I came back to my parents' for the holidays & my mom has been keeping my cat in the basement from like 10 PM until noon... and any time that she has to do paperwork or bills. We don't have any other cats and (1) I think he gets lonely. (2) He pounds on the door to get out in the morning... and (3) it's colder and damp down there. However, she claims that he "likes it" and "cats are independent" and "the basement is enormous" (it is 1000+ square feet and finished) so that's her reasoning. His litter box is also down there. She also can't get any paper work done with him because he actually does plop down on top of whatever you are doing and if you take him off, he just goes back (he did this for years). She treats him like a 2nd child otherwise and he literally sits on her lap for 4 hours every night.... so I don't know what to think.
Rather than just jumping on the "that's horrible" bandwagon (i know) i am curious if there could be ANY thing that is ok about doing this.
2006-12-27 19:44:58 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
also, he will pound on any door when people are sleeping if they don't let him in - so locking him in the basement lets my parents sleep w/o the cat pounding on their door or jumping on them at night. that's how it started
2006-12-27 19:45:55 · update #1
would getting a 2nd cat help - to keep him company?
2006-12-27 19:55:50 · update #2
1000+ square feet? food? water? liter box? 4 hours of lap time a day?
He is fine.If you are worried,ask her to put some of his toys and maybe his favorite bedding in there.And to at least go in and give him some attention once in awhile.
I think its ok as long as it isn't a 24/7 thing and he does get let out and gets attention.Also make sure he doesn't get any lung infections from being in a damp place.
People lock their animals in crates, bathrooms...places ALLOT smaller than that and no one considers it evil.
If your cat wants to be playful while your mom is sleeping and doing her paper work.....i cant say that i blame her.lol
lol...my cats get locked...by mistake...in the closet for hours at a time...and their not traumatized from it.In fact they hide for days in the smallest of places sometimes....so they sort of lock themselves up by choice.And not because we are cruel to them..but because cats like their privacy.
It just sounds like your mom isn't that much of a cat person.lol
2006-12-27 20:10:57 · answer #1 · answered by Dream 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well the cat shouldnt be locked in the basement & i suggest u hav 2 try & find a way around the problem if u cant then maybe u should giv the cat 2 sum1 with the time.
:D Hope this helped
Christine
2006-12-27 19:55:35 · answer #2 · answered by !XxXDevil'sRejectXxXCatLover 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like your mum is doing the kind thing. She is spending lots of time with your cat- and giving it a safe place when she needs time out. By having a cat on your paperwork and harassing you while you try to sleep it can lead to cruelty (as trouble said- stirfry) and she isn't restricting the cats sleeping, ability to move (has a large area) or even eating or access to kitty litter. Obviously your cat isn't to upset or it wouldn't want to spend time in your mums lap. Tiger didn't speak to me for a week when I ran over his tail with my bike (sorry tiger- an accident I swear)
2006-12-27 20:28:19 · answer #3 · answered by Isabel 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My cat is just like that.
Fortunately I don't have to leave him with anybody.
Try giving him a toy catnip filled mouse (available at pet store) or something while he is in the basement. That should keep him occupied for hours.
2006-12-27 20:10:10 · answer #4 · answered by Old man wrench 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
oh it is not you should let him go anywhere in his house and he will be happy make sure the basement is open for him to get to his litter box and food and watch him go out side sure he is near bye and if your mom doesn't go outside much then let both of you do it because you are spouse to be outside for 10 min a day and I'm way over avrage for aboat 6 hours on saturday becasue i help my dad work on houses
2006-12-28 00:35:12 · answer #5 · answered by Kat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its okay that kitty loves being in the damp dungeon of a basement. Maybe, you could take him home with you. Not knowing your situation , just be thankful she is taking care of him and not taking him to the kitty pound.
2006-12-27 19:49:48 · answer #6 · answered by Frank R 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would suggest giving him away to someone who can take better care of him. Your cat is being neglected and not loved. Send him to a farm where he can play in the fields with other "cats" and be with a family who will treat him right. I know you probably love the cat but your not there regularly. The cat needs a better home. Ask around and see if anyone wants to adopt him. This cat can have a better life, so try to make that happen no matter how hard that may be!
2006-12-27 19:49:09 · answer #7 · answered by coolchick 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I think that what she's doing is abuse, it's not right, and you should either take her rights away from having anything to do with that animal, or get rid of it. It's not right, and if anyone ever reported her actions, you do know you could lose your cat for good don't you? Please don't let this happen anymore, yeah the cat is acting this way, because he's attention deprived. Get him a friend, and keep them BOTH away from your mother, Move or something if you have to, but please don't let it happen anymore.
2006-12-27 20:34:55 · answer #8 · answered by ~*~SpitFire~*~ 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it's not the most ideal situation, but try talking to your mom about teaching the cat to stay away from papers. Use a paper towel cardboard roll and swat it everytime he gets around her while doing paperwork. Eventually he will learn and then she mind him in the house when she's doing bills and paperwork. small steps eventually lead to big leaps.
2006-12-27 19:52:26 · answer #9 · answered by sweetesssounds 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I don't think it's cruelty or abuse. I'm sure he finds things down there to keep him amused. One thing I'd do is go down there and make sure there's no poisons he could get into. Maybe some open bottles of something bad. Or maybe some mouse or roach poison.
2006-12-27 21:33:29 · answer #10 · answered by Jack O'Lantern 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋