We have got to do something about the cat.
The scene: Our bedroom, TCB and I asleep on the bed, Angus asleep on the floor
The time: 1am
The Crax: Is batting at the closet doors to try to get in (or perhaps, having gotten in, is trying to get out. Not sure which.)
The reaction: We’re all awake and angry. TCB wakes first to the noise, tries to catch the Crax, but me, not knowing what’s going on, is angry about him turning on the light. Angus is pissed that he’s not waking up on his pillows, as the Crax pushed him off them earlier. TCB storms off to the couch, I can’t sleep for at least another 30 minutes, Piper scurries off to parts unknown, and Angus sleeps in the hallway, not sure which person to follow.
~*Later that night*~
The scene: Our bedroom, I’m asleep in the bed, alone. Alarm set to go off at 6:30am
The time: 5am
The Crax: Jumps on me, wanting attention, has nipple-seeking paws
The reaction: OW! I unceremoniously move her off of me, pet her head a little, and try to get back to sleep.
The Crax reaction: As soon as I start drifiting off, she starts clawing the underside of the bed.
The reaction: Yell at cat. Try to sleep, clawing repeats. Having had enough, I take her for a quick bath, because that usually calms her down (I put her in the tub, turn on the water, and splash her hind end a little. She gets a little cleaner and calmer.) I towel her off a little, she disappears to parts unknown, I try to get back to sleep, since it’s now 6am. I also reset my alarm for 6:45.
The Crax: Shows back up at 6:20, wants to say “sorry” and “I love you.”
The reaction: I’ve had enough. Getting out of bed early, since I’ve been up since 5.
This repeats almost nightly, and has been since we got her. It’s much worse in the warmer months (she’s a snuggler in winter.) We need to sleep. This cat is not doing good things for us at night.
Any suggestions? We’ve tried and thought of some things, and entertained briefly the thought of declawing, but I find mattress threads in both front and back claws, so even that wouldn’t help. Plus, she’d still bat at the doors, and try to squirm her way under closed ones, and stick her tiny head under them to meow. Oh, did I mention that shutting her out of a room we’re in causes more mayhem? She sticks her mouth under door cracks and meows. And claws. And is really, really loud and persistent. She doesn’t remember what the squirt bottle is, even if we get to her fast enough with it. She likes to knock things off counters when she’s been disciplined. She’s horribly cute when asleep and is an excellent snuggler when she’s in the mood. Plays hilariously with Angus. Expert bug-hunter and mouse-locator. She just won’t let us sleep.
So, any suggestions on how to deal with a badly-behaved cat? Are there cat-whisperers? Or, anybody want a sometimes really great cat?
Soccer/CS 
could you lock her in the basement?
Not quite- the basement itself has no door. Maybe the downstairs bathroom? Or the laundry room, with her litter box? We’re a little worried about how loud she might get, but we’re going to give one of them a try tonight.
Cat cage in laundry room – no exceptions or feeling sorry. This cat needs a regular schedule.
hey –
sounds like discipline issue. if squirting her on the body doesn’t work, maybe the face will? otherwise, slapping her gently on the nose ridge is the next best thing to do, to show her she did something wrong. they tapping/noise makes them stop for second.
has she been spayed?
maybe she’s not getting enough play time during the day. try doing laser pointer chases and wear her out i the early evening.
how old is she? when they are older >1 yr they are suppose to mellow out.
Nose tapping doesn’t seem to work- she often rears up and attacks back. She also doesn’t remember what the sprayer is: always a surprise to her. With the really noisy, middle of the night misbehaviors, she’s really hard to catch to discipline, too.
We do try to wear her out, but more playtime seems to get more misbehaving at night. (Angus chases her off the laser pointer, it’s funny. We stick to toys with bells for her.)
She’s approaching 3, so maybe this is the early-20’s wildness?
I can give you Candy and I’ll take Crax. I’m pretty sure Kika is scrappy enough to keep her in line. When my two get outta line, I either throw a slipper at them or lock them in the bedroom/bathroom/livingroom/ room I’m not in.
Pingback: Crax Update « Soccer/CS