What is with this new (bad) behavior???

[tuxluvr]

About a year ago, I purchased a nice piece of furniture (not a sofa, but a credenza-type storage piece). It is nicely finished wood, not wicker and until about a month ago, Ritz paid it no mind whatsoever.

Now, she has taken to "pawing at it", you know, that back and forth constant front paw action like she is trying to "dig through it"...and she is trying to use it as a stretching place. Since she has full claw power, this is a concern...the water bottle squirt deterrent is being used, but she has become enamored with this, and has apparently decided it is fun to try and CATCH the squirts... I don't want to get it scratched and my little tuxedo'ed sweetheart is testing my patience.

I don't get it - why is she suddenly interested in this thing?

The only thing I can figure is that she saw a mouse or bug or something run under or behind it. What to do?

[tuxluvr]

Miz Ritzeee heer - I sneeked on line to tell you about that furniture ting...

Ya see, I been reedin bout all these butt-inski kitties comming to live unannounced, like at Juni and Edwina's howses....and I just am skeered meowmie is going to bring one of them home...she gets this look in her eye, ooohin and aaaahing at how "cute" the new kitties are (she really likes that Eduardo interloper the best)... and, well, I just can't have someone else gettin more 'tention than me!

Soz, herez my stracategeee - I figure if I do something mean and be really pesky, that meowmie will realize that one kittie is enuff...and she won't want to have to play squurtee bottle with another thing...and I figure sheez too 'tached to me to get too madd, so my place here is safe! (I know this cuz she squirted me all over the udder day and then felt sorry and took a warm towel to dry me off...)

Miz Edwina, Juni, what do you think of my idea?

[Vio&Juni]

Miz Ritzy, my meowmie has always been very strict about scratching furniture, but she never told me anything when I scratched the wallpaper. Try it! But, who knows, maybe your stracategeee is better than mine. You see what they did to me...
On the other way, they promised me last night, after me and Squeaky had separate playtime, that we could have it together and also entertain each other while humans are at work.


I have to buy Pichu a scratching post, but haven't seen one at the pet store. He LOOOOVES to sharpen his claws.

[BastetsMum]

Deer Mz Ritzee,

It I Bastet. Me meowmie put some smellee stuff in the spray bottle. I fink she sed it waz vinegar. She also put some on da sofa I likeded to scritch. She said it stoppedded me from scritching even though for a wittle while da sofa smelleded like vinegar.

I scritch unner da bed now where meowmie can't spray wid vinegar.

[Barbara]

Ritzy I cannot recommend this behavior. Your meowmie will get the idea that you need more distraction and that a kitten would be just the right purrson to keep you on your toes without time to attack the furniture.

Be careful

[tuxluvr]

Originally posted by Barbara
Ritzy I cannot recommend this behavior. Your meowmie will get the idea that you need more distraction and that a kitten would be just the right purrson to keep you on your toes without time to attack the furniture.

Be careful

Oooh, you know I dinnot think of dat, Miz Barbra..you have a point.....guess I bbedder not be too cat-tankeruss.....I'm going to budder meowmie up tooday....maybe sheel furget bout that furniture thinng...

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Ritzy, you naw-tee girl you.

Maybe you're meowmie should try placing some plastic over the entire furniture thingy. That way you won't want to scratch on the plastic and you'll find something else to occupy your busy little mind. Aluminum foil might work too - but not cover the entire thingy, then you might just move to a different spot which wouldn't entirely solve the problem. And if your meowmie is worried how the thingy might look covered in plastic, tell her it'll only be temporary until you get over this furniture fetish that you recently took up.

You might want to be careful though, Barbara has a good point and it does sound like you've been a little bored lately and might need some "company" to keep you occupied while your meowmie is busy working.......

[Edwina's Secretary]

I checked with Edwina and she says Ritzy is probably not happy with the placement of the credenza. Was she consulted before deciding where to put it? With her elegant taste she may feel it more appropriate elsewhere?

I tried the tin foil so Edwina would stop peeing in the dining room. She seemed to understand the general concept as she took to peeing on the aluminium foil....

[Randi]

Ritzy, it's Fister here. If you play your cards right, you'll get the whole piece of furniture to yourself, I have an armchair almost to myself, I think they gave up and they're talking about chucking it out, so I'll have to find another piece to practise on soon. I let my meowmie sit in it occasionally, and then while she reads, I go help tear down the wall paper in the corridor. Uhh, the language I hear!!! I'm not quite done yet, but soon ....

Better be off now, my meowmie is on her way ....

Yours,
Fister

[Steffi N]

I have an old cardboard linen chest in my bedroom covered with white quilted plastic. It looks all tattered where Lovable is ripping off the covering, but it is one of his favorite places to scratch, and probably helps keep him away from the other furniture.

[tuxluvr]

Originally posted by Tubby & Peanut's Mom
Ritzy, you naw-tee girl you.

Maybe you're meowmie should try placing some plastic over the entire furniture thingy. That way you won't want to scratch on the plastic and you'll find something else to occupy your busy little mind. ....

uhh....Ritzy has a "thing" for plastic....this would be like putting a "cat magnet" on the furniture and inviting her over for lunch! I also thought about the two-sided sticky tape on a piece of cardboard in front of it..but yep, you guessed it, she also has a thing for "sticky tape".... Last night I was in my office and she jumped on the desk where was updating my dry-erase calendar board...which happened to have a little piece of masking tape stuck to it...she used her teeth to pull of the masking tape and lick it profusely, but not before knocking it and her onto the floor!

She is finally responding to the water and NO RITZY treatment ----(we've been saying NO RITZY a lot lately)

And I thought those kittenish days were behind me!

[tuxluvr]

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
I checked with Edwina and she says Ritzy is probably not happy with the placement of the credenza. Was she consulted before deciding where to put it? With her elegant taste she may feel it more appropriate elsewhere?

I tried the tin foil so Edwina would stop peeing in the dining room. She seemed to understand the general concept as she took to peeing on the aluminium foil....

Well, actually, Ritz "supervised" the whole installation of this thing....climbing in and out of it (and remember, it was almost a year ago---why now?)....It is HUGE and really only fits in one corner of the room (it is a large entertainment center so moving it is a major 'event')

There is no evidence that she "attacks" it out of our presence, and she only does this when we are in the room with it...she has never cared about the TV before....I'm still puzzled.

Fister's mom - I laughed out loud because virtually every chair in our house has become "Ritzy's" We sit on the floor on pillows all the time and Ritz is typically "ensconced" firmly on the big sofa or her "chair"......is there something wrong with this picture?