# Problems with my cat behavior..



## Ghost465 (Jul 2, 2013)

Hello guys.
I had a cat 3 months ago, his name is Tommy, he is 1 year old, Persian. He is white and with blue eyes...so in other words, he is deaf (doesn't hear)
I really need some help about some of his behavior because if he keeps doing some of it, my mother and sister will sell him probably and I really love him and I want him to stay 

So I currently need help with 3 problems, let's start with the first and most dangerous one:
I live in an apartment, 4th floor.
We have a balcony in the kitchen.
We used to put the Litter Tray in the balcony but after he did this, I had to take it to the bathroom which smells awful right now.
I came to the balcony, and found him standing right on the edge! And guess what? He was trying to clean his leg, I swear to god if I didn't catch him he would have fell..
So we put him on the ground and then we hit him and he ran away inside.
But the day after, he did it again! And again! So we closed the door to the balcony and put the Litter Tray in the bathroom, which smells really bad that I can't even enter it.
After we closed the door, we opened the window a lil bit that takes to the balcony, that window is by the kitchen counter where we wash dishes.
And guess what? He used the window to get to the balcony and stood on the edge again!
Please help as this is a dangerous problem and I don't want it to happen again.


Now for the second problem:
My cat never learns, he just jumps on the kitchen counter every time, and his hair falls a lot so in other words, our dishes and cups are full of hair now, every time he gets up on the counter I hit him and he just jumps off, and I'm pretty sure that he does it when we're not home.
And now, recently, when he gets up on the counter, he jumps off it just when he sees me! So that means he realize that he shouldn't be doing it but he still does! Please help..


3rd and final problem:
After putting the Litter Tray in the bathroom, it smells: AWFUL, Very bad that I can't even enter the bathroom..
He does it right, he poops and cover it with sand, but I don't know why it just smells horrible..
It might be from the sand we use in the Litter Tray, but until we get a new one, I could use some help to make the smell acceptable, a fix for this would be my 1st problem which is we put the Litter Tray back on the balcony.

I'm so, so sorry that I asked too much, but I didn't want to make 3 threads so you guys wouldn't consider it "Spam" xD

Thank you in advance


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## LDK1 (Oct 1, 2010)

Number one: *Please stop hitting your cat!!!!!* He will not understand why you are doing it and it will only make him stressed and fearful.

I can understand that it might be more difficult to modify unwanted behaviour if the cat cannot hear, but you can see that hitting doesn't work anyway so it's pointless and just not a very nice thing to do.

You could keep a small garden sprayer of clean water handy and squirt it at your cat to try to discourage certain behaviour, but it needs to be done straight away or the cat will not make the connection. Do not squirt in the face, and try not to let the cat see you do it.

Number two: Do not have any food accessible on the kitchen worktops and clean up any crumbs or spills straight away. If there is nothing to be gained by getting on the worktops, the cat will lose interest eventually - but this could take time. You could also use the spray and/or just keep *gently* taking him off the counter when you see him on it.

Use treats to encourage good behaviour and as a reward for being where you want him to be.

Number three: Invest in some good quality clumping cat litter, something like 40l Cat's Best Öko Plus + Cosma Heart Box Free | Free P&P on orders £25+ at zooplus! or similar if you're in a country that doesn't stock it. It makes a huge difference to the smell. Also, cat foods that contain 'grain' can make litter smelly so look for grain-free types. Clean trays as soon as there is any soiling in them.

The balcony/window situation is a difficult one to solve. You can get window screens you can fit and open for fresh air, but cats can't get out. The only thing for the balcony is to get cat proof netting 
Cat Safety Net wire-reinforced | Free P&P on orders £25+ at zooplus! , build an enclosure or not let him on it.


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## Ghost465 (Jul 2, 2013)

Hello thanks for replying.
I realized from the beginning that hitting the cat is not good, but my dumb friend told me to lol, I'll stop it right away.
As for now we are running low on money so we might need some time to get better sand, as long as I get a fix to the number one problem all things will be solved.
As for the spray thing, should I spray at him while he's on the edge of the balcony? What if he got scared and fell/ran away and jumped?! Or should I put him down and then spray?
For number two, there is absolutely nothing on the counter, we always clean it right after we finish using it, but here's the thing: I noticed that when he gets up on the counter, he heads for the kitchen window and just watch it, so in other words, he just wants to watch the window. And that's weird because we got a lot of windows in the house and he always stands on all of them and watch, but why he wants the kitchen window and the balcony even more than the others?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi Ghost, I agree completely with LDK1 -- please stop hitting your cat immediately. It is cruel and achieves nothing useful.

A deaf cat needs a patient and understanding owner. Always let a deaf cat see you before you touch them, or you will frighten them.

The litter box should not smell at all if you are using good cat litter (as LDK1 recommends) and emptying it regularly several times a day. Also, feed a good quality food, not cheap stuff full of grains. Cheap cat food will make for a very smelly litter tray. 

If your cat is on the counters all the time he is looking for food. Give your cat more food to eat, and feed him more often (3 or 4 times a day). As LDK1 says, do not leave any food out on the counters.

You cannot allow your cat on the balcony until you have made it 100% safe with proper cat proof fencing so there is no way your cat can get over the edge. If you can't do this, then keep your cat indoors and make sure all your windows have mesh fitted over them so your cat cannot get out of any open window.


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## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

Omg..All I can say to you is please dont hit your cat, that is truly awful it wont understand what you are doing and you will make him so frightened and nervous and upset..like I am just reading about it...


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Ghost465 said:


> > As for the spray thing, should I spray at him while he's on the edge of the balcony? What if he got scared and fell/ran away and jumped?! Or should I put him down and then spray?
> 
> 
> *Don't let him on the balcony at all until you have it completely fenced in so there is no way he can get on the edge!!* And please get your windows safely covered with mesh.
> ...


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Reading this has made me both sad and very angry.
I'm sorry if this comes across as harsh but to be honest I think for this cats sake the best thing you can do is to find someone who will treat him with the respect he deserves


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## sharonchilds (Jul 7, 2011)

He needs lots of love and understanding and you need lots of patience and more if he is deaf. 
I wouldnt let him out on the balcony untill it is cat safe and he cannot fall.
Can you not just remove the poo as soon as he has been? I do this with mine and them shut them in a room for 10mins while i air the kitchen. Your responsibility is to keep your cat safe at all times.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

I agree, *stop hitting him*. It doesn't work with cats, dogs, children, anyone or anything.

Beyond that:

Clean litter trays do not smell, and what you feed him can influence both the consistency and smell of his poo. Whilst cats like sand it's not a very effective litter. A fine clumping litter works far better - Everclean for example - and is just as acceptable as sand. With Everclean you can scoop out the clumps and lumps and what is left is pretty well clean. It's not that cheap in the first place but is reasonably economical for long-term use. You need to scoop the clumps and lumps every day.

If you are feeding a low-quality diet then he will poo more and it will smell more.

I have never tried to stop my cats jumping on the counter - at best they will only not do it when I am around - so I don't leave cups etc. out, I put lids on pans and I clean before I cook.

Your balcony and window problems are solved by making them safe for him with mesh and window screens.


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## LDK1 (Oct 1, 2010)

Ghost465 said:


> As for the spray thing, should I spray at him while he's on the edge of the balcony? What if he got scared and fell/ran away and jumped?! Or should I put him down and then spray?
> For number two, there is absolutely nothing on the counter, we always clean it right after we finish using it, but here's the thing: I noticed that when he gets up on the counter, he heads for the kitchen window and just watch it, so in other words, he just wants to watch the window. And that's weird because we got a lot of windows in the house and he always stands on all of them and watch, but why he wants the kitchen window and the balcony even more than the others?


Forget the spray training for the balcony situation, it's too risky and it won't work for that kind of problem - you can't leave a door open and expect a cat not to want to investigate. You need to either cat-proof the balcony or not let him on it.

He could be going to the kitchen window because that is the only other way to the balcony, and he wants to get outside.

If money is tight, in the short-term you could block off the kitchen window with a curtain so he can't see the balcony from there, or just let him look out the window until you can afford to cat-proof the balcony with strong netting so he can go outside but also be safe.

Goggle images of how people cat-proof their balconies so you can see how to it.

Also, groom him daily with a brush specifically for long-haired cats to cut down on the amount of fur flying around.


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## Ghost465 (Jul 2, 2013)

Why can't you understand? This is the first time I get a cat and the previous owner (my friend) told me to hit him when he does something bad, do you think I'm happy when I hit him? I swear to god I tear sometimes, and I didn't know that it doesn't work, Jesus calm down..

The food he eats is called Meow Mix, and I think it's a good quality food, and every time he pees I take his pee off and put it in the trash outside, but the sand still smells awful.

I groom him everyday with a brush from our Vet, but his hair still falls a lot, and the window I'm talking about, our clean dishes and cups are right next to it, so if you're saying I should let him get up, I actually don't mind at all, but my family will kill me.

I really need to get the Litter Tray on the balcony, not sure if my family will accept getting stuff that can protect the balcony, as they don't mind the smell in the bathroom lol..

Well thanks for the help, I'll see what I can do, the problem is I'm 15 and I can't afford a cat, but my family can (well barley, as my father died we are running really low on money), and they think that the current situation is fine, but it's not, and I really need to get a fix for this situation.

Thanks for the help everyone, and please understand that I love Tommy, to be honest, more than my family, but I didn't know that it's not good to hit him.


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## Harveybash (Apr 29, 2013)

LDK1 said:


> Number one: *Please stop hitting your cat!!!!!* He will not understand why you are doing it and it will only make him stressed and fearful.
> 
> I can understand that it might be more difficult to modify unwanted behaviour if the cat cannot hear, but you can see that hitting doesn't work anyway so it's pointless and just not a very nice thing to do.


Totally agree!!!!



Ghost465 said:


> Hello thanks for replying.
> I realized from the beginning that hitting the cat is not good, but my dumb friend told me to lol, I'll stop it right away.


I'm sorry to say this, but that is a very immature response, and clearly the 'lol' wasn't needed when we are talking about hitting a poor defenceless animal.
If your dumb friend told you to jump off a cliff, would you?



buffie said:


> Reading this has made me both sad and very angry.
> I'm sorry if this comes across as harsh but to be honest I think for this cats sake the best thing you can do is to find someone who will treat him with the respect he deserves


I'm also sorry to say, but I completely agree with this statement!


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## Ghost465 (Jul 2, 2013)

Don't take your thoughts too far, the couple of hits I hit him are not hard at all.


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## Satori (Apr 7, 2013)

Meow mix food is absolute garbage. That will cause a smelly expulsion from your cat and could also lead to long them health problems. Sorry.

I do believe you love the little guy, really. But, it does seem your family is not in a position to give him the best home at the moment. Can you take control / ownership of the cat and talk about the budget with them? Can you take a part-time job so he can be looked after better?


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## LDK1 (Oct 1, 2010)

Agree about the Meowmix - it is full of cheap grain instead of meat and that will cause stinky poos as cats cannot digest the grain properly.

Also, is Tommy neutered? If not, that will cause extra smelly pee as well as scent-marking - which can be a really strong, unpleasant smell.

It's a big responsibility to look after a deaf cat. Especially difficult when you've not even had a cat before and you are not in control of the household/finances.

There are many websites that talk about looking after a deaf cat so I would educate myself as fast as possible on how best to care for and communicate with him if it were mine, and then educate my family.

Here is an example: Advice with Deaf Cats
by David Brinicombe © 2001

OR, like previously suggested, you may realise that it is in his best interests to be looked after by someone with more experience, money and suitable accomodation - but you would need to think very carefully about who you would trust to do this so that he is not constantly being passed around.

It would be worth trying to find organisations in your country that specifically deal with rehoming deaf cats.


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## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

Ghost465 said:


> Why can't you understand? This is the first time I get a cat and the previous owner (my friend) told me to hit him when he does something bad, do you think I'm happy when I hit him? I swear to god I tear sometimes, and I didn't know that it doesn't work, Jesus calm down..
> 
> The food he eats is called Meow Mix, and I think it's a good quality food, and every time he pees I take his pee off and put it in the trash outside, but the sand still smells awful.
> 
> ...


I feel that you should take your cat to a rescue where it will be adopted by people who will love and properly look after it.

You are very young and when you are older and have a job you can than buy your own cat.


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

I agree, as the cat is deaf, he needs special care. I think you need to have him rehomed to a loving home. Wait until you are older, have your own home and sufficient income of your own to be able to keep a cat in the manner it deserves.


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## Ghost465 (Jul 2, 2013)

Okay, we got him a new food called LeChat (Made in Italy), so I wanted to ask you if this kind is good or not.
The problem is that my country doesn't care about cats at all, if you don't believe me, read about Jordan.
All of the people I know won't take care of the cat at all. And there's no way I could give him back to my friend as he used to hit him very hard and that's why I haven't seen him, and I don't want to see him for a long time.
I actually had a talk to my family, they said that they will take care of him more, as we are buying him new kinds of food and we're gonna get him a better sand.
About cat-proofing the balcony, I don't think I'll ever find anything related to Balcony Cat-Proof in this country, but I'm trying to save money and I'm also lookin' for a job.
I have read about the Deaf Cat advice, actually Tommy always purr when he's with me, and he hates to stay alone, so when we're sleeping at night, he just keeps meowing and wakes us up, my brother used to leave his door opened, but one day, he woke up and found his cup of tea (he had next to his bed) was almost broken and the tea was all over his pillow. Now that all of my family closes doors, he even meows more, so I started sleeping in the living room and he always sleeps next to me and wakes me up with his loud purring lol.
As I'm typing this, I swear that he's sitting next to me playing with my fingers while typing lol.
So I dunno, I think he's happy right now as he purrs and plays a lot..
(Oh btw, he is neutered)


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## LDK1 (Oct 1, 2010)

Ghost465 said:


> Okay, we got him a new food called LeChat (Made in Italy), so I wanted to ask you if this kind is good or not.
> The problem is that my country doesn't care about cats at all, if you don't believe me, read about Jordan.
> All of the people I know won't take care of the cat at all. And there's no way I could give him back to my friend as he used to hit him very hard and that's why I haven't seen him, and I don't want to see him for a long time.
> I actually had a talk to my family, they said that they will take care of him more, as we are buying him new kinds of food and we're gonna get him a better sand.
> ...


It sounds to me like you are taking on board lots of advice and are making a big effort to try to improve his quality of life in difficult circumstances - I really applaud you for that.

Is this the Le Chat? LeChat Excellence - Secco - Adult

If so, it does look like a big improvement over the Meow Mix. Wet food is better than dry, but if you have limited choices at least this doesn't appear to have as much grain in it.

Maybe Satori will come along soon and can help with the analysis?

With the cat-proofing, maybe you can improvise with plastic garden netting or similar?


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## Satori (Apr 7, 2013)

Ghost465 said:


> Okay, we got him a new food called LeChat (Made in Italy), so I wanted to ask you if this kind is good or not.
> The problem is that my country doesn't care about cats at all, if you don't believe me, read about Jordan.
> All of the people I know won't take care of the cat at all. And there's no way I could give him back to my friend as he used to hit him very hard and that's why I haven't seen him, and I don't want to see him for a long time.
> I actually had a talk to my family, they said that they will take care of him more, as we are buying him new kinds of food and we're gonna get him a better sand.
> ...


Well done, talking to the family. This is good news 

I like the look of the Lechat and the other foods from Monge. There is pf member from Italy who has mentioned them before, so I hope she will see the post. I have not tried the foods but I would happily try them if they were available in the UK.

The Lechat range is huge and I don't know which skus are available in your country. The dry food DK1 linked to is not the very best quality in the world but it is much better than meow mix. It is better to feed wet food but at least this product has more meat and it also has chemicals to help break down crystals in the urine (which is the biggest problem with dry foods). It is a shame the dry has grains in but I suspect it is the best available in your country. Please make sure he always has access to fresh drinking water.

Now then, if you can afford to feed him wet that would be fantastic. Careful which ones you buy. The lechat super premium range, for example, is only "complementary". This means it is really only a treat, not a proper pet food. Always look for the description on the tin telling you it is a "complete" food.

My choice, from the limited data on their website, would be the "pâté ricco" range in 400g cans. This seems to be a very high meat content food, comparable to some of better European foods + it is grain free so no stinky litter box.


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## Ghost465 (Jul 2, 2013)

This is the one we bought for Tommy: LeChat - Secco - Croccantini con pollo e tacchino
Please tell me if the one we got is good or not, because we still didn't open it and we can give it back to the market if we had to, also, a 1 year cat needs adult food right?
The problem with Wet Food is that it's kind of expensive, but I'll see if we can get some. (Just a small question, is the wet food "Whiskas" a good product?) and for LeChat, that's actually the best we could find in Markets. And if we decided to get wet food, I'll get the LeChat pâté rich.
And for the water thing, I usually change his water twice a day.

As for the Plastic garden netting, that's actually a good idea and I'll see if I can get some Garden Nets, hopefully it won't cost a lot..


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## Satori (Apr 7, 2013)

For this one they don't give an ingredients list on their website. It is very likely to be better than meow mix but it isn't possible to say without knowing the ingredients.

Whiskas wet food is not a great product but it is better than ANY dry food. It does have added sugars so it will still cause a smelly rear.

So, from what you have said:

1st choice leChat pâté rich
2nd choice Whiskas wet
3rd choice the leChat secco

Perhaps you could feed him a mix of the three and hopefully, when you have the money rolling in from your new job, move him onto just the pate rich.


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## Ghost465 (Jul 2, 2013)

Looks like the LeChat Wet Food is the best in my country lol, I don't think I'm gonna get a job as my stupid country won't let me get a job until I become 18, I'm saving money and trying to make my older brother help me with this stuff, hopefully everything will go alright


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## Satori (Apr 7, 2013)

Ghost465 said:


> Looks like the LeChat Wet Food is the best in my country lol, I don't think I'm gonna get a job as my stupid country won't let me get a job until I become 18, I'm saving money and trying to make my older brother help me with this stuff, hopefully everything will go alright


I hope so. Let us know how he gets on.


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## Ghost465 (Jul 2, 2013)

We got him a new litter which looks completely different than the older one, no smell at all.
But Tommy isn't hiding his poo so well, he leaves half of it not covered.
Does he need time to get used to his new litter?


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## LDK1 (Oct 1, 2010)

Ghost465 said:


> We got him a new litter which looks completely different than the older one, no smell at all.
> But Tommy isn't hiding his poo so well, he leaves half of it not covered.
> Does he need time to get used to his new litter?


That's great that the smell has now improved.

Cats don't always bury their poo. My Rosie never used to cover her poo until we got a second cat - now she partially covers it.

I think more dominant/confident cats may sometimes leave poo uncovered, though I'm not 100% sure on this.


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## Satori (Apr 7, 2013)

I agree with LDK1. Not covering is his way of telling you who's boss. Hint: it's not you 

It's up to you whether you want to correct this behavior. Personally I did. When I used to see an uncovered poo, that had just happened, I woild calmly put the offending cat back in the tray and give her the chance to cover it up. She got the message quite quickly.


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## Ghost465 (Jul 2, 2013)

Ah, I see.
I'm gonna keep puttin' him back in the tray when he does not cover his poo, and we'll see what's the result.

Today we got a paper bag from a clothes shop. The paper bag only had clothes in it. When we got home we left the paper bag on the floor and then went to sleep.
The next day, I wake up and guess what? Tommy was sitting on the paper bag and purring like an engine! He kept purring for a very long time lol. And didn't even meow when he saw us (he usually meows when he sees us after a while.)
Dunno what he liked in that paper bag, but I'm gonna make him a bed made out of that paper bag


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I think it is fantastic that you are working so hard to make sure your cat has a happy and healthy life with you, well done!
I know that Whiskas is often criticised, but it is affordable and easily available so personally I would not discount it entirely. My Millie is also deaf and white...and has a sensitive tummy with many foods  but does very well with Whiskas Simply.
As for cats and paper bags.....oh yes! Wonderful toys, just make sure you cut through or remove the handles so that the cat cannot get it's head stuck through that part and panic. You can see below that Millie did not give me the chance to do just that before she had a good old game with this particular bag.


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Please visit this thread and post about Tommy
http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-chat/314992-deaf-white-cats.html


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## Ghost465 (Jul 2, 2013)

Haha nice picture 
Sure I'm gonna post there.


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