Expert: Norman Auspitz - 9/7/2009

Question
Hi!
My one year old cat, Nala (spayed & declawed), is very hyper most of the time. She loves to bother my older female cat, Bebe (also spayed and declawed) to no end, so much so that Bebe only ever comes inside to eat, and then wants to go right back out. Nala is an indoor cat, because I'm afraid that if I let her out, Bebe will have NO safe place to go to be away from Nala.
also, Nala loves to get into things she shouldn't. She chews on a lot of things, especially cords, and is always knocking things over and causing trouble. We've tried squirting her with water when she's somewhere or doing something she shouldn't be, but it has more or less turned into a game for her. She doesn't care anymore. Once you spray her, she runs away...but in a minute or so, is right back to doing it. She also has episodes of extreme hyper..ness(?).
I'm thinking all of this is because she has no other cat to play with and is bored, because I play with her multiple times a day and that doesn't help. My parents are 110% against getting another cat, so that is out of the question.
Is this something she will grow out of? or is there anything I can do to make her calm down and behave? we've always had multiple cats, but none have EVER been like Nala.
thank you so much!

Answer
Maria,

Some cats are very hyper and may or may not grow out of that kitten like phase.  When these kinds of cats are in the house, the house must be "cat proofed", i.e. breakables put somewhere the cat cannot do damage to them.  As far as electrical cords are concerned, these can be painted with a mixture of lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

The use of water in spray bottles as a discipline technique is highly rated.  Cats do not react well to any kind of negative discipline. Presently, she has made this into a game and has discovered what she can do to get you to play her game.

So, to reiterate, you need to cat proof the house and ignore her when she gets into these periods of extreme hyperactivity.  If you do not "play" along, she may give up on some of her antics.

Best regards... Norm.