I have tried keeping him indoors. He becomes agressive and violent towards his sister, and cries incessanatly. I can't stand it Once he's able to go out again, he goes back to being a sweetie in the house...really affectionate and playful(he will even fetch like a dog, it's so cute). I do not want to get him de-clawed..i've always thought it inhumane. I don't want to give him back to the animal shelter. There just doesn't seem to be a good solution. I can't bear to see anymore little chipmunks and birds being chased and caught . We live on 2 fenced(8' deer fencing) acres, so no predators are ever getting in(no raccons or other cats or dogs)
Tovi is 10 mos old
ok, i guess that's about enough info, lol.
please can you help me decide what to do?
2007-05-13 04:28:03 · 11 answers · asked by lennie1226 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
more info: Tovi is already neutered, and already has a collar with a bell on it. He's out about 1/2 the time he's awake..he sleeps in bed with us at night
2007-05-13 04:39:33 · update #1
I agree with you, declawing is inhumane, and it is cruel to force a cat to stay inside if he clearly wants to be outside.
I'm afraid you've done everything I can think of doing! If the issue is you being upset about the prey he catches, I don't really think there is anything you can do to stop this, bar forcing him to stay inside which you rightly don't want to do.
My cat used to catch mice and birds every day of the summer in her prime. I didn't like it either (and I was young at the time) but I knew it was just what cats do. Eventually, birds stopped landing in our garden and her prey source ran out a bit!
The most important thing for you to do really is keep your cat regularly wormed (if you don't already) - he's at real risk from catching worms if he eats all these wild animals.
Sorry I can't be of more help, but there's no stopping nature sometimes!
Chalice
2007-05-13 05:01:32 · answer #1 · answered by Chalice 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
let him be, the problem with having live animals as pets is that they are live animals which means they have a thousand years of instincts, skill, and a working brain all in one package. love him just the way he is.
by the way, the bell on the collar thing is funny, its only good for you to think it helps the chipmunks. remember how cats hunt, by sneaking slowly, which means the bell is not going to be moving and when the cat makes it charge at the animal, the bell may ring then but its a little late now
2007-05-13 12:04:48 · answer #2 · answered by Eric J 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Has he been neutered yet? Male cats are naturally more aggressive, so getting him neutered will help calm him down. He may never stop killing, since some cats are natural hunters, but he'll be kinder to his sister and eventually will grow out of the crying phase. Normally anytime after 8 months old is a safe time to do it, and it'll take a few months for the hormones to leave his system.
2007-05-13 11:42:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There's not really anything you can do. If he has a coller with a bell on it, and is still able to catch things even with the jingleing, then he is just a natural born hunter. I know its sad and depressing to see dead rodents and birda all over the place, but that is just the cat's natural instinct. Any time you see him going after something, try to distract him. Get a piece of string and wiggle that around on the ground near him. Or throw a ball past him to startle him and get him sidetracked. (don't hit him with the ball) Don't try and intervine by picking him up, because he might still be in hunt-mode and hurt you. If there's nothing you can do, there's nothing you can do.
2007-05-13 15:29:00 · answer #4 · answered by pseudonym 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let him hunt, if you think declawing is inhumane then you should have an understanding for what hunting cats like to do. You should feel fortunate, you will never have a mouse or rat problem around your house, he will always be in athletic shape, and you will have a happy peaceful home. Just be sure to get praziquantel tabs and deworm him for tapes every 3-4 months.
2007-05-13 13:02:35 · answer #5 · answered by JeN 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The bell on the collar is a good idea, but hunting is what cats do and there probably isn't any way to teach him to stop doing it other than keeping him indoors. Has he been neutered? My male stopped that kind of behavior when I got him fixed. Good Luck :)
2007-05-13 11:40:14 · answer #6 · answered by jumath 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
its his instinct to hunt. it's like asking how to stop a fish swimming, its just what they do!
if you've started letting him out, you probably should continue. ideally you should have never let him out. about half of all cats are house cats these days.
you might want to have him neutered, that may stop, or lower the level of hunting, also the agressive behaviour. all cats should be neutered really.
2007-05-13 11:34:43 · answer #7 · answered by kittens_say_mew 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Try putting on him a collar with a bell. Then he can't sneak up on other animals.
May be some cats expert can suggest something else.
2007-05-13 11:33:39 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
its a part of his nature, let him be..his mother must have been teaching him a thing or rwo about hunting..my cats only catch birds and mice.
2007-05-13 11:48:36 · answer #9 · answered by laraindogg 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
1) keep the cat in the house
2) keep the cat in the house
3) keep the cat in the house
do you get it yet?
2007-05-13 20:39:21 · answer #10 · answered by C-Rock 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋