2 stir crazy kitties

rampantglory

Hi all, we have recently fostered 2 very shy cats (brother n sister),They are at the most 1yr old they have been in 2 previous homes but went back to shelters because they weren't friendly enough.... so were basically trying to get them used to human contact, So they can eventually be successfully rehomed,

so our problem is the cats are fostered so we cant let them out(as we dont own them) and we live in a Very small cottage with out garden and the cats are literally doing laps of the house and was wondering if anyone has experience of walking Cats- where to go, how to do it etc they are quite scared (but getting much better) and we want to make it as undramatic as possible

so any advice is greatly appreciated

anniehoo

To be honest if the cats arent that socialised i would forget about the "outside" world for the minute. They need to get used to human contact and everything daily life involves (noise,smells,different people coming and going etc).

Being outdoors before being properly integrated with humans can be overwhelming for a cat and they wont even try to be "social" if they get used to being outdoors. Cats are notoriously stubborn creatures and imho id get them used to a regular feeding,sleeping and affection routine indoors before you attempt anything else.

The Sweeper

Rampantglory, go to the supermarket or hardware store and get a stack of sturdy, empty cardboard boxes.

Then discover your inner Blue Peter Presenter. Seal some of the boxes, leave others open - cut cat-sized holes in odd places so they can get in and out. Stack the boxes and hold them together with packing tape on the outside to form towers. With some holes, cut them but leave one side uncut to form a 'hinge' so you have an openable and closeable door. Join three boxes end-to-end to form a tunnel, with one hole in the top of it - cats love tunnels.

Create a cat play centre, basically, from cardboard. It'll look brutal, and they will wreck it in NO TIME, but that's part of the charm - when they wreck it you can throw it away and build another one. They'll chew the box edges, rag some of it to bits with their claws, sleep on it until it collapses under their weight, and generally pour all of that mad and destructive energy into something that'll take it, that isn't your furniture.

Don't let them out - to successfully harness train a cat, you usually need quite a robust cat (see the 'entertaining videos of Zeuss' thread on here - that poster has a bengal cross who's very outgoing and he copes well with the harness). Many cats will panic when put into a harness and if yours are already timid, they won't love it.

Every so often, bring in a handful of clean grass from outdoors if you have access to some (if you can be sure it hasn't been sprayed with anything) - they'll love to munch on it (and probably yakk it back up over your carpet, but that's cats for you).

If you give them a lot of entertainment in their indoor space, they may even become more friendly as they become happier.

Sigma Force

Kittens tend to do laps around the house, even ones that do have access to outdoors.

An option wld be (if not already done) provide them with a fun cat tree (zooplus.co.uk have reasonably priced ones) and plenty of toys.

Kittens love to run and climb curtains and up chimneys etc. pretty normal.
Kittens and cats need a lot of time to come around, good on you for fostering them. Some cats can actually take months, and some even years and some can retain a wild streak. Part of their charm.

But these guys are still young, some people say the DA Bird toy is a popular thing with cats. zooplus also have some fun puzzley type toys for cats as well, this can help keep their minds occupied.

rampantglory

thanks everyone for your advice we havent got "large" toys for them yet as our cottage is very small but i think we should/will now, cos there certainly worth it.

anniehoo

The Sweeper wrote: »

get a stack of sturdy, empty cardboard boxes. Seal some of the boxes, leave others open - cut cat-sized holes in odd places on it until it collapses under their weight, and generally pour all of that mad and destructive energy into something that'll take it, that isn't your furniture.

Im even goin to do that for my new kittie! Hes a mad fecker...and my v expensive cream leather couch is getting the brunt of his hyperness (even though hes allowed outside too)

Great idea The Sweeper..gonna rob a load of boxes from work tomorrow

Mink

The Sweeper wrote: »

Rampantglory, go to the supermarket or hardware store and get a stack of sturdy, empty cardboard boxes.

Then discover your inner Blue Peter Presenter. Seal some of the boxes, leave others open - cut cat-sized holes in odd places so they can get in and out. Stack the boxes and hold them together with packing tape on the outside to form towers. With some holes, cut them but leave one side uncut to form a 'hinge' so you have an openable and closeable door. Join three boxes end-to-end to form a tunnel, with one hole in the top of it - cats love tunnels.

Create a cat play centre, basically, from cardboard. It'll look brutal, and they will wreck it in NO TIME, but that's part of the charm - when they wreck it you can throw it away and build another one. They'll chew the box edges, rag some of it to bits with their claws, sleep on it until it collapses under their weight, and generally pour all of that mad and destructive energy into something that'll take it, that isn't your furniture.

Brilliant idea. Those cat play centres you can buy are way expensive & they'd probably get bored of it after a few months. At least with cardboard boxes you can reconstruct a different design when they wreck the first one. I'd better get the blue prints drawn up cos I'm definitely doing this.

MsFifers

+1 on the boxes idea - I've a huge box I've cut doors & windows into and hang dangler things from. They love it (although it can lead to some ambush attacks between them!).

Other cheap options- big paper bags to hide in & rip up; tissue paper to roll around on & rip up; feathers lying around to pounce on, bouncy rubber balls to chase around.

If you are near a Pet Mania store, you could get a "Climb & Play" thing they have. You hang it over a door, and its got 5 levels that the cats climb up through the levels and poke their heads out various holes etc. It is on the expensive side but it is without doubt their favourite thing ever. They play in it, sleep in it, hide in it etc

The Sweeper

Hehehe, kitty play centres are so much fun - they're fun to build, and the entertainment you get out of watching them in them is huge.

I've done a lot of cat furniture buying. The cheap scratching posts, made from one square of timber and an upright column wrapped in sisal rope, are useless. Some people have, for instance, one small, dainty female cat, who likes a cuddle and won't sully herself to play most of the time - those cats get benefit from simple scratching posts.

However, having six masters of destruction, I can tell you the following are things you need to look for if you want to buy a cat tree:

Height

Look, the taller the better. Cats love being up high. Some trees are built with a tiny platform on top, to prevent the tree being top-heavy, but what you really want is a solid tree with a good-sized top platform, because they will love to sleep on the top of it. Multiple platforms are also excellent for 'king of the castle', where one cat on the top of the tree will exchange furious fisticuffs with the challenger, on the next level down, who's trying to take over the top spot.

Weight

The heavier your cat's scratching post, or pedestal, or multi-storey tree, the better. When two or more cats play together and get boisterous, they'll jettison themselves from the top of the cat tree. Light tree + heavy cat = "TIMMMMMMBERRRRRRRR!!". The tree falls over, and it could break something in your house; if it's on a hard floor it could break itself, and it's a pain in the bum having to get up all the time to right the tree so they can play on it again.

Coverings

Carpet, not fabric. Most cat-tree makers get carpet offcuts for cheap or free, and they're far better than fabric on a cat tree. The better the carpet, the longer it'll last. Loop pile carpet is crap on a cat tree, because they'll shred it to a bobbly mess in seconds. You want some sort of tight pile carpet, reasonably thick, and in whatever colour doesn't clash with your decor. Good carpet also adds to the weight of the tree.

The uprights and scratching posts

Picture your cat, scratching. They like to stretch upwards, put their claws in, then sort of hang their bodyweight out of their claws as they scratch and pull at whatever it is they're using. A taller scratching post is better for this, because they can lean all the way up. My biggest guy, at full stretch, can reach up to 90cms high. Subsequently a tree with a base, and then four 40cm legs before the next level, is a bit useless to him, because he has to get into an awkward position to scratch the ground level posts. Subsequently he ends up trying to stand on the ground and scratch the posts on level 2, which can be difficult if the tree is an odd shape.

So when you're buying, picture your cat scratching on this thing - where's he or she going to stand, and what bit will they be able to reach. They will scratch the whole thing at various times, but there will be preferential spots that take more wear.

The uprights and scratching posts - coverings

The short version: carpet is better than sisal on the uprights. They like to scratch sisal, but your cats will hit the same spot with their claws again and again and they'll scratch through the rope. The posts are wrapped in one continuous length of sisal, which may or may not be glued to the post along the length. Depending on the determination of the tree maker, the sisal may just be glued and stapled on the top and bottom of the post, so if they scratch through it, the whole post unravels.

Additionally, sisal shreds and you'll have pieces of shredded rope everywhere, and pieces can be chewed off and swallowed. Having to re-wrap your cat tree posts when the sisal goes is a pain in the arse, because it's a fiddly job, and the cats can get very upset that their tree is gone for repairs. Yes, repairing it is cheaper than a new tree, but carpet lasts longer in the first place.

Hollows and boxes as well as platforms and posts

This depends entirely on the size of your cat. A tree that is platform-only will become a focal point for chasing and climbing games among the cat, and if there's a tunnel piece on the tree, they'll use that too, but they tend to use the hollowed boxes with a round entry more for resting in after play. Just remember if you're buying a tree for kittens, and you're spending the money on a good tree, they'll grow and they may end up not able to fit in the boxes and hollows the way they were as kittens.

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Cat trees are extremely useful when you have cats that spend time indoors. If you're wondering "will my cat USE this expensive item?" the answer is "Yes, but only if you put it somewhere public.". Your cat won't use the cat tree if you stick it away in the spare room because you think it's ugly. Hence, buy one in colours that suit your living room, and put it beside the couch - this is why the colours of the carpet on the tree are so important.

Cat trees positioned right beside the couch, assuming your couch is the central collection point for your household in the evenings, will get the most use. They'll also save your couch from scratching, because the cats - sometimes automatically, sometimes with encouragement - will start to scratch the tree instead of the couch. The positioning of the cat tree within the house is even more important than the quality of the build, because whether it costs you €5 or €500, the tree won't get used if you tuck it away in a quiet room somewhere.

Let's put it this way - the ultimate trees can be a part of your household furniture, and I'm saving up for this for my bunch - this is a Funky Hollow, made by an Australian company, and it'll cost nearly $1000!!