DP's views on cats upstairs & cats outside, is he right? Surely not!

[MagratsHair]

Sorry to start another thread but I'm not going forward in rehoming any rescue cat without talking a couple of issues through with DP & I'd like to do it tonight. I have never had a cat before so its all new to me & I need your opinions please as I think he's being a bit old fashioned.

DP says that he does not like cats upstairs, he says his nan had cats that never went upstairs & he does not like animals in bedrooms. So my query is, how on earth would you keep a cat from going upstairs without being cruel to it? I can't think of any way to stop a cat from entering a bedroom short of keeping the door closed.

Also he says its a nonsense that cats should stay inside at night & we would be denying the cat its normal instincts & behaviour if we do not let it out at night.

He was also worried about fighting, there are foxes in our road & also 2 well established cats 2 doors down that are not friendly to humans let alone another cat & he doesn't want our new rescued cat to be hurt.

What do you think?

=.=

I find it really bizarre when people suggest training a cat by smacking them - firstly have they met a cat?? I can't imagine any cat being in the least bit bothered. Unless you were doing it really hard in which case - surely you risk injuring the cat? :(

We trained our cats not to climb on the counters, dining table etc by just taking them down every time they tried as kittens, they soon got used to it and then it never seemed to occur to them to ever try. I don't think they did it when we were out either.

Just don't get a cat.

I don't mean to be so blunt but sometimes you really need to look at your family as a whole and evaluate the reasons why you are getting a pet.

My Mum and Dad have a cat who has a bed in their utility room next to the boiler, and that is where she sleeps and is quite happy.

Sparklingcat sleeps on the bed with DH and I and she is quite happy.

Both cats are always in at night as they are both safe.

In my experience cats only scratch at doors that they are allowed through. So if, from the beginning you shut the bedroom door, they won't scratch it.
Also if at night they are always in one part of the house, they will get used to it.

My mums cats have the run of the kitchen diner and utility room, very warm and snug etc. At bedtime she will say 'bedtime' and they know they have to get off the sofa and move, and if they are slow a gentle push and they trot off to the kitchen. They are not as untrainable as you think, but it is usually establishing a habit and not giving in til they have got it.

OK last question :) promise :)

My dad doesn't live locally but comes to visit when he can on Thursday afternoons. He has an adult & a puppy spaniels & the puppy is too young to be alone while he visits. So what do you do with the cat when there are visiting dogs?

Introduce them?
Install the cat in a room upstairs with litter tray, toys & treats & keep the door closed until the dogs have gone?
Give the cat the option to go out, bearing in mind the dogs will have access to the garden?

I'd go for option two.

Re. option two; don't let your kitten out until it's been chipped/neutered.

If it's a re-homed adult, it needs to be kept indoors for around four weeks in order to bond to it's new home.

I tend to agree with your husband, to be honest. our cats aren't allowed upstairs, there is a door between the living room and the hallway that is closed when they are inside and the generally come in and out the back door so they don't often get anywhere near the stairs. They have occasionally sneaked upstairs and we find them hours later curled up on one of the beds, but they are shooed back downstairs. I couldn't sleep in a bed covered in cat hair.

They go out at night, any cat I've ever had has gone out at night. If it's very wet or snowing or very windy they get to stay inside but they stay downstairs... and this only happens once or twice a year.

when we have visiting dogs, we just let the cat choose. We have one dog who comes to say occasionally.

First time cat disappeared, we shut doors at night so cat could come in and eat, with dog other side of the door.
Second time the cat watched the dog from safe distance and timed his visits to the house around dog.
Third time, the co-existed quite happily, cat walking right past dogs nose to go upstairs.

This is obviously once they have settled

My cats usually chill on the landing if the bedroom doors are shut however if they're open you bet you'll find them in the bedrooms or in the sink. They have a few bells attached to their collars so wildlife hear them coming and get a chance to run/fly away. But apart from that they come and go as they please, when it's thunder & lightening they usually come in and they'll stay shut in. But good luck trying to get them not to go upstairs