Why Do Cats Shred Paper?

Question

I hve cat that we have had since he was a kitten, but he started his life on his own outside as a feral kitten. We have had him for about 8 months. We have had him neutered and gotten him more used to us. However, he feels this need to shred every piece of paper in the house. He only shredded the toilet paper once, but our door is shut more often than its open. He will shred a napkin or paper towel in a minute. But has now also come to shred regular paper documents, and important ones to, like the bills. Can anyone give me some insight into the reason for this behavior, as well as any suggestions to deter this kind of behavior? The paper towels were one thing, but important documents are another.

Answer 1

My kitten is about four months old and I found him as a stray in a sleet storm about 2 months ago. He does the same thing. He has issues with paper. I was told it is there natural instinct to shred & claw. Its natures way of sharpening their claws ! Just watch out for the furniture. lol

Answer 2

Cat Shredding Paper

Answer 3

Ha ha ha ha... naughty kitty! The reason why your cat shreds paper is:
1. He discovered that he can do so
2. He discovered that it is FUN to do so
3. Its the thing he does when he is bored (bored cats become destructive cats)

Here's what cat behavioralists recommend about toilet-paper shredding:

Five ways to prevent cats from playing with toilet paper:
1. Hang the roll so that the paper hangs down between the roll and the wall rather than over the top of the roll.
If the cat knows how to roll it either way, then you can get a cover that rests on top of the toilet paper and this will work. 2. You can make your own by taking the cardboard core from an empty roll and slitting it lengthwise and fitting it over the roll.
3. You can balance a small paper cup full of water on top of the roll.
4. Instead of a cup of water, try an aluminum can with pennies.
5. If you are unwilling or unable to use the cover, then close the door to the bathroom.

As to shredding importnat documanet, I strongly recommend that you keep such papers safe in a drawer or a box where the cat cannot get to them. Seriously... even if your cat has been "weaned" from his pepr-shredding "thing" there is no telling when he might want to shred paper agains "just for the heck of it."

One last note: give your cat plenty of toys to play with and regular times of play with you so he does not get bored. There are many things you can do and provide to enrich his life indoors so he does not become bored and destructive.

Answer 4

About the only thing you can do is remove all opportunities for her to shred paper. Or, you can do as we did. Spread a bunch of newspapers on the floor and let her have a go at them. Give her all the time she needs until you feel she might have gotten it out of her system. Then gather up all the shredded paper and toss it away. I doubt if this will work at all because it didn't work for our cat who I believe may be crazy but the cat has one hellava good time and is pretty fun to watch as she comes tearing through the house and jumps into the middle of all those papers making the confetti fly.

Answer 5

I get the sense here that your semi-feral cat really does not want to be an indoor kitty.
If you take away the paper, which actually is fairly simple to do, he is most likely going to find something else to destroy. He is a feral cat.
There is not a good track record for feral cats ever becoming good indoor pet cats.

Check this website for tips on how to train your feral cat.
Good luck. You are going to need it.

http://www.savesamoa.org/html/feral_cats.html

Answer 6

It is fun to them! My cats are soo happy when they are shredding paper. They love the noise it makes, they love knowing they are destroying something, they love how it feels when their claw rip through the little pieces. It is a fun activity for a lot of cats.

Since your cat seems to do it to the extreme, you'll just have to be careful about keeping important things out of his reach. If you can, leave some newspaper out just for him entertainment.

If you really want to kill all the kitty's fun, then keep a spray bottle around at all times. Everytime he starts to do it, spray him with water. He'll get the idea eventually.

Answer 7

I am thinking you should keep the important paper out of the cats reach. Do you have a scratching post for your cat? If not get one. Cats have been also known to destroy furniture. It may be a good idea to have your cat check by a vet.

Answer 8

Sometimes cats just get bored and a lot of times they just LOOOVE to scratch things. Try getting your kitty a scratching post and some catnip toys, this should distract her and put her claws to use elsewhere. If you want get him declawed in the front paws only, thats what we did with our cats and they dont scratch people or things-- yet they can still hold there ground if they somehow get in a fight (since they fight with their back claws) and they can still scratch themselves if they have an itch! It doesnt hurt not having then, in fact most people do it.

Answer 9

when you see the cat with paper get its attention...maybe if you can go to the pet store buy a pole scratch. cats adore them if that dosent work take it to the vet see whats wrong if nothings wrong you should check and see how she/he reacts to paper AFTER you buy a pole scratcher

Answer 10

Because they get bored and it is FUN, provide your cat with "acceptable toys" to play with. Cats, like dogs and any other intelligent animal such as birds, need to entertain and stimulate themselves and their brains!