How can I get my cat to stop chewing on paper lamp shades?
My cat is a 2 month old male Maine Coon. We're working with different methods to get him to stop scratching our rugs and our bedspread. He is very good about not tearing up the sofa and he understands that he has his scratching post. We are even using Soft Paws to prevent damage to our leather chairs. However, he has taken a strong liking to chewing on our paper lamp shades. We have two papyrus paper lamp shades that he loves to chew. He already tore a hole in one of them. I'm not happy about this but spraying him with water doesn't help. He doesn't care if we flick his nose when he does it and he's unfazed by the bursts of air we sometimes blow on him. I don't want to use anything toxic or something that will damage the paper further. Any advice and tips will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
My kitten is driving me CRAZY. Please help?
She's 16 weeks now, and yes I know she is only a kitten-and kittens can be bad....but she is driving me insane. My other cat who will be 2 in September is not like this at all, and never was when she was younger. About the bad one, I found this snow shoe kitten back at the end of May at 6 weeks old. She climbs the screen, gets under the couch and scratches in there (yes, her claws are ALWAYS clipped short, and yes, she has scratching posts, but still manages to scratch EVERY THING). She has turned my computer chair into her personal little scratching post--it's basically ruined now with all the snags in it. I absolutely cannot leave the cat food bag out or she bites and chews at it making holes in the bag. She SCREAMS every morning at 5-6AM waking us up (both cats are locked out at night out of the room). She's constantly biting at my dog's feet, and constantly bothering and pouncing on my poor cat. She jumps up onto the kitchen table and coffee table regardless of how many times I've squirted her off of them. My older cat, Daisy, doesn't mind her overall, and will sometimes want to play--but most of the time she is just sitting there looking out the window not bothering anyone, and this dumb kitten just won't quit bothering her. I have tried squirting her with water every time she climbs the screen, scratches the wrong things, jumps up on the kitchen table/coffee table, etc. But she doesn't get it through her head!! She just keeps going back to the same places for more. I'm seeing no improvement in her behavior, regardless of how much "punishment" she gets. My other cat is so good. She doesn't jump on the tables, she doesn't scratch at all, she never meows/screams (esp in the early morning), she never bothers the dog....This kitten, though---she's crazy, and I don't know how much more I can take. Maybe it's because Daisy's so good, that my patience for this bad one is too low, I don't know though. What do I do in this situation?
How to keep cats off of dining room furniture?
Our cats have generally been compliant when we establish that an area like the kitchen counter is off limits, but they will not stay off our dining room table & buffet – which we’ve had for about a month. The sun hits both of these pieces for several hours a day each afternoon, which I think is their main motivation for misbehaving. No other window in the house provides as much sunlight. We are about to install window treatments which may help block the sun, but I don’t think that will completely solve the issue. They both hate citrus smells, but I don’t know how to keep a steady stream of that aroma going. This is my great-grandparent’s furniture so I have to be careful about what sprays or oils I use on/around it to avoid damage. Orange Glo has been our ally in the past, but I don’t trust it on antiques. Is there anything else I can try? Generally no one is home when they’re doing this – we just find piles of cat hair and askew table cloths/runners when we come home.
What are examples of cats showing care for their humans?
My cat Darnell has appointed himself manager of the feline department of this household, and he also sits on the board of household directors, alongside his two humans. These positions carry a weight of duty and responsibility, which he bears seriously and with good, kindly, grace.While his feline management role is a daily burden, his position as director only really comes into play when his male human is away and he has to step up and cover both roles.Usually, we shut all the cats downstairs during the night. This avoids the problem of having your head jumped on at 5 am by a cat that doesn’t belong to you. But when my boyfriend is away, I let them roam free.Why?Because when I’m home alone, Darnell guards me while I sleep and ensures that none of them wakes me. I know this for sure because sometimes I pretend to be asleep when I’m not so I can watch what’s going on. Darnell stays by my side all night, and if another cat looks like they have the intention of jumping on the bed or making some sort of nuisance of themselves he sits bolt upright and gives them a look. Or, if necessary, a hiss. No. Do not disturb the sleeping human.The other week I was exhausted after travelling and crashed out, and did not wake up until 11 am, of my own volition. Not one of them, at least to my knowledge, casually had a loud scratch by my ear or experimented with opening the drawer of my bedside table and emptying the contents onto the floor. No-one at all chewed my nose or attempted to groom my eyebrow. They couldn’t: Darnell was lying watchfully by my side, earnestly carrying out his solemn duty of protecting my sleep.Of course the minute I stirred, there were four cats immediately on my head demanding breakfast and claiming to be nearly dead with hunger and a violent need to be loved that they had dutifully repressed for the past 12 hours or so.This, Whitney, is the greatest love of all: a cat being polite about their breakfast because they don’t want to wake you.
My one cat rubs his face on things excessively! Help!?
I have 3 male cats that are 2 years old, all from the same litter, all fixed. The one cat has always been the overly friendly one of the group but lately it's getting destructive! He loves to rub his face against anything, especially when he wants attention. He has an obsession with sitting on my dresser and rubbing his face on the mini-blinds, which is slightly annoying at 4am! The main problem is that he has begun rubbing against things so hard that he knocks then off shelves and break them. Is there a way to tame his rubbing habits?