Cat is driving me mad

[Borderstotheleftofme]

Just a rant more than anything, this probably isn’t the best place to put this thread but I’m hoping the responses will possibly be a bit gentler than AIBU.

I’ve had her since a tiny kitten and she’s really depressing me to be quite honest.
DH hates her, I like her, she’s has a very sweet and gentle personality but her destructiveness I am struggling to cope with.
She is so, so destructive.

She’s damaged four sofas, two beds, the stair carpet which now needs replacing but I daren’t do it while she’s here, the skirting boards, a wooden bookcase, a wooden cabinet, curtains, the kids mattress..

She is destroying my house!

I dread letting her in and struggle to relax when she’s in the house because all I can think is what is she scratching now?

We’ve bought her scratching posts, she either uses them in addition to everywhere else or just ignores them entirely.

I’ve tried playing with her but she loses interest.

She’s not massively affectionate either so it’s not like she’s acting up for lack of attention.

She’s worse than a Labrador for food, she will counter surf and take food straight off peoples plates.
All the mash I was cooking for dinner tonight is in the bin after I caught her eating it.

I’m just so fed up of her.
I want to rehome her but darent tell the rescue the reason why incase that means she doesn’t get accepted and incase they judge me.

I feel guilty about wanting to rehome her, as the kids love her and when she’s not trashing everything I love her too.
But I really don’t think I can cope with her anymore.

It is gutting when they destroy your stuff. I have two lovely new sofas coming and they will be covered with throws that completely hide them immediately.
I can hear aged cat stropping the stair carpet as I lie in bed and I can't shout at her to stop because she is stone deaf.
The cat scratching post is pristine.
She does sound very destructive though, I don't think I've ever had one that bad and who eats your food too.
I'd get her checked out, my tortie girl suddenly started acting like that even stealing baked potatoes from our plates. Turns out she had severe kidney failure and died soon after. There could be something physically wrong with her.
Also I'm pretty sure cats get ADHD as well. Its worth a try before giving her up. It may be something that can be medicated. Cats don't generally like eating potato unless they have a systemic condition.

This exact thing was on Jackson Galaxy this week. The simple answer was to play properly with her. Da Bird especially get them jumping, bond with her.

I’ve a feeling this advice is too late though😔

Do any of you play with her? So toys on strings, laser pens, remote control mice?

Cats need entertainment - you can't just let them to their own devices and expect them to be contented.

The 'DH hates her' bit annoys me.

My cat shits everywhere but i learn to deal with it and am putting the time in to help her and sort it. A cat sounds a bit of a novelty to you that has worn off in time, please tell us you've rehomed her so someone else can enjoy her!

We've been watching an American show called 'my cat from hell' where a cat behaviourist helps people with problem cats. There are lots of destructive cats on it. It's on Animal Planet and the guy's name is Jackson Galaxy. You might find some useful tips there. I hope you find a workable solution.

Yes i posted above. The exact situation was on last week. Its all down to playing properly .

If u havnt tried felliway yet then please please do that first! It worked for our stressed fur baby, did seem to wear off after a bit though and the vet recommended pet remedy instead which is also a feremone diffuser and has been amazing, he has been the calmest and happiest I've ever seen him, also about 6 and had him since a kitten.

If u havnt yet totally given up it does sound like there is something u could try and work to resolve for her. I hate to see any animal in a shelter it would be hard on her having been with u so long and also on the kids if they love her as well. U may be surprised how much u may miss her as u say u love her when she is good. Try to focus's on working with her and bringing more of her good side out.

U could try different kinds of play maybe where she can occupy herself if u r busy like those balls u hide treats in, new hiding places to investigate, catnip spray on the things u do want her to scratch and citrus on the nice things u want to keep her away from. Does she have lots of scattered places for her? Beds and things, ours like just cardboard boxes more than bought things. Also definitely talk to the vet, they can do some checks for any infection or anything that may cause her to act up out of pain. We had a cat doing similar things and turned out he had a brain tumor, hope this isn't true for your baby.

Fingers crossed whatever u decide it works out for the best.

Feliway is well worth a try. It's not that expensive.
I have a multi cat household and you can tell the difference when the diffuser needs changing! One cat in particular is so much more relaxed when it's running properly.

Poor cat.

One of the amazing tips I picked up from MN was hissing (and I pointing too) when our lovely 1 year girl was a kitten as behaviour modification. This readily cured all attempts of jumping up on counters, visits upstairs. There were kitty circus skills (on curtain rails), tugs of war with the ironing and there are some holes in the curtains but all our fabric furniture is fine, we have a coir mat and a little scratching post she diligently wipes her feet when she comes in. She was quite cheeky when being told off mieowing back! Now she is a darling. She loves playing.

I think you’re getting a hard time here. Of course you’re gutted that she’s ruined so much of your stuff! We had a beautiful tabby and white cat we adopted from the Blue Cross. It was very weird - he was a very chilled and happy cat (about 4 when we got him), very stimulated with lots of attention and toys, loved the kids.... and then when we’d had him about 6 months he started scratching the carpets. Every corner was bald. It was dreadful - the sound used to drive me mad. We went and bought scratch posts, cardboard scratchers, put tape down, everything, and nothing worked - and as we’d used a bit of money left to us by DH’s gran to put down new carpets, it was hugely annoying that he developed this habit out of the blue (we never did work out why).

You're obviously not a cat person and you should rehome her so that she can be happy.

It's a shame when people get cats thinking they're an easy option then not being prepared to put the necessary work in to keep them happy. I've kept cats all my adult life and have never had a destructive one. I'm also a pet carer and have never encountered a destructive cat, apart from a small amount of scratching perhaps.

You're either exaggerating or over reacting.