# So many problems.... (might be a bit long...)



## Angelbugg (Jul 1, 2012)

My husband and I have two wonderful kittens (same litter), Amaretto and Irish who are about 5 months old. They have fun and love to wander the apartment together at all times.

When I go to work in the morning I have to keep them in the other room with the door closed. Why? Because they pull down my dish rack from the counter.. they find our cigarette tubes (we roll our own) and chew them to bits, they chew all computer cords, and they will never let the hubby sleep. 

So I put them in the other room for a couple of hours and he usually lets them out not too long after. However, the problem is that when ever we go in another room (like the bathroom) and we close the door... Irish sits by the door and cries like she's in heat! It gets really loud. And if we let her in.. she is trying to jump on our laps while we are on the toilet, or weaving between my feet when im standing.

This Weaving between our feet thing... both of them do this whenever we walk anywhere... My husband has fallen several times because of this.. as have I.

This apartment has become their apartment and it makes me frustrated. I have bookshelves, night stands, dressers, tables, and counters.. and all of them have to be empty and cleared because these two girls seem to think everything is a toy and should be kicked and batted around. I have drawers cluttered with stuff because I cant leave anything out when we go to bed at night. We buy them a TON of toys and that will last them about an hour.. then it's back to making sure everything is put away.... 


We also have the problem that they seem to think the husband is their scratching post. When he is walking they run up and claw his legs. When he is laying or sitting its his side and his back. We don't want to declaw but feel like there is no other option...?

We love our babies.. we just aren't sure what we can do so we can all live in harmony.


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

Angelbugg said:


> We don't want to declaw but feel like there is no other option...?


 you are joking aren't you. Presumably you are in the US - there are always options.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

This is going to sound harsh and it is meant to be.Why would you even consider mutilating your kittens just because they are being kittens.I assume you live in the States or at least not in the UK declawing is illegal here and rightly so.Have you any idea what is actually involved in that barbaric procedure.What did you expect them to do,sit in a corner and look cute.
Kittens are hard work and need a lot of time spent with them.Do you play with them ,give them plenty activity toys to occupy their inquisitive minds.All kittens weave around ankles,all kittens knock stuff over my Raggie loves to sit on the edge of the worktop and flick things off just to watch it fall.You just have to put stuff away until they grow up.


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## ace85 (Aug 16, 2011)

Without wanting to sound harsh, welcome to kitten ownership. This all sounds perfectly normal kitten behaviour and, unfortunately, you do need to look around your home and consider the potential for danger almost as if you had a small toddler. They will grow out of it in time, but in the meantime it's best to keep them as entertained as possible (rod toys, games of fetch etc.), as bored paws tend to get themselves into more trouble than occupied ones. Also, if you have anything important or valuable remember to keep it stashed away (keeping them out of entire rooms, as you have found out, is often counter-productive as cats hate closed doors and will generally make a lot of noise until they are allowed in to investigate). Mostly though, try to enjoy them as they are because (trust me) the kitten high-jinks will be over all too soon, and you might actually miss it a bit


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## Angelbugg (Jul 1, 2012)

To all who have commented: 

Thank you. I want to first let you know that I have not declawed them and am also very against it. I simply stated that I feel like there are no other options. The husband wants these things that you glue on the claws... but I again.. am against doing that. I have read that spraying them with a water bottle when they claw people can sometimes help.. but it does not seem to be working. 
I have been trying for months to talk the husband out of getting them declawed. I love my babies and I know what goes into declawing a cat. 

Thank you for the welcome into kittenhood. They are very rambunctious and love to climb on everything. I know that climbing is going to happen and can not be avoided. But what can I do about the wire chewing? I can not hide my TV, DVD player, and all electronics every night....


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Angelbugg said:


> To all who have commented:
> 
> Thank you. *I want to first let you know that I have not declawed them and am also very against it. I simply stated that I feel like there are no other options.* The husband wants these things that you glue on the claws... but I again.. am against doing that. I have read that spraying them with a water bottle when they claw people can sometimes help.. but it does not seem to be working.
> I have been trying for months to talk the husband out of getting them declawed. I love my babies and I know what goes into declawing a cat.
> .


Sorry but just because it can be done does not mean there are no other options.In the UK, thank god ,it is illegal to chop the top of your cats toes off and we all seem to manage fine.Wires can be protected with cable tidies ,dont leave anything with wires ie laptop/mobile phone ect lying around unattended.Spraying with water is not a great thing either all that will do is make your kittens fear you.Do they have scratch posts so that they can satisfy their natural urges to scatch.Keeping the sharp tips of their claws clipped will help,if your not sure how to do it ask your vet to show you.
There are lots of options that dont need your cats to be mutilated.


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## loubyfrog (Feb 29, 2012)

Ameretto & Irish sound like any other 5 months kittens,adventurous,boisterous & generally mischievous...its just that your apartment isnt adapted to suit them at the moment.

I'm pretty sure you can buy cable protectors at any hardware store,these will cover up all your bare wires & stop your babies harming themselves.They cost a few pounds each & is worth every penny for your kittens safety.

Also i would suggest buying a cat activity centre with lots of posts for them to have a good scratch on,when either of your kittens scratch your hubby then immediatley take them to the scratching post & give their paws a little knead on the post...this shhould do the trick after a few times of doing it.

Don't let your husband take them to get de-clawed or covers glued on their paws,its horrific....tell him its like someone cutting his toes off!!!


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## ace85 (Aug 16, 2011)

A decent electronics or DIY store should be able to sell you some cable covers/tidies that will stop the cats from getting at electrical wires. Some people recommend rubbing orange peel on areas that they want to keep the cats away from too (cats dislike citrus smells) but I personally have never tried this so cannot endorse it either way


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

Cookie used to go behind the TV and play with the cables, I put one of the cushions from the sofa behind the TV to stop her, she seems to have grown out of it. She also used to play with the cables in my bedroom where the router is, so I placed a pillow over the area. 

Maybe it's a case for Jackson Galaxy . I am sure he would say put your things away so they can't get to them.


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## MominsMummy (Jun 14, 2012)

Cookieandme said:


> Cookie used to go behind the TV and play with the cables, I put one of the cushions from the sofa behind the TV to stop her, she seems to have grown out of it. She also used to play with the cables in my bedroom where the router is, so I placed a pillow over the area.
> 
> Maybe it's a case for Jackson Galaxy . I am sure he would say put your things away so they can't get to them.


I do the same with my 15wk bsh...cushions over anything he shouldn't be playing with... They're are no cushions left on my sofa lol! usually I let him just have a nosey on whatever shelf, room cupboard he likes... He eventually gets bored and realises there is nothing for him there and leaves it alone...


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I have had multiple cats for years without any major upset of my home.
And then I got Millie. 
This cat has done more damage than all the others put together over all the years.
So I guess I am agreeing that some cats DO cause more destruction and mess than others so I do sympathise with you.
Some of her antics I can laugh off, others are downright dangerous such as jumping up onto the gas hob while I am cooking.

I know that the subject of disciplining cats is a very delicate one, and I agree that you do not want to create a fearful animal, but some things do have to be off limits.
I bought one of the aerosol cans designed to clean computer key boards and a puff of that ( Millie is deaf so can't hear it but still dislikes the sensation) gives her a clear NO signal.
I find I only need to use this technique a few times as they soon get the message.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

PP -- do you mean the type of aerosol cans that contain just air? 
Would not like to think OP might think it meant a can containing some kind of liquid cleaner

I feel very upset reading this thread because I cannot bear the thought of a cat being mutilated simply to please a human's vanity. In my book it amounts to physical abuse and cruelty, and is a huge indictment of America as a so-called animal loving country that such a vile procedure is permitted.

Before taking the irrevocable step of causing your kittens permanent damage, please consider carefully all the good advice you have been given here on how to manage their behaviour. 

Large, sturdy stable scatching posts all around your apartment will stop them clawing your husband's legs. Storage boxes with lids, wood or plastic can be used for keeping your breakable things safe for the time being until the kittens are older and quieter. And zip-on cable covers for the electric wires, as has been said.

If after trying everything suggested you still feel the same, then I beg you to get your kittens rehomed rather than mutilate them, and perhaps instead adopt an older quieter cat.


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

chillminx said:


> PP -- do you mean the type of aerosol cans that contain just air?
> Would not like to think OP might think it meant a can containing some kind of liquid cleaner


I do hope no one would spray a liquid on to a keyboard, I hope even the OP would realise it was compressed air.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Cookieandme said:


> I do hope no one would spray a liquid on to a keyboard, I hope even the OP would realise it was compressed air.


Well one would certainly hope so Cookieandme!  But no harm in extra clarification it situations where we may be regarded as "divided by a common language".


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## shininglight (Jun 5, 2012)

Our two are just the same, my vegetable seedlings on the windowsill will never be the same again, and they are up and down the curtains more times than I can count 

Do you have a cat tree for them? Ours love climbing up and down and sitting watching the birds out the window from their perch. I hide treats around it when going out so they have something to 'hunt' for. Its their space where they can see out into the world so keeps them off the sills for a while.

Dry food in a treat ball keeps them amused.

We bought lots of toys too, but when they are all left out they get bored easily, they play more when we put out one or two in rotation.

Ours like to follow us into the bathroom, mostly because they like to watch the hand washing and play with the taps. I find that trying to keep them out only adds to the mystery, once they have been in a couple of times with you its not quite so exciting and they tend to be less interested. I'll turn the tap on and let them sit in the sink for a while playing with the water.

Are they getting enough food? If ours are hungry they follow us around like sheep, Opie will even 'lead' us to the bowl or his toys if he needs some attention. 

But afterall, they are kittens. This was always going to happen, the best you can do is distract them with a toy or food and let them get on with it!

Good luck!x


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

shininglight said:


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## Guest (Jul 2, 2012)

Do you have an open area, living room, with all good/fragile things packed away? Do you have a BIG terrace? Get a lungeing whip for horses, tie feathers or bells, or a fake fur strip to the end, and spend a 1/2 hour whisking it around, while they chase, morning and evening. Get hubby to do it as well. Work em until they collapse with happy tiredness. If you can't wear them out, perhaps pay someone to do another 1/2 hour. mid day, or another.

Cats sleep a lot of the day. If you can wear them out, you should get a lot of relief from that. It sounds as tho they weren't handled well, when young, so that they didn't learn etiquette with people. Do you handle them a lot?

I have known of a cat who felt entitled to climb bare legs and shredded his owners legs and arms, but ADORED his owner - and she adored him. I think he was playing with her as a 2/3/4 week old kitten would play, and hadn't seemed to have been taught manners, by mum, before being homed to new owners. It will improve. but you will get some relief by getting them to run about, work really hard to catch the end of the lungeing whip, (which will enable you to wave it all about the room, while standing fairly still and no real energy used). At present, it appears that they were never taught to sheath claws, in play. If it happened to me, I'd hiss hard in their face, gently swipe away, and walk off.

I would advise your husband to sit with a blanket over his knees, covering his legs, and reflect that when he next does it, he will probably be 80 to 90 years old... By then, he'll have perfected it...

Do you have the toys that make them work? Balls they try to get at, inside a plastic donut, with windows, etc. Also you can get solar powered drinking fountains that some cats adore.


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## Cats cats cats (Feb 4, 2011)

Sounds like normal kitten behaviour to me  Re your cables , my two were the same so hubby built a wooden enclosure around the back of the TV etc so that the cables can't be reached . It's not pretty  but it does the job . Anything else is NEVER left plugged in and unattended ..... ie my laptop is only charging if i am at the keyboard , i NEVER leave the kettle boiling etc ....

PLEASE please do'nt de claw your kittens . They will grow out of it ..... eventually  My two are nearly 11 months now and are far less boisterous  but still a long way off being calm  

Have you got any cat climbing trees/scratchers ? I have 6 in my house  the kittens and the adult cats love them  i didn't need to train them to scratch on them either , they all just do it naturally 

hope this helps


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## scatchy (Nov 29, 2011)

As has been already said they are just being kittens. This is a phase in their development - at least they sound healthy and full of life.
The kittens we acquired last year started going out into the garden at 6 months, they spent time shinning up quite large trees, running along the top of the fences, climbing up the rose arches and dangling from them, etc. This is similar to what your kittens are doing only yours are doing it indoors.
I would just put anything valuable away for now and enjoy the kittens.


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