Avoiding Cat-astrophe

[myrgthful]

I posted about two problems to ljgenie last week: Sputnik tracking litter into our home, and his clawing anything that doesn't have the ability to get away. Of the conflagration which resulted, I did manage to pull some very useful suggestions from some of the more helpful individuals.

I've spent a wad on a few items, to try to fix these problems.

• A Booda Dome litter box- It has a corrugated and textured path out of the box, to drastically reduce the amount of litter that kitty tracks out. He thankfully adapted to using it within a few hours of tossing the old box out.
• A PetMate Litter Catcher mat... It's rubber and textured. And I set things up so that Sputnik has to take a walk around the litter-box (on the mat, all the way) to get to the rest of the house.
• Soft Claws claw-covers. It's an ingenious idea, but can I just tell you? 200lbs of man wrestling with 20lbs of cat is barely a fair fight! It wouldn't have worked if I hadn't shut the two of us into the relatively small arena of the bathroom. His only refuge, between paws, was under the sink. It remains to be seen how effective these will be, but so far I'm pretty impressed. And each package comes with three or four changes of claw-covers. Not a bad price, when you consider the damage you could save on property.
• Sticky Paws tape... to dissuade Sputnik from trying anything on certain pieces of furniture.
• A kitty nail clipper, as a backup in case the Soft Claws somehow fail to stay on.
• A bottle of cat-repellant, to spray on certain areas. And hey... if it doesn't work, I can always dump the crap and fill the botttle with ice-water.
  
  Actually, Sputnik is a tough-willed Tomcat, and he's tried to stare me down before, when I've brought out the squirt bottle. A kitty-glare, and then a nonchalant, "I had to go over here anyway," saunter away from where I didn't want him to be. My next option may be the super-soaker. MUAHAHAHAHAH.
• A couple of bags of Feline Pine kitty litter. I bought a bag or two of the old clay stuff too, so that I can transition Sputnik over time. This Feline Pine stuff looks odd, but it came very well-endorsed by several people in that discussion. Apparently this stuff is better at odor control than the clay gravel, doesn't track so easily, lasts longer between changes, and reverts to a sawdust material over time, as it soaks up moisture. If you have a garden, you can even use this stuff as compost afterward.
• Kitty Treats, and some of the nummy canned stuff, so I can reward him for good behavior too.
• I also did some pricing on de-clawing procedures, if that turns out to be a last resort. They'd cost anywhere from $100 to $250, depending upon how in-depth I want them to handle things. The hacksaw approach, or pre-op diagnostic testing and postop pain-meds. Being a nurse, I'd prolly have to go with the latter.

All-told? Around $150-200. This is probably Sputnik's last chance, even if I can't communicate that concept to him. But he has been a companion for years.

I (and Kristine) nursed him back to kitten-health from a respiratory infection, shortly after we got him. I've done battle to rescue him from dogs and other cats. Feeling Sputnik's immense weight flop down against me in bed, and his rumbling purr which reverberates up my legs, has come to be a comforting thing. Sputnik is my only companion, in the surreal, inverted daylight hours between intense nursing shifts at night. My only welcome, when I come clomping in from the cold.

In short, he's family.