Other titles for this post could easily have been ‘Barriers’ or ‘Restrictions’.
Having a kitten in the house provides me with a way of using my brain so it doesn’t atrophy from lack of stimulation.
When we first got her, we knew there were going to be issues in ‘kitten-proofing’ the house, as it had been 12 years since we needed such requirements. Owning an adult cat who was used to the routine of the house, didn’t require any huge mental challenges or leaps of logic. Bring a baby cat into that situation and all bets are off. Everything is new, and places, where the adult cat wouldn’t go, are new adventures for the tiny one.
My house was built in 1838. Sometime in the history of the house, one of the owners thought it prudent to remove ALL the doors in the downstairs rooms. And then got rid of them, as they weren’t within the confines when we moved in. Much to our continued chagrin. Getting new doors (the doorways are 7 1/2 feet tall on average, and narrow, so new ones have to be custom-made) is cost-prohibitive. Enter in my idea of getting pet gates. Though, finding good quality ones, that are suitable for kittens, wasn’t easy. Most of the ones on Amazon are seemingly made for dogs, in that they’re not too high, and they have slats, but the slats/bars are too wide for a kitten that’s very thin and malleable.
I hit on ones that had mesh, were made of wood, and weren’t terribly expensive. Naturally, after I had purchased them, I found reviews that mentioned they weren’t for cats. Specifically, because cats have claws and use claws for climbing, the mesh provides them with ‘steps’ that can be used as a ladder to defeat the purpose of the gate. Well, I had already ordered them; I’d make it work somehow.
I ordered them on a Wednesday, they were delivered on Friday. By Monday, little Einstein had figured out the claw/mesh/climbing solution. It took me a few more days to come up with a workaround to defeat her solution. We found a product we call ‘Cat Begone’, it’s actual name is ‘Keep Off’ (catchy); and it’s just stinky enough to keep the kitty from wanting to be in the near vicinity of it. So when we want to deter her from a place, a little spritz on a paper towel, affix said towel to the item we want her to stay off/away from, and voila, as long as it stays fresh, we’re good.
I talked to my wife about this and she posited that the kitty spends enough time with us to figure out how we do things, and then figures out ways to dash our hopes that it’s all going to be easy. Eventually we’ll be doing things her way. Or so she thinks.