How do you "kitten-proof" your apartment?

**Aussie Willy** · 03-28-2011, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by Artemis@BC

Further evidence that no matter how hard you try to kitten-proof the house, they'll find something.

But securing the toilet paper is still a good idea.

Those kittens are just way too cute!

**sk8pics** · 03-29-2011, 12:18 AM

Originally Posted by Artemis@BC

But the main things to remember are that 1. kittens are utterly and completely batsh#t insane and 2. they (mostly) grow out of it.

This. When I got Leo he was about 3 months old and totally crazy.

This did not please my older cat, Callie. And now almost 5 years later he is showing very little sign of any maturity. Fortunately neither of them has ever bothered the toilet paper.

The most annoying habit of Leo, though, is that he likes to play with water. So, if he is not pleased with his dinner choice, he is likely to carry a piece of it over to his water bowl and drop the piece in and then "go fishing."

For awhile I had one of those water cooler type bowls, so the big reservoir of water was upside down in one section and then there was another section that the cats would drink out of. The only problem was, Leo would start splashing in the water and then dragging the bowl(s) across the floor. Well, that would splash water onto the floor but it would keep refilling from the reservoir. So Leo thought that was great fun because he had basically an infinite supply of water.

I finally had to get rid of the reservoir part because I would come home to find giant puddles on the floor. Sigh. He still plays with water but gets majorly affronted if any water drips on his head, like if I'm doing dishes and he happens to be under my feet.

**Erica Lee** · 03-29-2011, 01:45 AM

Originally Posted by Jenny

Suggestions:
[LIST][*]Give them lots of stuff to play with, which should distract them (at least part of the time!) from your stuff - big favourites are ping pong balls, wadded up balls of tin foil, and wine corks

My cats often play with wadded up balls of paper; however, I'd always thought that tin foil was a no-no???? (Not sure where I got that idea, so no idea how accurate it is.)

**Kruss** · 03-29-2011, 03:31 AM

Originally Posted by sk8pics

This. When I got Leo he was about 3 months old and totally crazy.

This did not please my older cat, Callie. And now almost 5 years later he is showing very little sign of any maturity. Fortunately neither of them has ever bothered the toilet paper.

The most annoying habit of Leo, though, is that he likes to play with water. So, if he is not pleased with his dinner choice, he is likely to carry a piece of it over to his water bowl and drop the piece in and then "go fishing."

For awhile I had one of those water cooler type bowls, so the big reservoir of water was upside down in one section and then there was another section that the cats would drink out of. The only problem was, Leo would start splashing in the water and then dragging the bowl(s) across the floor. Well, that would splash water onto the floor but it would keep refilling from the reservoir. So Leo thought that was great fun because he had basically an infinite supply of water.

I finally had to get rid of the reservoir part because I would come home to find giant puddles on the floor. Sigh. He still plays with water but gets majorly affronted if any water drips on his head, like if I'm doing dishes and he happens to be under my feet.

Wow, that's my KC to a T! She loves playing in the water. I had to get a ceramic water bowl, which she still spilled water out of. I put it into a small washtub, she'd push the bowl to splash the water out of it and then drink it from the bottom of the tub. Now her water bowl has to stay in the bathtub so that she doesn't ruin the floor or carpeting.

She likes to watch the water go down the drain, and loves to slop her big paws in the water. It's so funny how much she hates a water spray bottle, but otherwise loves being wet. As she jumps out of the bathtub, she literally leaves huge sopping wet kitty footprints on the rug.

**PrincessLeppard** · 03-29-2011, 05:06 AM

another possible issue

**Anita18** · 03-29-2011, 05:53 AM

Originally Posted by JerseySlore

Why can't cats just stick to edible things?

I'm this close to offering daily house cleaning to my friend. She's always got so many scrunchies and all kinds of strings on her floor

Depends on the cat. Our kitten never ate the string or toys she played with no matter how small they were. But yeah, to be safest, assume that they will eat it.

Originally Posted by PrincessLeppard

another possible issue

OMG yes I forgot! We've given up on reinstalling the mesh in our sliding screen door because the kitten would bash right through it and end up outside.

One time she escaped and I came home to see the TOP HALF of the screen door flapping in the wind. I found her shortly just outside the backyard and when she saw me, she slinked guiltily back into the yard and started to climb up the mutilated screen door...which answered my question as to how the top half came to be loose. What was hilarious was that I tried to pluck her off the screen door so I could bring her in myself, and she meowed and hung on as if to say, "I can do it myself! I got out this way, I can get back in this way!"

Oh, cats.

**Jenny** · 03-29-2011, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by Erica Lee

My cats often play with wadded up balls of paper; however, I'd always thought that tin foil was a no-no???? (Not sure where I got that idea, so no idea how accurate it is.)

Never heard that - we always wad them up quite tightly, and they become almost smooth with play so no bits to break off and swallow. I can't remember ever seeing them attempt to chew them or even carry them in their mouths - they just bat them around.