Cats Run My House

1. 69

   Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years ago

   Well, I'm awake right now because my two cats decided to wake me up.  The ran around, jumped, climbed, and knocked things down until I finally got up.
   
   I have two: Benny and Freya.  They are very sweet and cuddly, but very demanding.  I swear, this is their house and they are keeping my husband and me as pets.
   
   Sorry, must go.  Freya doesn't want me typing anymore.  She wants attention.  The Queen has spoken.

   replyreport
   1. 71

      Peter M. Lopezposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      I have a cat (Alfie) and he, too, decides when he wants us awake and when it is okay to sleep.  Apparently, 5:30 am is enough sleep in our house.  He's better than an alarm clock.  Oliver (our dog) can sleep anywhere, anytime, but Alfie...we love him anyway.

      replyreport
      1. 59

         Chatterboxposted 16 years agoin reply to this

         I'm new to this forum, but I'm not new to owning a cat.  Or does he own me?  Well, Tigger is an orange and white Tabby, who weighs in at about 22 lbs.  That was his weight back in November, it could be more now.  Does anyone have high vet bills like me?  In November we found out that Tigger had colitis.  He had severe diarrhea, and after several tests and boarding him during this process, and a $1,000.00 later, he's fine.  But, we are still paying, cause he needs special food and fiber capsules, to keep his problem under control.  Oh well, he is my baby and I love him.  I'm thinking about writing a hub about my experiences with cats.  Tigger is the 3rd cat we've owned.  One cat at a time fo me, I've tried 2 once, and it was too much.
         Tigger wakes us at 6 am by rattling my door looking to be fed, who needs an alarm clock?  Will tell lots more, watch for a hub about cats.....from Chatterbox.
         
         
         

         replyreport
   2. 57

      jamanddruposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      With cats it can be hard, they have spray bottles , and air cans you can set up to keep them off  the counters. you have to show them who is more dominating and that is you,you have to lay down the law.

      replyreport
      1. 69

         Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years agoin reply to this

         No.  I don't think so.  Our sweet kitties like attention.  They run our house.  Of course, they have boundaries, like not getting on the counters...but that is not what this post was about.  I do not dominate them.  I do care for them.

         replyreport
   3. 88

      compu-smartposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      lmoa. i take care of two cats and can relate vwery much to your post!! My profile pic is quite apt because i at most times will have one hand on my cat and the other my mouse!!
      
      Oh damn, i realy have to go, my cats are demanding some well deserved attention!
      
      

      replyreport
2. 93

   thooghunposted 16 years ago

   I feel your pain. I have dog that seeks non-stop attention! Failure to comply means getting bitten  on my ankles. If I somehow ignore that, down comes the house. Failing this, its the puppy eyes.

   replyreport
3. 69

   Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years ago

   I seem to remember you mentioning your dog before.  Something about a rubber toy?

   replyreport
4. 93

   thooghunposted 16 years ago

   Ah yes, the rubber toy is no more sadly

   replyreport
5. 83

   Whitney05posted 16 years ago

   Stacie, a lady I used to work with has like 5 cats. And one morning, 1 cat was jumping on the bed, another knocking things off the night stand, another meowing constantly, and the other 2 behaving... They were hungry and she wanted to sleep a little late. She couldn't find her glasses when she was getting ready for work because the cat knocked them over. I assume she eventually found them; I never asked.
   
   Cats are funny pets.
   
   But, yes. Try a 50+ pound puppy jumping on and off the bed until I get up to take her out. Or a 10 lb yorkie jumping on the floor, as though it was a trampoline, while whining till I put him on the bed to continue his sleep... Dogs suck. Ha.

   replyreport
6. 59

   Kat07posted 16 years ago

   Stacie -
   I feel your pain!  My cats have me up frequently during the night.  I don't remember the last time I slept through till morning without an interruption.  Often it's their nesting around my legs that wakes me, but they do have those rambunctious moments in the middle of the night that can easily have me on my feet!

   replyreport
7. 85

   Marisa Wrightposted 16 years ago

   Have you read "The Silent Miaouw" by Paul Gallico?   It's supposedly written by a mother cat to her children, training them in how to manage humans.  Any human will identify with it totally!

   replyreport
8. 59

   Kat07posted 16 years ago

   That sounds like a fantastic book!

   replyreport
9. 69

   Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years ago

   Marisa, that book sounds fabulous.  I love my cats, and I'm happy they have such a good life...but, sometimes I want to sleep!
   
   Whitney...big puppy!  My cousin has a Mastif, it is less than a year old and over 100 pounds.  Still growing.  Unfortunately, I don't think my cousin and her boyfriend have really trained him at all.
   
   Kat, mine sleep with us too.  We have to sleep around them.

   replyreport
10. 59

    Kat07posted 16 years ago

    My husband and I laugh when we realize that we try not to disturb the cats while they sleep on the bed, even though not disturbing them disturbs us!!!   

    replyreport
    1. 59

       trakker14posted 16 years agoin reply to this

       We have the same issue. one cat has to  touch me gently on the face then walks on my chest and  vocally disturbs me, but when they finally get to sleep  we end up looking like pretzel and the cats are very comfy. ....................who figures.

       replyreport
11. 69

    Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years ago

    My husband woke me up one night, when I had an awful cold and needed my rest, because Benny was sleeping really close to me.  My husband was afraid I'd roll over and squish Benny.  Silly.

    replyreport
    1. 69

       rmrposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       I rolled over on my cat once. ONCE. Ever since then, she has had a tendency to wait until I'm asleep, then stretch out across my forehead. Apparently she believes in the old addage "There is no rest for the wicked"!

       replyreport
       1. 83

          Susan Ngposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Hahaha!  You have a very intelligent cat!

          replyreport
12. 0

    RFoxposted 16 years ago

    I am lucky, my dog hates to get up early. I have to kick her out of bed at noon! Usually she sleeps in her bed till I get up and then takes the warm spot in my bed till I force her to start her day. She does like to interrupt me when I'm watching movies though. Usually I get a toy flung at my head. Or she'll find the one that squeaks the loudest and serenade me until I play with her.

    replyreport
13. 59

    trakker14posted 16 years ago

    I have read that if you keep your pets outside of your bedroom you can get the required sleep, where as most cats move about several times during the night and dont allow to get into REM sleep.
    Mine do the same thing and i just cant seem to  leave them out of my room.

    replyreport
14. 71

    Peter M. Lopezposted 16 years ago

    We tried that for one night, but our cat kept sticking his paw up underneath our door and scratching...so, less sleep.  We didn't have the patience or discipline continue with it.

    replyreport
    1. 87

       stephhicks68posted 16 years agoin reply to this

       That is so funny!  We are currently cat-less, but my favorite childhood cat (lived 18 years) always did that.  The furry little gray paw would come under the door and curl around the bottom.... scritch, scritch, scritch.  pause.  Scritch, scritch, scritch.  He always ended up getting his way.  Don't they all?

       replyreport
15. 60

    Flexyposted 16 years ago

    My cat, Noodles, lived to be 20.  Her last 2 years, she would howl every half hour or so, all night long.  When I called Warren Eckstein, The Pet Doctor, he told me that either she was deaf or demented.  It turned out she was deaf; but when I noticed that she talked to her water bowl, I realized that demented was also a good possibility.   Her last 6 months she also went blind; and although she'd always slept on my bed, she started having to hold onto me at night.  The howling stopped, I guess because she knew where I was.  Don't even ask about how I handled the litter box!   Long story short, I miss her, but it's nice to get a full night's sleep.

    replyreport
    1. 60

       solarcaptainposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       I can relate to their dominance and need to control everything.  It is sad to lose a pet, I always say never again but can't resist the notion to have chaos when I would really prefer peace. It's so funny when animals are allowed to bed their owners.  Mine stretches out crossways so I only have 6 inches of space and have fallen out of bed at 3:00 in the morning. she also gets me up at 5:30, never a rest. All cats are demented.  Mine has indicated she will panic if she has to walk on the floor--naturally, everything is arranged at home so she can jump from chair to table etc; so she doesn't have to touch the floor. So I'm used to cats and some of the foibles that humans get caught up in when they choose to be owned by felines.
       
       your post sparked my interest. Thanks. I enjoyed it. Would you believe my cat is named Otella?
       No wonder they get demented. Noodles? lol.!.

       replyreport
16. 59

    Jungle Talkposted 16 years ago

    I too am new to this forum, but reading everyone's experience and having two cats I must add my two cents worth... I think cats are like husband's "can't live with em...can't live without em!"
    
    Like you Kat, we are always being careful to not disturb the cats. It's actually funny to see us scrunched up on 1/3 of the bed because they keep nudging us over!
    
    As my son says, "Cats Rule!" ...LOL

    replyreport
17. 59

    trakker14posted 16 years ago

    Dogs Drool,  Cat's Rule

    replyreport
18. 69

    Stacie Naczelnikposted 16 years ago

    I actually had a cat free night last night!  It was the first time in longer than I can remember.  I was reading on the couch last night, so the cats curled up together with me.  When I finally went to bed, they were so asleep that they didn't notice.  They must have slept through the night because I didn't hear from them until they were ready for breakfast.
    
    So true: can't live with them, can't live without them.

    replyreport
19. 0

    JJoyposted 16 years ago

    I feel ya on that one! I have 2 Chihuahuas and they're the loves of my life but they drive me crazy sometimes. They're constantly under my feet, and when they're off doing their own thing it's a shocker-I'm used to them being like an extra appendage.

    replyreport
20. 56

    Evitaposted 16 years ago

    lol......
    Seems most posters here are no longer in control of their own homes...
    
    Now in MY house. *MY*, I'm the one who rules. Not like ya'lls...
    
    as;dljmqerpget
    
    pghmertohjy p;ljkjopiupiypuyhuihuuih
    
    Ouch!! Get OFF the KeyBoard!!   
    
    Aaaaarghh.............
    Gotta go, cats are calling to get their dinner.... the steak meant for Sunday....

    replyreport
21. 79

    Uninvited Writerposted 16 years ago

    My cat Boo is always walking over me when I am sitting on the couch with my laptop. I assume he wants attention. When I used to use a desktop computer he would sit right in front of the screen. He definitely likes to be the center of my attention.

    replyreport
22. 70

    crazyhorsesghostposted 16 years ago

    I have one Cat that is female and is a older skinny grey altered female who loves to wear clothes. If she gets chilly she will go get her sweater for me to put on her.  She also turns out the lights in a room where no one is. It was quite spooky till I caught her doing it.

    replyreport
23. 62

    _Benjaminposted 16 years ago

    Seems your cat shares a similar name to mine Stacie . Have you ever had one of those days when the cat goes absolutely crazy? I accidentaly scared this cat I know one day, and it jumped off of my dad's head (he was sitting down) and launched half-way across the room. Cats certainly can be little devils.

    replyreport
24. 68

    Bonnie Ramseyposted 16 years ago

    LOL I guess this is why they say that you don't own cats, they own you! A dog, you can train. A cat just does what they please and always tends to make you like it whether you want to or not LOL.
    
    Bonnie
    
    P.S. I do love cats, though! I just prefer a dog inside as opposed to a cat. Easier to keep them off the counters! LOL

    replyreport
25. 59

    Katherine Baldwinposted 15 years ago

    My husband and I are the proud parents of four cats. One is a tabby and the other three are black. We started out with one that was abandoned by his mother when he was just a few hours old. We bottle raised him. His name is Scooter and he doesn't know that he is a cat. Around here, we have to spell the word t-u-n-a or he will be wrapped around our legs immediately. The next addition was Gracie and Bogey, or as we call them, "The Twins". They were also abandoned, along with their mother and two other siblings, by people that had moved out of our neighborhood. We found homes for the mother and the other two kittens, but Gracie had decided she needed to be with us. She was devoted to her brother, Bogey, so we took them in as a package. We often say that had we not adopted Gracie, that Bogey would have starved to death. He is the most laid back, coolest cat on the planet, hence his name Bogey for Humphrey Bogart. It took a while to name Gracie and had I waited a little longer, we would have named her the Princess of Darkness. She is spoiled rotten. I do have to say, however, that she has become Mommies little helper. By golly, just the other day, she learned how to open drawers and clean them out onto my bathroom floor. Also, I was having my first cup of coffee of the morning and heard the Roomba turn on. I thought, that's odd, I knew I had not programmed it start vacuuming the floor at that time of the morning. I'm sure by now, that you can guess who the guilty party was. That's right! It was Gracie, sitting next to the Roomba base with a very pleased look on her little mug. The latest addition is Sam, who was a stray that showed up on our doorstep. He is the only grown cat that we have adopted and we're having a little bit of difficulty integrating him with the rest of the pack. When we release him to the general population, it sounds like a vampire convention with all of the hissing. Any help that anyone could suggest as to how to help them get along would be greatly appreciated Also, can anyone tell us where that switch is located for the neon sign on our roof that says "WILL FEED STRAY CATS"? We really need to turn that darned thing OFF.
    
    Seriously, I cannot imagine life without them. They are a joy and I'm not sure what we did for entertainment before they came along. There is always something new and exciting that they are learning that they want to share with us.
    
    If you are considering becoming a Cat parent, always remember the following:
    DOGS HAVE MASTERS. CATS HAVE STAFF.

    replyreport
    1. 67

       RavynSteelposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       How true!
       
       My cat has me and my partner trained in MeowSpeak - if she sits by the kitchen door and meows, she wants her cup filling up (she has to have a large cup of water by the kitchen door). If she meows while circling the bathroom, she wants her litterbox changing. If she paces up and down the bathroom while meowing, she wants food. If she rolls around on the floor in a certain spot, she wants catnip.
       
       Oh yes, we're well trained.

       replyreport
26. 83

    Susan Ngposted 15 years ago

    My cats actually knocked over my computer monitor the other night while I was sleeping.  Imagine my horror when I woke up and saw my very heavy 17-inch CRT monitor lying face up about to fall off the table.  I swear they must have had help from aliens.  I can hardly move that monitor!

    replyreport
27. 80

    Bard of Elyposted 15 years ago

    I have two cats and Tiggy the girl is really bossy at times - she sometimes comes and sits looking at me and making a noise to let me know and of I fail to pay attention she puts both paws on my arm or leg, butts me with her head and may even nip me!
    
    Old Lad is persistent and likes to sleep on my lap when I am on my PC. If I put him down he jumps back up and will keep doing this until I give up!
    
    Both of them tend to limit my human social life because I won't stay out all night because of them and turn down invitations to stay overnight and late events I can't get home from. I tell people thank you but I can't because my cats will miss me!

    replyreport