Help! Curiosity is going to kill my cat!

[pat1066]

Is there such a thing as a stay-away that works? My little blue point Siames female, Lucy, is 9 months old and into everything. She is not particularly graceful about it, either. She knocked over an antique vase, several hurricane candles, and countless other unimportant things. She loves to hunker down in the waste basket in the office, which has a shredder on it! The first time I caught her there, I disabled the shredder, and now we only turn it on when we need it and Lucy is somewhere else. I got a cover for the garbage disposal when I found her sticking her head into it. We look for Lucy before we 1)turn on the dishwasher, 2)turn on the washer or dryer.. You get the idea. The thing that worries me most is that she loves to climb into the innards of my husband's recliner! We look around for her before he sits down, and before he gets up. It's scarey for us, but she doesn't scare at all. She'll even goes nose-to-nose with the vacuum cleaner.

I've tried commercial products, water squirts, sharp noises, pepper, vinegar and water on things we want to protect, everything I could think of or read about. Nothing works so far.

Can anyone recommend something we can spray or paint on the recliner and on other places where it is dangerous for her to go? She and her brother are the lights of our retired lives, but I'm so afraid I'm going to lose her to some unforseen accident.

Please help me if you have any ideas.

[kb2yjx]

I'll take a shot and say this is a kitten who loves to explore! We made sure we completely kiteen proofed our house before we brought a wee one in. That meant covering the electric outlets, getting child proof cabinet locks, child proof refrigerator locks(we actually had a cat that was able to open the ' fridge and freezer), all antiques were put away, we doubled checked the dishwasher, clothes dryers, all closets in the house before closing the doors!!! Maybe when your little girl is older, she will not be such an explorer!!! Just use extra caution as you have been doing. Is her brother like this??? And lastly, WELCOME!!!!

[jenluckenbach]

Welcome to Pet Talk.

I don't have an answer for you about how to keep her out of trouble, but I will say that it comes with the territory. Siamese = curiosity. And since she is just a baby, she wants to do it ALL!!

I'd say to just keep an eyeout for her (as you have been doing) and as she ages, hope she calms a bit.

[cristy]

Has Lucy been fixed yet? Sometimes altering will calm an otherwise "crazy" kitty...sometimes not, but it is worth a shot.

[rg_girlca]

Hi and WELCOME to Pet Talk and to the joys of kittenhood.

First off, thank you so much for not giving up on your baby girl and trying everything you can think off to keep her out of trouble or harming herself. She sounds like she really has a mind of her own and when she wants to do something, she is determined to do it no matter what you throw her way. LOL!!! I have to tell you though, she is my kind of cat. I love the nawty ones. Has she been spayed? If not, having this done could mellow her out some. If she has been, well, you just have a very rumbustious kitty on your hands, which hopefully will settle down once she matures.

Secondly, I have a few other things that you can try if you haven't already.
In regards to the recliner, you can pin slices of orange peel to the chair near the place that she crawls under and lay some on the floor. Cats, well most of them anyway, hate citrus. You can also to do this to any furniture that she is determine to scratch. If you want her to stay down from your counters, tables, etc., you can buy these mats at a pet store that have little rubber tips on them that cats do not like the feel of. I'm sorry I don't remember the name of them. Or, you can use plastic runners that you put down on a carpet that have these little spikes under them on the counters or other places. You can get those at any hardware store.
Another thing I just thought of. Don't know if it will work or not for this situation, but it's worth a try if nothing else works. There is a product called Feliway that is to stop or to prevent urniary marking by the cat and to comfort the cat in an unknown or stressful environment like a cage, car, boarding, new house, etc. You can get it in a spray or as a plug in diffuser. You can purchase this online which is cheaper or purchase it at your vets.

Hope something will help so you can enjoy your baby girl without any worries.

[pat1066]

What a wonderful web site! I’m so glad I stumbled upon it. Thanks to all those who have wished me welcome and answered my posts; I’ll try to answer each one here.

I hope I didn’t give the impression that don’t I adore every single hair on my curious cat’s body! I’ll post something about me, them, and their predecessors in the INTRODUCTIONS forum. I’ll try to upload some pictures of them, too.

Dear kb2yjx – All the usual kitten proofing was done before we got the new babies. We had previously owned two Siamese for 14 years, so we thought we knew what we were getting into. The only things Lucy has actually broken were things we believed too heavy for her to move. Right! Linus, her brother, being a guy, hasn’t been much of a challenge, yet. (He’s a lover!) However, in just the past week, he’s been “exploring" more and more, and getting into things that previously did not interest him. Boys are usually slower to develop, so maybe he’s just finding his stride. Thanks for the encouragement and the welcome. Pat

Dear jenluckenback, - Thanks for the welcome and the encouragement. Lucas is magnificent, and you must miss Brave Heart terribly. We had two Siamese before Linus and Lucy. They were Harry and Bess (Truman, because we lived in the Florida Keys then, and the Trumans always summered there.) They are gone, and although Linus and Lucy have found a permanent place in our hearts, there is still, and always will be, a hole left by Harry and Bess. Thanks again, Pat

Dear Christy, - Yes, she was fixed three months ago. Alas, I think she will just be a ADD cat all her life. Thanks for responding, Pat

Dear rg girlca, - Thanks for you welcome and fact-filled response. I would never give up on the little minx. She is as loveable as she is frustrating. Between them, she and her brother Linus keep us laughing a lot!

I thought I’d been to every site that offered advice on my recliner problem. That is, really, my one great fear for her. If I’m out of the house, and my husband fall asleep in his chair, wakes, and forgets to check before he gets up… Well, you get the picture. I’ve never heard of either the mats with the cups or the spiky tipped mats, both of which I am headed out to get as soon as I finish these posts. I’ll let you know how it goes. The orange peel is interesting; I’ll try it too. And it occurred to me that there is a room deodorant product called Citrus Magic which I might somehow insert into the innards of the recliner.

Are all those beautiful cats yours? Does Buddy feel outnumbered? Thanks, again, Pat

NOTE TO ALL: I have only belonged to one other forum, and on that one we answered each other as I have here. Should I have sent individual e-mails instead? Please tell me any time you fine me doing things improperly. I’m so glad I found you all! Pat

I DID manage to upload some pix. Right to left we have:
Lucy in bathroom basket…Lucy in laundry room basket….Lucy and Linus all wrapped up in each other as they always are when they sleep…and wonderful Linus so he shouldn’t feel left out.

[rg_girlca]

Oh my what beautiful furbabies you have there. It looks like Lucy really enjoys her baskets and the both of them sleeping together is priceless.
Thanks for the pictures.

I never got the impression that you didn't adore your Lucy at all. In fact, your thread showed how much you do care and adore her. The reason for my comment about not giving up on her, is that I know of some people who would have just sent her back where she came from because they couldn't deal with her antics. I hate people who think they are "Just a cat" instead of part of the family.

No you don't send individual e-mails, like other forums, you respond on the thread. You should really go into Cat General and introduce your two lovely kittens. We have quite a few of meezer lovers and I'm sure they would love to see yours. I can relate to your concerns in regards to the recliner. I have a few that like to lay under mine when I'm resting in it and I always have to slide over to the side to get up and look under before I fold down the foot rest.

Yes those are all my cats. The signatures you see in a persons post are there beloved pets. I rescue abandoned cats off the street and find loving homes for them, but sometimes you just develope a strong bond with them that you just can't let go. It's called "Failing Fostering 101."
My dear Buddy was also abandoned and just loves all the cats that have come his way. He's 16 years old now and still doing well.

[jenluckenbach]

Your cats are totally gorgeous!! I see you got the pictures attached properly.

EDIT: I attached an old signature of mine so you can see my cats.

[wraithguard]

sorry to hear about your distress, i found that with my cats most vet supplied stay-aways don't work. but i have found my cats cannot stand strong citrus smells i.e lemons and limes use either pure squeezed or diluted juice. it works for me even on walls where scratching happens. or catnip spray on there favourite toys or scratch post.

if that don't work find something they don't like, all cats are different.

[sasvermont]

Welcome.

It sounds to me as though they have too much time on their hands (paws) and maybe a cat tree, with lots of places to hide, explore etc. would keep them occupied.

I have a kitty named Lucy. Lucy has had a few spins in the washer (as a wee kitten) and has never gone near the washer again. She survived it, as I have a front load washer and she wasn't in there very long, but it scared the heck out of me....and her..... I have one other cat that made it into the dryer for a couple of turns as well. The secret to this game is to continually wonder where the cats are...... They will outgrow it, I promise.

Welcome again. Enjoy the friends here.