Conference misery::feline_v1

    John, a good, sturdy scratching post wrapped with sisal rope should
    help alleviate the scratching problem.  If you don't give the cat
    something to strop it's claws on and train them to use it, the cat
    will choose it's own places to scratch.  If you're handy, you can
    probably make one at minimal cost.
    
    As for shedding, brush Emmy well every day to remove excess hair,
    and vacuum often!  The brushing helps considerably; I do my cats
    daily and it keeps the amount of shedding down tremendously.  If
    Emmy doesn't take well to brushing, dampen a cloth and rub her body
    with it.  This also helps to catch the loose hair.
    

    Question : Why do you have your racing bicycle in the house? Why don't
    you put it in the garage or shed? I'd rather have a cat than a bicycle!
    Couldn't you put the bike out of the wat SOMEWHERE?
    
    Weird house you live in - bicycle indoors? Oil everywhere!?!?!?!
    
    
    Lisa ( Plus Percy and Pookie - who are better than bicycles! )
    
    
    PS For wat read way! Sorry
    
    

    
    I used to live in an apartment where the only place to keep my bike was
    in my bedroom, and we had the same problem with Smudge stretching and
    scratching on the rubber.  It must feel good to them.  Luckily we had
    heavier-duty all-terrain tires, and it didn't seem to do them any harm. 
    We keep her claws trimmed, but even a scratching post didn't deter her. 
    Now that we have our own house, our bikes are in the cellar, and having
    three scratching posts seems to help.  As far as we know, she leaves
    the tires alone (we hope!) :^}  In the apartment, we closed the bedroom
    door during the daytime, and used the C.A.T. when we were around.
    
    Sandy
    

    
    	gee, the people I knew with racing bikes stored them from
    	hooks in the ceiling - could you do this???
    
    	Sherry
    

    John,

    Stop by my office sometime and we can make arrangements to go shopping
    for a good scratching post for Emmy, along with a good comb (and if
    Emmy is a long hair, the name of a good local groomer).

    Deb

all previous suggestions are right-on...AND trim kitty claws once every
two weeks...get a vet or other cat owner to demonstrate how to hold and
how to clip kitty claws so the need to claw at surfaces will be
minimized.  ALSO, when you first get your cat clawing post, place it
IN FRONT of the bycycle tire the kitten most likes to use - once the
post is used often, move it and kitty will probably move the scratching
with it.  Also, extract the notes in here (a local feliner can help
you find them) on  how to train a cat to use the post.

		Good luck!

    K-MART has kitty scratching posts on sale next week for $4.99 and kitty
    condos - 1 story for $9.99 and 2 story for $16.99!  They are carpeted
    and well made!
    
    My Kitty loved it!
    
    Sonia

    
    
    If the scratching postdoesn't work, you may try buying some
    "pet repellent" spray to spray on the tires. That's how we keep
    our cats away from the christmas tree. And if it will work on a
    tree then it should definitely work on a bike!  If you have a hard
    time getting her to use the scratching post you may want to try
    one of those new kinds that sit on the floor. The ones with a catnip
    scent in them tend to work best in my experience.
    
    As far as the shedding, ditton on previous replies, daily brushing
    if she's got long hair, weekly brushing if she's got short hair, and
    a lot of vacuuming. That should work fine.
    
    - Angela

    
             A bicycle in the house...you think that's bad...HA!
    Until my sister screamed about it enough, her hubby used to have
    his motorcycle next to the bed, along with his spare set of snow tires!
    The smell was unbelievable..........how crazy!!!
    
                                            

    Hey - I overhauled a volkswagen engine in my bedroom!!
    

    	Some suggestions: 1. ditch the sew ups and go clinchers - less
    hassle all around. Modern clinchers are superior to tubulars for
    everything but racing (if you race, keep the tubulars for racing, train
    on clinchers).
    	2. Get the wheels out of reach of the cat: hang the bike wheels up
    from ceiling hooks. You may have to build a free-standing support
    structure along the wall if you can't put hooks into the ceiling.

    	Isn't it weird, how some people think a well maintained bike is
    dirtier than a cat that barfs on the rug, leaves parts of dead mice in
    the living room, track in dirt/mud. I used to have a clean house (with
    bikes inside) before I got a cat! I guess they think of bikes as the
    things they rode as kids, when you squirted oil on the chain, etc. They
    just don't know...  - Chris (member, LAW, IHPVA, etc)

    In Emmy's defense:

       I'm glad most of you have pointed out the obvious to John, move the
    bike down stairs.  We do live in a house with a basement.  In addition 
    John has yet to prove Emmy is guilty of any wrong doing as far as the 
    sewups go.   As for her hair this is a reasonable request and I will get
    a brush and brush her often.  She is a short hair however.  Many of you
    mentioned scratching post, well she has a Kitty Condo(two floors with
    an upper deck and plenty of parking) and a scratching pad hanging on a 
    door.  She knows they exist and that she should use then yet she would
    rather scratch the furniture.  I have used a water gun and thrown her
    off stuff she shouldn't scratch but she waits 'til you're not watching 
    and goes back to it.

    -Bruce

    For what it is worth, I find that my shorthairs seem to shed more than
    my long hairs. I give everyone a good combing every day and without
    fail, I get more fur off the short hairs. When you buy a comb, get a
    good metal one. A clerk at any good pet store can help you find the one
    that is right for Emmy's coat.
    
    >                                I have used a water gun and thrown her
    >off stuff she shouldn't scratch but she waits 'til you're not watching 
    >and goes back to it.
    
    I've often found that with my Pip & Eirene, if they are feeling like
    they haven't had their attention needs met (i.e., I've been a bit buzy
    or havn't been home much), they will scratch furniture. I've found that
    giving a few minutes of undivided attention stops the problem. Anyhow,
    Emmy might just be a scratcher, but it can't hurt to find out if this
    might help (who knows, she might be trying to get Mr. Nordlinger's
    attention, though I can't imagine why :-) )
    
    Deb

    Thankyou all for your helpful suggestions, I was especially 
    impressed with the "switch from sew-ups to clinchers" remark. ;^)
    The bike is in the house over the winter so I can use the 
    rollers. 
    
    Things could be worse, if I had cats the size of Deb's they'd
    be able to ride my bike. 
    
    I'll let the readerhip know if Bruce keeps his promise of grooming. 
    
    John
    
    

    One more suggestion about the scratching problem.  Be sure to make
    the scratching post a positive experience for her.  Don't ever put
    her on it roughly, when you are angry at her for just having scratched
    the sofa.  She will sense your hostility, and associate the post
    with the bad feelings.  Take her over to the post and put her paws
    up on it, and praise her to the heavens.  Scratch behind her ears
    and tell her how brilliant she is for using the post.  She will
    think it was her idea.  :^)
    
    Jo

   RE: .15
    
>    You gotta out-smart 'em 
    
    If you met Emmy you would know that this is not possible.  She actually
    waits until you leave the room to continue scratching her favorite
    chair.  When you come back in the room jumps on the floor and acts like
    she didn't do anything.  If I take her over to the Kitty condo she
    scratches it for a little while and then goes back to the chair when
    I'm not looking.

    RE.14
    
    >Things could be worse, if I had cats the size of Deb's they'd
    >be able to ride my bike. 
    
    I'd be glad to hold on to the bike for you. After all, Argus needs his
    exercise. You can pick it up at the next wrestlemania party that I
    have.
    
    Deb

    
    From what I've read, cats have smelly little paws - at least to cats.
    And it's a smell they *like*! A lot. So, once they've started
    scratching on something, they'll go back to that spot again and again.
    Which means you now have to do 2 things: one, get that smell off what
    she's already been scratching and, two, make the thing you want her to
    scratch smell good to her.
    
    For "one" - there's lots of info in this file about how to get kitty
    odors out of things; different preparations both commercial and
    home-brewed you can use. And for "two" - gently rub her paws on the
    scratching post that you want her to use. Get her smell all over it and
    she should decide she likes it. Along with helping her to decide she
    doesn't like the furniture (C.A.T.)...
    
    -j