My newest hot tub guest

[Bonibelle]

I posted a few days ago about this poor kitty that I have been feeding in my greenhouse. The kitty was shy and scared to even come near me for quite a while. It was pathetically thin and dirty. Kitty started warming up and would cautiously run to us when we went out the back door. Then the silly kitty started hanging out on my pool cover, playing in the little bit of water under the leaf net.

My dog wants desperately to eat the kitty :-/...and today that darn cat went a bit too far.


It discovered the hot tub...So what is it about cats anyway?? After rolling over and rubbing all over the hot tub cover, it dug it's nails into the vinyl..poking little holes
Hey you cat people...what's up with this crazy feline? Now I have to figure a way to keep it off the tub cover..any ideas?  It has also figured out how to get onto the roof!

[Campsalot]

Bonibelle, go to your local pet store and get some of this paper stuff (I don't know what it is called) and place it on your cover.  The stuff has a sticky face and when the cat jumps on it he/she will stick.  Kind of like animal fly paper accept they don't stay stuck. It annoys the heck out of them and thy learn!

[Bonibelle]

Thanks Campsalot, does it stick on both sides or just on the "up" side?
I know all this kitty wants is a family and some love, but I can't have holes in the cover. I sealed the little holes with fingernail polish until I think of a better remedy..
I made the cat a little house and a bed in my greenhouse, but it seems to be fearlessly hanging around my back door..oh and on the roof..Is that a typical kitty thing too?

[Vinny]

You did say your dog wanted it ... Here kitty, kitty, kitty!  

As far as the holes, they sell clear silicone and it may be the thing to seal tiny holes. As long as you're careful with it AND WEAR RUBBER GLOVES, it isn't too bad.

[Bonibelle]

Great idea Vinny, it's the stuff I use for my fish tank right?  Smells like acidic acid?...It will probably look awlful but I am afraid of leaks into the cover. The cat just dug right in and pulled on the vinyl   I am going to get that sticky stuff because as long as it doesn't wreck my tub cover, it can hang out and chase my chipmunks!

[anne]

First of all, is she a "she"?

And if so, is she rolling all over everything, and meowing a lot, and acting silly like that frequently?

And do you hear horrendous "cat fights" at night?

 

[Vinny]

Great idea Vinny, it's the stuff I use for my fish tank right?  Smells like acidic acid?...It will probably look awlful but I am afraid of leaks into the cover. The cat just dug right in and pulled on the vinyl   I am going to get that sticky stuff because as long as it doesn't wreck my tub cover, it can hang out and chase my chipmunks!

That's the stuff. It might not look too bad if you dab a little on where the holes are. Maybe use a toothpick or something like that ... a finger would be too big. You just need enough to fill in the hole ... a little dab will do ya!

[Bonibelle]

Anne, It has taken weeks for the cat to even let us touch it. Once it would let us pet it, the kitty suddenly became very friendly. (the tuna and prime rub that I fed it probably helped). I have to admit it is really smart. My dog really wants to eat it, :-/ yet the cat moves slowly and smoothly making an exit just in time. It knows that the dog can't get into the pool fence and tonight it was on my roof talking to the dog...
I don't hear any cat noises at night and I have no idea if it is a male or female. I will try to pick it up tomorrow...It's not a kitten, it is full grown. This is the first time I have seen it do any of the rubbing and rolling around, it never came this close before. Wonder why it picked the hot tub to roll around on?
Right now, believe it or not, the kitty is sleeping in a pile of flannel sheets on top of the hot tub. It let me wrap the sheets all around it and then it curled up and went to sleep. I wonder what it will do when a filter cycle turns on.
I can't have an indoor cat. Besides the dog, I have two house rabbits, my parrot, a cockatiel and a fish pond in my house! OH and a kid that is alergic to some cats.
I am in shock because my husband was all ready to go in the tub tonight until he saw the kitty peeking out from under the sheets!  He didn't have the heart to disturb it!  We'll see how long that lasts!

[anne]

Sounds like just a smart cat. And in your flannel sheets, a lucky one, too. Sorry to be obtuse, but I was going for figuring out if she was acting that way because she's in heat. They get REALLY silly.

[Bonibelle]

I worked a benefit for the local YMCA today and the Humane Society had a booth. they suggested I get a carrier and try to get the kitty to a vet to be "fixed" (which ever it is, boy or girl). I will do that next week. I have asked around and no one claims to know the cat at all, so I guess it is legal to take the cat to the vet since I can't establish an owner.

Wait until I tell my husband the hot tub cat is not just silly, it's in heat!! ..

[hotubinn]

Buy a humane trap, and deliver it to new neighborhood!

[Bonibelle]

Can't do that ... it would just end up either starving or getting killed on the road. For whatever reason, it picked me and I will never turn away a hungry critter..if it catches mice and chases chipmunks it will earn it's keep..It just can't hang out on my hot tub cover!

[Campsalot]

Bonibelle; the stuff is sticky one one side (the side the cat lands on)although I would think you would need to stick to the hut tub cover with some scotch tape or something.  Also, if you neuter your cat and intend on letting it stay outside do not de-claw it as the claws are the only thing protecting it from predators. I am curious where the cat is doing its bathroom thing.  Cats can be real problems on lawns, sand boxes, plants, etc.  Also a feral cat like this one could have all sorts of medical problems.  If you are pregnant or have any children or close friends that are pregnant and also if anyone has any real young children (0-9 MONTHS) keep them away from the cat.
I would suggest you take the cat to the pound.  Good luck!  It's sounds like you have a huge heart!  The cat got lucky!

[wmccall]

Wonder why it picked the hot tub to roll around on?

The covers stay warm on top retaining heat from the sun. I'll find gerral cats on mine occasionally, but haven't seen them do any damage

[Bonibelle]

No fear Campsalot, If I am pregnant, I am going to the pound!!
The kitty is outside and we don't have any young kids or sandboxes, so no worries there. I think someone may have dumped the cat here thinking it would find a home on the farm in front of me. The herd of barn kitties would never allow aliens so it probably has spent many nights hungry and cold. If I get it medical attention, it will should be fine and I would never declaw anything...If it turns out to be a good mouser, It will be a blessing as the mice around here carry ticks with Lyme disease. I much prefer the natural elimination of mice, to traps or poison.

I think Bill is right about the kitty enjoying sunning on the top. Why it rolled over and dug it's claws into the vinyl, I don't know. It was almost like it was stretching and putting it's claws in and out to feel the surface.

It has spent this NorEaster in my green house. I made it a bed and it seems happy to watch the storm, dry and warm.  

How could I take it to the pound?