The Companion Animal Gripe/Annoying Things Thread

[Andy_T]

My dear cat Alaska woke me up as usual tonight in the early morning so I let her out on her morning prowl. As I don't have any hair to bite off, she usually does it by clawing my face gently (or not-so-gently if I do not react appropriately).

When I went back to bed, however, I realized it was not 5:00 a.m., as usual, but rather only 2:15.

So I got up again around 4:30 to let her in again, because she typically does not like to stay out a long time if it is cold and wet outside - certainly not until 6:15, which is my normal time to get up. And indeed, she was very cold, very wet and protesting very loudly about having been left outside for such a long time. Don't think she will learn from the experience, however, but next time she wakes me up, I will check my watch first thing (and then possibly banish her from our bedroom if it is again that early).

 

[Tom L.]

Not a gripe- but I didn't want to start a new thread and wasn't sure where else to put this...

I adopted 5 goldfish back in 2006; a co-worker had a pond with koi and somehow about 30(!) goldfish turned up in the pond. I told him I would take 5. It was always my plan to adopt them out to someone who wanted goldfish.

I had a 10-gallon tank and other supplies from when my sister's last aquarium fish had died, and had found two others (10 gallon and 20 gallon) that were being discarded quite a few years ago (which had first served as homes for a few gerbils I had adopted from the local animal shelter). The 20-gallon had a crack in it, which hadn't been a problem when the gerbils were living there. I sealed the crack with aquarium sealant when the fish outgrew the 10-gallon... and they moved to a 50-gallon tank when someone gave it to me a few years ago....

One died after maybe 8 years, and I found a home for two with a co-worker back in 2016; she showed me photos of them settling in with her brother's goldfishes. So for the past several years I've had the remaining two as my only animal companions. The weekend before last, another of my co-workers took the last two, along with their tank; he has some experience with fish. I hope to pay him a visit and see how they're doing.

They're 13 years old. I hope they have many more... but it's nice not to have anybody depending on me.

I adopted my first cat at the beginning of 1993... so it's been 27 years... 5 cats... 3 rabbits... 5 gerbils... 1 hamster... 5 goldfish... and 4 rosy red minnows (who took over one of the 10-gallon tanks formerly occupied first by gerbils and then by goldfish). Some I adopted from shelters; others I took in from people I knew. I miss them all- especially my cats Ripkin, Riley, and Crystal, my rabbit Hans, and my gerbil Leia. But I don't miss worrying about them.

 

[SuicideBlonde]

Woke up and in the kitchen the back rug was in a ball. Yup, cat defecation. Don't know why, boxes cleaned yesterday. Washed the carpet. Just annoying.

 

[silva]

Both Sophie and Mimi have started the most annoying habit of wanting to touch anything I eat on the couch. One on each side, no matter what it is, just wanting to smush whatever with their litter box paws, no intention of eating it, just touching it.
I must say they do like Daiya

 

[PTree15]

Both Sophie and Mimi have started the most annoying habit of wanting to touch anything I eat on the couch. One on each side, no matter what it is, just wanting to smush whatever with their litter box paws, no intention of eating it, just touching it.
I must say they do like Daiya

Theo does this to me, too, and he likes Daiya as well.

 

[KLS52]

OMG I’m going to flip out. For the last three hours (12 am -3 am)Joon has been running across my body and poking my face. I reset the feeder to go off at 1:30 in addition to the 3 am that was working so perfectly before we moved last Monday. I know it’s a new environment and they are still adjusting but this is ridiculous.
At least they let me sleep for Mother’s Day. I got almost 8 hours...not uninterrupted but I felt the difference and it felt good.

If I didn’t know better I would think she was trying to warn me of danger or something. She was relentless. Every 2-3 minutes she would be in my face poking me and if I reached out to try and pet/calm her down she bolted across my chest/stomach to the door and just sat there staring at me. I know she wanted me to get up because she’s done this before. I’m sure she wants wet food but she had some just before bed as usual.

I guess I’m going to have to set up the cat room sooner rather than later. I was really hoping I wasn’t going to have to start that routine again where they get locked up at night. But I’ve been awake now for three hours and it’s absurd to have to put up with this. Plus, I can’t keep adding feedings in the middle of the night. It’s like I’m rewarding bad behavior.

They were actually pretty good the first few nights and I was hopeful. I think I had to shut them out of my room one other night. Maybe tonight is just a fluke. I don’t know. I know that I’m really upset right now about the lack of sleep. I’m wide awake and have a busy day planned as we have to drive the 90 minutes to my sister in law’s to pick up the remaining items and clean the apartment. I’m already tired, just not sleepy and feeling weepy...rhyme intended.

 

[KLS52]

I kicked them out again at 4:30 and managed to sleep for an hour so I’ll be ok most of the day. I’ll probably fall asleep in the car on the way home this afternoon.

 

[KLS52]

We did better last night. Not great. But no trying to get me up for three hours straight.
I think I need one of these.


My guess is this one would be shredded in five seconds flat lol.


There you go but I think I might suffocate in there.

 

[Val]

We did better last night. Not great. But no trying to get me up for three hours straight.
I think I need one of these.
View attachment 21032

My guess is this one would be shredded in five seconds flat lol.

View attachment 21033View attachment 21034
There you go but I think I might suffocate in there.

The first one is cute! But isn't there any chance that if they can't touch you to wake you up, they might start meowing and yelling fiercely in order to get what they want by any means?

 

[KLS52]

The first one is cute! But isn't there any chance that if they can't touch you to wake you up, they might start meowing and yelling fiercely in order to get what they want by any means?

Totally, lol. I’m just beside myself trying to figure out what I can do short of locking them up again at night. I really want to try and avoid that. They were much better last night. I don’t know why. The routine was the same. They’re just bad cats...translated spoiled. I’m sure I did something to unknowingly reward the bad behavior. Apparently I’m better at raising kids than I am cats.

 

[Deleted member 3018]

Can't say that there would be much anything to complain about... The cat is a sweetheart, innocent angel.
If I get annoyed about something, it's because I'm grumpy, caused by fatigue, stress or hunger.

Only thing that has been alarming is her OCD, Pica. Meaning that she ingests things that could potentially be life threatening, like for example long human hair, pieces of her toys etc. But since pica proving our home and vacuuming often, keeping the floor cleaned and cleared, plus not having much hair on my head, the problem is pretty much non-existent now a days.

 

[silva]

Totally, lol. I’m just beside myself trying to figure out what I can do short of locking them up again at night. I really want to try and avoid that. They were much better last night. I don’t know why. The routine was the same. They’re just bad cats...translated spoiled. I’m sure I did something to unknowingly reward the bad behavior. Apparently I’m better at raising kids than I am cats.

I wonder how bad it would be if you really persisted in not getting up and feeding them! I don't really know, but since they're adjusting to a new house and routine, this could be a good time to install new habits?
Mine have dry food always out, no ones obese, but Bobby

 

[Jaydoesitgood]

My roommates cat Pixie screams at me whenever I am in the kitchen. Will not stop until I let her sniff whatever I am cooking. This happens multiple times during the cooking process

 

[SuicideBlonde]

It is either one spot on the couch or the carpet by the back door. Errrr. I clan and put enzimezs and vinegar on the couch and wash the carpet. The boxes are usually clean. I keep having husband put the ring to record the culprit. I may get one of those carpet protectors that has spikes on one side to deffer more on the couch.

 

[Deleted member 3018]

I feel like I'm a bad human and completely inadequate to take care of the cat.

The cat has separation anxiety. If I'm out, let's say, two hours, and then get back, she comes to the door and is like "you were gone for a long time! I almost starved to death!"
And it's not like I make a big deal about going and coming, I'm not one of those humans who make screechy sounds to their pets.

When I'm out for a whole work's day, 8-9+ hours, she gets even worse. She starts to act all depressed, her blood sugar levels get high, she starts to vomit at the early morning hours and she poops on the bathroom floor while I'm gone.

I'd get another cat for her to play with, but my appartment is small so they'd probably fight... And I'm poor and cat's medical bills are sky high, so taking on another cat isn't an option for me...

I should be so wealthy that I could take good care of her and stay with her for the most part of the week... But I can't.

 

[Hog]

I do not live with a companion animal. However, I babysat a dog who refused to lick me on the face and nap with me. The dog was not a very good companion in my opinion.

 

[Deleted member 3018]

I do not live with a companion animal. However, I babysat a dog who refused to lick me on the face and nap with me. The dog was not a very good companion in my opinion.

Really? For me it's the opposite... I really dislike it when a dog tries to lick my face, or comes to bed. That's probably why I don't have a dog.

 

[Chryssie]

Really? For me it's the opposite... I really dislike it when a dog tries to lick my face, or comes to bed. That's probably why I don't have a dog.

I love dogs but I do not like being licked! I have never slept with a dog but a long time ago had a cat that liked to sleep on our heads! So no cat in the bedroom for me!

 

[Deleted member 3018]

I love dogs but I do not like being licked! I have never slept with a dog but a long time ago had a cat that liked to sleep on our heads! So no cat in the bedroom for me!

Oh, you don't like that either? Good to know I'm not the only one.

When the cat attempts to lick me tho, which I do not allow usually, because gross, I think that it's just hillarious.
She is so funny and cute, because she is being so seroius and intense, and at the same time completely goofy and bonkers.

When I was sleeping at my friends home for a weekend(this happened a long time ago), ALL of her cats (she had, I dunno, maybe five?) slept on me, every night. My friend and her girlfriend were bewildered by this.

 

[KLS52]

I seriously am grossed out by dog slobber but I will tolerate it as long as it’s not the thick gross kind that hangs down like slime lol. That makes me gag so bad. I find smaller dogs are fine and don’t have worse spit than my cats lol.