Problem Kitty Kat

fefe76

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One of our cats is a bit of a pain if i am honest.....we cannot leave her out with a box of tissues, toilet paper or anything plastic or paper in the bin....we've often come back to rolls of toilet paper shredded all over the place.....tissues ripped out of their boxes and strewn all over the room...now we keep the toilet paper away and tissue boxes upside down, which often fails as she will knock it over and continue to shred.....she is always taking stuff out of the bin and walking around with it....

the other day she was digging in a house plant pot and tipped it over and broke it....its like she is just desructive....i know she is a cat and that is what they do but i cannot keep everything out of reach...ive tried bins with lids but then we just find her howling coz she has got stuck in the flip lid!!!!

she is nearly 1 year old so she isnt a kitten anymore....i dont know how 2 stop this behaviour as i live with my mother and she isnt impressed with her pot plants being broken and cats walking on her tables and ripped mosquito netting on the doors

any ideas....i live in pakistan so we dont have options like using lilac/chamomile scented loo roll etc...ive tried covering it but she just gets in under the cover and shreds..

its getting 2 a point that hubby is saying if she does start behaving we will hve to put her down
because we just cannot live with everything out of reach....i have had to empty shelves and we have to be really careful with wires...she has chewed through telephone cables....phone chargers, laptop chargers....its not like she doesnt get fed or has things to play with but she ignores all the toys we buy and just likes doing all this....its very hard

i hope someone can assist me in my quest to turn Cleo into a good lil cat
 

white cat lover

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Does she have toys avaliable 24/7?
Do you play interactively with her?
Does she have any other feline playmates?

I would start with interactive play several times a day. Sounds to me like she's bored. Can you store the kleenexes away from her & perhaps shut the bathroom door?
 
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fefe76

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she has toys available but isnt interested in them as well as this she has her two brothers sparky n tigger to play with....they are always together but she is usually being naughty and they join in for a bit but then just sit and watch her!

we play with her and give her lots of love and attention so i would not say she is starved for attention at all....when she is good she is a lil angel and comes and sits on our laps and purrs and purrs and purrs but when she is in her evil mood she is just a whirlwind and gets in everything and anything
 

jen

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does she do most of these things when you aren't around? Or does she do it right in front of you? You might have to just confine her when you aren't around.

honestly, this doesn't seem like that big of a deal on most things. Keep tissues in the cabinets, keep the bathroom door closed so she doesn't get into the tissue and toilet paper in there. Hang the paper towels on the wall so she cannot reach them. don't leave plastic and paper things laying around your house. Only thing I cannot comment on is the potted plants, there are some things you just can't have laying around when you have certain cats. Mine chew leaves and kill them, so I don't have anything around except cat grass or catnip.
 

helga06

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This sounds just like a cat I had who just passed away last month. We named him "Destroyer" because he destroyed pretty much everything in his path. Haha.

But, I never really considered him a problem cat. I just loved him so much. Anyways, among the things he liked to destroy were: toilet paper rolls and socks!! If something was on a table, chair, shelf, he'd tip it over somehow and usually end up breaking it. Most expensive thing he ever broke was my brother's laptop!


Quite the destroyer. hehe. Anyways, what we ended up doing with him was just letting him out more often so that'd he'd release his "energy" elsewhere. We'd also play with him a lot and made sure to keep valuable things out of his way. Also, we stopped leaving the bathroom door open, but every now and then, I'd go in there and steal a roll of toilet paper to give to him. He just loved playing with it so much.
 
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fefe76

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i love her very much but the issue is i live with my parents and my mum isnt overly impressed with cleos behaviour

usually the cats r in my room or confined to a large cage outside but sometimes i like to let em roam around the house but now i cannot as she starts digging and ripping leaves of the plants and just ripping stuff

anyway i was just asking as its hard living in a sterile environment where u cannot leave anything out
 

carolpetunia

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Did you actually say you were thinking of having this cat euthanized just because she gets into trash and plants? Please tell me you don't mean that!

At the very least, find the cat a new home... but please don't have her killed just for being a typical curious cat!


In fact, if you can find someone coming to the Dallas area who will bring her along, I'll take her myself. We're perfectly willing to deal with mishaps such as you describe... it's a small price to pay for the company of these wonderful creatures.
 

green bunny

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Isn't there a special spray that safe for plants and cats that you can spray on the plants tthat make it taste bad? I think I've heard of them. I would try looking in that avenue for the potted plants, first. If there's a pet shop nearby, I'm sure they can help you, and maybe give you alternative suggestions.

Also, keep several spray bottles in the home filled with water, so if you catch her being destructive you can spray her. Most cats don't like this one bit.

As for the cords and cables, if the important ones (i.e. computer, etc.) are in a separate room, close the door, or consider moving them into a separate room so you can do so. There also might be cord and cable covers available, or maybe you can wrap them in a durable fabric or plastic.

I guess for the shelves consider getting cabinets with doors. Also, some caan don't like loud noises, so maybe you can put a few coins in a can and put it on the self. When she jumps on the shelf or walks on it she's likely to knock it over onto the floor, and scare her.

I'd talk to your vet about other ways of correcting Cleo's behavior.

My cat, Loki, also like to use rolls of toliet paper as his toys. I keep the roll in the cabinet under the sink which is next to the toliet. A little inconvenient, yes, but it's much better than having to pick up shredded toliet paper every day. There are also small free-standing cabinets made for storing extra rolls in the bathroom which would be good to use if you don't have a convenient cabinet near the toliet.

Loki has also figured out how to open the cabinet door under the kitchen sink (but not the bathroom one; I think this is because the kitchen sink cabinets have handles and the bathroom sink cabinets don't). This is where I keep my trashcan and cleaning supplies so it's definitely a place I don't want him getting into and exploring. I went out and bought one of those baby/child safety locks and now I don't have to worry.

Part of the deal with owning pets is adapting to them and their needs as well. This sometimes does involve changes in your lifestyle. If you aren't up to making these changes then please give her to a shelter (preferably a no-kill one if they are in your area) rather than have her euthanized.

Tricia
 

mamakitties

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One of my cat is smart enough that she can even open cabinets without the handles! It really drove my bf insane that she can actually do that. Meanwhile my other one learns from her so I got two trouble makers that opens cabinet doors and drawers. They even chewed through bags of pastas, and food in plastic containers so I keep moved all those stuff in the top cabinets where they can't reach it even if they get on the counter. My doesn't have the problem with shredding stuff but have you consider getting her a ball of yarn? Maybe she can destroy that instead? Not sure about the safety issue but as long she isn't eating it, it should be okay.

As for chewing up cords, maybe this website can help you. http://www.ehow.com/how_2530_prevent-pets-chewing.html

Please do not put her down. Having Cleo is like having a baby who is walking. They are always curious so safe proofing your home is very important.
 

bonnie1965

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I know what it is like to live with someone who won't work with your cat. Sounds like you want to do what is needed but are up against your mother and hubby. My mother won't allow her cat in the windows! Cats and indows just go together. She wants all the window space for her plants.

There are sprays and tonics, perhaps something you could mix up yourself that you can spray on the plants and cords. Maybe someone on here has ideas? I have heard old wives' tales about pepper or chili pepper water or chamomille (sp?), but not sure if they work or if they are humane. It should be something that she doesn't like the taste of.

Here are a couple of links I found about cats and plants and other behaviors:

http://www.nhahonline.com/f_behavior.htm
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer...s_catandplants
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer...bytoothandnail

She is still a young cat even though not a kitten. You may not always have to keep things out of her way, but for now you may have to.
Just assure your family you are doing everything you can and would really appreciate their help. Maybe if they became more involved they would hassle you less.

I applaud your efforts in trying to find solutions! Good luck and please let us know how it goes
 
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fefe76

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of course i dont want to put her down for just being curious cat but there have been odd incidents of her peeing in places and pooing in places for no reason....and then just being very ferral ...like i said i live in Pakistan and we r not able to get good help and things like are available in the US so i am merely asking advice.

i have no issues with her being too naughty but my mum doesnt appreciate my 3 cats as it is and then her coming home to ripped plants and mosquito netting and soil from her pot plants all over the place doesnt help....

she is forever going on about the cats climbing on all my furniture in my room and making a mess etc...i cannot seem to make her comprehend that i cannot stop a cat from climbing on shelves etc thats what they do

ive tried to spray her with a water squirt when she is ripping things or i catch her stealing stuff out of the bins but she doesnt stop ....i just dont think she makes the connection that what she is doing is wrong and so i dont really think unecessary spraying is the key....

anyway i am trying 2 just curb this behaviour as i said for when i have a house of my own i dont want to not be able to have anything out coz im scared of the cat destroying everything

as for giving her yarn....well ive done that b4 and ending up having to pull a whole length of it out of her coz she was just gobbling it down!!!! ive tried all different sorts of things that i think will divert her attention but they work for all of 5minutes then she is back to tryin 2 get in the bin or finding wrappers etc...its funny but not funny when i have to chase after her to rescue wrapped up n thrown away sanitary towels and thick plastic that will harm her shud she eat it etc

anyway hubby has found a job in saudi arabia so soon i will be moving there with my 3 furry babies so hopefully it will be better in the fact i wont have my mum always having a go at me about them all
 
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