Quinnfernal
Sumo has a new game called "jump up on one side of flat screen TV and tilt the whole thing fifteen degrees and looks like it's about to break"
Quinnfernal
I've had to chase him back down about 30 times in the past 20 minutes
Quinnfernal
I do not know how to make him stop
Quinnfernal
I do not want him to destroy my TV
Princess Emily
i have never heard of that one jesus
Princess Emily
sumo why
Quinnfernal
I'm putting him in time out every time he gets all the way up there
Quinnfernal
and just going over to push him back down when I catch him in the act
Quinnfernal
except now he just goes up and when I stand up and come over goes back down
Quinnfernal
then goes back up again the instant I sit down
Quinnfernal
all while sitting behind the TV, in the spot where it is the absolute hardest to pick him up
skerple
put down some double-sided tape/bubble wrap/aluminum foil in the spots where he has to jump to do that?
Quinnfernal
do you mean where he jumps from or where he jumps to or what
skerple
jumps to, I guess
skerple
wherever it is he has to be in order to do the TV thing
Quinnfernal
so... across the entire top of the TV?
skerple
I guess I don't fully understand what your TV setup is
skerple
OH he's jumping ENTIRELY ONTO the TV? yikes sumo
skerple
but yeah then double-sided sticky tape across the top of the TV might work
Quinnfernal
Quinnfernal
black = furniture
Quinnfernal
grey = tv
Quinnfernal
red = sumo hanging off of tv
Princess Emily
across the top of the TV should work
skerple
ideally if he gets on the TV and discovers it makes his paws feel gross and tacky he'll stop
Princess Emily
I use double-sided tape
skerple
Amazon.com : PetSafe SSSCAT Spray Pet Deterrent, Mot... one of these doohickies might also help, if you're willing to go a little more aversive
skerple
motion detector that lets out a tiny blast of compressed air when he gets close
EsperBot
Is the TV the highest reachable point in the room?
Quinnfernal
no
EsperBot
Huh then I have no explanation
Quinnfernal
I let him out of time out and he IMMEDIATELY beelined to climb the TV again
Quinnfernal
he wasn't out of time out for ten fucking seconds
Quinnfernal
this time he made it almost 45 seconds
Quinnfernal
before trying to break my television
Quinnfernal
this is fucking ridiculous
Dragomorph
do you have tin foil? I could bring some tomorrow
Quinnfernal
I do
Quinnfernal
I guess I'll try that
Quinnfernal
...somewhere...
Quinnfernal
he just
Quinnfernal
took it off
Quinnfernal
the foil stopped him for half an hour
skerple
well
skerple
that's........ progress
skerple
maybe you can tape the foil down?
skerple
another thought is, I wonder if he's trying for more attention or is just bored in general? there's some surprisingly easy enrichment options for that
Quinnfernal
I think what he's trying to do
Quinnfernal
is get to the top of the furniture thing it's in
skerple
like putting food+treats in a plastic bottle and punching holes in it so that kibble will fall out, but only if he works for it-- oh hm
Quinnfernal
some enrichment wouldn't hurt though, I keep getting him toys and they keep vanishing into the astral plane
skerple
yeah that.... that sure happens to cat toys
Quinnfernal
like within 24 hours of him finding them
skerple
y u p
skerple
cats are idiots and lose their toys under things
skerple
also, if he's trying to get up high on that furniture, it might be worth setting up a cat tree nearby for an easier and less television-involving route
Quinnfernal
hmm, I hadn't thought of moving the cat tree
skerple
providing you don't store anything up there you don't want a cat to happen to
Quinnfernal
I do, but I can move it somewhere else
Quinnfernal
OK moving the cat tree seems to have at least distracted him
EsperBot
Mm, yeah, the reason I asked if it was the tallest thing he could reach is that cats LOVE being on the highest thing in the room
EsperBot
So I was going to suggest providing an alternate perch
EsperBot
If sumo was in fact trying to reach the top of the TV cabinet or whatever, that makes sense
RobotApocalypse
yeah with cats the best way to deter behavior is to provide alternatives to that behavior
RobotApocalypse
so if he's trying to climb a thing you don't want him climbing to get onto a thing you don't mind him climbing, give him some other way to get there and discourage the current route (like with sticky tape, which can confirm works great)
RobotApocalypse
this general rule is the only thing that has kept me sane dealing with Hera, lmao