Behavior HELP Needed ASAP

**Anikaca77** · 01-19-2010, 02:40 PM

Ok everyone knows that we got a kitten back in Aug. 09.

Here is a link to the thread incase you don't remember him:

http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=154877

Apollo is currently 7 months old and he is just being bad beyond words. I've never had a kitten this bad. We've taken in plenty of kittens that were 4-6 months old and they were angels and I mean angels.

Apollo has decided that everyday while we are gone he gets up on my husband's desk and takes everything off the desk.

I've tried putting duck tape down and it worked for a little while but not too long.

We've used the squirt bottle. My husband is telling me that unless he stops this I will need to find another home for him.

Please I need some ideas here. I'm going to look into those pet safe electric mats that you can put down and it will give them a light shock, I don't want to do this but he won't stop getting up on my husband's desk and we only have a small one bedroom apartment so maybe he needs more space but he's not allowed in the bedroom/bathroom area because Ashley can't stand the boy cats so we only let girl cats in her room.

Today Apollo broke my husband glass that he's had for 10+ years and glass was everywhere. One of our other cats could of hurt themselves with glass all over the place but I don't know what more I can do.

That is really the only place he goes that we don't want him too but I'm not sure if we are going to be able to keep him if he keeps disobeying. Believe me I dont' want to get rid of him but he's being so bad.

I hope you all won't judge me too hard for looking at those scat mats but nothing seems to work with him.

Melissa

**lvpets2002** · 01-19-2010, 03:10 PM

Oh no not the Sweet Apollo.. Ok here is two options.. Try spraying your hubby desk with purfume or a flower spray of somewhat.. Try to deture Apollo with smells he dont want to deal with.. Second option is (dont think bad of me) but try putting on a nampkin/throw away plate a kitty potty poop poop.. Like a couple of his turds.. Cat or dogs will not stay where they poop or pee area.. If you will notice they will go to the litter box & jump right out.. Good Luck & post ok..

**Anikaca77** · 01-19-2010, 03:57 PM

Separation Anxiety maybe??

I'm starting to wonder about this but why would he only attack my husband's desk if this was the fact.

Maybe I'm just looking for answers but I maybe started something bad too though because when he was a baby baby he would cry at our bedroom and I would come out and sleep on the couch and last night I did the same thing, I don't know what time it was but I heard him and I got up and this morning I had to try to think why was I on the couch again.

He was so loving last night when I got up though all he wanted was someone to sleep with but Ashley hates him, which is why he's not allowed in the bedroom.

So now I'm starting to wonder does this guy have separation anixety at only 7 months old??

When I took Apollo in he was only 6-8 weeks old so he was very young too young to be away from his mom I though because he's so little.

**carole** · 01-19-2010, 04:04 PM

I cannot be of any help as i don't have kittens or much kitten experience, but please give the little guy another chance, i am sure he will grow out of it, keep this post going and hopefully you will get some good ideas to help you out, best of luck.

**Prairie Purrs** · 01-19-2010, 04:16 PM

Frankly, my advice would be to kitten-proof the desk. Put away the breakables until the little guy is a bit older, because he'll most likely mellow out soon.

**moosmom** · 01-19-2010, 05:04 PM

Try putting down aluminum foil. Also, put a couple of pennies in a can and put them on top of the aluminum foil. The noise of both the foil and the pennies clinking in the can should scare him off.

Poor little guy. Bad A$$ Buddy was just like Apollo. He was full of piss and vinegar. Once I adopted Lucie Lu, he's been directing his energy her way, which she loves.

Could possibly be separation anxiety.

**Medusa** · 01-19-2010, 06:21 PM

Are you closing the door to the bedroom so that he can't get in there? It rather does sound like separation anxiety to me. Aluminum foil, coins in a can, squirt bottles, none of that worked for me. I finally decided to just remove everything that wasn't necessary until they outgrew that behavior.

**catmandu** · 01-19-2010, 06:26 PM

Michael was a hand full when I first took him in, always starting fights with Mr Scrappy and Princess.
I almost gave up on My Owesome Orangie but with time he settled down.
And Miquelito and Pouncierge used to jump where I have figurines and ruined a Laurel and Hardy statue!!!

You just have to put things where he cant break them and wait for maturity
or rehome him.
We are praying for the former as we know you are.

**kb2yjx** · 01-19-2010, 06:33 PM

Sure sounds like your Apollo is related to our Ralph!!! Ralph is 8 months old, and still has LOTS of kitten in him. I have done the best I could do in kitten proofing the house. Nothing that can possibly break is ever left out. Too b ad your female does not like, maybe that would help Apollo having her company when no one is at home. Have you tried Feliway to calm him down??

**Anikaca77** · 01-20-2010, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by Medusa

Are you closing the door to the bedroom so that he can't get in there? It rather does sound like separation anxiety to me. Aluminum foil, coins in a can, squirt bottles, none of that worked for me. I finally decided to just remove everything that wasn't necessary until they outgrew that behavior.

Yes I have to close the bedroom door because Ashley doesn't like him and he chases her and we correct him but he just wants to play and be an a**. This morning is a perfect example.

I was up around 5:30 a.m. dropped my husband off at work and came home and and came back and wanted to go back to bed for an hour or so and he started crying and scratching at the door at 6:20 a.m.

So I had to get up, he wouldn't stop and when I went out there he calmed down and stopped scratching at the door.

**Anikaca77** · 01-20-2010, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by kb2yjx

Sure sounds like your Apollo is related to our Ralph!!! Ralph is 8 months old, and still has LOTS of kitten in him. I have done the best I could do in kitten proofing the house. Nothing that can possibly break is ever left out. Too b ad your female does not like, maybe that would help Apollo having her company when no one is at home. Have you tried Feliway to calm him down??

Well we have 10 cats. Most of ours are 1-3 years old and only 2 are 7 and the one that doesn't like him is 5 years old.

We usually have 5 in each room, (living room, dining room, and kitchen are all connected, and the bedroom and bathroom are connected) so we tend to split 5 and 5.

Ashley our female who doesn't care for Apollo, Sebastian, Osiris, and Fiona so they have to stay out of the bedroom and he has other ones to play with but I think playing with Rob's stuff must be more fun but he's destroying our place. I've looked into separation anixety and they say when a kitten is abandoned they tend to grow up having this problem so maybe that's the case. I got him from a lady who found him alongside of her driveway and she took him in and he has a bent paw in the front and she couldn't afford to take him to the vets so I offered to do so and well we ended up keeping him. He was probably 6-8 weeks when we got him.

**Medusa** · 01-20-2010, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by Anikaca77

Yes I have to close the bedroom door because Ashley doesn't like him and he chases her and we correct him but he just wants to play and be an a**. This morning is a perfect example.

I was up around 5:30 a.m. dropped my husband off at work and came home and and came back and wanted to go back to bed for an hour or so and he started crying and scratching at the door at 6:20 a.m.

So I had to get up, he wouldn't stop and when I went out there he calmed down and stopped scratching at the door.

Is there a cat that Apollo is especially buddies with? My Specs will carry on like that if he's separated from Boo but as long as they get to sleep together at night, he doesn't cry and pester me. Just a thought.

**Laura's Babies** · 01-20-2010, 09:20 AM

It does sound like separation anxiety. He really needs a "buddy"!

He also sounds like Giz, always looking for something to get into and to play with. I'd say clean off hubbys desk where it is boring to him but provide a more acceptable place for him to go "get into things", things that YOU have just for him.. (like Giz's purse?).

**Anikaca77** · 01-20-2010, 10:38 AM

He seems to play with everyone. There really doesn't seem to be one he hangs with. When he was a few months younger he snuggled with Ozzy so maybe I need to put Ozzy out in the living room area for now and see if that helps at all. We left the TV onto too to see if that might help. I am going to stop by during my lunch hour to see how things are going there and it occured to me too that we took Apollo in around Aug. and then in Nov. my husband was off work for about 2 months and now since last week he started working at 6 a.m. and so Apollo's been alone from 7:30 am-3 p.m.

Before my husband worked a night shift so Apollo wouldn't be alone for more than 1/2 hour usually till I got home.

Separation anixety maybe..

Melissa

**katladyd** · 01-20-2010, 02:44 PM

Some boy kitties take a while to mature. My boyfriend's tuxie, Buddy, is going on 2, yet he sounds a lot like Apollo. He's always into something and he has his favorite sis cat, Mau Mau, with him all the time (she is an absolute angel, by the way). I just think some young male cats are like adoloescent boys, loveable, but always looking to get into trouble. Good luck with Apollo, I hope he outgrows this. They all do...eventually.