Destruction Follows Them

[Allyskits]

(They can be adorable when they want to be)

I have three 7-8 month old cats (from the same litter). They are generally well behaved, they are don’t bite or scratch unless you really hype them up while your playing and then it’s never aggressive. They are friendly to visitors (so long as the visitors are friendly to them), one of them is a little too talkative but usually only for a few minutes at a time.
But there is one problem, when they get hyper they chase each other around the house...
They run up the curtains, They managed to pull the curtain rod right out of the wall, so I took the curtains down as a preventative measure.
Now they run up the mosquito nets that cover the windows and doors, I can’t take those down or the house will be filled with mosquitos, but it’s a matter of time before one of them has a hole so big it won’t make a difference any way.
They climb up the tv stand and knock the tv down, this has already happened 3 times I haven’t bothered to secure it because it’s already not working anymore anyway...
They knock down everything in their path, I’m getting real fed up with their destructive sprints through the house, if they only did it every now and then I wouldn’t mind so much but it’s every 3-4 hours during the day and the bouts usually last for an hour or so, with 10 minutes intervals to catch their breath. The worst part is they only really seem to do it when I’m in the room with them, when I’m in my office working or sleeping in my bedroom they will just go to sleep, but if I’m in the same room they go crazy. So now I find myself staying in my office more just to limit the crazy sprints but I can’t be locking myself in my office all hours of the day it’s depressing.
I’ve tried a spray bottle to try and stop the sprints or loud noises like clapping or rattling keys but it does nothing.
And I’ve tried tiring them out but there’s no end! Anytime I try to tire them out with a toy it just gets them more hyped up!
Please does anyone know if there is something I can use to calm the little maniacs? I love them but the destruction is both expensive and exhausting.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! This is normal behavior and might slowdown as they age, but is there any way you can contain them to a room with lots of cat trees and toys where you can live with destruction when you show up? They need the energy outlet, so you don't want to stop it, but in one room where you can play with them and enjoy it would be better for everyone
Or, if you could build a catio..

 

[susanm9006]

I had one insane one so I understand the damage that can be done. Here are things that worked for me, and remember this stage doesn’t last forever. Clear out as many small breakables as you can, velcro down the ones that must remain out. Bolt down all the big stuff like the TV that they could otherwise knock over. Take down the curtains or loop them over the top rod so they are at least four or five feet from the floor. Create as many spots as you can like tall cat trees where the cats can run straight up. You can try adding bird netting over the windows so they can climb the net rather than the screens. Just tack it around your windows. I went so far as adding a screen porch on, covered in bird netting of course, so my wild child could climb up to her hearts content.

 

[rubysmama]

Sorry you're being overrun by mischievous kittens, but with 3 of them under one year old, I think it will be a while yet before they start to settle down.

Here's a couple TCS articles that might have some tips for you:
How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat
Cats And Discipline Don't Mix

 

[Totsy]

Your cats are gorgeous! Are they atop the kitchen cabinets in that picture?

I do feel your pain, though, and I only have two. Our boys are six months old and go into "Rip and Snort" mode at least three times a day. We try to wear them out with wand toys and cat springs, but mostly we make sure they have great places for ripping and snorting. Our house looks like we have toddlers and are crazy bad housekeepers due to the tunnels, collapsing cubes, cardboard boxes, baskets large sheets of packing paper, giant scratching posts, cat carriers, beds, window seats, cat trees and condos strewn everywhere in our house. We still have upside down carpet runners on a couple of pieces of furniture I don't want them on, but for the most part they go where we've made it comfy or fun for them. I'm thinking we'll have to start accumulating wall shelves and steps for them next. I wish I could afford one of those wheels, although who knows if they would even use it. As it is, we move things around to keep them interested. In the beginning we used one of the cat trees so they could be near what the action was - the kitchen island - but not on it. Eventually we moved it to block the sliding door window treatment. It's currently a favorite jumping off spot to its twin in the family room. Someday we'll have our adult house back and some mature moggies, but for now we just control the chaos.

susanm9006 had great advice! I especially love the bird netting!

At six months they're supposed to be able to appreciate catnip, but ours are indifferent to it so far. You could try some, or silver vine. One of mine loves that. He'll chew it and roll in it and then look for a good napping spot.

I think they're just going to be rowdy for a while longer. I sort of hope so! I love watching them play.