Bruce Adjusts to Life Indoors
Bruce Adjusts to Life Indoors
May 25, 2003
We moved Bruce into the master bedroom which is larger and has more amenities (the Catio clear lucite window “extension box”, and the “front porch within a porch”, which is like a closet only the top of the walls are lattice above the perching shelves).
He sprayed my dresser, the soft cat carrier, and urinated on this waste-of-money-little-supposed-cat scratcher-carpet-thing that none of my cats ever used other than as a mat to sit on. He is not being bad, though, just doing his natural thing considering there are four years worth of “other” cat smells in the bedroom (not from urine though!). I washed the dresser with Murphy’s oil soap and that seemed to have worked. The dresser is varnished/shellacked with some shiny substance so I can’t imagine the urine penetrated the wood. I am glad to have a good reason to toss that useless carpet thing. The soft carrier fits in my washer so I washed it in the machine. Doesn’t seem to smell like urine now.
I had some Nature’s Miracle body cleaner, that is supposed to help with human cat allergies and also it says it cleans odor from the cat, so I poured some of that in the washer for the carrier and the sheets from last night. Maybe it does the same as the Nature’s Miracle sold to clean up urine.
He backed up to the hamper and was about to spray, but I went over and told him not to, and he didn’t. But now, I am thinking I should have left that Bruce-perfumed carpet thingy, so he might not think he needs to mark afresh. Though, I don’t want to sleep in a pissy smelling room. I have some Feliway spray, but the time I used it in the past, it made my Simon go to town rubbing and rubbing to put HIS smell over the spots I sprayed (cats do know it is not their personal smell), so I worry it might make Bruce spray more.
May 25, 2003 evening
Yay, Bruce’s stools are now rather solid, and are light brown, not yellow. How odd it is to become a person delighted with seeing certain kinds of bowel movements.
Maybe it was due to stress and diet change. He still seems to not be so sure, or not so happy, about using the litter box to defecate. Right before he has to go, he yells and yells, going to the window, seemingly asking to be let outside. Finally, he goes in the box. Around 3 AM is his defecation time. I’m hoping he adjusts it to better hours so I don’t get awakened with his “time to poop” announcement.
Bruce just discovered mirrors today. I heard him doing his yelling thing, and went in the bedroom to find him standing on my mirrored dresser, yelling at his reflection. Fortunately, he seemed to figure out it is not another cat. I hope he doesn’t think the mirror is a portal for cats, so he won’t spray it. I think he is finishing stinking up my bedroom. He has actually been rather good and considerate about it, mostly marking his dog bed and his cardboard scratching pad. I realize I must leave his stinky things there, or he will just mark something else. I have learned that cats don’t only mark vertical objects. What he does first for horizontal objects is to rub his butt on it first, then he just lets out a drop or two of urine. He sniffs his spots every once in a while, and refreshes them as needed.
I was going to start letting him have some time in the other rooms, but I don’t think I will since he needs to mark places. Maybe after a while, he will feel like the house is his own territory for sure, and that the other cats won’t be trying to make him leave, and will quit needing to mark.
On nice afternoons when I get home from work, I transport him out to the “old” little pen for a bit of fresh air and change of view. I can’t see that we will be able to find a home for him, particularly since right now he feels the need to mark his territory with urine.
May 28, 2003
Bruce is MOST particular about wanting a clean litter box. As soon as he eliminates, he yells and yells for me to come in his room and scoop it out. At first I didn’t think that was really why he was calling, but now it is clearly consistent, plus he sits next to the box after going while waiting for me to come clean it up, really making that seem to be the case. Goes to show how cats really do NOT want to use dirty litter boxes. Bruce was used to never having to live near his eliminations in the big outdoors and does not want to do so now. Nor should he have to.
It is rather nice that this formerly homeless, scared cat is now so well adjusted to a proper cat life with a slave to tend all his needs on demand, and not being at all hesitant about summoning his slave.