cat being a tiny bit too clever for his own good

Conroy Bumpas

my cat

(forgive my spelling im dyslexic)

basicly like most cats he wakes up around the same time every day wanting food. my wife wanted to sleep in so she came up with the idear of having a few cat biscits in the bedroom so when he woke her up she dint have to get up and walk down stairs blaa blaa blaa (she was being lazy)

my smart arse cat, some how figgered out she put the food in her jewlrey box. after 30 mins he had worked out how to open the latch and pull out the draws. he eat the food then opend all the other draws and started trowing out all her rings ect. .

so now he thinks ther is food in the box. and keeps opening all the time and tossing the contence. ive opened all up and shown him its empty. but after an hour or so hes back opening it.

hes pretty clever if i lock it or jam it closed. he knows that what he cant open with his claws gravty and the hard floor open.


there is also a draw in our liveingroom that used to have treats in. and he like to open that every day and toss the contence. and it hasnt contained food for over a year.

any sagestions on how to get him out of this habbit?

ta

MushroomStick

The drawers probably still smell like the cat treats. You're going to have get the cat treat smell out somehow.

WildEEP

Any strong breath mint will work.
Toss a couple in the drawer and when the cat goes poking again, it'll take one whiff and bolt.
Cats seem to hate that menthol type smell.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

You can use black pepper, too.

Lesson here is, don't teach the cat habits you don't want it to have.

The Crowing One

A good spray with a "cat repellent" could go far to keep him away. I know it, for a little while before needing to be reapplied, keeps my cat from using my couch as an emery board.

Rikushix

They really, really hate menthol. I would do that. If you want to be really cruel (read: hilarious) buy a little jar of Tiger Balm or something similar, and dab a bit on a piece of paper or something and lay it in the box. The cat will regret opening it. Smell is too strong.

EWom

And have you guys ever thought of one of those automatic feeders? You just fill it up whenever it runs low, and as the cat eats more food comes out.

onceling

Feed the cat before you go to bed, and ignore it in the morning. If it keeps pestering you to get up, shake a soda can with a few coins in it in his face, turn the vacuum on and start sucking his fur with it (lol) or do anything extremely unplesant so that waking you up = bad.

I would personally put my SScat:

http://www.animalbehaviorassociates.com/training-ssscat.htm

Up next to the box so that going near it = canned air hissing noise (scary). But if you don't want to buy one, just empty the box and leave it open, probably for several months. It's mainly the uncertainty of a closed box/area/drawer that interests a cat.

lifeincognito

As others have said, you will have to develop a routine with your cat. Cats do seem to be lazy animals, but they are excellent at following a pattern.

I would avoid the automatic feeder, because you run the risk of over-feeding, wasting the food and not instilling proper values in your cat. While each cat is different, most live for well longer than ten years and ten years of bad habits diminishes the joy of pet ownership.

Clean off the box so it doesn't smell anymore like others have said and then only feed your cat in their normal food dish. The minute you start giving him food in different locations of your house is the minute he'll start believing it is normal. Cats will attempt to control you with food and their flashy good looks. Do not give them an inch or they will be forever camped out on your kitchen table trying to drink your cereal milk as you much on your Fruit Loops.

This article seems pretty relevant.

Conroy Bumpas

i sprayed a bit of air freshner in the box.

he didnt seem to like that much.

told the wife off for being lazy.

and the cat seems back to normal.

ta very much people