Back around April, my two cats started a new obsession.

On the floor of my living room, I used to have a whicker (sp?) basket that I used to keep the mini sales catalogs that I get in the mail in. While the cats got into the basket and occasionally pushed the catalogs and stuff out or around, they never messed with them. In April, that changed. I would come downstairs or come home, and a few of the catalogs would be scattered around the living room with their covers shredded/eaten. When catching the cats near the catalogs and getting into them, I would shoo them away from them (sometimes using a water spray bottle or can of air), but that would only work if I was around. I then tried to deter them from chewing on them by taking a couple older catalogs that I was ready to throw out and spraying the covers with some water, which I then sprinkled cayenne pepper on, since they don't like the taste of it. That plan backfired. They only moved the treated catalogs out of the way and tore into the ones below. I ended up removing the basket from the room and putting it in my office behind the closed door so they couldn't get to it at all.

I thought that was the end of it until last night.

For a while now, Chessie has been getting up on top of my bookcases in the living room. He knows he isn't allowed up there since he knocks things over, and he usually jumps down when I enter the room. On top of the one end I had a couple holders for magazines, which I've never seen them mess with. Last night, I noticed one of the magazines pulled out a little from the others with a chew mark on the corner. I moved that up to my office as well.

Is there any way to get them to stop from chewing up any paper products that they can get to? I'm now concerned about the two bookcases in my living room and that they'll get into my growing library of books if they decide to start in again. Unfortunately, I can't keep moving things into my already full office and bedroom.

The issue of Chessie getting on top of the bookcases brings up another issue. How do I get them to stop getting up on things that they aren't supposed to? Chessie used to get up onto my kitchen countertops, but hasn't done it for a while. However, Casey, usually if I'm not in the kitchen, gets up on them, usually jumping down when he hears me approaching. They both get up on my kitchen table a lot. I know that they're doing it to look out the window, but they're leaving hair and scratch marks on the wooden surfaces when they get up there. Chessie repeatedly gets up on the bookcases, jumping down to the floor and then acting like he's just waking up from a nap on the floor when I come into the room, although I can tell by the sound of his jumping down and how the books are moved that he's been up there. They also get up on my entertainment center, unplugging cables from the back of my TV (try troubleshooting your cable with the cable company over the phone to find that the cats unplugged the cable). This morning, they got into another one of their chases/wrestling matches in the kitchen while I was in the living room getting around for work. Chessie came running in with Casey chasing him. They went right up on top of the bookcases (first time I've seen Casey going up there) where they proceeded to start wrestling again. I shooed them down from there, and they broke off their bout and went their separate ways.

I've tried everything I can think of to keep them off things. I've used water bottles and cans of air. For a while before I got Casey, I had left strips of clear tape out where Chessie was getting on things. But he learned how to avoid them and even move them out of his way. I've also gotten a scat mat, which I used to use on the kitchen table, but they learned to avoid it to get to where they wanted. The scat mat is currently under my recliner since Casey was obsessed with getting inside it and chewing up things.

I'm about at a loss as to what to do. I know I'm wanting to get a table cover for my kitchen to protect the table since they keep getting up on it, and I'm not wanting it to be damaged more than it is. And they know where they aren't supposed to be since they often jump down off things when I enter the room. But when they get into their crazy moods like this morning, they seem to forget what they aren't supposed to get up on and do it anyways. In cases like this morning, either something is going to get damaged (I've already lost a vase that belonged to my late grandparents). I've also had to put up all of my ceramics and breakables since I no longer have a safe place for them as well as all of my catalogs and magazines as mentioned above. As in the case this morning when they got up on the bookcases to wrestle, either something is going to get damaged, or they are going to end up getting hurt.

Granted, they aren't always like this. They'll go a while and seem like they're staying out of trouble, but then they seem to have these streaks of getting into trouble.

If anybody has any advice on how to deal with this, I'd appreciate it.
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Chessie and Casey Jones relaxing together.

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