Fig Trees and Cats...

[Mulutka]

I have 2 cats-- one's a female and the other is a VERY curious and mischievous big/long male (both are a few years old).

I really want to get a fig tree, since my apartment needs some life in it and I think fig trees are gorgeous... but I'm afriad of
(1) that it might be poisonous for my cats??
(2) That my male cat will not leave it alone. Whenever the Christmas tree is out he loves to climb it.. and chew on it... and, basically, is a curious little brat

Any suggestions or advice??

 

[Key Of David]

I have 2 cats-- one's a female and the other is a VERY curious and mischievous big/long male (both are a few years old).

I really want to get a fig tree, since my apartment needs some life in it and I think fig trees are gorgeous... but I'm afriad of
(1) that it might be poisonous for my cats??
(2) That my male cat will not leave it alone. Whenever the Christmas tree is out he loves to climb it.. and chew on it... and, basically, is a curious little brat

Any suggestions or advice??

This is probably a useless post but I think your question is ironic. In the bible the tribe of Judah, whom Jesus came through, was symbolized as both the lion and the fig tree. Just saw the irony that's all. I would think it strange if God made these two incompatible as well.

 

[Dagna]

Unfortunately, fig trees are listed as being mildly toxic to kitty cats. Might not be a good idea if your kitty is a big leaf eater

http://www.bloomingtoncathospital.com/toxicmatrix.asp

 

[Mulutka]

This is probably a useless post but I think your question is ironic. In the bible the tribe of Judah, whom Jesus came through, was symbolized as both the lion and the fig tree. Just saw the irony that's all. I would think it strange if God made these two incompatible as well.

I guess I'll soon find ou!!

I can't find any sources that say fig trees are dangerous for cats so I'm going to see how he reacts to one.. heh heh... I'm sure I'll be finding dirt on the floor though. Does anyone have suggestions how to deter my kitty from 'playing' with the soil?

 

[Mulutka]

Unfortunately, fig trees are listed as being mildly toxic to kitty cats. Might not be a good idea if your kitty is a big leaf eater

http://www.bloomingtoncathospital.com/toxicmatrix.asp

How on earth did I not find this page?? (shakes head). My mom's a big time gardener and she laughed when I asked about fig trees being toxic but I definatly DON'T want to risk my cat's health.

 

[Dagna]

Here's a huge list of non-toxic plants

http://www.cfainc.org/articles/plants-non-toxic.html

I have 3 cats myself and constantly have to check lists before I go buying plants

 

[Mulutka]

Thanks for those links Dagna! Do you mind if I ask you another question?? A friend of mine brushes her 3 year old cat's teeth every day. Is this necessary or over-kill?? Since people brush their teeth daily, it would make sense that cats would get the same treatment-- but my male cat is SO fighty whenever I try to even check his ears. Any words of advice?

 

[Dagna]

Not necessary to clean a cat's teeth everyday, especially at 3 years old. A good quality crunchy food should remove the majority of build-up on the teeth. I would only suggest it if the teeth are really bad or if the cat is very old. Even then, once a week would suffice. My cats get their teeth cleaned every 6 months at the vet and none of them have had a significant build up. And most cats do fight whenever you try to do anything to them. Two of my cats fight whenever I clip their nails and the other one doesn't, which isn't so odd since I've been doing him since he was a kitten. Good idea to check the ears regularly. If your cat like a good brushing or you can get him on your lap in some good light, you should be able to do a decent ear check while loving on him. Might not be a totally thorough check, but you should at least be able to get a good look into the ear canal to check for buildup. Unfortunately, you won't really be able to see much else, but whenever a cat starts scrathing the ears or shaking their head more often than usual, first suspects would be ear infection or ear mites.

Also, if you have two people, that makes holding a cat much easier. I have my fiancee hold my cats while I clip nails. It has to be someone though who's not afraid of getting a little scratch. You can also wrap the cat securely in a towel to prevent movement which shouldn't harm the cat physically...but emotionally, your cat might be irritated at you for a couple of hours.

 

[Mulutka]

You can also wrap the cat securely in a towel to prevent movement which shouldn't harm the cat physically...but emotionally, your cat might be irritated at you for a couple of hours.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who wraps my cat up with a towel! My boyfriend thinks it's really weird, but then again he's never had to deal with clipping my cat's claws. My other cat doesn't even seem to notice when I clip her nails! She'll just look around the bathroom and sit on my lap like a little angel.

 

[Dagna]

Sounds just like my kitties, Nemo, the one we've had since he was a kitten, is wonderful, he sits there and lets us do anything to him. Occasionally he'll take bat at our hands, but definately in a playful way. My other two....whew...I'm never having female cats again. They have been nothing but trouble. One simply won't shut up the whole time you're doing anything, she sits and caterwauls...sounds like we're killing her. The other one..well she's about 3 years old and hates me as it is. I bring out the nail clippers and it's on as far as she's concerned. I get scratches all up and down my arms and neck and face and my fiancee sits and laughs and says 'that's my girl" to the cat when I get tired after 3 claws. I don't understand why he likes that cat, she's evil. She's probably the only cat on this earth that I hate and of course it's my fiancee's. Not that I would ever make him get rid of her, but he doesn't have to encourage her...

 

[Mulutka]

So I'm not the only one that doesn't like female cats?? Well, I can't say that I don't love my female kitty.. but she's just so weird... and neurotic. She'll be all cuddly when SHE feels like it but if I want to cuddle she runs away. If I even walk by her while she's eating she'll dart at lightning speed under the sofa! She acts as if she's in an abusive house-->well if giving her the best food there is, toys galour and a designated pet area in the living room qualifies as "having it tough" then I guess she has a horrible owner.

Oh, and she will attack my other cat (play fighting/territorial spats) but when HE wants to play fight she makes absolutly horrible loud noises and spazzes out.

The most trouble that I get from my male cat is his constant wanting of my attention. Which is irritating but adorable (especially when he puts his front legs on my lap and meows in my ear while I'm trying to do my work!)

My old roommate had a female cat... it was the spawn of Satan. I've never actually fully hated a cat but I can tell you now that I HATED that cat.

 

[Key Of David]

I've seen mean and sweet female cats. The one cat I owned was the sweetest you'd ever meet...and it was a female.....but a friend of mine had one and she'd go head to head with their chow chow.....and WIN! Quite a kitty.

 

[* kittie *]

I have a story about fig trees and cats.

One summer, we took care of this cat because one of our neighbors had left her behind.

Anyways, in our back yard, we have a fig tree. But each year, we wouldn't get much fruit because the birds would eat them. But that year, the cat chased the birds away from the figs. Like we have this wood structure next to the fig tree, and she would sit on that and watch over the tree.