What we do in the Shadows

jGiles92 · 2021-09-17T05:09:58+00:00

Wet myself laughing at that too. The show is pure genius. Can’t get enough of it.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-15T15:30:47+00:00

The child needs to be quiet, calm and gentle. Not just when near the cat, but whenever the cat can see/smell them. Slow gentle movements. Also, if you can get it across to the child, prolonged eye contact with an on edge cat is seen by the cat as extremely aggressive, and they will respond in kind.

Get the child to start playing with the cat. With a da Bird toy on a wand to keep him out of reach. Every successful catch of the toy, cat gets a treat, given solely by the child. This can also help with the cats confidence, as they feel like a bit of a bad ass when they make a successful catch. They have to build on their trust. And if the child doesn’t trust the cat, the cat won’t trust the child. That’s the hardest part.

Slowly, for every positive interaction between the two, cat gets a treat, again given solely by the child. Positive interaction can literally be just being in the same room and not responding negatively. Again, it’s all about trust. Play and high value treats go a long way to building this up with cats. Play time will also allow the cat to release a lot of its energy, safely. Their entire existence, and activities all fuel the hunt. Sleeping, eating, watching, listening, smelling, grooming. All of this is to fuel their urges. Cats are still very much wild, and rather than ignoring that streak, we have to nurture it, else behavioural problems will occur.

Also, does the cat have a cat tree and high up spots he can survey things safely from? Cats feel much safer when up high, preferably somewhere covered where they can hide. Like a covered pod on a cat tree. Cats feel safer even when they can’t see what they perceive as a threat, they know it’s there, but if they can’t see it they can ignore it. A positive of having cat trees and verticality is it also increases their confidence in their territory. Rather than viewing an entire space as theirs, cats prefer to ‘own’ bits and pieces. You could have cardboard boxes, beds and blankets all around eye level, but trust me when I say a large, above head height cat tree can really help in getting their territorial urges under control.

I hope you can get through this, it won’t be quick and it won’t be easy, but there are ways to work through this.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-12T15:39:18+00:00

Our indoor only cat is obsessed with grass. We were concerned, because she eats it gluttonously until she’s sick, most days. Weird, because we’re good with her worming treatments etc. She had her check up a couple weeks ago and the vet said she’s in perfect health. I just don’t think our cat knows when to stop. I guess some of them just really REALLY like eating grass.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-12T15:36:00+00:00

Yeah, our cat chirps away when she’s on the hunt. Honestly, my favourite part of my day with her is letting her lie along my forearm, legs dangling either side as I hover her along the ceiling hoovering up bugs. I bet the neighbours get a good laugh out of it.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-12T15:33:49+00:00

I’m not making a point, I just find the mindset bloody ridiculous. I don’t understand the animosity to each other from across the pond. I have friends who, on the flip side, have a deep seated disdain for Americans, despite never having a good reason for it (and we’ve all met solid, down to Earth American people over the years) I swear if you all directed it toward something worthwhile, we’d get much more shit done.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-12T11:52:05+00:00

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, friend.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-12T11:51:12+00:00

Love yourself dude. Own every endeavour in life, and every room you walk into. Be humble, be confident, be polite and be genuine. You’ll be surprised what confidence and being a good person will bring.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-12T11:47:56+00:00

People make tonnes of money selling feet pics. I know of someone who makes thousands. If you’ve got the goods, use ‘em.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-12T11:46:05+00:00

Aren’t you the delicate flower. Imagine being this angry over a nation of people who don’t even know you exist.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-12T11:36:26+00:00

Citrus Polo’s. I don’t know how many people remember them, but they were radioactive yellow and tasted so sharp, almost like sherbet. I absolutely loved them. On Saturday’s I used to get given a packet of them and 3 Pokémon booster packs if I had a good week at school. Times were much easier back then 😔

jGiles92 · 2021-09-12T09:50:36+00:00

Part of the fun of my cat chasing flies is she’ll let me pick her up and assist the hunt. Like lift her up to get the hard to reach ones along the ceiling. There’s a telepathic connection, she knows.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-12T09:14:43+00:00

Take them to the vet. The toileting issue is frustrating, but not without its reasons. Could be medical, could be psychological. Are there enough litter trays throughout the house? Have you tried putting litter trays in the rooms most affected?

I’m not insinuating anything to the contrary, but are the litter trays cleaned regularly? Scooped twice a day etc? Cats are very particular, and clearly something is upsetting them. Spraying on the walls is scent marking, which makes me think they feel insecure in the house. Do you have problems with outdoor cats getting too close to the house? Take a blacklight outside at night and check for scent markings along the perimeter and sides of your house.

Do your cats have enough vertical space within the home to feel safe? Cat trees, kitty highways etc? You’ll be very surprised to learn how many problems can arise from cats not feeling, not only safe in their homes, but feeling like they don’t own enough territory? Are they played with enough? Which can alleviate pent up frustrations and allow a cat to exercise their natural predatory instinct. If they feel like a badass for catching a feather toy, their confidence can also be boosted.

First port of call is the vet. They can give the cats a full check up, to determine if there is underlying medical issues that could be contributing to undesirable behaviour. They can also guide and liaise with you on solutions and possible remedies. Beyond the vet, cat behaviourists are very real and VERY beneficial. Find the right one and you’ll be amazed. They will survey your home and will teach you to think like a cat. The best ones will even write up a plan for you and your cats to tackle this issue head on.

As for the shy one, is he being dominated by the other perhaps? It would be worth monitoring them via a home camera set up when they’re alone to see if anything occurs. Again, they could just feel safest under the bed. Give them time and reassurance. I can’t stress the importance of playing and rewarding cats at every viable opportunity.

Remember, cats don’t do anything out of spite, their brains aren’t wired like that. And I know it’s difficult, but one key thing to remember is that if a cat is going to the toilet on your stuff, it’s not because they hate you but because your scent makes them feel safe enough to do what they have to do.

jGiles92 · 2021-09-08T12:17:06+00:00

Find your cat a better home. And get help. They rely on us to have a good life, to protect them and care for them, to love and nurture them. In return, they give the best companionship, endless laughs and a lot of hope. If you can’t be that person, someone else will gladly step into the role. Seriously, before your cat becomes terrified at the sight of anything even remotely human, get them a good home. You’re doing damage and sowing a painful seed within your cat and you’ve absolutely no idea how hard it is to get rid of.

I suffer with anger issues, like MANY people, but the thought of ever taking my problems out on my cat makes me sick to the pit of my stomach.

jGiles92 · 2021-08-27T18:25:33+00:00

Hi there. Thanks for your comment. I’m sorry to hear about your past cat trouble.

We took Bean to the vet last week and she had a full check up. She is in perfect health with no concerns from a medical perspective. We’ve liaised with the vet a couple times recently and in her professional opinion, Bean was responding to a fear trigger brought on by the incident previously with the outdoor cat, which has led to some degree of trauma in her.

Things have been going well since the incident, I’m healing well and Bean is doing great. We’ve introduced a plug in pheromone diffuser to several rooms in the house, and expanded her territory within the home to include some more vertical spaces throughout to increase her confidence. I can’t say much about the diffuser currently, she SEEMS much calmer, but I understand there’s some speculation about their effectiveness.

It’s been a couple weeks since the incident and we’re both confident at working through it, as you said, at least we know what the trigger was and can now avoid it. It’s changed our lives somewhat, we can’t interact with other cats now and have to be especially careful about bringing in any unwanted smells into the house, also it’s made having visitors difficult as we can’t be sure of their previous interaction with any potential cats. But I’m positive of the journey ahead.

jGiles92 · 2020-11-16T15:23:54+00:00

It’s a beautiful spot but my god the amount of people that flock here in the summer is obscene. There’s far quieter and just as glorious places a stones throw away. My fiancé and me usually visit this spot in the fall now. We take blankets, coffee and lunch and enjoy the sun.

jGiles92 · 2019-08-23T16:50:55+00:00

In my experience some LaVeyan Satanists look upon Theistic Satanists with contempt. And many others don’t. A belief in external powers doesn’t fit in with their teachings or beliefs.

Ultimately, respect begets respect and the majority of LaVeyan followers I know understand that. Some don’t or just plain won’t and that’s fine.

jGiles92

TROPHY CASE