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cat advice
I know a lot of you are cat people, so I thought this might be a good place to ask this question.
Cat negotiations have been going very well lately. T is more than coming around to the idea -- in fact, he's actually started feeling the need to have cats around again. So he's become a lot more open to the idea of cat "shopping" (not that we'll buy one, we'll probably go through a friend of his who works with a rescue group), and I think it will probably happen soon.
One thing is still holding him back, though: he's worried about Nadia's ghost. Specifically, her scent. How completely do we need to de-Nadia-ify the apartment? Do we need to get rid of everything she ever used? Or can we reuse her old litterbox, dishes, carrier, etc.? All have been washed, but I realize that probably doesn't get every scrap of scent out. What about the old cat-tree? (That seems iffier to me than the others, since cats do mark those with the scratching.) T found some websites that went so far as to recommend shampooing the carpet and furniture upholstery and getting rid of all area rugs. That seems like overkill to me, but maybe not.
Nadia was my first kitty, so this is the first time I'll ever have gotten a "replacement" cat and all this is new to me. How much should we be concerned about this? I know that cats are territorial, and I want the new kitty/ies to feel comfortable in the new home, but I'd rather not have to turn the place upside down to acheive that. Any and all thoughts are appreciated.
Happy kitty.
I'll have what she's having.
Go Giants.
Nadia sleeps (this is the userpic photo).
Cat negotiations have been going very well lately. T is more than coming around to the idea -- in fact, he's actually started feeling the need to have cats around again. So he's become a lot more open to the idea of cat "shopping" (not that we'll buy one, we'll probably go through a friend of his who works with a rescue group), and I think it will probably happen soon.
One thing is still holding him back, though: he's worried about Nadia's ghost. Specifically, her scent. How completely do we need to de-Nadia-ify the apartment? Do we need to get rid of everything she ever used? Or can we reuse her old litterbox, dishes, carrier, etc.? All have been washed, but I realize that probably doesn't get every scrap of scent out. What about the old cat-tree? (That seems iffier to me than the others, since cats do mark those with the scratching.) T found some websites that went so far as to recommend shampooing the carpet and furniture upholstery and getting rid of all area rugs. That seems like overkill to me, but maybe not.
Nadia was my first kitty, so this is the first time I'll ever have gotten a "replacement" cat and all this is new to me. How much should we be concerned about this? I know that cats are territorial, and I want the new kitty/ies to feel comfortable in the new home, but I'd rather not have to turn the place upside down to acheive that. Any and all thoughts are appreciated.
Happy kitty.
I'll have what she's having.
Go Giants.
Nadia sleeps (this is the userpic photo).
no subject
I suppose with cats it's not so much training as negotiation. I do know that the training goes both ways. I like to think that I'm more aware of it as a deliberate tool than the cat. I like to think that, but it's probably not true.
no subject
We had a cat named Patches when I was growing up. She always responded to her name, but we always figured it was just because of the tone of our voice or something similar. Then one day my mom was saying something to my dad about sewing some patches onto my brother's jeans, and she looked up! It was a cool moment.