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As I am sure some of you have read, I have a cat that is about 1 1/2 years old who suffers from what I think is Pica some have said. It appears as though he does it for attention, or lack thereof.
I'll list some of the things he's eaten.
Socks (his favorite)
shirts, shorts, pants, leather boots, leather purses
pillows on the couch
hanging bedspreads
Shaving Razors
Toothpaste
Bags of cat treats
curtains
I'm not talking about a nible, it looks like a shark bit my clothes (think of a shark biting a surfboard. I've tried to contol it by not leaving items around the house. However, he always finds something else to eat.
Most recently he's been going into the corners of the house and digging at the carpet and eating the foam cushioning. He has dug up my carpet everywhere. I estimate the damage this cat has caused could be in the thousands.
He is a very loveable cat, but when unsupervised he either attacks my cats or he chews my clothes and carpeting. He was an outside cat before we found him and after a year of being inside he acts up like this. He knows when he's done something bad as he cowers down or comes over to apologize by nuzzling me and licking my face
So I have 2 other choices before he gets sent to the shelter.
Feliway
If this does not work my last option is to get a dog sized cage and have him stay in there all day until I get home from work. However I would imagine it's going to be hard to get him in.
I am at the end of my rope and do not know what to do.
I'd suggest you keep his activity level high by playing with him daily. Try making him chase a lazer or feather wand. Minimum half an hour a day. Also buy cat condos or cat trees he can climb on.
It seems to me he's frustrated since he used to be an outdoor cat and is used to adventure. I recommend keeping him indoors of course, but play, play and play with him. Caging him wont make his frustration any less.
And yes, do try Feliway, it has worked miracles with many cats.
Not cheap - but good quality and easy to clean. This might be a good solution while you are not there to supervise.
We used these when our house was on the market. We were so afraid that the realtors would unintentionally let the cats outside. We added hammocks and they loved it. Just keep the food and litter box in there and it will feel like home.
Last edited by MissNM; 12-17-2009 at 02:31 PM..
Reason: added stuff
Not that it cant be done, but we have a pretty big cage that we put our first kitten in when we were away. That lasted about two days. We put the second kitten in there so he wouldn't get eaten by the now cat. That also lasted two days. We separated them during the day by shutting the little one in our bedroom. They caught on pretty fast and weren't going to be caught right before we left.
Quite the business! They look very much like the aviary panels we use - a light weight aluminum with a welded mesh that are bolted together.
OP - Feliway might help, but this sounds like quite a complex issue so don't be too disappointed if it doesn't.
Let me ask you something - how far, to what extent really both financially and emotionally are you willing to go to keep him/sort this out? I'm not asking for ANY other reason so as to make suggestions that fall within what you yourself are willing to do (saves the skin on my wee fingertips don't you know? ).
Also, can I ask what your living situation is? (Are you in a house, a townhouse, do you own or rent, etc.)
If this does not work my last option is to get a dog sized cage and have him stay in there all day until I get home from work. However I would imagine it's going to be hard to get him in.
I am at the end of my rope and do not know what to do.
What about a kitty proofed room or even bathroom? When my kitten was in his wild stage (knocking over plants, getting into stuff) we would put him in the bathroom when we were gone
My kitten is shut in my bedroom (and bathroom since they are attached) during the day. She gets into too much trouble at the moment (especially with Christmas stuff out).
I usually wait to feed her and change her water until I am leaving so she is in there happily eating when I leave for work. If I am going somewhere at an odd time, I just get a bag of treats if I am having a difficult time getting her shut in. She comes running
Some of those things are life threatening! Razors sound real bad.
I would talk to a vet ASAP!
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