GOD DAMN F***ING CAT

[Neustache]

Oh cats....I sort-of love mine most of the time.

Any ideas on how to keep Mr. Kitty from attacking our legs when we walk?  We try playing more with him, can't tell if it works or not. 

No ideas for the OP, so sorry I'm not more helpful.  We got ours as an adult rescue and all 4 of his paws had been declawed (what in the world?  I've never seen that before in a cat). 

[James]

I keep our two cats claws trimmed, they don't like it but if you wrap them in a towel you can get the job done. If you do it regularly hopefully they will get used to it like our cats and not fight much. I say hopefully because there are no rules, just like kids, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit...

If I catch them in the act I give them a gentle whack on the nose. I don't see that as a "fix", it's just what I do and seems to help. We tried water bottle, but our cat seemed to like it more than hate it, but I hear it works for some. We had some bitter green apple spray we used when we had a dog and it worked for the dog, not sure if it would work for the cat, if they are using claws and not chewing the bitter taste isn't going to be a factor...

Mostly it's about finding what works. Just like kids or dogs or any pets, nothing is absolute. You hopefully knew that going into the situation, but if not you know now. Nothing works for everyone or every situation. Just have to keep trying and see what works for you. But doing nothing or waiting is absolutely the worse option, the further it becomes a habit and a problem the harder it will be to solve it.

My biggest problem for our cats was that they went inside the couch and pulled all the stuffing out of the back and onto the floor under the couch. Now you feel the bare springs on your back... and not much I could do about it, it was done before I realized what they were doing...

[MandyM]

  In my observations, cats don't really even return your affection, they seem to view humans as suckers that provide food and shelter and fun stuff to play with and scratch up, like furniture.

Sounds like you have never lived with a cat.  If you did then you would know how wrong this statement is.

Cats don't automatically love you like dogs do. You have to earn it.

I would even disagree with that statement as it depends so much on the cat. One of mine is a serial lover and will jump into any available lap, force himself into a cradled position and rub his face against yours. Honestly, he will do this with complete strangers within minutes of them coming into my home.

He might be above average in the love department, but I foster cats for a Humane Society and there are plenty that love with abandon. Especially once settled into the house.

Oh cats....I sort-of love mine most of the time.

Any ideas on how to keep Mr. Kitty from attacking our legs when we walk?  We try playing more with him, can't tell if it works or not. 

No ideas for the OP, so sorry I'm not more helpful.  We got ours as an adult rescue and all 4 of his paws had been declawed (what in the world?  I've never seen that before in a cat). 

Four paw declaw is, thankfully, falling out of favor. I disagree with declaw in general and that is especially rough.

As for the attacks - play is good. Try a water bottle (if possible, I try to give a "warning" shot at their feet when I can tell they are about to do something bad, so it stops the behavior before it happens). Also, as he is declawed, try ignoring him when he does this. Half the fun is the reaction he gets. That is probably easier said than done when you are startled, but at least try to reduce your reaction. He attacks, you jump, then calmly move on without a word.

You will probably have to try several things over time to see what works. Possibly a combination of solutions is what will work. The one surefire way I've corrected this in the past...a second cat as a playmate. Your cat is likely attacking your because he is bored.

[Sibley]

Oh yeah, there's plenty of cats who are total lovers. Even for them however, my experience is that if you're not nice to them they'll act accordingly.

Regarding the attacks - agree with Mandy.

Get cat toys, different kinds, and play with the cat. You may need to rotate different types of toys, or find that certain ones are a complete flop. My cats ignore balls, but love ribbons/strings. Also mousie toys have periods of intense favor. Very cat dependent, and it can change.

My cats have learned "No" in a stern voice and removal of the object in question (in this case, your legs), and generally respond well to that correction. Follow it up with positive reinforcement and wonders can happen.

[Neustache]

While I'd love to see him getting attacked by a kitten, the shelter said he wasn't great with other cats. 

I'd excuse the attacking but he bites when he does it.  If he was just grabbing us with his Nerf-paws then I wouldn't mind it. 

I think I'll try the water bottle and making sure he gets play time in.  The water bottle, even if ineffective, at least is fun for me.

[Sibley]

If you change your mind, most adult cats won't hurt a kitten. Bowl them over, yes, and the kitten probably deserved it. Actually hurt them, no. (Kinda like humans - most humans won't hurt a kid.) That said, the cat may not actually accept the kitten, but you'll have some time to figure that out.

The biting is also part of cat play, though definitely on the rougher end. Often, the cat learns not to bite from other cats (adult cats don't generally like it when the kitten is biting at them, and the kitten flattening paw is a handy teaching tool). You can teach your cat not to bite, it takes patience and consistency, followed by positive reinforcement when they don't bite.

Example situation:
My cat bites at me. I immediately pull back and say "No", in a firm tone - not angry, just be clear that it was bad.
Next time, cat doesn't bite, I continue to pet/play/whatever, and cat figures out that not biting is better.

This won't be fast, it will take some time to get the message across and properly reinforced. A generally friendly cat will figure it out though.

Also, I don't punish them if they're defending themselves or for accidents. I do try to prevent situations where they'll feel the need to defend themselves, and if you're playing with your hand and you accidentally get bitten that's kinda your fault.

[Spork]

My wife is an Ellie May Clampett crazy cat lady.  She seems to speak to all animals.  What she does for cat biting is make a high pitched "eeeek" sound and stop playing.  She says this is what other cats do when a cat plays too rough.  She was successful with our biter with this.

[Neustache]

I will relay this to my daughter and we will try the "eek" sound.   I expect cats to bite a little when playing (not us, but the string/feather) but this is attacking our calves and biting us when we are walking past and not playing.  So we can do the 'eek' sound but we weren't playing so we cant' stop that.

He is, overall, a friendly and loving kitty.  He just has this one thing that really bugs me (that and peeing on our couch, but that's an issue with me forgetting to clean the litter and as long as I do my part, he does his).

[Easye418]

Put cat outside.
Close door.
Don't let cat back in.

+1 for the logic of not having a cat, but not for the method of removal.

[albireo13]

We have 3 cats.  I hate them.  They piss all over the house, puke on the floor, and have totally destroyed our living room furniture.
I don't see any redeeming value in them.  They've cost us thousands. 

I fell into the trap of the "kids" getting cats.  Now the kids are all off on their own and we are stuck with the blooming cats.

Maybe I'll hire a rabid raccoon!!

[Conjou]

When I peel a grapefruit or orange my cat won't come anywhere near me or let me pet him until I don't smell citrusy anymore. I recommend citrus based misting spray (real citrus) or rub citrus peels on that spot. Maybe even just leave them there til they harden up. Worth a try anyway.

[shelivesthedream]

If it's one particular spot and it's not in the way, buy a scratching mat or jute doormat and put it on top. The cat will scratch that and not the carpet. That's what my parents did when the cats got obsessed with one leg of the dining table. The doormat is still tied round that leg but they take it off when they (rarely) have people over. Simples.

One cat also loves to scratch the carpet on the bottom step. My mother started a campaign of water pistols and repellent sprays. It worked! Now the cat only scratches there when my mother isn't looking...

Also, just to chime in about Feliway - definitely worth a go from the stories I've read but it really depends on the cat. It did absolutely nothing for ours, as far as we could tell (though we were trying it for anxiety rather than aggression).

[Astatine]

One of our cats has started scrabbling under the door when locked in his half of the house overnight (it's very much a tl;dr story) and damaging the carpet. So we bought Sticky Paws double sided tape and put that down. It's safe for cats and meant to be used on furniture to stop them scratching.

Anyway, my reason for posting is that the other cat almost instantly decided it was super yummy and has repeatedly been licking at it. Gah. Anyone know how to stop a GDFC (see title of this thread for explanation of the acronym) from licking double sided tape??

[Rezdent]

One of our cats has started scrabbling under the door when locked in his half of the house overnight (it's very much a tl;dr story) and damaging the carpet. So we bought Sticky Paws double sided tape and put that down. It's safe for cats and meant to be used on furniture to stop them scratching.

Anyway, my reason for posting is that the other cat almost instantly decided it was super yummy and has repeatedly been licking at it. Gah. Anyone know how to stop a GDFC (see title of this thread for explanation of the acronym) from licking double sided tape??

You could try sprinkling a tiny bit of cayenne powder over the tape.  Not enough to muck the sticky, just enough so that gdfc gets a taste.  Careful, it stains carpet, but it only takes a little, and the sticky tape should keep it from spreading.

[albireo13]

  In my observations, cats don't really even return your affection, they seem to view humans as suckers that provide food and shelter and fun stuff to play with and scratch up, like furniture.

Sounds like you have never lived with a cat.  If you did then you would know how wrong this statement is.

Cats don't automatically love you like dogs do. You have to earn it.

  I have no use for cats.   My kids all had to have cats.  Now they are out on their own, or in college and they can't take them with them so we are stuck with them.
We have 3 of the GD things.  One pukes all over the place, and has ruined several rugs now.  Another is neurotic and periodically pees on stuff.  We have gone through hundreds of $$ of ruined clothes, etc from it.  The third isn't too bad.  He is an outdoor cat is is low key. 
All three shred furniture.  Our living room furniture set is ruined.  We have used all sorts of techniques ... special stress-reducing litter for their boxes,
aromatherapy, mutliple scratch towers all over the house, etc.   Still, they shred the furnitture.
 We won't replace the set while the cats are still alive. 
 
  I haven't gotten rid of them yet ONLY because the kids would get upset.   
However, their time is running out.   (Bwah-ha-ha!!!)

[Sibley]

  In my observations, cats don't really even return your affection, they seem to view humans as suckers that provide food and shelter and fun stuff to play with and scratch up, like furniture.

Sounds like you have never lived with a cat.  If you did then you would know how wrong this statement is.

Cats don't automatically love you like dogs do. You have to earn it.

  I have no use for cats.   My kids all had to have cats.  Now they are out on their own, or in college and they can't take them with them so we are stuck with them.
We have 3 of the GD things.  One pukes all over the place, and has ruined several rugs now.  Another is neurotic and periodically pees on stuff.  We have gone through hundreds of $$ of ruined clothes, etc from it.  The third isn't too bad.  He is an outdoor cat is is low key. 
All three shred furniture.  Our living room furniture set is ruined.  We have used all sorts of techniques ... special stress-reducing litter for their boxes,
aromatherapy, mutliple scratch towers all over the house, etc.   Still, they shred the furnitture.
 We won't replace the set while the cats are still alive. 
 
  I haven't gotten rid of them yet ONLY because the kids would get upset.   
However, their time is running out.   (Bwah-ha-ha!!!)

Cats aren't for everyone, I get that. Just like dogs aren't for everyone. When the kids are out of college and presumably living somewhere else, give them the cats? Or someone else you know who'd like them?

Do NOT just dump them on the streets. That's cruel. If you can't give the cats to your kids or someone else, then take them to an animal shelter and do an owner surrender. Then don't get cats again, but I think you've already decided that.

[zephyr911]

I've always been a fan of corporal punishment for misbehaving pets.

[albireo13]

Awesome!
But, is that more humane than a "bag and a bridge"??