Help with a hooligan cat

[EatenByZombies]

I have a 2 year old, energetic, very friendly cat. Who's driving me insane.
She's not clumsy, she's a hooligan! Last night she knocked a very nice plant pot over which resulted in mud and stones all over the floor and in my bed. It was one I'd gotten as a leaving present from some friends when I moved a month ago due to bad circumstances, and because it meant so much it's tipped me over the edge.

She's constantly wrecking stuff. She'll get behind my net curtains and bat at them with her claws out as if she's stuck, but wont get out if I free her (she's doing it on purpose). She climbs over my tv to get off the windowsil behind instead of going round (which she knows is possible because she will do it occasionally), she often stands on her hind legs and "digs" at furniture, walls, doors, sofas, anything she can get her paws on, the list goes on.

Does anyone have any tips for calming her down? It's getting really annoying to constantly be righting the TV, mopping up drinks, repairing curtains, picking up lamps and vases etc. I know there may not be much that can be done.

I know she's not clumsy because she CAN be in the house without knocking stuff over, but she gets hyper when she sees our other cat, for example, and then starts wrecking stuff

[quoteunquote]

Does she go outside?

[Fluffycloudland77]

I have a hooligan cat.

I've just resigned myself to the destruction. I had to put the step ladders up for him a the weekend because he jumped 5ft into a cupboard that goes to the ceiling and I couldn't be bothered to fish him out.

I had thought he was calming down at 4.

[EatenByZombies]

My giddy aunt, I've never had a cat in a cupboard that high before! Haha.

Yeah, she's out a lot. Where we live now (abroad) she has a catflap that leads to a village in the middle of nowhere surrounded by fields so she has no excuse really!

If nothing can be done, I will admit defeat, I don't plan on getting rid of her, it's just a PITA to constantly be redecorating my ornaments and furniture

[Fluffycloudland77]

I remember ornaments

[EatenByZombies]

[Lonecatwithkitten]

The first thing I would do is start her hunting for her food. Easier if she has kibble than wet. If she has kibble saving toilet rolls building a pyramid and then putting the kibble inside the tubes for her to hook out is a cheap, but a bit time consuming. A less time consuming way is to buy one of the kibble balls that she has to chase and pounce on to get the kibble. If she eats wet food then hiding it in different places can help.
Regardless of environment some cats like some children struggle to entertain themselves.
Hanging up kitty teasers or even a scrunched up bit of newspaper on a piece of string somewhere safer is another good way again moving it regularly helps to reduce boredem factor.
FAB website has other great ideas for environmental enrichment. She is exhibiting normal cat behaviour just it doesn't fit in with your lifestyle so it is about adapting the behaviour so it fits in better.

[deliasmithy]

I think you have to meet in the middle.
Cats are animals. Shredding things is probably fun for her.
I bought voile curtains. They are now cat climbing frames. I just sigh and feel relieved I didn't buy actual curtains.

I find placing decoy items in the house such as an empty cardboard box with holes cut in and saying loudly 'now cats, this is a very valuable box, whatever you do, don't sit in it' and they immediately will. They definitely target seemingly treasured possessions. You have to act convincingly though.

Mine love tunnels, foil, foil emergency blankets, tissue, shredding loo rolls, cardboard fortress, oh and laser pen is a winner.

I found destruction of no. 1 cat halved when I got another kitten, which then doubled again when kitten started to get bold.

I try and tire them out - I throw dreamies and they love chasing after them.

[EatenByZombies]

Hahaha. I have one of those laser pointers for her, which drives her insane, but after a while she just turns hyper and the circle starts again.

As for hunting for her food, I do do that sometimes, I have little piles of cat treats hidden around the place for her to find when she's playful, but it doens't seem to make much difference. She's like a bull in a china shop - anything that CAN be knocked over WILL be knocked over.

She also gets stuck in the blind-pull (which is a beaded loop) with it round her tummy which sends her round the twist trying to get free, knocking things everywhere. I've tried tying it up but then she sees something hanging at head-hight that needs to be attacked

I'll try your advice, though, guys. I might just have to give in to the fact that I may never have nice things while I have cats

[Fluffycloudland77]

Mine figured out the laser pointer and tries to look into it. He didn't figure it out until we bought him two in case one got lost though. So now I have two redundant laser pointers.

I could buy him some smart price loo rolls to shred, it's flipping messy though.

[EatenByZombies]

Mine will play with the pointer if you chuck it at her, too. Cats are too smart sometimes and too dim at others