New here with two kittens... need some training advice.

Hello all!

I have two new kitties! Buttercup and Sandy are 5 months old and acclimating very nicely to my home. This is my first time with more than one cat, so some things I have not experienced before. I am hoping to get some advice about some behaviors:

1. Buttercup seems to be the "dominant sister." Sometimes she attacks Sandy out of the blue (like from when they're sleeping) and they begin biting and rolling around. I don't think they're hurting or even fighting b/c they're not making and noises, I am just concerned that this is normal. Am I right in thinking that one cat can be the dominant one? Other than this they are very nice to each other.

2. When I am sleeping at night, Buttercup will come up to me and bite my hands in the same manor to how she bites Sandy, not really hard, but more than just a nibble. I have tried blowing in her face and that stops her, but she does it again the next night. At other times during the day, she does not do this.

3. How do I keep them from trying to escape outside every time I go out the front door?

4. How do I make sure they're not going on the kitchen counter when I am not home? For the first week, they were in one room when I wasn't home, but I think they're okay now to be in the whole apt. I just don't want them hurting themselves.

Thank you in advance for your help!
-LondonKat

1. Buttercup and Sandy are playfighting. Very normal. No need to worry.

2. Also very normal. It's part of a kitten's play. Try hissing too. Keep on doing the blowing and the hissing and she will stop.

3. Sorry, my cats are indoor/outdoor so I can't help you here.

4. You can't. However, it helps if you do not leave any food, or objects they'll be able to move or pick up on the kitchen counter. Give them toys and put a cat tree to keep them away from any counter top while you are out.

1) If there is bloodshed, stop them. Otherwise, they should be fine!
2) Try Bitter Apple spray. It's cute & not so bad now, wait until she's 10+ lbs & still biting, then it's a problem. Better to curb bad behaviors now!
3) If they respons to a "hiss" do so whenever they try to race out the door. You might have to bait them, let them think you're leaving when you aren't. You do not want door bolting to become OK....usually, after a week or two, they give up.
4) You can't train a cat. It's plain & simple. You can train them to stay off the counters when you are looking, but when you don't look, nothing's off limits!

Keep all food, etc. off the counters and make it boring. Chances are if nothing of interest is there, they will more/less stay off the counters. You could put some sticky tape on the counters for a few days (I've seen the roll of tape in Petco/Petsmart).

When you leave you can either throw a toy across the room for them to chase, or do the hissing, saying "NO" in a loud voice and chasing them back. You have to be consistant with keeping them away from the door.