My Two Cats Like To Jump And Do Damage.

[reddice]

I love them but my Grandmother gets frustrated saying she is going to get rid of them. They are going to be 8 months old in a few days.

My one cat Sandy keeps trying to jump on the curtains and the shades scratching them up. I try to stop him but he keeps doing it. Also since he gets along with his brother Gray so great he will sometimes copy what Gray does.

My other cat Gray is worse. He jumps on counters knocking things down. He will keep going on a high peace of furniture. No matter how many times I take him down he will just go back up there again. They also both ruined my Grandmothers plants.

We tried to punish them by putting them in a box Sandy will listen more but Gray after he comes out will just do the same thing again. The worst behavior is early morning before and after being feed and after it gets dark when worse when we are going to sleep when we have to close the bedroom door to our rooms.

Then what I don't get after a while they are calm, sleepy and want to be cuddled.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Putting them in a box is not appropriate. What do you even mean by a box? Cats don’t really respond to punishment. It would be acceptable to put them in a safe rooms for some downtime when they get too wild.

How often do you play with them? They sound bored. They need to be played with until they are totally exhausted every day, especially before bed.

You can put double sided tape on areas you don’t want them to jump. It’s also highly recommended that you add areas that they can climb. A tall cat tree or a window sill that they can access work well.

They are young. You may need to move things off the counters for now.

Are they neutered?

How much, how often, and what do you feed them?

 

[reddice]

They are neutered. We feed them a half can for both in the morning and dry food for the rest of the day.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Can you tell us more about how you play with them? What you have done to make their space interesting?

And what do you mean by putting your cats in a box?

 

[reddice]

The box we put them in when they have to go to the vet.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Please don’t do that anymore. Try the advice above.

 

[Neo_23]

Yes, please don't put your cats in a box. If anything, it will just make them act out more and resent you.

 

[Summercats]

I agree, they will not understand why you are putting them in a box. Also climbing is natural for cats, give them a tall cat climbing structure or shelves for cats that attatch to walls, that they can sit and climb on.
Energetic is normal for young cats. Play with them with wand toys, balls etc. You can try a spray for the curtains but really they need some things they are allowed to climb on and scratching posts if you do not have any.

 

[reddice]

Will they calm down. They love me but my Grandmother gets frustrated. She puts them in the box when Gray is bad. It is the most hyper one. Yet they still sometimes sleep with my Grandmother.

 

[talkingpeanut]

You need to stop putting them in the box, and you need to give them an outlet for their energy. Putting them in the box is abuse.

Can you take some of the suggestions above?

 

[Neo_23]

Whenever they are being hyper and your grandmother gets upset, distract them and play with them. This is the best way to control their hyperactivity. I would also try to explain to your grandmother that putting them in a box will only make them act out more and that it is actually a form of animal abuse.

 

[danteshuman]

How about giving them a 5-15 minute time out in a bedroom instead of the box... if she absolutely MUST "punish" them. Punishing cats really doesn't work. Giving your cats healthy outlets & using deterrence/distraction works. (Sticky tape, cat trees, cat shelves, lots of playing & distraction ... "Oh you are eyeing the curtains, what is this I have here? A toy! Do you want to play? ")