i need a cat trainer, and no, this isn't an april fool's joke. in fact, this is the opposite of funny. as you've seen from my bad cat behavior posts, my kitties can be naughty. however, most the time it's semi-cute naughty, like awww, those goobers. the side that you don't see as much is the pest side of ben. i feel bad, because he clearly wants SOMETHING, but i have no clue what it is. i play with him, he gets bored. i pet him, he gets tired of that. he makes a distinct whiney meow noise (oftentimes sounding like he's saying "raoul"), and if no one responds, you just brace yourself for bad behavoir, whether it be wine glass bumping, cord chewing, or picture frame moving. i love this cat to pieces, but every night he drives me insane. i frequently can't get things done because he's causing trouble every couple minutes.
i've tried playing with him until he tires (the down time doesn't last long), we've tried ignoring the bad behavior (we end up with broken wine glasses)...i just seriously don't know what to do. pretty much every evening i end up getting upset and telling him that i don't know what he wants, and asking him if he could PLEASE just one night be good. sometimes we're so lucky as to have him nap in the evening, but most of the time he doesn't.
the worst part is, i feel like it's just because he's ridiculously smart, and so he gets bored. i get new toys from him, we try and entertain him, but i just don't know what to do...
so, in conclusion, anyone know a cat trainer? i don't know what else to do...either a cat trainer or a cat wheel...anyone want to donate a cat wheel?
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7 comments:
It's the Bengal in him I think. High energy etc. Fionna is like that too and she's very stubborn. I think you might need a pet behaviorist. When we were having some issues our vet recommended one. I'd check with your vet. They might have someone they can recommend to you.
When in doubt try squirting them with a water bottle. A couple times and it lets them know you mean business. Fionna is very willful too. It basically comes down to a battle of wills and who can outsmart who. I also have a bird feeder situated right outside the window which provides HOURS of mental stimulation to our two youngins'.
your kitten is that...a kitten! This too shall pass. *smile*
If your cat is still young, this will definitely pass. Adult cats are much more mellow than kittens (or any cat under a year). This is exactly why I do not adopt kittens - they are just too much work. This is a good opportunity for you to set boundaries for the cat. If he wakes you up at night, shut the door and do it every night. If he is jumping up on the table, cover it with foil or use the spray bottle. You have to treat cats like dogs in some ways - they need discipline and structure or they will run wild. This is hard to do because they are so cute! Just be firm with the cat and he will eventually learn (and will grow up).
thanks for the suggestions, all! it's more the breed than the age (he's 1.5 years, so still semi-kitten)...even my vet commented that he def. acts part bengal b/c he's very sneaky and active. i think i might have to consult a behaviorist--foil doesn't work (he eats it), water works sometimes but in general he likes water. i know he's just bored and needs more stimulation and more room to run around...
i'm having a similar smaller problem with boris. he's about the same age (just over 1.5)...scratches on the walls, runs around and night time is the worst..or early morning. the water bottle seems to be the only thing that kinda helps, but like you said our cats like water. i often think it's a space issue too. what really gets me though, is that he can sleep for most of the day! it's just morning and night...sometimes i feel like i'm breast-feeding a newborn if that makes any sense...the hassle and constant need.
behaviorist could help.
Francie has similar issues...she's destroyed a door by peeling off the (cheap) wood veneer; she's chewed the heck out of cardboard boxes during my move; one night, she looked me straight in the eye, then jumped four feet up in the air to bear hug my palm tree...and proceeded to knock it over and break off the remaining branches. (she's knocked it over before...i have no idea what possessed her to do that...) and the frustrating thing is that she is too fast for me to squirt her with water! runs away before i get her. i've tried to play with her, just as you have; i've literally run her around in circles until she starts panting like a dog! took one quick nap for her to get back to her crazy kitten self.
thankfully, she sleeps through the night, for now, anyway.
you are not alone! i will send good vibes your way, hopes that ben will behave himself! francie is just a few months younger than him...
Oh Mr. Ben! I feel your pain. Ando is my Ben - very charming and defiant. His big thing is eating paper, which is my fault for giving him paper balls to play with when he was a kitten. Now I can't leave a single piece of paper out, everything must be locked up immediately. He opens the mail, shreds catalogs, and every single day when I get home and put my purse down on the counter, if I leave it open he's right there with his head inside destroying any sticky note or business card he can find. But at the moment he's curled up, as cute as can be, on the rug beside my desk. You've just got to love them!
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