# Cat who thinks he's a mountain lion



## NIKKID (Jun 5, 2011)

My little one is four months old now. He's a maine coon, so even at four months he is of considerable size and strength. I managed to safely get him through the clawing stage and the wall of death at 2am stage without doing him a mischief but he seems determined to do HIMSELF a mischief now with his climbing.

I have lost count of the number of times I've fished him out of one hole or another that he's got himself into. His favourite sleeping post at the moment seems to be the hob which, as you can imagine, gives me heart failure as it is one of those hobs that doesn't cool instantly when it is switched off. I'm terrified he's going to burn himself or cut himself as he thunders about work surfaces knocking things flying. We've lost several plates to his climbing mania - not worried about the plates only the harm he might do to himself if he breaks something in our absence and ends up cutting his little feet or something.

Every time I think I've put anything breakable or sharp out of his reach he manages to find something new to demolish.

He's my fourth cat over a thirty year period but my first boy. I recall my last girl being a bit of a madam at his age but I don't recall any of my girls being as determined as he to get on high and flatten everything in his path. Is this, perhaps, a boy thing? He isn't yet neutered - that sad day is booked for a couple of weeks time [snivel] - so perhaps that will settle him down a bit.

I have tried 'booby trapping' one of his jumping off points in hopes he would get discouraged but he's the eternal optimist and continues to scramble over everything. He's also deaf so I can't hiss a warning at him as I might have done with my other cats. I'd be grateful for any suggestions as this is quite worrying for his safety.


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

Oh dear, sorry I have no experience with deaf cats, selective deafness yes  :lol: can you get a cover for your hob? & a large cat activity centre if you dont already have one.

He sounds typical MC they can be clumsey & stubborn  & do go through stages so hopefully he will learn, we found over the years that its best not to take them away from what they are doing & play with them, they just think right do this & they'l play with me :lol: if they jump up onto something you dont want them on we just put them back on the floor & eventually they get bored & move on to the next thing  :lol:

Pics pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese


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## MaineCooner (Jun 26, 2011)

That's typical MC behaviour in my experience. My two girls compete about who can get higher than the other - book cases, mantlepieces, you name it and they'll try to jump on it.

I don't allow my two into the kitchen unsupervised - I have this feeling they could switch on gas taps if they tried but would forget to press the spark button! They can certainly open closed doors by jumping up at the handle and drawers are a piece of cake for them.

They're wonderful


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## NIKKID (Jun 5, 2011)

Thanks for your advice. My last girl was 1/2 maine so some of the traits my new baby displays aren't unfamiliar. This climbing was something she never did though. I have been persisting with him by simply taking him off whatever he is not supposed to be on and popping him on the floor in hopes that he will eventually get the message. Just last night I found him resplendent on top of the toaster. Good job I haven't used if for a while or he might not have needed his little op in a week or two LOL. 

I knew maines were known for their stubborn determination so I can't say I wasn't 
warned. I keep telling myself that we waited out the 2am wall of death routine and the 'let's take the skin of mum's arms' phase so we can wait this one out also if we have to. It must be love.


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## NIKKID (Jun 5, 2011)

Sorry I forgot the pix

This is Nefer, relaxing. He's just shy of 5 months old now and weighs in a 1/2 stone. He's a bit like a hairy tank


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww he's purrrrrrrrrrrrrfect 

We went through toaster sitting with Tango  Louie did'nt bother jumping around so much when he was a kitten but is makeing up for it now :lol:


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Aww he's gorgeous :001_wub:

Everything you describe sounds like one of my girls, Itty! She is so adventurous, but it's scary when she starts.

Neither of my other two are quite as daring as her though. I think it really is an individual cat thing rather than a breed thing ... my girls are BSH's 

We don't have many ornaments out for this reason :lol:

This is Itty in one of her more sedate choices of places to sleep ... notice the lack of ornaments on the mantel piece?


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## raggs (Aug 3, 2008)

All i can say is welcome to the world of Maine Coons lol, our boy is almost 11 months old , he is huge, and hes wrecked our house, hit the TV off its stand , broken ornaments, un-rolled complete toilet rolls the list goes on but we wouldnt have him any other way. best wishes......Chris.


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

There was the one thing that stood out in there for me - MAINE COON  They are naughty little sods, we are trying to teach Storm not to go on the hob, he is allowed up on the worktop though and only on occasion walks over the hob. If he does it I'll clap really loudly and say "ay-ay" (ouch ouch in Swedish) and he seems to be learning  Although my boys bring total destruction to our flat (pillows pulled out of the bed and placed on the floor, food up the walls and sprinkled across our carpet, anything that can be knocked down on the floor etc etc) we love them to bits, I think it's why we all pick MC's as they are quite quirky cats! 

You may find he may calm down a bit though after his op, I'm hoping it may be the same for Benji who is 4 months too and is doing exactly what yours is doing, being the devil reincarnated  :001_wub:


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## NIKKID (Jun 5, 2011)

I'm reassured to hear that he's not the only one up to tricks. I wouldn't really change him tbh but I do have some safety concerns. Yesterday we took our eye off the ball and found the little baa lamb fast asleep - inside the microwave!!!!! A nervous breakdown courtesy of HRH Nefer and a lesson learned. Our houses are beginning to go minimalist. Nefer spends a fair bit of time with me at my Mum's - she has his brother - and we are convinced they are channeling Colin and Justin, the speed they clear a surface of extraneous stuff is quite dazzling.


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## NIKKID (Jun 5, 2011)

Aurelia said:


> Aww he's gorgeous :001_wub:
> 
> Everything you describe sounds like one of my girls, Itty! She is so adventurous, but it's scary when she starts.
> 
> ...


She's gorge! I wish I knew how they did it. Right at the point where you are right in the mood for a tantrum over some wreckage they've created they go all kitten-cute and take the wind right out of your sails.


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## charliesmam (Oct 27, 2010)

I love this thread, its not alf made me giggle..the pics are just gorgeous. I love Maine Coons, they really are stunning cats


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## Misi (Jul 13, 2009)

Ha Ha!! Fun and games! He's a lovely lad, and with that white fur and presumably blue eyes (??) he could be a Van! What with all the dashing and leaping about. Alas, my only experience with deaf cats is with my dearly departed Tarka and my Misi who is deaf because she's an old lady, and long past leaping around. I feel for you! I can't imagine trying to control a deaf Simba-equivalent!!!


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## jenny armour (Feb 28, 2010)

NIKKID said:


> Sorry I forgot the pix
> 
> This is Nefer, relaxing. He's just shy of 5 months old now and weighs in a 1/2 stone. He's a bit like a hairy tank


wait til he gets to ozzy size.
my nfc jj was the same at his age and continued to be like this until he was about 18 months old.now he has calmed down alot but still he has his moments. i was pulling my hair out at the time, because i was used to ragdolls who are just a little more sedate


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## jenny armour (Feb 28, 2010)

missye87 said:


> There was the one thing that stood out in there for me - MAINE COON  They are naughty little sods, we are trying to teach Storm not to go on the hob, he is allowed up on the worktop though and only on occasion walks over the hob. If he does it I'll clap really loudly and say "ay-ay" (ouch ouch in Swedish) and he seems to be learning  Although my boys bring total destruction to our flat (pillows pulled out of the bed and placed on the floor, food up the walls and sprinkled across our carpet, anything that can be knocked down on the floor etc etc) we love them to bits, I think it's why we all pick MC's as they are quite quirky cats!
> 
> You may find he may calm down a bit though after his op, I'm hoping it may be the same for Benji who is 4 months too and is doing exactly what yours is doing, being the devil reincarnated  :001_wub:


i'm fortunate in the respect is i have an induction hob lol


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## merothe (Jun 4, 2010)

My boy is a but like this but is a bsh. Some days he just seems to need to be up high. All his hind claws are still damaged from the time he took a flying leap for the living room cupboard...mis aimed...spent a couple of seconds suspended by one paw then fell down scrabbling for a foot hold all the way down. My heart stopped but he was fine and made the jump successfully 2 mins later. He also likes to sit on top of open doors :001_huh:

The only thing that slows him down is lots of play in the hope of burning off the energy...but sometimes they just seem to have an endless supply


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## kittyjay90 (Jun 19, 2011)

Aww! Sounds like a real mischief maker!

I'm afraid the only advice I can give is supervision in "danger" areas until he grows out of it. Either that or attempting to block off those spots - no doubt that would be never ending though!

Good luck!

Ps - he's gorgeous!


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## raggs (Aug 3, 2008)

missye87 said:


> There was the one thing that stood out in there for me - MAINE COON  They are naughty little sods, we are trying to teach Storm not to go on the hob, he is allowed up on the worktop though and only on occasion walks over the hob. If he does it I'll clap really loudly and say "ay-ay" (ouch ouch in Swedish) and he seems to be learning  Although my boys bring total destruction to our flat (pillows pulled out of the bed and placed on the floor, food up the walls and sprinkled across our carpet, anything that can be knocked down on the floor etc etc) we love them to bits, I think it's why we all pick MC's as they are quite quirky cats!
> 
> You may find he may calm down a bit though after his op, I'm hoping it may be the same for Benji who is 4 months too and is doing exactly what yours is doing, being the devil reincarnated  :001_wub:


Hi Missy, i love the part of your reply where you say that MC's are quite quirky cats.....sorry to correct you but when referring to MC's quirky should be spelt " Lunatic "


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

raggs said:


> Hi Missy, i love the part of your reply where you say that MC's are quite quirky cats.....sorry to correct you but when referring to MC's quirky should be spelt " Lunatic "


Yes, but telling somebody their cat is likely to be a lunatic for the rest of their lives may scare them off


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