Poor Chester!
By alaskanray
@alaskanray (4636)
United States
December 15, 2011 1:49am CST
Moving is never a favorite pastime for me. There are always problems that arise. But it is always harder on my kitties, I'm sure. I know for sure that this time was for Chester. First he had to ride in the car for two and a half hours, only to be stuck in the motel room for two weeks...I didn't want to let him out there in unfamiliar territory.
Well, then when we finally did move into a permanent place, it was so toxic from the heavy smoker who lived here previously that Chester was throwing up! To top it off, we have had to come to a decision that he is going to have to become an indoor kitty because the trailer park where we are now living is not very understanding. They will charge me $100 if Chester ever leaves kitty pawprints on anyone's car!
Another reason is because they trap the stray cats here and so any cat without a collar will disappear. We tried, really. We put a collar on Chester but the first time he went outside with it on, he escaped it and came home naked! Bad Chester!
So now we have to keep him indoors and hope he never escapes. He's not too happy with us at this point. I've tried to make him happier to stay indoors. I bought him some kitty toys and have been giving him extra loves. He is the only kitty in our home now so he has the whole place to himself and I plan to get him a cat tree...all in the hopes of conditioning him to be an indoor kitty.
So...do you have an indoor kitty? How do you train him/her to stay inside?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
15 Dec 11
Oh your poor little Chester. Yes, any move is hard for cats, I think. I haven't had a cat in years but when I did, she was an indoor cat because of where we lived. It just wasn't safe for her outdoors with the heavy traffic and we also have wild animals that would have devoured her...coyotes. I imagine if she is used to the fresh air and her freedom, it is just going to take her some time to get used to staying in. I can't imagine why they would charge 100.00 for pawprints. That sounds like a get-rich-quick scheme if ever I've heard one! And how the heck do the plan on enforcing it? How can they tell which cat belongs to those prints?? That has to be the craziest rule I've heard in a while. Here we get charged 20.00 for each cig. butt that they find on our lawn. That makes a little more sense since it keeps all of us even the non-smokers pro-active in picking them up. Still unfair in that people just walk by and toss their butts and you could end up paying for someone elses litter. Well, good luck to you and Chester. I hope he adjusts soon, poor little guy. The smoker guy must have been ridiculous if the cat is getting sick off the past smoke.
1 person likes this
@alaskanray (4636)
• United States
17 Dec 11
Yes, he was a very heavy smoker. We have gotten the place aired out enough now that Chester is no longer puking but it still stinks and I think it'll be a while before it finally goes away completely. The crazy thing is the guy was heading to Texas to have a piece of his lung removed because of cancer. I told him he needed to quit smoking and he tried to tell me that it wasn't his smoking that was to blame! Talk about denial!!! Well, it doesn't take a whole lot of intelligence to smoke, I guess.
@RitterSport (2451)
• Lippstadt, Germany
17 Dec 11
oh no poor you and poor Chester. Wish I was closer to you so I could come and visit and shower him with affection as well if he lets me. How ridiculous to charge someone for their kitty leaving pawprints all over the car. I cant believe people can be that idiotic.
I believe it will be hard for Chester to be indoors. Sadly I never had a cat so far but I heard the neighbours cat who had quite a bit of wild outdoor kitty in her blood wanting out. She escaped through the window and came running over the roof to visit me lots of times. LOL. I fed her on the window sill as she was not fed properly then and she also wanted in so I let her. It was a great time. She occupied my one old upholstered chair and knew exactly where her kitty treats were so first thing when she got in was jump on the sofa and have a "speaking" look on her cute face saying may I have a treat please........ she never was a real happy indoor cat but I dont believed that no good boyfriend of the neighbour who said she ran away and escaped........
1 person likes this
@alaskanray (4636)
• United States
18 Dec 11
LOL...yes, Chester sits by the front door waiting for the opportunity to make a dash for it. So far he has escaped twice. The first time he didn't have a collar. The second time he did have his collar but came back without it so he's not allowed out again! There are folks who trap the wild cats and if they don't have a collar, they take them away so all the cats here need a collar if they're going to go out. Chester is just too much of an escape artist when it comes to collars so I have to keep him in.
I agree it is ridiculous to expect us to keep our cats off the cars! Pawprints wash right off, for heaven's sake! It's not like any of the cars around here are all that valuable, either! It's a trailer park, for goodness' sake! I feel more like I'm living in a prison camp! They also require us to keep our yard pristine! I don't mind keeping the garbage out of my yard but I like to leave the natural clutter (leaves and such) there because I like a natural look. They want us to keep a manicured yard! Yuck! I imagine they even expect me to mow the lawn! I'm not ready to buy a lawn mower!
@alaskanray (4636)
• United States
18 Dec 11
Not to mention my disability when it comes to yard work.
@RitterSport (2451)
• Lippstadt, Germany
18 Dec 11
sigh so I hope you can search for something better now in peace and quiet and with what you tell here I guess it would be the lesser evil to pack up again and more a second time when you find something more appropriate than where you are now.
1 person likes this
@kmeeks (49)
• United States
15 Dec 11
I can easily say I know what your going through. I remember when I got kicked out of my home, It was very hard on my cat. I'll never forget how hot it was that day. Mr. Kitty was panting so hard. It was kinda cute and sad all at once. I remember when we first moved in our new place, he was so happy to be out of that car. Unfortunately it wasn't long after that he was in an accident and pasted away. Those where the loneliest nights of my life. He used to sleep on my chest and keep me warm.
But I guess everything happens for a reason. After that I started taking care of the neighborhood strays. Of all the cats and dogs I've feed and took care of, there was a pair of kittens that will never leave my heart.
One I named Snowball, she is gray and white. The other I named Savannah, she was black and white. Those two cats never left each others sides. They where like sisters, they slept together, cleaned each other and even played together. I'll never forget the day that I saw Snowball alone. I went over to her and she had this sad vibe coming from her. That's when I saw on the side of the road, a careless drive hit her.
It was on that very day I took Snowball in, I vowed to keep her safe. It was funny when Snowball first came in side. She would slide her belly on the carpet. Snowball didn't have to much trouble getting used to being inside. She used the litter box and everything. The only thing I think she misses is the freedom to explore. But as she got older the only time she wants to go outside is when she is in heat.
Sorry if my story made you sad, but when I have a story to tell, I'm going to tell it. Good luck to you and Chester.
@alaskanray (4636)
• United States
17 Dec 11
I hear you loud and clear. I have a million stories to tell, myself. You really ought to get her spayed, though. Spaying can not only make her feel better, but increase her lifespan. Thanks for the story.