Fighting cats, lampshades and one-way cat flaps.
Discussion
Our British shorthair, Mitzi, has been getting in a few scrapes recently, culminating in a 2nd visit to the vet in 2 weeks with an infected tail, due to a bite / scratch wound.
Unfortunately, this means she is now fitted with a lampshade for a couple of days.
Now, I know I shouldn't laugh, but watching her deal with her predicament has provided endless entertainment over the last 24 hours. Do all cats react really badly to 'lampshades'?
She has been deliberately bumping into things with it, doing a funny backwards walk trying to remove it etc....
However, the lampshade incidents pale into insignificance compared with what happened last night.
We also have a longhair who is much more refined and doesn't fight, so we've been letting her out if asked, leaving the cat flap as a one-way system only allowing cats into rather than out of the house.
Last night, when we were trying to get some sleep, there was a big fuss and a lot of banging at the cat flap by a cat wanting to get out. We just ignored it, thinking that Willow, the longhair, was just playing up a bit over being forced into using a litter tray.
Only, when I came down for breakfast this morning, I discovered we'd taken a very angry 'hostage' which had been trapped in the kitchen by Willow all night.
Only another 24 hours of this to go, will have to be careful we don't get a repeat hostage situation tonight.
Unfortunately, this means she is now fitted with a lampshade for a couple of days.
Now, I know I shouldn't laugh, but watching her deal with her predicament has provided endless entertainment over the last 24 hours. Do all cats react really badly to 'lampshades'?
She has been deliberately bumping into things with it, doing a funny backwards walk trying to remove it etc....
However, the lampshade incidents pale into insignificance compared with what happened last night.
We also have a longhair who is much more refined and doesn't fight, so we've been letting her out if asked, leaving the cat flap as a one-way system only allowing cats into rather than out of the house.
Last night, when we were trying to get some sleep, there was a big fuss and a lot of banging at the cat flap by a cat wanting to get out. We just ignored it, thinking that Willow, the longhair, was just playing up a bit over being forced into using a litter tray.
Only, when I came down for breakfast this morning, I discovered we'd taken a very angry 'hostage' which had been trapped in the kitchen by Willow all night.
Only another 24 hours of this to go, will have to be careful we don't get a repeat hostage situation tonight.
shouldn't laugh but... 
I cant imagine what my cats would be like with a "lampshade" one is bad enough when i put a collar on her!!
I often put our catflap on a one way system, like at nights I let them come in and not out til morning, but like you only a few weeks ago we took a hostage too!! only the amount of banging and clattering it was quickly released!!
I cant imagine what my cats would be like with a "lampshade" one is bad enough when i put a collar on her!!
I often put our catflap on a one way system, like at nights I let them come in and not out til morning, but like you only a few weeks ago we took a hostage too!! only the amount of banging and clattering it was quickly released!!
martinmac said:
It sounds like you need one of those magnetic catflaps. A great idea if you can get the cats to wear the magnets.
If the cats are chipped get a PetPorte as I suggested above. No worries with losing their magnetic key then. Plus it can be automatically set to open/close based on light levels. martinmac said:
It sounds like you need one of those magnetic catflaps. A great idea if you can get the cats to wear the magnets. I had several early morning battles with strays before i discovered them.
These work well unless the other contender also has this type of flap fitted at homeThese are brilliant for chipped cats, cannot recommend them highly enough (or their post-sales support)
http://www.sureflap.co.uk/
http://www.sureflap.co.uk/
My cats are mostly indoor cats, and aren't even used to wearing normal collars. The year before last I was given a lampshade to deter one of them, Misty, from licking stitches from an op.
That was an epic fail - she was already pretty out of sorts and distressed from being at the vets for the op (even a checkup stresses her a fair bit) and not being used to having anything around her neck meant she really didn't like the feel of it. Also, when she's frightened she tends to press herself low to the ground when she moves about... So inevitably the first time she tried to move forwards after I'd put it on the bottom of the front of the lampshade dug into the carpet and pitched her head down. She then panicked and tried to run to a hiding place - of course the lampshade was too big to fit through the gap.
It was almost farcically comical, but she was so stressed I just gave up and took it off after 5 minutes of that - thankfully it was more of a precautionary suggestion from the vet to use it rather than a necessity in this case!
That was an epic fail - she was already pretty out of sorts and distressed from being at the vets for the op (even a checkup stresses her a fair bit) and not being used to having anything around her neck meant she really didn't like the feel of it. Also, when she's frightened she tends to press herself low to the ground when she moves about... So inevitably the first time she tried to move forwards after I'd put it on the bottom of the front of the lampshade dug into the carpet and pitched her head down. She then panicked and tried to run to a hiding place - of course the lampshade was too big to fit through the gap.
It was almost farcically comical, but she was so stressed I just gave up and took it off after 5 minutes of that - thankfully it was more of a precautionary suggestion from the vet to use it rather than a necessity in this case!
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff