I would like to request someone to tell me how to keep pet cats out of the house. My cat has had 4 klttens. These are not pedigree cats but wild ones that adopted us. We can't seem to train them to behave. Despite feeding them three times a day the mother cat still tries to get into the house and eat us out of house and home. She steals a kilo of meat at a time and has starting destroying expensive dishes in order to get to the meat.
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I suggest you capture the cat and her kittens and take them to a no kill shelter so they can find good home's for them. Cat's or dogs, should not have to stay outside they are not pet's in that case.
One problem with no kill shelters is that many do kill animals or won't accept animals that they will need to kill. An older cat that tears through containers to eat food is going to be tough to find a home for, IMO. The kittens may have hope, though. Whatever you do, get them all fixed if you are keeping them or you will end up with a LOT more kitties on your hands. Feeding animals outside is generally problematic because you will also attract other critters who will come looking for your food. For example, Racoons may get wise to the food and come back regularly.
I agree with Diane as far as catching them & getting them into rescue though. There are many rescues on-line, even if they are feral cats. And probably some locally. I can't even imagine turning kittens into the wild. They would have no chance.
If the mother cat is opening your refrigerator, you have big problems. If not, how on earth is she getting to food? Surely you're not risking food poisoning by leaving raw or cooked meat outside of the refrigerator at any time, are you? If you are leaving food out, I suggest you stop immediately, for your own sake, if not for the sake of your screens. Or don't you have screens? Screens WILL keep out most cats.
It is possible, if the mother is not getting enough food to satisfy her, that she has worms (not uncommon in outdoor cats). But if she is just jumping through an open window that doesn't have a screen on it to get to food that you have left sitting out, then the problem is your fault, not hers.
Otherwise, I second the other posters. Cats don't live long in the wild. Take the kittens to a no-kill shelter, take the mother cat to the vet to get spayed. Then turn her into a house cat, where you can leave dry cat food out all the time for her.
I suggest you find homes for your cat and her kittens. She would not be tearing into food if she weren't hungry. Cats are more helpless than you may think, and depend on their people for love and care. If a family cannot provide these basic things, they should not have pets.
If you do end up having to get rid of the cats, please post where you live (town/city, state) and we will try to locate a convenient shelter for your to take them too.
Please take the mother and babies to a shelter where they will be inoculated, fed nourishing food and given other medical treatment. Chances are they are infested with worms and fleas, and there is a probability they have feline AIDS or feline Leukemia. Also malnourished kittens are subject to respiratory diseases which is a certain death to them.
She is trying to feed and protect her babies, for the sake of all, please call rescue ASAP. A dog or cat should never be forced to live outside. That is inhumane.
Good luck and please let us know the outcome.
I agree with the possibility that the mother cat has worms and fleas and may be eating voraciously due to inability to absorb nutrients for herself and trying to feed her babies at the same time. She is probably anemic or ill. Make sure to feed them quality cat food for lactating mothers and kittens as directed by your vet.
They should ALL go to see a vet or to a free clinic and have bloodwork and vaccinations. Many vets will give discounts for strays or multiple cats. Mama should also be spayed.
I took in a mother cat who had 6 kittens in my garage. I kept them all. They have lived in the house for 8 years after one kitten was killed by a car. Leaving them outside is a sure death sentence. Cats are trainable. I trained mine to use the toilet.
If you are willing to take on the responsibility and take care of them (and not dump them later), take them in and have patience. You can gently tell them NO when they try to climb or do things they are not supposed to do. There are lots of articles on the web about caring for cats. Mine love to play with wine bottle corks and large sea shells. You can make something neat and safe for them to climb on with a little creativity (we did with leftover wood and carpet from friends for about $4).
If the babies are truly wild, confine the family (mother included) to a small area inside that can be theirs until they get used to you. I have found larger bathrooms are great as they can be cleaned easily if there is an accident. The mother will litter train her babies, given a litter box. You will need to remove all harmful substances, toilet paper (unless you want to see it torn up all over the floor - cats think that's a cool game), cloth shower curtain and keep the toilet seat closed until they are older so they don't drown. A nice soft towel or two will be good for a bed. Child-proof latches on cabinets are also helpful (to keep them from stealing garlic and potato chips and eating soap), though I have used concrete blocks and trash cans to keep them from opening cabinets, too.
After a bit of confinement for observation and a clean bill of health from my vet (which usually takes a week or so), I gradually let them start to roam around in the house. They will play with each other and little "toys". You basically have to treat them like children who will get into anything, but they make wonderful companions and will be your best friends if you take care of them. If you don't want to take care of them for the long haul, I would vote for a no-kill shelter, too. It's hard for me to imagine not wanting to keep them. My ex hated cats. The cats still live here... :-)
I don't blame your husband for wanting to throw them out in the wild, they drive me crazy as well. A good and inexpensive way to make them
stop coming in, is get an empty coke can, and fill it with 8-10 small rocks, then close up the can so they don't fall out. The cats absolutley hate the
sound it makes when you shake it hard. So when your door is open and your cat comes in, grab that can and give it a good shake, they will go crazy and run back out of the house. After doing this a couple of times, they will be too afraid to enter your domain again.
hope this helps
Steven S.
This lady is asking for help to keep the cat OUT of her house, NOT to turn them into house pets, also to NOT get rid of them!! I have the same problem, I do NOT like cats, but will not kill them either. I have found a simple solution. Mix some vinegar, lemon juice, garlic juice, a bit of water, and sometimes when they are being stubborn, TABASCO sauce! it often works. with SPECTACULAR results!! just change proportions so they don't get used to it. Oh, and by the way, dogs and cats can live QUITE well without humans! it is NOT cruel, otherwise how would they have evolved so WELL! It was HUMANS who domesticated them, and made them mostly dependent on us, but cats especially can adapt to the wild! I own several dogs, they CLAW at the door to go outside at times, ALSO I try to bring them inside, they DON'T WANT to come in!! and the cats sometimes get in, they are just GREEDY little beasts! they have PLENTY of food outside, they just want whats INSIDE as well!! then when finish food they find in dogbowl inside, RIP at door to get outside and eat THEIR food! and no, they DON'T have worms! I get them checked time to time, have fun!
It would be very very cruel to take them out & dump them in the wild. On top of that pretty soon it would not be just the 2 or 4 cats you were cruel enough to DUMP, it would end up being 30 or 40 & on & on. If you want to get rid of your "problem" do it the right way a "no kill "pet shelter, If you had had the cat fixed in the first place you would not be having this problem. Take them to a vet & get them fixed around 6 months old. Please don't get any more "pets".
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