Paper and my cat

[megan elizabeth]

My cat loves to shred paper! He never eats it, he just bites it and scratches it apart. It's ver annoying and frustrating because my and my boyfriend are in college and we have a lot of school work around the house. Any ideas on how to stop this? He is so obsessed with paper that he knocks over the trash at night to find things to rip!

 

[pinkman]

I think the best bet would be to invest in some office drawer systems and make sure your cat can't get to the paper. For trash, try a lidded trash bin?

 

[tulosai]

I think given your situation, I'd change your behavior as an immediate step, and not focus on changing the cat's, because it sounds like these papers are important and you can't risk them.  I second the suggestion to keep them in drawers or out of kitty's reach.  If you live in a big enough space, keep them in a separate room where he can't go.

As a more long term thing, first, if it is not the mess that bothers you but the fact that he is shredding papers that might be important, I'd give him some paper every morning and evening that he can shred if he wants. I'd try to make this a distinctive/different kind of paper than the ones it annoys you that he shreds, such as newspaper or construction paper.  Make sure you are giving this paper to him at around the same time each day and in a specific way, such as crumpling it slightly and throwing it on the floor for him.  I'd then start reintroducing normal paper to the living space at a time when you can watch.  If he starts shredding this, pick him up and take him over to the acceptable shredding paper.

If you want all paper shredding to stop, you are going to have to train him like you'd train a cat to stop any other undesirable habit.  When you catch him starting to shred something, hiss at him.  If that doesn't work, when you see him clap LOUDLY and say "NO" in a very loud and forceful voice. This should be combined with lifting him away from the paper.  If you ever encounter a situation where he clearly sees the paper but chooses to walk away, reward that with a treat.  Also try distracting him with a fun interactive toy at times when he starts messing with the paper.

Good luck.