Misbehaving kitten!!!

HELP!!!!!!

My 3 month old kitten, Cali, is getting into ALOT of trouble. She keeps doing things that she KNOWS are "no nos". Some of the things she does that she knows are bad include: jumping over and/or escaping out of blocked off areas,
getting on the table and counters etc., shredding things, climbing the walls and furniture, etc.

Ripley, the 5 month old kitten that we adopted at the same time as Cali, is doing great. She has learned the rules and mostley follows them. BUT Cali, on the other hand, KNOWS the rules, but doesnt follow them. We can pull her away from somthing and punnish her, but the instant that we let her go, she will either go back to what she was doing or where she was, or she will do something else that she knows she shouldn't do.

My grandpa says that if she doesnt behave soon, we will have to get rid of her. I DO NOT want that to happen!!!! I LOVE her. Ripley will be ABSOLUTLEY DEVESTATED with out her. They are very much bonded to eachother. Any ideas and advice will be greatly appriciated!!!!

Well, hopefully you won't "GET RID" of a beloved member of your family! That would be unconscionable. Experts say that punishment does not work with cats (beside being ineffectual, it also destroys their bond and trust with the human who is taking the punitive action); but positive reinforcement DOES work. Have you tried clicker training?

hmmm starting the bratty teenage stage early

I'd start with keeping her nails trimmed, and keep reinforcing the rules. In time they will be good. You can also wear her out by playing a lot more with toys, getting her to run up and down steps (with the laser light), etc.

Three months is awfully young to expect real obedience, and you must get help is necessary to convince your grandfather to wait her out a bit - how obedient is a 3 month old human child after all? Just because your cat can run around on its own doesn't mean it's otherwise making a lot of sense of the world yet, or able to discipline itself.

I agree. Your grandpa's expectations are way off base. Your cat is only a kitten. Kittens love to jump and climb (and most cats do too). Nail trimming will really help as far as scratching is concerned. And make sure you have scratching posts/boxes throughout your house.

My cat is over 1 years old and still jumps on the counter everday. Everyday I put him down. There are a lot worse things an animal could do in my opinion.

Gah, I have this at the moment. They have just turned 5 months old and are little NIGHTMARES!

The one thing I can't abide is cats in the kitchen. Mostly because it's so dangerous, I have so many times turned around with a hot dish to find a kitten under my feet.

I have now resorted to blocking the kitchen door way with a collapsed cardboard box and using it as a "door". It works fine at the moment while they are too small to jump it lol.

Now I got the clicker training working I think I will try it on them to stop them coming in.

The other thing they do that drives me insane is jump on the table while the husband and I are eating. They dig litter with those paws!! lol and no matter how many times they get put down, they hop back up and look at me as is "YOU INSANE HUMAN WHY ARE YOU PUTTING ME ON THE FLOOR?!!"
We had to resort to putting them in the bedroom while we ate because it got so bad.

Re scratching, I've not found anything to stop that at the moment, so if you do let me know!
I trim their claws and provide scratching pads. I read somewhere (Can't remember where now) that citrus repells cats, and if you put a few drops of lemon juice where the cats scratch, it might stop them.

Don't quote me tho, I am by no means an expert, maybe a more experienced cat owner can shed some light to as if this is true or not?

I don't think I quite understand how you know Cali knows the rules and is deliberately disobeying. Let's for a moment assume that she actually isn't catching onto the rules as well as Ripley (because Ripley is older and a little wiser). Here are some tricks to try to train kitties to stay off counters:
http://cats.about.com/cs/behaviorali...er_surfing.htm

Punishing might not be the best way to go because they will probably jump up and hang out on counters etc. when you're not around and just jump off when they hear you coming.

Shredding of furniture. Hmmm...I've actually been lucky enough that this has never been a problem. Do your kittens have lots of scratching posts/boards? If not, invest in a few of those (posts for vertical scratching, boards for horizontal) and train the kittens to use those. I have had great success just scratching the post/board myself and making little purring noises and my cats were like, "OH AWWEEEESOME!" and took right to it. This is my fave post:
http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Cat-Ulti.../dp/B000634MH8

Good luck with your kittens...and I just have to chime in with all the folks that have said that they are just youngsters right now and hopefully your grandpa can be patient with them!

She mabey be bored so she is trying to get your attention. You could try and play with her so she gets tired.

Originally Posted by tempteq

I don't think I quite understand how you know Cali knows the rules and is deliberately disobeying. Let's for a moment assume that she actually isn't catching onto the rules as well as Ripley (because Ripley is older and a little wiser). Here are some tricks to try to train kitties to stay off counters:
http://cats.about.com/cs/behaviorali...er_surfing.htm

Punishing might not be the best way to go because they will probably jump up and hang out on counters etc. when you're not around and just jump off when they hear you coming.

Shredding of furniture. Hmmm...I've actually been lucky enough that this has never been a problem. Do your kittens have lots of scratching posts/boards? If not, invest in a few of those (posts for vertical scratching, boards for horizontal) and train the kittens to use those. I have had great success just scratching the post/board myself and making little purring noises and my cats were like, "OH AWWEEEESOME!" and took right to it. This is my fave post:
http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Cat-Ulti.../dp/B000634MH8

Good luck with your kittens...and I just have to chime in with all the folks that have said that they are just youngsters right now and hopefully your grandpa can be patient with them!

Click to expand...

That looks like a pretty good scracthing post. I'm going to have to order that. Thank's for posting it.

Cats learn by association. When you punish them, they learn to associate you with the punishment, not what they were doing with the punishment.

You have to make whatever they're doing that you don't want them to do unattractive to them. For furniture you want to protect from claws, get paint tape (doesn't leave gummy residue behind) and tape aluminum foil to it for a few weeks. Or purchase double-sided scotch tape - they HATE the sticky feeling of tape. Pet stores sell sheets of the stuff - it's expensive, but it makes it easier.

Clipping claws also helps protect furniture. Our kitties HATED having their claws clipped, but we did it. Every time one was asleep, we'd push one claw out and get it clipped before they were totally awake and running away and we'd get them a treat as quick as possible. We did one claw on each cat every day. After a couple weeks/months (depending on the cat), they were fine having all claws clipped at a time.

Remember - behavior won't change in a few days. Learning takes time.

Purchase a number of different types of scratching furniture. Posts, the slanted cardboard things, a rubber mat that goes on the floor, a sisal mat on the floor. Remember that cats like to scratch and stretch when they wake up - place scratching items next to where they like to sleep. Protect couch backs (where your back goes) with blankets for the meantime, and if they scratch on the back of the couch or the arms of the couch, use the aluminum foil or tape for a while, and put a scratching post or mat next to it. Slowly move the scratching device - a few inches each day at first, then a foot or so until it's where you want it to be.

As to counters, wastebaskets, whatever, whenever ANYONE in the house sees kitty doing something you don't want them to, talk to kitty in her own language. Hiss at her quickly and loudly, clap at the same time, then blow a short, sharp puff of air in her face and say "No" firmly. This doesn't hurt her, and she understands. Remember - this will not work overnight.

Also, positive reinforcement is just as important. When she's in a good place, playing in the right place, or exploring something she's allowed to, praiser her to high heaven.

Sounds like this kitty needs more stimulation than your other kitty. Set aside at least 10 minutes a day to play with her. Rotate her toys. Don't leave catnip toys out - they become immune to them. Put them out for a day or two every week or so, then pick them up.

Leave hidden treats out in places for the kitties to find.

Get a laser toy - give her LOTS of exercise chasing the "red dot." If you're concerned about there being no "winning," hide a treat under a handkerchief, and make the game end on top of that.

Make the areas she's allowed to be in and on fun. Cats need vertical space. Maybe buy a cat tree - or build one.

Keep and collect what boxes you can - boxes that are big enough for kitties to get in, get through, or walk around in. We make "cat condos" by taping together boxes, cutting holes in them - and frequently changing the configuration. Hide treats in different places in it.

Cats get bored, and they need stimulation. If they're indoor only kitties, we have to provide it to them.

Buy toys for her that will absorb her attention. We have the ball that goes around in the circle - and we shove other toys in it, like little furry mice or whatever, and they have to work to get it out. Only leave it out for a day or two, pick it up, put it away for a week or two, then put it back out again.

Remember - reinforce positive behavior (like scratching on a scratching mat or post), keep them stimulated, talk to them in their own language to discourage unwanted behavior, and get creative about preventing them from doing things you don't want them to. Aluminum foil, sticky tape, and crowded counters for 2 - 3 weeks can be great tools.

Good luck!

Laurie

Originally Posted by Kisabre

That looks like a pretty good scracthing post. I'm going to have to order that. Thank's for posting it.

Click to expand...

Yeah! When my 10.6lb boy can climb a scratching post and I have never seen it fall over, then it is definitely a fine post.