# Cats: Hated for no reason



## registereduser

Seriously, why have a cat if you don't love it? 

If you love your sofa, fish & stuff, house plants, etc. etc. etc. then DON'T GET A CAT.

If the cat you share living space with belongs to your partner/parent/roommate/whoever, please share with them your real feelings about cats so they can take precautions against what you might be driven to do by your hate.

This is a great board but quite often scares me :-?


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## shellieca

I shake my head & walk away from lots of posts.


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## Laki

I am sure the thread you are referring to is a "rant" and not serious. I can hate my cat at times. Doesn't mean I will ever hit him or keep his food, does not mean I don't love him or shouldn't have him. I didn't actually read the other thread bc I'm sure those threads are started out by people feeling passionate about something that happened and have since calmed down. 

I can't let my bunny out of her pen unless my cat is locked away in a room and it makes him claw at the door and cry and bawl and sook. I must hate my cat. 

Just let it go.


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## sarahspins

registereduser said:


> This is a great board but quite often scares me :-?


I agree.. responsible pet ownership shouldn't be such a challenge for so many people... and 99% of it is knowing what you could be getting involved with BEFORE you bring any animal home. We live in a "buy/adopt now and research later" society where people believe the complete BS that many stores and shelters tell them and unfortunately animals suffer for it. Not everyone is always correct online either.

There is a HUGE difference between venting about a frustrating problem and playing the "victim" because of irresponsible choices.. which is what is being done when someone immediately dismisses the suggestions by people or explains away why the suggested solutions wouldn't work. If you have a cat who continually goes after aquarium inhabitants or plants and you have no means of keeping them apart, then don't keep both of them.. it's pretty simple. The RESPONSIBLE choice isn't always an easy one to make, and unfortunately people often make selfish choices that continue to cause problems rather than solve them.

Everyone is entitled to make mistakes... repeating them or refusing to do anything to change the outcome is where the problem is.


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## Skyewillow

On a related note:
I personally LOVE my fiance's big headed, brick wall, cat. He's my snuggle buddy, leaves the other beasties (except birds) alone, and endures the torment of having a 3 yr old toddler. He's pretty awesome.

However, I had an issue with him and his brother (who was my cat until he went missing from my dad's) getting into the tanks for the water. Simple solution, lid, duct taped down on the back, which is where they were lifting it. lol

A lot of times people get pets and expect almost human intelligence from something hard wired to act on instinct. Your cat isn't going to think about the repercussions of invading the aquarium, that's your job.

To avoid issues, make sure to provide the proper barriers, or train your cat not to climb on the furniture around the tank. >_>


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## Laki

It's not as easy as rehoming them when they don't fit one's lifestyle! That's how so many pets end up in the system and on classifieds in the first place!

We got our dog when I was 10 years old. By the time I was in high school everybody had given up on his needs in the family. He was fed but not walked. We did not give him up, we changed our routine. My sister and I began a strict, hardy walking schedule until he was getting walked 4-5 times a day. This impacted our adolescent years dramatically, he passed away last year. I would re-live every single one of those lonely afternoons again. 

More people need to realise it's not as simple as giving up their pets. People need to research, yes, but since all animals are different there is no black-white manual for all cats or dogs or rabbit or what have you. 

Another example- our cat Oliver. Found out his owner abandoned him outside so we took him in. He is extremely playful and needy, however, my arms are scarred and scratched bc of his tendency to bite, and bite hard. And kick. He attacked my niece too (not so bad that she needed stitches or anything thankfully) so if we were to give him up to a shelter he would be euthanized bc no family would be able to change this biting unless they let him outside where he would wreak havoc on small wildlife. No amount of daily chasing and games or clicker training quells his biting.


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## Skyewillow

Laki said:


> It's not as easy as rehoming them when they don't fit one's lifestyle! That's how so many pets end up in the system and on classifieds in the first place!
> 
> We got our dog when I was 10 years old. By the time I was in high school everybody had given up on his needs in the family. He was fed but not walked. We did not give him up, we changed our routine. My sister and I began a strict, hardy walking schedule until he was getting walked 4-5 times a day. This impacted our adolescent years dramatically, he passed away last year. I would re-live every single one of those lonely afternoons again.
> 
> More people need to realise it's not as simple as giving up their pets. People need to research, yes, but since all animals are different there is no black-white manual for all cats or dogs or rabbit or what have you.
> 
> Another example- our cat Oliver. Found out his owner abandoned him outside so we took him in. He is extremely playful and needy, however, my arms are scarred and scratched bc of his tendency to bite, and bite hard. And kick. He attacked my niece too (not so bad that she needed stitches or anything thankfully) so if we were to give him up to a shelter he would be euthanized bc no family would be able to change this biting unless they let him outside where he would wreak havoc on small wildlife. No amount of daily chasing and games or clicker training quells his biting.


that's a lack of socialization during his kitten years. I had to anti-bite train my former barn kittens when we brought them home, it's hard, but worth it. You have to discipline him like his momma would have, otherwise, it doesn't make sense.

My boys got hissed at and pushed away, or scruffed (depending if claws were involved) a few times a day for about 2 weeks before it sunk in.


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## registereduser

Laki said:


> Just let it go.


nah.

Much better to start another thread about it for the sake of continuing education. ;-)


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## Laki

Oh skye. I will pay for a ticket for you to fly to NL and try to scold Oliver like his mama cat should have. Tried scruffing, tried the whole dominance thing.. Didn't work. Tried hissing and making angry cat growls.. Didn't work. Tried ignoring the behaviour and walking away.. Doesn't really work when I'm trying to study or write a paper. Tried distraction.. Didn't work.


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## MattsBettas

I never knew the title of a post could be a parody of TWO threads! Haha. But really, I believe that the created of that thread really does like her cat but is simply frustrated with it at the time.


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## registereduser

MattsBettas said:


> I never knew the title of a post could be a parody of TWO threads! Haha. But really, I believe that the created of that thread really does like her cat but is simply frustrated with it at the time.


and that's fine.........

However really young kids read this forum daily, some are even allowed as members. Some have learning disabilities.


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## registereduser

Laki said:


> Oh skye. I will pay for a ticket for you to fly to NL and try to scold Oliver like his mama cat should have. Tried scruffing, tried the whole dominance thing.. Didn't work. Tried hissing and making angry cat growls.. Didn't work. Tried ignoring the behaviour and walking away.. Doesn't really work when I'm trying to study or write a paper. Tried distraction.. Didn't work.


How old is he now? Maybe Jackson Galaxy would like to visit NL :-D


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## LittleBettaFish

Our cat has absolutely ruined our house. He has a lot of issues (BYB and I think very young when we got him) and not only has he racked up big $$$ on vet bills, but he is also a compulsive sprayer who has ruined the carpet, the furniture and even electrical goods such as our kettle and DVD player. 

Our house reeks of cat urine. Anyone who is familiar with the smell will know you cannot get it out no matter what product you use. On a hot day the smell is overwhelming and one of his favourite spots to spray is right under my bed so my bedroom stinks. 

Right now we have him on prozac (before that we tried everything) and it does seem to be helping. We had to point blank tell the vet that we were out of options. Much as we love our cat we would seriously have to consider euthanasia if the spraying didn't stop. 

Our 15 year cat's worst crime is to scratch on the yucca and leave clumps of fur on the carpet. That and steal food from your plate and bolt off with it. 

He was an outside cat (during the day) who is now 100% indoors after nearly dying from a combination of thyroid problems and pancreatitis. He uses his kitty litter 100% of the time. I have never seen him inappropriately toilet anywhere in the house, even when he was basically only passing liquid feces. 


I think it is reasonable to expect that a cat will be potentially destructive to your house. Things I expect are scratched couches, scratched carpet, eating/destroying house plants etc. I would not expect as a cat owner to have to deal with a cat that has caused hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in damage. Many people would not be able to cope with having a cat like ours. I believe that inappropriate spraying is one of the main reasons for a cat to be dumped off at a shelter. 

At times, I can understand why.

Does admitting to 'hating' your cat at times equate to being a bad pet owner? If so then by all means feel free to label me as such. Sometimes I hate my cat so much I have to lock him in my mum's bedroom because I just get so frustrated with him. 

Until you have actually lived with a true problem cat, it is very easy to suggest that someone is a bad owner when they want to let off steam every now and then. 

While sometimes I have daydreams of punting our cat down the stairs, I would be devastated if anything ever happened to him. He had what the vet thought was cancer when he was a couple of years younger (he is five now) and me and my mum were just bawling our eyes out for days thinking of losing him. 

So I think a lot of people are not actually being serious when they make threats about what they are going to do to their pets. 

People that scare me are those like the co-worker I had who dropped off their cat at the local shelter because it was too affectionate and annoyed them all the time. I kindly let her know that it was most likely going to be put down as the euthanasia rate amongst shelter cats is very high. I think she found out later that it had been destroyed after failing to find a home. 

I could never imagine abandoning any of my animals like that. Those are the kind of people that deserve your contempt.


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## Viva

Whoever hates cats has serious issues. They're literally the best animals on earth, *OVER 9000* times better than humans to give exact numbers.

Here's my precious little angel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muVpXIuJH2Y&list=UUKfOpQPC1iT2dYnWsNDhyZQ&index=14

Here's a riddle for you all:
If you hit yourself in the hand with a hammer, and then enraged exclaim, "WOW I HATE HAMMERS!", do you throw that hammer away and get something else to bang the nail in? Because if you HATE hammers, surely you'd want to destroy it forever and never see it again. 

Anyone know?


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## LittleBettaFish

Yeah I never got why people rag on cats. They seem to get a lot more hatred directed towards them than dogs and they are seriously just as loyal and affectionate as dogs are. 

I had a Siamese cat who followed me for this massive walk me and a friend did through a property my mum's ex-partner used to own. This was through a rainforest type setting and crossing small streams and climbing through fences etc. and he just followed along for the whole walk. It must have been at least a couple of kms. 

I think a lot of people hate them because they are killers, but our dogs have killed several birds, rats and chickens. Plus the only way for a cat to be a killer is if it is allowed outside. I am 100% for indoor only cats. Our Siamese cat got hit by a car, and our very old cat Belle, got her back broken by someone's off-lead dog in our own front yard. That's why all our cats but one are indoors only now.

Also your cat is adorable. I love when they have conversations with you.


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## Viva

LittleBettaFish said:


> Yeah I never got why people rag on cats. They seem to get a lot more hatred directed towards them than dogs and they are seriously just as loyal and affectionate as dogs are.
> 
> I had a Siamese cat who followed me for this massive walk me and a friend did through a property my mum's ex-partner used to own. This was through a rainforest type setting and crossing small streams and climbing through fences etc. and he just followed along for the whole walk. It must have been at least a couple of kms.
> 
> I think a lot of people hate them because they are killers, but our dogs have killed several birds, rats and chickens. Plus the only way for a cat to be a killer is if it is allowed outside. I am 100% for indoor only cats. Our Siamese cat got hit by a car and our very old and very gentle female cat Belle got her back broken by someone's off-lead dog in our own front yard so that's why all our cats but one are indoors only now.
> 
> Also your cat is adorable. I love when they have conversations with you.


Thanks! My cat loves me because I don't abuse and neglect it like most other people do to their cats. That's half the reason cats are dubbed "mean" and "anti social". 

Sometimes I get mad at her from time to time and say un-meaningful things like "I hate you," but she knows that I really love her. Animals are smart.


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## Hadoken Kitty

I'm a terrible person.

I love cats. I love every kind of cat. I just want to hug all them....but I can't...-sniffle- can't hug every cat!

http://youtu.be/sP4NMoJcFd4


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## Viva

Hadoken Kitty said:


> I'm a terrible person.
> 
> I love cats. I love every kind of cat. I just want to hug all them....but I can't...-sniffle- can't hug every cat!
> 
> http://youtu.be/sP4NMoJcFd4



LOL!!!!!!!! I would have fell for it if she actually shed some tears.


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## nel3

i dont have a pet dog or cat, i do love both but i cant consider keeping either. my schedule is too incomaptible to do daily morning walks and i often come back at 2:30pm on work days. i know cats can do well around fish and reptiles in certain occasions but id rather not risk it nor my furniture.


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## dramaqueen

If you don't like cats don't have one. It's as simple as that.


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## registereduser

dramaqueen said:


> If you don't like cats don't have one. It's as simple as that.


Especially if you like your furniture more than a pet.:roll:


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## nel3

i do have new furniture but thats aside the point. if i didnt have any fish or small reptiles then id be more open to other furry pets. 

atm i have enough pets to take care of without adding another type of pet. say what you will but theres no point in getting so many pets that you cant spare time for them all. i wouldnt have time for any extra in addition to my current ones so i chose not to put an animal through unneccesary stress simply because i dont have the time to spare.


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## Silverfang

dramaqueen said:


> If you don't like cats don't have one. It's as simple as that.


Oh DQ, you said a mouthful.

Likewise, if you can't care for a cat, don't get one.


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## registereduser

nel3 said:


> i do have new furniture but thats aside the point. if i didnt have any fish or small reptiles then id be more open to other furry pets.
> 
> atm i have enough pets to take care of without adding another type of pet. say what you will but theres no point in getting so many pets that you cant spare time for them all. i wouldnt have time for any extra in addition to my current ones so i chose not to put an animal through unneccesary stress simply because i dont have the time to spare.


:thumbsup:


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## veggiegirl

Sometimes our pets drive us insane................. but we still love them. Well said Viva I usually prefer the company of an animal any day.....


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## Fishybitty

I once saw.

If you want a pet/extra family member, but don't want to keep it for 15+ years. Buy a stuffed animal instead.


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## Romad

LittleBettaFish said:


> Can I ask why a thread about a person venting about their cat gets removed, but a thread that seems directly targeted (in a very negative light) at the OP of that thread gets to stay?
> 
> It wasn't after all like the OP of that thread had posted a video of them kicking/smacking their cat around.
> 
> This doesn't seem so much an education about responsible cat ownership but more of a jab at another member.


 
We removed the first thread because we started getting a lot of reports that people found it disturbing. If they had posted a video of actual abuse, it would have been removed immediately and either a temporary ban or permanent ban given to the OP.

As for this thread, we're not going to close it or edit it unless people start name calling and/or bashing each other. No-one is ever going to agree 100% of the time but I think we can all agree here that we love animals and don't want to hear about abuse.


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## LadyVictorian

Yeah that was mildly disturbing, the whole cutting open part. , as someone who loves my cat so much it bothered me. My cat does naughty thing but unlike getting angry at her I figure out why she id doing them and solve the problems. Call me crazy but in my eyes my cat is perfect even if many people around us hate her because she doesn't like them and only loves me. Yet I don't blame her for only loving me since it seems true a lot of people dislike cats and she had discovered I am safe and society isn't. When guests come over she cowers in my arms or hides under my bed, she hides all day until it's night time and she can spend time alone with me. When she started peeing on my bed she did it because someone moved into the house and i was spending time with them at night instead of her and she got angry. It stopped once I started spending night time with her again and snuggle her in bed and watch scary movies with her. She has had her ups and downs and even when she does something bad I would never wish her ill health or to be hurt. The very thought of her getting hurt hurts me. I only ever hit her once when she did something unforgivable and afterwards I sat their holding her crying and saying sorry because hitting her hurt me more than it hurt her. That is why i am so shocked about people actually wishing so much harm on their kitties. I think if my kitty cut herself open and bled to death I would end up in a hospital over a serious mental breakdown.


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## SeaHorse

Comments irrelevant to the thread topic have been removed. Please stay on topic. Thanks.


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## dramaqueen

registereduser said:


> Especially if you like your furniture more than a pet.:roll:


I remember seeing a saying somewhere that said if you don't like doghair on your clothes then don't sit on my furniture. Or something like that. lol


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## LadyVictorian

Our answer to that is our good furniture is covered in sheets all the time aside from when guest come over then we take them off. That way they are not covered in cat and dog hair. Otherwise our living room furniture is like sitting on a giant hairball.


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## thekinetic

The only thing that irks me is people letting their cats free roam the neighborhood. You know what if dog owners get chastized for letting their dog do it's buisness in a person's yard than so should cat owners, same goes for leashes. And stop calling them free spirits because yall should realize what goes along with that name because in my county it is not illegal to capture and give to animal control a free roaming cat.

Now don't get me wrong I don't mind cats, I happen to like them but my dad and brother hate them with a passion. So for their own safety please keep them indoors!


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## registereduser

thekinetic said:


> The only thing that irks me is people letting their cats free roam the neighborhood. You know what if dog owners get chastized for letting their dog do it's buisness in a person's yard than so should cat owners, same goes for leashes. And stop calling them free spirits because yall should realize what goes along with that name because in my county it is not illegal to capture and give to animal control a free roaming cat.
> 
> Now don't get me wrong I don't mind cats, I happen to like them but my dad and brother hate them with a passion. So for their own safety please keep them indoors!


:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## LittleBettaFish

I swear I literally have to vacuum and dust this house every two or so days. We have three German Shepherds that are allowed access to the kitchen and the three cats that are inside 24/7 and it is amazing the amount of dust, fur and debris that builds up from them all. 

We have three scratching posts for our cats, which are absolutely torn to shreds. They do scratch on the couch occasionally (our old cat used to hook his claws onto the bottom and race around upside down under there) and on the stairs, but most of their scratching energy does seem directed at their posts. 

The only really destructive things our cats do is spray. 

And is it just me or does fur seem to be in everything when you have pets? I'm always picking dog fur out of any food I cook here.


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## registereduser

I have mostly males and no spraying. However my oldest male is a HUMPER! :lol: He is also the same one that climbs up on cabinets and aquariums and drinks the water. He is my biggest cuddler 

Hair goes with the territory as does destructive behavior of all sorts, both from dogs and cats. You have to have a patient loving attitude because they seem to sense your anger and act out even worse. Animals don't understand discipline after the fact, only if you continuously catch them in the act will they eventually get it.


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## Hadoken Kitty

registereduser said:


> I have mostly males and no spraying. However my oldest male is a HUMPER! :lol: He is also the same one that climbs up on cabinets and aquariums and drinks the water. He is my biggest cuddler
> 
> Hair goes with the territory as does destructive behavior of all sorts, both from dogs and cats. You have to have a patient loving attitude because they seem to sense your anger and act out even worse. Animals don't understand discipline after the fact, only if you continuously catch them in the act will they eventually get it.


Maybe I'm just lucky. My dog actually gets that he's in trouble. When I give him "the look" he tucks his tail under and lays down with his ears back, head down, and everything. He totally gets that he's in trouble. I just say his name and that's it. :dunno:


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## LittleBettaFish

registereduser said:


> I have mostly males and no spraying. However my oldest male is a HUMPER! :lol: He is also the same one that climbs up on cabinets and aquariums and drinks the water. He is my biggest cuddler
> 
> Hair goes with the territory as does destructive behavior of all sorts, both from dogs and cats. You have to have a patient loving attitude because they seem to sense your anger and act out even worse. Animals don't understand discipline after the fact, only if you continuously catch them in the act will they eventually get it.


Are you talking to me with the second paragraph? I've lived with cats and dogs since I was in my mother's womb. I understand fur and poo and finding cats on benches licking your butter is all part of owning pets. 

Me and my mum are huge animal lovers. The end goal is to hopefully move to the country in 2-3 years as mum wants to have space for her dogs and then we can build an outdoor cat run for all the cats. Here there's nowhere really to put one as the dogs have the backyard, our front yard is landscaped and both sideways are extremely narrow. 

Of course we have crazy cat who would probably spend all day sitting on top of the cat run trying to get in so he can massacre everybody.


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## registereduser

Hadoken Kitty said:


> Maybe I'm just lucky. My dog actually gets that he's in trouble. When I give him "the look" he tucks his tail under and lays down with his ears back, head down, and everything. He totally gets that he's in trouble. I just say his name and that's it. :dunno:


They easily understand when we are unhappy with them, the hard part is getting them to understand why. If your dog digs a hole at 10 am and you yell at him for it at 10:30 he knows you are angry but he doesn't know why.


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## Hadoken Kitty

registereduser said:


> They easily understand when we are unhappy with them, the hard part is getting them to understand why. If your dog digs a hole at 10 am and you yell at him for it at 10:30 he knows you are angry but he doesn't know why.


Yea. I'd never yell at him 30 minutes after. My boyfriend was yelling for him to come inside but he wouldn't listen. I yelled (big backyard) and he came running to me (my dog did). Then I praised him for coming to me. My boyfriend didn't understand why. I said I can't punish him for not listening to you, especially when he listened to me. It doesn't work like that.


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## LittleBettaFish

Yeah I hate when dogs won't come to people and then when they do come the owner yells at them. What a stupid backwards way of training. The dog doesn't have a clue that it is being punished for not coming five minutes ago.


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## finnfinnfriend

That's why when I move out and get a cat I am going to have a separate room just for the caged animals that the cat isn't allowed in. I love cats but I also love small fish and reptiles...


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## dramaqueen

I think if I had a cat and fish I'd keep my cat away from my fish and I would not let my cat drink tank water. GROSS!!


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## LittleBettaFish

My cats don't bother my fish. But they love drinking the fish tank water. I have tasted my fish tank water before and it has a very earthy taste, sort of like I imagine how a puddle would taste. So I wonder if that is why they like it so much.


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## Viva

Whoever hates cats has serious issues. They're literally the best animals on earth, *OVER 9000* times better than humans to give exact numbers.

Here's my precious little angel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muVpX...DhyZQ&index=14


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## Viva

LadyVictorian said:


> Yeah that was mildly disturbing, the whole cutting open part.


You know what would be more disturbing? If she actually DID fall through the glass lid that she climbs on and cut herself. But luckily it was just me typing and didn't actually happen. She is really fat though so there's a small possibility.


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## acitydweller

i like cats and would actually love them if not for my allergy


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## Silverfang

it's impossible to keep them from drinking water.


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## Laki

Not so. I bought Oliver a cat it fountain and he is only mildly interested in drinking the tank water when I do water changes. He likes the smell of the water, but I stop him from drinking it bc that's what we paid 30$ for the fountain and 14$ for each pack of filters for!!


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## Viva

Silverfang said:


> it's impossible to keep them from drinking water.


Unless you completely seal it, yes. I don't see why cats can't drink from aquariums anyways, I don't see any harm in it. As long as that's all they're doing up there. My childhood cat drank from my 90 gallon aquarium all the time, nothing ever happened.


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## LittleBettaFish

Heck I get mouthfuls of aquarium water all the time. Apart from when I nearly aspirated myself, it hasn't done me any harm.

I wonder too if the warmer water in tropical aquariums makes them more enticing. 

Our outside cat is hilarious. He is forever springing out at us from bushes or 'helping' to do the weeding in the garden. His best party trick is that he recognises my mum's car and so he runs towards it when he sees it coming down the driveway or just stands there kneading and purring so I have to get out and move him. He doesn't do it to anyone else's car but God it gives you a heart attack when he pops out of nowhere. 

He is the most cat-aggressive cat I have ever met. We tried several times to integrate him into the household and we just couldn't. He gets on the back of the other cats and really gets stuck into them. I think he would do some serious damage if he wasn't kept separate. 

It's a shame as he is extremely affectionate and he spends much of his time outside moping at the door or hanging off windowsills trying to get inside. If he wasn't such a jerk he could come in.


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## dramaqueen

I loved my cat, even though she was ornery as heck. Lol


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## Viva

LittleBettaFish said:


> Heck I get mouthfuls of aquarium water all the time. Apart from when I nearly aspirated myself, it hasn't done me any harm.
> 
> I wonder too if the warmer water in tropical aquariums makes them more enticing.
> 
> Our outside cat is hilarious. He is forever springing out at us from bushes or 'helping' to do the weeding in the garden. His best party trick is that he recognises my mum's car and so he runs towards it when he sees it coming down the driveway or just stands there kneading and purring so I have to get out and move him. He doesn't do it to anyone else's car but God it gives you a heart attack when he pops out of nowhere.
> 
> He is the most cat-aggressive cat I have ever met. We tried several times to integrate him into the household and we just couldn't. He gets on the back of the other cats and really gets stuck into them. I think he would do some serious damage if he wasn't kept separate.
> 
> It's a shame as he is extremely affectionate and he spends much of his time outside moping at the door or hanging off windowsills trying to get inside. If he wasn't such a jerk he could come in.


LOL! Yeah I always get a mouthful when trying to get the siphon started. I figure if fish and shrimp and plants can live in it, its probably okay to drink


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## finnfinnfriend

You can keep them from drinking tank water if you keep the tank in a seperate room with the door closed...


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## Viva

finnfinnfriend said:


> You can keep them from drinking tank water if you keep the tank in a seperate room with the door closed...


yes. you can.


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## finnfinnfriend

Viva said:


> yes. you can.


Then it's all good! And the cat gets the rest of the house to rule


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## Laki

I couldn't ban Oliver from a room in our apartment.. It's too small!


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## finnfinnfriend

Laki said:


> I couldn't ban Oliver from a room in our apartment.. It's too small!


Lol thats why I'm saving up for a 3bdrm condo. The market is cheap!


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## LittleBettaFish

Haha our cats would sit outside the door for hours yowling and meowing if you locked them out and you were inside. My Siamese once jumped in with our big male German Shepherd and held him at bay outside the bathroom door because I was in having a bath. 

Heaven forbid you have a life that doesn't involve them. 

Whenever I finally get a house of my own, I want to have a big cat run area attached to it with a cat flap so that the cats can go in and out whenever they want. Ours just have to content themselves with going out on their harnesses in the front yard.


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## Viva

LittleBettaFish said:


> Haha our cats would sit outside the door for hours yowling and meowing if you locked them out and you were inside. My Siamese once jumped in with our big male German Shepherd and held him at bay outside the bathroom door because I was in having a bath.
> 
> Heaven forbid you have a life that doesn't involve them.
> 
> Whenever I finally get a house of my own, I want to have a big cat run area attached to it with a cat flap so that the cats can go in and out whenever they want. Ours just have to content themselves with going out on their harnesses in the front yard.


Yeah it doesn't work in a small apartment like I live in. They will claw the carpet up until they get in or meow until you can't stand it anymore. Not to mention my tanks are in the living room where the cat food and cat litter is. Cats that go outside are less of a nuisance because they're always outside where its fun!


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## finnfinnfriend

I love cats so much. I can't have them right now but there is a special place in my heart for them and as soon as I have my own place I want to get one.


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## registereduser

Viva said:


> Cats that go outside are less of a nuisance because they're always outside where its fun!


Are you planning a nice outside run like LittleBettaFish?


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## Laki

Personally, I only agree to let cats out where they can be supervised. In a harness or run. I watched too many cats get sick and die outside and I watched my own childhood cat die miserably. People poisoning and grotesque garbage, cars and infection and disease. Nope. 

Market here on apartments, condos and even bedsitting rooms are on the rise. More and more people are finding affordable housing to be an issue, don't even get into the whole pet fiasco. I was lucky we scored with this landlord, pets are totally cool- but the shelters are bursting at the seams with so many surrendered pets bc of landlords.


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## LittleBettaFish

Yeah our elderly cat now is the oldest cat I think we have ever owned. 

Our first cat ***** (I know racist name but I was only a kid at the time) 'ran away' which I think probably means got hit by a car. 

Our Siamese cat and the best cat I have ever owned, was hit by a car on the main road that runs two houses behind ours. The man who found him buried him and rang us after seeing our signs.

Our elderly cat Belle, who had been with me since I was only very young (I named her after the character in Beauty and the Beast) had her back broken in our front yard by an off-lead dog while I watched through the side gate. Watching our dignified and sweet old cat trying to drag her dead hind legs around was appalling. I will never forgive the owner of that dog for being so irresponsible.

Before them nearly every single one of my mum's cats was hit by cars. This was in the days before keeping cats exclusively inside became popular. 

I worry now about our cat Whistler being inside. But he comes inside every night before dark (he doesn't like being outside at night) and wears a big bell to warn the birds off. Luckily our street is very quiet being a dead end and so it's less likely for him to be run over. 

Still I always get a sinking feeling in my gut when he is late in for dinner. I worry that one day I am going to find his mangled remains on the road outside our house.

I also forgot the time me and my mum were driving and we found a Persian cat recently dead on the road. It had a collar on and as we didn't want the family who owned it to find it all run over and squashed, my mum got out and put it on the side of the road. It was a very sad ending to our night.


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## Viva

I had an outdoor cat for over 16 years and nothing ever happened to her. They do have shorter lifespans, but mostly because they are hit by cars or killed by other animals. Overall, they are much happier in a natural setting where they can roam around and kill birds and rodents. Whats the point of having an outdoor run when you can just have them look out the window? They will always be wanting to get out of the thing they're confined in. You're choosing quantity of life over quality of life if you keep your cat indoors.


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## LittleBettaFish

This is where I differ. 

There is nothing worse than seeing a beloved pet killed/maimed in front of your own eyes. 

I will never ever get the image of my childhood cat being shaken to near death by a dog. 

You know what I told her that morning, "It won't kill you to go outside for once." 

I regret the decision to wake up early and let her out all the time. If I had only let her out an hour or two later she would probably still have been alive. 

If she was an indoor cat she would never have had to die in such a horrific and frightening manner. 

Our cats live indoors and they are perfectly content. I do not buy into the quality/quantity argument. 

I bet the cat that is lying maimed in the gutter after being struck by a car is not thinking its life is so wonderful outside.


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## Laki

Well I am on a limited budget and live between two main streets. Oliver would get smacked by a car- he wouldn't last a week. Sure, he would chase bugs and climb trees and I know he would enjoy that but getting hit by a car would be a painful miserable way to go. No, I love my cat too much. He can go out on a harness in the Spring. Too many little lives are lost. I am not choosing quantity over quality, I am choosing safety.


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## Viva

LittleBettaFish said:


> This is where I differ.
> 
> There is nothing worse than seeing a beloved pet killed/maimed in front of your own eyes.
> 
> I will never ever get the image of my childhood cat being shaken to near death by a dog.
> 
> You know what I told her that morning, "It won't kill you to go outside for once."
> 
> I regret the decision to wake up early and let her out all the time. If I had only let her out an hour or two later she would probably still have been alive.
> 
> If she was an indoor cat she would never have had to die in such a horrific and frightening manner.
> 
> Our cats live indoors and they are perfectly content. I do not buy into the quality/quantity argument.
> 
> I bet the cat that is lying maimed in the gutter after being struck by a car is not thinking its life is so wonderful outside.


Yes but a cat being maimed once and dying only happens once. A cat sitting inside wishing it could be free happens every second of every day of it's life.

Its fine if no one agrees with me because its just basic nature. Just look at animals in zoos. I completely understand where you're coming from...I am scarred for life after seeing VIDEOS of animals being killed. If I saw my own animal killed in front of me...I'd be torn apart. I would not put blame on myself though, and would just consider them unlucky if it was the first time the cat had been outside.


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## Saphira101

I have three cats, mini chickens & chicks, ducks, house plants, fish etc. My cats never chew plants, chase animals or anything. they're allowed to go outside as they please, and the neighbors never do anything bad to them. In fact, my cats have never even brought in songbirds (though they are numerous here) but have killed hundreds of pesky rodents. They also come inside when I call them.


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## LittleBettaFish

I think you are projecting human emotions onto cats. 

Our elderly cat Bandit, has been an outdoor cat since he was a kitten. He would go insane if he was locked inside for any longer than a couple of days, scratching at the doors and running around the house. It's the only reason he was outside for so long when all the rest of our cats became inside cats. 

He has settled into inside only life (he does get to putt around on the harness outside every once in a while) exceptionally well. He doesn't sit pining at the window or dart out the front door as soon as it is opened. Most of his day is spent sleeping, and the rest is spent following me around meowing for his food bowl to be filled. 

Our two inside cats escape every so often. You know where they are when we find them? Huddled up under the house or in our neighbour's shed looking absolutely petrified. 

My Siamese is allowed to sit up on the open window sill behind the fly wire as a treat. She has never once jumped or shown any intention to jump. It's only about a 1 metre or so drop down before she landed on something and if she was desperate to be free then I'm sure she would do it. 

If you provide enough stimulation and mental enrichment, your cats can be perfectly happy living inside. 

If our old cat passed away now, I wouldn't have to lie alseep at night wondering if he had been hit by a car and was laying half-dead somewhere afraid and alone. Worst is when they just vanish like our first cat, and you never lose hope they will find their way home. 

Our cat was around 12-13 years when she was killed, our Siamese was 5 or so years and our cat now is 16 years. However, I believe the average lifespan of a cat living outdoors is around 2-5 years. For an animal that is capable of living up to 20 years, that seems like a lot of years wasted.


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## Viva

LittleBettaFish said:


> I think you are projecting human emotions onto cats.
> 
> Our elderly cat Bandit, has been an outdoor cat since he was a kitten. He would go insane if he was locked inside for any longer than a couple of days, scratching at the doors and running around the house. It's the only reason he was outside for so long when all the rest of our cats became inside cats.
> 
> He has settled into inside only life (he does get to putt around on the harness outside every once in a while) exceptionally well. He doesn't sit pining at the window or dart out the front door as soon as it is opened. Most of his day is spent sleeping, and the rest is spent following me around meowing for his food bowl to be filled.
> 
> Our two inside cats escape every so often. You know where they are when we find them? Huddled up under the house or in our neighbour's shed looking absolutely petrified.
> 
> My Siamese is allowed to sit up on the open window sill behind the fly wire as a treat. She has never once jumped or shown any intention to jump. It's only about a 1 metre or so drop down before she landed on something and if she was desperate to be free then I'm sure she would do it.
> 
> If you provide enough stimulation and mental enrichment, your cats can be perfectly happy living inside.
> 
> If our old cat passed away now, I wouldn't have to lie alseep at night wondering if he had been hit by a car and was laying half-dead somewhere afraid and alone. Worst is when they just vanish like our first cat, and you never lose hope they will find their way home.
> 
> Our cat was around 12-13 years when she was killed, our Siamese was 5 or so years and our cat now is 16 years. However, I believe the average lifespan of a cat living outdoors is around 2-5 years. For an animal that is capable of living up to 20 years, that seems like a lot of years wasted.


I'm not sure what you mean by "I think you are projecting human emotions onto cats," but I kinda agree with your post now that I think about it. My cat had been an outdoor cat since she was a kitten, she was probably born outside to be honest. We got her from my aunt who owned a small "farm" of animals...dogs, chickens, cats, ducks, rabbits, etc. She was well versed in the outdoor life.

The two cats I have now have never been outside that I know of. I got them at around 10 - 16 weeks old, they aren't related and I got them a year apart, but I don't think they'd last a second outside. Especially Martini because she's kind of an idiot. 

We'll never know what a cat really wants because it can't tell us exactly. Just gotta go with what makes you happiest in the end.


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## LittleBettaFish

I just meant that 'freedom' is really a human ideal. I think cats probably wouldn't grasp the concept of freedom. They are more interested in getting outside to stalk that bird they just saw in the window. 










This is our old cat living it up inside. He would not stand still for a photo, but at least he is looking better than the animated bag of bones he was a few weeks ago. I think the only thing he misses about the outside world is the rancid meat the neighbour would throw out every day for the birds to eat. He brought home/brought up some foul things over the years. 

Looking at his picture, I also thought of a point that angers me. People who dump old cats at the shelters because they can't be bothered anymore, have gotten a new, younger cat, or are just want to palm off the responsibility for giving their cat a dignified end to someone else. 

My grandfather dumped his old cat off at the cat shelter without even telling anyone. My mum used to look after that cat and I liked him and we would have taken him in if he had told us. I never forgave him for that, but I think he got his just deserts in the end anyway.


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## registereduser

Letting your cat run the neighborhood "free", eh? Good luck with that. 

https://www.asapcats.org/education/indoor-cats.html


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## finnfinnfriend

Laki said:


> Personally, I only agree to let cats out where they can be supervised. In a harness or run. I watched too many cats get sick and die outside and I watched my own childhood cat die miserably. People poisoning and grotesque garbage, cars and infection and disease. Nope.
> 
> Market here on apartments, condos and even bedsitting rooms are on the rise. More and more people are finding affordable housing to be an issue, don't even get into the whole pet fiasco. I was lucky we scored with this landlord, pets are totally cool- but the shelters are bursting at the seams with so many surrendered pets bc of landlords.


Are you in Canada?


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## Destinystar

Yeah no cats should be kept outside thats just asking for trouble and the loss of your cat, they depend on us to take good care of them they dont really know right from wrong unless we take some time and try and teach them. I love cats and some of the remarks made we disturbing to me too although I tried to help as best as I could.


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## Tazman

closed at moderators discrection


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