Crafty, clever and mischievious Tom

[namegoeshere]

My cat gets into everything and I'm wondering if anyone might have a good solution to this problem.

Here's the situation: I adopted Randy when he was about 10 weeks old from a friend, had him neutered, tested for rabies and feline diseases with checkups at the vet twice in the last year. He's now about 18 months old and from all appearances is in great health, which is fortunate because I'm pretty sure one of his parents were feral. He's a great cat in nearly every respect - the only problem I've had is keeping him self-engageed at certain times of the day when I'm trying to get something done and can't entertain him. Then he just goes crazy looking for something to play with.

He has plenty of toys but I read somewhere to only let him him have one at a time so as not to get bored with any particular toy. Well, he figured out that I was hiding the toys in the bottom drawer of my computer desk and soon figured out how to pull it open. So then I put the toys in a box and he figured out how to open the box. Then I put the toys in a Tupperware container on the top shelf and, sure enough, he knocked the container on the floor and opened that one as well. Now he's taken to opening every drawer and cabinet in the kitchen and bathrooms and scattering the contents out on the floor. He's even broken a few pieces of china by pushing them on the floor. Because of this I've had to restrict his access to just two rooms in the house to keep him out of trouble, which of course is no fun at all for him.

On top of all that he's afraid to go outside even in the closed area of my porch. He sees the birds singing in the trees yet won't go get them. (LOL, I know I shouldn't encourage this as bad stuff has been said about cats killing birds lately, but I'm a little frustrated at this point.)

He's also got some socializing issues which I know are a consequence of my lifestyle - I don't have any children or others who visit me who want to play with my cat. When a friend came over Randy jumped on her lap and let her pet him and it all seemed okay. But she got her face a little too close to his and he clawed her nose...took a good chunk out. I had no idea he could be so aggressive, he's a loving and affectionate little guy with me but now I'm afraid to let anyone get close to him.

Sorry my first post being so long. Any help is appreciated!

 

[catspaw66]

Let him have more than one toy at a time.  My house has furry mice, squeaky mice, water jug rings and crumpled balls of paper in every room and out on the screened-in back porch.  The ladies also have each other to play with.  You might want to think about getting him a companion cat. But think about it very carefully. Consider all the costs involved before acting.

If you start trimming his claws, he will not take a chunk out of anyone he swipes at.There are some excellent articles on this site on claw care.

 

[vball91]

Oh I hope HarleyDiva sees this and answers. She has a Siamese who can open anything. She has to keep treats in her underwear drawer because it's the only one he can't open.

Suggestions for Randy - does he have a cat tree? Maybe that would help keep him occupied when you're busy. You could still put him in a room when you need to, but you could hide his toys and/or treats in there before hand and make it a game for him. Do you play any interactive games with him? You could try a wand type toy like Da Bird or Cat Dancer and really try to tire him out, so he'll have less energy for mischief later. You could also child proof your drawers and cabinets so that he can't get inside. Another option is to get another kitty playmate for him.

I think part of his energy is his age. At 18 months, he's still very kitten-ish. He may grow out of some of this, but it could also be his personality. It's hard to know at this point.

 

[namegoeshere]

Let him have more than one toy at a time.  My house has furry mice, squeaky mice, water jug rings and crumpled balls of paper in every room and out on the screened-in back porch.  The ladies also have each other to play with.  You might want to think about getting him a companion cat. But think about it very carefully. Consider all the costs involved before acting.

If you start trimming his claws, he will not take a chunk out of anyone he swipes at.There are some excellent articles on this site on claw care.

The toys aren't really an issue anymore because no matter what or how many things I give him he makes his own toys. What I need is some kind of animated toy to hold his attention for more than a few minutes. That's what I was hoping someone here could help me with. And that leads to the obvious answer: giving him another cat playmate. The friend who gave Randy to me has his brother and when she visits I try to get her to bring him over so they can play. They have a great time on those days. But of course I can't do that all the time, or afford two cats.

As for the claws I was clipping them for quite some time, not because he was tearing anything up (he has a scratching post for that) but just because he accidentally scratched me at times. He's grown out of that now and I have no desire to deprive him of the claws.

Oh I hope HarleyDiva sees this and answers. She has a Siamese who can open anything. She has to keep treats in her underwear drawer because it's the only one he can't open.

Suggestions for Randy - does he have a cat tree? Maybe that would help keep him occupied when you're busy. You could still put him in a room when you need to, but you could hide his toys and/or treats in there before hand and make it a game for him. Do you play any interactive games with him? You could try a wand type toy like Da Bird or Cat Dancer and really try to tire him out, so he'll have less energy for mischief later. You could also child proof your drawers and cabinets so that he can't get inside. Another option is to get another kitty playmate for him.

I think part of his energy is his age. At 18 months, he's still very kitten-ish. He may grow out of some of this, but it could also be his personality. It's hard to know at this point.

Funny you mention clothes because he has a real thing about that. Before he was neutered he got in the dirty clothes hamper, sprayed everything and ruined a lot of clothes. That's not a problem anymore but he'll still take my socks and hide them under the sofa, or pull clothes off a hanger if he can get to them. I've done everything possible to keep him out of drawers and cabinets. There doesn't seem to much else I can do to stop the destruction short of caging him, which I won't do.

The problem is I have thoroughly spoiled him. That's to be expected since he's the most lovable furry ball of affection you ever saw. I like that about him and have no intention to change it. As for games his favorite is playing fetch. Yes, I have a cat that plays fetch. I put some catnip in an old sock and tied it off. He loves it. I throw it across the room and he brings it right back. We play fetch all day because it never fails to amuse me the way he pounces on that sock, it's fun for us both! Then in the morning when I wake up he's at the foot of the bed with the sock waiting for me to play again. The little guy is so precious.

None of this is a serious problem. I'm just sharing the experiences I've had because he's like my kid and I need to brag about how cool my cat is

 

[vball91]

Your cat does sound cool. My cat and I play fetch as well, but I'm the one who fetches! She loves to play/hunt this long thin silver chain I have. When she catches it, she takes it in her mouth and carries it to her "spot". She then meows at me; I go get it to wave around again, and so on.

Well, it doesn't sound like a huge problem, but if you really want to cat proof your cabinets, there are things you can put on them so he can't get in. It depends on the type of cabinets you have, but there's usually a solution. Do you have handles or knobs or what?

 

[peaches08]

Trimming the claws won't deprive him of his claws, it will just take the sharp points off. Another option would be nail caps.

 

[namegoeshere]

Trimming the claws won't deprive him of his claws, it will just take the sharp points off. Another option would be nail caps.

Thanks. I haven't taken the time to explore all the options, but what are nail caps?

Your cat does sound cool. My cat and I play fetch as well, but I'm the one who fetches! She loves to play/hunt this long thin silver chain I have. When she catches it, she takes it in her mouth and carries it to her "spot". She then meows at me; I go get it to wave around again, and so on.

Well, it doesn't sound like a huge problem, but if you really want to cat proof your cabinets, there are things you can put on them so he can't get in. It depends on the type of cabinets you have, but there's usually a solution. Do you have handles or knobs or what?

I'm sure he'd love it if I crawled under the sofa to retrieve the sock

Weird thing about Randy is he almost never meows. He's not vocal at all unless I'm coming out of the bathroom, and then he's sitting there waiting like a Sentinel, as if he's relieved I didn't get flushed with all the other stuff that mysteriously disappears down the drain. He has a thing about water too, but that's another story.

As I said, there's only so much cat proofing you can do before correcting the behavior. It seems like my only real solution is to get another cat companion for him.

 

[catspaw66]

Thanks. I haven't taken the time to explore all the options, but what are nail caps?

Nail caps, or Soft Paws, get glued on after the nails are trimmed. They make it so the cat can't scratch and sharpen the claws.  Google  Soft Paws and see them.  They come in different colors and last usually several weeks.  If you have seen a cat that looks like it is wearing nail polish, chances are that they are wearing nail caps.

 

[peaches08]

What catspaw66 said.

As far as training, I'm interested to hear what you find. One of my cats loves opening drawers, cabinets, and now the bathroom door. Goofy cats!

 

[namegoeshere]

What catspaw66 said.

As far as training, I'm interested to hear what you find. One of my cats loves opening drawers, cabinets, and now the bathroom door. Goofy cats!

The claws aren't the problem, it's him tearing everything up when he feels ignored...or something. In any case the girl who gave him to me brought his brother over and they are now playing happily. She doesn't seem to have the same problem I have, or doesn't care to notice. Who knows.

I think I'm giving him bad vibes because when I was typing all this out earlier he pooped in the middle of the floor and didn't even try to hide it. He's never done that before. I know it sounds crazy but this cat can sense my mood. If he catches on that something is out of kilter he'll throw up or poop in the wrong place to get my attention. He knows when I feel bad or worried or anxious or whatever. Cats have a sense about those things.