- Joined
- Apr 25, 2014
- Messages
- 55
- Purraise
- 117
Well, Lady Fluffington has been returned to me. (Thread about it here, but it's not a necessary read, long story short didn't even give it a full two weeks! Siiiigh.)
Anyway I'm having troubles with her. She constantly wants to go out, constantly, all the time always.
She paces and meows and it was beginning to be a problem before I gave her up. I think it's because when she comes to the side of the house I'm in, with the living room and bedroom, my cats hiss at her and make her nervous, so she exiles herself to the kitchen side. Then she feels cooped up and unwelcome, and even though I try to play with her (though she's developing issues with that I won't go into, and neuroses about treats and other things are just piling up by the day), it's not enough. Thus, I had hoped that when adopting her to a person who didn't have preexisting cats, she would relax and be happy inside and not hassle them with all the meowing. (But who knows, if I find another adopter and they bother to give her adjustment time, maybe this crap'll start up for them and they'll return her for that, ugggh.)
She's basically meowing and pacing all the time, ALL the time, all the time. Building her a window-perch quieted her for maybe a day. I didn't let her out for MONTHS for a while there, didn't help, she still wanted it, she never gave up wanting it and became even more insistent about it. Then I relented and started take her for walks, and she'll enjoy them and come in and then be okay for like five minutes, then start up again.
Let me stress that I am NOT a believer in indoor/outdoor cats. I think there are way too many dangers, cars and predators and insane people who poison animals. People say "Omg my outdoor cat got hit by a car!" and I think, "YOU MURDERER" because they let them out there and that is insane to me what is wrong with you! But now I don't know what to do about Fluff. If the issue was just that her mowing annoys me or something I could deal with it, but the issue is that she is NOT happy, and it's killing my soul.
She lived an entire life out there before me, and I'm hoping that just the freedom to come and go will relax her. If she relaxes, that'll help the cats see her as not so neurotic and crazy, which will relax THEM, which will hopefully relax her more. It's all I can think to do.
So I'm looking at this pet door:
Because obviously I need something electronic that will only let one specific cat out.
The problem is the low reviews, which seems to be a problem with EVERY electronic pet door I have looked at, and I've looked at dozens now. They've all got weird problems and work for maybe 50% of the people who buy them. Some have giant tags that break, some only lock for an incoming cat but not outgoing, some don't work unless the cat's basically pressing the tag against the sensor for five minutes, etc. This is the best one I've found, and it's not even very good.
Are there any alternatives I missed? Suggestions, solutions, miracles anyone?
...
She is currently pacing across my desk back and forth as I type around her, knocking things over, meowing and then running to the door. And I don't let her out this late. I never have. We don't have any kind of tradition where she should expect me to do anything about this.
Sigh.
Anyway I'm having troubles with her. She constantly wants to go out, constantly, all the time always.
She paces and meows and it was beginning to be a problem before I gave her up. I think it's because when she comes to the side of the house I'm in, with the living room and bedroom, my cats hiss at her and make her nervous, so she exiles herself to the kitchen side. Then she feels cooped up and unwelcome, and even though I try to play with her (though she's developing issues with that I won't go into, and neuroses about treats and other things are just piling up by the day), it's not enough. Thus, I had hoped that when adopting her to a person who didn't have preexisting cats, she would relax and be happy inside and not hassle them with all the meowing. (But who knows, if I find another adopter and they bother to give her adjustment time, maybe this crap'll start up for them and they'll return her for that, ugggh.)
She's basically meowing and pacing all the time, ALL the time, all the time. Building her a window-perch quieted her for maybe a day. I didn't let her out for MONTHS for a while there, didn't help, she still wanted it, she never gave up wanting it and became even more insistent about it. Then I relented and started take her for walks, and she'll enjoy them and come in and then be okay for like five minutes, then start up again.
Let me stress that I am NOT a believer in indoor/outdoor cats. I think there are way too many dangers, cars and predators and insane people who poison animals. People say "Omg my outdoor cat got hit by a car!" and I think, "YOU MURDERER" because they let them out there and that is insane to me what is wrong with you! But now I don't know what to do about Fluff. If the issue was just that her mowing annoys me or something I could deal with it, but the issue is that she is NOT happy, and it's killing my soul.
She lived an entire life out there before me, and I'm hoping that just the freedom to come and go will relax her. If she relaxes, that'll help the cats see her as not so neurotic and crazy, which will relax THEM, which will hopefully relax her more. It's all I can think to do.
So I'm looking at this pet door:
Because obviously I need something electronic that will only let one specific cat out.
The problem is the low reviews, which seems to be a problem with EVERY electronic pet door I have looked at, and I've looked at dozens now. They've all got weird problems and work for maybe 50% of the people who buy them. Some have giant tags that break, some only lock for an incoming cat but not outgoing, some don't work unless the cat's basically pressing the tag against the sensor for five minutes, etc. This is the best one I've found, and it's not even very good.
Are there any alternatives I missed? Suggestions, solutions, miracles anyone?
...
She is currently pacing across my desk back and forth as I type around her, knocking things over, meowing and then running to the door. And I don't let her out this late. I never have. We don't have any kind of tradition where she should expect me to do anything about this.
Sigh.