At my wit's end, should I get rid of my cat?

Question

I have a cat that is about 4 years old. I got him when he was a kitten. He has been destructive since day one. Everyone said, "He's a kitten, he'll grow out of it"...but that still has not happened. To this day, he has destroyed my new furniture and my apartment and has cost me so much money in damages. I woke up this morning and my kitchen walls were ripped to shreds. I love him so much, but can't take this anymore...can't afford to keep paying for the damages he causes. IM AT MY WITS END!!!

To answer most of your questions: Yes, he is neutered. I also have tried the soft claws and he keeps chewing them off. I bought a scratching post...instead of scratching it, he chewed it up and there were a million little particles everywhere that I had to clean. Looks like my only options are declawing him or giving him up, which I was really trying to avoid.

Answer 1

I'm guessing he's an indoor only cat and it sounds like he's suffering from boredom. If he hasn't been neutered, then get him done a.s.a.p.

If you can afford it, adopt a companion cat for him. Your cat is still young and has lots of energy that needs to be burnt off. If he has no access to a garden, this is why he's tearing your home apart. Another cat would give him someone to play with and would stop him getting bored. This solution worked for me. I've posted a link below on how best to introduce a new cat if you decide to go for this option.

http://www.tulsa-animalshelter.org/tips/intro%20cat.htm

Failing that, make sure he has lot of toys and games to keep him active and mentally stimulated. Set aside some time each day to play games with him. If his attention is focused elsewhere, he won't feel the need to go looking for something to do. The link below is full of suggestions on how you can keep your indoor cat happy.

http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20problems/cats/indoor.html

I understand your frustration, but please don't give up on him without trying out some of the behavioural advice that myself and other people have given you.

Edit
If you're complaining about having to clean up the mess he made when he shredded his scratching post, then I suggest you find him another home. Declawing him might prevent any damage to your possessions, but it won't solve the root cause of the problem which is that he is bored. Do people honestly believe that a cat thinks "I've got claws, so I'll be naughty"? If you lived in Europe you wouldn't even be allowed to consider declawing because it's illegal for cruelty reasons.

Answer 2

most of your problems will be fixed once he's fixed. clip his claws and get the sticky pads for furniture to stop him from clawing. get a scratching post. get a squirt bottle w/ water and spray him when he jumps up on stuff but don't let him see you do it. the sticky mats will work really well for tables and counters. my guess w/ the bathroom is it's his and he doesn't want someone in there. 2 of my cats hate plastic bags. the plunger and broom sorry but thats funny and chances are you won't change them. every cat has fears! the toys, get the very small mice a cat fav! also try a small tub of catnip, rub the toys in it and dust it off. like kids some toys just don't interest them. you must care somewhat for this cat or you would have got rid of him long ago. if he still drives you nuts after being fixed, make sure you let the new owners know. if not he may end up in a home w/ someone that can't handle it. then he will either be abused or kicked outside.

Answer 3

Spray him with a spraying can when you ctch him.
Get him a scratching post or two and every time he begins to scratch elsewhere just pick him up and put him at the post. Put it where he likes to scratch, pick any place.

When you catch him say "No" in a firm voice but don't use the cat's name or there'll be a bad association with that.
Also use tinfoil or double-sided tape to deter him, as well as strong citrus-smelling oils which they despise to make him avoid areas.

Run catnip over the posts. Also get a piece of carpeting and put it under the foot of something he scratches, and do the same, every time he wants to scratch something, just put him down there (rub catnip on it too). The more places he has the less chance he'll do it where you don't want him to.

You could also try clipping his claws (NOT DECLAWING) your vet can show you how to do it quickly and painlessly. Declawing is not necessary and more often than not causes more problems, aggression, etc.
Teach your cat, it's simple. Just keep at it. Cats aren't stupid so there is NO need to maim something that looks to you for protection. I realise you are really frustrated, by maiming the animal is NEVER the answer.

Answer 4

A playmate might help, two cats can entertain each other for hours playing together.

If your cat isn't neutered, he should be. Unneutered cats can get destructive when they hear other unneutered cats (females calling, males fighting, etc).

Cats like to scratch on rough surfaces. Give cats something sturdy that won't tip over, with a rough surface to scratch. A good scratching post or cat furniture must have rough surfaces to appeal to cats.

I've found that cats love the carpeted cat trees for climbing and scratching.

Another thing cats love is a tree stump with the bark left on it, mounted on a piece of wood or wide enough at the bottom that it can't easily tip over. Cats will choose something like that over furniture because they like the surface.

I also recently found a new toy at WalMart that my cats absolutely love to use for scratching. It is a circular toy with a ball that goes around a track at the outer edges. The middle contains a cardboard circle that is made of coils of cardboard. You put a bit of catnip around on the cardboard and the cat chases the ball tryingt o get it out of the track and also claws the cardboard. The rough surface of the cardboard appeals to the cats.
Replacement cardboard centers for the toy are available.
That toy was a very well spent ten dollars, and one cardboard center lasted a month in a household of 8 cats playing with it all the time!

I also trim the cats front claws regularly. This also helps minimize damage.

If all else fails, you can consider front declawing the cat. Front declawing is better than getting rid of the cat,. There is no reason to declaw a cat on the back feet, cats don't sharpen their back claws (back claws get worn down naturally through contact with the rough surface of kitty litter, etc)

Answer 5

Your kitty sounds like he may be a little stressed out. First and foremost, do NOT declaw him. It is very inhumane and can cause lifelong pain to your kitty. (Look at the ASPCA website for information on that). Has he been neutered? That may help calm him down a bit. Then, do you have scratching poles for him? Or better still, there are corrugated paper scratching boxes you can put on the floor. You can get them at PetsMart, Trader Joes and other places. My cats love those because they come with catnip to sprinkle across the top. They're cheap - less than $10 and last a long time.

Cats need to scratch on something to keep their nails in good shape and it also emits a feel-good pheremone for them.

Do you have toys for him to play with? Does he really want to go outside? If you're in a safe neighborhood and he's been neutered, you could let him out during the day, as long as he has a safe place to go if he needs it (can you install a kitty door or is there a garage that he could get into if he needs to run from something?) Defnitely get him neutered if he's not already. That can help with the aggressive behavior and keep the unwanted cat population down.

I had a life-long battle with one of my cats who always scratched one of my chairs. I think mostly he was playing and trying to drive me crazy. There is a clear, double-sided tape you can get to apply to the corners of chairs that does work. They don't like the sticky feeling of the tape. That actually helped with his behavior.

It's not one of my favorite things because it is on the cruel side, to my way of thinking, but you could try a spray bottle of water - gently spraying him when he starts doing something desctructive. I have found, however, that makes my cat afraid of me and can backfire and make them act out in other ways.

In all my years of cat ownership, I have found I am a lot happier if I can adjust to their behavior as much as possible - no long drapes, etc. Having cats is just like having kids - you have to adapt!

Good luck.

Answer 6

Try smallbreed dog booties. Don't know where you can get them, but you can probably get snapping ones, so he can't pull them off. You might also try spraying pepperwater or citrus juice on his favorite places, he'll get it on his paws and the they will taste bad when he grooms them. If you can't or won't do either, find a home for him your self, don't trust him to the pound at that age. Even some "no-kill" shelters will turn cats over to pounds if they can't find a home for them soon enough, especially a problem cat. Also try the things others here have suggested, such as toys or a playmate.

Answer 7

is it neutered? have you trained him? (yes, cats can be trained).

as for the scratches, buy Softpaws. they are tiny caps that you glue onto the cats claws so he cant do any damage.

get him a scratchpole and spray it with cat nip.. get him lots of toys.

animals are for life. if you are having a problem with one, find out how to fix it - dont just get rid of the animal.

do NOT declaw your cat!! it will cause permanent other problems. to declaw the last bone of each toe has to be amputated - this causes permanent problems with balance, gait, muscles and ligaments as well as spine problems. it also causes toileting problems. cats claws are not like fingernails.
.

Answer 8

Does your cat have a scratching post? Cats have an instinctive need to scratch something, and it's better that the need is satisfied by a scratching post (available from most pet shops) than your sofa.

If you already have a scratching post, try rubbing it with catnip to attract the cat to it rather than your furntiure.

Answer 9

If he is scratching things up, haveyou thought at getting soft claws, they are caps for cat nails, or declawing, if you are up to that. Get him a friend, spend more time with him, There are tons of things you can do.

Answer 10

If you don't want to get rid of him, have him neutered and declawed. I had to do that with my kids' cat, and it stopped all of the destructive problems. The cat still tries to claw at walls and furniture, but is unable to do any damage now. Four is pretty old, chances are it is not something he is going to grow out of anytime soon.