# Kitten obsessed with jumping behind Tv stand! Please help.



## kaaaaate

We have two lovely 5-6 month old rescue kittens (brother and sister). For a few months now Snoop (the girl) has been jumping behind our tv stand where there are a lot of wires. When we try to get her to come out she then climbs in to the stand and will not come out. Recently it has got worse and worse and Snoop is now going behind there at every opportunity and it's becoming a real problem as she also likes to bite wires and there are a lot of wires behind there. Plus she is knocking the wires as she moves around and it's already effecting the tv. 

We've tried a lot of things so far including, distracting her with toys and food, growling or hissing at her to try and get her out, barricading the tv stand with cardboard (she has just learnt to jump over), putting her on a time out outside the room the tv is in every time she does it. None of these seem to have any effect however, and even when on time out she is crying and scratching to get back in the room. Recently I've also tried putting peppermint oil behind the tv stand and placing tin foil around the places she jumps but again she is ignoring them. 

They have a good selection of toys, a climbing tree thing and lots attention but she still seems obsessed with going behind the tv. 

Is this something she will likely grow out of in time as it just seems to be getting worse? And does anyone have any other ideas I could try or even ideas as to why she is doing this so much? I'd really like to try to understand why she does it in case she needs something we aren't giving her as well. 

Thanks in advance!


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## neko

kaaaaate said:


> We have two lovely 5-6 month old rescue kittens (brother and sister). For a few months now Snoop (the girl) has been jumping behind our tv stand where there are a lot of wires. When we try to get her to come out she then climbs in to the stand and will not come out. Recently it has got worse and worse and Snoop is now going behind there at every opportunity and it's becoming a real problem as she also likes to bite wires and there are a lot of wires behind there. Plus she is knocking the wires as she moves around and it's already effecting the tv.
> 
> We've tried a lot of things so far including, distracting her with toys and food, growling or hissing at her to try and get her out, barricading the tv stand with cardboard (she has just learnt to jump over), putting her on a time out outside the room the tv is in every time she does it. None of these seem to have any effect however, and even when on time out she is crying and scratching to get back in the room. Recently I've also tried putting peppermint oil behind the tv stand and placing tin foil around the places she jumps but again she is ignoring them.
> 
> They have a good selection of toys, a climbing tree thing and lots attention but she still seems obsessed with going behind the tv.
> 
> Is this something she will likely grow out of in time as it just seems to be getting worse? And does anyone have any other ideas I could try or even ideas as to why she is doing this so much? I'd really like to try to understand why she does it in case she needs something we aren't giving her as well.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


Since she hasn't learnt yet that she's not allowed to do it, if you growl and hiss at her she will retreat more into the stand because she'll think you're just angry at her/wanting to fight maybe.
mm you could try to cover the wires with something sour? like lemon? if you grind a lemon skin a little then rub it along the wires(you see your wires will/should be water proof since they're covered in rubber but also lemon skin doesn't really leave much liquid if you like grate it a little then rub the skin against the wires a little) this should deter the kitten from biting them. 
also if the wires are tangled try tidying them up? because if the kittens going in there regardless if she gets stuck in one of the wires she is going to bite it because she things it's grabbing her or something. Miyu used to go behind our tv a lot but the wires are all safe(no holes or bites or anything) and she doesn't bite them, it still bothered me incase she did decide to bite them but eventually she stopped doing it when she learnt that 'NO' and clicking meant that she shouldnt be doing what she's doing/she should come to me.
I just used to say 'NO' and take her out from behind it everytime she did it. Eventually it got to the point where i didn't need to go get her i'd say 'NO' then click my fingers pointing to the floor infront of me and she'd come out sulking >
Clicking fingers and pointing down while going 'NO' also gets her off of tables and such 
I don't really have any ideas about how to _stop_ her going there, though like i said if the wires taste bad then it'll become a negative experience to bite them, and then maybe she wont want to go near them at all?
if she thinks it's fun to go behind there because you're using toys to get her out or giving her attention then maybe get her a box or something she CAN play/climb/hide behind? make it resemble where the tv is/how it's placed etc.. if she gets played with when she's in that one instead of yelled 'NO' at like when she's behind the tv maybe she'll start to prefer?
oh and if you do the lemon thing, it should taste bad and make her let go before she even presses her teeth into the wire


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## kaaaaate

Thanks for the reply!

We've stopped the playing/food to get her out now as we soon realised she might start associating the two. Will definitely try the lemon idea, although knowing her she'll probably like the taste haha, she will eat anything.

The wires are quite tidy at the moment but she seems to still seek them out to play with. I think like you say the best thing might be to build her some kind of structure which she can jump behind in a similar way and encourage her to play in that instead. Along with the lemon it might help fingers crossed!


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## Shayden

u can buy loads of products from ur local pet shop.. cat off, things to stop cats scratching etc or like neko said try and make up your own solution of lime (or lemon but lime is stronger) but dont add water and spay it in the area! cats dont like citrus so hopefully that should work


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## neko

kaaaaate said:


> Thanks for the reply!
> 
> We've stopped the playing/food to get her out now as we soon realised she might start associating the two. Will definitely try the lemon idea, although knowing her she'll probably like the taste haha, she will eat anything.
> 
> The wires are quite tidy at the moment but she seems to still seek them out to play with. I think like you say the best thing might be to build her some kind of structure which she can jump behind in a similar way and encourage her to play in that instead. Along with the lemon it might help fingers crossed!


The lemons just a suggestion sweetness =) If theres anything you know she wont/doesn't like the taste of that isn't sticky and wont make her sick.
Best of luck!!!
Just be persistant if something seems to work even a little keep doing it! She'll learn eventually, keep checking the wires too and tape up/fix or remove any she's bitten.
I really hope you get it all sorted soon <3
x


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## lymorelynn

You can buy those cable tidy things that keep all your wires neatly wrapped together - that might help to protect her from biting through them. Citrus may work in keeping her away from them and there is a specific spray available - the name escapes me (senior moment I think ) but Pets at Home sell it.
To encourage her not to go there I'd agree with neko, just keep removing her and saying no each time and the idea of a similar sort of den to play in is a very good idea.
Do you have a cat tree? If not I'd go for one that has hiding places in it - mine has a little cave area about which is a great hidey hole.


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## kaaaaate

Thanks for both your replies :001_smile:

Will definitely have a look in to the wire tidies and spray, I do have some limes in the fridge so will try that too. Im sure with all of that she'll never want to go there again it'll smell so horrible!

They do have a cat tree but it doesn't have a hidey bit in which Im starting to think is what she's doing it for so much. I've got some cardboard boxes lying around so I'll try making her somewhere to hide out of that and hope she likes it!

Thanks again for the help.


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## neko

kaaaaate said:


> Thanks for both your replies :001_smile:
> 
> Will definitely have a look in to the wire tidies and spray, I do have some limes in the fridge so will try that too. Im sure with all of that she'll never want to go there again it'll smell so horrible!
> 
> They do have a cat tree but it doesn't have a hidey bit in which Im starting to think is what she's doing it for so much. I've got some cardboard boxes lying around so I'll try making her somewhere to hide out of that and hope she likes it!
> 
> Thanks again for the help.


ACTUALLY! if the cardboard boxes don't work(they probably will.. Miyu lovvesss them haha!) pets at home.. last time i went had this huuuuge cat tree and i'm talking enormous! it was like 399 or something but definitely worth it, i bought miyu one for her 1st birthday and she's obsessed with it ^_^ maybe if worse comes to worse and you don't have anything with hiding places then try that?
we couldnt put the final level ontop because it was already up to the ceiling so be sure to measure it first if you do get it haha!
though my cats are larger breeds so.. pets at home have a lot of good stuff like that i think! even some smaller trees with hidey boxes in!


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## Taylorbaby

can get some fantastinc cat trees for £50 on zooplus.co.uk

mine used to do this, still do infact, I hate it, so we put loads of stuff around the tv so she cant jump over it.

They do it for attention now as they know they will get it...they arent silly maybe shes doing it for that reason?


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