What does one do for (to) a cat who insists on teaching himself things?

[SoCalDem]

HE'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!!

It was cute when he taught himself to fetch a ball...until we've tossed it for the 300th time in a half hour..

It was hysterical when he taught himself to open the linen closet door and hid in it..until he started dragging rugs and towels out so he'd have a bit more room

It was funny when he dove into the recycle box next to the sliding glass door to retrieve any papers that my husband tosses in there....until he started EMPTYING the damn thing

It was hilarious when he accidentally stepped on the "on" button for the paper shredder....until he decided he liked the noise it made..the other cats however, react as if WWII had broken out and run helter skelter through the house when he does it.

We howled with laughter when we discovered him looting the halloween candy bowl, until my husband found tootsie pops in bed.

We were even slightly amused when we discovered that he thought he had a "pastry difficiency" until we realized that meant that he would chew through any and all bread/pastry wrappers...all 4 corners...and every ziploc bag within reach must also have Bubby-tooth perforations..

and today.. his "new" trick?

dumping my tall wastebasket in my office...why? apparently he thinks the trash looks better after he's been scattering it all over my office floor..


The culprit..



and he was such a precious little baby

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. The smart ones will drive you nuts.

One of mine figured out how doorknobs work; only the lack of thumbs kept him from getting into and out of any room in the house. He tried, though. My parents had a cat who learned how to turn on the dryer, so it would be nice and warm and vibrating for her to sleep on. Another one -- who was otherwise not the sharpest knife in the drawer -- was a bread freak, too. He'd chew through any bread wrapper and scatter crumbs all over. Both of my current cats have taught themselves to fetch, a thing they especially like to do late at night.

If they had thumbs and a credit card I would be completely unnecessary.

[graywarrior]

3. Hilarious

:rofl:

[yellowdogintexas]

12. I had a bread freak too and he was a very smart cat as well

he could plow through a loaf of bread in no time, no matter where I hid it.

He was fascinated with flushing toilets too.

Atlas the Great!!!

[hedgehog]

15. Our cat Smoky did learn how to open door knobs.

I wouldn't have believed it except that I saw him do it more than once.

[texanwitch]

2. That is one smart cat.

My kitten acts like that sometimes.

That is a sweet, looking cat, he looks so innocent.

[SoyCat]

4. Sorry, I have no advice but your kitty looks almost identical to an exceptionally

rowdy tuxedo I had years ago. She lived about 22 years and was naughty right up until the week she died of old age.

[undeterred]

5. Get him a computer and send him to private school?

[SoCalDem]

6. He already hogs MY computer..

but that's just so I CAN'T use it.. I am expected to pay attention to HIM..
He wants to be held like a baby, but he weighs over 25 lbs and I am a weakling.:)

Hi sgiven name is Sammy, but I always called him Bubby..and now it's Blubby :)

[Der Blaue Engel]

7. My wee beastie closes the door on me

Often, when I'm putting on my make-up in the bathroom, Neo will come in and stare at me for a bit, then push the bathroom door at just the right speed to allow him to slip out as it closes behind him. He has also done this while my partner stood in the hallway talking to me as I put on my make-up; this time he just closed it in Mr. Engel's face and stayed inside with me.

He is also a self-designated pastry inspector.

But generally, he's dumber than a bag of hammers.

Here's his angry little face, trying to bite my cell phone:

[ejbrush]

8. Well,

I for one welcome our future feline overlords.

[redwitch]

16. I think they will do a better job of running the world than we do.

And as I am used to serving them, I will feel quite comfortable. :-) Welcome to DU!

[YDogg]

9. He's handsome!

The baby pic is cool, too.

[wildhorses]

10. 25 pounds of gorgeous

:loveya:

[musette_sf]

11. adorable baby picture!

looks like the KMR worked REALLY well... 25 lbs!!!

[SoCalDem]

13. He was a real scrawny little guy until he hit 9 months,

I fed two consecutive litters ( 5 in one and 4 in the other) and he's the HUGEST of them all.. My littl Marvin only weight about 6 lbs.. he's built like the sphinx cats.. and yet he bosses Bubby and the others around..

[kedrys]

14. I have seven of the critters, all smart as whips

and they *teach each other* stuff. For instance, the drinking problem.

Caesar likes to drink out of the faucet (mine, on MY side of the vanity in the master bathroom). Socrates figured it out and liked it. His brother Plato watched him do it, tried it and liked it. His sister Evie thought it was the coolest thing in history.

So now there'z a line of 4 cats next to the cabinet every damn morning. The line forms to the left.

[uppityperson]

17. Tuxedo cats are characters.

what a nice looking cat.