Moving in with girlfriend and her cats...

[toots]

I've always been a dog person. Now I'm a no-pet person, I'd rather have no pets. Dating this girl has been completely new experience as I learn about cats and their behaviors.

As first, her Bangel made my skin crawl. Going from the litter box onto her lap, eeeewww!!!! And there's no way you can keep a determined cat off your counters when you aren't around. I've accepted that and so should everyone else

We've been together for a year now and during that time her Bangel was being a real sh** since it was alone for 12 hours a day. She bought a tabi to keep it company and made the problem better for the cats, but worse for me. 2 litter boxes, 8 paw prints and more chaos.

I'm growing to like them more and more but they still irritate the hell out of me because of their disobedience. I'm accepting that's just the way cats are. She has been very understanding and never lets them in our bedroom or the movie room. I love this girl and want to marry her someday.

So I am here to help myself stop being OCD about the cats and get on with living with them and being happy. Can someone confirm my notion that no one ever got sick from living with cats? I mean yea, it's gross but it you wipe off your counters before cooking and clean a kitchen the way it should be cleaned anyway...no problem right? I've read cats will bring traces of poop and pee into the apartment on their paws but it's no big deal right?

I know they are clean but I hardly ever see them licking under their paws, and they are always licking themselves. I don't see what good that does though since it's the same mouth that they lick their butt with and never do anything to clean their mouths out.

If anyone has some words of advice I would greatly appreciate it...they are very sweet animals, I just can't get over the disobediance and grossness yet. Can anyone help?

Thanks!

 

[maxtucker]

You can definitely get sick living with cats. Off the top of my head I cannot remember names but some diseases can pass through cat urine to humans. This is highly uncommon though so I would not worry. As long as the litter box is kept clean and sanitized you should be fine.

As for advice, just get to know them. I am sure they're nice cats, get a laser pointer and have them chase it around the house. You will fall in love with them in no time.

 

[fifi1puss]

I can understand what you are saying. I just try to think of all the junk I must track in on my shoes and clothing on a daily basis. They did a test on womans purses and found all sorts of sickness causing bacteria on them...than we go and lay them on the counter top...

won't even get into shoes!

But as for advice, I am wondering if you could get a self cleaning litter box. It gets rid of the stuff after each visit so you'll know that they won't be getting any grossness on their paws....it is very cool.

I just wash down my counters before I use them. Probelm solved there.

Let go of your need for control. It will make them alot more enjoyable. They never will listen and they will make messes and break things sometimes. But if you love this girl you need to do one of two things: Ignore them and just consider them to be unwanted longterm houseguests (like having the inlaws living with you for a while

maybe good practice for future

) or two: enjoy their differentness (act like they are from a different country on an exchange program and you are delighted to learn their customs!

)...play with them, Bengals are super athletic and very cool!! A very "manly" kind of a cat.

Its also amazing how much attention and affection the person who feeds them gets...you'll be their best friend in no time!

 

[Draco]

I was the same way growing up "EW! Cats dig in their litter box, then jump on the counters? Disgusting!".. I always said I'd never own cats either because of the same thought.. how disgusting it was and how harmful it could be.

after talking to people, I got the same responses as MaxTucker and fifi1puss, posted above, and it did help ease my concerns. Years later, I did get my first cat when I moved out of my parents house.. Once I got to know him and got used to him being around, I don't give another thought to the litter box scuff on their paws and tracking it everywhere. I love my kitty and I just don't care anymore!

Remember, Babies and kids rub their butts, play with their diapers and rub their hands everywhere. Most people don't notice it because they love their babies so much to care!

maybe the same will happen to you

As for the disobedience.. It's just how they are. You may learn to love their independence and like cats just as much as dogs (or more!) since they tend to be less needy. You don't have to walk them, let them out, constantly give them attention dogs crave, etc. I, too, grew up with dogs, and after owning a cat, I don't think I want a dog in the future! Cats are less work (IMO)!

 

[sarahp]

I've lived with cats all my life and never gotten sick from them. I've had my human baby for one year, and gotten sick multiple times from her!

If you want to keep the cats off the countertops - use something like Ssscat. It's a little motion detector set on top of a can of compressed air. When it detects movement it makes a sound and lets out a burst of air. The cats don't like the sound, so get away fast.

We trained our very naughty kitty very fast. I can't remember if it's Ssscat or one of the other ones, but you can change it so it's sound and air or just sound. So once they're trained, you set it to just sound, and if they jump up they hear the sound and that's enough to remind them to stay down.

It will freak you out any time you set it off though...

 

[toots]

Great advice everyone, we use the ssscat outside the bedroom door. That would have been a deal breaker...before we got the ssscat that the bangel was waking me up every hour, it was rediculous.

 

[kailie]

Oh you would go NUTS at my house hun!

Seriously though, I too have always had cats and plenty of them between our own and fostering. We always have people coming to our home, potential adopters, etc. I don't get any more sick than anyone else. As long as you clean, you'll be fine. People have lived with kitties for many years without major issue.

Sounds like these kitties have you well on your way to being trained.

You already have a pretty good understanding that cats do what they want, when they want, and although yes, they can be real pains in the behind, it is well worth it.

 

[ducman69]

Yes, you can definitely get sick from cats, but aside from litterbox maintenance or a bite or scratch is extremely unlikely.

You do not have to tolerate cats on your kitchen counter, although I personally do not mind it and simply wipe it down w/ a anti-bacterial wipe before preparing meals and my cutting boards are all put away, so food really doesn't touch the counter regardless. The easiest means for you to achieve this is with a product called the SSSCAT. It uses a small can of compressed air with a motion sensor that can be aimed. When the cat approaches, it blasts them with a puff of air which to a cat is a frightening (but completely harmless) experience. The benefit is that this form of punishment will not be associated with yourself, and quickly the cat learns that the counters are a negative experience and avoids them so the SSSCAT training device can be removed.

You do not need to worry about a cat jumping on you, unless it has soft stools and stepped in its own poo, which is not too likely. Cats in general are one of the most hygienic land mammals on the planet, devoting about a third of their waking hours to self-grooming with powerful enzymes that destroy bacteria in their saliva. A person's hands are far dirtier than just about any part of a cat, and we shake people's hands and touch very dirty car steering wheels w/o issue.

For litterbox maintenance, I would recommend investing in an organic litter that has very low and perfectly safe dust and can be safely flushed in the toilet, with a litterbox that requires minimal interaction from you. Wash your hands after, and it really can't get any more healthy than that. I like to use Swheat Scoop Multicat litter (the one w/ the green label is extra clumping) available at Petsmart in 40lb bags. This litter lasts a long time and naturally masks odors. For a litterbox itself, the two I'd recommend if you don't care to scoop are the Omega Paw litterbox which you simply roll to clean:
^ thats what I have, recommend one for each cat + 1 spare. So two cats, three boxes.

Another but very expensive option is the Litter Robot LR2, which is fully automated:
http://www.amazon.com/Litter-Robot-A...5066236&sr=8-8
^expensive, but hundreds of nearly all 5 star reviews.

PS: Bengal cats are a beautiful breed, but are known to be VERY energetic and require lots of mental stimulation. They are not often recommended as a first or only cat for that reason, and may explain a bit why you're a bit kitty-shocked especially if the bengal is still very young and mischievous. Most cats are more chill and obedient in general.

 

[mrblanche]

Funny, I was just talking to the manager of the shelter where I volunteer this afternoon. We agreed that cats are not liked by most controlling people, who tend to be dog people. We've both seen some conversions.

Cats are probably no dirtier than children, who my brother refers to as "disease distribution units."

Yes, you can get a few diseases from cats. You can get diseases from spinach, salsa, and bean sprouts, too.

 

[white cat lover]

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Cats are probably no dirtier than children, who my brother refers to as "disease distribution units."

OMG!

I am not a kid person, I'll have to remember that - disease distribution units!

Originally Posted by Kailie

Oh you would go NUTS at my house hun!

Mine, too.

As the proud owner of a dozen too many cats, I've never once gotten sick from them. Yet I've spent the last week sick with flu-like symptoms thanks to a co-worker. My cats are on the counters, that's where they eat & their water fountain is. They sleep in bed with me, they lick me, etc.

I don't live with cats, they allow me to live in their house & cater to their every whim. Just ask them.

That said - some people aren't cat people. And if you love someone enough to want to spend the rest of your life with them you'll both make compromises to make the living situation comfortable for each of you. There are things that can be done to make living with cats more "tolerable" (for lack of a better word) for people who aren't really cat people. One of my family members is NOT a cat person & there are 12 in my house.

 

[orangeishcat]

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Cats are probably no dirtier than children, who my brother refers to as "disease distribution units."

As a teacher I can absolutely attest to the validity of this statement!!

I can guarantee I've gotten sick WAY more from my students than from my cat.

Seriously though, I've never gotten ill because of Peanut. In the event I do become pregnant, DH will take over the litterbox just as a precaution to prevent toxoplasmosis.

 

[blake b]

I know exactly what you're talking about I am a total germaphobe also.  I recently moved in with a room mate that had 2 cats, and I no opinion either way.  The cats are very sweet and lovable, and I never had issues with them on furniture, or the bed.  One day however, I was watching t.v. near the litter box where one of the cats was going to the bathroom.  I watched as the cat scooped the litter over its droppings (I can't recall whether it went #1 or #2), and later that day I watched as the cat went back again and did the same thing again, and again and then again...well you get my point.  I can't help but wonder how that can be sanitary.  I realize that their messes get scooped out on a daily basis but the entire litter thats in the box doesn't get dumped out every day.  All I kept thinking about is that when my room mate scoops the pee/poop out of the box the excess litter that falls of the feces or urine will be tossed around the litter box for the next week or so, as their paws stand, scoop, and hide their droppings.  Then, that same litter thats covering the pee/poop gets in between thier paws, then they jump on the furniture or the beds.  Not to mention when I would come from work and I could see traces of dust in the shape of paws from the litter box on the kitchen counters...I know people say cats are supposedly very meticulous about their grooming process, but I don't see how after grooming/ licking their behind and getting waste off bottom, and then licking the rest of thier fur, that some fecal matter is not spread all over their coat from their tongue?  Yes children may get into messes, but hopefully their parents are keeping a close enough eye on them, that if they are rolling around in poop, they they get their hands washed right away.

The last straw for me, was when the cat was lying on the bed one day on one of the pillows, and as it got up and jumped off the bed, I saw a small clump of poop stuck to its behind.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to lie my head down on a pillow that was used for toilet paper...

I made certain restrictions as "allowed" places, and the bedroom, and counters are 1st on the list.  I am still getting used to living with cats, but I think there are definitely certain places that are not for paws. (Cats, dogs, etc).  I don't mean this to sound as though I'm only referring to cats, because dogs go out and roll around in who knows what, I'm simply saying that there are certain places, in my opinion, that are not for animals.

 

[orientalslave]

You can get diseases (zoonoses) from cats *IF* you don't take reasonable precautions.

The main issues are the litter tray and food preparation areas.  Wash hands well after doing the tray - wear disposable gloves if you are really paranoid - and clean food preparation areas just before using them.  Even if the cats don't go on the counter when you are there, who knows what they do when you aren't around?

If you get scratched, wash it well.

 

[flintmccullough]

LOL 

   If ya think about, where you put your mouth, and, what you put in your mouth, how is that really, any different, LOL, LOL, LOL.  

   

       

 

[jennyr]

Every time you go on public transport you are picking up germs from other people through touch, sneezing etc. And what about the horrors that children bring home from school - I can never understand how some parents can take things like nits in their stride, it gives me the heeby jeebies. It is sensible to take precautions when living with animals, but I think cats are cleaner that many people I know! If litter boxes are cleaned daily and counters and floors washed and disinfected, then one must accept the rest as living in company.

 

[melesine]

Someone bumped a year old thread? Well I got a LOL out of it anyway. Anyone think this story sounds similar to one on My Cat From Hell?