Bizarre Cat Behavior

[Nienna]

OMG! My new kitty is being bad. I'm not sure what's up so any advice/ideas is most helpful. I've never had this happen before. He is very possesive of me and follows me around and yowels at me alot. He is a male, neutered Siamese, 1 year old.

Icky chewed a hole about the size of a tennis ball through both a blanket and my comforter last night while I was at CC. I was mad, but stitched up the holes the best I could. He since then will sniff the area of the hole with his mouth open and start chewing there again.

Some details on "the evidence":

He's been with me for 1 week now, and this hasn't happened before now.

The blanket and comforter went camping with me last weekend, but didn't get dirty/smell weird so hasn't been washed. (It has smelled the same basically since I brought him home)

I had a male type person in my apartment last night, but not in my room. Icky has never encountered a male I was affectionate with before and seems jealous/distressed.

He dosn't seem interested in anything else, but does chew shoelaces/ribbons/ corset lacings, etc.

Is this him being weird/insecure? Is there just something tasty on the blankets?? (I washed the areas by hand and he's still interested in the site of the hole.) How can I make him stop? (Sort of shutting him out of my room, because then he cries at the door all night.)

HELP!!! *L*

[bean]

Usually when cats do that, it's because they are insecure, so maybe he was mad that you left him alone. I know when I have a long day at work I will come home and find things chewed/torn up. The behavior could also happen if he was taken away from his mother too soon, and you have sort of become his replacement mother. To get him to stop the behavior, you could spray comething citrus scented on the area he chews, since cats don't like the smell of citrus (of course this won't work if you have a weirdo cat like mine who loves citrus smells). Another thing you can do, which you need to be patient for, is to constantly tell the cat "no" when he does the behavior. Hope this helps! :clover

[Nienna]

Usually when cats do that, it's because they are insecure, so maybe he was mad that you left him alone.  I know when I have a long day at work I will come home and find things chewed/torn up.  The behavior could also happen if he was taken away from his mother too soon, and you have sort of become his replacement mother.  To get him to stop the behavior, you could spray comething citrus scented on the area he chews, since cats don't like the smell of citrus (of course this won't work if you have a weirdo cat like mine who loves citrus smells).  Another thing you can do, which you need to be patient for, is to constantly tell the cat "no" when he does the behavior.  Hope this helps!  :clover

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Thanks for the advice! I really knnow nothing about him. I took him in last week from a friend of a friend. He is purebred, and they sometimes are separated too soon by breeders who want their $$ faster... He's also had 4 homes in his 1 year life, and lost his littermate traumatically so I donno. I leave him alone everyday when I go to work so I don't think it's that though he does act weird just before I leave and after I come home... Ugh... *L*

[Mistress Mercy]

It does sound like mabe its an attention thing on your cats part or mabe theres just some smell in the blankets that you cant smell and the cat can.You might wana try posting on this fourum CatBanter and see if somone can help you if nothing that anyone says here works.I got lots of help on there for my cats.

[Fierce Critter]

He is very possesive of me and follows me around and yowels at me alot. He is a male, neutered Siamese, 1 year old.

...(Sort of shutting him out of my room, because then he cries at the door all night.)...

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I warned you!!! :grin This is very typical behavior for a pure Siamese. They are among the most vocal cats, and extremely dog-like in behavior. They do not abide separation from their human. You can expect to get yowled at if you put a closed door between the two of you as well.

I actually consider you "lucky". I wanted a "typical" Siamese SOOO bad. My Asia is the anti-Siamese. She doesn't care for humans much at all. And except for some minor meowing here and there, she's not very vocal at all. Still, I love her for all her eccentricities.

He since then will sniff the area of the hole with his mouth open

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My husband and I call that "horny cat face". It originated from "Horny lion face", from watching National Geographic documentaries on lions. When the female lion is in estrus, the male will sniff around her, stop and make that same face.

Cats have an organ somewhere in the area of the back of the throat/roof of the mouth or something, the exact location of and name of which escape me at the moment. They gather scents deeply in this manner - sniffing, then opening the mouth and allowing the scent to pass over this organ. It's one of their talents.

He ... then will ... start chewing there again.

The blanket and comforter went camping with me last weekend, but didn't get dirty/smell weird so hasn't been washed. (It has smelled the same basically since I brought him home)

He dosn't seem interested in anything else, but does chew shoelaces/ribbons/ corset lacings, etc.

Is there just something tasty on the blankets?? (I washed the areas by hand and he's still interested in the site of the hole.) How can I make him stop?

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1) he may continue chewing there. Some of the other responders are right - you need to treat the comforter with things specifically designed to completely get rid of the smell of whatever he's sniffing and chewing at. I would highly recommend putting the entire comforter through a wash cycle, with extra liquid detergent applied in that area.

Something might have gotten on there - could be anything. You might have stepped in something invisible on the floor, then your foot transferred it to the comforter. You might have sat on that area without clothes on (sorry for the possibly embarassing guess, but I'll allow it comes from experience ). Despite it not getting dirty when camping, again, you could have transferred something from foot/hand/whathaveyou to the comforter without YOUR "inadequate" senses being able to pick it up.

He dosn't seem interested in anything else, but does chew shoelaces/ribbons/ corset lacings, etc.

Is this him being weird/insecure?

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All my cats will chew up lacy/fringy/stringy things if they can get ahold of them. That doesn't necessarily relate to your comforter problem.

I am not 100% versed in all things Siamese. Best to follow other's links or hunt up your own for experienced Siamese advice.

By the way, my Isabeau is an adult "suckler". She will hop on the bed at night, find a fold in our own blanketry, settle in and "butter" (knead) at the blanket with her paws, suckling like crazy. She leaves behind a very wet spot, but thusfar hasn't chewed any holes. This is very obviously "memory" of early kittenhood remaining strong in her. It sounds like your own kitty isn't doing quite the same thing, as he's doing it in one particular spot, but keep your eyes open for similar behavior.

I probably didn't help much, but good luck!

[pomba gira]

I love cats & have had them all my life... but if you don't get their more annoying behaviors under control with a quickness, they can make your life a living hell!

All of Fierce Critter's advice is right on... the vocalizing & following you is very typical Siamese behavior, they are quite possessive and expect a LOT of attention from "their" human. My 3 are part siamese, but only Chango has the full behavior spectrum.

I will add a couple quick things to FC's good advice: AFA the blanket, There is definitely something on that blanket that kitty finds fascinating... just 'cos YOU can't smell it doesn't mean he can't, even after washing! Try using an enzyme solution on the blanket. These consume biological compounds that detergent can't. Make sure the entire area in question is saturated, the solution has to actually touch the scent molecules in order to work. The brand I use is Petastic Especially for Cats. Simple Solution is good, too. You can find these at any Pet Supplies Plus or other pet chain.

You might also want to try Feliway, which contains synthetic feline facial pheromones (what kitty is marking you & the furniture with when she rubs her face on you/it). It's specifically targeted to spraying, but works for other stress-related behaviors, too. You can get in spray form, or a diffuser-type unit that plugs in like those air freshener thingies. It isn't cheap, but it works! There are other stress-reducing products like Bach Rescue Remedy and some homeopathic stuff I can't remember the name of... these are food additives, I don't personally have experience with them.

As a training aid, I find a waterpistol works best... that way they associate getting sprayed with the behavior rather than you, so they won't just wait 'till you're not around to do it.

Finally, make sure he has plenty of toys to keep him occupied while you're gone. I keep cat toys in a jar of catnip & rotate them every few days... this keeps them from getting bored with one. Make sure you have a few different types of toys, too. When you leave and return home, make a big deal of petting him, saying goodbye, etc. so he knows you aren't just abandoning him.

(love the "horny cat face"- it's what they do when they smell something particularly interesting. Makes you feel kind ov weird when they're sniffing part of your body & doing it.)

[Nienna]

I actually consider you "lucky". I wanted a "typical" Siamese SOOO bad. My Asia is the anti-Siamese. She doesn't care for humans much at all. And except for some minor meowing here and there, she's not very vocal at all. Still, I love her for all her eccentricities.

Ikari is wonderful. I love his excessive loviness and talking. I just wish he'd stop eating my bed. *L*

My mom has a calico point female and she is like yours. She is very standoffish and "hateful", but my mom really likes her because "she's got balls!" *L*

[pomba gira]

Do you have any pics of him? Is he an "applehead" or the alien-looking kind of Siamese? What color is he? I like Siamese but have never had a purebred one... my obnoxious crossbreeds are enough of a handful!

[Nienna]

Do you have any pics of him? Is he an "applehead" or the alien-looking kind of Siamese? What color is he?  I like Siamese but have never had a purebred one... my obnoxious crossbreeds are enough of a handful!

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OMG he is absolutely georgeous! I'm planning to take pics of him asap.. havn't yet because I wanted him to get more comfy here first. He's an "applehead" type blue point with deep blue eyes. He's HUGE too. Very tall and lanky, and SUPER strong.

I feel really lucky to have gotten him. I'll have to tell his whole story when I post his pics.

[mallochai]

god, this story is all too familiar. FC said that this behavior was very doglike, and my dog, Ichabod, is very very very bad about this kind of thing. From what the vet told us, it's a part of seperation anxiety, acting out not because he needs attention so much as because he's very nervous when you're not there to comofort him. Ichabod will chew, lick, and DIG into our sheets, causing me to have to purchase new sheets way too often. We close the door now, but not everything can be monitored at all times. We've had to resort to keep everything chewable out of reach, except a stool and coffee table, which bear marks. Bitter apple, and other various like products never worked until we resorted to straight cayanne pepper. Then he ate a couple spots on the carpet. :doh

Anyway, I sympathize greatly. It's hard to say how to prevent this, since it depends very much on the animal. Mostly though, finding ways to provide him with activities to occupy him while you're away is a good start. Complicated toys that have treats in them could help. Training/teaching is good for dogs, but I'm not sure about cats. All of my cats have been very mellow.

Also, seperation anxiety can be cause by a whole slew of things prior to you ever even obtaining the animal. Even something like a loud alarm while they're very young can make them afraid of these things happening again while alone or away from humans. All you can do is try to help him overcome it.

Good luck to you though, and maybe try talking to a vet, or three.

[Homicidalheathen]

Your cat is nuerotic and needs a pet pychologist or (heh heh) pet phchic. I had a cat like that but we couldn't really stop her. We just kept her out of the bedrooms...hid stuff. She found a pot holder once and spent 5 hours tearing it to pieces. I hated making her sleep alone but I would wake up soaked. She sucked necks like a little vamp.

I think maybe she just didn't get enough tit when she was a baby. She was the runt.

It was like she was trying to make up for it. I didn't take her away from her mom to soon so it was hard to figure out.

And she hated men. I always wondered if a guy kicked her or something because she hated shoes too.

OMG! My new kitty is being bad. I'm not sure what's up so any advice/ideas is most helpful. I've never had this happen before. He is very possesive of me and follows me around and yowels at me alot. He is a male, neutered Siamese, 1 year old.

Icky chewed a hole about the size of a tennis ball through both a blanket and my comforter last night while I was at CC. I was mad, but stitched up the holes the best I could. He since then will sniff the area of the hole with his mouth open and start chewing there again.

Some details on "the evidence":

He's been with me for 1 week now, and this hasn't happened before now.

The blanket and comforter went camping with me last weekend, but didn't get dirty/smell weird so hasn't been washed. (It has smelled the same basically since I brought him home)

I had a male type person in my apartment last night, but not in my room. Icky has never encountered a male I was affectionate with before and seems jealous/distressed.

He dosn't seem interested in anything else, but does chew shoelaces/ribbons/ corset lacings, etc.

Is this him being weird/insecure? Is there just something tasty on the blankets?? (I washed the areas by hand and he's still interested in the site of the hole.) How can I make him stop? (Sort of shutting him out of my room, because then he cries at the door all night.)

HELP!!! *L*

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[Nienna]

Your cat is nuerotic and needs a pet pychologist or (heh heh) pet phchic.

And she hated men.  I always wondered if a guy kicked her or something because she hated shoes too.

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*L* He seems to like men, but was visibly agitated when there was a man here I was being more friendly with than normal. I donno.. I washed the blankets and he dosn't seem to want to chew anymore, but still licks and digs at the spot. What worries me the most is that there were no shreads around. HE ATE THE FABRIC! I hope it dosn't hurt him. The thermal blanket is definately not organic...

[Homicidalheathen]

That is bad though, I had a dog that had what they call 'garbage stomach'. He got real sick eating strange things (hated his chew toys) and had a hard time passing stuff he would eat.

I grow cat grass and catnip in the house. My cat loves to chew on that however now all of my houseplants have to hang from hooks on the ceiling as he gets confused over which are ok to chew on and some are poisonous. The grass and catnip are easy to grow and you can find the kit anywhere, however they give you a ton of seed so get better dirt and a bigger pot.

*L* He seems to like men, but was visibly agitated when there was a man here I was being more friendly with than normal. I donno.. I washed the blankets and he dosn't seem to want to chew anymore, but still licks and digs at the spot. What worries me the most is that there were no shreads around. HE ATE THE FABRIC! I hope it dosn't hurt him. The thermal blanket is definately not organic...

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[pomba gira]

Nienna, you will want to watch the litter box carefully to see whether he's passing the blanket shreds. If they don't show up in a couple days, give him some hairball medicine like PetroMalt (most cats love it, they'll lick it off your finger & ask for more) to help it pass. He could end up with an intestinal blockage if the scraps all ball up together.

Your cat is nuerotic and needs a pet pychologist or (heh heh) pet phchic.  I had a cat like that but we couldn't really stop her.  We just kept her out of the bedrooms...hid stuff.  She found a pot holder once and spent 5 hours tearing it to pieces.  I hated making her sleep alone but I would wake up soaked.  She sucked necks like a little vamp.

I think maybe she just didn't get enough tit when she was a baby.  She was the runt.

It was like she was trying to make up for it.  I didn't take her away from her mom to soon so it was hard to figure out.

And she hated men.  I always wondered if a guy kicked her or something because she hated shoes too.

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Good guesses... that's very typical "runt" behavior, and I would also assume she was kicked (prolly repeatedly) by some male assbag.

I grow cat grass and catnip in the house.  My cat loves to chew on that however now all of my houseplants have to hang from hooks on the ceiling as he gets confused over which are ok to chew on and some are poisonous.  The grass and catnip are easy to grow and you can find the kit anywhere, however they give you a ton of seed so get better dirt and a bigger pot.

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I can't even grow cat grass- as soon as it's tall enough to give them, Chango will systematically yank every blade out by the roots, then dig all the dirt out of the pot. My little destructo-kitty... he once shredded the carpet under the bedroom door down to the floorboards when he was locked in the bedroom all day.

[holliwood66]

Critter: the organ on the roof of the cats mouth is called "Jacob's Organ" *weird, I was just talking about this the other day~*

Two of my 4 cats are 1/2 siamese and are they ever loud and affectionate. Lot of good advice here about your kitty, sounds like he has accute seperation anxiety *poor wee soul!*

*mew*

[Paper Hearts]

I'm a "cat person" and I've had cats around all my life and I've had some pretty strange ones. The cat i have now (she) likes to make out with the shoes of guests i have over (which is really embarassing). I've had a boy cat that would ball blankets up and fuck them, every chance... What I've read about this licking plastic bags or (other weird things behavior) is that it means that the animal was weened too early. It's very common with cats that came from cat-ranches and sold to pet stores... i love cat psychology.

[Nienna]

Someone outside DGN on a cat board suggested that the chewing/sucking on cloth thing was a breed specific anomoly. Great. I guess there's some fabric softener they find nasty, but the person couldn't remember what it was.

[mallochai]

What worries me the most is that there were no shreads around. HE ATE THE FABRIC! I hope it dosn't hurt him. The thermal blanket is definately not organic...

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lol, Ichabod does that too. He will demolish things and eat the parts. We also give him lots of chew ropes, they're his favorite, and he usually just shreds them up and swallows. As a result, he has a diet very high in fiber.

[kellygrrrrrl]

My kitty suckled on a blanket when she was young....it was like she was kneading and sucking on a booby. I think the softness reminds kitty of Mom's warm boob, and he kneads and sucks at it for comfort, like sucking a thumb. As far as being possessive, feel special, most cats are so damned pissy.....

To stop the blanket eating, put it up when you are not home...and if you catch him doing it, SAY NO! and tap his nose! He'll learn to stop. OR Get him his own blankie, and if you see him doing it to your blankie put him on HIS blankie....

And WASH you blenket regularly. He smells you...YOU are Mom to him.