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Mischievous cat,worries


Lucha

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Hi everyone. I have a 2 year old breed cat which is driving me insane. She is really curious by nature and always likes to chew on things, like electronic cables / plants /metal wire /shoe laces/.. The list is endless. Besides that she always gets into closets or when a door to the basement opens, she gets in there. I have to constantly watch my back what she is doing, like she's a little kid you have to keep from doing dangerous stuff.

 

My vet already advised me to keep an eye on her because the chewing behaviour and other risk taking could be dangerous.

 

The problem is that she lives with my parents instead of me. Reason: i have a small flat, parents a big house. Since she already nags all day to get out (on a leish - since she is a breed) im afraid she will be very unhappy at my small flat.

 

BUT my parents dont monitor her behaviour at all. For instance, today i found her locked inside a closet/ attic two times. She chews unedible stuff and they dont see it.

 

Its driving me crazy that I cant guarantee her safety and my parents refuse to watch her more closely.

I'm just afraid one day she's going to chew a cable (nearly all cables are covered in plastic protection hoses) or do something else dangerous and hurt herself.

 

Just looking for some opinions..

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I think I would rather have her safe in a small place than unsafe in a large place, so I would take her to your home and supply her with lots of toys and scratching posts and such. Or have your parents keep her confined to one part of the house and cat-safe it. She may eventually calm down and grow out of this. My young-ish cat was a lot more active a year or two ago than he is today.

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She is birman. What medical condition is that exactly? My vet practice (three vets) are not familiar with it as a medical condition.

 

I'm afraid if i take her to my place, she'll be very unhappy since the living area is small, I work long days so she wouldn't have a lot of company. I'd consider getting a second cat but also afraid she 'll not like it and she may be even more unhappy.

Right now at least she has a big house to run around and I sometimes walk her outside.

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I think the cat should be living in your home not with your parents. A home with lots of toys would hopefully minimize her getting into mischief. There are sprays you can apply to things like wires and cables that make them taste bad but won't hurt her. Ask your vet or pet store about them.

 

Hey melancholy, thank you. I too think she should be with me but i'm afraid she'll be unhappy.

Right now there are loads of cat toys and two big scratching posts, but she doesnt often look at it. The scratching post she loves but the toys go unnoticed even when we play with her. It's like she is bored a lot of the time?

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Honestly if you aren't prepared to take care of it, you really shouldn't have it. This is not your parent's responsibility. I would consider re-homing her with someone better prepared to care for her.

 

I'm not rehoming her just because I don't have a bigger place to keep her in. This is why she is with my parents. I care for her a lot, and come home every weekend and wednesday night solely to see and play with her. But I care for her safety, that my parents can't guarantee;which is why i'm here asking for advice.

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Actually, she might have fewer issues in a smaller space. Less to explore. Once she's found it all, the curiosity may diminish. You can put things on cords to deter chewing (hot sauce, etc.) I've had cats that were chewers, and it took figuring out what actually deterred them from doing so and applying it liberally to the things they liked to chew on to discourage it.

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Ahhhh Birmans. I used to rock a few of those.

 

They are pretty humanised, and very playful, so will do things like chew stuff, undoubtedly ask you for treats all the time, miaow at 5 in the morning to wake you up, and generally talk to you a lot.

 

Not the singularly most dependent cat in the world but they're up there, so you ought to be prepared to take good care of it. Quick brush every day with a decent brush (combine with cuddles) or once every two days, just for five minutes or so.

 

Great cats they are.

 

What colour is it? Blue, Seal?

 

Also, from a DIY point of view, perhaps you could tuck the cords away or put a cover on them?

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Ahhhh Birmans. I used to rock a few of those.

 

They are pretty humanised, and very playful, so will do things like chew stuff, undoubtedly ask you for treats all the time, miaow at 5 in the morning to wake you up, and generally talk to you a lot.

 

Not the singularly most dependent cat in the world but they're up there, so you ought to be prepared to take good care of it. Quick brush every day with a decent brush (combine with cuddles) or once every two days, just for five minutes or so.

 

Great cats they are.

 

What colour is it? Blue, Seal?

 

Also, from a DIY point of view, perhaps you could tuck the cords away or put a cover on them?

 

Putting a cover on the cords has been done. It's more the objects of daily use like shoe laces, clothe hangers, duct tape,.. Etc that sometimes lie around the house and she curiously chews on. I've talked to my parents about it, asked them nicely to remove such objects from the house. But they find it such a burden to mind those things. They feel 'limited' because of the cat. Well actually because of me, because I ask them constantly to 'mind this - or mind that'. They say the cat would be just fine if she chews a cable or eats a shoelace. They don't understand my worries.

 

So that makes it more of a problem of stubborn parents than it is of a mischievous cat I guess ;-)..

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As mentioned above, there are things you can spray on cords and other things she shouldn't be chewing on. There are different brands, but here is one:

 

]

 

Thank you lostlove. I suppose it is not harmful if little miss chews-it-all chews on it nonetheless? Like, that the substance in the bottle isnt toxic for cats when ingested? Maybe a stupid question but she is a toughie. Tried aluminium foil once, she just bites it.

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Thank you lostlove. I suppose it is not harmful if little miss chews-it-all chews on it nonetheless? Like, that the substance in the bottle isnt toxic for cats when ingested? Maybe a stupid question but she is a toughie. Tried aluminium foil once, she just bites it.

 

Nope, it's not toxic! Just make sure it's made for cats. I used some years ago for my dog who would always bite at the blinds, and it stopped him from doing so. The one I used was extremely bitter. It just tastes bad, and keeps them from chewing again after tasting it. Definitely worth a shot.

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Don't want to sound like a right melt, but I found that the old clapping your hands loudly when you catch them doing it and shouting "Oi! Get orrf moi cables" actually can get that pavlovian thing going to a certain extent. It wasn't cables mine chewed, but they do have a habit of sharpening their claws on the carpet and chairs, which I managed to train them out of.

 

You can lift the cat away from it, but they just wait until you put them down and then rush back to it.

 

Also, like you say, the problem is your parents would have to do this, which is an entirely different matter.

 

You can't really train cats that much, but you can get some basic stuff going. I use a water pistol on other cats that come in my garden. Harmless, and they don't seem to come back so much now. I was considering a klaxon as well for one particularly stubborn one, but he's stopped now.

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Don't want to sound like a right melt, but I found that the old clapping your hands loudly when you catch them doing it and shouting "Oi! Get orrf moi cables" actually can get that pavlovian thing going to a certain extent. It wasn't cables mine chewed, but they do have a habit of sharpening their claws on the carpet and chairs, which I managed to train them out of.

 

You can lift the cat away from it, but they just wait until you put them down and then rush back to it.

 

Also, like you say, the problem is your parents would have to do this, which is an entirely different matter.

 

You can't really train cats that much, but you can get some basic stuff going. I use a water pistol on other cats that come in my garden. Harmless, and they don't seem to come back so much now. I was considering a klaxon as well for one particularly stubborn one, but he's stopped now.

 

Done the water spraying thing, she would be annoyed for a brief second and later would go blatantly chew on the water bottle

 

Haven't tried the loud noise yet, except for shouting NO. She is not to the least impressed by the word no, nor by spraying water ;-)

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Ah, to add to what Zaphod said, just because it reminded me of it... you can also shake a can of pennies loudly when they go to chew. Water gun or spray bottle is a good idea too (just don't spray it into any outlets lol).

 

I'm going to try that! Oh boy she's going to hate me haha.

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is there a possibility to have a spacious catio with lots of stuff in it to enterntain her? at either place, yours or your parents'?

 

If it were up to me, i'd build her a catio bigger than my house ! (Real cat lover here btw).. But I rent therefore can't build a solid construction on my terrace - and my parents don't want it to 'disgrace' their backyard.

 

Now I come to think of it, I may need some behavioural tools to influence my parents into behaviour training my cat, too ^^

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