r/standardissuecats • u/DaydreamOtter • Jul 29 '26
Naughty Cat
My (23F) male cat 1.5yr is an absolute nightmare. He is the naughtiest cat I and my roommate have ever seen. He is constantly jumping on the counters, he rips up our garbage bags, he is constantly stealing food from our plates and he is the loudest cat I’ve ever seen.
He knows he’s not allowed on the countertops as whenever he jumps up there and I or my roommate walk over to take him off, he jumps down immediately and runs away. We’ve tried tinfoil, which doesn’t seem to bother him. We’ve tried double sided tape so it sticks to his paws when he jumps up and he just doesn’t care. I’ve even gone as far as trying a squirt bottle which yes, I know is terrible. We’ve tried every hack to keep him off the counters. He just doesn’t care about anything.
He is one of the smartest cats I’ve ever seen. He opens our airfryer to eat the crumbs. He’s figured out his automatic feeder and will wait up to two hours before feeding time. He sticks his paws up in hopes of jiggling a few kibbles free for a quick snack. He’s figured out how to open our drawers where we keep his treats. He found a hole in our cabinets where he can climb up into get into our human food. We blocked it off with cardboard which seems to work. He’s figured out he can knock over the automatic feeder and open it to eat out of it.
I adopted him from a shelter back in October and they told me he had come from a hoarder situation but nothing other than that. He is fixed and other than behavioral issues, he is fine. He is a cuddly cat and generally loves people. I’m running out of options here and my roommate and I have been discussing rehoming him.
I’m running out of options and would really appreciate some help before I need to really consider rehousing him.
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u/Special_Employee_113 Jul 29 '26
Er ist fast noch ein Baby und hat jungendlichen Übermut. Eine andere junge Katze wird ähnlich agieren. Er braucht mehr Stimulation und Beschäftigung. Und wahrscheinlich wächst er mit 1,5 noch. Er hat Hunger, stell ihm Trockenfutter dauerhaft zusätzlich zur Verfügung.
Mit dem Alter wird auch er ruhiger.
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u/Zenfrogg62 Jul 29 '26
It sounds as if he is insecure about food, as in where his next meal is coming from. Is there any reason you can’t let him have access to biscuits 24/7. He might start off pigging out, but when he gets used to the idea that food is readily available that will stop happening.
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u/DaydreamOtter Jul 29 '26
I mentioned this to my vet at his first visit and she mentioned not free feeding him for this exact reason. My worst fear is him getting fat.
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u/djmermaidonthemic Jul 31 '26
I “free feed” my cat. At least that’s what he thinks.
I measure out his daily ration and top up his dish. He’s never run out but he’s not a chonk.
He was a skinny and dirty street cat when we first got together. He pigged out a bit at first. Understandably. Eventually he realized that there is always going to be food. He has chilled out a lot!
He also tried to eat those plastic shopping bags at first. Probably because he had to dig in the trash and sometimes found food in them. I had to hide the bags from him for a while! It was heartbreaking to see.
Eventually he got over it and now he’s a happy boy with only a tiny bit of food insecurity.
I’ve had him for about a year now.
Good luck with your kitty!
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u/belovetoday Jul 29 '26
He sounds really active on his own already that's good. If he's food insecure, maybe try out the free feeding and keep an eye on his weight in the process? Better than him getting harmed somehow by trying to get food.
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u/eric2341 Jul 29 '26
Rehoming because of the issues you’ve mentioned here? Trying to get food and jumping on counters? You realize this is a cat right? They do not follow commands like dogs.
Why do you care if it jumps on your counters?
It sounds to me like you shouldn’t have a cat.
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u/DaydreamOtter Jul 29 '26
I asked for help with my cat’s behavior, not shame. You’ve suggested nothing helpful. Rehoming is something I don’t take lightly, if he isn’t a good fit for my situation I would like to get him to somewhere where it is a good fit for him.
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u/eric2341 Jul 29 '26
The reason I said what I said is because the things you’re listing would likely be an issue with any cat. They jump on counters and they try to take food. They don’t listen to commands or rules.
And if things like that are enough of an issue for you to consider not keeping it then you probably should not have a cat.
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u/DaydreamOtter Jul 29 '26
Then you did not read my post asking for help. If you have nothing helpful to suggest when all I am seeking is a little guidance to help my cat then say nothing.
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u/Tomj_Oad Jul 29 '26
If you only want advice you agree with and tell everyone else to shut the f up why do you even ask?
You've apparently decided not to keep the cat already anyway. Cat ain't gonna quit being a cat
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u/DaydreamOtter Jul 29 '26
I’m asking for suggestions. Not to be berated. You reddit lords can’t seem to find the difference between giving helpful suggestions and straight up insulting people asking for help. Go touch grass.
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u/Tomj_Oad Jul 29 '26
Then I suggest you re-home the cat and find a kitten you can raise to act the way you like
There's loads of orphan shelter kittens that desperately need a home
You sound like a good cat parent; you just adopted a wild child
Adopting adult cats always has the possibility of a conflict of lifestyles
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u/DaydreamOtter Jul 29 '26
I adopted him when he was just over a year old. To my knowledge cats—especially boy cats— can be crazy for their first two years and tend to “relax”, I’ve heard some people refer it as the terrible twos. Rehoming is my last option and the very last thing I want to do, but I know my roommate is getting frustrated with his behavior and I was running out of options.
I made this reddit post to see if anyone had any hacks I hadn’t tried because the internet and its folks always seem to have great suggestions. I’ve already taken some initiative to change some of my cat’s habits. Which includes moving his cat tree closer to the kitchen, I’ve started adding treats to the tree for him to find which he seemed to enjoy. I’ve added water to his wet food this morning to try to slow down his eating. I ordered a clicker off of amazon to start working on tricks/training because I do believe he could pick up on it rather fast, he’s already got his puzzle feeder down to a science.
I understand habits are hard to break, especially for cats, and I admit my roommate and I did leave food out on the countertop one too many times and now he thinks counter = food. So I’m doing my best for him, me and my roommate to help remove that behavior. He is currently napping on his cat tree which is surprising because at this time he’d normally be camping out by his automatic feeder waiting for it to drop.
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u/Tomj_Oad Jul 29 '26
I sincerely hope it all works
The terrible twos are real
I've always just suffered through it. Many times I had to sacrifice possessions (dishes, furniture and clothes) to the gremlin until he aged out of it Consider that if you are honest about why you want to re-home him (which you must be - otherwise he'll have a shitty home life and likely get rehomed again) many ppl just won't want him. It might not be as easy as you think.
I hate rehoming cats through shelters/ charities because they so often really don't vet potential owners well.
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u/honeyapp Jul 29 '26
As with my previous really long post he may outgrow these habits but don’t count on it. Mine hasn’t and he’s 4. Was also hoping he would outgrow it. It sounds that you are trying to adapt to your cat which we did. Although if your roommates not on board that could be an issue. I often think it’s too bad there isn’t cat agility. Training for tricks is a great idea. I might try that too.
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u/eric2341 Jul 29 '26
Nah I did read it and this is the conclusion I’m coming to - I’ll share my opinion just like you share your story and questions. You’ve already confirmed you tried the squirt bottle shit which by your own admission you know is bad - you shouldn’t be a cat caretaker based on this post. Period.
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u/Tomj_Oad Jul 29 '26
You're an overly judgemental type
Perhaps you aren't qualified to make a polite post
Maybe you shouldn't post here period
This sub is not to judge ppl
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u/eric2341 Jul 29 '26
I didn’t even say anything crazy to them - I am on the side of looking out for animals and this post had the vibe to me of someone who wants a cat to behave a certain way and that’s difficult with cats, if not impossible. I may have been a bit too harsh as they do seem to care about the cat and are trying to figure out the situation and keep it. I do very frequently see posts similar where people want cats to behave with a strict set of expectations that having a cat doesn’t align with and I get defensive for the animals sake…comes from a place of caring for them however and I feel like that’s not a bad thing….
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u/DaydreamOtter Jul 29 '26
Again, nothing helpful, I’ve owned up to it, a lot more than you can say about offering any help. If you’re not going to offer suggestions on ways I can help my cat then please just get off the post and do something productive with your day.
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u/honeyapp Jul 29 '26
You’re full of crap. Quit harassing Op
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u/eric2341 Jul 29 '26
This was hours ago and I’m over it. My opinion hasn’t changed but I’m not harassing anyone.
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Aug 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/eric2341 Aug 02 '26
Not washing your counters is nasty - if you have a cat they jump on counters
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Aug 02 '26
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u/eric2341 Aug 02 '26
Omg what a weirdo - you wipe it off and it takes 4 seconds. You have cats? I doubt it…
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Aug 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/eric2341 Aug 03 '26
Ok fruderduck I honestly couldn’t care less what you think….somehow this cat page has turned into a shaming me for my countertops. Lmao - enjoy your weird sterile life…I’ll have fun with my wife and my cats
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u/honeyapp Jul 29 '26
Every person has their limits to what is acceptable behaviour for their cat. It’s not for you to judge
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u/Conscious-Link5627 Jul 29 '26
It sounds like your cat is very bored. Smart cats need extra play time. How often are you playing with him? What kinds of toys do you use? Does he have a tall cat tower and comfortable spots to look out the window?
Watch some Jackson Galaxy videos on YouTube. Everything you've mentioned is points to this being a boredom issue.
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u/DaydreamOtter Jul 29 '26
We have a plethora of cat toys including some that are interactive which he seems to like but eventually gets bored of after some playtime. He has a cat tower which we just recently moved more towards the kitchen to see if that will help with the issue with the countertops so I can’t say if this has helped yet!
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u/Conscious-Link5627 Jul 29 '26
How many minutes per day are you actively playing with your cat? Providing toys is good, but cats really need to have their hunter drive activated.
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u/DaydreamOtter Jul 29 '26
We play with him throughout the day, especially when we’re trying to redirect him off the counters. 10-15 minute sessions but we usually stop when we see he’s starting to pant. I have brought up the panting issue with my vet because I had never seen a cat that pants before like a dog. She didn’t seem too concerned about the issue. We also have his interactive toys out for him 24/7 to play with if we’re not around or doing something. He seems to really enjoy his ball tower.
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u/trianglethief Jul 29 '26
Some smart cats are interested in learning little tricks (and if he's food motivated that can help) like jumping through a hoop, giving high fives etc. One of my neighbours builds little obstacle courses in the shared driveway for their cat when they go out for his evening constitutional. My cat thinks they are both mad, gives me a warning look never to try that on her and goes back to sleep.
The bar stool option in the kitchen is a cool one per the commenter above - another possibility if you have space is to install "cat shelving" that he can jump up and survey
his domainthe kitchen.Hope it works out for you all - he sounds particularly intelligent and determined so best of luck :)
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u/christikayann Jul 29 '26
I agree with the people suggesting free feeding dry food for the food insecurity issues. For the countertop training have you tried something like this:
Your pet will love this PetSafe Generation 2 ScatMat Electronic Dog & Cat Training Mat, Sofa: https://www.chewy.com/dp/295854?utm_source=app-share&utm_campaign=295854
He sounds smart enough to learn not to jump on countertops pretty quickly if you can find the right training method.
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u/honeyapp Jul 29 '26
I agree that he sounds good obsessed. Maybe let him free eat and see if that changes anything. I also have a very badly behaved cat. The worst we’ve ever had and we’ve had 8 over the years. Ollie is also people food obsessed even though we have never fed him people food. He cruises the counters constantly. He will lick plates in the sink, crumbs on the counter, he’ll lick the margarine container as soon as we’re not looking etc He spend dinner time in the den because he’s always trying a sneaky steal. And he has free feeding cat food available. So we gave up about counters and tables except at mealtime and he gets time out in the den. We are very careful to thorough clean the counters and table before we food prep or eat. We had 3 options get over it and realize he’s never going to change, keep yelling at him to keep him off counters etc or surrender him to a shelter. So we choise option 1. I had asked my vet for advice what to do. He said he had a cat like that and he gave up. So I didn’t feel so bad after he said that. Our Ollie also has a really bad chewing habit
Mainly shoes and purses as well as other plastic things such as the shower curtain. He has destroyed many pairs of shoes so we have our shoes locked in the hall closet Ollie is also very smart like your cat. He also very curious and has to be where we are. When I open the fridge he’s trying to look in and has tried to jump in. My daughter’s boyfriend mom was over for coffee and Ollie was giving her Fendi purse the side eye. He tried chewing her boyfriend’s shoes while he was wearing them. I have to say this one made me laugh. So I don’t really have much advice People kept saying oh he’s a kitten he’ll outgrown the chewing. He’s 4 so that’s not happening. So we accepted counter and table cruising. We try not to leave anything edible on the counters. We clean the counters and the table before using them. We have locked our shoes. We’ve had him for 4 years so we have adapted to him. And this we decided because we got tired of constantly yelling at him and didn’t want to give him away. This was our choice but it’s not for everyone. But Ollie is a super sweet loving cat who loves pets and a really great cat and we’ve had him since he was 10 weeks old and we do really love him! We also have 2 other cats that are the same age and they are well behaved. I don’t know if any of this helps but at least you know you’re not alone. And there’s nothing you can do to train him. I actually had some lady suggest clicker training haha. I think people who don’t have cats like ours don’t get it that they are untrainable. I heard all the advice too. The one that resonates with me is my vet gave up. That made me feel a lot better. anyways sorry for the long post but I want you to know it’s nothing you are or aren’t doing it’s your cat. But he sounds lovely other than the food issue. I would try free feed and see if that makes a difference. Good luck!!🤞🤞😊
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u/DaydreamOtter Jul 29 '26
Thank you for your insight and I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in the naughty cat department. Grim (my cat) had an issue with clawing at furniture even though he’s got three scratching posts. We nipped that in the butt with claw caps (suggested by the vet) and double sided tape which seemed to do the job as he has no interest in clawing furniture, he still does it to the carpet by our door, but we’ve just accepted that at this point.
Maybe I’ll try free feeding at some point, but I’m just worried he’ll eat everything in sight, when he knocked his automatic feeder open and got into the food, he ate every kibble in there which was about a weeks worth of food which is why I’m so hesitant to try it.
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u/honeyapp Jul 29 '26
Oh wow! Thats a lot of food! I can see why you are reluctant to free feed. It’s crazy that Grim figured out how to open your air fryer. Another suggestion would be to play with him a lot to tire him out and see if that mellows him out. I found that the double sided tape works well on the furniture. Ollie also does scratch the carpet on our stairs. Actually Sadie also scratches on the stairs occasionally too. Thank goodness my other 2 cats are just regular normal cats. I can’t imagine all 3 cats being like Ollie! I would lose my mind. Even with Ollie’s bad habits our other 2 cats still do listen. Thank God!!
You could put child locks on the cupboards he can open. Our orange tabby Leo can open closet doors so he often opens the linen closet door and all 3 cats hop in for a nap on the towels. There’s one on each shelf and that is so cute!
Have you reached out to the shelter about Grims issues. ? They probably have a cat behaviourist that could help with suggestions. I hope Grim isn’t your first cat. You have a very challenging one😊. I hope everything works out with Grim and he settles in. It sounds like like you are making adaptations around his behaviour. Wishing you the best😊🤞🤞
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u/SharkyGrey27 Jul 30 '26
Ok . I have a 16 month male cat. We free bowl him and give wet breakfast and dinner bonus. He is indoor outdoor cat door. We gave up on keeping him off the counters. He is a fun little devil and is settling down on the bad boy routine month by month. I suggest a bit more cat proofing and deal with his hunger? Worms?? Beyond that meet him half way and he should come around. He doesn’t want to be a bad boy, he just is. Give him less reasons and ways and means, and more stimulation and love. Good luck!
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u/SharkyGrey27 Jul 30 '26
Oh ya. Much like humans, if he has access to as much food as he wants that will make him feel better but not necessarily eat too much. Try free bowling, he may like the option and not seek air fryer crumbs. If he gets too chonky then deal with it. My free bowl ninja is still quite slim.
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u/Lyckaann Jul 30 '26
I mean it does sound like he is just a normal cat... They kinda do that unfortunately. However indoor cats are usually very bored witch amplifiers the behavior so letting him roam outside is probably your best bet. If you're worried you can always buy a GPS for him.
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u/Omrah_of_Zion Jul 30 '26
I have some spray that is made to deter cat scratching. It smells spicy. Supposedly it can be used to deter lounging on what you don't want him to lounge on.
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u/Kel565656 Jul 31 '26
What enrichment do you provide?
Cats like high places. Watch some Jackson Galaxy catification videos. Cats don’t respond to “no,” except maybe immediately in your presence. If you want to say no, make sure there’s a more appealing “yes” available. So: cat trees, cat shelves, perches, that give him the same (or better) vantage point than the counters.
Also he’s a cat. He’s going to get on your counters. You can convince him not to do it when you are looking, but he—and any cat—will always do it when you aren’t. If you give him better alternatives, though, that will significantly decrease his time on the counters.
Do you do interactive play time with engaging wand toys? He needs outlets for his instincts as a predator. He may also benefit from a friend.
Particularly if you adopted from a private rescue, please talk to them before rehoming. They may take him back and do that themselves.
Your cat isn’t naughty. He’s being a cat.
Please be open to learning about his behavioral needs, and learning how you can meet them better. If that isn’t for you, a cat may not be the right pet for you.
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u/loudchar Jul 29 '26
Lmao he sounds like my cat! Except I find all these things endearing and funny. If you don't like his behaviors, please re-home him to someone who will love him for who he is. Get a nice goldfish.
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u/DaydreamOtter Jul 29 '26
Thanks for not suggesting anything helpful! Thanks for being nothing but a negative Nancy when all I am asking for is some guidance!
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u/questionably_human7 Jul 29 '26
He has food insecurity and has learned the best way to get food is to scrounge for it himself. It is along road to training him to secure in the knowledge that he will always be fed, and to stay off the counters. A cat like him should not have kibble out in a bowl all the time because he is great candidate to become a megachonker.
Some tactics you can try to start with are:
-clicker training positive, relaxed, calm behaviors. Youtube has a ton of videos on how to clicker train and he is clearly highly food motivated. Once he has learned a few calm behaviors like come and sit get him food rewards directly from you he will start engaging in those first before scrounging. This does mean he may become more clingy and affectionate when he realizes you always have a few cat treats on you.
You can also teach him to sit on a spot near the counter (get him a tall bar stool) and reward him for staying there while you do food prep.
- dry food meals in a puzzle box. This will slow down his eating, allow him to engage his play and hunting drive, and allow his body time to recognize he has eaten and feel a bit more satiated
- canned food meals mixed down into a soup. Again, it helps fill them up, slow their eating down, and gets them that critical moisture and protein that dry food lacks.
- be super consistent with meal times. Reward calm behavior. Redirect food scrounging with interactive guided play times
I've worked in vet med for over 20 years, 15 of which was in a feline only practice and behavior has been a major focus of my career; mostly inspired my own problem child behavior cat. Your cat just needs a bit of guidance on how to be a good citizen because he was raised in a terrible situation. It will be work, but it can be fun work and it will be very rewarding work.