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So I have a 1 year old cat who I love so much I've had her since she was a kitten. She's very very energetic and playful as she's still young and small. She dislikes me be being at work/at class as she gets bored so she mess with stuff and gets into things. Over the past year I've managed to adapt things in my apartment so she can't get into things or train her not to get into them.
Finally I've come to a problem I can't figure out on my own so I'm hoping TL cat owners have some sort of magical solution.
It's taken her a year but she just discovered the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen and the interesting(and dangerous) things they contain. Once I saw her open these I promptly took everything that could possibly be a danger to her out of them. Annoying? yes, now I want the use of my cabinets and drawers back so I tried installing child proof locks the cabinet ones she can't, open this is good. But....... the drawer ones she can get into as they open a inch to let me disengage the lock and being a small cat she can get in but can't get out. the other problem with her getting into the drawer is the very small gap the she try's to squeeze through to get to the more open cabint area that she can get stuck in so I really don't want her getting into any the drawers. So I'm back to my temporary solution of duct tape and trying to train her not to go into them with a mix of hissing and tapping on the head that's worked for everything else.
So now my question Have any of the TL cat owners ran into this problem with there cats and what has been your solution??
Sorry If this is incoherent and rambley I'm trying to study for a test on friday and this is getting in my way/stressing my out.
Thanks for any answers or help!!
 
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Could you not just shut the door to the kitchen when you are not there? (if it has one that is!)
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On February 02 2012 01:26 Rampoon wrote:
Could you not just shut the door to the kitchen when you are not there? (if it has one that is!)
no door I wish but I'm in a apartment 
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Calgary25981 Posts
Can't you train her not to go in there? Like spray her with water every time she tries? I've heard you can buy a spray bottle of some sort of fluid that smells terirble that trains cats pretty quickly, but water works fine too. Maybe see if there's some sort of smell cats hate and line your drawers with that?
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My cats are really annoying with that too. One of them is really smart and can open doors and the oven. I have to always lock the main door otherwise he'll just open it and run away T_T So far I've only been lucky that the fridge is really hard to open, so he can't help himself with the food. I guess the duct tape is pretty good, I'm sure you can find another drawer to use instead.
I've tried hundreds of technique to teach my cats but none worked.
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Sounds like it's about time to take her out back and put her down.
No, seriously. Spray bottles work great. I suppose you could also just stick some magnets on the doors as well. There's no way she would be able to force them open with those on there. Just make sure to get ones that are strong enough (those clicky ones used on tv stands and file cabinets work good, too... where you have to push to unlock and THEN pull away from the magnet).
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On February 02 2012 01:34 Chill wrote:
Can't you train her not to go in there? Like spray her with water every time she tries? I've heard you can buy a spray bottle of some sort of fluid that smells terirble that trains cats pretty quickly, but water works fine too. Maybe see if there's some sort of smell cats hate and line your drawers with that?
This. Try leaving citrus slices around - oranges, lemons, limes. Cats don't like citrus. I have many cats, and I work at a shelter, so I am fairly well versed with cat behavior. You could also try spraying your cat with simple water when she misbehaves as this usually deters most cats. Also, another idea is eventually, if she roams the kitchen without trying to get into the drawers, praise her for behaving herself. Don't only punish bad behavior, be sure to reward good behavior as well. She may very well grow out of this kind of behavior as well when she gets older. I hope all this helps!!
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On February 02 2012 01:30 JPoPP wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 01:26 Rampoon wrote:
Could you not just shut the door to the kitchen when you are not there? (if it has one that is!) no door I wish but I'm in a apartment
Is there a door-sized opening to the kitchen just without a door in it? If so a gate could be very useful and would solve the problem of the cat being able to get into the kitchen. I've never really had a problem with cats (or col.catz) getting into my cupboards so I'm not really sure how you would secure them better than you have, but I sincerely wish you the best figuring this out.
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Hyrule19086 Posts
Catnip. Catnip everywhere. The repellent sprays generally don't work so well. Put catnip far away from the kitchen and enjoy.
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Hyrule19086 Posts
On February 02 2012 01:45 Ixtlilton wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 01:30 JPoPP wrote:On February 02 2012 01:26 Rampoon wrote:
Could you not just shut the door to the kitchen when you are not there? (if it has one that is!) no door I wish but I'm in a apartment Is there a door-sized opening to the kitchen just without a door in it? If so a gate could be very useful and would solve the problem of the cat being able to get into the kitchen. I've never really had a problem with cats (or col.catz) getting into my cupboards so I'm not really sure how you would secure them better than you have, but I sincerely wish you the best figuring this out.
Cats will climb/jump over gates
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On February 02 2012 01:34 Chill wrote:
Can't you train her not to go in there? Like spray her with water every time she tries? I've heard you can buy a spray bottle of some sort of fluid that smells terirble that trains cats pretty quickly, but water works fine too. Maybe see if there's some sort of smell cats hate and line your drawers with that?
Sometimes cats just learn to hate you. Unfortunately they don't learn in the same way as dogs, but this works more often than not probably. You just have to keep it up. Changing cats' behaviors sucks.
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I haven't tried Ssscat in a certain area before so I'm not sure how it works. I used it on the doorway to my kitchen and it works really well. If you haven't heard of it, basically it's just a motion detector attached to a can of compressed air. When it detects something moving past it, it sprays compressed air and the combination of the air and the hissing sound is enough to scare the cat. As far as I can tell it's not particularly traumatizing, it just trained my cat to not move past that area (to the kitchen). I'm sure you could position it in such a way to keep her out of cabinets and such if you don't want to keep her out of the kitchen entirely. The only "issue" with it is that you have to remember that it's there because it can be quite shocking. Also your cat may learn to not be afraid of it because you're not afraid of it (I'm not sure how true that is though, that's just what I heard/read).
Anyway, I would suggest using that to keep her away from a certain area. It's the best way to "train" since you don't have to constantly pay attention. I don't think you can really train a cat though, at least not for an extended period of time. They are mischievous by nature and will always push the limits. I left my Ssscat at my parent's house and after a few months my cat has learned that he can go into the kitchen again without getting scared off. I really need to get it back.
On February 02 2012 01:48 ReturnStroke wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 01:34 Chill wrote:
Can't you train her not to go in there? Like spray her with water every time she tries? I've heard you can buy a spray bottle of some sort of fluid that smells terirble that trains cats pretty quickly, but water works fine too. Maybe see if there's some sort of smell cats hate and line your drawers with that? Sometimes cats just learn to hate you. Unfortunately they don't learn in the same way as dogs, but this works more often than not probably. You just have to keep it up. Changing cats' behaviors sucks.
I've heard that the best way to not get the cats to hate you is to make sure that they don't see you spraying them. The idea is that they should feel like if they [action] then they will be sprayed. They shouldn't feel like if they do [action] then you will spray them.
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I've only had puppies/ dogs, never kittens/ cats, but why not just put her in a cage or a locked room when you're gone? That's what people do with dogs. They eventually settle down when they get older, and you can keep an eye on them when you're at home (so they can come out during that time).
And don't give me that "cats need to be more free than dogs" crap If she's tearing apart your apartment when you're gone and you can't train her, I don't see why you can't confine her to a small area while you're gone.
I'm sorry, but I feel like you have no common sense.
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My cat used to play with my computer wires when she was a kitten and I would just raise my voice and scold her and now she doesnt do it.
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On February 02 2012 02:23 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I've only had puppies/ dogs, never kittens/ cats, but why not just put her in a cage or a locked room when you're gone? That's what people do with dogs. They eventually settle down when they get older, and you can keep an eye on them when you're at home (so they can come out during that time). And don't give me that "cats need to be more free than dogs" crap If she's tearing apart your apartment when you're gone and you can't train her, I don't see why you can't confine her to a small area while you're gone. I'm sorry, but I feel like you have no common sense.
Ummm....you're saying he has no common sense when you're the one making the claim that because people do it to dogs then you should do it to a cat too? I'm sorry, but cats and dogs are completely different animals and need to be treated completely differently.
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On February 02 2012 02:37 garbanzo wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 02:23 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I've only had puppies/ dogs, never kittens/ cats, but why not just put her in a cage or a locked room when you're gone? That's what people do with dogs. They eventually settle down when they get older, and you can keep an eye on them when you're at home (so they can come out during that time). And don't give me that "cats need to be more free than dogs" crap If she's tearing apart your apartment when you're gone and you can't train her, I don't see why you can't confine her to a small area while you're gone. I'm sorry, but I feel like you have no common sense. Ummm....you're saying he has no common sense when you're the one making the claim that because people do it to dogs then you should do it to a cat too? I'm sorry, but cats and dogs are completely different animals and need to be treated completely differently.
So... why can't my recommendations be used? What will go terribly wrong if you try them with a cat, despite the fact that you can do them with a dog? He's clearly not in control of his pet, which is why he's asking for help.
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On February 02 2012 02:41 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 02:37 garbanzo wrote:On February 02 2012 02:23 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I've only had puppies/ dogs, never kittens/ cats, but why not just put her in a cage or a locked room when you're gone? That's what people do with dogs. They eventually settle down when they get older, and you can keep an eye on them when you're at home (so they can come out during that time). And don't give me that "cats need to be more free than dogs" crap If she's tearing apart your apartment when you're gone and you can't train her, I don't see why you can't confine her to a small area while you're gone. I'm sorry, but I feel like you have no common sense. Ummm....you're saying he has no common sense when you're the one making the claim that because people do it to dogs then you should do it to a cat too? I'm sorry, but cats and dogs are completely different animals and need to be treated completely differently. So... why can't my recommendations be used? What will go terribly wrong if you try them with a cat, despite the fact that you can do them with a dog? He's clearly not in control of his pet, which is why he's asking for help.
Cats can't be housebroken. If you keep them in a cage they're going to need access to a litter box. Cats are more likely to be destructive if you keep them in a confined space than dogs. Dogs are pack animals so if you managed to train them well, i.e. you made it clear that you're the alpha, then they'll accept being confined because it's what you wanted. Cats don't have such a mentality. Of course, this is highly dependent on the cat or the dog. I personally keep my cat inside my small room most of the time because one of my roommates dislikes cats. I'm not happy with this, but it's a compromise I have to make. I would never, ever think to just leave him in a cage. Other people have cats that will just constantly claw and meow at a closed door. There are also dogs that will destroy furniture when not locked in a cage.
Whatever may be the case, my point is that you shouldn't go around claiming someone doesn't have common sense when you're offering a general solution based on the fact that it can be done to a different animal.
Also, I'm not sure why you think the cat is being destructive. It just seems to me like the OP has most of the behaviour curbed by other measures except for the fact that the cat manages to get herself locked inside a cabinet.
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Get another cat. It's an added expense food wise, but they keep each other company, and the cat won't be lonely/getting into mischief. This is my experience, at least.
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On February 02 2012 02:54 garbanzo wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 02:41 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:On February 02 2012 02:37 garbanzo wrote:On February 02 2012 02:23 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I've only had puppies/ dogs, never kittens/ cats, but why not just put her in a cage or a locked room when you're gone? That's what people do with dogs. They eventually settle down when they get older, and you can keep an eye on them when you're at home (so they can come out during that time). And don't give me that "cats need to be more free than dogs" crap If she's tearing apart your apartment when you're gone and you can't train her, I don't see why you can't confine her to a small area while you're gone. I'm sorry, but I feel like you have no common sense. Ummm....you're saying he has no common sense when you're the one making the claim that because people do it to dogs then you should do it to a cat too? I'm sorry, but cats and dogs are completely different animals and need to be treated completely differently. So... why can't my recommendations be used? What will go terribly wrong if you try them with a cat, despite the fact that you can do them with a dog? He's clearly not in control of his pet, which is why he's asking for help. Cats can't be housebroken. If you keep them in a cage they're going to need access to a litter box. Cats are more likely to be destructive if you keep them in a confined space than dogs. Dogs are pack animals so if you managed to train them well, i.e. you made it clear that you're the alpha, then they'll accept being confined because it's what you wanted. Cats don't have such a mentality. Of course, this is highly dependent on the cat or the dog. I personally keep my cat inside my small room most of the time because one of my roommates dislikes cats. I'm not happy with this, but it's a compromise I have to make. I would never, ever think to just leave him in a cage. Other people have cats that will just constantly claw and meow at a closed door. There are also dogs that will destroy furniture when not locked in a cage. Whatever may be the case, my point is that you shouldn't go around claiming someone doesn't have common sense when you're offering a general solution based on the fact that it can be done to a different animal. Also, I'm not sure why you think the cat is being destructive. It just seems to me like the OP has most of the behaviour curbed by other measures except for the fact that the cat manages to get herself locked inside a cabinet.
Well I just asked my girlfriend who's in vet school and her father who's a vet (and they've owned cats and dogs as well), and they say that the method can work perfectly well with cats too. Just put the litterbox in the same room or cage as the cat. Duh? And by cage I don't mean that it has to be exactly the same size as the cat. Give him plenty of room, but just keep him in a place where he can't get out. he doesn't *need* access to the whole damn apartment. It's the OP's apartment, not the cat's.
So obviously, cats and dogs are different animals, but that doesn't mean that nothing applies to both of them. The alpha anecdote is cute, but obviously the OP is having a problem with controlling his pet when he's not around... so he has to worry more about his own stuff than confining his cat to a (perfectly open, but slightly smaller) controlled environment.
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On February 02 2012 03:05 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 02:54 garbanzo wrote:On February 02 2012 02:41 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:On February 02 2012 02:37 garbanzo wrote:On February 02 2012 02:23 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I've only had puppies/ dogs, never kittens/ cats, but why not just put her in a cage or a locked room when you're gone? That's what people do with dogs. They eventually settle down when they get older, and you can keep an eye on them when you're at home (so they can come out during that time). And don't give me that "cats need to be more free than dogs" crap If she's tearing apart your apartment when you're gone and you can't train her, I don't see why you can't confine her to a small area while you're gone. I'm sorry, but I feel like you have no common sense. Ummm....you're saying he has no common sense when you're the one making the claim that because people do it to dogs then you should do it to a cat too? I'm sorry, but cats and dogs are completely different animals and need to be treated completely differently. So... why can't my recommendations be used? What will go terribly wrong if you try them with a cat, despite the fact that you can do them with a dog? He's clearly not in control of his pet, which is why he's asking for help. Cats can't be housebroken. If you keep them in a cage they're going to need access to a litter box. Cats are more likely to be destructive if you keep them in a confined space than dogs. Dogs are pack animals so if you managed to train them well, i.e. you made it clear that you're the alpha, then they'll accept being confined because it's what you wanted. Cats don't have such a mentality. Of course, this is highly dependent on the cat or the dog. I personally keep my cat inside my small room most of the time because one of my roommates dislikes cats. I'm not happy with this, but it's a compromise I have to make. I would never, ever think to just leave him in a cage. Other people have cats that will just constantly claw and meow at a closed door. There are also dogs that will destroy furniture when not locked in a cage. Whatever may be the case, my point is that you shouldn't go around claiming someone doesn't have common sense when you're offering a general solution based on the fact that it can be done to a different animal. Also, I'm not sure why you think the cat is being destructive. It just seems to me like the OP has most of the behaviour curbed by other measures except for the fact that the cat manages to get herself locked inside a cabinet. Well I just asked my girlfriend who's in vet school and her father who's a vet (and they've owned cats and dogs as well), and they say that the method can work perfectly well with cats too. Just put the litterbox in the same room or cage as the cat. Duh? And by cage I don't mean that it has to be exactly the same size as the cat. Give him plenty of room, but just keep in a place where he can't get out. So obviously, cats and dogs are different animals, but that doesn't mean that nothing applies to both of them. The alpha anecdote is cute, but obviously the OP is having a problem with controlling his pet when he's not around... so he has to worry more about his own stuff than confining his cat to a (perfectly open, but slightly smaller) controlled environment.
Again, I'm not questioning the method entirely. I stated what things you had to consider when you do that. I offered my opinion on the matter and even my own experiences. Your suggestion has applications.
What I'm questioning is why you felt the need to say that he has no common sense. You had to ask your girlfriend and her father (who are experts) whether you were correct or not. That automatically makes your suggestion fall outside of "common sense".
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EPT
