Scheiße. Bast-related

[wolven7]

Joker snuck out, again. We have to watch him, carefully, because he tries to get out, and we (I) end up having to chase him through the front yard, and drag him back in. He's been very whiny and lethargic lately, then, out of nowhere, he jumps up and runs out the front door, like a shot.

He cries almost constantly, when no one is paying direct attention to him, late at night, and I don't know what to do to make him happier. I worry about him getting loose, in this neighbourhood, because there are possums, racoons, squirrels and chipmunks, everywhere. He's not exactly the brightest of cats.

I like cats. I've had a cat since I was a little kid, and my mother's cat used to guard the door tomy nursery, while i slept. So I worry, when I can't figure out what Joker needs to be happy. I think he may be lonely. He may be picking up on the stress and tensions, around the house...

If anyone has any suggestions on how to keep an indoor cat who wants to go outside from wanting to go outside, quite so much, I'd really love to hear them.

If anyone has prayers and petitions to Bast that they know will work, please, feel free. I worry about the annoying little bugger.

Comments

[raoin.livejournal.com]

back when i shared an all the time space with oni-chan, the only way to get her to shut up at night was to be certain to have given her quality playtime before i went to sleep. patrick's method was somewhat more reasonable, he just threw pillows at her until he ran out of pillows or she shut up. also it didnt hurt that she had the run of the house while i was asleep, giving her other trouble to get into a people to bug. this doesnt really work for you, but if it could, you might consider trying it.

now that the oni lives in a house that has open and easy access to the outside world, she desperately wants to go outside. and since she's snuck out a few times herself and been allowed out by misunderstanding house memebers, she believes (as any cat will) that the ouside world is a much larger and cooler room into which she should be allowed to go as her divine right. My solution? we go outside regularly on my terms, not hers, if she gets freaked out we go back inside, and we go back inside when i get too hot or tired. This means that she is often not cool with being bodily carried outside, where it can be loud and open, and has to realize its not something safe and normal. a special place. i would have leashed her to do this, though it would ease my conscience something fierce if i could buy a leash and use that. But she asks out a lot less now that she's been shown that she doesnt get a choice about when i'm going to take her out.

i dont know if Bast does prayers so much as offerings.
best to get some good wet cat food, a shiney smelly kitty toy of doom, and play with your own cat while contemplating bast.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

That might work pretty well, actually. drag him out in a harness and don't let him go, going back inside when we get bored, or he gets freaked out.

Hmm. Thank you.

[sean-mcgyvern.livejournal.com]

Herbie used to awaken us with meowing every morning.
We shut the door.
He then meowed louder on the other side of the door.
Bun-bun arrived and Herbie got quiet.
Playing with either of them seems to help them be less cloying.
On the other hand, when they haven't been fed on time they team up. Today I had Herbie sitting on my bedside table, knocking stuff over willy-nilly with his fat butt, and Bun-bun roaming up and down the bed, alternately curling up on my feet or sniffing me and poking his cold little nose on my arm.
But Herbie's been noticibly quieter.
And Bun-bun seems much less inclined to leave the air-conditioned house during the summer.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

He's got Nigel, the tiny white alien cat, and that's the problem: Nigel goes to bed, locked in the other room with roommate (its mother), and Joker is out one playmate. Cannot afford another cat, at current, in many regards :\

[sean-mcgyvern.livejournal.com]

Understood. I think raoin had a good point about the going outside bit though. And a collar/harness can be pretty cheap; leads/leashes are a lot cheaper--pretty much any sturdy piece of rope-type stuff will work, e.g. nylon cord, nylon twine, hemp rope, a leash....
Have fun.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

He slips our of leashes and collars Very easily. He is like ninja.

Full harness or nothing, really.

[teididh.livejournal.com]

Play with the little guy more, or get him a friend.

I met the coolest huge orange kitty yesterday who is looking for a home...very neat markings, loves belly-rubs.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Like i said, during the day, he's got the nigel kitty, and they have the run of the house. At night, Kelly takes nigel to bed, and joker gets lonely as hell. Don't have money for a new cat, at the moment. :\

[archipelagical.livejournal.com]

don't ever let him out! i had an indoor kitty for 7 years. my dad started letting him outside a couple of months ago because he kept whining. he got hit by a car on my birthday (july 14). ugh. keep your kitty safe or it will surely ruin your birthday.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

It's not the plan to Let him out (maybe take him, held, or on a leash), but to try to get him to Not want to go out, as often.

I know he's a cat, and he wants to be able to do what he wants to do, but he's not the brightest, and there are dogs and cars, in this area. So we worry.

[renatus.livejournal.com]

Harness and leash. Don't try to hold the cat and take him outside; they suddenly become very strong and very pointy and are much, much more likely to escape, especially if they see something they want to get at.

Depending on his size you may need to get him a harness specifically for cats, but one for a very small dog might do if he's rather larger.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Yeah, He slips out of a leash and collar very easily. But when I hold something or someone, to restrict, they don't move, no matter how poitny they get.

But yeah, a harness would be good.

[renatus.livejournal.com]

Being out in our backyard on a leash doesn't totally curb Izzy's want to be outside, but it helps a lot. Her fussiness decreases when I play with her enough, also. Maybe pay attention to the times he gets especially fussy and give him pets and playtime around those times every day. Unfortunately for me, Izzy's favourite toy is a laser pointer dot and I can't find a laser pointer in this country at all. Braided cord is apparently a poor substitute.

You may want to also get your kitty a patch of cat grass (which I think is wheat grass). It's pretty easy maintenance if you water it and keep it in sunlight, and it gives the cat something good for them to chew on.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately his favourite play time is between 2 and 4 am, otherwise this wouldn't be an issue. I spent about 20 minutes just playing with him, this morning, before I left to come to work, so that should help, a bit.