I really, really hate my cats.

So, at what point is it acceptable to give these demons from Hell back to the Humane Society?

I am so sick of the destruction. Nothing is safe from them. Want to have tissues? Screw that, they'll rip them to shreds and leave it for you to clean up. Shoes? They'll rip those up, too. (Thought that was just dogs, right? Wrong.) Books, houseplants, electrical cords, a doll from Korea that someone brought me, the trashcan in the bathroom, are all fair game in their eyes. No matter how high of a shelf I put something on, they'll get it if they want it.

Today was the final straw. I am honestly thinking about relinquishing ownership because of this. (And I know that's awful, because pets are supposed to be a lifetime commitment, but what else can I do when they're literally destroying our belongings?) I have a record player that was FIL's back in the day. I have to keep the cords piled up on top of it and covered with a box, because I know the cats have a tendency to shred anything they can get their paws on. But today, I was in the kitchen doing dishes, and I wanted to listen to the "Thriller" album. So I set up the record player, and cleaned the kitchen. Within about 10 minutes, they had gotten a hold of one of the cords on the turntable, stripped it, and ripped it into three separate pieces. It's beyond repair. This record player has a lot of sentimental value to me because I'm very close with my FIL, and I am in tears, I'm so furious. It's only 11:50 and it's already been a sucky day, and this just makes it even worse.

I just don't know what else to do at this point. We have tried spray bottles of water as a deterrent to bad behavior, and they don't care. We've tried vinegar in the spray bottles. They don't care. We've tried spanking. They don't care. We've tried everything we can think of, but they still just do their own thing and destroy our stuff, no matter how hard we try to give them second and third and fortieth chances. I'm so frustrated that I could just pull my hair out.

Can anyone offer ANY solutions? Is there anything left that I can do to keep them from being so destructive so that I don't feel like my only option is to get rid of them? I know we could try the claw cap things, but honestly, the problem is their teeth, not their claws. They're good about only scratching the scratching post and their climbing tower, but if it can fit in their mouth, they'll chew it to pieces before you even realize they've got it. (My record player parts, for example...) We can't afford cat behavioralists or any crap like that...we're having a very hard time financially and that alone has made me consider getting rid of them, so the cost of care (with a strained budget) and their bad behavior is not making them very secure in their living arrangements. I don't want to get rid of them, I really don't. But I also cannot deal with the anxiety of waking up every morning and literally going to check and see what they've done during the night. Can you crate train cats? Shock collars? Anything?

Between our finances, waiting for test results to see if our little boy has Down's Syndrome, and badly behaved pets, I am feeling incredibly worn out and stressed. I just want to crawl in bed and sleep until everything magically resolves itself and I don't have to deal with a bunch of junk.

ETA: Now that I've calmed down, I'm probably not going to get rid of the little beasts. (I think.) They get all pathetic and apologetic and I just feel too guilty. But still, if anyone has any advice at all, I'd love to hear it. If they tear up more stuff I might change my mind again.

My cats are killing me with grossness.

Let me preface this by saying that I love my cats. Really, I do. Most of the time. They can be so sweet and cuddly, and really funny with their crazy cat antics. But I think they want to kill me.

This pregnancy has been pretty low-key so far. Not experiencing terrible symptoms. However, the nausea has been increasing the last few days. Still manageable, but definitely more present. My cats seem to sense this, and are being as gentle and sensitive to my tummy as they can be. Right? Wrong.

I decided that since I have work this afternoon, I should probably wash my khakis. (They were covered in hair because I wore them while I cut DH's hair the other night.) I loaded up my little laundry basket, walked out to the washer...and froze in abject horror.

Poop. Everywhere.

The best I can figure it out, it went down like this. Someone (probably Suki) crawled in the litter box and did their business. Our cats are both terribly stupid and don't understand that they're supposed to kick the litter back over their completed business. They just leave it sitting on top. So, in her post-doody litter box romp, Suki stepped in her pile o' poo. She then jumped out of the litter box, and vigorously shook her poo-covered feet, creating dookie carnage the likes of which I have never before seen.

I mopped the main part of the mess, and used antibacterial wipes to scrub off the front of the washer. A Magic Eraser was needed to remove the excrement from the walls and doors. (Yep, I said doors. Plural.) There needs to be more mopping done, but my stomach cannot handle that at the moment. I texted DH and told him that I left the rest for him. He texted back to inform me that I could've left ALL of it for him...if only I had known that before I cleaned. (Actually, I think it would have bothered me more to leave all that poop everywhere.)

I also just got another text from DH informing me that the reason my car has been leaving a big, wet stain on the driveway is because there's apparently a leak in the oil pan. Which can't be repaired. They would have to replace the whole thing. Which will cost, according to this one shop, $450. We're going to get estimates from other places who will hopefully do it much cheaper, but I'm feeling rather sorry for myself. We are dealing with a lot of start-up fees from the midwife and other medical goings-on, and $450 is a lot to us right now. Sigh. Life goes on.

Just another manic...Tuesday.

Thank goodness for yoga today. I need to get my zen on. I'm feeling a little anxious about finances today. Our budget has been a little tight, and DH and I had the discussion of trying to get it under control. We spend a lot more than we should on food (including eating out, although we're getting much better about it). I've been in the process of looking for a job, but DH pointed out that, if we move soon, I'd have to leave that job less than two months after starting it. So we decided that we'll budget better, and I'll start doing my best to coupon and save some money. I'm not sure why, but the prospect makes me feel nervous. Couponing looks like a lot of work and I feel like I'll end up really frustrated. I guess the only way to find out is to try it.

Last cycle was a BFN, despite the lovely chart. So I guess DH and I will talk to his parents about TTC. That doesn't exactly do much to ease my nerves. I'm not looking forward to the negativity or unwanted opinions. We're not asking permission, or looking for advice or objections. Just letting them know, because it hasn't been easy hiding everything. Part of me hopes I get KU this cycle because then we can just wait and tell them once I'm a few weeks along. Sigh.

Yoga. Peace. Zen. Argh.