I have an indoor cat who is getting on my nerves. It seems that nothing that I do to try to train him is working.
When I am cooking, he hops on the counter and tries to stick his face in whatever I am fixing. I have put him on the floor more times than I can count, I've splashed and sprayed him even more times, I've told him "no" while putting my hand in his face until he backed off and went away. What does this accomplish? Nothing. The second I turn around, he's sneaking across the counter toward the stove.
I sit to eat. Immediately, I'm in a huge game of "constantly move your plate around because the cat keeps jumping into your lap trying to eat your food". I've tried (once again) spraying him with water, hissing at him, growling at him, swatting him with an open hand, backing him off the couch. But the second I think that I might just once get to eat in peace- ZOOM- into my lap he hops in another attempt to steal my food.
If I am working on something paper oriented, he will hope into my lap and flop over on it. Hissing, growling, picking him up and setting him aside-he just comes back and flops on it again. Petting him then setting him aside, he comes back even faster (no matter how long you've done it). Set him aside over and over, and he attacks your hand. Set any work aside long enough to go use the bathroom, and he shreds/chews the paper into tiny ribbons. And whatever you're writing with? Forget it. He actively stalks and mauls whatever it is while you futily attempt to use it.
Put him in a room alone, and he knocks everything on a flat surface onto the floor. He shreds any paper that he can find. He turns curtains into ribbons in ten minutes flat. Bags of catfood? Shredded and strewn EVERYWHERE, no matter if you've left a tub of it the size of his body available (we keep it in bins now, but if you don't do it quickly enough-catastrophe!)
Put him in the pet taxi to keep him out of your hair for a while (so that you can eat, cook, or work), and he yowls so very loud that you'll contemplate moving him (in the taxi) into the yard.
I give him lots of attention. I play with him a few hours every day. he is mildly chubby, so feeding is not a problem. i even brush him so that he doesnt get huge hairballs. Please tell me what I can do to get him to stop being so destructive.
When I am cooking, he hops on the counter and tries to stick his face in whatever I am fixing. I have put him on the floor more times than I can count, I've splashed and sprayed him even more times, I've told him "no" while putting my hand in his face until he backed off and went away. What does this accomplish? Nothing. The second I turn around, he's sneaking across the counter toward the stove.
I sit to eat. Immediately, I'm in a huge game of "constantly move your plate around because the cat keeps jumping into your lap trying to eat your food". I've tried (once again) spraying him with water, hissing at him, growling at him, swatting him with an open hand, backing him off the couch. But the second I think that I might just once get to eat in peace- ZOOM- into my lap he hops in another attempt to steal my food.
If I am working on something paper oriented, he will hope into my lap and flop over on it. Hissing, growling, picking him up and setting him aside-he just comes back and flops on it again. Petting him then setting him aside, he comes back even faster (no matter how long you've done it). Set him aside over and over, and he attacks your hand. Set any work aside long enough to go use the bathroom, and he shreds/chews the paper into tiny ribbons. And whatever you're writing with? Forget it. He actively stalks and mauls whatever it is while you futily attempt to use it.
Put him in a room alone, and he knocks everything on a flat surface onto the floor. He shreds any paper that he can find. He turns curtains into ribbons in ten minutes flat. Bags of catfood? Shredded and strewn EVERYWHERE, no matter if you've left a tub of it the size of his body available (we keep it in bins now, but if you don't do it quickly enough-catastrophe!)
Put him in the pet taxi to keep him out of your hair for a while (so that you can eat, cook, or work), and he yowls so very loud that you'll contemplate moving him (in the taxi) into the yard.
I give him lots of attention. I play with him a few hours every day. he is mildly chubby, so feeding is not a problem. i even brush him so that he doesnt get huge hairballs. Please tell me what I can do to get him to stop being so destructive.