Sorry in advance if I’m giving too many details but I’m not sure what info may be helpful. We recently took in a former stray cat about a month ago. He’s been neutered and is up to date on his shots. The vet estimated his age at about a year and a half. For the most part he’s settled into his new home pretty well. At first he had some play aggression (he did a number on my ankle one morning when I must’ve moved it in my sleep) –but it’s really improved in the past few weeks. Still there have been a few issues that I can’t seem to fix.
First, he has been scratching under the doors and ripping up the carpet -he’s already managed to dig out a small patch near the office door. There are two rooms in particular we have to keep closed (the first has guinea pigs though he only shows a little interest in that room; the second is the office has a lot of expensive equipment that could get damaged). I’ve tried putting tape along the doors to keep him from scratching but it only worked for a few days –that’s when he decided it was best to scratch under the door on the carpet. I’ve tried using sprays that smell like citrus but this also hasn’t worked. I tried clipping the tips of his nails (which he was surprisingly ok with; I’ve gotten more scratches trying to trim guinea pig nails) so they weren’t as sharp. I then learned he will immediately go to his scratching posts and resharpen his claws. I’m now trying a spray bottle with water, which gets him away from the door but only for so long.
The second issue is he still isn’t sleeping through the night. We’ve been playing with him throughout the day (mainly starting in the evening) but it hasn’t made a difference. He sleeps until around 2-4 AM and starts meowing loudly and scratching under the doors. To be honest I really haven’t slept the whole night through since we got him. I feel like instead of getting him on something closer to our sleep schedule, he’s managed to get me on his.
I’ve tried a few things to focus his energy on something other than carpet scratching and meowing in the early morning. We spend at least an hour (usually more) playing with him over a few sessions. We use several rooms during a play session to get him sprinting and jumping around. I stop when he no longer shows interest in the toy. As long as he’s watching the toy, I keep going since he tends to get another burst of energy within a few minutes. I follow up with a meal, a treat, or some sort of catnip toy. We also have several cat trees near windows to help keep him occupied. I just ordered one that’s taller than me.
My husband and I have limited experience with cats so we really aren’t sure what to do next. Any suggestions or insight would be a huge help.
First, he has been scratching under the doors and ripping up the carpet -he’s already managed to dig out a small patch near the office door. There are two rooms in particular we have to keep closed (the first has guinea pigs though he only shows a little interest in that room; the second is the office has a lot of expensive equipment that could get damaged). I’ve tried putting tape along the doors to keep him from scratching but it only worked for a few days –that’s when he decided it was best to scratch under the door on the carpet. I’ve tried using sprays that smell like citrus but this also hasn’t worked. I tried clipping the tips of his nails (which he was surprisingly ok with; I’ve gotten more scratches trying to trim guinea pig nails) so they weren’t as sharp. I then learned he will immediately go to his scratching posts and resharpen his claws. I’m now trying a spray bottle with water, which gets him away from the door but only for so long.
The second issue is he still isn’t sleeping through the night. We’ve been playing with him throughout the day (mainly starting in the evening) but it hasn’t made a difference. He sleeps until around 2-4 AM and starts meowing loudly and scratching under the doors. To be honest I really haven’t slept the whole night through since we got him. I feel like instead of getting him on something closer to our sleep schedule, he’s managed to get me on his.
I’ve tried a few things to focus his energy on something other than carpet scratching and meowing in the early morning. We spend at least an hour (usually more) playing with him over a few sessions. We use several rooms during a play session to get him sprinting and jumping around. I stop when he no longer shows interest in the toy. As long as he’s watching the toy, I keep going since he tends to get another burst of energy within a few minutes. I follow up with a meal, a treat, or some sort of catnip toy. We also have several cat trees near windows to help keep him occupied. I just ordered one that’s taller than me.
My husband and I have limited experience with cats so we really aren’t sure what to do next. Any suggestions or insight would be a huge help.
