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Written by Wendy Christensen
I'm getting worried about all of this. My husband has had cats his entire life and is very frustrated, all he wants to do is lock her out of whichever room we are in. I'm also worried about visitors, who I have to warn not to get too close, but she is so friendly, she goes right up to anyone and is very social, then all of a sudden, she gets 'em. She follows me around when I am home, and when we do put her out of the bedroom to sleep, she bumps up against the door and tries to get in, we used a Scat Mat for that, and now she sits patiently outside the door until we open it and then darts in. She does not "talk" much at all, she makes a few squeaks here and there, but very rarely.
I'm thinking she has some kind of anxiety issue. My husband and I both work and now my husband says we should give her to a family with children and a stay-at-home mom so she has constant attention. If this is best for her, then I'll do it, but I really hope we can resolve these behavior problems.
A: Your first step should be a visit to the veterinarian for a COMPLETE medical checkup for Scooter. Although none of her behavior is totally out of line for cats, the amount and intensity of it makes me suspect that she may have some sort of a metabolic disorder or other systemic illness. (Remember, I am not a veterinarian.) Make sure your veterinarian does a complete blood panel to check the functioning of all Scooter's organ systems. It really sounds to me (not a vet, remember!) that something is out of whack somewhere. The endless craving for food suggests to me that she has a medical issue.
It also seems that Scooter has a very strong "prey drive" that's not being gratified in her everyday life. Cats vary in their amount of predatory drive and their compulsion to hunt-and-kill. The hunting and attacking (of toilet paper, stuff in cabinets, people, other cats) is a normal urge that has not been given any acceptable daily outlet. Cats benefit tremendously from vigorous, interactive play sessions as often as possible, at least once a day for at least 15 minutes at a time. Toys like "Da Bird," "Kitty Tease" and laser pointers are big cat favorites, and will get them leaping, chasing and pouncing. Cats with high prey drives especially need this kind of "mock-hunting" workout as often as possible.
To help keep her from emptying your cabinets, install child-proof latches, available at hardware stores, baby departments and home goods stores. They're very easy to install. You could also install latch-and-hooks (like those used on screen doors) on closet doors. These kinds of latches are a good idea for ANY home that includes cats, as there are always dangerous and toxic materials you don't want your cats getting into. Exclusion is one of the simplest ways to keep cats away from stuff you don't want them into.
If it does turn out that Scooter has an anxiety issue, rather than (or in addition to), a medical one, your veterinarian can recommend a variety of behavior-modification drugs that can help her immensely. Be sure to discuss all the possibilities with the vet. There are several safe and effective drugs that can be used long term in cats.
But first and foremost, get Scooter in for a complete checkup. Tell the veterinarian ALL the anomalies you've observed. Write down notes ahead of time, as it will help you to mention everything and get the most out of your visit.
Q: My 30 year old daughter and her room mate (another girl) have been given a kitten. I don't know what happened but a friend of the roommate said the kitten was orphaned on a farm (either barn fire or tractor accident) which killed the mother cat and the rest of the litter. They got this kitten at 5 weeks. She is now 5 months and healthy and VERY active and quite a bully. She will purr and rub against your legs when you first walk into the apartment, but then within a few minutes she will bite at your ankles or toes if they are available (as well as your leg). These are hard bites, not nibbles. If you pick her up to pet her, she usually bites and scratches within a minute.
She comes around to "visit" but she is not what I would call a loving kitty. At night when the girls are asleep, she jumps on their heads and bites and scratches them to the point of drawing blood. She is especially fond of chewing up their poor hands. (they are both fashion models so this is not good). She swats at their faces and bites at whatever she wants. She does not scratch the furniture, nor does she tear up stuff. She has a few toys, a few stuffed mice and a 6" Tigger doll, and a few feathers on the end of a string.
The girls do NOT want to add another kitten to the family as they both work and are gone alot of the time. The kitten is in the apartment for many hours by itself. What can we do to help the kitten feel better and quite being a holy terror. The vet says she is in very good condition and she is this way because she never had her mother to train her and no other litter mates to play with and wrestle with.
A: Believe it or not, another cat might be just what Little Hellion needs. Contrary to what you might think, adding a cat might well reduce the household's feline dilemmas. But… not another kitten, because Hellion would quickly bully and dominate him. What she needs is a fairly young male cat (neutered, of course), under 2 years old. Local shelters have many delightful "teenage boys" available. Look for one who gets along well with other cats and has a mellow, friendly personality. Explain to shelter workers just why you're adopting, and they'll help you choose the right boy.
Before you do this, though, schedule the little girl for spay surgery ASAP. This is VERY important! She's certainly old enough, and the surgery will help in settling her down a bit. Females reach sexual maturity before males, and intact females can get quite feisty, bossy and territorial.
Because she didn't grow up with her siblings and MomCat, this kitten never learned proper cat manners and cat etiquette. Part of this training she missed is how to inhibit bites and keep claws retracted during play. Even well-trained kittens sometimes forget their manners, but not to the extent this one does. The longer it goes on, the more ingrained her bad habits will become.
In a litter of kittens that stays together throughout their normal term of kittenhood, the kittens constantly mock-fight, wrestle, stalk one another, pounce, play-bite, etc. This is hunting practice. In addition to sharpening their reflexes and senses, the kittens learn to inhibit their bites and keep their claws sheathed when playing. Kittens who have not had this experience (or enough of it) simply haven't learned the proper rules of play. It's up to the household humans to teach her what's acceptable, and what's off limits. At five months, she's still young enough to learn her kitty manners-- IF you're consistent, and get a bit of feline help. Consistency is vital!
The presence of a well-socialized male cat, slightly older than her, who knows his manners and understands cat etiquette will not only help her catch up on the lessons she missed, but will give her essential companionship while the humans are away from home. Although people think of cats as solitary or even antisocial, they really enjoy and thrive on companionship from other compatible cats. I'm a BIG fan of feline companionship for cats. Alone, they tend to get lonesome, bored, and depressed (and sometimes destructive, and even self-mutilating).
Much of what you're seeing in this kitten sounds like predatory/play aggression. She craves stimulation and hunting activity, and I suspect she might not be getting enough exercise, physical stimulation and "mock-hunting." Many indoor cats (especially only cats) get bored and aggressive in this way because they don't get enough "hunt, pounce and mock-kill" activity. Start a daily program of vigorous interactive (human-conducted) play. it's not enough to just have the toys available - to be really effective, a human must conduct the play sessions and fully participate.
One of the best ways to dissuade your kitten from bad habits is to simply leave the room and ignore her for several minutes whenever she attacks, bites, or does any other unacceptable behavior. That is, stop the "game" in its tracks. ANY reaction by humans, negative or positive, just reinforces the behavior.
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