My Cat Is Destroying Things!

[Sophie87]

Hi there,

I've 2 female cats, both spayed, but my youngest, Kiara (a 1 year old bengal/savannah) started REALLY misbehaving this week, and she's driving me crazy!!

I started closing my bedroom everyday when I go to work because one day I got home and my curtains were ripped, as I didn't know who did it I banned them both from my room while I'm not home. This Monday I got home, went upstairs, opened my room and left, 10 minutes later I came back to my room, and what did I find? Kiara pulling, biting and scratching my fitted sheet, I told her no, took her out of my room and when I checked the sheet it was destroyed, the pillowcase was torn too, I had to hand stitch both (I'm not throwing away 100% pretty cotton sheets), and even had to patch it in a couple of spots due to the harm she did... she obviously got banned from my bedroom, and was sitting right outside my opened door meowing at me while I was sewing, but she didn't come inside. I changed my sheets and last night while I was removing my makeup she started doing the same with the clean set!!! I kicked her out of my room again, and in the am while I was showering I kept the door closed to avoid any issues, but while I was getting ready and my older cat, Ariel, was there with me I heard a loud noise, so I went downstairs, and oh boy, one of my plants was upside down on the couch! She pushed the pot from the counter and was there staring at her mess!

What can I do!? I'm worried as this isn't usual, I've always praised my cats for being well-behaved, for not scratching on the furnitures, they have toys, balls, a scratching post, wands, I pay attention to them, I allow them to sleep with me, I'm not an absent "mom"...

I moved on March to this house but I don't think this has anything to do with it (although they both decided to destroy a couch that belongs to my roomie, and I need to upholster it) and now I can't stop thinking I'll get back from work today and find something else destroyed, any advice? HELP!

PS: I trim their nails every 2-3 weeks, and I just did it this Saturday

 

[ArtNJ]

Pretty common for young cats to climb curtains, have had that myself with more than one cat, all I do is a loud No! take them off and ignore them, has always worked after a time or two, but I've not yet heard of a cat ripping sheets and pillow cases. Very bad dog like! Still, she is almost certainly just bored. People with only one cat have this idea that a second cat magically solves boredom ... people with two know better! Could try boredom reducers like leaving the TV or computer on with cat programming or those battery powered motion toys, food toys, etc. I'm not expert on those so maybe someone else can suggest specific products. Apart from that, maybe try nail caps? They are a PITA, but since you are already able to handle your cat's nails, you might not find them as much of a hassle as I did -- still they come off prematurely a lot.

You might get a suggestion for a vet visit just in case, but personally I wouldn't go for a one year old acting like a destructive whirlwind because that is just so normal -- unless there are other things you are seeing, or you really feel strongly that it is like a switch flipped suddenly (which it sounds like you might).

 

[KarenKat]

I agree, sounds like a bored cat, and bored cats always misbehave. You say you have a scratching post, but I wonder if she requires more than that? I heard cats like to scratch both vertically AND horizontally, and bed sheets would definitely fit the bill. Can you get some of those cardboard scratchers and leave them around places? They are pretty cheap, and you can see if that helps. Maybe one or two more posts wouldn't hurt.

Do you play with Kiara interactively daily? I'd imagine a bengal/savannah would be very high energy, and may need more playtime with you than a regular cat. Interactive toys like Da Bird are great, and even laser pointers are good to get her really running and tired (I like to hide treats around for them to pounce on to avoid any frustration, and always end with a physical toy).

The only other thing I wonder is vertical space - does Kiara have a place to go to lord it over her mere mortals? Cat shelves or a nice big cat tree (especially facing a window) can really add some interest for her.

Good luck, it's always frustrating to come home to torn sheets and curtains, but it sounds like she is a pretty sweet kitty. Let us know how it's going, and we love pictures!

 

[Sophie87]

I have a laser pointer, but yeah, I'll definitely play more with her to get her tired, the thing here is this is new behavior, and she's done it while I'm away for a few minutes, with the exception of the plant, and the way she ripped the sheets was weird, she was laying on the bed and grabbing the edge of the mattress while kicking, scratching, pulling and bitting the sheet and the pillow, crazy cat, she's super sweet, and ever since she was spayed she's gotten super close to me, but this is just too much...

Here's a pic of the villain (a week after her surgery):

And another one just cause she's beautiful:

Thanks for the advice!

 

[KarenKat]

Oh, absolutely lovely! What a sweetfaced little terror.

The kicking and pulling sounds like play, Olive does that to our bathroom rug, I think she likes the material. Have you tried any of those catnip kicker toys, our guys love the Yowww! Catnip Bananas. Maybe a few kicker toys filled with catnip will be more attractive than your nice bedsheets.

There are also rug toys that are supposed to be very fun: Home

 

[tecetyeintyale]

Such a cutie! I agree that it sounds like boredom, so maybe try to up your daily play time with her or try some new types of toys, as others have suggested. But I specifically wanted to comment on the sheets because one of mine LOVES to play with my bedsheets, and I've always been surprised by it because I've never heard of it with other cats! Mine isn't destructive with them like yours has been (lucky for me), but there's just something about them that she really likes. She hops up on my bed every morning when I'm getting dressed and waits for me to lift up the flat sheet so she can run underneath it and zoom around LOL. And ocassionally when she's really energetic she'll go nuts trying to worm her way underneath the fitted sheet!

I don't really want her playing with the sheets when I'm not around though, because even though she's not intentionally destructive with them, she has put a couple of claw holes in them when she's gotten really excited. Because of this, I make sure that whenever I'm not in my bed, I pull my comforter up over the top of my sheets so the sheets are covered. If you don't use a comforter, maybe you can cover the bed with a spare blanket during the day. If you're not already doing this, it might at least help protect your sheets while you're working on getting this figured out.

 

[JennKitty]

Savannah cats are usually very misbehaving cats and very naughty. It is very normal for one to be acting evil. She might be acting crazy because maybe something changed about you (you start wearing a different type of perfume, etc..) It also may be because something changed in the house! Do you have any catnip in your house or in the backyard? Cats get CRAAZZYYYY when they smell catnip! Well, good luck with the devil >

 

[jen]

Sounds typical for the age and breeds. When you get a breed (not to mention the mix of two of these breeds) that are known for their high level of activity, high intelligence and curiosity, and need for environmental stimulation... you need a LOT of time, energy, and patience to live with them. More power to you, I don't know that I could ever have the ability to tolerate that kind of activity level. I prefer lazy lap cats.

Your cat is bored out of its mind and is looking for something interesting and fun to do. It isn't misbehaving for any other reason then it is BORED. It is up to you as the owner of this more difficult breed to stimulate the cat and tire it out and to make its life more interesting. Have you considered a harness and leash to go for walks outside??

 

[danteshuman]

I'm glad savannah cats high energy level were already mentioned. It sounds like you have a bored cat. A bored cat is a destructive cat! A bored savannah?!?!? Horror stories are written about those!

So I would suggest all the vertical space you can make/afford. Savannahs are climbers by nature, they need to be up high. I would also suggest to start harness training your promblem chewer/curtain climber. Hopefully she will be stimulated from a nice hour outside. If you can a catio or even a window catio would be great!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I think my response might be somewhere in between KarenKat's in post #3 and jen's in post #8! It takes a lot of effort and patience and knowhow to handle the exotic breeds of cats... not to mention a bengalXsavannah. Yikes!

I might be leery of trying to train your cat to do "Walkies" on a harness & leash, though. It could be a positive idea but, in my opinion, that might make for a fierce "door darter" when the walks aren't actually in progress, with the cat always trying to get outside once the outdoors has been "experienced".
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Maybe building a fair-sized outdoor pen or type of catio would work out better. That would give a bit more structure and you could regulate the outdoor experiences.

Such a beautiful cat! Love the photos.

 

[rubysmama]

What a gorgeous little "villain". Sorry, though, that she's becoming destructive. Here are some TCS articles that might have some tips for you.

How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat
Cats And Discipline Don't Mix
How To Stop Your Cat From Scratching The Furniture

Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know
Bored Cat? What Cat Owners Need To Know (including 10 Actionable Tips)

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)