Eating Paper, Sketchbook, Books

catpod

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Hello. My wonderful, yet impatient 1.5 year old male cat likes to eat paper, books, boxes, etc. when he's angry and isn't getting what he wants at the moment. (Yes this might be my fault, but...) In most cases I'm not there or awake. I need to find something to either spray or place by areas where I have paper items to deter both of them and break them of this habit.

Any suggestions?
 

hissy

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Honestly, why do you think your cat is angry? Did you do something to cause him to be angry? Because cats don't get angry for no reason. They respond because of instinct or situations or environment. If you are projecting that because your cat is shredding paper and boxes etc that he is angry, he is simply playing. He lacks stimulation. Cat's hunt and they climb trees (outside that is thier instinct) they play with each other and they sleep and eat.

How much inside stimulation do you give this cat? Take one of those large boxes he is shredding and cut off the flaps, then cut some cat-size holes in the sides of the box (above the ground level) big enough he can jump in and out of and then throw in a few ping pong balls. Live by a beach? Take a walk after a storm and find a large piece of driftwood- bring it home, rinse it off outside, let it dry in the air, then brush it down and put it inside so he can climb all over it- look at ways to make his home life more interesting, clear out some of your closet and put in cat ramps, or buy a good cat condo.

Many cats shred paper. My Shredder that's how he got his name. He shredded mail, boxes, toilet paper, paper towels. He was never angry, he was happy. He was in his element. I used to take an old phone book and put it on the floor, sprinkle it with a bit of catnip within the pages, and let him have it, he shredded it in 5 minutes tops, then I put it on the burn pile and vacuumed the mess-
If your cat is shredding paper, it's no big deal, now if he is eating the paper and the cardboard, that's a worry. Also is he neutered? If not, he needs to be.
 
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catpod

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No, he isn't an angry guy. He's really full of kisses morning, noon and night. I think he needs more attention than me and his sister can give him right now. He is very smart. I think I will add a cardboard box to the mix.

What's hard is that we're talking about an intelligent neutered male cat with a million different facial, body gestures and vocal expressions. He has an 8 foot cat condo that he climbs directly up the sisal rope and it takes him to two hide away places. He also has another spot that he jumps up different levels to a top hide/sleep area. He fetches, and does brings it back like a dog. (we do this at least 15 minutes a day.) They play hide and attack the toy from the other side of the bathroom curtain. He opens doors, cabinets, knows where his food is and hasn't figured out how to open the can yet. He pushes things off of tables, shelves, etc. I've started to set up things for him to push off so that he doesn't push off the stereo speaker like he did the other week. He tells me when he needs something, verbally and physically. He communicates better than most people I've met. And thank goodness he has his sister for those rough and tumble moments. I'm beginnning to think it's me and not him!

Well...he had a person with him all the time up until the end of December. This was the boyfriend, or their dad and I couldn't keep him around just for the cats. Does anyone think that this could be upsetting him?

Usually they expected him to come back, but they haven't exhibited any of this behavior this time. It's just odd.

How do I fill this void for them, especially him? If there is a void at all, or is it just an adjustment?





hissy said:
Honestly, why do you think your cat is angry?
 

hissy

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He sounds wonderful, and smart! Is he orange? Just curious. If you ditched the boyfriend for your health then good for you! Your cat will adjust in time. I knew on lady who had a problem cat like this- or she thought it was a problem. I told her (since she had a lot of money) to try something- to get a large appliance sized box and make a ball bin for her boy fill it with ping pong balls (well not completely) and her cat loved it! She bought two cases of ping pong balls and ended up putting the box under the cat condo. Her cat would scramble up the condo and leap into the box below, landing unhurt on the balls and then scramble around furiously diving under the balls, then jump out and do it all again. LOL Your boy sounds like hers- he was a big orange neutered fur ball
 

winwin

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Catpod, could the void be more in perception than in reality ?

I think we all tend to think (hope)/(wish) that our cats loved us as much as we do them, but I am almost of the opinion that the reality of it is that they need us for their comfort and sustenance FAR more than for the type of love we feel and bestow on them.

My garage cat Tico, a holstien foundling, likes to take Jaws type bites out of cardboard boxes and spit them out. In about an hour she can destroy a 1 cubic foot box, and she enjoys it.

Had there been cats on the Titanic, they would have been screaming, "Get those women and children out of the lifeboats at once, for here come the cats ! ! !"


By the way, for a good read on cats, try John D. MacDonald's non-fiction House Guests. Not only was John D. a prolific fiction writer in the genre of the human condition, he made no bones about being inordinately fond of cats and in his works he would often insert his cats, like Old Buckethead.

Leonard.
 
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