If you wanna talk about a new... you've gone one right here *points to herself* My boyfriend just moved in with his cat. Her name is Tiger. I don't know what kind of cat she is but she looks like one of these.
My boyfriend rescued her sometime last year. I guess she was abandoned. It doesn't seem like she was abused but, again, I don't know.
I need help just so that I can get to know how to become a cat owner and of course understand the actions and behaviors of my new cat. I have never owned a cat and my boyfriend, prior to this cat, was just a dog owner. He doesn't have dogs anymore. Just Tiger. So I don't really take his word when he tells me what to do with her because I also don't necessarily agree with some of the things he does or lacks in doing.
Before I moved in, when I would visit my boyfriend, she seemed pretty cool. She did her own thing. Sometimes layed near the window looking outside, or lying on his rug watching tv with us, or lying in his furry blanket he had set up in a basket for her. As time went on, she grew accustomed to me coming over and allowed me to pet her and even would climb on my stomach/chest and let me pet her. But only for so long until she would kind of snap at me (slightly bite me, scratch me) and run off. A friend of mine told me its because they don't like to be "overstimulated". *shrugs*.
Now that they have moved into my place. Obviously she is a bit scared and confused. It's been a couple weeks and she seems to have grown accustomed to the place, but still on the jumpy side and I don't know what to do to comfort her more. She hasn't had any accidents which is good. She's generally a really good cat, doesn't scratch furniture too badly, we've caught her in time and told her not to. Well, my boyfriend yells at her (should we be yelling at her, not even sure what kind of disciplining to do to a cat)? Sometimes, he smacks her nose to know she's not supposed to do certain things????? I've heard you do that to dogs, but cats, too???
She's not declawed nor would I want to do that, but a friend also suggested filing their nails? How would I even get to that point without having her scratch me?
The other day, our landlord came up and saw our cat (no problems there) but the landlord was just being friendly saying hi to Tiger and petting her, and she smacked her hand with her paw. I was so embarrassed. She didn't scratch her but I don't want her doing that to strangers.
Another thing. I've heard friends of mine (cat-owners) talk about washing their cats. My boyfriend never gives Tiger a bath. He seems to think that her licking herself (which I knows is a form of self-cleaning) is enough. I don't agree.
Somebody tell me what to do.
My boyfriend rescued her sometime last year. I guess she was abandoned. It doesn't seem like she was abused but, again, I don't know.
I need help just so that I can get to know how to become a cat owner and of course understand the actions and behaviors of my new cat. I have never owned a cat and my boyfriend, prior to this cat, was just a dog owner. He doesn't have dogs anymore. Just Tiger. So I don't really take his word when he tells me what to do with her because I also don't necessarily agree with some of the things he does or lacks in doing.
Before I moved in, when I would visit my boyfriend, she seemed pretty cool. She did her own thing. Sometimes layed near the window looking outside, or lying on his rug watching tv with us, or lying in his furry blanket he had set up in a basket for her. As time went on, she grew accustomed to me coming over and allowed me to pet her and even would climb on my stomach/chest and let me pet her. But only for so long until she would kind of snap at me (slightly bite me, scratch me) and run off. A friend of mine told me its because they don't like to be "overstimulated". *shrugs*.
Now that they have moved into my place. Obviously she is a bit scared and confused. It's been a couple weeks and she seems to have grown accustomed to the place, but still on the jumpy side and I don't know what to do to comfort her more. She hasn't had any accidents which is good. She's generally a really good cat, doesn't scratch furniture too badly, we've caught her in time and told her not to. Well, my boyfriend yells at her (should we be yelling at her, not even sure what kind of disciplining to do to a cat)? Sometimes, he smacks her nose to know she's not supposed to do certain things????? I've heard you do that to dogs, but cats, too???
She's not declawed nor would I want to do that, but a friend also suggested filing their nails? How would I even get to that point without having her scratch me?
The other day, our landlord came up and saw our cat (no problems there) but the landlord was just being friendly saying hi to Tiger and petting her, and she smacked her hand with her paw. I was so embarrassed. She didn't scratch her but I don't want her doing that to strangers.
Another thing. I've heard friends of mine (cat-owners) talk about washing their cats. My boyfriend never gives Tiger a bath. He seems to think that her licking herself (which I knows is a form of self-cleaning) is enough. I don't agree.
Somebody tell me what to do.
