- Joined
- Jul 3, 2003
- Messages
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- Purraise
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Hi Amy, thanks for being here!
This may be a little long (sorry!), but I'm wondering if it's feasible to change my seniors' behavior this late in life.
My 3 cats are 14, 9 and 9. I've just gotten married, and because my hubby is allergic to my cats (he has one that's 7 and doesn't bother him) we're going to have to keep them out of the bedroom, though until now they've always slept with me.
We've followed the cat introduction tips successfully so far - my kitties have been in a separate bedroom for a while now and when I let them out (supervised) they seem to get along OK with his cat. (Also, the Feliway plug-in I used seemed to help stop the fighting amongst my cats, too - yea!)
Here's the problem(s):
1)My apartment was decorated in a minimalist fashion because of the cats & the fact I worked long hours & wasn't around to supervise. They pretty much had the run of the place for years, climbing on everything and scratching my old beat-up couch to their hearts' content - they really seemed to enjoy knocking fragile objects off mantels. My hubby, however, has LOTS of things on shelves, in cabinets, etc., has nice furniture, and doesn't want the cats climbing on anything (his cat is well-behaved, but is allowed outside - my cats aren't going to be let out). Is it possible to train my little senior masters of destruction to stay off the shelves and counters and not to scratch the furniture (they're wearing softpaws now) this late in life? I love them dearly & don't want to do anything mean, but I need to be able to let them out in the house without them being so destructive.
2)My oldest girl tends to pee on things when she gets upset, so that's one more reason to be careful!
3)Once they're loose in the house but not allowed in the bedroom, how can I calm them so they don't cry at the bedroom door (poor babies!)?
Any advice is greatly appreciated - thanks!
This may be a little long (sorry!), but I'm wondering if it's feasible to change my seniors' behavior this late in life.
My 3 cats are 14, 9 and 9. I've just gotten married, and because my hubby is allergic to my cats (he has one that's 7 and doesn't bother him) we're going to have to keep them out of the bedroom, though until now they've always slept with me.
We've followed the cat introduction tips successfully so far - my kitties have been in a separate bedroom for a while now and when I let them out (supervised) they seem to get along OK with his cat. (Also, the Feliway plug-in I used seemed to help stop the fighting amongst my cats, too - yea!)
Here's the problem(s):
1)My apartment was decorated in a minimalist fashion because of the cats & the fact I worked long hours & wasn't around to supervise. They pretty much had the run of the place for years, climbing on everything and scratching my old beat-up couch to their hearts' content - they really seemed to enjoy knocking fragile objects off mantels. My hubby, however, has LOTS of things on shelves, in cabinets, etc., has nice furniture, and doesn't want the cats climbing on anything (his cat is well-behaved, but is allowed outside - my cats aren't going to be let out). Is it possible to train my little senior masters of destruction to stay off the shelves and counters and not to scratch the furniture (they're wearing softpaws now) this late in life? I love them dearly & don't want to do anything mean, but I need to be able to let them out in the house without them being so destructive.
2)My oldest girl tends to pee on things when she gets upset, so that's one more reason to be careful!
3)Once they're loose in the house but not allowed in the bedroom, how can I calm them so they don't cry at the bedroom door (poor babies!)?
Any advice is greatly appreciated - thanks!