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My female cat is almost full sized and likes to climb the net curtains, which are ripped to shreds because she is so large. I want to replace the curtains, but not before I put a stop to this behaviour, which seems to happen when I am not in the room (unless "they just ripped themselves").
Most of my cats have been strays that have just shown up, but this one is a definite house cat. She came from another family just as she was maturing.
The easiest way is to redirect the behavior. Why does you cat climb the curtains as opposed to the other walls? If it is to get to the window sill too look outside, or to chase bugs attracted by the light you could put a cat tree in the area to provide a more acceptable way to get up high.
If the damage come from playing with other cats like an ambush site, then using boxes or other spots to do the same thing. If they are being used as a scratching post, provide a better one nearby.
Cats usually have reasons for what they do that are not "just to annoy their owner". Finding and giving them a better way to do what they need often works.
When I was in an apartment years back I had a cat that liked to get past the metal blinds to sit on the sill. She chewed the edges until she had a cat sized opening to get in and never touched them again.
