Cats won't stop getting into trash can

[cutepixie93]

Baby Bruce is attracted to tampon wrappers, come home and they'll b one downstairs, on the step, in the bedroom. Happened on numerous times so far nothing but I hav'nt been away from the house either.

 

[happybird]

Cutepixie93, that made me smile and remember something Frannie used to do when she was a kitten. She loved new tampons in the wrapper and would carry them around in her mouth, like a dog with a stick :lol3: She was so happy, I hated to take them away from her. I wonder if the scent the manufacturers put in tampons is attractive to cats?

I can't keep my youngest out of the bedroom trash. She love shiny things, like candy wrappers and bits of plastic. I worry that she will swallow something.

 

[cutepixie93]

Lol aaaaws Bruce loves the bathroom, can't leave the toilet seat up or he'll play in the water. He loves the bathtub, he always runs to the bathroom when I'm going to take a shower. He walks up and down rail and bat at shower curtain. When I get out I notice he'll get in and he likes to lick up the water.

 

[joybug81592]

Hi I have three female cats that won't stop getting into the trash I have giving countless whoopings (that has worked in the past) but they still get into the trash. I sometimes forget to put the can in the bathroom

 

[di and bob]

"whoopings" don't work in the long run on cats, they just make them afraid of you. I would invest in a trash can with a lid and put a brick in the bottom so they can't pull it over. My cats have never got in the trash, the only ones I've seen do that are ferals when they are hungry. Are yours getting enough to eat? I have hard food out all the time. My cats have never been overweight either. Good luck and post us when you find a solution!

 

[seehonch]

Hello,

I have two cats that I have had for about a year. I have left the cats alone in the house every weekday when I went to work with no problems. A few weeks ago, one of my cats apparently discovered the trash can in the kitchen (it has always been there) and ever since he is almost constantly standing on his hind legs trying to get into the trash and tearing at the bag. Several times already he has knocked the entire trash can over spilling garbage all over the floor while I am gone and he has even done it twice while I was out of the area for a few minutes taking a shower (most recently this morning). No matter what I do I cannot get him to stop. It is extremely frustrating because I now cannot even leave the kitchen without carrying the garbage can across the house and locking it in the bathroom where the cats cannot get at it. (I have two cats but Hobbes is the one who is overly curious and always picking at the garbage.) I have read that the proper way to discipline cats is to ignore them but I obviously can't ignore them spilling trash all over the floor. What can I do to get them to stop this? I can't always be locking either the cats or the garbage can away every time I leave the house or take a shower.

Thank you.

 

[seehonch]

Hi I'm new to this site and know I'm coming across this thread about 6 years too late, I also haven't read the complete list of replies. However, I wanted to share my experience with my hyperthyroid rescue baby that passed a few months ago from aggressive thyroid carcinoma cancer, a massive thyroid tumor of the throat, and fibrotic lungs, a secondary condition. I don't want to scare you or whoever reads this because animals digging through trash is just a common behavior and part of their nature. My baby was also over the age of twenty more than likely. But I wanted to suggest you, and anyone with an animal over the age of ten that is frequently displaying these behaviors along with extreme hunger, get your pet to the vet and have their T4, kidney, and liver levels analyzed. It's about 200 dollars but very worth it. The earlier you catch this condition, the longer you can expect your pet to live. Again, not trying to scare or be over the top, but it's something to consider if you notice other odd behavior.

 

[Suru]

i have an open trash can, what I do is, I poured some vinegar in a spray botttle and spray the trash contents every time I put something in there. Now my cat doesn’t bother with the trash anymore. You can probably spray the inside and outside of your can.

 

[vince]

As an alternative to vinegar, you might try some general-purpose spray chlorinated cleaner. I use that to make the garbage unpalatable for the cats. It has always worked well.

 

[Beyond Confused]

They make trash cans with locks. I bought mine at Bed Bath and Beyond. I love it. (whoa, this thread is way old.)

 

[Tagrendy]

Don't know I'd it will help, but worth trying to spray lemony deodorant or something repelling to see if that works.