https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/ Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:13:28 +0000 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:43:06 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 11.10 360 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=38660 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_images/web_wiz_forums.png https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/ https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1302511&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1302511 Author: astral_monkey
Subject: 38660
Posted: 08 April 2011 at 2:43pm

Oh, I should probably throw in that our cat has destroyed the last 2 collars I got him.

If all he did was meow I would probably stick a pillow over my head and try to ignore him, but he's not a particularly vocal cat. He actually claws the side of the bed, which makes a racket and has officially ruined my beautiful wooden sleigh bed.

Last couple of nights I have shut the window so the stray can't get in. It helps that it's been a bit colder and rained a lot so my cat doesn't want to go outside. He's been a lot less of a hassle so crossing my fingers it continues.]]> Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:43:06 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1302511&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1302511 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1302016&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1302016 Author: Keleho
Subject: 38660
Posted: 07 April 2011 at 8:16pm

My votes for the magnetic cat door too. Means your cat can get in and out (only needs a special collar) during the night and eat when it likes, but the stray wont be able to get in at all.

Unless of course your cat is tricking you and eating them all itself ]]> Thu, 07 Apr 2011 20:16:38 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1302016&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1302016 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1301978&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1301978 Author: _Deb_
Subject: 38660
Posted: 07 April 2011 at 7:35pm

Don't you hate it when it goes quiet and you think they've finally shut up and you start to relax, then the meowing starts again. lol]]> Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:35:12 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1301978&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1301978 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1301885&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1301885 Author: astral_monkey
Subject: 38660
Posted: 07 April 2011 at 5:46pm

Haha Gekka, that has most definitely been tried - often with expletives thrown in. I have also thrown my pillow at him a few times (which shuts him up for all of 2 minutes).]]> Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:46:17 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1301885&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1301885 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1301788&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1301788 Author: Gekka
Subject: 38660
Posted: 07 April 2011 at 3:39pm

Oh and forgot to say, you mite just have to yell at him when he begs during the night to try and teach him it's bad to annoy you during sleep time. Naughty Kitty!!]]> Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:39:35 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1301788&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1301788 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1301787&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1301787 Author: Gekka
Subject: 38660
Posted: 07 April 2011 at 3:38pm

I second a magnetic catdoor. I also got mine off trademe & well worth it. I was sick of coming home to "cat party's" in my house (once my cat was sitting in the loughe with 3 other cats just hanging out)

Now theres only 1 other cat who has learned to get in but he's super smart (siamese or something). Anyway, I reckon we've saved $$ on cat food & also extra washing from naughty random cats peeing on our clothes]]> Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:38:19 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1301787&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1301787 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300453&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300453 Author: nannikin
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 8:49pm

would def recommend the magnetic cat door, we had a huge problem with three big monster neighbour cats eating all my wee girls' bikkies and now that the new door is in place..... so good! Was about $70 online (trademe i think) and came with two collars :)

much happier cats at my house now ]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:49:22 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300453&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300453 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300118&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300118 Author: astral_monkey
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 2:40pm

Unfortunately, can't shut him in anywhere that's far enough away from our bedroom. At our old place I would stick him in the bathroom, but everywhere at our new place is within earshot (he scratches the carpet or the door until you let him in/out). Including if we chuck him outside, he'll make a racket trying to pry his way in through the window. I have tried to just ignore it, but he will keep going till he gets his way.

I'm not sure about the magnetic pet feeders, but have seen the doors with a similar device. Sadly, I think my cat is smart enough that he will purposely sit by the feeder so the food comes out for the stray to eat.

Thankfully it is only the one stray - it used to be 3, but then we got a dog, and now only 1 is brave enough to make the dash for the window. I am fairly convinced it is a stray and not a neighbours cat.]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:40:08 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300118&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300118 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300090&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300090 Author: Mucky_Tiger
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 2:11pm

I dont know if you can get them in NZ but you can get magnetic automatic pet feeders. (The one I seen was in auz)
you put a magnet on your cats collar, and like the pet doors they only respond when the right magnet is within range.
the cat walks up to it and the automatic thing lifts a flap up and the bikkies are there and when the cat walks away the bikkies get covered over again by the flap]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:11:43 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300090&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300090 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300064&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300064 Author: _Deb_
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 1:38pm

Yeah i'd suggest trying to suss out whether or not the cat definitely is a stray or not and if it is see if the SPCA or another rescue group will take it.

Can you lock yor cat in at night and shut him in another part of the house so he can't disturb you? I lock ours in every night and put food down for them. There are strays that hang around so i put food outside for them. Mine eat outside during the day.]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:38:35 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300064&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300064 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300062&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300062 Author: astral_monkey
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 1:35pm

Some good suggestions, thanks everyone. I think tonight I will try shutting the window so the stray can't get in, and seeing how much of the biscuits our cat is actually eating. If he wakes me up and genuinely wants biscuits I will look into an automatic feeder, but if he's just being a pain, I will put him out.

I think I might have to try a few different strategies, and be persistent... and kick DH and make him get up! Haha.

Thanks again. ]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:35:46 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300062&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300062 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300028&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300028 Author: tiptoes
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 12:58pm

I know how you feel, every night our cat taps at the flap at the bottom of the door and one of us has to get up and let him in. We have a cat door, but I guess he's trained us well and the front door is more convenient for him. DH is usually the one to get up as I've got DS cuddled up next to me and he feeds him. This last week I've told him to stop feeding him and hopefully he'll stop doing that as I'm sure we had the same problem once before and when we stopped feeding him he left us alone (or at least came in the cat door).

So yeah, my advice is to stop offering food in the middle of the night. If s/he keeps pestering you just get up and put him out. I take a bit more of a hardline attitude with the cats than babies, who I'd just feed

I suggested to DH the automatic feeder thing too but like you all the strays/neighbours cats come in and eat our cats food anyway so it would probably be a waste of time (for us) and encourage more of them to come in. Once we even had a possum come in the cat door!!!



Edited by tiptoes]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:58:19 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300028&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300028 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300001&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300001 Author: Lulu
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 12:24pm

We feed our cat inside the house, and the cat gets put out at night when we go to bed. ]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:24:55 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1300001&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1300001 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1299888&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1299888 Author: UpsyDaisy
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 10:18am


Sounds like will be very difficult to get rid of the stray because hes been getting a yummy easy meal at your place for what sounds like a long time.

We feed our cat inside, we have a cat door and now keep it shut at night as we had a wild cat come in and eat our cats food. We keep our cat in at night too.

Electronic cat feeder sounds good (but you will still be feeing the stray) or maybe cat door with electronic tag your cat wears a collar so only he can get in (not the stray) but $$ I think.

We had a stray hanging around for 6-7 weeks, basically sitting at french doors meowling to be let in. I did start feeding her but in the end I made some wee flyers and put them in neighbours mailbox for quite a distance saying if no-one claims I will send to SPCA I rang radio and newspaper too. No one claimed her so FIL took the cat to the SPCA. It actually was a sweet wee cat but the twins were really wee only about 8 weeks I was sleep deprived and just coping with them and worried that our cat would get in basinet with them etc so was really hard hearted...

Edited by jules1980]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:18:43 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1299888&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1299888 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1299882&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1299882 Author: Kalimirella
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 10:13am

Do you know if the stray belongs to anyone in your neighbourhood?

Cause if it doesn't you can ask the SPCA for a cage to bait so you can catch it and give it to the SPCA. (I'm presuming it doesn't let you approach it.

Otherwise we have the same problem but it IS a neighbours cat, so no easy solutions. And we have a "pet" hedgehog that comes and knocks the dish over to get the cat food out! (That DP loves to feed...)

We do try to not feed the cats at night cause we know its not going to them. But that can be hard when they are scratching at the door meowling that they are STARVING!

Sorry other than SPCA thing I'm not much help lol, just commiserating with you!]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:13:21 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1299882&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1299882 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1299850&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1299850 Author: kiwikt
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 9:45am

Have you thought about an automatic pet feeder.

We have one for when we go on short holidays and dont want to put our cat in the cattery. It can be set to go off at 3 different times.

Our cat has learnt when the feeder goes off when we are away and she sits and waits for it. Very cute.]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:45:26 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1299850&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1299850 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1299843&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1299843 Author: astral_monkey
Subject: 38660
Posted: 05 April 2011 at 9:39am

Okay, so my cat has always been a pain in the you-know-what. He wakes me up at 3am to feed him, then again at about 5.30am. It's driving me nuts, I feel like I haven't had a full nights sleep in 2 years!

One of the problems is that he's not even hungry, but there is a stray that has made our house home and eats all the biscuits we leave out. I'm convinced our cat wakes me up at 3, because the stray is hungry! This morning I got up, gave him biscuits then went to the bathroom. He pretty much followed me out of the garage (where he's fed) and sat outside the garage door while his mate zipped in and had his fill (I watched from the toilet).

I think if I can get rid of the stray it will be less of a problem, but I'm just not sure how.

I tried keeping the window shut for a couple of weeks (we like to leave it open for our cat) but the stray still hung around and the minute we opened the window again it was back inside eating the biscuits.

Sorry for the novel. If anyone has any helpful suggestions, I will be eternally grateful!]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:39:25 +0000 https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38660&PID=1299843&title=at-my-wits-end-cat-experts-please-help#1299843