Good Evening Everyone!
I’m having a bit of difficulty managing my cat Morgana’s behaviour. Morgana is my first cat so I’m very aware that mistakes might be being made. I’m very eager to learn and I was hoping you guys who have a lot more knowledge than me could shed some light! I’m sorry if this gets long.
Morgana is a 1 Year Old Ragdoll x British Shorthair Mix, naughty tortie! she turned 1 in April. Still a baby really! At the time, I wasn’t aware that it’s better to get two kittens rather than one. I am considering another cat as it’s just me and Morgana at home (and some guinea pigs, but they’re kept in a separate room she doesn’t have access to!) So I do worry some of it is because I work the typical 9-5 Monday to Friday. I aim to play with her for at least an hour a day, she is extremely high energy and can chase her Da Bird for hours on end (that’s her favourite!). Her favourites are absolutely wand toys. I’ve tried a bunch of interactive toys (floppy fish, chasing laser pointer on wheels, ball circuit, tunnels) but at least when i’m home, she doesn’t appear too interested. She also adores those little balls with bells inside, I think there’s at least 20 under my sofa! I know she definitely plays while I’m out.
The main issues I’m having at the moment is behaviour only specific to when i’m watching TV / playing on the PS5. She used to scale the TV and cause absolute mayhem - I used to watch a show and be constantly waving her toy around (this is after playing for 30 minutes prior to turning it on!) thankfully, most of that behaviour has stopped, but she’s now opted to tearing the carpet. She doesn’t do this behaviour when I’m out, or when I’m in any other room. She has access to a higher window and a cat tree within that room, this room is where the vast majority of her toys are. I’ve tried behaviour spray (I swear she’s now immune…) double sided tape, foil, a loud noise, orange peels - none of that tends to work. I tried the ignoring method and that doesn’t work, she’s kept going and caused quite a bit of damage. I tried to train her to come to me and sit, which backfired - she now does the behaviour for a few seconds and then comes and sit next to me. I do resort to putting her in a “time out” inside her carry case (it’s out all the time, she’s very used to it being around, makes vet visits so much easier!) for 10 minutes, but it’s honestly impossible to just sit in my living room and watch TV. Really unsure what’s going on here, unless it’s a case I’m still providing her with attention by reacting!
I’m also having an issue managing behaviour in regards to biting. Especially when she comes for a cuddle - recently, I’m lucky to get one minute of cuddles before she goes into hunt / play mode. In fairness, I probably overstimulate as she adores her chin scratches - but she bites hard enough to leave dents, seemingly suddenly too. There’s often no warning - she’s leaning into the scratches or pets, then bam. I’ve tried making loud noises (mostly a loud “ouch!”) but she’s unphased. I immediately re-direct her attention to a toy to make her let go, but it’s getting to the point where it’s happening more often than not - breaking the skin by doing bunny kicks on my arm and things like that.
Any advice and I will be very appreciative! I’m aware that I may be making some mistakes and I would really appreciate some guidance please. Eager to learn! I’m also hoping she’ll mellow out a bit as she gets older. I am open to any suggestions - I am very much considering a friend for her, but this will probably happen in November - financially tight at the moment and aiming for a new job before considering bringing a friend in, I want to make sure I can support two. Sorry for the long winded post!
I’m having a bit of difficulty managing my cat Morgana’s behaviour. Morgana is my first cat so I’m very aware that mistakes might be being made. I’m very eager to learn and I was hoping you guys who have a lot more knowledge than me could shed some light! I’m sorry if this gets long.
Morgana is a 1 Year Old Ragdoll x British Shorthair Mix, naughty tortie! she turned 1 in April. Still a baby really! At the time, I wasn’t aware that it’s better to get two kittens rather than one. I am considering another cat as it’s just me and Morgana at home (and some guinea pigs, but they’re kept in a separate room she doesn’t have access to!) So I do worry some of it is because I work the typical 9-5 Monday to Friday. I aim to play with her for at least an hour a day, she is extremely high energy and can chase her Da Bird for hours on end (that’s her favourite!). Her favourites are absolutely wand toys. I’ve tried a bunch of interactive toys (floppy fish, chasing laser pointer on wheels, ball circuit, tunnels) but at least when i’m home, she doesn’t appear too interested. She also adores those little balls with bells inside, I think there’s at least 20 under my sofa! I know she definitely plays while I’m out.
The main issues I’m having at the moment is behaviour only specific to when i’m watching TV / playing on the PS5. She used to scale the TV and cause absolute mayhem - I used to watch a show and be constantly waving her toy around (this is after playing for 30 minutes prior to turning it on!) thankfully, most of that behaviour has stopped, but she’s now opted to tearing the carpet. She doesn’t do this behaviour when I’m out, or when I’m in any other room. She has access to a higher window and a cat tree within that room, this room is where the vast majority of her toys are. I’ve tried behaviour spray (I swear she’s now immune…) double sided tape, foil, a loud noise, orange peels - none of that tends to work. I tried the ignoring method and that doesn’t work, she’s kept going and caused quite a bit of damage. I tried to train her to come to me and sit, which backfired - she now does the behaviour for a few seconds and then comes and sit next to me. I do resort to putting her in a “time out” inside her carry case (it’s out all the time, she’s very used to it being around, makes vet visits so much easier!) for 10 minutes, but it’s honestly impossible to just sit in my living room and watch TV. Really unsure what’s going on here, unless it’s a case I’m still providing her with attention by reacting!
I’m also having an issue managing behaviour in regards to biting. Especially when she comes for a cuddle - recently, I’m lucky to get one minute of cuddles before she goes into hunt / play mode. In fairness, I probably overstimulate as she adores her chin scratches - but she bites hard enough to leave dents, seemingly suddenly too. There’s often no warning - she’s leaning into the scratches or pets, then bam. I’ve tried making loud noises (mostly a loud “ouch!”) but she’s unphased. I immediately re-direct her attention to a toy to make her let go, but it’s getting to the point where it’s happening more often than not - breaking the skin by doing bunny kicks on my arm and things like that.
Any advice and I will be very appreciative! I’m aware that I may be making some mistakes and I would really appreciate some guidance please. Eager to learn! I’m also hoping she’ll mellow out a bit as she gets older. I am open to any suggestions - I am very much considering a friend for her, but this will probably happen in November - financially tight at the moment and aiming for a new job before considering bringing a friend in, I want to make sure I can support two. Sorry for the long winded post!