Expert: Tina - 1/23/2004

Question
My cat Tom is too clever for his own good.  He will do anything when he is hungry – such as: open cupboard draws, wreck windows, scratch doors and in the middle of the night jump on metal containers outside to wake us up.

My husband and I were thinking to go on vacation for a few days away from home and leaving the cats in the care of our neighbours, but I'm a bit worried about our cat Tom and his mischievous behaviour.  He has already caused us great embarrassment with our previous landlord and since then we've been wanting to find a new home for him.

Nevertheless, I love him to bits and shall hate to part with him.

Any suggestions?  Please ask me to elaborate on any point that's not clear.

Tamar.

P.S: he is neutered.

Answer
Hi Tamar,

First of all when you go away you may want to consider boarding him at a vet clinic or kennel. That way you know both cat and apartment will be safe! It would also allow a clean slate when you return in order to implement some changes - the ones I suggest below including keeping him indoors-only.

This type of hyperactive and destructive behavior is often due to boredom and desire for attention and a feeling that the cat has control over you. Normally I would suggest adopting a play-mate but if you are considering giving this cat away I don't think that would be a good idea - you would not want the responsibility of another cat. Instead, try to assert yourself in Tom's life and give him firm guidelines to live in. The way to do this is to make sure he does not get thing when he demands, but only on a specific schedule and when YOU decide.

Start with the feeding. Since he thinks he can get food on demand, try getting an automatic feeder that dispenses food at a certain time each day. The other advantage of this is that he will stop associating you directly with food and therefore he won't think waking you up will get him fed.

Then, playtime - make sure he gets at least half an hour of interactive play every day. Try to schedule this for the exact same time each day so he looks forward to it. An energetic cat needs this stimulation and if he does not have another cat to play with you have to be his play-mate. Use a laser pointer to get him racing around the house after the red dot, or a feath on a stick to get him juping in the air, whatever toys really get him going. Play with him at the same time each day. If he is waking you up at night a good idea is to play with him for 30 minutes in the evening and you will find he sleeps much better afterwards!

If he has destroyed things by scratching you may want to fit him with Soft Paws for a while. These are plastic caps that glue on over the claw to cover it, and they are a humane and inexpensive solution to clawing. The website www.softpaws.com has more info. All you need to do is trim the claws and apply the caps, you could have it done by a vet or groomer if you can't do it yourself. I suggest doing 1-2 claws per day until they are all done - that way you only need to hold him still for a few seconds and then release him before he knows what is going on.

In every aspect of his life, try to make things as scheduled and predictable as you can. Cats like to be able to predict things and it makes them feel secure, yet shows that you are the one setting the schedule. Never give him anything - food, toys or whatever - when he demands it, unless it is quiet affection he can have that anytime.

You mention that he jumps on metal containers outside to wake you up - perhaps he is trying to get back inside? He could be fighting with other cats. I highly recommend keeping cats indoors at all times.  Cats allowed outside are subjected to danger from cars, wild animals, contagious diseases, poisoning from rat poison and other materials, nasty cat-hating neighbours, and the list goes on and on.  Fights with other cats can lead to diseases such as FIV, Feline Leukemia, and abscesses from infected wounds. Because of these dangers, cats allowed outdoors live an
average of 5 years versus 15 for indoor only cats. I always hear people say "my cat lived to be 18 and went outside all his life" but for every cat like that there are 5 more who die horribly at a young age.

Cats allowed outdoors are also much more likely to act up indoors or spray urine to mark territory. Because they encounter other cats while they are out there they feel the need to reinforce their territory when inside. I think this is a major part of your problem. If you switch him to indoor only he will whine at first but if you are firm and don't let him out he will adapt (the articles below talk about strategies for this process). At least keep him indoors at night when he is in even more danger from cars and from other animals.

So, please consider keeping your cat strictly indoors, or you can consider
building a cat enclosure. These things are great because they give the cat
fresh air and the feeling of being outside without all the dangers!

More info on cat enclosures:

Build your own   
http://www.just4cats.com
http://home.earthlink.net/~tonks3/pets_outside2.htm
http://www.catfancy.com/catfancy/enclosure.asp

Pre-Built       
http://www.cdpets.com/enclosure.html
http://www.cde-animalcages.com

Also, articles about indoor-only cats, how to covert your indoor-outdoor cat
to an indoor-only cat:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/indoors.html

Finally, I think you'd find the folowing book very useful in solving your cat-human disputes: "Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat Not a Sour Puss" by Pam Johnson-Bennett it is available on amazon.com for about $10 and will give you a more extensive set of advice than I can over email.

Good luck!

-Tina