Issues: Injuries & Training

Hey all,

I hope everyone had a merry christmas, and happy new year and all that good stuff.

It's been a while since I've posted here, I've been pretty busy with breaking up with my girlfriend, her moving out, roommate moving in, starting a new job, flying home for xmas... yadda yadda.

Anywho, my little boyz are doing great! Just a few questions...

1)
Cyrus has a bunch of scratches and picks on him from Seven. He also has chaffed skin (raw skin) on his arms that is slowly healing. This is a new thing... Any reason why Seven might be playing rougher now and using his nails/teeth? I know they both love to wrestle (they are bengals) and have gotten quite rough on occasion, but i have never noticed any sustainable injuries until now. I've been monitoring him closely and they appear to be healing, but im concerned. Cyrus refuses to use the scratching board, and instead does so on the carpeted post/condo thing and on the carpet. Seven on the other hand uses the scratching board all the time so his nails seem to be constantly sharp even with me clipping once a week or more.

2)
Both cats have been licking their stomachs quite a bit, getting it down to very very very short fur. Especially their nipples and surrounding areas. Any reason why? This just started about a month or two ago.

3)
Training issue... Since I got my boys I have been trying to train them to stay off the counter and top of the fridge... Unfortunately for me it was the very first thing they did when they were kittens... jump up on the counter. I have been very very stubborn about not letting them up there for the past 8 months and every time they get up, i will get up and yell "NO!, DOWN!" and they will usually jump down on command. If they don't, I spray them with this spray bottle which definitely does the trick. Problem? As soon as I turn my back or leave the room they sneak up there again! Argh!
Any suggestions? They seem to know that I dont want them there... but also seem to not care and will just get back up again...

Cyrus will even sometimes defy my commands. He'll sit there and do this really funny squawk/chirp thing. Almost sounds like when a human would scoff at something, pretty much a 'screw you! im not getting down!'.

Many thanks :>

Kevin

below, the classic double headlock.

Try lining your cupboards with tinfoil for a few days. When they jump up and step on the tinfoil it makes noise and scares them. Other people have suggested double sided sticky tape or just roll pieces of packing tape and stick them all over the counter for a while. They hate to step on sticky stuff. Eventually they won't want to jump up any more.

Note: aluminum foil is toxic to cats.

What? How can it be toxic? Do you mean if they eat it? What kind of a cat would eat aluminum foil? I'm sure it would be toxic to humans also if we ate it.

thanks for the replies so far.

how toxic is drinking out of the toilet? (flushed toilet of course lol)

so tinfoil is a no-go.

how do you people use double-sided tape??? how do you use your counters for cooking/cleaning, etc with the tape there? and i honestly cant see myself sticking it and removing it every time i want to use the counter myself... thats rediculous.

If the cat gets angry and chews and ingests tin foil you could be looking at a hefty vet bill. A good deterrent for counter jumpers is bubble wrap with the bubble side up- When cats jump they use their claws for balance and one time up on the stuff and having the wrap pop usually takes care of the problem-

hehe, did i mention they are bengals?

they seem to ENJOY stuff that pops, cracks, snaps, crumples and draws attention. i know this because they always look over at me to guage my reaction. little buggers

i will give the bubblewrap a try nonetheless.

so is it safe to assume that my constant reenforcement of the rules is doing nothing? are the cats REALLY more stubborn than I? i find that hard to believe :]

if only i knew that after another 8 months of being firm with them, (telling them no, and to get down) that they'd learn to obey my wishes and i'd feel much more enthusiastic about the effort i put in.

Kevin

Originally posted by finary


how toxic is drinking out of the toilet? (flushed toilet of course lol)

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It's not healthy to drink out of the toilet, even when flushed. There's chemical residues from the cleaners that you use. There is always the presence of bacteria, including potentially harmful ones.

It's a better idea to keep the toilet lid down. And if you have a kitty that manages to open the lid, then closing the door works just as well.

There's chemical residues from the cleaners that you use. There is always the presence of bacteria, including potentially harmful ones.

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I have read since I was a child that the water in your toilet is cleaner then else where in your house. But I can totally understand the chemical residue.

Kevin, I don't recall if you have said weather they are neutered yet or not. If they aren't neutered yet, the rougher play could be sexual maturity.
The constant licking could be a few things. Stress or anxiety could cause them to overgroom. Also, inhaled or contact allergies could cause them to lick because it's itchy. You said that there's been quite a few changes in the house, so it's very possible it's stress issue and may resolve once things settle back into a normal routine.
As far as the counters go.... In my experience some cats are so stubborn that no matter what, they are going to do it the minute nobody is looking. I am not one for boobytraping the kitchen, so I just get them off when I catch them, and don't worry about it when I am not around

Both Cats are neutered. Seven when he was 8 weeks, and Cyrus when he was 6 months.

They are now 9 and 8 months old, respectively.

The licking seems to be in wound areas from fighting. Seven always gets his teeth and claws into cyrus, and then he'll lick away the fur around that area. His arms especially, and a spot on his chest, and shoulder blade.

I really dont think its stress... Cyrus doesnt seem to give a rats ass about anything. He's soooo happy and fun all the time. Also, I thought I read somewhere that grooming is a sign of happiness?

I've deterred them from getting ontop of the fridge, and that seems to have reduced their need to get on the counters (to get to the fridge). I think I'll just have to accept the fact that they are going to be up there when I'm not watching, and get them down when I am.

/finary

Also, I thought I read somewhere that grooming is a sign of happiness?

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Grooming is a sign of a healthy cat. Overgrooming is a sign of a sick or stressed cat. Even when a cat is normally laid back and happy, a lot of changes will stress them out.

If the grooming is in the areas attacked, check them carefully. Puncture wounds can turn quickly to problems.