Unexplained Sudden Figurine Animosity

[tallyollyopia]

To start off with, our house has six cats; Rose, Ra, Slipper, Princess, Asia, and Spot. Ra is the problem child of this thread. Another thing is that I've been collecting fairy figurines since I was ten, and my collection started with fairies that I got from the Dollar Tree (I didn't have much of an allowance as a kid.) I've had these figurines a while. Ra, who has suddenly decided to hate them, has seen them pretty much from the time he was big enough to climb to the top bunk (easier than most would think; the bunks have a curtain that block out light for the bottom). He's surfed the shelves (full of books and figurines), and they've never bothered him before. Okay, I've lost a few figurines to accidents, but they were accidents.

Yesterday that changed. Literally overnight he has developed a hatred for these fairies. (Not all fairy figurines--just the ones I got that long ago summer at the Dollar Tree.) He's fine with every other figurine, but those have, for some reason, ticked him off. How? Why? What do I do about this? I put them up--and he prowls the room looking for them. Where did this come from, and how should I deal with it?

 

[ohws]

What do you mean "He hates them"? Has he started to destroy them?

It is unlikely that he hates them. Cats tend to reserve hate for living things such as other cats, dogs and people.

If he is destroying the figurines, it is far more likely that he is doing it because he enjoys doing it. So your options are either to make the figurines inaccessible or to provide him with activities which he prefers to destroying figurines.

 

[sivyaleah]

As mentioned, cats don't have a concept of "hate".  

It sounds like this is a fun thing for him to do.  Combined with negative reinforcement, it's a no-win for you.

I'd just put the figurines away in a safe place for a while.  I'd think that would curb the inclination to go after them.  Maybe bring them out again in a few weeks to see if the obsession with this one type of object has stopped.  

You can also try redirecting the need to "hunt" these things by using some kind of wand type toy to put his attention elsewhere when it happens.

 

[tallyollyopia]

He doesn't chase the wand toys. And yes, he was destroying them before I put them up. He just launched himself (from the floor to the shelves), grabbed the figurines with his mouth, and threw them against the wall. Rinse and repeat until they broke. (Surprisingly, Dollar Tree figurines age well.) Like I said, it came out of nowhere.