Bongmaster and county, good advice both on suitable deterrents for cats. I’d been thinking of mentioning the squirt-gun idea, too. They catch on very fast to that one.
Thea Logica, congrats on redirecting Conan! I’ve been thinking over what you said about your mom changing her schedule. That could be enough to trigger the misbehavior. Cats hate change in their routine, especially negative ones, and your mom not being around as much would be a negative for them, I bet. Your analysis:
sounds very likely. Conan might not have felt the need to establish whose territory it was until your mom’s going to work upset his little world.
Cat social dynamics are fiendishly complicated compared to those of pack animals like dogs. Good luck!