kitty help
 

So, how do you get a cat to not jump up on the tele and then jump on the fireplace mantle and knock over, thus breaking, the only nice stuff I have ... I have tried cat repellant, water spray, and yelling and nothing works.

Ahhh. My kitten, is 7 mos. and I have had him for a month. (Insert proud parent plug here: His name is Sebastian and I have pics at http://photos.yahoo.com/alphachiohmy)

Help!

ETA: He likes cat repellent, the repellant does not repel him.

Edited by GeekyPenguin to fix link

awww lol... i would try a loud noise- like an air horn... to really get his attention- and water.... that works for my cat for awhile... but she's especially mischevious-so it doesn't always teach her for long.... prob a lot like yours lol good luck- or ask your vet- they might know

I have heard that putting double stick tape on the TV/mantelpiece helps...when they leap up there and get that stuck to their feet, they won't like it and therefore will stay off it.

I have two 8 month old kittens, and I hate to say it, but I put my good, fragile stuff away where the kittens can't get to it. At this point, they're so hyper and jump on everything so I don't even try to stop them. You can try to wear him out by playing with him a lot -- if you don't have a Cat Dancer, you should get one because they are awesome.

He will calm down eventually, but there's really no stopping a kitten. :)

Put plastic spikes all over things you don't want the kitten to jump on . . . plastic spikes will hurt but not kill him.

Or, modify the electric shock dog collar and use it to shield your stuff.

Create a highly charged Tesla Coil that will send out frightening bolts of mostly harmless electricity to terrify the cat away from stuff.

Lets be more creative . .. put a presssure sensitive alarm on surfaces you don't want him to jump on . . .

Buy flesh eating plants that will nip at him.

Put a casutic substance that will burn his paws on the surfaces . . .

Edited to add: run a small electric current through the surfaces you want to keep clear . . .

Lock him in a specific room when you are not home . ..

water gun

I adopted a rambunctious hyperactive kitten last summer. He is starting to calm down now but for awhile it was a CONSTANT battle. He was in the blinds, on the table, in the kitchen sink, trying to break into the cabinets, on my desk, eating my stereo wires, trying to dismantle the couch, attacking the blinds again, etc. etc. etc.

The trick is to figure out what he hates, and keep repeating it. I had a water spray bottle, so when he'd jump up somewhere I didn't want him (even before he had a chance to mess up anything), I would squirt him and yell like a crazy woman. Scared the sh*t out of him.

They sell stuff at Petsmart that emits an odor unpleasant to dogs/cats but undetectable to humans. It works fairly well. My folks used it to keep my cat from climbing into my father's boat (under the cover) and using it for his litter box.

Water guns will work, but only when you're home.

I like James' tesla coil idea though.

Your kitty is so cute! I like pic #5.

I have 3 cats (2.5yrs, 1.5 yrs, 6 mos.). We are not home during the day so we play with them a bunch when we get home to tire them out. That seems to help

One thing that cats HATE is if you put some pennies in a can and shake it really loud when they do something bad. That really freaks them out.

Thanks for all your help. I couldn't find any flesh eating plants, so I am going the tin foil and water gun route. Wish me luck.

I do not have a cat dancer, but I made my own out of a hanger and card board and use it quite a bit. I do try to wear him out but it takes a long time!

My kitty hates sticky stuff, so we have pieces of packing tape on top of things he's not supposed to get on.

Once he accidentally got into the attic, and got stuck on one of those glue-traps for mice. It was awful! He was a very unhappy kitty, and ended up leaving quite a lot of fur on the trap.

I concur with valkyrie on the cat dancers. I also have something we call a "Mrwand." It is a clear acrylic wand with a bright multi-color fleece ribbon hanging from it. Every cat I know is in love with this toy. In LA they sell them at Centinela Feed and Katie's Pet Depot. I haven't found them in other places I've visited but I bring them as presents to my family and friends. The name comes from my mom's cat Harlee who carries her wand around with her and makes a sound that sounds like "mrwand" when she is looking for her wand. It goes to bed, gets fed, takes naps in the perch and is generally the most fought after toy in the house. You can literally wear a cat out with one in about 10 minutes.

LD

I am looking into getting an "invisible fence" system for my house. I have heard good things about this system for dogs but not much info on cats. My cats love to knock everything over so I have gotten to the point of only having inexpensive things out (no good china is ever out!). I can't even get a Christmas tree b/c they try to climb the tree and knock the ornaments off.

THe water gun works only when you're home... the double stick tape works but you end up with a lot of furniture covered with double-stick tape. The sprays that the pet store sells have a cumulative effect and leave a bitter taste in the air... use them with caution!

While my kitties (age 9 mo and 4 mo) still run relay races around the house (including running over and under the bed) when I try to sleep, they don't jump as much since I had them both "fixed". No little unintended baby kitties coming!

OH MY NO!!! The invisible fence system is NOT appropriate for cats :( Cats are far too small to use a shock collar on.

If you need to keep cats away from things, buy a Scat Mat, put down double sticky tape, or even use plastic carpet runners turned upside down... just don't YOU step on it in the middle of the night!

I have TONS of experience with rowdy kitties!! When any of my cats/kittens has ever done anything that it was not supposed to do, I would quietly and calmly get up, get the little feline, say "NO!" and give a gentle little pop on the nose, then release. After you do this enough times (and it does work for kittens), they either get the idea, or they'll watch to see if you'll get up. If you make a move to get up, the cat/kitten will immediately stop the inappropriate behavior.

Honestly, you have to think about all animals as wild. In the wild, the way big cats regulate those at lower levels in their prides is through physical force. The leaders don't kill and rarely hurt the other cats, but they do prove their points!

actually they have made a specific device for cats-you are not using the same type of collar on cats as you are on dogs. I will let everyone know how it works whenever I get around to placing it in my home.

Aggie AXO-
OOPS. I realize that although you used the term "invisible fence", you weren't necessarily referring to the specific brand! Invisible Fence (the specific brand) does not have a cat system, but other brands do.

I am curious... what kind of collar do they use that is different than the dog shock collar? I haven't seen one, but would be interested in getting more info.

What is this invisible fence tazer-sounding like electric shock collars thing. :eek: Right now I don't know anything about it and it sounds barbaric from the thread! Can some please explain in the thread what it is?

Basically, an wire is either buried or laid on the ground/floor. The wire sends out a radio signal to a collar that the animal wears. The collar has a plastic box on it with 2 metal studs that press into the animal's throat. This is the receiver. When the animal gets too close to the wire, an electric charge is generated and give the animal a small to medium shock to the throat, depending on the setting used. This teaches the animal not to go in that area.

Before you get too upset... From Pet Education.com:

The true purpose of the correction is to startle -- to get the animal's attention so that training can commence or continue. Electronic training systems help enable one to gain, or regain, control of a situation, and to establish, or re-establish, position as the 'leader.' In fact, not every electronic training system emits a static electric correction. Some startle the dog by using an ultrasonic tone, which canines exclusively hear, while others use a 'spray' technology, and emit a quick startling mist, usually citronella, to dissuade the dog. All can be effective.
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Although these collars are not supposed to cause harm, I have heard some terrible stories about dogs that got very bad burns when the metal prongs got wet & shorted out.

wires are not used when you have cats-I will have to get my brochure to tell the proper name of the device but basically there are boxes that you place at each end of the entrance to the room or area you want to keep your cat out of and it emits a field-again I don't know that much about the cat invisble fence.

As a veterinarian I would never recommend anything that would purposely hurt an animal. I have heard nothing but positive things about invisible fences from my colleagues (for dogs that is, again not sure about cats). In fact this device has saved lives (both from the perspective of getting out of a yard or euthanasia due to behavioral problems). I too have seen certain shock collars that I would not allow on my own pet-do your research and see what is right for your situation.

I was referring to the specific brand and was just at a home and garden show 3 weeks ago discussing the cat system with the salesman. Maybe it is a new product? Though my friend, who is a vet., was with me seemed to know about the cat version.
I will try and find the brochure and a link for your information. I will also ask some colleagues, since I do emergency work only I don't deal with behavioral things and this is where "invisible fences" is mostly discussed.

Thanks! I'd love to find out more info & do some evaluation of the product. I looked on the Invisible Fence site & saw nothing about a kitty system.