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We have had out cat since he was 9 weeks and since the day we brought him home he was a little chancer, always up to something, but 15 months down the line, hes a big cat and still acting as though hes only 9 weeks! he wakes us up in the middle of the night digging at our bedroom door (he is DEFINATELY not allowed in our bedroom at night due him jumping at your face etc), we cant lock him in a room at night as he digs up all carpets and lino, we try to ignore him but it gets worse. every day we come home and something is broken, or the hoover is out the cupboard or dishes on the floor. he gets alot of love from us and we play with him alot, so why is he being so badly behaved? we have tried spraying water on him, but he thinks its great, like a game as if your playing tag with him!!! ive tried putting him in the naughty room (our conservatory) but he just finds something else to do in there!!! please help!!! :(

2007-09-06 21:02:37 · 15 answers · asked by x 2 in Pets Cats

15 answers

He obviously loves you and wants to be close to you all the time. What's wrong with letting him sleep near you? that's beautiful, just take him off your face if he jumps near it, and be sure to clip his claws so he doesn't accidentally hurt you. He's extremely anxious and the more you keep him from you the worse it will get. They're just like children at that age and need that extra bonding time. Imagine a baby wanting to be with his mother when he feels alone, it's the same situation. Why not consider adopting another cat from a shelter or rescue. Even if he is getting love from you it's simply not enough, sorry.

Certainly get him fixed if he's not already fixed, this will also calm him down.

2007-09-06 21:12:24 · answer #1 · answered by ? 3 · 4 0

We had one that was hell on wheels till he turned 3 years old, I feel your pain.

You can look for a rambunctious kitten/young adult cat who can take his body slams and give back the same in play. You can spend more time with him getting him to chase stuff and burn off some of that energy. Don't let him think hands are play toys, use a Cat Dancer or Da Bird (feathers on a stick) to keep him moving at arm's length. You have to do something because he's active and intelligent and bored out of his skull right now.

Even a 'cat tv' might work--a mouse or hamster in a small glass cage with a top that can't be opened by a cat, to entertain him at night at least.

2007-09-07 14:12:41 · answer #2 · answered by Elaine M 7 · 1 0

You've had some really good advice from the others. I'd like to observe that he is evidently an indoor cat, and that therefore he has special needs. He is currently unable to exercise his tremendous natural feline senses and abilities, such as smelling the scents of other cats in the garden, marking his territory, digging in the dirt, stalking prey, socialising, and mating, amongst many others.

He is a very bored and lonely animal in a frustratingly sterile [for him] environment. If you don't make significant changes to his life he is only going to get more unhappy.

I googled "indoor cat" images and found lots of wonderful websites offering advice, books, and products to provide stimulation and happiness to indoor cats, such as http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20problems/cats/indoor.html

Why not get your beautiful puss some indoor cat furniture to climb on and scratch? You could set a small ledge into the wall where he could sit up high, feeling safe and in command of his territory. And most important, give him supervised access to the outdoors (ONLY in daylight hours). You could accustom him to wearing a cat collar and leash and take him for rambles in the garden. That way he would not get lost, or hurt any small creatures.

You are lucky he is so playful. My 6 year old Birman is beautiful and affectionate, but absolutely uninterested in playing. My son would LOVE her to play with him!

2007-09-07 05:09:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Cats don't understand the concept of 'naughty room' to him its just another place to play and explore!

At 15 months he is still young and by the sounds of things he hasn't got enough to stimulate him! If he is an indoor cat he needs loads of things to do! Try leaving a 'Treasure Hunt' of treats for him to find (where he can't break things of course!) and make sure you play with him a lot! Remote control toys are good for this if you just want to sit down when you get in!

He sounds to me like every cat I've ever had - full of life and mischief! He just needs to learn who is boss - my cats love it when my mum comes to stay because they know they can wake her up in the middle of the night and she will get up and feed them! They don't even try with me because they know its not going to happen - so if he digs at your door ignore him (difficult I know but if you tell him off you are still paying him attention which is what he wants!)

Good luck - and remember if all else fails he's growing up fast and will leave the kitten behaviour behind in the next year or so!!

2007-09-06 21:14:54 · answer #4 · answered by libbyft 5 · 3 0

Sounds like he needs some extra excersise to tire him out!
Perhaps u need to let him out more, or if he's a house cat, take him for a long walk daily.
Behaviour usually calms down with age, though.
You could also get him neutered, i've heard this helps behavioural problems in male cats.

2007-09-06 21:21:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

hi , your cat seems to be desperate for attention though he is getting a lot . due to the crepuscular nature of the cat , it tends to get actively playful resulting in damages . so inorder to draw the attention of the cat try dangling pieces of strings in various places of the house - which he cannot resist . also always keep a bowl of milk to his sight with a warm fluffy inviting pillow . unlike dogs , cats feels as the master so try placing an extra pillow on top of a shelf because height gives him sense of security and prestige . but make sure the pillow isn;t placed in extreme height to avoid the overconfident cat from "high rise syndrome" . cats are intelligent animals and can be trained - i'm sure with little more time your cat can be deciplined. DO NOT SPRAY WATER for most cats dislike water except the turkish van breed . good luck

2007-09-06 22:15:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Heheh :-D

Training a cat is like trying to train a one year old. Good luck with that!

First any punishment (water bottle, whatever) will only ever work if it is done immediately after or during the unwanted behavior and done every single time that behavior happens. Too long after (even a minute or two) and he has no clue why you're doing that. Are you really gonna get up and spray him every time he scratches at your door at night?

He's digging at your bed room door because he loves you and wants to be with you. A) you can't train him not to except by putting up with it until he learns that it will never get him anywhere. B) why would you want to train him to not want to love you and be with you?

Locking a cat in any room is also not ever going to get you anywhere. He is a cat. He wants to be everywhere. It is in his nature. His instinct is to protect himself by knowing what is going on everywhere at all times. Good luck fighting instinct.

Likewise they have no concept of a "naughty room." Even if they learn that they get put in there when they do something in particular they can still find something fun to do if only chase those imaginary bits of whatever they seem to find everywhere.

As for breaking things... Remember the comparison to a one year old? We baby-proof our homes so the baby won't break things and (worse) hurt him or herself in the process. We need to do the same for cats. If he can open cupboards then get baby locks for them. If it can be broken put it someplace he cannot get to or, if that's not possible, put it in storage or the trash.

Having a pet is a lot more responsibility than just feeding, water, and litter boxes. Your cat is not behaving badly by anything you have described. He is behaving like a cat. You need to reconsider what you want in a pet and how much you are willing to give to accept that animal as it is.

A lot of times the owners need to be trained. You need to learn not to let his scratching at the door bother you and keep you from sleeping. You need to learn not to leave things that can be broken where he can break them. You are the smart one, after all, the one that learns more easily.

2007-09-06 21:29:56 · answer #7 · answered by ophelliaz 4 · 3 1

remember he's still really a kitten and likes to play, he also likes to be with you. he probably just wants to be with you so why not let him, he's still very young and remember, cat's are eternal kittens.

try getting a play pen type of cage (like dog owners have for puppies) make sure there's enough room in there for food, water, litter tray, bed and toys, and try putting him in there over night. only do this though if nothing else works.

if you let him into your room at night he will not jump on your face (my cat never has, he sleeps at the bottom of our bed)

also explain to your cat that his behaviour is not acceptable, it worked with my cat, it sounds like your cat is missing you and getting bored.

2007-09-06 21:13:52 · answer #8 · answered by Missfit 4 · 0 0

Hate to say this but ..... our cat Alfie sounds just like yours he still does all the kitten things like chasing flies and bits of things he likes flicking about on the floor and he is 3 very soon and still has not stopped doing this, the vet said some cats do not mature like others and I'm afraid ours are still very much kittens !

2007-09-06 21:15:23 · answer #9 · answered by Autism's Beautiful Face 7 · 1 0

he is defiantly bored. just like suggested above u should get him a playmate. a young kitten is your best bet so he won't feel threatened over his territory. have you had him neutered yet? all animals tend to calm down after they have been spayed/neutered due to the decrease in hormones.
you do not want to give him any attention when your sleeping and he's scratching at the door. it only encourages him. if water doesn't work, try scarring him. when my cat misbehaves and i don't have water on hand i make a loud "psssssst" noise at her, clap my hands, and stomp towards her to chase her off. repeat this when they seem to even consider doing something you don't like, like jumping up on the table or w/e, and they'll get that you don't want them doing that.
all in all tho, it is just a matter of him being bored. a playmate and/or access to the outdoors will help.

2007-09-06 21:33:33 · answer #10 · answered by Kita 3 · 1 1

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