Helpful Tips to Prevent your Kitten from being a Menace

My name is Avis, but I am also often called little #?*!. From birth, I had plans to travel the world. I jumped into a rental car that was headed to DFW Airport. My plan was to be a stowaway on a plane but, instead, someone else drove that rental car off the airport grounds before I had an opportunity to sneak out of it! I ended up at some random restaurant and the next thing I knew I was being thrown into a box.

I overheard the man who found me talking to some employees of the restaurant saying he rented a rental car from the airport. He just stopped for a bite to eat before he was to check into his hotel and go to a meeting in the morning. The nice man had no idea what to do with me.

I was scared and shaking and the next thing I knew I went on another car ride. I was being petted constantly, which was super great. When we arrived at the house, I was fed and then was completely drenched in water and soap! What was happening to me?! I was stuck in a house and nowhere near the airport. Plus, two big dogs and another cat that was not my mom kept smelling my rear end!

Jump to eight months later, I am still trapped in this house and I've done everything I can think of to annoy my owners. I constantly hide hair rubber bands, I've eaten through power cords, and I play tetherball with the window blinds in the middle of the night. I've hidden all the dish sponges under the couch, and I've even destroyed all the house plants. I also constantly paw at and tear up the carpet and rugs. I've even tried escaping several times, but I think if I left at this point I'd miss my new BFFs, Koie, Nina and Jay Jay — not to mention all the yummy yogurt. Oh, I love treats! I really do love it here and I have way too many important cat jobs to fulfill in my new home. I surely would be missed. If you are not familiar with all the important jobs that we cats do, then just quickly click this link to be informed. 

If you have a kitten in your home, here are some things my owners have done to keep me from being a menace. 

1. Find and minimize all cords that are in the home and cover them with electrical tape to disguise and reinforce them. Some power cords they stored in drawers and others they shortened the length.
2. Get a spray bottle of water and use when your kitten is doing something that is not appropriate.
3. Get a laser pointer and distract the heck out of your kitten when he or she is acting up. A little extra play time can never hurt. A birdie on a stick can work just as well.
4. Don't leave hair rubber bands on counters or instead wrap them around the lids of bottles you have on your bathroom countertops. That way they are harder to get to. 
5. If you have a handheld vacuum like a Dyson, just turn it on when your kitten is in a place they shouldn't be, like on top of the kitchen table, work desk or even playing with the window blinds. The sound will make the kitten run away. You could also yell No or clap your hands, but the handheld vacuum is much more humorous.
6. Buy a cat scratcher, carpet square, or find cardboard boxes for your kitten to shred. Place these items where your carpet or rug is being destroyed. Cat scratch deterrent is available for purchase, but that stuff smells pretty bad, and you'll make your nose suffer in the process.
7. Surround your kitten with plenty of fun toys. This gives them activities to not only distract them, but it also gives them something less dangerous to chew on. This is my favorite toy at the moment. I swear I will get the ball out one of these days.