Inappropriate Destructive Behavior

Good morning. I would like some information on cat discipline due to my little boy cat stepping over the edge.

Adisa is a one-year, 9-month-old tuxedo cat that has his periods of problems. They are getting to the point that I am tempted to put him into a cat carrier while I am not home or to get some sleep at night.

Adisa seems to be getting into several things of mine and goes through destructive episodes, including destroying several cell phone head sets, stereo head phones, some computer wiring and Christmas tree lights. Sometimes even the (un)lucky bamboo or two, a couple of necklaces (string is missing, just the stone is left) and other little knick-knacks which are now in a crowded china cabinet. He has also got into, tipped over and scattered the contents of several waste baskets (bathroom and a couple of extras around the house) and other things such as this. I have also never caught him in the act aside from the occaisional catching him in a garbage can. This is repremanded by using the stern voice of "bad kitty" and several "no no no's".

There are times that I will spend several days in the home without periods of long departure, and there are times that I'll be gone for days at a time on business. The period of destruction does not coincide with any of these patterns that I have found.

Durga is my first baby, she's a little calico tort and does not have these fits of destructiveness, she will be four in the spring and she and Adisa get along great with the occasional spats that I consider normal. They are otherwise very well behaved cats with the litter box, never urinating outside of the box nor defecating.

The last straw is that over the past month, Adisa has got into, and hid very well three sets of caps for contact lens cases that I had set out to dry on top of a dresser. Now, he does not go through these phases of climbing on top of the dresser often since itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s usually full and not particularly accessible by the two. I have only caught Adisa up on the dresser and never Durga. But, among other things has happened often enough that I want to put him into the carrier while I am gone and let him out when I come back to avoid these destructive fits.

Would this be wise to put a cat into a carrier for an extended amount of time with ample food, water and waste management? Can there be something else that I can do? What I think may be ideal is to put a leash with harness on him and restrict him to the few areas that he can have the least amount of destructiveness, i.e. the bathroom, utility room and hallway near his litter box.

Any advice would be helpful.

Maybe you could try going to the vet and asking about anti-anxiety medication. I had to put one of my cats on this for a while because he would not stop bullying and misbehaving with my other cats.
It calmed him down without making him zone out. My supervisor at work also used this medication for his dog when he moved into a new house and the dog was having trouble adjusting. It comes in pill form and is not very expensive - under $20.

A cat's misbehaviour can often be the manifestation of a deeper problem. I think Laurie is right in as much as you should seek vet advice as to any possible health problems.

Cats can stand a good deal of pain, but when things get too much they start playing up.

Also, if yo have a necklace string missing, I woud satch your cat carefully. If stings, elsatic bands etc are swallowed, they can get would round the intestine resulting in illness or even worse.

Personally, I wouldn't put your cat into a carrier for any length of time. It could stress him out even more. Maybe confine him to one room where you have put away all the things that he could damage, hide or eat. Spend plenty of time with him also (although not to the detrement of your other cat), as he could simply be bored.

I agree that containment/confinement can only provide temporary relief, without necessarily revealing or addressing the root causes of the behavior. Plus, there is the danger of an unattended cat on a leash accidentally tangling up in it and strangling.

Has your vet done a health screen to rule out possible ailments which might be causing acting-out? Sometimes physical pain or sickness causes extreme or erratic behavior. Necklace cord lodged in the digestive system could definitely cause discomfort.

The good litter box behavior is a good sign, as this is commonly thrown out of whack by illness. Does the kitten seem to be eating and drinking normally as well?

Some of the behavior may be the hyperactivity of an older kitten (9 months is roughly teenage years in human terms): tangling computer and appliance cords, knocking over knick-knacks, diving into waste bins, and grabbing items off the dresser. This may be extreme play behavior that's driven by a combination of intense curiosity and the need to release massive amounts of kitten energy.

One strategy is to substitute acceptable activities for destructive ones. Playing with your kitten with a string toy to keep him away from the computer cords. Ping pong balls to bat around instead of knick-knacks. A cardboard box to explore (throw in a couple of ping pong balls) and hide in rather than waste bins. And catnip mice to hoard and hide instead of contact lens case caps.

Does the kitten have access to a tall cat tree (at least 6') as an alternative to climbing on furniture? Reinforce him with praise when he uses the cat tree, but give him a time-out when you catch him climbing inappropriately.

Thanks to you and Laurie. I should have re-iterated that the string was found some time later in it's complete length over the course of several days under several items of furnature in several, very well chewed pieces. It had not been consumed at all.

I am fortunate that he has not consumed my stones, knick-knacks nor any of my plants since they leave most of those alone aside from a poor innocent spider plant that didn't stand a chance!

Originally posted by Yola
A cat's misbehaviour can often be the manifestation of a deeper problem. I think Laurie is right in as much as you should seek vet advice as to any possible health problems.

Cats can stand a good deal of pain, but when things get too much they start playing up.

Also, if yo have a necklace string missing, I woud satch your cat carefully. If stings, elsatic bands etc are swallowed, they can get would round the intestine resulting in illness or even worse.

Personally, I wouldn't put your cat into a carrier for any length of time. It could stress him out even more. Maybe confine him to one room where you have put away all the things that he could damage, hide or eat. Spend plenty of time with him also (although not to the detrement of your other cat), as he could simply be bored.

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is it a possibilty that he is bored? and might need some new toys to play with...

I will ask if he is neutered? If not, neutering him will certainly go a long way to mellowing him out. He sounds like he is a normal, inquisitive cat who is rediscovering his kittenhood. I would make him a ball bin, buy a tall cat condo, several different types of toys. I had one cat that would routinely take watches and rings and carry them upstairs and bury them in the litter pan. That was fun! Also research the Bach Flower Remedies, Vervain will take the edge off. My concern in reading your post is his habit of getting into things could mean that he does indeed have a foreign body inside of him somewhere causing him discomfort. I would get him vet checked including an xray just to be certain.

Originally posted by hissy
I will ask if he is neutered? If not, neutering him will certainly go a long way to mellowing him out.

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Oh yes... another detail that I missed out on. Both Durga and Adisa were neutered and spayed at about 6 months of age. They are also both declawed at the same time (per the apartment complex rules). I believe that Adisa was neutered at about 5 months of age and he is now almost 2 years old. I know that he was a hyper kitten for a while and I thought to myself that he would mellow out after he turned one. Durga certainly did, although she still has her friskyness when playing "blanket monster".

The plus side of these two is that they are both very clean when it comes to their litter box and other "problems" such as hair balls. The litter box is in the bathroom away from -my- litter box and if one of them feels the need to eject a hair ball or relieving an upset tummy, they do not play "hide-and-go-puke" like a freind's cat. Nor do they leave it in a place for me to find it in the middle of the night. They both do their that near the litter box which is easy to clean and mop up.

He sounds like he is a normal, inquisitive cat who is rediscovering his kittenhood. I would make him a ball bin, buy a tall cat condo, several different types of toys.

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Oh, like they are any more spoiled than they already are. Adisa is very much the lap cat and Durga is very much tiny, feminine and the times she decides to sit in my lap is a conversation of

I had one cat that would routinely take watches and rings and carry them upstairs and bury them in the litter pan. That was fun! Also research the Bach Flower Remedies, Vervain will take the edge off. My concern in reading your post is his habit of getting into things could mean that he does indeed have a foreign body inside of him somewhere causing him discomfort. I would get him vet checked including an xray just to be certain.

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I will take this into consideration and will call in a vet exam for him in the morning for an appointment. Another source of concern of mine now that you mention this is that occaisionally there will be a drop or two of dried blood near the litter pan. I have inspected both animals paws and feet and don't think that it's coming from there, but it makes me wonder if there is another problem since the last vet visit... I'll take him and keep you all posted.

Because of the declaw it is highly possible one of the cat's has an infection in their paw. Ask the vet to look closely at the site of amputation, because once an infection sets in, it is really miserable for the poor cat. It is also possible the cat's have worms and that could be the cause of the blood as well, hard to say- but certainly a vet visit is in order.

Originally posted by brocken


Has your vet done a health screen to rule out possible ailments which might be causing acting-out? Sometimes physical pain or sickness causes extreme or erratic behavior. Necklace cord lodged in the digestive system could definitely cause discomfort.

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I'll go ahead and set up an appointment with my vet in the morning. If anything just to alliviate my own curiosity and put my mind at ease if there is something wrong.

The good litter box behavior is a good sign, as this is commonly thrown out of whack by illness. Does the kitten seem to be eating and drinking normally as well?

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They both seem to be eating and drinking normally, fresh water and food when I set out fresh water. I had switched from Science Diet some time ago to Whiska's which made their poops smell sour (really sour) and since then, I have had a 1/2-1/2 mix of Whiska's and Science Diet for about 8 weeks and now I have gone back to 100% Science Diet two weeks ago.

Some of the behavior may be the hyperactivity of an older kitten (9 months is roughly teenage years in human terms): tangling computer and appliance cords, knocking over knick-knacks, diving into waste bins, and grabbing items off the dresser. This may be extreme play behavior that's driven by a combination of intense curiosity and the need to release massive amounts of kitten energy.

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I'll have to be more stimulating for him! Not sure but I think that he could have some kind of seperation anxiety. He loves to be around me and when I am in another room with the door closed, or in the bathroom showering with the door closed, he'll sit outside the door howling until I let him in.

One strategy is to substitute acceptable activities for destructive ones. Playing with your kitten with a string toy to keep him away from the computer cords. Ping pong balls to bat around instead of knick-knacks. A cardboard box to explore (throw in a couple of ping pong balls) and hide in rather than waste bins. And catnip mice to hoard and hide instead of contact lens case caps.

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I will have to do this! I'll tell "Grandma" (my mother) that her grand children would like to have toys for christmas.

Does the kitten have access to a tall cat tree (at least 6') as an alternative to climbing on furniture? Reinforce him with praise when he uses the cat tree, but give him a time-out when you catch him climbing inappropriately.

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Does this matter if he is declawed? I know that the cat trees I have seen have been carpeted and promotes those with claws.

Thanks.

Originally posted by hissy
Because of the declaw it is highly possible one of the cat's has an infection in their paw. Ask the vet to look closely at the site of amputation, because once an infection sets in, it is really miserable for the poor cat. It is also possible the cat's have worms and that could be the cause of the blood as well, hard to say- but certainly a vet visit is in order.

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This COULD be a problem, but I don't think that it is since it has been such a long time since they have both been declawed. (1.3 years and 2.3 years) I will check with the vet anyway. Besides, the droplets of blood are just drops and not footprints and I don't have these droplets on my bed, or any other part of the house. It's just near the litter box and the ramp into the litter box.

I also use a "boodah box" for the litter box (looks like a giant igloo) and they use this just fine. I got this because they track the litter all over the house and the ramp into the main compartment of the igloo dislodges most of the litter from their paws. Adisa would get into the literbox with both paws and start digging and I would come home to find a bathroom full of little clay particles! Durga... clay just naturally followed her. But, the boodah box has done wonders for me.

One of the tests that was done at the last vet visit was a test for worms (fecal float) and this turned up negative. I also do not have fleas in this apartment, I make sure that this is a clean apartment in regards to fleas and ticks.