I Think My Meemaw's Cat Has Became Too Dangerous For Her
So, my meemaw (75) has had her cat, Payton, for over 10 years. He was declawed before she got him and I think that plays a big role in his problematic behavior.
Payton is... quite a character. He doesn't like toys. Instead, he likes to cause chaos. When I lived with my meemaw, he would come into my room and stare at me with one paw on my trash can and wait until I noticed him and once I did, he would pull the can over and get trash everywhere. He would also sit in the corner and wait for my blind senior Chihuahua walk by so he could beat my Chihuahua in the face and then run away. If he doesn't get treats with his food, he will throw a kitty tantrum and sometimes knock his food bowl on the floor as a result. He does a lot more than this, but I just want to give an idea about his personality. My meemaw and I usually just laugh at the stuff he does because of how crazy his personality is.
My meemaw is pretty good to him. He may not have all the nice and fancy cat stuff, but she gives him treats with his food every morning, she gave him two out of three of her only bowls because he stopped liking his cat bowls, and she never gets mad at him when he does harm her. She does have lymphoma and struggles to walk, so she does the best that she can for him.
Now for why I think he's trying to kill her.
But now for why I think Payton is becoming too dangerous for her. On New Year's day, while my meemaw was walking to the bathroom to take a shower, Payton runs in front of her and trips her in the hallway. She fell so hard that she has a closed head injury (brain damage caused by blunt force trauma that doesn't break the skull), bruised ribs, and she cut open her knee when she fell.
Now, I know most cats will walk in front of you for attention. However, Payton silently sneaks up in front of people until they trip over him and then he runs away. He doesn't meow or purr or rubs himself against their legs. He just trips and runs.
I know my meemaw wouldn't ever get rid of him. I just want some ideas on how she can prevent herself from falling when he tries to trip her.
She does have a walker and a cane, but sometimes she likes to walk around her apartment without the walker.
Edits:
I don't live with my meemaw. I don't own Payton and don't have any power over his health or his toys. When I try to suggest new things, my meemaw gets offended and takes it as me telling her that she's a bad cat owner. It's very difficult to get her to agree to changes when it comes to her cat.
I'm fully aware that you can't train a cat. I also have no interest in rehoming Payton or taking him away from my meemaw. I do discuss concerns that I have about Payton with my aunt. But it's hard to do anything with how my meemaw's personality is. She has a huge history of brain injuries, so talking her into changing anything is a challenge. Honestly, she's lucky to be alive with how many brain injuries she's had.
For those suggesting his behavior is from chronic pain from declawing, I did look up the behavior changes caused by declawing, and other than biting or litter box issues, there's nothing that links chronic pain from declawing to other bad behavior.
I do agree that Payton may be causing chaos out of boredom. But I remember when I tried to play with him with his toys several times, he would play for a minute and then stop and walk away. I also don't have the money to buy him anything myself and won't until I'm approved by disability. I only get $100 a month to pay my bills and get what I need for myself and my dogs. I don't have the extra money to spend on other people's pets. I have two dogs that I have to take care of myself.
Edit 2:
I just got off the phone with my meemaw. It turns out she tried the collar with a bell before and he took it off. So that's no longer an option. She was also hurt by all the comments about changes y'all think she should make for her cat. She also told me that lately, Payton has been spending his time hugging her and cuddling up on her chest.
Edit 3: Payton does have this toy. So, he could keep himself entertained for hours if he wanted to. But he chooses not to play with it.