Cay destrusctive behaviour - at the end of my tether

WolfSong2000

KxMx said:

Might Moose be better suited as a farm cat? 
He'll be fed and monitored by the farm staff, have shelter, alongside unlimited hunting and enrichment opportunities. He can run wild to his hearts content. 

Unfortunately Moose wouldn't last 2 mins as a farm cat. He's incredibly stupid and has zero self preservation. It's one of the reasons he has never been allowed outside (he was born into rescue. First person to adopt him dumped him back at the rescue - I assume because of his behavioural issues).  He would literally sit in the middle of the road and watch cars come at him if he was let outside.  He's also incredibly emotionally insecure and needy so wouldn't cope well without having someone around 24/7.

WolfSong2000

donnac2558 said:

You say you have toys for him, do you actually play with him?

Cats enjoy hunt, pounce and kill play so you need before bedtime at least 20 minutes of hardcore playtime.  Tire them out.  I suggest go on youtube and watch Jackson Galaxy demo how it should be done.  And don't lock in one room

I've tried playing with him throughout the day and before bed. Makes no difference. He *has* to be locked in one room otherwise he and the other cat set about destroying the carpet when unsupervised.

WolfSong2000

Trina90 said:

With the door.. you say you've tried deterrents.. but have you tried Ssscat? It is a can of pressurised air that is motion censored. One of my cats had a habit of peeing by our front door. This is the only thing that deterred him. 

I am looking into this but it's expensive and I am on a very tight budget. May be my only hope, though. I just worry he'd figure it out quickly (hes a stupid cat but very determined/bull-headed). For instance if you shout at him he totally ignores you - you have to physically get up and head towrd him before he stops doing whatever it is he shouldn't be doing in the first place.

sheramber

I had never had a cat before 
I think is  the first problem.  You do not understand cat behaviour.
Have you done an internet search for 'cat behaviour'?
Ct's Protection and RSPCA have articles about cat behaviour and why they do certain things. Have a read of their sites
There is no magic wand to wave to stop behavioural problems. You need to find the reason why and tackle that.
Your cats sound very stressed.
I have not come across a cat that stops doing something when shouted at. A PSSST may work  with a sensitive cat.
 

WolfSong2000

sheramber said:

I had never had a cat before 
I think is  the first problem.  You do not understand cat behaviour.
Have you done an internet search for 'cat behaviour'?
Ct's Protection and RSPCA have articles about cat behaviour and why they do certain things. Have a read of their sites
There is no magic wand to wave to stop behavioural problems. You need to find the reason why and tackle that.
Your cats sound very stressed.
I have not come across a cat that stops doing something when shouted at. A PSSST may work  with a sensitive cat.
 

I acknowledge I do not have a lot of experience with cats - I was very clear about this with the rescue which is one of the reasons why I am so annoyed that the rescue lied to me and only admitted they knew about his behavioural issues *after* I adopted him.

I have done a lot of research into cat behaviour.  I've also consulted various friends with cats as well as vet back in Canada.  Moose is stressed, yes but a lot of that stress stems from his personality and from his poor first home (when he came to me he didn't know what a treat was, didn't know how to play with toys, etc). As I said in my initial post he throws tantrums/doesn't recognise boundaries (one of the reasons why he has never done well with other cats except for my other cat, Jasper). He's gotten better/less stressed since I got Jasper and doesn't randomly attack me.

I know *why* he's scratching the door - he doesn't like being separated from me (he's incredibly emotionally insecure) and he wants food.  I just don't know how to make him stop. Sleeping with me is not an option. Giving him the run of the house is not an option.

He's been challenging in so many different ways since I adopted him. It's been one thing after another and I am just tired and at the end of my tether.

onwards&upwards

Is there a reason why you don't let your cats out?

DD265

We've got this, and the carpet one, for our bedroom door: https://www.amazon.co.uk/PETFECT-Scratch-Protector-Interior-Exterior/dp/B075VYW9L5/ref=pd_sim_199_3/258-3627530-4496923?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B075VYW9L5&pd_rd_r=5d200fa5-e68a-4162-a965-ae6f7d2ce420&pd_rd_w=BK6eX&pd_rd_wg=dk1SN&pf_rd_p=7df4b67e-ebf6-4e8b-b5dd-7a46501724e8&pf_rd_r=KHQ4RGG2NBMDVASBZ81F&psc=1&refRID=KHQ4RGG2NBMDVASBZ81F

It's basically thick acetate with adhesive velcro so I'm sure you could make it cheaper, but stops damage to the paintwork and carpet. It's the only room in the house we don't let them in (and the office, when we're in bed) and only one of them does it in a morning if he thinks we should get up to feed them. He got into the habit of waking us up at 4-5am previously, and the only way to break the habit was to ignore him. The plastic doesn't stop the sound, unfortunately, but ear plugs can as you're not worrying about the house being damaged.

hb2

Just one word about your carpet/deposit - if the carpet has been damaged then it is likely you will be responsible for replacement (or a portion thereof, depending on the age and condition of it when you moved in) so limiting further damage to this carpet is unlikely to save you any money. Put another way - further damage to this carpet is unlikely to cost you more

Mrs_Z

Hello
By the sounds of it, you have a young cat with high energy levels who needs a lot of stimulation, especially as he's not able to go out.
As you've found out, cats dislike being locked in spaces and separated from their owners (or rather slaves).  Closed doors provide a never ending challenge to get them open.  Many cat owners would tell you that their cats follow them everywhere when at home - bathroom etc so locking them in the kitchen is not ideal.
I think that the root of the issue is that Moose is not able to 'spend' his energy during the day with play/going out etc, and hence has still energy to be active during the night (dusk/dawn is the best hunting time for pray you see) - that's why the playing in your bedroom during the night, if you allow access.
You don't mention whether you have a garden but if you do, I think it would be worth thinking about letting him/them out.  It is a risk of course but well worth considering.
We adopted a pair of 5yr old cats in December who had never been allowed outdoors but with a careful introduction, they both now enjoy access to outdoors during the day and love it and have calmed down a lot also as they are tired in the evening having spent most of the day in the garden.
Cats also like their breakfast early, and all of our cats (with the exception of this current pair) have demanded breakfast between 4-6am and would wake us up for it. There was no way of ignoring them, they would wake you up one way or another; whether that was scratching the wall paper, tossing down items from the top of the bedside table, landing on you and pawing your face/hair or generally making a lot of noise.
I would not dismiss the option of rehoming him either, as at the moment is sounds as neither of you are happy.  Why not have a chat with a reputable rehoming centre to start with?  They would carefully vet the potential owners if it came to rehomeing but first of all, might be able to offer you advise as well.  As for your own piece of mind, you want to know you would have done and tried everything else first. 
I do wish you find a solution that is good for you and Moose and Jasper. 

Splatfoot

All of mine pull up carpets and scratch doors if the doors are shut. To me that's just normal behaviour. I have 3, and all are indoor cats. The youngest one started spraying at Christmas everywhere, so after getting him castrated, we also plugged in a Feliway and built a catio. Is there anyway you can allow outside access or build a catio?