# Greetings and a couple questions



## Julz (Feb 17, 2011)

Hello I am new to this forum and thought maybe someone could share a little advice. I recently adopted two boy kittens, Sammy and Alex, who were left abandoned in a field tied in a pillow case. I have had them for about three months now and they are about six months old. They are extremely lovey to the point of neediness (which I really don't mind having lap cats  ) though they are getting a little too big now to sit in my lap at the same time. All in all, despite a bit of excess enthusiasm while chasing each other around the apartment, they are very good cats. Good about using their scratching posts, using their litter boxes, not chewing things, etc and I haven't needed to discipline them much. One thing I do frown on though, is kitties on the kitchen table, counter and ESPECIALLY not the stove (the pilot light burns too high so it's constantly hot on one side and i don't want either of their little feet getting singed). Because I haven't need to yell at them much they don't seem to understand that being on the table is a bad thing despite my little spritz bottle. Is it possible to train cats to stay off these areas? Or do cats just not discern one high place from another? I know my parents cats, who I grew up with, though they have many other TERRIBLE habits refuse to go on the table at all and I'm not sure how my parents accomplished that. If anyone has any suggestions, it would be much appreciated.
My other question is about food. When I got them, they both were eating Chicken Soup for the Kitten Lover's Soul. I wanted to continue them on what they were used to so they didn't have so many things to adjust to at a time. A little sketchy to find but there's a place down the street that sells it so it was not much of an effort. Unfortunately, this brand has a particularly unpleasant side effect in that their stool and gas smell TERRIBLY. At the moment, their litter box is in the spare bedroom but I am moving soon into a smaller apartment. Does anyone have any suggestions of food that that their odors would be less odoriferous and is relatively inexpensive? Any suggestions would be much appreciated, again.
Thank you : )


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Welcome!

Is that dry food or wet? I've heard bad things about their dry food. 

If I had a stove that had the hot spots like yours (and I used to), I'd probably invest in something like this:

Camco Universal RV Stove Top Cover Black - $39.99

As far as keeping them off, I've found it's a losing battle.


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## Pawsitively Nicole (Feb 12, 2011)

As far as cat food goes, as the saying goes you get what you pay for. I personally feed my cats Natural Balance and have loved it. I wish I could do a wet only diet, but my vet was very clear that, being with Cloud's heart condition, they thought it best to have some dry food out all day long because he burns so much more calories. I would also recommend, worst case scenario, a wet/dry diet. You can find out a lot of wonderful stuff about this subject in the health section of this forum!

I, too, have found the counter tops to be a lost battle. My cats know not to be up there when I am home, but they just do what they want to do when I'm gone or in bed lol. You can't exactly close the kitchen off to them. My mothers cats don't get on the counter, they just have no interest. I think part of it is the personality of the cat. I've heard some people say they lay tin foil down on the counter because cats don't like the feel. Perhaps it will work with you. My cats just play with the foil.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I'm with Marie...if the stove presents a danger, I'd invest in a stove cover for safety. I try not to keep any foodstuff or other things of attraction on my counters and my girls rarely go on them. I can't really say whether that's because I keep the counters clear, or because my girls are just not the type of cats to go on counters. But, I figure you'll increase your chances of keeping your cats off the counters if there's nothing there to interest them.

As for food, I'd try to switch them to something grain free. Cost will vary depending on where you're located, although I've heard Taste of the Wild is a relatively inexpensive grain-free food. Other than that, you might do some price checking on grain-free foods in your local stores or online. If a food is grain-free, the can or bag will usually have a label to say so.


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## theosmama (Feb 17, 2011)

my boy has very stinky poo no matter what type of food i give him (only the best dry and wet). i have his box in my bathroom, and i got a clevercat box (it's top entry style). it keeps the litter (feline pine) at bay, and i like to think keeps the stink away a bit. i keep an airfreshener in the bathroom and try to scoop ASAP. (feline pine is flushable!)

as to the stove, have you tried one of those hand clickers or maybe a can filled with pennies to keep them away? how about some of that sticky tape you can get for furniture, or a hormone spray?


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

@theosmama, A fresh sample of Theo's stool should be taken to a vet to be examined for parasites, or other orgnisms like giardia that can cause very stinky poos.


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## Julz (Feb 17, 2011)

As far as the stove goes, i'm moving out of this apartment in less than two weeks and hoping the new apartment's stove will have been made some time before 1850. 
With the food, I give them soft mixed with dry in the morning and when i get home from work they get dry food. i'll have to look into the grain free stuff. the chicken soup brand is so hard to find. there's only a couple stores nearby that carry it. such a hassle.
my plan for the kitchen table was actually going to be that plastic runner stuff you can get for carpets with the little pokeys on the back side. my parents lay it wrong side up on the very top of their dresser/mirror (near the ceiling) and haven't had many problems since then.
thanks everyone for all the suggestions.
now, i need to investigate the crash from the other room. i think they turn into gremlins after midnight...


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Mixing wet food with dry is okay if it's eaten right away. If not, bacteria forms very quickly on moistened dry food. 

At six months old, I'm guessing they eat their food right away. :grin:

Pictures?


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## Julz (Feb 17, 2011)

they do tend to eat their soft food very quickly. as soon as i put it down, the soft food is gone, they graze on the hard food throughout the day. 
let me see if i can figure out how to add pictures... aha. sammy is the semi long hair, and alex is the grey and white shorthair. these were taken a month or two ago so they're obviously a bit bigger now


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Such cute cats!! Love the snuggling picture.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Yes, love the positions in the third photo.
The gray and white looks like an alien creature in the first photo.
Probably acts like one too.


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## CatManDude (Feb 21, 2011)

There is double-sided tape available specifically for deterring cats from climbing on and scratching furniture (they don't like the tape sticking to their paws). Place it where they are jumping up until they figure out that every time they jump up they will get that funky sticky paw feeling. As for the food, I don't have much experience other than continuing to feed my kitties dry Science Diet morning and night, and let them share a can of Friskies (they don't like all varieties) when I get home from work in the eve. I might suggest changing the litter box instead of the food: I have had great success with the Booda dome box with side ramp. This box looks like an igloo, has a carbon filter built-in to reduce odor, and the entry/exit ramp helps remove litter from paws on the way out. Also, many authorities recommend one more litter box than the number of cats you have (3 cats = 4 boxes). Good luck!


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

They're little sweethearts...and it looks like they're best friends!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Cute kitties! Who would be heartless enough to tie them in a pillow case and abandon them in a field! Thank goodness you came along to rescue them!


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## fatandgreedy (Feb 20, 2011)

Julz said:


> Is it possible to train cats to stay off these areas? Or do cats just not discern one high place from another? I know my parents cats, who I grew up with, though they have many other TERRIBLE habits refuse to go on the table at all and I'm not sure how my parents accomplished that. If anyone has any suggestions, it would be much appreciated.


I'd think so. I'm new to cats myself, but you might try just picking them up and setting them somewhere else. I've read that cats typically associate negative reinforcement with you, not the action, so that's something to keep in mind.


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## Julz (Feb 17, 2011)

thanks for all the suggestions.
i do have two litter boxes and i scoop them faithfully every evening. they're both covered ones, too. i'm considering trying a different kind of litter, also.
i think it's really funny you mention alex looks like an alien because i called him my little alien for the longest time. he's grown out of it now. actually i think he's part gremlin... if i keep them up after midnight he gets CRAZY hyper. more so than usual.
I am glad I adopted them together. they love playing together and I couldn't bear the thought of separating them.
Annnnd something just fell in the bedroom. They do keep me on my toes : )


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