Help! My cat is destroying my life!?

Question

I have two cats that are 9 months old, a male and a female. The male is driving me nuts! He has become very needy and he sheds like crazy! He wants to sleep with us at night and when I shut the door to go to bed, he tries to get in. We recently put up a baby gate because the door is a bi-fold. He would ram it and whine until we let him in. We let him sleep with us the past two nights and he and the female keep me up all night! I don't know what to do. My fiance sleeps through it all and I'm the one who doesn't get any sleep. His hair is becoming a problem because it's all over my kitchen. I find him on my counters, on top of my fridge, on the table, and on top of my cabinets! I don't like eating hair so I scrubbed the kitchen and when I was done, I found more hair! I've tried everything. I don't know what to do. This cat is causing problems between me and my fiance and I'm ready to leave because I just can't take it anymore. This problem has been going on too long. Any advice?

Answer 1

Well its good you can see his hair before you eat it.

Just think of everything your body is shedding that you don't see before you eat it. You will be in surgical scrubs to eat if you knew.

Answer 2

Some discipline is badly needed. No jumping on counters for one, keep it out of the kitchen. When it does somehting you dislike, a stern NO along with a squirt of water will soon get the message accross.
As for the whining at night, I am sure you have a room further away, set it up as the cat's room, at night in they go and close the door. Open it up the next morning. It seems hard but it's the only way. In the meantime use earplugs.
The shedding can be made easier for everyone if you groom the cats daily. They are still young, you can't expect old age behaviour from them. Removing one would just cause depression in the other, having two can make your life a lot easier.
Pets are for life - if him having pets are a problem, you should consider someone who dislikes cats, perhaps?

Answer 3

I'm not sure what to do about the hair. Shedding is a fact of life with cats, for the most part. You can buy him anti-hairball food, which limits the shedding some, but that only works a little.

Regarding the door, however, there is an easy way to get the cat to stop. First of all, stop giving in. The moment you give in, you basically give him the green light to keep going. Sleep with the door shut. When he tries to get in, open the door and squirt him in the face with a squirt gun. Doesn't hurt him, and odds are he'll hate it. Keep doing it until he stops. You might have to put up with some inconvenience for a couple of days, but it likely won't take much more than that.

Answer 4

Sometimes, if a cat is acting needy, it means that it is sick or in pain. You may want to take him to the vet. Also, you should think very hard before you get rid of him; after all, you chose to take responsibility for him when you got him.

However, it does sound like it is becoming a major problem between you and your fiance, and people always come before animals. There are probably lots of shelters in your area that take cats, in addition to the local humane society. You should look into them and try to get him placed with an organization that will look for a suitable owner.

Old ladies can often put up with cat behaviors that drive the rest of us nuts. :)

Answer 5

The easiest way to train a cat to keep off counter tops and tables is to use a spray bottle with water in it. The kind you can adjust the spay so you can spray a long distance if needed. Every time you see the cat on top of the counter/table, give him a squirt with the water bottle. It won't hurt him. Cats usually hate water. You can use it at your bedroom door also. It only takes a couple of days to train them.

As for the hair, you need to brush them daily to remove the hair they shed.

Answer 6

first off u need to lock the cat in a separate area at night and ignore him. headphones help alot.

2nd thing u can buy treats and food that will keep him from shedding if he is shedding as much as u claim then he may also be having an allergic reaction to something. i would ask a vet for help.
Also at 9 months old kittens become very needy bcz there hormones are kicking in. it really sounds like he just needs some serious obedience training i wish u luck! and i recommend putting him on some no shed food and consider getting the bottom layerof his hair de-shedded.

oh and its also possible he is jsut shedding his winter coat it takes awhile i would just keep lots of lint rollers but its really silly to let somethign this minor cause problems between u and the one u love.

Answer 7

Kittens tend to be like that. I have 2 kittens myself. My 8 month old sheds like crazy, but HAS to sleep with me every night. When my 8 month old jumps on me, my 5 month old will do the same thing. When I go to sleep my 8 month old will nudge his head into my neck and my 5 month old will wrap his body around my neck. If I go into my bedroom and close the door they will both sit and whine and meow until I let them in. No matter how much they annoy me, I love my little guys. If it is a big problem for you, then find them a loving home and give them away.

Answer 8

Some cats are just needy. One of my cats (a 1 year old male) crys when I'm not near him but immediately calms down and runs to me when I say his name. He insists on sleeping in the same bed with me and stomps down the hallway when he doesn't get his way. Its just something you have to put up with.

You could brush his fur to remove any excess fur, which will lessen his shedding.

It just sounds like to me you aren't a cat person. You should leave so he can find someone who is.

Answer 9

Well, as far as the getting on cabinets and things like that, they have strips you can lay down that will give the cat a little shock if it tries to get up there. If you can catch him in the act, get a can (soda can) and when it's empty fill it with some change and tape up the whole. When you see him doing something bad shake the can at him. It's not a very pleasant sound but it works. It's the only thing I could get to work against my kitten. When he whines at night, shake the can at him. Don't give in either. He knows you give in so he's not stopping. It might take a few times but it will start to get better. I think they sell the electric strips at pet stores but they probably sell them at this site too: www.drfostersmith.com . If you don't want to spend the money you could try that double sided tape too. His paws will get stuck to it when he jumps on the counter and it will probably scare him a little b/c he won't know what it is......Good luck!!!

Answer 10

it sounds like you need to train your cats. have a few spray bottles around your house. when you find a cat in a place that it should not be, spray them with a little water.

as for problems with shedding, once the cats learn to stay off of counters and tables, regular vaccuming will take care of most of the mess.

learning to sleep with cats can be difficult. if you are sleeping and your cat starts bothering you roll over and ignore him. it will take time but eventually he will learn to leave you alone at night.

i hope this is helpful.

Answer 11

Are these cats related? It might be time to either separate or remove one of them from your home. I have 3 - and at various times they become jealous of one another and then they start misbehaving. Are you paying more attention to one than the other? I definitely notice when I do. . .pet one more than the other, then I see footprints on my stove. Give one more food than the other - another one will go and gorge on anything left behind. . .they are like children. Do as to one as you will do to the other. Equal sharing time.

Regarding his fur, this IS the season to shed their winter coats. Try getting a slicker brush and both cats brush daily. This way they both get attention and you cleam em up too.

Good luck.