equus_peduus
Constantly Confused
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2009
- Messages
- 220
Without having read the whole thread completely (scanned):
My older cat likes Bitter Apple (or used to, I gave up on it). She was very good at knocking foil to the ground and playing with it. She was also good at figuring out exactly where teh gaps in the foil (once taped down) and the double-sided-sticky-tape was. She licked/chewed at the sticky tape.
The random "God" water spraying worked for tables and counters for her. Sometimes I'd tell her no first, sometimes not. She now "gets down" on command, but I rarely catch her on surfaces she shouldn't be on (who knows what she's up to when I'm not around, but I almost never find evidence of her having been on it). One thing I did find, though, was that if there was something she thought might be interesting, she'd go up there more readily, with or without me around. When I lived in a place that there was a nice big window overlooking the yard by the kitchen sink, it was almost impossible to keep her off it (that and living with a roommate who didn't get why I thought it was a problem...). But every place I've lived since then hasn't had an interesting window (they've had windows, just not interesting views), and we've been fine.
I recently got a new cat, about a year old. She has no compunctions about getting onto the counters and eating whatever she finds up there. I got a Ssscat, and since getting it, even when it's not turned on, I have not been coming home to evidence of kitty naughtiness as frequently. the Ssscat is nice because it's compact and can just be pushed out of the way, unlike the foil or ScatMat or tape methods. It wasn't too horribly expensive - they sell them at my local WalMart.
Teach the kittens to allow their nails to be trimmed. It keeps the destruction down. Kitten nails grow fast, so be prepared to do it frequently. Or try SoftPaws. Tenectomy cats NEED to have their nails trimmed, they have a harder time removing the nail sheath and are more prone to overgrown claws. Declawing is a solution of last resort IMO, but if done appropriately with good pain management, can lead to a better solution for everyone. But it won't do anything for the rambunctiousness, the knocking things over, and otherwise getting into trouble. It'll just do something for your furniture.
If the cat tree/scratching posts aren't in locations that are convenient to the cat, they are not going to use it as much. Sometimes rearrangement is necessary. Use toys to entice them to use the post and tree. Kittens don't respond to catnip.
Kittens have attention spans of about half a second. Which is why the squirt bottle needs to be applied frequently. Also, if the "reward" for the naughtiness is worth more to the kitten than the "punishment" (the water), then they are more likely to go back to the naughtiness. Squirt (preferably with them not knowing you're tehre) and at least some of the time, try to distract - throw a toy or something.
Kittens are exhausting, entertaining, frustrating and crazy. But oh so cute. It does sound like adopting an adult cat might be a better solution if you really want a cat, but with a lot of patience and a bit of creativity, I think you'll make it through the crazy stage. They'll be crazy idiots for at least a few more months, and start to settle around a year. If you're lucky.
My older cat likes Bitter Apple (or used to, I gave up on it). She was very good at knocking foil to the ground and playing with it. She was also good at figuring out exactly where teh gaps in the foil (once taped down) and the double-sided-sticky-tape was. She licked/chewed at the sticky tape.
The random "God" water spraying worked for tables and counters for her. Sometimes I'd tell her no first, sometimes not. She now "gets down" on command, but I rarely catch her on surfaces she shouldn't be on (who knows what she's up to when I'm not around, but I almost never find evidence of her having been on it). One thing I did find, though, was that if there was something she thought might be interesting, she'd go up there more readily, with or without me around. When I lived in a place that there was a nice big window overlooking the yard by the kitchen sink, it was almost impossible to keep her off it (that and living with a roommate who didn't get why I thought it was a problem...). But every place I've lived since then hasn't had an interesting window (they've had windows, just not interesting views), and we've been fine.
I recently got a new cat, about a year old. She has no compunctions about getting onto the counters and eating whatever she finds up there. I got a Ssscat, and since getting it, even when it's not turned on, I have not been coming home to evidence of kitty naughtiness as frequently. the Ssscat is nice because it's compact and can just be pushed out of the way, unlike the foil or ScatMat or tape methods. It wasn't too horribly expensive - they sell them at my local WalMart.
Teach the kittens to allow their nails to be trimmed. It keeps the destruction down. Kitten nails grow fast, so be prepared to do it frequently. Or try SoftPaws. Tenectomy cats NEED to have their nails trimmed, they have a harder time removing the nail sheath and are more prone to overgrown claws. Declawing is a solution of last resort IMO, but if done appropriately with good pain management, can lead to a better solution for everyone. But it won't do anything for the rambunctiousness, the knocking things over, and otherwise getting into trouble. It'll just do something for your furniture.
If the cat tree/scratching posts aren't in locations that are convenient to the cat, they are not going to use it as much. Sometimes rearrangement is necessary. Use toys to entice them to use the post and tree. Kittens don't respond to catnip.
Kittens have attention spans of about half a second. Which is why the squirt bottle needs to be applied frequently. Also, if the "reward" for the naughtiness is worth more to the kitten than the "punishment" (the water), then they are more likely to go back to the naughtiness. Squirt (preferably with them not knowing you're tehre) and at least some of the time, try to distract - throw a toy or something.
Kittens are exhausting, entertaining, frustrating and crazy. But oh so cute. It does sound like adopting an adult cat might be a better solution if you really want a cat, but with a lot of patience and a bit of creativity, I think you'll make it through the crazy stage. They'll be crazy idiots for at least a few more months, and start to settle around a year. If you're lucky.
