Is your cat a destructive nightmare from the abyss? Does he climb curtains to the ceiling like some creature from the Exorcist and make you question what sorcery convinced you that adopting this tiny fluffy terrorist was a good idea? Do your friends call him things like "Chaos Kitty", "Lamp Slayer" or in my case, "Oscar the Terrible?". Destroyer of potted plants, knave of all wall hangings who takes personal pride in jumping up and down in the middle of the night attempting to rip out the front door peep hole, yes, I said the peep hole. No thumb tack is safe, no book slip left unscratched and certainly no dog crosses without fearing for his life. Does this sound like your worst mistake, I mean, adorable new kitten?
If you are measuring you cat's maximum jump height so you know how high you must hang your pictures, then this post is for you.
Let me tell you that there is hope! You CAN curb your Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad cat's hell bent path of destruction!
As someone whose had cats for 20 years, let just say that my fluffy little monster is the WORST cat I've ever had.
He is also the smartest cat I've ever had.
As a last ditch effort to keep this demon (because I seriously doubted any other human on the planet would put up with his antics) we began clicker training. I also joined TCS seeking advice on how to deal with him.
I have found that clicker training for a few minutes every day has helped reduce destruction and genuinely improve Oscar's quality of life by shaping his uh- curious nature, into positive outlets.
Teaching your cat to Sit, Down, High-5, play the "shell" game, even jump through a hula hoop on command are sample tricks that are easily learned with high value treats (we're talking soft and stinky, like liver), and a clicker (get the cheapos at PetSmart for $1.99 or FREE if you track down their dog trainer, they have a stash in their training ring).
Youtube has loads of "Teach your cat to ______" videos that often give you multiple ways to teach one trick.
It's fun! Impress your friends! Wow dates! Keep your apartment deposit! It's really a win-win here folks.
10 minutes a day. Practice old tricks, learn new ones. And you never know- you could be raising the next "Morris". You could have a star!
Anyway, just a rambling post from one eccentric cat owner to another.
If you are measuring you cat's maximum jump height so you know how high you must hang your pictures, then this post is for you.
Let me tell you that there is hope! You CAN curb your Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad cat's hell bent path of destruction!
As someone whose had cats for 20 years, let just say that my fluffy little monster is the WORST cat I've ever had.
He is also the smartest cat I've ever had.
As a last ditch effort to keep this demon (because I seriously doubted any other human on the planet would put up with his antics) we began clicker training. I also joined TCS seeking advice on how to deal with him.
I have found that clicker training for a few minutes every day has helped reduce destruction and genuinely improve Oscar's quality of life by shaping his uh- curious nature, into positive outlets.
Teaching your cat to Sit, Down, High-5, play the "shell" game, even jump through a hula hoop on command are sample tricks that are easily learned with high value treats (we're talking soft and stinky, like liver), and a clicker (get the cheapos at PetSmart for $1.99 or FREE if you track down their dog trainer, they have a stash in their training ring).
Youtube has loads of "Teach your cat to ______" videos that often give you multiple ways to teach one trick.
It's fun! Impress your friends! Wow dates! Keep your apartment deposit! It's really a win-win here folks.
10 minutes a day. Practice old tricks, learn new ones. And you never know- you could be raising the next "Morris". You could have a star!
Anyway, just a rambling post from one eccentric cat owner to another.
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