Welcome to The Hairy Bear: The Witcher Off-Topic [Archived]

[randyrhoads]

Calling out the cat lovers ITT, need some tips.
This post will probably be poorly structured but bear with me.

Bit of history first. I'm a dog person, dogs are awesome I've had my 2 dogs die last year in a span of 3 months and I was emotionally destroyed. I've taken care of 6-7 infant dogs in my life time and none were as bad as my most recent cat experience. I've had 2 cats and the most recent one was an absolute angel.
Back in august I found an abandoned kitten out in the rain and decided to take her home. I'd taken a vow to never have a pet again after the recent events but I took her in anyways.
She wasn't even old enough defecate on her own and needed massaging, hadn't eaten food before either. She was needier than the usual baby animal, being separated this young. Fast forward a month, she's grown up... sort of and she starts getting aggressive for no reason, bites like a rabbit dog. I figure out her gums are itching and lack of a proper motherly education. Now she's even worse, there isnt a thing around that house that she hasnt broken and doesn't understand she's getting punished for the damage she's doing. Got her a special scratching pole but she finds the sofa more appealing, she uses the pole only when I put her there, she'd rather use anything else. She's biting worse than ever now with her jaw getting stronger. Her gums cant be itching anymore her teeth are razor sharp and look fairly well developed. But now she's even more aggressive, doesn't like playing unless there's blood involved.

The other day she fell of the wardrobe on the ground head first and I rushed in to see if she's ok, she just jumped and scratched me on the face. Missed my eye by a few centimeters. She's not aggressive all the time tho, she's sleeping in me as I type this. She'd greet you when you come home, sit in your lap, purr, sleeps under the sheets but those are few and far between.
I read that a good way to teach a cat to not do stuff is to spray it in the face with water when she's doing it. It hasn't worked out for me at all, she just runs away and waits till I get distracted. She has all the vaccines and the vet assures me the rabid period will pass, but it's only getting worse.
I have a part to play in her being this bad however, I'm used to the doggy approach with a slap on the ass when it's being bad. It worked on my previous cat too but this one doesn't get the message. Could a cat be retarded?
Any advice from the seasoned cat owners would be appreciated!

 

[Cs__sz__r]

it seems to have made an impression on you, so maybe it was that ...

Oh dear...

 

[wichat]

Calling out the cat lovers ITT, need some tips.
This post will probably be poorly structured but bear with me.

Bit of history first. I'm a dog person, dogs are awesome I've had my 2 dogs die last year in a span of 3 months and I was emotionally destroyed. I've taken care of 6-7 infant dogs in my life time and none were as bad as my most recent cat experience. I've had 2 cats and the most recent one was an absolute angel.
Back in august I found an abandoned kitten out in the rain and decided to take her home. I'd taken a vow to never have a pet again after the recent events but I took her in anyways.
She wasn't even old enough defecate on her own and needed massaging, hadn't eaten food before either. She was needier than the usual baby animal, being separated this young. Fast forward a month, she's grown up... sort of and she starts getting aggressive for no reason, bites like a rabbit dog. I figure out her gums are itching and lack of a proper motherly education. Now she's even worse, there isnt a thing around that house that she hasnt broken and doesn't understand she's getting punished for the damage she's doing. Got her a special scratching pole but she finds the sofa more appealing, she uses the pole only when I put her there, she'd rather use anything else. She's biting worse than ever now with her jaw getting stronger. Her gums cant be itching anymore her teeth are razor sharp and look fairly well developed. But now she's even more aggressive, doesn't like playing unless there's blood involved.

The other day she fell of the wardrobe on the ground head first and I rushed in to see if she's ok, she just jumped and scratched me on the face. Missed my eye by a few centimeters. She's not aggressive all the time tho, she's sleeping in me as I type this. She'd greet you when you come home, sit in your lap, purr, sleeps under the sheets but those are few and far between.
I read that a good way to teach a cat to not do stuff is to spray it in the face with water when she's doing it. It hasn't worked out for me at all, she just runs away and waits till I get distracted. She has all the vaccines and the vet assures me the rabid period will pass, but it's only getting worse.
I have a part to play in her being this bad however, I'm used to the doggy approach with a slap on the ass when it's being bad. It worked on my previous cat too but this one doesn't get the message. Could a cat be retarded?
Any advice from the seasoned cat owners would be appreciated!

Owww!

Every cat is a world... like every pet or people. Maybe there's something in your house or its surroundings that scare her, (a sound, a smell) and makes feel her unsure. It could be even some remnants unseen to the human senses from your dogs...

Try to play with her with toys attached to a rope or stick, make her get tired by running and jumping. Give her a kibble when she is calm and she let you pet her.

About the sofa... maybe you'll must to change your sofa in few months, when she'll be neurtalized and mature

But remember, she is not a dog! Don't talk her as you used to do with your missed dogs Cats don't obey, just only accept live with us.

 

[GuyNwah]

Can't punish a cat. (Punishing dogs is overrated, too.) Anything much more than a sharply spoken "NO!" and walking away will just scare them.

What they want, mostly, is attention. (Well, that and food and well-sharpened claws. But naturalists in Africa reported that the wild ancestors of our domestic cats behaved exactly as modern cats do. When their other needs are satisfied, they want attention, and they'll get right in the middle of anything you're doing to get it.) Denying them attention (if you bite, playtime's over) is more effective than you'd think it would be.

We haven't had a cat that persisted in clawing up the furniture. The usual recommendation is if your cat won't accept a scratching post, the first deterrents to try are citrus oils and purpose-made cat repellents. The second is a strange one: double-sided tape. (I use this stuff to baffle humans who get my Christmas gifts. But cats really don't like the feel of sticky on their paws.)

My older daughter manages to keep two cats (two cats are better than one, they don't get bored and lonely), a loom, a spinning wheel, and a small fortune in wool in a one-room apartment. The cats sometimes rearrange her work, but she can deal with that.

 

[Cs__sz__r]

I'd like to add to the attention discipline, but this case may not be for everyone.

When my cat's food/water gets low(not empty) the older cat will pitch an absolute bitch fit. I've never caught her in the act but when it happens I'll find the bowls in the middle of the kitchen floor. If she's been acting out I'll deny her request to top off the food and just let what's left sit in there until empty.

That will for awhile turn her into a sweet lap cat, which she certainly is not.

 

[wichat]

What they want, mostly, is attention.... When their other needs are satisfied, they want attention, and they'll get right in the middle of anything you're doing to get it.) Denying them attention (if you bite, playtime's over) is more effective than you'd think it would be.

.

How do you know me so well?

 

[Blothulfur]

Don't know about cats but with dogs, they do something wrong I growl at 'em. Works.

 

[Garrison72]

If Santa doesn't bring you what you've ask him for...BLAME @Kinley!!!

Kinley just murdered Santa, what the hell...

 

[wichat]

In fact, my cats only understand me when I meow, hiss, purr or growl like them in the right moment... As always, my accent is deplorable!

Joke aside, Making each of these sounds followed by short words, in a calm tone helps to train them... if one has enough patience, of course. Within weeks, cats related words with their catlike sounds. Another thing is that they take notice.

 

[Kinley]

Kinley just murdered Santa, what the hell...

 

[randyrhoads]

Don't know about cats but with dogs, they do something wrong I growl at 'em. Works.

Dogs are easy and awesome.

When my cat's food/water gets low(not empty) the older cat will pitch an absolute bitch fit.

She eats 4 times a day a dose that the vet has approved, If her bowl stays filled up the whole day she wont stop eating and would die.

 

[Briella]

@randyrhoads Yeah, that kind of aggressive behavior is common in motherless cats. They basically aren't "raised" as they normally would be, so I wouldn't say your cat is retarded (though I know someone with a cat that is, so it is possible). The others have already said the rest, so nothing to add there. Hope you find something that works!

-------

So the power in our entire town was out for about 4 hours until now. Where I live, this is very uncommon (the last time the power was out for over 2 minutes was about 8 years ago). It really helped me notice how dependent we are on power and internet. No internet, no lights, no tv, no pc, no fridge. We even had to bring the candles out. And everything you come up with to kill time, you can't. And what to do if your phone batteries were running low! I ended up playing Monopoly with my family in candle light. And honestly, it was great.

Crazy people we've become

 

[Sana_mia]

She eats 4 times a day a dose that the vet has approved, If her bowl stays filled up the whole day she wont stop eating and would die.

Seen that behavior before, from kittens that suffered through a longer period without food before being found. Settle yourself to keep controlling her food for the rest of her life.

Now a few tips, separate your body from playthings. She needs to learn that hands open food and are great for petting. But nothing else, playing which satisfies her hunting needs should never be your hand. So use sticks with toys and other stuff.

If she misbehaves while on your lap or beside you, immediately say NO and put her on the floor. Don't even look at her... Especially if she scratches or bites just put her down and ignore her. Saying NO however only works in the act not 3 seconds later.

Scratching is difficult it can range from I hate something to give me attention. If it's attention grab her and put her at the scratch-pole and ignore her. No soft words, no talking. If it's I hate stuff because it's stupid... Well try double sided tape. It can help to play with them often near the scratch pole. so Scratch pole = fun.

Cats can be trained to some extend, they just don't respond to punishment at all. But playing and attention is a reward for them.

 

[GuyNwah]

Dogs are easy and awesome.



She eats 4 times a day a dose that the vet has approved, If her bowl stays filled up the whole day she wont stop eating and would die.

Our dog also gets nervous when there is no food in her bowl. She doesn't talk, just slaps it around the room until somebody notices.

It's not that she actually wants to eat right then. She just wants to know that food will be there next time she is hungry. Like the kitten @Sanamia wrote about, she was rescued from an abusive situation, and thirteen years later, she's still insecure.

 

[Mataresa]

So the power in our entire town was out for about 4 hours until now. Where I live, this is very uncommon (the last time the power was out for over 2 minutes was about 8 years ago). It really helped me notice how dependent we are on power and internet. No internet, no lights, no tv, no pc, no fridge. We even had to bring the candles out. And everything you come up with to kill time, you can't. And what to do if your phone batteries were running low! I ended up playing Monopoly with my family in candle light. And honestly, it was great.

Crazy people we've become

Wow, never had a power outage in my whole life. Once a shortage in the house, but just had to put the fuse back in.

 

[SerieLis]

well...I guess it's just one of those "job" days...

 

[dragonbird]

On the cat problem...

On growling and hissing at them for discipline. Yes, it can be very effective, definitely more so than equivalents to "BAD Dog!". They understand what the sounds mean. I use growling for "That belongs to me! Touch it again and you're dead". and hissing for "You're acting like a spoilt brat, stop it right now".
On biting and scratching during play or while you're petting them. Stop instantly and ignore the cat. Any other reaction will encourage them. It's a phase most kittens go through. And yes to the use of toys to interact to the cat - it stops them from getting bored, and also trains them into realising that your body ISN'T a cat-toy to be ripped to shreds.
On biting and scratching when nervous. Ignore the cat and stay calm. Even the most best-behaved cat will lash out when nervous, and any kind of interaction is at your peril, so you need to reassure the cat from a distance. They learn from watching your behaviour, if you seem agitated or nervous, they will react the same way.
On the furniture - If you're there when it happens, calmly pick up the cat and deposit it in front of the scratching post, then walk away. If you're not there, and it won't stain, or if it's already beyond repair, I recommend chili oil. Lemon juice can also work.
The water spray only works if they don't associate it with you, otherwise they just learn to make sure you don't see them do it, and to be afraid of you, neither of which helps.

You can also try getting her high with cat-nip, but on many cats it won't work until they're about six months old (and it doesn't work at ALL on my current generation of cats. Most disappointing).

 

[volsung]

I need some advise.

A few days ago my wife uploaded to youtube a video she made for a song she wrote and recorded. The song uses audio clips from a public domain movie, and the video clip uses, well, video clips from that same movie. It was all for fun, based on the well known Manos: The Hands of Fate.

But then a couple of days later she receives a notification about a copyright claim made by some Base79, which seems to be (at least in this case) acting like a patent troll. The claim in question refers apparently to the video content, not the original audio or the sampled movie audio bits. She disputed the claim stating that the material she used is public domain and can be legally obtained from archive.org. But then today she was told that Base79 did not accept her dispute and will retain their claim.

The result of this is that unless we appeal, she will have to agree to have commercials on her video clip. We don't want to put up with this bullshit so we are planning on writing a good appeal and make it clear that this sort of media can be freely used and noone can claim anything over it. If this doesn't work, we'd rather remove the video altogether and not let Base79 bully us.

So... suggestions? Help? Is there something specific we should mention or reference? And, does youtube simply allow companies to harass users? Is there an alternative service?

Thanks.

 

[GuyNwah]

@.Volsung.
Base79 is Rightster (Rightster bought Base79 last July). Rightster's line of business is, well, copyfraud. They're doing well at being the biggest copyfraudsters in the world. And YouTubeGoogle is the judge and jury. That's who you're up against, a fraudster with top lawyers and deep pockets, and a monopoly whose interest is in not being sued by top lawyers and deep pockets.

If you want to fight this, more power to you. It won't be easy. You're in the right, but you're taking on King Kong with a biplane.

 

[dragonbird]

In your appeal, you may also be able to go for Fair Use as an additional argument, as well as the public domain argument. It's worth adding as an extra piece of ammunition if it fits the rules.

But yes, you may need to be prepared to take it down.

(I removed one in similar circumstances. It was a music video to go with an album track. Made with the band's permission, even featured on their website, but later on they split off from their record company, the record company had the recording rights and wanted to monetarize it. And I had no paperwork. They still had a copy on THEIR Youtube channel, but not my own. Sigh).