We've got a problem with our younger cat, Skidd...or rather, his behavior.
Skidd's not a kitten, maybe a couple or few years old, but has serious anxiety and abandonment issues. We have another cat--a female about six years--whom he is constantly trying to 'teach a lesson' without provocation. They get along about half the time, and the rest of it, he's chewing on her. :\
Anyway, the problem regards Skidd's demands for attention when I'm WORKING. Because of his separation issues, I made the mistake of allowing him to get used to sleeping between me and the computer anytime he wanted to. He'll curl up half on my chest, half on the keyboard, purring, snoring, and worst of all, passing gas in his sleep, and his considerable weight puts my right wrist and entire left arm to sleep. If I even appear to be considering relocating him, he bites me. And as if all this weren't bad enough, he lays there beating me with his tail, shedding on my face and eyes, and repeatedly whacks keys and the mouse--it takes twice as long to type our a single paragraph with him here as it does to type several without his 'help.'
Any time I so much as step into the den, even if I'm just ducking in to empty the trash bin or find a book, he comes racing in after me, hops up in front of the computer, and howls, as though trying to convince me to sit down at the desk and let him lay on me. If I latch the den door with him on the other side...well, I'm sure you know how well that goes over--he is a cat. He howls and wails, pounds on the door, and beats up his sister, and we hear about the racket from our neighbors. (I'm pretty sure we have at least one neighbor who thinks we're torturing him.) If I leave the door open but refuse him a spot on the desk, he'll try sneaking around the area I've blocked off and 'accidentally' knock things off until I either throw him out, (see portion about locking him out) put him back on the floor, (Rinse, lather, repeat) or just give in and let him sleep on me. The worst bit, though, comes when I consistently refuse to let him have his way. If he gets barred access to the desk a few times in a row, he'll storm off in a huff to some random part of our apartment, squat on the floor, CRAP on it--usually less than a foot away from a clean litter box!--then wander around howling until I realize what he's done, follow his happy butt to the mess, and clean it up like a good little cat servant. Even when he doesn't 'bomb the floor' like this, he wanders around wailing like he's been abandoned, and it disturbs our neighbors--he is VERY loud, and we can hear his crying all the way at the opposite end of the common hallway, in the elevator! No one's filed any complaints yet, but I know he's driving everyone as nuts as he's driving us.
When he first started defecating on the floor, we worried he might be sick, and took him to the vet. The vet found nothing wrong with him, and confirmed it's a behavioral deal, especially since he still urinates in the boxes. So far, nothing we've tried has stopped this behavior. The only way I've found to keep him off the desk is by burning incense nearby, but even that only lasts a few minutes, and the stuff isn't free. Also, he rarely wants anything to do with me unless I'm at my desk
We have only the two cats, both are fixed and partially declawed, and they are by no means lacking for toys, treats, food, or entertainment. There are no children in the home, only myself and my fiance, and he works out of the home five days a week. I can't think of any specific changes that occurred shortly before he began this behavior. Just in case the doc missed something last time, we're taking him in tomorrow morning for a followup.
So, if anyone has any advice, please, PLEASE tell me, because this is driving us crazy and destroying our floors!
Skidd's not a kitten, maybe a couple or few years old, but has serious anxiety and abandonment issues. We have another cat--a female about six years--whom he is constantly trying to 'teach a lesson' without provocation. They get along about half the time, and the rest of it, he's chewing on her. :\
Anyway, the problem regards Skidd's demands for attention when I'm WORKING. Because of his separation issues, I made the mistake of allowing him to get used to sleeping between me and the computer anytime he wanted to. He'll curl up half on my chest, half on the keyboard, purring, snoring, and worst of all, passing gas in his sleep, and his considerable weight puts my right wrist and entire left arm to sleep. If I even appear to be considering relocating him, he bites me. And as if all this weren't bad enough, he lays there beating me with his tail, shedding on my face and eyes, and repeatedly whacks keys and the mouse--it takes twice as long to type our a single paragraph with him here as it does to type several without his 'help.'
Any time I so much as step into the den, even if I'm just ducking in to empty the trash bin or find a book, he comes racing in after me, hops up in front of the computer, and howls, as though trying to convince me to sit down at the desk and let him lay on me. If I latch the den door with him on the other side...well, I'm sure you know how well that goes over--he is a cat. He howls and wails, pounds on the door, and beats up his sister, and we hear about the racket from our neighbors. (I'm pretty sure we have at least one neighbor who thinks we're torturing him.) If I leave the door open but refuse him a spot on the desk, he'll try sneaking around the area I've blocked off and 'accidentally' knock things off until I either throw him out, (see portion about locking him out) put him back on the floor, (Rinse, lather, repeat) or just give in and let him sleep on me. The worst bit, though, comes when I consistently refuse to let him have his way. If he gets barred access to the desk a few times in a row, he'll storm off in a huff to some random part of our apartment, squat on the floor, CRAP on it--usually less than a foot away from a clean litter box!--then wander around howling until I realize what he's done, follow his happy butt to the mess, and clean it up like a good little cat servant. Even when he doesn't 'bomb the floor' like this, he wanders around wailing like he's been abandoned, and it disturbs our neighbors--he is VERY loud, and we can hear his crying all the way at the opposite end of the common hallway, in the elevator! No one's filed any complaints yet, but I know he's driving everyone as nuts as he's driving us.
When he first started defecating on the floor, we worried he might be sick, and took him to the vet. The vet found nothing wrong with him, and confirmed it's a behavioral deal, especially since he still urinates in the boxes. So far, nothing we've tried has stopped this behavior. The only way I've found to keep him off the desk is by burning incense nearby, but even that only lasts a few minutes, and the stuff isn't free. Also, he rarely wants anything to do with me unless I'm at my desk
We have only the two cats, both are fixed and partially declawed, and they are by no means lacking for toys, treats, food, or entertainment. There are no children in the home, only myself and my fiance, and he works out of the home five days a week. I can't think of any specific changes that occurred shortly before he began this behavior. Just in case the doc missed something last time, we're taking him in tomorrow morning for a followup.
So, if anyone has any advice, please, PLEASE tell me, because this is driving us crazy and destroying our floors!