# I don't know what to do about my kitten...



## anawelch

I'm at my breaking point. I have a four month old kitten who has major behavioral problems. She bites, scratches, rips things about like my clothing, chews things up, is constantly getting in places she shouldnt like the trash or the christmas tree. We don't even know if we can put ornaments on our tree this year because shes already knocked it over 5 times. She also jumps on top of my rat cage and traumatizes and antagonizes them. I can't let my rats anywhere near her because she pounces and bites anything that moves. Shes constantly running out and attacking us. She knocks things over constantly and if we tell her not to do something then she does ALL THE TIME. just right now she jumped on top of shelf thats part of my headboard knocked everything over and scratched my boyfriend across the face when I tried to get her down. 

She gets plenty of attention and has lots of enrichment. She has a scratching post that I tied plastic bags and ribbon to. She has tons of toys that she never plays with. Instead she likes ripping holes in my socks and digging in the trash and strewining it across the apartment. She also plays with my dog. And they play about 80% of the time. So even if we arent playing with her she has someone to play with. 

I just cant handle her behavior anymore. I go to bed at like 2 am every night because shes running around the apartment breaking things. I've tried squirting her with water which doesnt work anymore, making a loud, unpleasant noise, scruffing her, growling at her, etc. Nothing works. If anything it just makes her worse because the more she knows she cant do something, the more she does it. 

I cant even live my life anymore. I cant sleep, I cant eat because she gets into my food by jumping on the table straight onto my plate, I'm afraid to decorate and put presents under the xmas tree because she'll destroy them. I cant do it. But I cant give her up either.


----------



## Voltage

I had a similar problem with the last cat my family ever owned. We had cats before her and they were all so very calm and sweet. But Ariel was wild the day she was born. She was a kitten from my mom's best friend's cat's litter so we pretty much got to be with her from birth. All she would do was attack people, tear things apart and pee on everything. We couldn't fix the behavioral issues and ultimately had to give her up. It took us awhile to even catch her because she was absolutely out of control and was in your face when you didn't want her to be but would run away if you ever wanted to touch her. I guess she was just born that way. All her siblings were calm and well behaved. She was just wild. My mom found someone who was willing to work with her as she was a single mom working two jobs and I wasn't really old enough yet to understand that these issues can be corrected. And even if I was i don't know if I could.
You may have to find someone who can train her for you if you don't want to give your kitten up. I have a friend who caught a stray kitten off the streets that had been feral its whole life that behaves better than that. It's just unlucky I suppose

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Finnebon

I don't know much about training cats, and this might sound silly, but there are TV shows about insane cats like yours. They're like the "Dog Whisperer" show and others like it, where a trainer comes to the house of an out of control cat and meets the cat and the family and sees its bad behaviors and then gives advice on how to fix it. I've seen a couple episodes, and it's not quite as ridiculous at is sounds! You should try to find those shows (I'm sure there are clips of those types of shows all over youtube) and see if they are working with any of the same problems your kitten is having and to see what they did to try to train the cat and fix the issues.

I hope you figure something out soon, that kitty sounds like a little nightmare! I hope she calms down soon!


----------



## SarahEden

DO NOT spray her with water... this intensifies the problem A LOT. I worked for an animal shelter for 5 years and we got an insane amount of cats dropped off due to severe aggression because they were sprayed with water to try and fix behavioral problems. It does not help. Stop spraying her for a start. You can try a can with rocks or marbles in it, and duck tape the top. Shake it so it's loud and scares her when she does unwanted behavior like jumping into your food or attacking you. There is also a big difference from attacking and hard play. If she's playing, just redirect her. Get a laser pointer or a feather wand something really interesting to redirect her onto. 

What kind of food is she on? How often does she eat?


----------



## nanashi7

Finnebon I think refers to "My Cat From ****" on Animal Planet. Worth watching for cat owners.

SarahEden is correct, a loud can with rattling soungs is awful. You cannot "punish" a cat really, but you can praise good behavior with treats and redirect bad behavior. 

Redirect her energy -- its not a matter of toys for her to play with, but rather toys you can use to tire her out. When she is panting, that's when you can stop playing. Do it twice a day AT LEAST. Every time she's causing trouble, wear her out. Redirect her with crinkle balls stashed around; when you see her about to do something, crinkle and toss. Start taking her for walks if that works for you.

As for the climbing, there are two types of cats -- one comfortable up high, one comfortable down low. Build her some shelves maybe buy a big big tree and give her something to "own".

As for the rats, it's only natural unfortunately. You can only really move them out of sight or keep her out of their room.


----------



## PaigeRose

You need Jackson Galaxy, the guy from My Cat From ****.

I have a monsterkitten as well and hes 6 months old now. Ive done the pennies in a can and lots of playtime. I also have another 10 month old kitten so monsterkitten has someone to play with. I got a lazer pointer and a feather wand and he goes NUTS we play for 30-45 mins twice a day and its really helped the extra energy. I still wake up to the living room destroyed with boxes and toys everywhere but theyre young, whatchagonnado.


----------



## nanashi7

(The dang show is H-E-double hockey sticks...we're being bleeped!)


----------



## anawelch

SarahEden said:


> DO NOT spray her with water... this intensifies the problem A LOT. I worked for an animal shelter for 5 years and we got an insane amount of cats dropped off due to severe aggression because they were sprayed with water to try and fix behavioral problems. It does not help. Stop spraying her for a start. You can try a can with rocks or marbles in it, and duck tape the top. Shake it so it's loud and scares her when she does unwanted behavior like jumping into your food or attacking you. There is also a big difference from attacking and hard play. If she's playing, just redirect her. Get a laser pointer or a feather wand something really interesting to redirect her onto.
> 
> What kind of food is she on? How often does she eat?


I actually stopped because she likes being sprayed with water. She even tries to go in the shower with me. I've tried the shaking thing to but it doesnt do anything. She actually likes playing with the shaker thing I made. I've tried the redirecting thing to which works sometimes but she actually broke the laser pointer I used. I'll try throwing rattle balls but that only keeps her entertained for about 5 seconds. And she eats Purina Kitten Chow. Its the only brand she likes. I tried giving her really high brand wet food and she wouldnt touch it. She eats whenever shes hungry. I usually just fill up her food bowl. Its kind of tiny so it usually lasts her about a day. Typically she'll be meowing and crying in the morning for food so I'll give her some. If we dont feed her when shes hungry she attacks us and bites us.


----------



## Minky

A lot of the things you describe, like the relentless jumping on countertops, or ambushing you, are typical kitten behaviors and she will likely grow out of them when she's about a year old. She's practicing her hunting skills, and she wants to engage you in play. I know it can be frustrating when a kitten claws at your legs while you're trying to get dressed, but she's just being a normal kitten. 

In the meantime, when you're training her, it's important not to teach her aggression. I have 4 cats and I personally believe that spraying water works - you just have to do it in a sneaky way so that the cat doesn't realize the spray is coming from you. Aim the bottle, look the other way, give a squirt (aim for the body, not the face) and then act like nothing happened when she runs away. An occasional squirt can be a very effective training tool. 

Christmas trees and kittens just don't mix. The tree with all the fun stuff hanging off it is an irresistible toy to her. Your kitten is not able to understand why you put this amazing tree in the middle of the room, and then get mad at her when she climbs it! So you have to block off her access to it. We used a dog exercise pen to block off our tree last year (we have a kitten, too) and it worked great. We also had to purchase a trash can that she couldn't get into. It's just part of "kitten-proofing" your house 

Four months is really young. I wonder how old she was when you got her, and if you have any other cats. Here's why: kittens learn much of their "manners" from their mother and littermates. At this age, they typically play like crazy, attacking each other and practicing their hunting skills. The mother will let them know when they're biting too hard, she teaches them the difference between a real bite or scratch, and a play bite or scratch. This period of socialization is incredibly important. I've seen too many kittens grow up into aggressive, bad-mannered cats because they were taking away from their mother and littermates too early. It's good that she can play with your dog, but your dog is unable to teach her good cat manners :/

The mother imparts this information to her kitten though subtle body language and sounds. It's hard to teach these manners to your kitten since you're a different species and you don't speak the same language. So to teach your kitten or cat, it's important to think like a cat. At very least, you should know ONE word of cat language, which is the hiss. When your kitten scratches you or bites too hard, hiss loudly and then stop playing with her. Also, don't ever, _ever_ entice her to play with your bare hand! To do this is to teach her that biting you is okay. Make sure you have plenty of interactive toys that she can bite instead - feathers on a stick is a good one, and they love catnip filled things that they can bite and scratch. Realize that the best toys are _interactive_, meaning you are there playing *with* her. Don't expect her to initiate play with a boring toy lying motionless on the floor - she wants to play with a living creature  

This is a good age to begin trimming her nails. Get her used to being fussed over and brushed. Then when she's relaxed you can gently extract a claw and snip the sharp tip off with a nail cutter. Get her used to being handled this way, and it will save you the trouble of teaching her when she's older. 

Any time she bites or scratches, just hiss loudly and walk away. Game over. Don't yell or punish her, but you want to send the message that the fun stops when she bites too hard. 

You might want to kitten-proof a room for her and put her in there when you go to bed, or when you eat. She will meow like crazy, but after a few nights she'll get used to it. Eventually she'll be mature enough that you hopefully won't have to lock her up anymore. 

People don't realize how much work kittens can be. Last year we took in a 5 month old kitten who had been dumped in our neighborhood. She did a lot of the things you describe - biting things, jumping up everywhere. Fortunately I had 3 adult cats who taught her very well. We removed temptations such as the garbage or the Christmas tree, and made sure to play with her several times a day using her favorite interactive toys. Training your kitten CAN be done. It requires a lot of patience, but in the end you'll have a well-socialized cat and a good friend for life.


----------



## anawelch

nanashi7 said:


> Finnebon I think refers to "My Cat From ****" on Animal Planet. Worth watching for cat owners.
> 
> SarahEden is correct, a loud can with rattling soungs is awful. You cannot "punish" a cat really, but you can praise good behavior with treats and redirect bad behavior.
> 
> Redirect her energy -- its not a matter of toys for her to play with, but rather toys you can use to tire her out. When she is panting, that's when you can stop playing. Do it twice a day AT LEAST. Every time she's causing trouble, wear her out. Redirect her with crinkle balls stashed around; when you see her about to do something, crinkle and toss. Start taking her for walks if that works for you.
> 
> As for the climbing, there are two types of cats -- one comfortable up high, one comfortable down low. Build her some shelves maybe buy a big big tree and give her something to "own".
> 
> As for the rats, it's only natural unfortunately. You can only really move them out of sight or keep her out of their room.


I wish I could call him. Everytime I watch his show though the problems usually arise from being declawed or not neutered. I would love to take her on walks but right now shes too big for ferret harnesses and too little for then small dog harness I bought her. Sometimes we'll carry her while taking my dog out but its been pretty cold lately. And yeah I have those kind of. They dont crinkle but they rattle. She only cares for about 5 seconds. 

The thing is that she can be a really sweet little girl. Like right now shes kneading on me and she loves to purr and cuddle. I love her I really do. But nothing scares her and nothing interests her long enough. 

What do yall think of building a cardboard castle? (I cant afford a cat tree)


----------



## Minky

Cardboard castle is a great idea. And cat trees aren't that expensive - $80 shipped on ebay. You could save up for one in no time - they are really worth having.


----------



## nanashi7

Check out the humane society, the card board castles are about $5. They also sell tons of fun stuff for cheap (and the dollar store).

If you can't do a tree, I would still put up some shelves for her. Then she can lurk overhead and watch you all judgementally haha.


----------



## Phantom

Spraying her with water is probably just going to increase the problem at hand so I wouldn't do it. Kittens have a lot of energy and need constant attention, sometimes more than we can give them. When my boyfriend and I first got Oscar as a kitten, one of our cats, what we did is we literally played with him an hour before bed time until he was so tired he collapsed and panted. (He loves play fetch with hair ties.) I would also suggest trying to leash train him, which might take several weeks, and take him out for walks. Sometimes that works with hyperactive cats.


----------



## anawelch

I live in a somewhat tiny apartment so I'm kind of limited as to what to do. I think she was about 7 weeks when I got her. She was born July 8. She lived with her litter and two adult cats and one dog. Plus one time I fostered a kitten from 3 weeks old to 8 weeks old and she didn't have any of these problems so I think its just a personality thing for her. And I'm a college student on a budget and have a couple bills (pet deposit being one of them) at the moment that have to be paid with very little left over I try to use whats left over for necessities like good animal food, flea and tick prevention, cat litter, etc. 

Earlier today while we were cleaning the house we opened the windows and she was trying to look out them so I put a bin with some pillows under one and she really liked that. She didn't jump on top of my rat cage which is good or go into the Christmas tree. I'm thinking about making her a perch for the window. Once she gets big enough for her harness we'll start leash training her. Y'all have some good suggestions and I've been trying a few. So far the shelf/perch thing has worked out. 

Oh and she hates her nails being trimmed but I've been doing it since the day I got her. It's more of a biting issue than a scratching issue with her. I don't know how to get her to not bite other than letting her grow out of it.


----------



## Minky

Biting is a tough thing to change but you just have to be patient and very consistent. Hiss at her _every time_ she bites. Let her know that biting means the fun stops. She will get the message in time. 

http://www.petfinder.com/cats/cat-problems/stop-kitten-biting/


----------



## anawelch

Thanks for all the advice guys. Even though she drives us insane shes still our pretty girl and we'd never be able to give her away.


----------

