# My cat is a nightmare help



## Jadeybaby0167 (May 2, 2012)

Ok im at a loose end, no idea what to do, my cat kept me up until 5.30 am trying to get in cupboards, pulling things off shelves in my bathroom he would not settle my other half was really angry and said his had enough of him and wants him gone, his only 10 months old but his behaviour is un controllable his always scratching doors, carpets, climbing on kitchen surfaces. I tell him no and he still dose it, i need some really good training tips please, he is wareing me out thanx guys


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## Skandi (May 4, 2012)

Jadeybaby0167 said:


> Ok im at a loose end, no idea what to do, my cat kept me up until 5.30 am trying to get in cupboards, pulling things off shelves in my bathroom he would not settle my other half was really angry and said his had enough of him and wants him gone, his only 10 months old but his behaviour is un controllable his always scratching doors, carpets, climbing on kitchen surfaces. I tell him no and he still dose it, i need some really good training tips please, he is wareing me out thanx guys


sounds like he doesn't have enough to do to me. shutting the bathroom door will of course cure the shelf issue. he won't understand no you need to make sure he has a reason not to do things, with mine the first time they got to the kitchen sides I gave them a big scare. they only did it once, same went for tables, scratching never had a problem with, but then they just picked the trees outside.


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## Iknowgungfu (Mar 28, 2012)

I used a small water pistol when mine weas doing sometihgn really wrong...I just tried to do it without him seeing it was me spraying him. The main thing I tried though was when he was about to do something or go somewhere we didn't want him to I would play distract him with a toy. After a while he got used to it...but mine is only about 6 months so maybe I have worse to come.

Has your cat got plenty of toys to distract him and plenty of playtime with you?


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## Jadeybaby0167 (May 2, 2012)

He has hundreds of toys a activity center scratching posts, i have a water bottle i use but he just scared of it and runs away but dosent learn, if u try to pick him up to stop him he will bite, i have no idea what to do?


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## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

There are certain sprays you can get that cats dont like smell off..bitter apple spray would stop him going near things because of smell ive also heard lemon is a smell they dont like and orange, or try a feliway plug to try to calm him a little bit. I too have never had a problem with scratching my biggest cat is 15 months old and he uses the back gate as a scratching post. As yet my kitten of 3 months only uses the indoor scratching post maybe I too have worse to come I think like the other person said keep door shut and lots of toys in his room with maybe the feliway plug in to relax him. When he bites, you should blow on his face and tell him no and immediately ignore him. I had this problem with my big cat for a while now he is older he is much calmer..Goodluck.


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## fifo (May 11, 2012)

Had same problem with my cats, I just scare them when they climb on the couch and then keep on doing that whenever they come near the places I don't want them to come near to,and I have no problem with them, cats are fast learners..


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## Jadeybaby0167 (May 2, 2012)

Thanx for the replys i was thinking about feliway dose anyone know if it works? I think if your kitten behave well now i dont think u will have any trouble in the future mine has been a monster since i had him at 13 weeks and thought he would of calmed down by now but no such luck yet


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## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

Yes feliway does work. Ive got the spray but I think the plug in is probably better. Give it a try anyway and see. Your kitty will calm down. My big cat was a bit naughty when he first came to us as he was still going through his kitten stage now he has calmed down so much. Dont give up on him. Good luck.


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## Melissa27 (Mar 15, 2012)

Sounds similar to my cat, Diesel, when he was a kitten in terms of activity and mischief-making. I wish I could say he grew out of it, but he didn't completely. He did mellow out a bit when he got older, but for the most part I just adapted my house and life to suit him. 

First off, close all doors to areas you don't want him in (if he is _too_ much like Diesel, you may need to replace door handles with something difficult to unlock). Put all valuables in closed curio cabinets (secure all curio cabinets to the wall), and then put child-proof locks on all shelves and cabinets. I also sometimes velcro things down to keep him and my ferrets from knocking them over. It may seem like a lot, but in order to make sure my cat didn't cause trouble when I wasn't watching him, I pretty much had to set my house up like Ft. Knox. :eek6:

What kind of scratchers does he have, and does he ever use them? It took several different tries before I finally found scratchers Diesel would use. I also from the time he was a kitten got him used to having his claws trimmed so he doesn't feel as much need to scratch and they don't get caught on things (he is partially blind and is an indoor cat).

The last and most important thing to do is make sure to play plenty of interactive games with him. At least a half hour per day (more if you don't have any other pets to play with him), broken up into 2-3 segments. Make sure the last one is before bed. Diesel's favourites are 'Da Bird' and a laser pointer. All other toys are ignored.

Most of all, patience and a sense of humour are really important with a cat like that. Luckily I had ferrets before I got Diesel and knew he was a hybrid of some sort when I found him, so was a bit more prepared than most for an animal that seems to thrive on causing chaos in my household. I can very much imagine that a cat like that would drive someone insane though if they weren't used to that kind of behaviour.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

It sounds as though your kitten is a live wire with masses of energy which he needs to work off in the evenings in order to be able to settle at night. Not all kittens will play happily by themselves, either they need a kitten playmate, or else they need their human companion(s) to play hours  with them.

All kittens need structured play with their humans, as it helps to socialsie them and cement the emotional bond between cat and human. It also 
teaches them how to to be respectful of humans' fragile skin

By the sounds of it your kitten needs more play than some. Please accept this is a good sign, as it means he has _loads_ of character, and will probably stay young for many years to come. But his energy needs channelling by you, so it is not destructive.

If you are not at home in the daytime, then no doubt your kitten is sleeping most of the day from boredom. So he is pleased to see you when you come home and is full of beans all evening. You come home tired at the end of the day and maybe the last thing you feel like doing is playing with your kitten, but it is really important that you make yourself find the time and energy to play with him if you ever want to reap the rewards of having a calmer, well-behaved cat.

Enjoy an hour's intensive interactive play with him in the early evening, getting him running around as much as possible, e.g. chasing string you pull along, running after little balls -- it will be good exercise for him. Then later in the evening nearer bedtime, enjoy another hour of hectic play with him, so he is tired out and ready for sleep when you want to go to bed.

Right before bedtime give him a good meal of wet food (as kittens sleep better on a full tum), also he will be very wakeful if he is hungry. 
Shut him in one room for the night (e.g. kitchen or living-room or wherever he can do least damage) with his litter tray, water and toys, go to bed and shut your bedroom door so you can't hear him if he is active in the night. He probably won't be, as he will soon get the message it is *sleep time*.

If the main part of your flat is open-plan, then leave your kitten in the main area and shut all other doors (bathroom door, your bedroom door etc). Move any breakable items out of reach, as well as anything on which he could injure himself. Having a lively adventurous kitten is like having a toddler in your home -- you need to think ahead all the time and suss out what mischief they could get into

You have mentioned getting a Feliway Diffuser -- this would be useful to have it switched on at night, as it will help calm him down. But it should be an *add-on* to what I have suggested above, as it won't be the answer on its own....

For very active *indoor* cats there is a really brilliant floor to ceiling cat climber which really exercises their muscles, and helps them use up energy. The climber also looks really cool in the home, and for what it is, I personally don't think it is expensive.

Hicat® | Introducing

If you lived in a house you could play with your kitten on the stairs, throwing balls for him to chase, and it would use up a lot of his energy racing up and down the stairs. But as you are in a flat something like this climber seems essential for managing a very active energetic kitten.

Even with the Hicat climber your kitten will still need you to play with him, but it will take less of your energy when you are tired, and also will be amusing for you to watch his antics on the climber I expect he is quite an 
acrobatic kitten and he really does need an outlet for that behaviour.


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## Jadeybaby0167 (May 2, 2012)

Thanks guys really appreciate all your comments i will try and ware him out the best i can lol also this is silly question cat nip treats will they make him worse or can they also calm him down?


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## Iknowgungfu (Mar 28, 2012)

I would love one of those Hicat climbers....

The stairway idea is good I do this with Niles all the time....quite funny watching him pelt down the stairs.

I do blow on his face if he is doing something he shouldn't also (prime example is he always tries to get into the diashwasher).

My cat didn't like Limes at all, at one point he was forever dropping down the back of the TV unit only to get a littel stuck. I placed a lime where he used to drop down from and he would not go near it.

I bought some catoff too which I sprayed on the curtains when he was trying to climb them all the time. I haven't sprayed them in ages now and he doesn't scratch at them anymore.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Jadeybaby0167 said:


> this is silly question cat nip treats will they make him worse or can they also calm him down?


Not a silly question at all.

Catnip seems to have a different effect on different cats -- with some it seems to calm them down, with others it seems to wind them up! Try your kitten with one or two treats and see what effect they have on him.


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## raggs (Aug 3, 2008)

We have used Feliway many time and always found it very good, but use the diffuser rather than the spray and if you can have a couple of them around the house even better, the only down side is they can take quite a few days before you see any effect..good luck with him................Chris


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Just don't use the diffuser if anyone in your house suffers from asthma! This is the reason I can't use the diffuser, but the spray is OK, as I can just spray it and leave the room, plus the spray has a different *carrier* to the diffuser.


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## Jadeybaby0167 (May 2, 2012)

I will definately buy felway and see how it works it is rather pricey but on the pet medicen website they sell it for 20 bargain thank u all x


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## broccoli (Jul 1, 2011)

i was given a frolicat dart - you can set it for 20 mins
(its an automatic laser pen)

this and a final feed before you go to bed should tire him out!


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