- Joined
- Apr 20, 2021
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- 7
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Hey everyone!
We have two cats, who we dearly love. Bugg (8yoM) and Zeus (2yo M)
They get along about as well as any pair of brothers; occasional squabbles when Zeus wants to play but Bugg does not, and just as many cuddles and shared grooming.
Bugg is quiet, affectionate, and very shy. He loves his family but strangers are a no-go, he'll hide until they're gone. He doesnt play very often and more or less naps like 22 hours a day. If there's an open lap somewhere, he's there. He was a rescue and my wife has had him since he was like 5mo. He was weaned and fixed too early, so he tends to nurse blankets and overgroom, but it's not serious enough to effect his quality of life or anything.
Zeus is also a rescue, but was weaned and fixed at the proper times. Introducing him to Bugg went well, and Bugg actually came out of his shell a little with someone to play with. Zeus is very energetic and curious, and loves playing fetch or with a laser or other toy. Hes the kind of cat who runs out the door because outside!!!! But then realizes the outside world is scary and he needs his mom. Hes very talkative, and has a bit of separation anxiety (hes our cat raised in quarantine. Most of his life, there's always been someone home.)
So heres what's going on:
Our cats are allowed pretty much wherever they want to be. Kitchen counters? No problem. Furniture? Of course. On top of the fridge and cabinets? Sure. What they're not allowed on, under any circumstances, is mine or my wife's desks. We have expensive computer equipment, and our cats like to chew wires and knock things over, as cats do.
And of course, this is where Zeus wants to be more than anywhere else.
He jumps onto the desk, onto the computer tower, and then tries to get even higher, all the while knocking things over and hard resetting the computer.
We've tried everything to stop him. Strong citrus scents (ignored), tin foil draped across the top (ignored), cardboard blocking the desktop (jumped through or climbed over), loud noises when he jumps up like clapping or barking his name (hesitation, and then ignored), distractions like toys or cuddles (ignored), shutting him out of the room (he screams incessantly to the point where hes hoarse and claws the carpet, which is unacceptable because we live in an apartment and we'll have to pay for that eventually), putting him in his cat carrier (stresses him out way too much), spraying him with water (works initially but he just comes right back and tries again), blowing air at him with a can of air (safe distance, just for the hissing noise- its ignored).
He has a cat tower and plenty of other places to be high up at, the tower is maybe 6 or 7 feet tall and is located in a place where he can see quite a bit of the apartment from the top. We play with him to tire him out as much as we can, which is often the evening but occasionally the morning too. They get fed twice a day in slow-feed bowls, a half cup in the morning and a half cup at night (vet's orders).
I work from home, and my desk is next to my wife's.
I feed the cats at around 7:30am, start work at 8am. Pretty much around 8:15am every morning, Zeus comes in and immediately attempts to climb up onto her computer tower. I shoo him away. This goes on incessantly for about 3 or 4 hours. It's starting to affect my work; I cant keep getting up to stop him. I do a lot of customer service phone calls, and if I'm on a call and he gets up and hurts himself or breaks something while I'm on a call, I dont know what I'd do.
What are we doing wrong? What are we missing here? Is he just doing this for attention? Any suggestions? Help!
We have two cats, who we dearly love. Bugg (8yoM) and Zeus (2yo M)
They get along about as well as any pair of brothers; occasional squabbles when Zeus wants to play but Bugg does not, and just as many cuddles and shared grooming.
Bugg is quiet, affectionate, and very shy. He loves his family but strangers are a no-go, he'll hide until they're gone. He doesnt play very often and more or less naps like 22 hours a day. If there's an open lap somewhere, he's there. He was a rescue and my wife has had him since he was like 5mo. He was weaned and fixed too early, so he tends to nurse blankets and overgroom, but it's not serious enough to effect his quality of life or anything.
Zeus is also a rescue, but was weaned and fixed at the proper times. Introducing him to Bugg went well, and Bugg actually came out of his shell a little with someone to play with. Zeus is very energetic and curious, and loves playing fetch or with a laser or other toy. Hes the kind of cat who runs out the door because outside!!!! But then realizes the outside world is scary and he needs his mom. Hes very talkative, and has a bit of separation anxiety (hes our cat raised in quarantine. Most of his life, there's always been someone home.)
So heres what's going on:
Our cats are allowed pretty much wherever they want to be. Kitchen counters? No problem. Furniture? Of course. On top of the fridge and cabinets? Sure. What they're not allowed on, under any circumstances, is mine or my wife's desks. We have expensive computer equipment, and our cats like to chew wires and knock things over, as cats do.
And of course, this is where Zeus wants to be more than anywhere else.
He jumps onto the desk, onto the computer tower, and then tries to get even higher, all the while knocking things over and hard resetting the computer.
We've tried everything to stop him. Strong citrus scents (ignored), tin foil draped across the top (ignored), cardboard blocking the desktop (jumped through or climbed over), loud noises when he jumps up like clapping or barking his name (hesitation, and then ignored), distractions like toys or cuddles (ignored), shutting him out of the room (he screams incessantly to the point where hes hoarse and claws the carpet, which is unacceptable because we live in an apartment and we'll have to pay for that eventually), putting him in his cat carrier (stresses him out way too much), spraying him with water (works initially but he just comes right back and tries again), blowing air at him with a can of air (safe distance, just for the hissing noise- its ignored).
He has a cat tower and plenty of other places to be high up at, the tower is maybe 6 or 7 feet tall and is located in a place where he can see quite a bit of the apartment from the top. We play with him to tire him out as much as we can, which is often the evening but occasionally the morning too. They get fed twice a day in slow-feed bowls, a half cup in the morning and a half cup at night (vet's orders).
I work from home, and my desk is next to my wife's.
I feed the cats at around 7:30am, start work at 8am. Pretty much around 8:15am every morning, Zeus comes in and immediately attempts to climb up onto her computer tower. I shoo him away. This goes on incessantly for about 3 or 4 hours. It's starting to affect my work; I cant keep getting up to stop him. I do a lot of customer service phone calls, and if I'm on a call and he gets up and hurts himself or breaks something while I'm on a call, I dont know what I'd do.
What are we doing wrong? What are we missing here? Is he just doing this for attention? Any suggestions? Help!