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[quote=Anonymous]Have you not had a cat before? Also, how old is this cat?

Here are a few thoughts after reading your OP:

- It sounds like this is a kitten. In terms of stuff like being up at all hours, demanding food all the time, and just constant activity and wanting to fight and climb constantly, some of this will naturally decline as the cat gets older. Kittens are extremely playful and active. By 1 year, a lot of this will calm down (especially being up at night, and she should also settle into an eating schedule) and by year 2 or 3, most cats are quite sedate.

- That said, providing your cat with toys and climbing materials can be really important to getting through this time, and even older cats enjoy playing and climbing. I would get a tall climbing structure for the cat immediately since it seems like she's all over your furniture and destroying the window coverings. I'd also get a collection of toys you can leave around the house for safe playing -- try a variety as different cats are drawn to different things, plus they will get bored with one thing and want something new.

- To protect your furniture and other belonging for the scratching, you need some deterrent. The thing that has always worked best for me is double sided tape for upholstered furniture. Apply it to areas the cat tends to claw at, and they will quickly learn they don't want to do that (cats hate stuff that sticks to them). Also works on rugs.

- For stopping the attacks, the best thing to do is ignore and disengage. The cat is trying to play. If she starts scratching and biting, simply ignore it or calmly walk away. Especially when you are actively playing, it's important to totally disengage when she bites. Otherwise she will get into the habit of biting when she's cuddling and playing. You have to be consistent.

- But also, at least some of this behavior is just stuff you will live with as a cat owner. I have a 14 year old cat and I still deal with the occasional scratch or bite. We have a corner of the couch he has ripped to shreds over the course of several years, despite many efforts to deter. And while he generally adheres to his feeding schedule, he also regularly gets us up early for breakfast or tricks one of us into giving him a second dinner even after he's been fed. This is just what it's like to have a cat. The upsides are well worth it to me (he' is cuddled at my feed purring as I type this) but yeah, cats can be a really PITA sometimes![/quote]

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