Is my kitten right in the head?

[oxcat1]

I have had cats all my life, but my current pair of CPL-adopted kittens are genuinely the most destructive pair that I have ever come across! Gorgeous, but my word! They stand and carefully rip the inside of the table cloth to pieces, hang off the lamp shades, and rip any paperwork they can get their paws on.

One behavioural trait surprises me though: M, who is 7 months old, is obsessed with chewing cardboard. She takes tiny bites out of it, carefully spits that bit out, and then repeats, ad nauseam. She isn't bored, as she has her twin sister, plus there are always st least 2 devoted people playing with her all through the day. I don't mind this habit, and have developed ways of containing the mess (!), but just wondered what it was about? She must have all her adult teeth by now?

Ive come to the conclusion that all cats are arseholes.

Maybe they're meant for the great outdoors at some point if lots of play doesn't knacker them?

Are they indoor cats? And were they already neutered when you adopted them?

My BoyCat used to do exactly the same, even after he had total catflap freedom to go outside and do something more interesting. Rip and spit. Rip and spit. Very odd. GirlCat would watch with puzzlement and contempt. Now, at 18 months, he does it far less. Just a strange, kitten-y phase, I guess.

I currently have 12 'extra' young semi ferals living in my spare room. I have to provide them with a new cardboard box every few days just so that they can rip it to pieces.

Oh yes I have one of those and I have another who is obsessed with chewing cellophane.

I've also got a cellophane fiend.

Ok, so not entirely unique then - if odd!

Yes, they were neutered at 4 months, so just before I adopted them, and they do have access to outside, although it is not yet unlimited as I haven't installed a cat-flap. I haven't tried them with cellophane....

Bite. Spit. Bite. Spit.

I did read somewhere that it goes back ton their instincts to hunt prey that would then be knawed and the meat ripped from the bone, whereas modern food is much softer and doesn't satisfy this urge. No idea if there is any truth in that?

At what age would you expect them to be fully responsive to cat nip if they were going to be? Also, does anybody know why this particular toy mouse is revered above all other expensive toys that I have wasted my money on? It is hollow (but has never had a catnip stuffing or anything like that) and holds no particular charm as far as I can see, but they fight each other for it?

It's a tortoiseshell thing. Ours was bonkers too.

You will get used to it.

I have some similar mice but the hollow had some solid catnip thing in it. Maybe it's good for chewing? One of mine steals pencils and chews them. I ended up buying a cat teething toy but she'll still chew whatever she can find.

We have the cardboard chewing here too - and that is from SaneCat. He does love a good box!!

Have had several cardboard chewing cats growing up.

They tend to outgrow it, except one who like the nibble away a bit of the box so he could rest his chin comfortably He was insane though (used to bring in daffodils for my mum when they were in bloom... chewed from her garden mind you!)

I think they can still be teething at 7 months.

MCat used to like sitting on paper, ripping bits off then "phtoo-ing" them out. I just thought it was because DH did a lot of art which included collages, and MCat was copying him in his own cattish way.

One of mine does this. Loves any kind of box, gets in, demolishes it

Is it the tail on the mouse? Mine was obsessed and I realised it was actually the ribbon, not the toy that he wanted

They just fixate one one thing for no rhyme or reason. Mine loves cellophane and feathers, but he will suddenly take it into his head to play endlessly with a flip flop, a pine cone, lip salve... no logic to it.
A dangly Father Christmas on a stick was an unexpected hit too.

Pinged rubber bands - the massive ones like you get from the postman when you have a lot of post - are favoured by Little M. Also flapping bed linen on bed-change days. I actually tried reasoning with him tonight, "Mumma will play with you after bed change, just be patient, and stop trying to climb inside the duvet cover."

Can't have a reasonable discussion with cats.

It is true that make pretty poor conversational partners.
ME. ME. ME. FOOD. ME. ME. STROKE ME. ME. ME. LEAF! ME. ME. LICK OWN BUM. ME. ME. ME.

Mine likes to wander the house howling then cry at himself in the mirror
Swap you for the cardboard?

My bengal cross chews and spits cardboard and paper. DS had to go into school one day and tell the teacher that the cat had eaten his homework.

I am just loving the idea of a room full of feral cats where the door is opened every few days and an old cardboard box thrown in.

.

My cats love an Amazon box...as soon as it's unpacked there's at least three cats in the box all chewing it!

Leroy loves cardboard. He's got a huge box at the moment which he's slowly destroying from the inside out but for naps smaller is better. Anything made of cardboard is used a scratch post.

As for the mouse - don't know! Leroy's favourite is small manky piece of Catnip filled fur - all other Catnip toys are ignored

They're just weird. And beautiful.

I have two torties, 3 months old, who love nothing more than gnawing on a box. Fortunately we recently moved house and there are plenty of boxes around!

I believe it's to do with teething, but they have zero interest in the cat teething toys I've purchased at considerable expense!

They also have quite bad breath, which vet google advises is a teething thing...

Beautiful torties. My 2nd cat used to chew boxes when she was very young. She doesn't now. Only one of my cats, of many through the years, has been interested in catnip.

Zara loves the red net oranges come in. It's the only inappropriate object I worry about her swallowing. She's been obsessed with it since she was a kitten.