family don't like my cat because he's a cat

[alicenyans]

"He can use the litterbox. It's just someone in the comment section pointed out that cats with long fur tends to have this sort of problem because maybe the fur itches the rear which causes him to poop around? So snapping the fur near his rear might help fix the problem."

The fur shouldn't be causing your cat to itch. The problem with long-haired cats is that the poo gets stuck in their fur when they are in the litter box. Then when they get out and walk around, the poo falls off around the house.

Ohh, Gotcha.

 
I've seen your posts on this website before, and didn't you have two cats at one point? What happened to your other cat?

The other cat i had made babies with my current cat (before getting my current cat neutered). So i had three baby kittens plus two adults. I had to give most of 'em a new home because i couldn't take care of a whole family.

 

[paiger8]

 
I started putting him in my room since before yesterday. He has two boxes of litterbox, One in the bathroom and one on the other side of the room (i have a bathroom attached to my room), Cat food outside of my room, I refill him a bowl three times a day and change his water once a day (As far as i read, Changing water daily is good thing!), He has empty cardboard boxes and toys to play with and a cat tree thing (i had to rearrange my room a bit so he'd have his own area). Cat gets to wake me up very early (at 4am~5am) for food/he felt too lonely/he's bored/ect, I pay attention to him when he's walking around the house, He gets to visit the backyard once a day for about 15~30mins (i'd let him go out more but i'm not good with the current weather since it's almost spring. sneezing is not cool.) (he is not allowed to go beyond the backyard since there are stray dogs out and my country doesn't have no animal control (we already contacted the police few times since stray cat deaths ;_; it's savage situation.) so this is the best option. The backyard is big and has grass and stuff and he's having fun there so i'm guessing it's fine this way.) I keep my windows open till it's dawn and clean the littler once to two times a day. 

(Note: if i'm doing anything bad please let me know immediately.)

Sounds like you're doing great! A cat can live a perfectly happy life in a bedroom.  

 

[pusheen]

Ah, I see. Like the first person who responded to you said, this definitely seems like a more complicated issue than your mom just suddenly deciding she doesn't like your cat because he's a cat. The post I saw with your two cats was from less than a year ago, so it seems like a lot has been going on. Your cat not using the litter box properly is also probably a sign of the stress he's feeling (or is your current cat the female?). 

Here are my two cents: No cat should ever be confined to a single room for his life. If you have a situation where you want a cat but you can only keep him in a single room, then keeping that cat is selfish. You're doing something unfair to the cat just so you can have him. And I don't know what kind of home you have in Saudi Arabia, but I lived in Al-Qassim, and our house had very small frosted windows, very high on the walls--so my cats never had any windows to look out of either. My cats in Saudi Arabia had the whole house and our walled-off backyard to roam around in and they still needed regular play times to ensure they didn't get depressed or restless. I could never have locked them in a bedroom. 

You need to think about what is best for the cat and you need to convince your parents that this is a living creature, not a toy to be thrown away. Since you purchased him, he's not even used to the streets, so if they plan on simply releasing him he won't survive. 

If the major source of problems is the litter issue, then you need to find a way to train your cat to use the box consistently, and not poop on the floor or pee on a bed. That's not normal cat behavior, and it could be a result of stress if your mother is as angry as you suggest.

Finally, you live under your parents' roof. If they are so unhappy that it is affecting the cat's quality of life, then the only fair thing to do would be to rehome him. Do your parents often end up taking care of your cat when you are at school or at work?

 

[Willowy]

No cat should ever be confined to a single room for his life. If you have a situation where you want a cat but you can only keep him in a single room, then keeping that cat is selfish.

I disagree. I kept a cat in a bedroom for several years, and I feel that was the best for everyone. People aren't exactly lining up to adopt adult cats. Do you think the cat would have more room at the shelter? What kind of people do you think would adopt him, and what kind of situation do you think they'll keep him in? Living in one room is not ideal but it's certainly better than most alternatives. If a cat is in a caring home, and living in one room is what needs to happen for him to stay in that home, that's the best thing in most cases.

And what about people who live in studio apartments? :tongue2:

 

[kittens mom]

I disagree. I kept a cat in a bedroom for several years, and I feel that was the best for everyone. People aren't exactly lining up to adopt adult cats. Do you think the cat would have more room at the shelter? What kind of people do you think would adopt him, and what kind of situation do you think they'll keep him in? Living in one room is not ideal but it's certainly better than most alternatives. If a cat is in a caring home, and living in one room is what needs to happen for him to stay in that home, that's the best thing in most cases.

And what about people who live in studio apartments?

Cats can live in small places provided they have plenty of vertical spaces. shelves, trees and a window to look out.  Putting up a bird feeder is hours of mind time. With so many pets homeless we need to encourage people to make the best use of their space rather than run them down for not having enough of it.

 

[stewball]

Ohh, Gotcha.

The other cat i had made babies with my current cat (before getting my current cat neutered). So i had three baby kittens plus two adults. I had to give most of 'em a new home because i couldn't take care of a whole family.

Most of them?

 

[stewball]

I disagree. I kept a cat in a bedroom for several years, and I feel that was the best for everyone. People aren't exactly lining up to adopt adult cats. Do you think the cat would have more room at the shelter? What kind of people do you think would adopt him, and what kind of situation do you think they'll keep him in? Living in one room is not ideal but it's certainly better than most alternatives. If a cat is in a caring home, and living in one room is what needs to happen for him to stay in that home, that's the best thing in most cases.

And what about people who live in studio apartments? :tongue2:

Are you comparing cats with humans?

 

[ulysses]

I think what Willlowy meant by that is "Does that mean people living in studios don't deserve cats?"

 

[raina21]

I agree, cats can be perfectly fine in one room, provided that there is space for them to lounge, play and windows for them to look out of. You'd be surprised how much entertainment a simple cat tree with a few hanging toys can provide. If he's got things that keep him stimulated, he'll be fine.

Now, if you confine a cat to a room that is basically barren and he has no space of his own, things he can play with or furniture that he can climb on, or he is left alone for a long time with no interaction- that cat will be depressed, and that is the situation where the best thing for the owner to do would be to re-home the cat.

But as long as you're providing all the things he needs to keep himself entertained while you're gone, keeping him in one room shouldn't be a huge issue.

Also: other people have said this, but if he is long haired, the litterbox problems were most likely caused by poop getting stuck in the fur on his bum and then falling off after he's already left the litterbox. Trimming the fur back there should eliminate this issue. It is also not that hard to trim it yourself, you just have to have someone else hold the scruff of his neck while you gently trim the fur on his bum with scissors.

 

[Caspers Human]

I have a feeling that there is some cultural bias happening, here.

If this cat lives in Saudi Arabia, some traditional Arab/Islamic beliefs about animals may be at play.
Many other cultures believe animals are "dirty" (spiritually unclean) and should not be kept inside houses.

I am only hazarding a guess, here, but I wonder whether the parents hold traditional beliefs about animals being unclean and that their dislike for the cat comes out of those deeply held beliefs. Maybe they let the cat come into the house out of love for family but, in the end, they can't shake their traditional ways.

If this turns out to be true, the family is going to have to sit down and have an honest, emotional discussion about the cat living inside the house.

If it was a dog, I would suggest that you build a dog house so that it could live outdoors for most of the time. That way you could all agree that the dog would be a "guard dog." It would be more accepted that way.

I don't know what role a cat could play in a household like that. Is there any way you can say that the cat is for catching mice? Again, some cultures will accept a cat if it has a "job" or a role to play in the house besides just being a family pet.

You might just have to sit down with your parents and ask them directly. "Do you feel like the cat makes the house "unclean?""