Older kitten knocking over everything in my house

[david68]

I'm fostering a kitten that's about 8 months old, and he is turning out to be extremely destructive. He likes to jump up on things and tends to knock them over. Early this morning, there was a crash in the kitchen where he knocked a large pot off the counter. He broke a statue I had on a shelf. Just now, he knocked over and smashed my favorite floor lamp.

I've fostered lots of cats, but I've never had one that seemed so dedicated to jumping up on shelves, counters, etc... and knocking things off.

He already knows the word "down," but I need to figure out how to deal with this behavior; otherwise, I'm just going to have to lock him in the bathroom until I can get him adopted.

 

[susanm9006]

He sounds like a normal but active kitten. Of course, you can’t leave him locked in the bathroom. But you can use earthquake putty to anchor down small breakables, clear and give him more “up” places that he is allowed to jump to, and use motion activated toys to scare him away from the places he shouldn’t be. If that doesn’t work perhaps it would be best to return him to the place he is being fostered from.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Also, try using a wand toy to play with him and really wear him out 3=4 times a day. Kittens that age become bored easily, and bored cats knock things over to watch them fall. I like Da Bird, myself, but there are others. Get him really going till he flops over and pants, let him recover and do it again. Then ONE MORE TIME. By that point, he'll have worked off a lot of that energy. And DO get the putty! It is also called "museum putty." Doesn't hurt the items, just keeps them in place.

 

[rubysmama]

D david68 : Obviously locking him in the bathroom isn't a long term solution, so maybe something in one of these TCS articles will be helpful:

Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips – Cat Articles
How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat – Cat Articles

Thanks for fostering.

 

[ArtNJ]

This is accidental, right? Not on purpose, like cats do with smaller objects like pens? Trying to figure out if you have had a recent run of bad luck, or this is an unusual cat. Because while young cats may break something now and then, and a cat isn't necessarily the best idea for someone with say shelves of glass figurines, most people should be able to cat proof well enough that it shouldn't be a huge deal. Frequently knocking large objects over isn't something I've ever had a problem with (things like pens are a different story).

If you have tried cat proofing as best you can, and this is a truly unusual cat and not a run of bad luck, not sure what to tell you. If worst comes to worst, a bedroom would be better than a small bathroom, but even a bathroom is better than a shelter cage.