2 darn cute problematic cats

My mother and I adopted 2 kittens 8 months ago. We have had cats in our lives more often than not having them. We went in thinking we would get only one, but as I'm sure you all know, its hard to resist those damn cute faces! Anywho, these 2 kittens are from 2 different litters. One was a stray who got injured from a street sweeper and as result, lost one of his back legs. (Don't worry, mobility is NOT an issue)

They get along just fine. An equal amount of loving each other mixed with play-fighting/chasing. With one of them missing one of his legs, we opted to keep them as indoor cats (also with the street we live on being a racetrack for the teenagers) I am not as open to declawing cats as my mother is (since she is the one who bought all of the furniture) but again, due to a lack of a hind leg and him needing traction, we have not declawed them.

So now. The issue...... Damon (male) and Ella (female), which we have nicknamed "Demon" and "Hella".....these are the most HYPER and DESTRUCTIVE cats we have EVER owned. We have purchased a 6 foot cat tree/stand for them which does get its use for them to scratch at, yet they still LOVE the leather couches :/
Both TV's in the house have almost been knocked over. The blinds have been hung and now have holes in them to the point where we just don't have the blinds down anymore. Shelves have been hung on and have had to be replaced. Numerous power cords have had to been replaced and hidden to avoid further damage to the cats and the cords themselves. We also have a bird which the cats don't try to attack, but we are concerned that when they jump on the cage, they might get bit.

When they chase each other, its a crazy sprint and leap from one bit of furniture to the next. Kitchen counter and table included. Us eating lunch/dinner does not seem to be a deterrent to them. We have used the normal means of discipline for them (spray bottle, firm "NO", taps on the head/butt of disapproval, etc) but it far too often seems to be forgotten within the half-hour.

We have various toys for them, strings on sticks to make them chase, toy mice, balls, foil balls, etc... They do use them, but seems not enough. We also do our best with our schedules to interact with them so they know they don't always need to find their own fun. We have cardboard scratch pads for them which rarely get any use.

Bottom line, they have likely caused approx $800+ of damage (things with insane amounts of claw marks and things made of glass which have been broken).

With Christmas coming....we are DREADING what will happen when the tree goes up. My mother has always loved going all-out for christmas. Tree will, as usual, have 1000+ lights and more ornaments than the tree can actually hold. Little Santa's village things around the house. We are visioning a Griswald Family christmas *National Lampoons Christmas Vacation" type scenario without the fun and humor.

All this hyperness and destruction and surprisingly, we have yet to introduce them to catnip.

We feed them health-oriented kitten food on a regular basis as well as one small can of wet food for them to split each day. They never try to get our own food so "human" food is not an issue.

We DO love our cats, but they are way more hyper and destructive than any other cats we have owned. We are left scratching our heads wondering if we missed an evolutionary cycle in the feline world that we were not aware of!!!

Basically, we are at the point where if we don't find a solution, we will have to give them up.

HELP!!!

thanks in advance.

Playtime and more vigorous playtime is needed! Want to wear them out? A couple of ping pong balls in an empty bathtub is great for that!

Your mother should probably consider getting a playpen* to put the tree in, otherwise the kitties will probably find it irresistible to climb! We are very glad you didn't get them declawed, as that can cause lots of behavioral issues. Have you tried getting their nails clipped? That's something you can do yourself which can cut down on their destructive capabilities! Electric cords can be hidden (and protected) with paper towel tubes if necessary! Have you tried taking them for walks on a leash and with a harness on them? That might help use up some of their excess energy, and be fun and stimulating for them!

*we used to do that with our Great Dane, as her tail, when excited, otherwise could clear all the ornaments from the tree in a matter of seconds! Your mom likes going all out - so she could decorate the playpen and make it part of the fun!

Sounds like you could use help from Jackson Galaxy, My Cat from Hell guy.
They obviously need a release of their energy in some other way. I don't know what that way is, but Jackson would know!

As for the scratching of the furniture, maybe try the sticky paws sheets. I don't know if this would harm the actual leather or not though. But we use this on our speakers and it works.
Trimming nails on a regular basis helps too.

I am glad you are trying to work through this issue and not just giving up on these kitties.

Good luck!!

From what I read, you jut have 2 healthy happy young kittens. I did not read anything unusual at all.

You can put double sided sticky tape on the furniture to attempt to deter them. You can also squirt the furniture with a mix of equal parts white vinegar and water. At the same time, rub catnip on THEIR furniture. I'm not sure you have enough things FOR them with just one climbing tree. Can you add something in another room as well?

As for the cords, you can run cords through PVC pipe found at any DIY store, OR you can rub Vaseline on the cords. Note the Vaseline will call any and all dust bunnies to it, so you will need to clean the cords periodically.

Knocking over glass items? I haven't had any glass, ceramic or pottery items out for years, as that is what cats do, they knock things over. Either they are charging past in a game of chase, or they sit and knock it over then lean and watch it go SMASH. Put all that sort of thing away until you have 'old' cats - as in age 14 years or more.

Cats and blinds do NOT mix. Never hang blinds with cats in the home. Heck, I don't even use curtains, just a valance, as they will climb and shred the panels too. This is NORMAL for cats - they climb, they run, they chase, they play.

I do hope the toys on string are only out when you are present to supervise as those present a huge choking issue for cats.

Ditto on what the others said. They are hyper, but that is better for their health. Cat nip also calms them after a while. And more than one tree is needed. I have blinds but few are whole. I haven't hung curtains in years since Sam is determined to climb every one. No indoor plants since Sam likes to dig every one up. Rosie would climb every tree and try to sit in every wreath, even the ones on the doors. I always got them their own wreath or garland and laid it on the floor.

Good luck and don't give up. Keeping their claws clipped is a good idea.