Expert: Ali - 1/13/2009

Question
puma skakes his tail as if scenting when excited about feeding, also humps but only me, was fixed at one year, nursed on a second litter, follows me like a dog, cuddles like a kitten. He has been laying traps to assassinate us by laying at the top of the stairs in our path for a year. He destroys the house when we don't read his mind. He makes as much noise as possible when leaping, does not lay down..but falls over. He is on a first name basis with neighbors that don't do messy. He has allowed the cat across the street to move onto our deck, but doesn't act like he likes him when I'm watching. He wakes me up if I purr at night. Wakes me up by pawing my ribs at night if bored.

Answer
And,

My middle kitty also shakes his tail as though he is spraying when he's excited, I guess it's just something that some cats do. So long as Puma isn't actually spraying urine against surfaces in your home I wouldn't be overly concerned. The mock humping is a gesture of dominance and he apparently views you as a more submissive member of the household. The ambush issue can be corrected by squirting a stream of plain water from a water pistol or a new plant mister at Puma, most cats prefer to stay dry if at all possible. Destructive tendencies are difficult to curb, I think that given all of the ongoing behavioral issues and the fact that Puma is having a tough time determining his place within the household it would be wise to see an animal behaviorist specializing in cats if at all possible. Your veterinarian can generally make the referral. In the meantime I suspect that the secret to getting a good night's sleep will depend upon setting Puma up with some appropriate toys and/or a treasure hunt where he can find treats and toys throughout areas of the house where nobody is sleeping and of course keeping the door shut so that Puma can't just come in and wake you up. It's quite possible that Puma will decide that he doesn't like a closed door and he may meow and scratch at the door until he's let in, if he does this then you can try allowing him into your room and if he wakes you promptly deposit him onto the other side of a closed door. Cats are smart, they'll generally learn pretty quickly what's acceptable and what's not. As for the neighbor issues that's kind of delicate and requires patience and sensitivity from both sides to be resolved peacefully. It may be a good idea to let the neighbors know that you are currently working on Puma's behavioral issues and what they can do to help. Since I don't have the information to tell me what exactly Puma is doing to upset the neighbors I can't really comment on a solution. It sounds like Puma has a great deal of personality and he's obviously quite bright. A bit of training and behavioral work along with providing him with acceptable alternatives to bad behavior should help to keep Puma and his humans happy.