first time cat owner troubles

[ayeshajae]

my  husband one month ago found 2 small kittens outside our house and we had decided to keep them both as inside pets, however they are driving us insane with their high energy.

We recently moved in our new house with lots of new furniture and we don't want the cats on any of the furniture in the house, but they are uncontrollable and chase each other across the house and jump from the furniture. or eating our plants

 its only been a month and we already have noticed bite marks and scratches on the kitchen table as well as some pin holes in the leather couch/love seat. they have clawed the shower curtain as well..0

They do not respond to positive or negative reinforcement (spray bottle) they get themselves in trouble by frolicking on the washer dryer room  and getting stuck (i have to rescue them from the  dryer a lot) they  also do other annoying things like climb in the refrigerator, pantry, toilet and shower.

we know it is bad to let cats outside  so we leave them inside however since they are so terrible we have banished them to our bedroom with their food and litterbox, we want to let them have free access of the house but we don't know how to do so without them flying all other the house destroying everything.

we also are conflicted because they are loving sweet kitties who love attention and hugs and we do like them even though we hate them as well. we have tried putting soft paws on their claws but this caused them to be even more wild now knocking everything off the tables.

we had a cat when i was living with my mom who was an outdoor/indoor cat and didn't have any of the problems these cats are having so i'm at a loss at to what to do, i've heard scratching posts are good but we can't really afford something like that for a few months, any other suggestions would be helpfull though

 

[tammyp]

Hi AyeshaJay, your kittens sound AWESOME!  Rest assured, they are doing what kittens do.  It is good you have two, as this helps things a lot - otherwise you'd be doing the wearing out.   They will calm down in 1-4 years.  But yes, having kittens, or active cats, does take some strategies so your favourite things are safe.  We call this kitten proofing.  

1.  Put breakables/valuables away in a drawer or cupboard with a door

2.  To help the pinpricks (this isnt naughty, it's just them passing through as a hurricane?) COVER your furniture.  I have made some polar fleece covers for various chairs that needed it, and it works a treat.  Better yet, easy to wash!  AND, instead of the soft paws, try trimming their claws.  This will take off the needle tips, so your furniture will be safe from the hurricanes.  http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/nail-trimming-101

3.  Resign yourself to shredded shower curtains for a little while - they are cheap, so that's ok.

4.  Put toilet paper up high/in cupboard or it will go the way of shower curtain

5.  Give them ALTERNATIVES.  This means, they MUST have something to scratch.  It doesn't have to cost a lot.  Get a bit of carpet off-cut for example, and teach them that that mat is theirs (all other carpet if you have it is yours) - do this by gently putting them on their carpet every time they scratch where you don't want them to scratch.  This is all it will take.  Make scratching motions yourself on the this carpet to show them and be encouraging/admiring of their effort anytime you see them do it.  NOTE - positive reinforcement works.  Truely.  Negative never does.  You could also give them cardboard boxes to rip up with their teeth.  And some not pricey scratchers include mats - specific cat scratch mats, but also human door mats.  When you get the cash, then ALSO get them som vertical scratch poles - they need lots of different options.

6.  Play them into the ground with a wand toy.  20mins minimum every day.  Aim to make them flop.  With our cat, as a single cat, we needed to do this for 3 hours every day, but now with a playmate, it's about 30mins, so as said, well done on two!

7.  Modify your environment.  Any time anything becomes a problem...as in 'they are destructive'...it is time for you to think of a creative way to prevent this.  Put things away/cover it/change it/ put the scratch mat on THAT place etc...

8.  Close the doors to dangerous rooms -if they get stuck in the dryer, then that room's door always stays shut.  Also, get in the habit of having the toilet lid shut lol!!

9.  Try to see the 'annoying' things as really funny things!  It's amazing how much curiosity they have, and how they can get involved in everything!

And...keep enjoying the quiet worn out times when they are snuggling up to you!

I will leave you with a couple other resources that have loads of tips and resources
1. http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/dear-pammy-is-there-a-cat-safe-christmas-tree/27662   covers all the principles needed to kitten proof your home!

2.  You'll see in my signature I have a blog...it was inspired by my two maniacs, and covers lots of ways to modify the environment, fix up broken things, and wear them out with toys and games -lots free and homemade!

Best wishes!

 

[tammyp]

Oh, also, check that your plants are non-toxic to cats :  http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/cats-plant-list

You'll have to put any toxic ones outside, or give them away. 

You could also give your cats their own plants - cat grass is loved over here and munched on every day.  We found the seedlings from a plant shop work far better than grow-your-own seeds in terms of cat interest.

 

[ayeshajae]

hey tammyp thanks for your very helpfull reply i'm going to favourite this page to show my husband too hehe

it is trying taking care of these kittens but i do love them so will be taking all of your advice, i'm also glad that this is normal cat behaviour and not kitty adhd or something lol! i have always thought cats were so lazy so this was a shock to say the least

 

[ayeshajae]

i'm doing reading on poisonous plants now, i had no idea there was so many poisonous plants! Now i know i need to be extra careful about the plants, i know i had lost a beautiful bird from eating Peace Lily  

 

[tammyp]

My pleasure!  And yes, sooo many plants are toxic to cats - and a good many household products, 'natural' things, and people food (I have a section on this in my blog if you are interested).  And this forum is a great place to vent when you need to, and ask for creative solutions when you run into a problem.  It also has a bunch of active people in the nutrition section who are enormously helpful.  I've learned A LOT in the last 3 years!  And yeah, definitely not all cats are lazy.  Kittens, as you have discovered, are bursting with energy and curiosity, but there are also some cats, and some breeds, who are known to retain their kitten crazy ways throughout life - of course, not a bad thing when they are just so entertaining, smart, and people oriented!