help with my young kitten?

Question

ok my kitten is about 4 or 5 months old we got her right after she started eating dry food and have had her about 2 months, anyways she has all of a sudden started playing with the bathroom tissue, i mean she goes in there and tears the WHOLE roll of the thing and it is all over the house, what can i do to stop her from doing this?

this is driving me crazy she goes through almost 2 rolls aday and i have tried the water thing and she just stares at me and doesnt move, i have swatted her and she just sitts there what else can i do!!!

Answer 1

hey-dogs have masters cats have servants-wait till she puzzles out the tissue box for the first time-lol-she is playing either keep out of reach or teach her no-cats arent stupid just most of the time they choose not to listen-but they can learn anything you want-keep the peace old hippie here

Answer 2

This is a very frustrating problem, and I certainly understand your frustration. Not only is it a huge mess, but it can add up cost wise over time.

I've very doubtful that there's any connection between the transition to dry food and her sudden interest in bathroom tissue. The four to five month mark is a time of increasing exploration and play for kittens, so while it's very annoying, she's exhibiting very normal behaviors.

A lot of the recommendations above are telling you to spray the kitten with a water bottle, but unfortunately, that won't work in this situation. Why? She'll learn to avoid the toilet paper, but only when you're there to correct her! There are a few remote-punishment devices you can buy from pet stores. Most of them are equipped with motion detectors that emit a noise or spray deterrent that correct the kitty when you're not there. Set it up near the toilet paper, and when she approaches to scratch, she'll be corrected right away. If you're worried about a spray irritating her eyes or nose, there are some products that use compressed air without additives. The one I'm most familiar with is called SssCat.

Increasing her play and interaction with more appropriate toys may also help to siphon off some excess energy and keep her from destroying things she shouldn't. Battery-operated rolling toys and general play with you are very helpful for keeping her out of trouble, and will also help maintain her social skills!

Good luck with your kitten!

Answer 3

As a "mommy" to more than my fair share of the feline persuasion, I can only offer up this advice:

1) Keep the TP in a basket, or in a drawer by the toilet, etc.

2) Keep the cardboard rolls themselves, and give that to the kitty to play with. Sometimes, they just want to rip something up, and it's easier to pick up some pieces of cardboard than a whole roll of TP.

3) I've also found that getting a dangling toy works wonders. Cats are obsessed with TP because it just hangs there, begging to be ripped apart. I got a cat toy that looks like a piece of rug with a hanging feather, and a loop to hang it on a door handle. I would much rather have my cats "flying off the handle" than tearing up the paper.

4) Try going to Wal-Mart (or something) and grabbing the mice toys (the little hairy ones). Sometimes all it takes is getting their attention off the TP and onto something else.

To be honest, I've found that "cat correction" really doesn't work. Cats know EXACTLY what they are doing. Ever look at a cat that's sitting on the kitchen table? Oh yeah ... they know that they are doing something they shouldn't be doing. I've learned that it's a better bet to try to get their attention onto something else, instead.

Answer 4

First off once they start shredding toilet paper or tissues there is no way to stop them. I know because I've had a few cats of my own that did that. You need to keep the bathroom door shut at all times and if you have tissues in the house then you need to put them in a cabinet or on something that the cat can't reach. Good luck with this problem, I feel for you. One of the reasons they do that is because they are bored or just mad at you because you left them alone for to long.

Answer 5

first of all, you need to let her know that this is wrong. you can do this by scolding her in a firm voice. If you catch while she tears up the roll, spray her with some water. When you go into the bathroom and its already teared up, get the kitten and show her what she did and scold. You also could try spraying vinegar around the area for the first week of training so she doesnt go near it! Good luck and i hope you can get your kitten to stop her habbit!

Answer 6

you're gonna have to keep your tp some where else!kittens are very curious and can entertain them selves for hours.
put an empty box in the middle of the room, or a paper bag and sit back and watch the show. they are so funny!! but will get into anything they can...& go up the curtains...
for now the best thing is to put up the tp and glue down your knickknacks.
she'll tear through your house like a whirlwind and then sleep for hours.
I have a friend who's cat steals loaves of bread.
but it's the funniest thing you'd ever see
what's he gonna do make a sandwhich??

Answer 7

1. Keep the bathroom door closed.
2. Get a spray bottle and lightly spray her when she plays with the tissue. Try to stay out of sight so that she associate the spray with the tissue and not you.

Answer 8

She's just playing. Squirt her with water whenever you catch her doing it so she'll eventually learn that that's something she CAN'T play with. Make sure she has lots of her own toys, and encourage her to play with those.

(PS: Only squirt her when she's actually in the process of doing something bad. If you come home and it's already done, squirting her won't do anything because she would have already completely forgotten what she did and it won't teach her anything.) Good luck!!!

Answer 9

This works for every behavior that you want to suppress.

When she starts doing it, say, "no," in a normal tone of voice. If she continues doing it, say, "no," normally a second and third time.

If she continues doing it after the third "no," pick her up and distract her with a toy or whatever.

Before long, she will learn that "no" means, "stop doing this and do something else" and most times, she will.

Answer 10

the only answer I can give is keep the toilet paper out of her reach that is what i have learned in my experience through fostering kittens cause the love to tear things up and playing with it

Answer 11

I've found that the best way to train a cat is to squirt them with a bottle of water when they are doing something you don't want them to do. It's always worked for me!