The destroyer

Harry has just destroyed my new headphones.
The new headphones attached to my new MP3 player.
The MP3 player I got for my birthday.

I had been listening to some music on the sofa when Michael started crying. I put the player down and headed upstairs to take care of him. When I came back downstairs a moment or two later my headphones were in several pieces whilst the furry offender snapped happily at the debris. The little b*stard. We cable-protect everything that we can in the house and have even tried daubing some cables with things like Tabasco sauce and commercial cat repellents. The problem is that headphones can't really be coated in repellents.

Harry has always, always been a chewer. It doesn't matter how much or how little attention we give him or how many chew toys he has. He just has an affinity with destruction. This has become much more problematic since the birth of Michael because we are often tired and our attention is constantly diverted. Much as we love the cats, they are not 'fur babies' in our house. They are just cats and second in our affections to Michael.

We don't really know what to do to solve this problem. In our next house we hope to have a secure garden or at least space to create an outdoor run so that the cats can have a more varied environment. It was suggested to me that we should consult a cat psychologist. I guess it is an option but I envisage paying a fortune to be told that we should play with Harry more. We're exhausted and Harry is incredibly demanding. The more attention we give him, the more he demands. I think that Harry's personality is perfectly suited to being some older couple's only pampered prince. We wouldn't consider re-homing him but now acknowledge that he is not a good match for a young couple with a baby.

Phil has just presented me with his only spare pair of headphones and a plastic tub to keep them safe in. I really hope I can make them last longer than the last pair...