Unique Cat Behvaior

TwoCatHome22

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Hi everyone! I recently made an account so I could try and find some insight on why my cat does some of the things that he does, it may be a long post :)
I “rescued” my cat a little over a year ago as a kitten. He was an accidental litter between mother and son and wasn’t in the best living conditions so I took him (with permission of course). Since bringing him home, he’s been living along side my older cat and they absolutely adore each other. Now to the not so fun behavior…. He has some quirks that aren’t so cute or fun anymore. He constantly begs for food(jumping on you, pawing at your legs, screeching, etc) , doesn’t matter what you have, he wants it. He wanders through the house meowing at all hours of the day and night (he gets fed before we go to bed and he has plenty of toys and another cat to socialize with). If you shut the bathroom door, he’ll scratch and whine until you let him in. He loves attacking our feet at night. And for the worst one of all, he loves chewing on plastic. Doesn’t matter what kind (plastic bags are his fav) he will seek it out and chew on it, preferably at 3am 🙄 we try to make sure everything is put away but he will sniff it out it seems. I know most of these quirks are typical cat like behavior but I was wondering if anyone has some tips to maybe decrease them? He’s been to the vet, has plenty of toys and all of that so I just don’t know what to do. I’ve had many cats over the years (my childhood home was a common dumping ground for kittens, unfortunately) but never had a cat with this type of behavior.
please be kind as I just want the best for my cats :) thank you!
 

2Cats4everLoved

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Hello, just curious. The vet ruled out any hearing loss? My friend has a howler and it has hearing loss.

I have a plastic obsessed kitty I need answers for also. Although she's specific on what type.
 
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TwoCatHome22

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Nope, he has his hearing that’s for sure lol. He comes running when he hears wrappers. He tends to lean towards clear plastics but makes ah exception for plastic grocery bags. I read into Pika for animals and I’m thinking he may have that but not sure lol
 

vince

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It doesn't seem to be pica, but just seems to be a bad habit. I have one like that. She raids the wastebaskets for heavy plastic that will crinkle when bitten. She spends all night under the bed or out in the hallway crunching on it, but never swallows any that I can tell. Clear heavy plastic is her favorite but she won't bother with plastic grocery bags (they don't seem to be heavy enough for her).

She has a lot of the same behaviors as yours--panicky feet under the bathroom door, loud and persistent begging, etc. These all seem to be normal cat bad (learned) behaviors from what I've read. They're probably all my fault. I don't think anything is wrong with your kitty, unless we both have weirdos.
 
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TwoCatHome22

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I’m glad to hear it’s not just my weirdo lol. When he was a kitten he lived in a rough environment. If they ran out of food, his mom and dad would knock over the garbage and they would scavenge for whatever they could find so I’m thinking that’s where he learned his behavior. Some days are better than some that’s for sure
 

susanm9006

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Begging for food: what is his weight like? Is he getting quality wet food at least several times a day? If you don’t have concerns about diet or weight then it’s just habit. You break that by putting him in another room while you eat and never ever give in to his begging.

Howling around the house is also fairly common and normal behavior. Some cat do it as a part of zoomies, or just to hear their own voices. Best to just ignore it.

And unfortunately some cats are chewers, of plastic, cords, etc. keep bags put away, put covers on electrical cords or keep them tucked behind furniture and find some things that are safe for him to chew, like edible chew toys. Mine have always liked to chew on heavy cardboard boxes. They do not eat the cardboard but spend a great deal of time chomping on it and tearing off pieces with their teeth. Messy but harmless fun.
 

vince

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Mine beg because they came from the shelter as adults with bad habits already installed. I gave in to them, milksop that I am. The little orange meanie I rescued from under my car learned the bad habits from the others.
 

vince

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The mean orange one is good at getting into the closet and dumping out the garbage pail to forage. I tried Velcro on the door and jambs to keep it closed, but the door is warped and the Velcro doesn't do the job. I might have to think about a little kitchen remodeling.
 

Neko-chan's mama

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Do you do interactive play with her? Neko-chan sometimes gets annoying with bedtime foot pouncing if we miss wand toy time. I guess I'm more fun than solo toys. And the bathroom thing: it's like having a toddler, I haven't had a peaceful pee in almost 3 years.
 

vince

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She's also bad about strumming Venetian blinds. I do play with her, mostly with a wand flyer toy or a dowel rod. Sometimes, I just chase her around the house. She's 3 1/2. I would have thought the kitten behavior would have died down by now.

There are two other relatively active males here that chase her around, too. It's not that she lacks for exercise. She and another one are having the zoomies under the bed as I write this.

I hardly ever bother to close the bathroom door entirely. The three of 'em just sit out there and wail, although they do like to steal underwear from under the door if it's closed. I just drag it back and forth, and zip! It disappears. They must think they're playing a big caper on me.
 
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