negative effect to locking a cat in the bathroom?

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beware

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I have two siamese kittens about 8 months old. They are terrorists. Normal cat behavior, but I cant handle cleaning up everything they knocked down during the day -- every single day. I cleaned out my bathroom, and removed anything they could mess with. This was / is thier bathroom as I was trying to toilet train them. I just couldnt get them to go without litter. Is it wrong I lock them in the bathroom during the day, and at night when I cant sleep from them knocking stuff over / play fighting?
 

liza24

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so your locking them up all day and all night? i would say yes, that is wrong. they need love and attention too! I understand about them doing the knocking things around, so do my lil angels( waiting for the lightning bolt to strike,lol). i keep them busy with lots of toys and there own area to play, run, and cause havoc,lol. They are still kittens so they need extra forgiveness!

DO you have lots of toys and things to keep them busy?
 

hissy

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Are you locking them up 24/7? Are they spayed and neutered? Your best bet is to make your house kitten proof by removing objects that can be knocked over by active play. It is only temporary until they grow out of it. Also provide them with cat condos, cat ramps, window perches, different levels to jump up on and whatever you do, don't punish them for being kittens.
 

momofmany

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I have a very strong opinion on this. My neighbor did what you are suggesting to do with your kittens - locked them in the bathroom during the day and at night. Maybe it was their personalities, but their cats were not friendly, usually withdrawn from people, didn't play a lot and always seemed depressed. She would ask me what to do to bring her cats out and I suggested to get a china cabinet for her valuables and stop locking up her cats most of the day.

Most kittens grow out of their wild antics. In the meantime, put away the valuables and let them be kittens. This is such an impressionable age for them and if you put them in isolation now, they may not be good social cats when they grow up. I look at it as kid-proofing your home, as most parents do to some extent.

Just my humble opinion.
 

kathylou

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Yes. Kittens are just like human babies - you must baby proof your house. Also, after being cooped up in the bathroom, they probably have even more energy to run off when they come out.
 

yosemite

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I have to agree with the others in that your kitties won't be very sociable if you continue to lock them up.

"kittyproof" your home and enjoy these beautiful creatures for what they are. They will grow up and become more settled. Bijou and Mika have never been destructive but we made sure that they had scratching posts and toys to play with while we were at work. They both have a wonderful disposition and are very sociable with our guests and are a true joy to us.

Please do not keep these babies locked up. I know you wouldn't lock up a small child to keep them from touching things and that's basically what you have here - small furry children.
 

musicteacher

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I have an issue where my kitties try to run out when I come in/go out the door. I can't have them doing this because there are many feral cats in the complex and a main road close by. My solution was to make my bedroom kitty-friendly and let them stay in there during the day. This apartment is nice because the bedroom is big so my kitties can chase eachother around and play with their toys. They also have a cat tree and some tall furniture to hang out and climb on, as well as a big window to sit in. When I come home they come out of their room and spend time with me. Maybe this arrangement would work for you too. choose a room and clear out all breakables and other items that are not safe for cats to be around. Put a cat tree and some toys in there, as well as food and litter. Then when you come home, be sure to spend some quality time with your kitties.
 

menagerie mama

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I do not recommend it. They are social, inquisitive creatures that need to explore, not be punished for it. They may grow out of it when they are older.
 

gardenandcats

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There has to be a better solution then locking them up in a bathroom all day. Its not good for them at all to be shut up like this. Cat proof your home.
There just being normal cats.. They will calm down as they get older. Young cats need room to run and play. They are inside cats so they need the exercise.
 

kiaira

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I have a five month old kitten and we have had her for almost two months. As expected, she still loves to explore the house every day...especially at night.
. Exploring, playing (which may result in knocking things over), is part of kitten hood, and I can't imagine locking her away for hours for doing what comes natural to her. Cats pick up many of their social skills when they are kittens; therefore, locking them up (away from human contact + other experiences) may cause bigger problems in terms of behaviour in the future.
I would suggest you kitty proof your house like you would for a baby. I had to do that when Sienna came into our lives. She still managed to get into certain things (like trying to drink out of our cups on the table and tipping them over in the process, playing with the straws etc.). However, we're currently working around that by using bottled water instead.
Just try to be creative, provide them with scratching post, kitty condos etc., and in time it will pass.


On a side note, Sienna discovered how fun Christmas time can be when she noticed mommy wrapping gifts today. Needless to say, it took me quite a while to wrap with a kitten trying to help
. But I probably enjoyed her new experience with this more than she did. lol
 

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You'd be locking them up for 16+ hours a day from what you are saying. That is excessive IMO. It's one thing for fosters or new kittens but I don't think it's appropriate at all for your own cats.

I second the advice to cat-proof your house. If something an be knocked over easily, put it away until they outgrow their kittenish behavior. Locking them up is likely to only worsen things.
 

semiferal

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Originally Posted by Kiaira

She still managed to get into certain things (like trying to drink out of our cups on the table and tipping them over in the process, playing with the straws etc.).
This made me LOL. One of my cats (nearly 4 years old now!) is still the Slurpee Straw Bandit. I've learned to always take an extra straw from 7-11 because the first time I turn my back on the drink, I'll turn back to find Mikey running away with the straw!
 

nekomimi

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I agree with the others. There is no point of even having a cat as a pet if they are going to be locked up for that amount of time.

The only time I lock my kitten in the bathroom is when she gets agressive (biting, clawing) and she needs to cool down for a few minutes. Anything past 10 minutes or so is overboard from my viewpoint.
 

hissy

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Originally Posted by beware

I have two siamese kittens about 8 months old. They are terrorists. Normal cat behavior, but I cant handle cleaning up everything they knocked down during the day -- every single day. I cleaned out my bathroom, and removed anything they could mess with. This was / is thier bathroom as I was trying to toilet train them. I just couldnt get them to go without litter. Is it wrong I lock them in the bathroom during the day, and at night when I cant sleep from them knocking stuff over / play fighting?
beware,

You have two typical active, playful kittens here. It really isn't beneficial for them to be locked up all day and night (if I read this right) because all that does is take all that energy and push it down. They have to be ready to explode right now into activity. Let them out in your home. Take your breakables and put them away, it is only temporary. Put up the potted plants, hang the drape cords up and away from their reach. Give them a cat condo to play on www.felinefurniture.com has great activity centers for healthy kitties. Mine play on several units all the time. Give them an outlet for their energy. Play with them interactively several times a day- "Da Bird" is a great kitty play toy (supervised activity only) Look into websites such as www.katwallks.com and just let these kittens experience their kittenhood unrestrained for the most part. They won't be wild all their life, but they will be stunted if you just keep them locked away all the time. I call kittenhood- Kitty Komikazee Kamp- you will have races around your bedroom, kittens running up and down drapes, racing through the house, getting underfoot. Celebrate the time with them, all to soon you will have an adult cat that sleeps very much throughout the whole day. Then you will find yourself wishing you had their kitten antics back!

i did want to question one of your statements? You said "I just couldn't get them to go without litter." Not sure what you meant there. Also get them spayed and neutered that will help as well.
 

kiaira

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Originally Posted by semiferal

This made me LOL. One of my cats (nearly 4 years old now!) is still the Slurpee Straw Bandit. I've learned to always take an extra straw from 7-11 because the first time I turn my back on the drink, I'll turn back to find Mikey running away with the straw!
LOL at the "Slurpee Straw Bandit" part. Sienna is just as relentless. We have an entire box of straws on hand for when we occasionally try to bring out the cups again. If she notices (and believe me, she always does) she's got that straw within seconds.
 

kaleetha

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I decided having a kitten is almost like having a baby because they really DO want attention and get into EVERYTHING. (I told the s/o for as long as he didn't want kids just get me a kitten every couple years and I'd remember why I didn't want one either).

Your kitties will settle down after a few weeks - they will still be really bouncy but they won't be nearly as hyperactive. I say it's part of being a mommy. The cat tree is a wonderful idea... I got one recently and all my cats love it. And it gives them something all their own that they can play on.


Also... I wonder if putting them in the bathroom where there isn't as much to do just delays the hyper-cat madness so it comes out later and much worse?
 

courtneyaustin3

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they will grow out of this behavior, in the meantime, let them have things to play with, toys and otwers and they will be less likely to go after your things. kitten proof your home, to protect your nice things and their safety.
 

smokiethecat

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My kittens are about four months old now and they have the full run of the house. I was nervous they might get hurt/or hurt something so I had previously kept them in the bathroom when we were gone during the day and then again at night. But they started a habit of flicking litter all over the bathroom floor and flicking their poo balls out of the litter box(have the clumping kind)and I couldn't stand to keep cleaning up the mess twice a day! I believe they were getting very bored. Now they are behaving really well and have the full run of our very large house. I have one litter box on the main level and one in the basement where they spend quite a bit of time.....kids' toyroom....but they only use the box on the main floor. They haven't climbed curtains...YET.and nothing is moved out of place when I get home. What types of things are they knocking over and making messes of. Our house is pretty cat proof,other than the Christmas tree....THe two electric cords they can get to are for lamps so I unplug them during the day just in case. I leave out scratching posts and jingly balls and other little toys for them. Those darn jingly balls always end up under the fridge..dang it!!!!I'm getting them a cat tree for Christmas...can't wait! I bet they will love it.
Please tell us what types of things they are getting in to.......Good Luck!
For their emotional and physical needs,they need more than a bathroom.They'll probably show you that in a hurry!
 

abigail

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as a new kitty owner I can already see how much social time and play time a young kitten needs. this is how she is learning to jump and gain muscle strength and learn limits. part of my house is off limits to her ( Kitchen and bedroom and my sewing room) but even though she goes on a madness run every evening even after long play sessions. she hasn't destryoyed anything because I have taken the same simple precautions one takes with a baby.

what is the point of taking another being into your home ( two in your case) if you are going to imprison them. I doubt you will get a gentle loving and interesting cat from that arrangement. sorry to sound so negative. But you have to honor the essential "catness" of yor kittens and channel it not attempt to repress it. kittens play and get goofy, thats why we love them.
Diana ( abi purrs in agreement)
 
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