Very destructive cats!!

[blackcat]

That is a really great tree, but a word of advice. The ladders are not stable and fall off when the cats are playing vigorously. I have removed the ladders for safety sake. So keep a very close eye on how they play and if they are 'throwing' themselves around, get rid of the ladders quick sticks or you will have an injured cat to deal with ...

[JoAnn]

I let the cats into the living room last night and they were well behaved.  Some things were knocked over and some cushions on the floor but no peeing at all.   

I've also just ordered a 'playhouse' as I like to call it.  http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/scratching_posts/medium/15128

They've been a bit more calm.  Right now they are zooming around and I know in about half an hour they'll be conked out on the couch for a couple of hours.  Tobey was well behaved this afternoon as my daughter was touching his ears, he just sat there and let her do it.  He didn't even look bothered by it.  Definately seeing an improvement so far!  Thanks for all the advice!!  Will let you know how it goes with the behaviourist as well! 

[sixfurballs]

I've read some very similar situations in one of the Vicky Halls book so hope the behaviourist can help sort it out. I do think it was pretty hasty of your vet to just recommend rehoming and glad you decided to try again. I think you have been given some great tips and hope it all helps.

I've had cats for almost 7 years now and my children are only 2 and 4. I didn't have the same time for the cats when the children were tiny babies but we got through the early days. I used the nets on the pram and carrycot and they did help. Now the cats are more spoiled than ever and my children adore them.

[Sabrina (Auferstehen)]

Just to add a few cardboard boxes with a ping pong balls etc in there and that is a very cheap and effective toy that both cats will enjoy.

Two of mine rediscovered a box from stella bottles someone brought over and have been jumping in and out of it like crazy (sometimes there's two cats in there and it's not a big box!).

Good luck and I hope it works out that you can keep these two occupied!

[Catbird]

If the peeing has stopped, then I think I would persevere with the free house idea and see how it goes.

Strangely I was about to reply asking if I should allow them free run of the house at nights now.  Tobey hasn't pee'd on anything since we got the new couch, he hasn't even looked like he has been thinking about it!  I am just worried that he'll start doing it again.  The old couch was leather and easier to clean up if he did but a fabric couch would be ruined.  If there anything I could spray on the couch as a precaution?  I've heard good things about Feliway.  The only room I wouldn't let them in at nights would be the bedroom, not until my daughter is strong enough to push the cats off her if they went into her cot. 

I've ordered a lazer pen from the shop as Oscar loves them.  We had one for him before we got Tobey but I broke it by dropping it on the hard wood kitchen floor and never got round to buying a new one!  My dad is going to take me to our local pet shop today to buy some more toys and get a new scratch post as well as they've worn out their current one.

Could I suggest a ceiling-height cat tree?  It sounds a bit dramatic but if you look on zooplus.co.uk you will find some that are not especially expensive and don't take up too much space.  The cats will love playing on the tree (Dot couldn't wait for me to get it assembled before she started playing on it), they will use the hessian-covered legs as scratch posts and, importantly, the top platform will give them a place that they know they can escape to.  This might help if they have anxieties about your daughter.  If you put one of these in your living room, they are much less likely to attack the couch.  I live in a 2 bed flat and Dot is an indoor cat and we have 2 trees - a tall, thin ceiling one in the living room and a smaller one in the spare room.  She loves being "king of the castle" up there where she knows I can't get her and she likes looking down on all she surveys!

I hope you all get sorted in due course.

C.

[Edited cuz carnt speil.  Preeveew psot is my fiend]

[caledonia]

I would just re-itterate what everyone has already said which is that it sounds as though it is boredom that is causing the problems. I totally understand why you started locking them in the kitchen as the thought of your couch getting ruined would have been a nightmare.

Aside from changing the couch did anything else change ? Do you have at least two trays for them? I take it you have stuck with the clumping litter?


I have three indoor only cats in a flat, albeit a big flat with two levels and three rooms and the cats have free roam of the house at all times expect from the bedroom we sleep in at night because Edgar likes to wake us which was causing problems with my partner and to be honest now even when we leave the door open they dont bother.

It is hard juggling a busy life, a baby and day to day stuff with playing with the cats but I do find that a good 20 min session with the laser pen (which means very little movement from us!!!) does use up a lot of their energy.

Maybe the behaviourist will source the problem of the intitial peeing that caused the situation in the first place.

Good luck

[JoAnn]

If the peeing has stopped, then I think I would persevere with the free house idea and see how it goes.

Strangely I was about to reply asking if I should allow them free run of the house at nights now.  Tobey hasn't pee'd on anything since we got the new couch, he hasn't even looked like he has been thinking about it!  I am just worried that he'll start doing it again.  The old couch was leather and easier to clean up if he did but a fabric couch would be ruined.  If there anything I could spray on the couch as a precaution?  I've heard good things about Feliway.  The only room I wouldn't let them in at nights would be the bedroom, not until my daughter is strong enough to push the cats off her if they went into her cot. 

I've ordered a lazer pen from the shop as Oscar loves them.  We had one for him before we got Tobey but I broke it by dropping it on the hard wood kitchen floor and never got round to buying a new one!  My dad is going to take me to our local pet shop today to buy some more toys and get a new scratch post as well as they've worn out their current one.

[clarenmax]

I hope you manage to find a solution, it would be heartbreaking if you had to part with either of them, and your daughter will love interacting with them as she gets older 

As others have said, it does sound as though they are bored, and just want a bit more attention, which can be hard at the best of times, but I imagine even moreso with a young baby.

I see you are now experimenting with letting them have the run of the flat, and I think you may find this will help.  My boy is indoor only, but if he sees a closed door, all hell will break loose, especially if he knows that I'm on the other side of it lol.

If the peeing has stopped, then I think I would persevere with the free house idea and see how it goes.

Good luck hun 

[moiramassey]

Do you have a place where you could play with Da Bird with them? Maybe your hall?

As you found with Tobey, 15 minutes of being very active can make all the difference.

[**TINA**]

Would just like to say, that since we moved house in September i am terrified to let my babies out, as now live in an estate,
and they were used to a quiet area.
They do have their mad moments & run wild, we play with them alot, but with plenty toys & scratching posts they have settled well to being indoor cats.
I now have 4 cats, but they have the run of the house at all times. They have the biggest bedroom as well with a settee to jump around on. (Pod claimes it for a bit piece LOL)
Have also recently got some cubes (thru Purrs shop) and they love them,  they seemed to have stopped ragging at the settee down stairs.

Have to say tho, i dont agree with your vet.... i would get rid of the vet   


Good luck with the behavourist, it must be so hard for you   

[JoAnn]

We live on the 12th floor so there is no way we could let them outside.  Even if we could I wouldn't do it.  We don't live in the nicest of areas, I wouldn't feel comfortable at all letting them outside incase they never came home again.

As for toys, they have a few balls, mice, things on strings, I did buy a triangle thing with holes and balls inside for the cats to put their paws through.  Tobey loves it, but thinking now we leave it in the living room at nights.  I am going to start putting it in the kitchen with them along with toys.  It sounds daft but I really didn't think to give them toys when they are in the kitchen!    

In regards to run of the house, they used to until Tobey started peeing on the couch as he'd pee'd on my bed a couple of times.  They do get free run of the house but it isn't often and is only for about an hour at a time.  Since Tobey has now stopped this I am going to allow them out the living room all the time.  When my daughter is napping I can easily shut the bedroom door and they'll still have access to the hall and spare room.  We don't live in a huge flat but there is definately enough room for a hyper cat to get his fill of zooming about.  Tonight we allowed them free run, Tobey went crazy, sliding up and down the hall floor and within 20 minutes he had conked out on the living room floor.

I think we've been neglecting the cats bit since the birth.  It hasn't been deliberate.  They have plenty of food, water and clean litter but they do need more hugs, cuddles, playtime and most importantly room to run around and be cats!

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

Is there anyway they could be allowed outside ?
They do sound like they are bored.
If not could they be allowed the run of the house, as MM has said they dont seem to have enough space
Not sure i agree with your vet about attacking your Daughter though, Good on you for wanting to try all you can xx

[Millys Mum]

If they are indoor cats with 2 rooms to live in its absolutely no surprise they are now having issues, cats need lots to do so having what they need to survive is different to what they need to live.
Im not against indoor cats but i strongly believe they should have free run of their home with plenty of enrichment, if they cant have more space then personally i dont think its fair to keep them that restricted and agree with the vet 

[blackcat]

When you describe the provisions for them in the kitchen you say they have everything they need. Food, litter trays and so forth. That is all they need for their physical comfort, but not all they need for their emotional well-being. Can I suggest that you try putting a climbing tree and 'nest' in there with them at night. That will give them entertainment and security. As well, you have not mentioned whether they have access to the outdoors at all. I am wondering if they are indoor cats, whether they have enough things that let me make their own fun? That might be as simple as a pingpong ball they can bat around, or there are more toys than you can poke a stick at in PAH, or even in the 'Shop' here on Purrs. The 'shop' by the way can be accessed by clicking on the button above this thread.

It is difficult dealing with a small child as well as restless cats I imagine, so give yourself some time to try out some strategies to keep them occupied. I think your vet may be over-reacting if he considers they may deliberately injure your child, but I bear the scars of many unintentional injuries so can understand your concern on that front. There are covers you can obtain for bassinets and cradles that will protect your child to some extent, so maybe while you are sorting out your furry babies, you can protect your non-furry baby with these.

Sounds like your first cat had a bit of a rough start in life but has sorted out his problems, but is now having a few issues with the new member of the household, so I would hang in there, and I am glad you are seeing a pet therapist, because they can point out things that make you think 'why did I not see that? '...

Good that you found us here on Purrs because between us we have centuries of experience (scary thought though that may be) so can probably between us, come up with some ideas you may not yet have thought of. Please let us know what the therapist says about potential triggers for the present behaviour so we can help you more ...

[Maddiesmum]

Oh how awful for everybody including the cats.  I was reading stuff today about behaviour and it mentions that a new baby brings all different scents into the cat's territory and can make them feel threatened.  I don't have the answer for you but hope that the behaviourist can help.

[JoAnn]

Well I spoke to my vet today and he has suggested maybe rehoming them as they could start to attack my daughter but I've told him I want to try everything possible before I do that so we are going to get a behavioural therapist to visit us.  In the meantime I am going to clean out the spare room, put a litter tray, food, water and beds in there to give them more space to play about in.  They are usually confined to the kitchen and living room.  maybe some more play space will help them, it will also give them some privacy as well.

I do try to play with them but right now it is hard to with my daughter.  They get a lot of cuddles and affection though but it is mostly at night time or when my daughter is having a nap.  Will see how things go with the behavioural therapist!

[JackSpratt]

Five months is a pretty short amount of time to adjust to a newcomer in "their" home. As far as the cats are concerned, your daughter is probably  just something that takes your time away from them!

http://petpundit.com/2008/12/getting-pets-ready-for-baby/

Don't know if this is any use.

[sheryl]

It defiantely sounds as though they are attention seeking - do you give them lots of play time and do they have lots of toys to ocupy them.  Are they house cats?

[JoAnn]

I have 2 cats.  Oscar was rescued 2 years ago after being kicked out his home when his previous owners got a dog.  He came to us very clingy and refused to leave my side.  After a few months he calmed down and realised that we weren't going to abandon him.  After 7 months of having him we got a kitten, Tobey, to keep him company as he was starting to wee on things while we were out.  Things went well for a year but then Tobey began weeing on the leather couch.  It was always at a certain spot and he would do it in front of us as well as when we were out.  We changed the litter to clumping litter and he stopped for a couple of weeks and then began again.  It took us turning the couch upside down to find the wood frame was moldy.  As the couch came with the flat we figured that maybe the previous tenants had a dog or cat who had wee'd and maybe Tobey was covering it up with his own wee.  We bought a new couch and he stopped immediately.  He hasn't done it ever since but we started locking him and Oscar in the kitchen every night and whenever we were out as this is a fabric couch and we can't afford for him to wee all over this one.  The kitchen isn't massive but it is big enough for them to get about.  It has their beds, food, water and litter tray in there so they have everything they need.

I gave birth 5 months ago and the cats have started becoming extremely destructive.  They run around at top speed, jump all over the couch, scratch it, knock everything off the units, scratch the carpet and the rug.  Oscar has started pouncing at the TV and Tobey has now started climbing the curtains.  We can't have anything nice in the flat as it will be destroyed.  Today I was in the kitchen preparing my daughters lunch when I heard a massive bang so I ran into the living room to see one of the chairs on it's side, my daughter was screaming her head off and Tobey started jumping over her making her worse.

When they start to misbehave we have a spray bottle with water.  Usually just pointing it at them stopped them but now they look at it and carry on.  When I spray them they run under the table, come back out after 10 seconds and carry on what they were doing.  I've tried everything I can think of to calm them down but nothing is working.  During my pregnancy I was worried how they would react to the baby but they were good at first, now they've become so destructive.  Every morning when I go into the kitchen they've destroyed the place.  Tobey has a habit of deliberately knocking his water dish over, at first I thought it was an accident but I've seen him do it a few times and it is on purpose.

They are very close yet they have some fights, not serious fights but play fights.  It usually ends with them knocking something over.  I am worried that they'll end up hurting my daughter, she's already got a scratch from Oscar when she was 4 weeks old.  Oscar was watching her sleep, she moved and he got a fright and scratched her face.

I am sorry for the long post but I wanted to give as much information as I could about the situation.  Oscar is 3 years old and Tobey is 18 months old.