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Cats: Rossie Made A Decision — 2 Comments

  1. So good to hear that Rossie is coming around. She’ll be happier and healthier when she gets more petting and cuddling.

    Do you feel guilty about putting the kitties into their crates for sleeping? Both of our dogs were brought home to crates right away. The lab/catahoula liked the crate right away. The rattie, not so much. There was no way to keep her from unlocking her crate and getting out! Mind you, she was only a few months old at the time. Later, she got so she’d settle down with her “brother” in his crate.

    The crates are folded up and put away now, but the dogs still sleep together, and in fact, do everything together.

    But in general, the dogs I’ve known (keeping in mind that dogs are NOT cats) regard their crates as places of safety and relaxation.

    • I do feel guilty, but Lady’s carrier is inside a large dog wire cage about 3′ X 4′ X 3.5′. It’s self-contained and quite spacious. When the cage is open during the day, several cats move in and sleep or use the litter box or drink water, or use the scratching box. Sometimes one will go in the cage when I’m putting Lady in for the night, and if they don’t want to come out, I leave them in there with her. Lady and Tarzan were born in that cage, the four ferals spent time in there while they were getting basic socialization, and Daphne was quarantined in it while she had ringworm when she first came to us, so nobody considers it punishment (except maybe Rossie) to be in there.

      At this point, she’s only in there at night to preserve Mr. L’s sleep, and sometimes Floyd and Rossie get into it during the night, so there’s no guarantee his sleep won’t be interrupted. It’s kind of a compromise with Rossie, too, because it gives her time to move about with less stress.

      I try to leave a carrier out of storage and open for any cat that wants a cave to be able to escape. Several of them choose to use it from time to time, so the carriers are not a source of too much distress for them. I do try to bring carriers inside the night before we plan to travel, because when I bring them all in, several cats get nervous and hide. Most of them aren’t wild about a three hour ride to or from San Antonio. Ajax and Daphne actively complain the whole way, and Ajax’s tummy rebels.