I got a new cat, Drogon, back in August as a companion for my first cat, Sevi. They actually started getting along very well after only a few days to a week, and it's mellowed Sevi out considerably since she'd get so stir crazy while I'm at work.
While Sevi was never the destructive type, she did have her moments. This was remedied with toys, scratching posts, ect. At this point, her only real problem is her tendency to eat like a golden retriever on steroids, but that's a different issue.
Now, with Drogon, I've been running into numerous issues with him. He is an extremely sweet boy who only ever wants to play and be near you. But despite having two scratching posts, way too many different types of toys, and a bedtime routine that definitely tires him out by 9pm or so, he still has some things I'm a little stuck on.
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Climbing. I think this is where I could do a bit better, but I'm uncertain as of what to do. I got Sevi as a kitten, and she was never the type to climb beyond something as high as a toilet seat. So it never crossed my mind to get her any expensive climbing trees (nor did my old place have the space for it). Drogon, on the other hand, is Spidercat. I'll come home to find little pawprints on my kitchen counters, stuff on my bathroom counter askew, ect. He knocked over a picture frame I had sitting on the shelf above the fireplace - which is high up enough that I have no idea how he even gets to it because he never jumps up there while I'm home. He's also managed to get to the top of the refrigerator. I've nearly broken my neck trying to figure out how he does that little number. Would maybe a tall cat tree be enough for him, or something else? I would love to have plants on that fireplace shelf one day, but I don't want him to climb up and try to chew on them or knock them over.
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Scratching at things he shouldn't. As I mentioned above, they have two scratching posts - one tall, thick one and a smaller one that's dome shaped and has a crawl space underneath. They've mostly been good about using them, but Drogon likes to use the side of the couch instead. I've tried redirecting him with various things, but he isn't particularly treat-responsive, and he's terrified of catnip (I don't know).
The issue I'm most worried about, though, is his bad habit of tearing at the floor under my carpet until I open the door. All doors MUST be opened according to him, and he's already scraped that corner of the door down to the wood. I have it covered with a carpet right now until I can find a way to patch it.
What I've tried so far:
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Keeping the doors open. Works for protecting my carpet, but not so much for sleep. If I shut them out of the room so I can sleep and just let them have the rest of the apartment to play in the wee hours in the morning, I'm soon woken up at 5am to the sound of my carpet being torn to shreds. If I let them sleep with me, I'm woken up by them both physically waking me to feed them. Sevi isn't as bad about it because I've mostly broken her of this through a year long battle of willpower (she gives up after a bit), but Drogon is relentless. I think I get about 5 hours or so a night. Maybe less.
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Putting rugs/foil/tape down. Doesn't work. He just kind of pulls up the rugs or foil or tape and goes right back to his digging.
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Cat repellent spray/other sprays. Doesn't seem to faze him at all. Apple cider vinegar worked for a day or two, but I guess he decided he liked it.
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Even MORE play before bed: Both of them effectively go to bed whenever I do, but being crepuscular, they're always up at the ass crack of dawn ready to go whether I like it or not.
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Compressed air. It's the only thing that'll stop him for at least an hour, but even that's starting to lose its 'kick'. I just crack open the door and give a loud puff of compressed air (not AT him, just where he'll hear it) and he runs off. Now, the little shit actually listens for the sound of me trying to quietly sneak out of bed and will stop digging as soon as my feet touch the floor.
He's not a bad guy - I just want him to stop jumping on everything and destroying my carpet. Do you guys have any ideas for this?
Submitted January 17, 2018 at 02:02AM by QuantumDrej http://ift.tt/2B8iMM8 Pets
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