.. still doesn't like him. Meanwhile, he likes her. LOL It's so funny... he doesn't know why he likes her but he does (he is fixed yet whenever cats usually are 'on heat'.. he tends to annoy my cat more and she is also fixed).
They act so much like children half the time ! I love my cat unconditionally.. whereas.. him.. the fat, black one.. I love him under the condition that he only pees in the kitty litter or outside. So far he has practically covered the whole unit so that my Queen (who I serve.. LOL!) is only left with a couple of spots that are definately hers (she never pees inside).
This is why I joke that I do have children... some of the things I say "Get away from Bibs.." "You go over there.. and you go over there.." "Stop annoying Bibs".. are easily stuff any parents says LOL!!!!
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Gynger,
There are two reasons for any behavior in any animal - either it's instinct, or it's been rewarded. Cats are nocturnal. Cats are playful. That much is probably intinctual, but it sounds like there is also a learned component in that she has learned to anticipate a certain response from you.
Trying to change this behavior will take a little extra effort and consistancy because it's partly instinctual and it's been rewarded on a variable basis. Any time we are responding to an animal when sleeping we are probably not being consistant. You roll over and put the pillow over your head and the cat learns that if she tries harder/plays louder eventually she will get the response she's looking for. That kind of reward schedule makes a very strong behavior - it's the same principle used with slot machines, people learn that eventually they get some kind of payout, so they keep going.
To chagne your cats behavior you need to be extremely consistent. Figure out ahead of time just how much bouncing and pouncing will be tolerated and exactly where "the line" is. When she crosses the line, get up and toss her out of the bedroom and shut the door. She will eventually learn that bad behavior = isolation and no fun. You can speed that association up by using a marker word. A marker word is a word that an animal learns to associate with a particular consequence, so that the consequence doesn't have to happen at the same moment as the behavior when you use the marker word. Ouch can be a good marker word (it's easy to remember when your asleep and the cat lands on your head). She'll learn that when you say ouch, she gets booted from the bedroom. She doesn't want you to say ouch, so she won't jump on your head.
Now, because this is at least partly an instinctive behavior, once she learns to stop it she will still do it, just to test things, probably about every six months or so.
Does that make sense or is it too much information?
Lena
Re:When your pets act like children...
When I tell my dogs to do something,they'll just throw themselves on the floor and start whining.How can I tell them what to do after that?They are so cute!!!
Re:When your pets act like children...
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Originally Posted by onlythebest link=board=1;threadid=13314;start=msg174383#msg174 383 date=1095056366
When I tell my dogs to do something,they'll just throw themselves on the floor and start whining.How can I tell them what to do after that?They are so cute!!!
With dogs.. teach them that you are the top dog or else they will walk all over you. Remember, dogs are related to the wolf... you don't have the luxury to be lax with them.
With cats, on the other hand, you may think you are the master ... yet anyone who has had a cat for any decent length of time will tell you... the training is the other way around. I learnt this from an early age that I'm staff to whichever cat(s) is/are in my life... ;D
Cats have staff... dogs have masters (or owners). 8)
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I know GCG,I was joking when I said that.I do feel bad when they throw tantrums or whine,but I am still assertive and they wind up doing what I told them to do,although it breaks my heart.LOL!
Re:When your pets act like children...
For those who serve (their cat(s) of course)....
There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned by cats. - Anonymous
Dogs have owners, cats have staff. - Unknown
As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat. - Ellen Perry Berkeley
Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God. - Anonymous
;D Some of my favourite cat quotes due to ALL of them being so damn true ;D
Re:When your pets act like children...
My cat learned quickly what my alarm going off meant... if my alarm went off, and I didn't move within a few minutes, she'd get up, walk over to me and bat me across the face (not with her claws out) until I turned the noise off so she could go back to sleep. It sucked, but it saved me from being late to class a few times.
I miss her SO much. :( Gynger, love that asshole cat of yours, even when she annoys you. lol
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My pomeranian is like a spoiled child. Constantly held, petted and played with.
She becomes very angry and barks up a storm when left alone. I swear she craps in the house on purpose when she's mad at me.
You cannot say the word W-A-L-K in front of her (unless you're actually going to take her for a walk) or she starts dancing all fancy in little dainty circles.
She is very loved by many people and we're happy she's part of our family.
Re:When your pets act like children...
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Originally Posted by MojoJojo link=board=1;threadid=13314;start=msg174072#msg174 072 date=1095017972
Cat Rules
VII. COMPUTERS
1: Only show interest in computers that are turned ON, the operator will need your help.
2: Monitors are bad for human eyes. It might ruin your owner's sight and cause them to buy less cat food. Always get in between the monitor and the person operating the computer. For best results, stands as close to the monitor as possible. If you are removed, go and sulk in a corner for a minute, then repeat. Look as innocent as possible.
3: Keyboards are great to lie down on. Make yourself as comfortable as possible. Marching over the keyboard several times is fun too. Practice aiming at alt-F4, N, and ctrl-alt-del.
4: Always chase the mouse. Your owner can't blame you for this, since it's your feline instinct to chase mice.
5: Floppy disk make great scratching posts. Nothing beats floppies when it's time to sharpen your nails
This is my cat right now and every freaking day!!
Funny stuff man ;)
Re:When your pets act like children...
Animals are so crazy, but you have to take the good and the bad.
I use to have a cat who use to get mad at me when I went out of town. When I would come back she would just sit over on the other side of the room and just stare at me and If I went to go pick her up she would cry and jump out of my arms and run away from me. She would do this for like 3 days until she got over it. When she wanted to get my attention she would go and knock over something. Other than her destroying things when she wanted attention, she was also my best friend at the same time. If I was really upset and crying she would run up to me and bite me litely. She didnt draw any blood but hard enough to make me stop crying....I had her for 18 years and I miss her dearly. I can go on and on about her....but I am starting to get teary eyed.
Re:When your pets act like children...
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Originally Posted by Cherie link=board=1;threadid=13314;start=msg174852#msg174 852 date=1095120123
Animals are so crazy, but you have to take the good and the bad.
I use to have a cat who use to get mad at me when I went out of town. When I would come back she would just sit over on the other side of the room and just stare at me and If I went to go pick her up she would cry and jump out of my arms and run away from me. She would do this for like 3 days until she got over it. When she wanted to get my attention she would go and knock over something. Other than her destroying things when she wanted attention, she was also my best friend at the same time. If I was really upset and crying she would run up to me and bite me litely. She didnt draw any blood but hard enough to make me stop crying....I had her for 18 years and I miss her dearly. I can go on and on about her....but I am starting to get teary eyed.
I'm hoping my best friend (Bibs.. my cat) will last that long.. she's 11 now.. and I keep telling her she can't die until I'm, at least, 40 ;D I'm only 26 this year.. LOL!
I can empathise tho'... there was another cat in my past who I still miss dearly. She was a teacher to me about life... and even in death she taught me something which served me well later on.
;)