Lesson Learned!

Sonatine

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It was only a matter of time until Mischief realized that she's nearly the size of a leopard and can in fact jump to the top of my dresser (tallest piece of furniture and the only one that is supposed to be off limits to cats). So once she finally jumped up a couple of times and got ready to push literally everything to the ground, I shooed her off and looked for my double sided tape.

I couldn't find the double sided tape so I settled for some thin duct tape strips rolled so that they were sticky side up. But this is a cat who likes sticky things. How could I forget?

She jumped up again. Instead of being grossed out by the sticky tape, she methodically began to grab each piece in her mouth and pull it up. It seemed she was having fun with it. So much for that idea.

I was willing to straddle the line between frustrated and amused... until she started chewing a piece and it got caught in her throat. I was terrified that she'd swallow it, or choke on it. Luckily I managed to pry it out, but it wasn't a fun experience for either of us. Now she's avoiding the dresser anyway due to the associated unpleasantness.

So, lesson learned: if you're using adhesives, make sure they're too wide for your cat to choke on them!
 

susanm9006

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One thing to try on the dresser, not to keep her off but to prevent her from knocking things off is Velcro. You either Velcro each item down or put them in shallow boxes and Velcro that down. Since your girl apparently likes to peel, make sure the Velcro is entirely underneath the item.

Also if enough of the dresser surface is covered with things of varying height the cat is less likely to jump up there because they don’t see room to jump.
 
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Sonatine

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One thing to try on the dresser, not to keep her off but to prevent her from knocking things off is Velcro. You either Velcro each item down or put them in shallow boxes and Velcro that down. Since your girl apparently likes to peel, make sure the Velcro is entirely underneath the item.

Also if enough of the dresser surface is covered with things of varying height the cat is less likely to jump up there because they don’t see room to jump.
The velcro thing is a good idea. She also likes to chew, though, specifically on these decorations. I've put them away until I know she can be trusted again (they actually wouldn't break if she knocked them down, but her sharp kitty teeth would do a number on them). I might try some visual barriers if she ever gets the nerve to try and jump up again, though. The varying heights thing is a good idea.
 
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Sonatine

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I'll have to try museum putty, if I can put out some decorations that she won't be tempted to chew on. I keep meaning to get her some toys that are meant for chewing (Amelia doesn't chew, so I'm not used to having that sort of thing on hand), though I've a suspicion that having her own toys won't make her want mine any less!

Maybe I should just put a rug under the dresser. Works great for my coffee table; she can completely clear it off and while it's a mess, nothing is damaged. Sometimes I put little shiny things like coins or paperclips around the edge for her to push off. She likes those the best.
 
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