Hey, haven't posted in a while. So I adopted a new kitten so that Shami could have a buddy. They get along well and all, but this guy was about 99% stray when I first brought him in. Took him a while to use the litterbox, likes to knock over the garbage can and rummage through the trash (I thought that was a dog thing), and the most troubling thing is that he will eat everything and anything that's remotely edible. On top of that, he'll eat himself sick, literally, till he pukes. He's on the thinner side, but you'd never guess how much he eats just by looking at his physique.
He also gets extremely aggressive when he eats. Growls, hisses, swats, bites, if there's food around he'll be growling. He loves canned food, but I dare not bring any of it home anymore because someone will get hurt seriously. Made that mistake twice already. Tried hand feeding him treats thinking maybe he'll calm down if I give him morsels of food at a time, almost lost a few fingers.
I got him to the point where I can sort of feed him and Shami in the same room without someone losing an eye, though he wolfs down his food and comes over and chases Shami away and eats all his food. Not that I mind since I'm trying to get Shami to lose weight, but it's another worrying behavior.
Now... the kitchen counter. I can't keep this guy off it. I keep it spotlessly clean because he keeps jumping on top of it and licking every single surface for whatever grease, oil droplet, or crumb there's left on it. He particularly likes the stove which is what worries me the most. I have an electric stove so the elements stay burning hot for a while after they've been turned off and although he's grazed a paw and got slightly singed twice, he just doesn't get it and will immediately jump on the stove and start licking the moment I turn my back.
I've tried just about everything but putting an electric fence around the kitchen. Yelling, squirting, splashing a bucket of water, tape traps, foil traps, water tray traps, mouse traps turned upside down, those proximity spray traps, ultrasonic thingies, electric shock mats, bitter sprays, red pepper powder (which he'll eat btw, and get sick after), carpet runners turned upside down, and some others I can't remember it's been so long. Anything that smells edible to you or me attracts him, including any fruit (orange, lemon included). He's not interested in the cat tree, even when I stash treats up there, Shami finds it first and gobbles it all up. So now I just wait there till the stove cools off before I walk off.
Now I understand this kitchen counter thing is probably caused by his eating thing. What do I do to get this guy to chill out? It's weird that he's generally a pretty nice guy, he'll hang out on my lap, likes attention, but if there's food around he does a complete Jekyll and Hyde thing.
He also gets extremely aggressive when he eats. Growls, hisses, swats, bites, if there's food around he'll be growling. He loves canned food, but I dare not bring any of it home anymore because someone will get hurt seriously. Made that mistake twice already. Tried hand feeding him treats thinking maybe he'll calm down if I give him morsels of food at a time, almost lost a few fingers.
I got him to the point where I can sort of feed him and Shami in the same room without someone losing an eye, though he wolfs down his food and comes over and chases Shami away and eats all his food. Not that I mind since I'm trying to get Shami to lose weight, but it's another worrying behavior.
Now... the kitchen counter. I can't keep this guy off it. I keep it spotlessly clean because he keeps jumping on top of it and licking every single surface for whatever grease, oil droplet, or crumb there's left on it. He particularly likes the stove which is what worries me the most. I have an electric stove so the elements stay burning hot for a while after they've been turned off and although he's grazed a paw and got slightly singed twice, he just doesn't get it and will immediately jump on the stove and start licking the moment I turn my back.
I've tried just about everything but putting an electric fence around the kitchen. Yelling, squirting, splashing a bucket of water, tape traps, foil traps, water tray traps, mouse traps turned upside down, those proximity spray traps, ultrasonic thingies, electric shock mats, bitter sprays, red pepper powder (which he'll eat btw, and get sick after), carpet runners turned upside down, and some others I can't remember it's been so long. Anything that smells edible to you or me attracts him, including any fruit (orange, lemon included). He's not interested in the cat tree, even when I stash treats up there, Shami finds it first and gobbles it all up. So now I just wait there till the stove cools off before I walk off.
Now I understand this kitchen counter thing is probably caused by his eating thing. What do I do to get this guy to chill out? It's weird that he's generally a pretty nice guy, he'll hang out on my lap, likes attention, but if there's food around he does a complete Jekyll and Hyde thing.