fetrow@entropy.UUCP (David Fetrow) (04/02/85)
<>
I have a new problem with my cat Bast. He has accquired the habit of
hitting any new nylon quilt (or quilt-like object) that comes into a
particular room with a waste liquid. This wouldn't be a serious problem
except:
1) This room is my room-mates and he has a nylon sleeping bag.
2) I have had several room-mates recently; all who sleep in
nylon sleeping bags.
This is the reason I can't keep room-mates. Does anybody else have this
problem, or a similar problem? The dry-cleaning bills are getting excessive.
He only does it once per room-mate. HELP.
--
-"Daphnia Dave" Fetrow
Kludgemaster of CQS
{ ihnp4, fluke, tektronix, uw-june }!uw-beaver!entropy!fetrow :UUCP
entropy!fetrow@uw-june.arpa :ARPAbch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron Howes) (04/03/85)
In article <164@entropy.UUCP> fetrow@entropy.UUCP (David Fetrow) writes: ><> > I have a new problem with my cat Bast. He has accquired the habit of >hitting any new nylon quilt (or quilt-like object) that comes into a >particular room with a waste liquid. This wouldn't be a serious problem >except: > > 1) This room is my room-mates and he has a nylon sleeping bag. > > 2) I have had several room-mates recently; all who sleep in > nylon sleeping bags. > > This is the reason I can't keep room-mates. Does anybody else have this >problem, or a similar problem? The dry-cleaning bills are getting excessive. >He only does it once per room-mate. HELP. Has Bast been neutered? From the way you describe his behavior, I'll bet not. This sounds like classic spraying behavior. Bast is doing his instinctive thing to tell your room-mates just whose bedroom this *really* is. Neutering should help, though not immediately. The old behaviors hang on for a bit. -- Byron C. Howes ...!{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bch
jhs@druri.UUCP (ShoreJ) (04/05/85)
> I have a new problem with my cat Bast. He has accquired the habit > of hitting any new nylon quilt (or quilt-like object) that comes > into a *particular* room with a waste liquid.... --my emphasis (* *) Since Bast is so consistent, it seems he is simply marking (what he considers) his territory. Why the nylon/quilt objects specifically might be interesting but immaterial (maybe he likes the sound, maybe he doesn't like the smell?!). Spraying or marking behavior can be very difficult to break, especially when it develops before a male cat is neutered (is he?). Even when neutering is done before marking is established, some males still develop a limited version. My cat (Beast) started about two years after he was fixed: he began marking the wall and side of the cabinet next to his litterbox. Nowhere else (well, almost, except for an occassionally foray to the bathtub to express his displeasure over something). Fortunately, the solution here was simple--I just put up two "spray shields" that extend into the top of the litterbox. (Attempts at behavior modification to "correct" his very deliberate aim were unsuccessful and frustrating to *both* parties.) For Bast, maybe the simplest thing would be to keep him out of that room. You might be able to retrain him--but after two months of flame and counter-flame on this net, *I* am not going to say anything in public about the efficacy of squirt guns. :-) If he's not neutered already, you should consider it. It might or might not help the marking but it sure won't exacerbate it. --Jeff "Where worlds collide ...."