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Hi all, some of you may remember me. I adopted my cat Amber in December. I love her very much, but she is a whirlwind and honestly, I am exhausted. I thought perhaps I had her behavior issues under control but I'm discovering that is not the case. Here's what we've tried so far:
- Multiple scratching posts, large cat tree, toys specifically geared towards "smart" and/or "bored" cats
- Double stick tape and specifically, Sticky Paws
- Squirt bottle of water
- Verbal reinforcement (such as a stern "no" when jumping on kitchen counters, etc.)
- Keeping her in a separate room at night when I am (trying) to sleep and/or I leave the house
- Composure "treats" which contain a calming agent
- Feli-Way diffuser
So for starters . . she has scratched literally holes in my carpet - well, my landlord's carpet to be exact. And she pulls down my curtains on a daily and sometimes multi-daily occasion. I've given up on the curtains but now, she even attacks the blinds. She is constantly jumping on my kitchen counters and my dining room table - especially if I am getting dinner ready, for example or setting plates out. She knocks plates, silverware, etc. off the table. Sticky Paws was no help whatsoever - she seemed oblivious to it, even sitting and pawing directly on it. I put Sticky Paws over one of the holes in the carpet (a small one) which she proceeded to scratch all the more. I've also bought scratching mats, and multiple doormat type mats but she pulls those up as well, even with the rug grippers or tape supposedly holding them in place.
Squirt bottles are no use. She seems to enjoy it and thinks it's a game/fun.
She was fine at first when I brought her home. Occasionally scratched at things but not to the extent she is now. If I leave her in 1 room at night and close the door (which she was previously fine with), she will literally mangle anything she can reach and has broken more things than I can count. Last night, she figured out how to work the doorknob and let herself out in the middle of the night, trashing my kitchen until I woke up.
By the way, she is well fed . . always has dry food available, and she gets 2 cans of wet food per day.
She's not alone the majority of the day, in fact I've started working from home 2-3 days per week which I thought would help if she was feeling lonely or anxious . . or bored . . when I was gone.
The vet suggested she is just "hyperactive" and gave me the Composure treats. She ate 1 the first day and it seemed to calm her a bit. Now, she won't touch them. Feli-way diffusers are having no effect.
I know declawing is bad and I don't want to go that route, plus I signed a "no declaw" contract when I adopted her from the rescue agency. I imagine it would solve the scratching issues, but not the behavioral ones?
I am just at a loss as to what to do next?? Again, I love her but she is so very disruptive. I've even considered taking her back to the rescue agency even though it would break my heart.
Really, I'm just looking for any helpful suggestions . . I feel as though I've tried it all and spent lots of $$ to no avail.
I think you're feeding her too much - two cans plus dry? Yikes! Cats generally need around 1/2 -2/3 cups of food daily, including treats. Cats need to play and chase things to exhaust themselves.
Is she spayed? If not, that could be why she's digging up your carpet to get outside. She's looking to mate. There's no way to stop that other than to spay her.
I've had cats all my life. They never use those cat scratching posts made from carpet or rope. Never! I bought a round turbo cat scratcher decades ago. All of my cats use it to scratch on. I replace the cardboard inserts twice a year. My furniture and carpets never get scratched since I bought that thing. Here's what I'm talking about. You can buy them in any pet store. http://www.amazon.com/Bergan-Turbo-S...urbo+scratcher
Good luck. Pets can be frustrating, but they shouldn't be destructive. Don't declaw. That's torture for them. Better to find the cat another home.
I think you're feeding her too much - two cans plus dry? Yikes! Cats generally need around 1/2 -2/3 cups of food daily, including treats. Cats need to play and chase things to exhaust themselves.
Is she spayed? If not, that could be why she's digging up your carpet to get outside. She's looking to mate. There's no way to stop that other than to spay her.
I've had cats all my life. They never use those cat scratching posts made from carpet or rope. Never! I bought a round turbo cat scratcher decades ago. All of my cats use it to scratch on. I replace the cardboard inserts twice a year. My furniture and carpets never get scratched since I bought that thing. Here's what I'm talking about. You can buy them in any pet store. Amazon.com : Bergan Turbo Scratcher Cat Toy, Colors May Vary : Scratching Pads : Pet Supplies
Good luck. Pets can be frustrating, but they shouldn't be destructive. Don't declaw. That's torture for them. Better to find the cat another home.
She does play and chase things and is definitely not overweight. And I'm sorry, I mis-spoke I feed her 1/2 a can in the morning, 1/2 a can at night. Total of 1 can per day. She weighs about 9 pounds and is a very petite girl. But she is a whirlwind . . .
She is spayed - yes.
I have that same turbo scratcher - and multiple other types. Horizontal and vertical both.
What about getting her a new kitty friend to play with? They could chase each other for entertainment and play all day long instead of her trashing the place.
What about getting her a new kitty friend to play with? They could chase each other for entertainment and play all day long instead of her trashing the place.
I might try this too. Go back to the rescue, so if it doesn't work out or makes things worse, you can return the second cat. Most rescues have a trial period.
Can you make her a safe outdoor area? Someplace stimulating that you can put her when she's getting rowdy.
What about showing her the great outdoors? Cats love to have the freedom to go out as long as they have a way to get back inside. I cat door might be your answer.
I adopted a wild whipper snapper over a year ago...he was insane energy. Previously I owned a cat that lived to be 25 years old. He was a stray that took to me and he loved being outside. I installed a cat door for him and he lived a long and wonderful life. He came and went as he desired but always came home to eat and sleep in his warm comfortable bed.
Back to the wild whipper snapper. I allowed him to go outside supervised until he showed that he was street smart and people smart and knew his house. Then I installed a door for him so he could come and go as he pleases. This mellowed his wild behavior instantly. Cats love to be outside basking in the early morning light and fresh air. They get a kick out of watching all life come alive in the early mornings. They also love prowling at night.
I never listen to others who say that cats should be kept inside. Cats are natural born hunters with instinctive skills...let them be who they are.
vikesfanmb ... you've provided a great list. But what I didn't see on it was a fishing pole type toy. Sounds like you do have a high energy kitty who needs to play more to use up that energy. In many cases like this, self-play doesn't do it, but interactive play with another (specifically with a human with a toy to chase on the end of a fishing pole) is more effective.
I have a high energy cat, and the fishing pole does the trick to wear her out. However, I will shamefully/embarrassingly admit that I tire of the game before she does, so after a while I'm usually doing something else (reading, watching TV, etc.) and mindlessly swaying the fishing pole around. She doesn't seem to care that my focus has changed to something else as long as the "bird" is still flitting around for her to hunt, catch, and "kill" time after time after time.
We keep at it until she flops. What's "usual" for cat behavior in the wild is to hunt, catch, kill, eat, wash up, sleep in that order. That's what we try to mimic with play.
I know about carpet holes. I have some near doorways (put there by a cat who doesn't like closed doors) and on my carpeted stairway (the cats like to lay down on a stair and pull themselves around and scratch the heck out of the carpeted risers). Deterring them with sticky tape just makes them go elsewhere, so I have carpet squares around the house to be those "elsewheres" that they can scratch up and I can toss when they're disgusting.
Glad to know you're not a fan of declawing, but an alternative is just clipping off the sharp tips - just the very tips and not as aggressively as one would clip the nails of a dog. When one of our cats goes to the vet, that's the first thing they do is clip the tips because Silver has daggers - not that he tries to tear anyone to shreds, but when he extends his claws watch out. He'll still scratch at things, but the destruction is less.
As for convincing cats where to scratch appropriately, my daughter had great success with spraying a catnip scent on scratching posts. They now much prefer the great-smelling posts than the boring-smelling furniture. Maybe you could try that and even spray some on carpet squares.
Getting a playmate could be a boon or bust. It's hard to know if another cat's personality would match. Getting another on a trial basis would hardly be fair to the new cat.
I have a high energy cat, and the fishing pole does the trick to wear her out. However, I will shamefully/embarrassingly admit that I tire of the game before she does, so after a while I'm usually doing something else (reading, watching TV, etc.) and mindlessly swaying the fishing pole around. She doesn't seem to care that my focus has changed to something else as long as the "bird" is still flitting around for her to hunt, catch, and "kill" time after time after time.
We keep at it until she flops. What's "usual" for cat behavior in the wild is to hunt, catch, kill, eat, wash up, sleep in that order. That's what we try to mimic with play.
ITA, try something like Da Bird wand toy. It's irrresistable to most cats, and really tires them out. And bonus, you can replace the feathers on the end.
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