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My cats are ruining my life!

icarus — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:56:47 -0800

I can't take it anymore. My cats are plotting my death. Please help me keep my sanity, my cats, and my apartment. I've had my two cats, since they were kittens, for the last two years. They are the friendliest and best behaved cats as far as people-cats interactions go.

What they both fail at is furniture-cats and life-cats interaction.

They are both indoor cats, and they are suffocating me. They have pretty much taken over the living room, I am afraid to be in it, because I start losing my mind every time I see another kitty-made fluffy dust bunny.

1. They shed. They shed no matter how much I brush them. They shed everywhere, on everything. What can I do? Anything at all?

2. They are not vertically challenged. They have no fear and they jump on every cabinet, on every counter top, on top of the oven, on top of whatever they please. My kitchen and livingroom are one and the same. I don't want to think about how much cat hair I must've ingested. Lately, one of the cats thinks it's awesome to jump on top of the fridge and stare at me while I'm washing the dishes. Is there anything I can do to keep them from jumping on top of every surface?

3. One of them cries for me every night. I don't let him in the bedroom because he sheds. And he lays down in front of the closed door and cries, and cries, and cries. He's been to the vet, there is absolutely nothing wrong with him except he's needy, spoiled, and doesn't want me to get any sleep.

When they were kittens I used to spray them with water and that seemed to work well as far as disciplining them. But that requires me to be there when they do something "bad" and they will just try doing whatever it is later, when I am not around. Plus, I feel pretty silly chasing them around with a spray bottle and trying to say "No!" without laughing at the same time.

Please help me, I really don't want to have to choose between my sanity and my cats.

AhhhhCHOOOO!

Phalene — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:00:22 -0800

Cleaning Filter: Help me make an oasis of clean in my bedroom, to fight back the chaos in my household? The mess in my house is driving me nuts. Short of moving out (I’ve applied to transfer universities in the fall, so I’m saving my pennies), how do I deal with a family who is disorganized to the max when I function much better in a peaceful, orderly area?

We are five humans and three cats. Everyone is allergic to said cats, me included, but my mother believes the pets are family too and will not be parted with them. We’re similarly all allergic to dust but the house is as a rule, one giant dust bunny beneath all the clutter. Family has been about the same for the past 22 years of my life, so it’s fair to say that family isn’t going to change.

However, while I’m not very good at cleaning, and I don’t think I can tackle the whole home, I want help creating a little fortress of cleanliness to withstand the tides of mess that wash past my bedroom door, and maybe keep the downstairs bathroom clean too. And get all that lint and pet hair off my clothes!

I’m not a very clean person. After a childhood where the floors gave me black feet, I have trouble remembering not to litter or track in mud. Part of my question is based on asking: How can I develop clean habits before I drive my future roomies insane?

Also: How can I keep my bedroom and bathroom clean and dust/pet hair free? What’s your best clutter busting advice or resources?

I don’t have much money, so buying an air filter or something is out. I have mop, broom, all purpose cleanser, shop vac, windex, cheap paper towels and a dishevelled duster at my disposal, as well as candles in my favourite scents and essential oils to kill the smells. I suppose if there’s a miracle product I'm missing out there, I can buy it, as long as it's not $50 a bottle and only available in Mississippi. Also, what sort of cleaning rag/sponge/cloth should I use?

The good news is that I’m not completely hopeless. I can and do clean my room, it’s just that the dust never goes away and the clutter is back in a day. So, tips, tricks, help?!

Scat, cat - get off the mat!

taz — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:01:40 -0800

How can I make my "welcome mats" unwelcoming to cats? I'm getting ready to replace all my outside door mats (three) because they're yucky and covered in cat hair from my neighbor's cats who like to hang out on them. The current ones have been very hard to clean from cat hair, and would need constant, labor-intensive attention to keep them presentable. But I'm afraid the new ones (stiff coconut fibre, something like this) are going to be just as bad, or possibly even worse.

But I just can't bring myself to buy those ugly black rubber door mats. Is there some way I can discourage the kitty mat love? Most of the Google info on natural cat repellents focus on keeping cats out of plants and gardens. Have any of you dealt successfully with this kind of problem?

I'm going to be on the lookout for repellent spray, but so far I haven't found any (I don't live in the U.S. or U.K., and some things are not as easy to find as they are there) - and I'm picking up my mats today, so even if I am able to find a packaged repellent, I need some strategy in the interim.

Small cat hair elimination device please.

Patrick Graham — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 13:21:55 -0800

Is there a small vacuum with a beater brush that I wouldn't mind having sitting out in my living room? I have a major cat hair problem and wouldn't mind vacuuming more often but the closet that houses my big vac is not convenient to the living room where I have the most upholstery that cats seems to like. I would love to be able to pop out a small but hair-effective device, vroom vroom and sit down for an evening of watching tivo'd Colbert Reports.

I figure that a brush is a must for cat hair but if you think you can convince me that suction alone will suffice then please lay it on me.

This sucks

bilabial — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 08:40:56 -0800

Why won't my Shark HEPA vacuum roller spin on it's own any more? The last time this happened we fixed it by getting rid of all the people hair that had twisted around the roller, which was at the time keeping it from spinning. Now, it only spins for a few seconds after I flick it into action. Currently, there is no obstruction, on the roller or the little spinner thing that seems to move the roller. The hose seems to suck just fine now that we've cleared the giant hairball/ plastic bag combo that one of my old roommates left for me to find.

The machine makes no ungodly noises, and I've checked out some other AskMe threads, notably this one. I have also not done any upkeep for this machine besides banging out the filter with each use (which I know is counterintuitive with my allergies). It's clearly time to order another Shark brand filter from the internet, but I have to wait for a paycheck on that one.

Because we've lived in this apartment with cats for almost 2 months without using the vacuum, I'd like to take care of this.

Cat Hair Killed My Shift Key!

abbyladybug — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 17:21:14 -0800

My cats are shedding a lot. As a result, my laptop (Dell Inspiron 700m) keyboard is filled with hair. I have had to remove a few keys to fix the problem. Until today, no problemo. But I didn't know how weird that shift key was. I can't get it to click back into place correctly. I really can't go without my laptop, given my current job, so sending the thing off to Dell is pretty much out of the question. Can I get some tips on fixing this myself? Or does anyone know what kinds of stores fix laptop keyboards? While I'm at it, anyone know a good way to protect laptop keyboards from cat hair so this won't happen again?

Upholstery "screws"?

Joleta — Wed, 24 May 2006 05:10:08 -0800

Where can I find screws to temporarily attach fabric to upholstery? (Description inside) We got tired of vacuuming cat hair from the couch, so I cut some pieces of fleece to put down where the cats like to sit. But the fleece shifts around, and I'd like to secure it somehow. I remember my mother used to use some screwlike things to keep a couch cover from shifting around, but I don't know what they're really called, and searching through upholstery supply places turned up nothing. These items had a plastic head about 3/8" diameter (possibly knurled for a better grip) with about a 5/8" twisted point coming out the bottom. They were used by gently screwing them through the covering fabric and into the fabric of the couch. Does anyone remember these things, know what they're really called, or know where I can buy a couple dozen?

How can I get cat hair out of my fleece jacket?

silentd — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 20:30:26 -0800

How can I get cat hair out of my fleece jacket? I've tried using a lint brush, masking tape, sticky lint roller, running it through the washing machine (several times), but the hair seems to be embedded in the fibers.

Vacuum recommendations and Ionic Breeze advice?

svidrigailov23 — Mon, 04 Apr 2005 07:53:16 -0800

I recently acquired two cats which is lovely and enriching excepting that I am now living inside a giant hairball. Cat hair everywhere. Millions spent on lint rollers. First question: Can anyone recommend a decent, reasonably-priced vacuum cleaner that can tackle pet hair? It must have attachments and a HEPA filter. Also, I have bare floors. Second question: Does anyone use an Ionic Breeze or a similar air purifier? Is it worth the money?

Alternative treatments for a self-chewing cat

DenOfSizer — Thu, 29 Jan 2004 10:04:36 -0800

My cat has had a little bald patch on his belly all his life. Gradually, over the last two years, he has started chewing at it with increasing vigor; now the bald patch extends over most of his belly, and occasionally he breaks his own skin. The vet has ruled out mites, fleas, and disease, and concluded that my cat is anxious or depressed and needs medication to control his behavior. Googling confirms that this is not as weird it seemed to me, but it seems pretty drastic. Any thoughts, or ideas for alternative treatments? He's 12 years old; he's the dominant male in a two-cat household (no other pets); he's a 100% indoor cat; eats only dry food.