kittens and benchtops...

quote:Originally posted by swaggie

We have a 15 week burmese with us now, and she has been doing it too, I think because the breeder let her[}]

Sorry to tell you Swaggie I think it is a breed thing. We have a 3 year old burmese boy and a 6 year old new (to us) girl. They know they aren't allowed on the bench but the need to be in a high place is more important than the threat of punishment. The boy closes his eyes and pretends he isn't there and the girl runs for it so they both know, they just chose to ignore.

Kate, we had a cat that used to jump on the bench all the time. So one day we made this concoction of bacon rinds, chilli, pepper, and anything else we could lay our hands on. We put it on the bench and waited. The cat came along and devoured the lot!

She also ate the top of our wedding cake while it was cooling.

According to the vets our kittens are about 4 months old. Our vet will de-sex them any time after they're 1kg.

So they may squeak forever? What a nightmare [][] Maybe Max will teach them something a bit more sensible, although all he's done so far is yowl which isn't really an improvement.

Digby - that was mean. Poor little cat - the thing is, did it work?

We've got a multi-storey scatching post thingy but the kittens are up and down onto the deck and onto my herb garden (now an ex-herb garden ) and onto the raised vegetable plot so I can't see that the scratching pole is too bad...

I thought they may be a bit grumpy when I got them home but they all tried to sit on my feet as I was putting the cage aways and they all rubbed against me and purred [][] I know it's really because they want to be fed but it's very sweet [][)]

I'll let you know how the training is going...should be good for a laugh.

Cheers
Kate

Kate - no she still kept on jumping on the bench.

When we got our present cat neutered I asked the Vet if he could also chop off the cat's legs to stop it hopping on the bench.
The vet said it wasn't normally part of the procedure ... hence we have yet another bench hopping cat.

BUT HE IS NOTHING compared to the dog that will nick biscuits off the table if you leave a chair out.[xx(]

Yep dad had a GSD that helped himself to apples out of the fruit bowl!

And I was told a story by someone whose cat nicked the Christmas turkey whilst it was 'resting' on the benchtop, the last they saw of it, it was being pulled out of the catflap!!

quote:Originally posted by Kate

So they may squeak forever? What a nightmare [][] Maybe Max will teach them something a bit more sensible, although all he's done so far is yowl which isn't really an improvement.

Our Faye never miaowed at all really. She would open her mouth and nothing would come out. Occasionally there would be sort of a strangulated croak but never a proper miaow. She had a very faint purr as well which you could only really hear if you put your ear on her side.

The benches and tables thing, we used the stern No followed by the putting on the floor routine, sometimes a gentle tap on the nose if one was about to launch themselves from chair to table and in the main that worked at least while we were watching. When not around, anything is permited, as judged by the thump noises coming from the kitchen as they jump down when they hear you coming down the hall. We just made sure that nothing was ever left that they could eat so it became boring, and we tried to be consistent.

quote:Originally posted by wino

quote:Originally posted by swaggie

We have a 15 week burmese with us now, and she has been doing it too, I think because the breeder let her[}]

Sorry to tell you Swaggie I think it is a breed thing. We have a 3 year old burmese boy and a 6 year old new (to us) girl. They know they aren't allowed on the bench but the need to be in a high place is more important than the threat of punishment. The boy closes his eyes and pretends he isn't there and the girl runs for it so they both know, they just chose to ignore.

Do yours frown as well? Esp whilst maintaining a solid glare in your direction (or whatever is cheesing them off).... talk about make me laugh they do.

We have a senior death row blue russian as well that was obtain as an adult from a breeder. She used to do the bench thing, however as she is timid she listened very quickly to being told no, and would jump off. Now she is just too fat.... to leap onto anything except her cushion on the verandah.

Sod the bench, I want to know how to keep the critters off my car! They use it for a leaping platform so they can hop up on to the tilting garage door. Every now and again they get a free ride when I close it.

My cats know they are not allowed on the benchtops, and they don't go on the benchtops when I am around, however when I am out of sight they do jump up. If I catch them up there I chase them out of the house clapping my hands at them and they run [}] but it doesn't stop them going up there again. I never leave food out, but sometimes there may be a plate or cereal bowl waiting to be washed, and the cats are more than happy to do this

LP

MM just weighed the kitten, its over 2.5kg, so I guess it is older than I first though, so bits choppped off on monday for it, poor thing.

Hi
I use pepper on the bench when they are big enough to get up there. Some just never stop but the pepper has worked for moat of them over the years. If I find footprints on the bench now it is a safe bet that there is a mouse residing behind the oven . The pepper is a pain coz you hav to clean it off before you use the bench and its not something I enjoy doing before the morning coffee but it does work. Does the squeaking thing mean it is part siamese?

OOer Moggy! It'll be fine! lol!

Kate if you think thats a problem, maybe you should spare a thought for me and BD, sharing a king size bed with 2 dogs and 3 cats. I wake up some mornings in such an impossible position that I wonder if I shall ever be able to straighten up, and having slept with only a 2 inch strip of covers wondering whether I have frozen into that position!

Hi Kate,
Just wondering how you domesticated your wild kittens?? I have just been given a fiesty little girl for a 'pet' this morning - she is about 6 weeks old by the look of her and is currently in the carry cage for the MIL's cat. She has been given some cat food (which she scoffed) and is sleeping on one of my old farm shirts to get used to my scent....have you got any advice from your experience with your 3??
Thanks,
Karey
Dargaville.

Hi Karey

You'll have lots of fun [8D]

We just fed our kittens, didn't confine them and spent time with them quietly until they got used to us. They were confined to the laundry and until we put in the cat flap the door to the garden was always open for them. If I walked towards them they would run away so I just sat down some distance from them and waited for them to come to me. I'd take a book to read and they'd soon get curious and come over to sniff at me and pat me with their paws. It took a month before we could pick them up and even then the male cats were wary for a while.

Now they have turned into lovely little lap cats who just want to be held and stroked and told how gorgeous they are [][]For hours at a time [}]

Good luck
Kate

Vaguely on the topic of worktops - we have had several Great Danes over the years - normally quite good but -

Our black one managed to lift a complete pork leg off a metal spiked carving board (in the middle of a table) without disturbng anything else.

Our harlequin one removed a virtually complete Gouda cheese (about 4 kgs) from a kitchen top - the leftover half was found buried in his basket! He never touched cheese again though.