# Worst thing your pet has done to your house/possessions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586 "2013-10-29T20:02:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/41 "2013-10-30T17:59:22Z")
[http://www.shitmypetsruined.com](http://www.shitmypetsruined.com) It’s an offshoot of [http://www.shitmykidsruined.com](http://www.shitmykidsruined.com). ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/42 "2013-10-30T20:08:56Z")
We once left one of our dogs in a wire crate/kennel while we were out for the day. Left near the kennel was my mother-in-law’s expensive pillow (from the TempurPedic or Sleep Number store or something…it was like a $150 pillow) as she had stayed at our house. When we got home, somehow the dog was still in the latched crate, but the entire pillow was reduced to shredded foam inside the crate. It was like a magic trick. She had somehow managed to pull it partway in, shred, and repeat until the entire thing was in tiny pieces inside the crate. We bought her a new one. Probably spent as much on that pillow as I have on all other pillows combined in my life. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/43 "2013-10-30T20:58:32Z")
Ima go with destuffing the futon mattress. And gnawing on every corner of the wooden futon frame. It’s pretty much the dog couch now. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/44 "2013-10-30T22:23:34Z")
The ‘Best Dog EVAH’ (Jack) was a blue-heeler/kelpie cross who adopted us when he was about 4yrs old. We learned very quickly that Jack’s notion of bonding with his new family was NEVER to let us out of his sight. One day just a few weeks after he moved in, we had to go out somewhere and Jack HAD to stay at home, alone…so I locked him in one of the bedrooms. On our return, he had tried to dig his way out, so the bottom of the door and the floorboards underneath were, well, fucked. We didn’t leave Jack at home alone ever again. 😃 A few years later, we were all home and Jack started _howling_: by the way, Jack \*\*never \*\*barked or made any other doggie noises. After a minute or two he leapt through a glass window…smashing it completely and cutting himself badly in the process. We rushed him to the vet who did a complete neuro exam and diagnosed poor old Jack with epilepsy. We chose not to put him on meds (mainly due to the sedating effects it would have, essentially turning him into a doggie zombie), and luckily he only ever had one other seizure (no house damage this time). God I still miss Jack. He’s been gone now for nearly 20 years, but…gotta go, got something in my eye. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/45 "2013-10-30T23:34:25Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > We had a young cat the broke a piece of glass art. Literally our most expensive possession (inside the house). It wasn’t _entirely_ her fault, as she was being chased by our dog and jumped from the couch to the table to escape In some ways not as bad as peeing on the bed, but in other ways, much worse. $15,000, gone in an instant. Was the item insured? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/46 "2013-10-30T23:42:40Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Was the item insured? nope. That would have been wise. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/47 "2013-10-31T04:25:23Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > We had a young cat the broke a piece of glass art. Literally our most expensive possession (inside the house). It wasn’t _entirely_ her fault, as she was being chased by our dog and jumped from the couch to the table to escape In some ways not as bad as peeing on the bed, but in other ways, much worse. $15,000, gone in an instant. Holy crap! I’m pretty sure cats and dogs can get up to $15,000 worth of damage to a house if they really work at it, but it would take a long time and concerted effort - $15,000 in one go is quite impressive! > [@Turpentine](#): > > I’m really surprised that there are more people responding about cats than dogs. I didn’t know that cats were so destructive. Yup. I don’t think they gnaw the way some dogs do, but they can be very dedicated to sharpening their claws, and they don’t care in the slightest what they sharpen on. > [@](#): > > My dog has a chewing problem and I like to collect weird things, which has resulted in some disasters. The worst was a dog that ate a piece of taxidermy that I had mounted myself. My dog was also found this morning chewing on one of my skulls- a dog skull, no less. Mounting taxidermy and your dog chewing on your skulls - things are…interesting at your house. 😃 > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > \ > My current cats have sharpened their claws on the wooden porch columns, the leather couch, and all the carpets. \ My cat has a vinyl fixation, too - she did some serious work on a vinyl couch we had. > [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > They _know._\ Totally. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/48 "2013-10-31T04:44:44Z")
Yes. **Procrustus** wins this thread by a long shot, I’ll say. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/49 "2013-10-31T05:07:43Z")
I am incredibly lucky, my dog never makes a mess or chews on anything she’s not supposed to, and that is unusual for a husky. I leave her in the house for 3-4 hours at a time, some times a little longer, but she just goes to sleep on the bed. Sometimes she’s still there when I come upstairs. The worst I can complain about is she sheds like a beast and I have to vacuum a lot. And I replace the screen on the storm door to the deck every couple of years because it gets scratched up, but that is cheap. ---
**Author:** ![AuGratin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e95f7d/32.png) [@AuGratin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuGratin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/50 "2013-10-31T05:11:00Z")
Sitting in the living room minding my own business when I smell – _something_ – from the office at the end of the hall. Went to investigate and found that Ditto the Wonder Cat had peed on a surge protector that had shorted out and started to smoke, leaving a burny melted spot on the protector itself and a singed circle of carpet beneath it. Stoopid cat tried to burn the house down . . . he was lucky he had a lot of personality crammed into his 8-pound runty little body. Got him when he was 9 weeks old, and he lived until he was over 21. Still miss him. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/51 "2013-10-31T17:05:26Z")
When I was a teen we had a dog who ate a jar of Vaseline. The entire house had to be re-carpeted. My mom later had another dog who busted the front window to get to the mailman. Luckily for both of them there were metal guards preventing him from escaping. One of my cats pissed on my daughter’s CD player a few years back. I have five now and so far we only get the occasional pile outside the litter box. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/52 "2013-10-31T17:13:49Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Yes. **Procrustus** wins this thread by a long shot, I’ll say. Sad but true. My wife is still unable to talk about it, three years later… One sad thing is that this piece of art was a gift from my father, who has since died. It would be a nice thing to have. Another sad thing is the kitten in question was otherwise adorable, but we think the coyotes got her. (I am _not_ suspecting any foul play on the part of my wife). ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/53 "2013-10-31T18:15:10Z")
Not me, but my sister’s dog had two remarkable episodes. First, dog was put in a crate, but the door wouldn’t latch, so my sister just pushed the open end against the couch. Dog dug/ate a hole _through_ the side of the couch to escape. Second, dog decided to chew on the water supply line to the toilet and chewed right through it. Sister came home to 6 inches of standing water! ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Why_Bother)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/54 "2013-10-31T18:18:55Z")
n/m. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/55 "2013-10-31T19:45:52Z")
> [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](#): > > n/m. Perfect username/post combo. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/56 "2013-10-31T20:49:34Z")
Gee, I only lost two backpacks and it wasn’t really the cat’s fault. You see, I moved into an apartment and took the cat with me. I got a new litterbox with a swinging door. Mistake. But I didn’t know that the first time. After being in the apartment for about 30 hours, I hear this horrible noise coming from the closet where the litter box was. It was my cat who had finally given up on holding it and peed on my backpack. Fine. I toss the backpack and put my stuff in a new one and put it in the same place. Fast forward another day and she has peed on the new backpack. I finally clued in that time and removed the door. Stupid human. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586/57 "2013-10-31T22:58:43Z")
Happened to a friend… I had just paid him $500 for some work he had done on my Harley. He set it down on the dining room table and we went back outside for a minute to look at something. When we came back in the money wasn’t on the table, he asked me if I had picked it up. Nope, you left it right there on the table. We started looking around and noticed his Dachsund on the couch chewing on something. Sure enough, the little SOB was happily chewing on what was left of 5 brand new 100 dollar bills. :eek: Two of them were almost whole, just a few holes in them. There was about 70% left of one, 50% left of another, and only about 10% of the remaining one. :mad: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-thing-your-pet-has-done-to-your-house-possessions/672586.md?page=2)