Hi everyone!
I have two male Persian cats,both one year old. I got them as 3 month old kittens, and I was hoping that they would be mellow, calm, and lap cats.
Well.. unfortunately, they are very feisty and destructive. One of them relentlessly chews on everything: cords, blinds (he has ruined several pairs), curtains, the antennae on my router, plastic bags, doors... They also do things such as knock over the kitchen garbage can and rummage through the bag, rip the garbage bag, and eat garbage. The other one scratches his claws on my couch and living room chair, and he has shredded my curtains AND shower curtain. They also jump onto the counters, inside the kitchen cabinets, and onto the kitchen table. In addition, one of my cats sits next to the TV and scratches the screen. I have seen several claw marks. He also pulls out the plug in the bathroom drain and plays with it, and tracks litter and poop into my shower on a daily basis. My other cat is food obsessed, and he follows me around every hour, loudly meowing.. he also runs into the kitchen after me whenever I go in there.
They have tons of toys (wand toys, mice, balls, etc.) AND, a 5 story cat tree with scratching posts, ledges, and places to hide/sleep. They also have two tunnels... I play with them everyday when I get home from work, and I give them a lot of attention, yet the behavior continues. I have a "scat mat" for the table and counters, which has helped...I also installed cabinet locks (like the ones for babies), which keeps them out. But, I am at my wits end with the destructive behaviors. I am a renter in an apartment. so I am responsible for any damage they create. Also, I can't afford to keep replacing broken blinds, curtains, furniture, and I do not want to eat where there is litter and cat poop smeared from them climbing all over the table/counters.
My questions would be, what else can I do? Is their behavior due to boredom/unhappiness? I wonder if they're not happy living with me. I have had cats all my life, and I have never seen some of these behaviors...
I have two male Persian cats,both one year old. I got them as 3 month old kittens, and I was hoping that they would be mellow, calm, and lap cats.
Well.. unfortunately, they are very feisty and destructive. One of them relentlessly chews on everything: cords, blinds (he has ruined several pairs), curtains, the antennae on my router, plastic bags, doors... They also do things such as knock over the kitchen garbage can and rummage through the bag, rip the garbage bag, and eat garbage. The other one scratches his claws on my couch and living room chair, and he has shredded my curtains AND shower curtain. They also jump onto the counters, inside the kitchen cabinets, and onto the kitchen table. In addition, one of my cats sits next to the TV and scratches the screen. I have seen several claw marks. He also pulls out the plug in the bathroom drain and plays with it, and tracks litter and poop into my shower on a daily basis. My other cat is food obsessed, and he follows me around every hour, loudly meowing.. he also runs into the kitchen after me whenever I go in there.
They have tons of toys (wand toys, mice, balls, etc.) AND, a 5 story cat tree with scratching posts, ledges, and places to hide/sleep. They also have two tunnels... I play with them everyday when I get home from work, and I give them a lot of attention, yet the behavior continues. I have a "scat mat" for the table and counters, which has helped...I also installed cabinet locks (like the ones for babies), which keeps them out. But, I am at my wits end with the destructive behaviors. I am a renter in an apartment. so I am responsible for any damage they create. Also, I can't afford to keep replacing broken blinds, curtains, furniture, and I do not want to eat where there is litter and cat poop smeared from them climbing all over the table/counters.
My questions would be, what else can I do? Is their behavior due to boredom/unhappiness? I wonder if they're not happy living with me. I have had cats all my life, and I have never seen some of these behaviors...