I was wondering if anyone has ever had an aggressive (play aggression or any other kind of aggression) kitten? Did it grow up to be a lap cat who doesn't bite/scratch? How long did it take for the kitten to grow out of it? Please share your story. I have a 6 month old kitten who is a biter. He's definately improving with the help of time outs and a squirt gun when he attacks my older cat but any advice is helpful. I recently lost my very loving, affectionate, wonderful cat to cancer. It's difficult to go from a very loveable, gentle cat who never bit or hissed at anyone to this new, playful kitten who bites and gets overstimulated very easily. He is affectionate and likes to be held, but he won't jump up on my lap and he doesn't like to be pet for very long. Also, any advice on how to get him to sleep in the bed with us? I keep putting him up there when we go to sleep but he jumps off right away.
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Was your kitten aggressive and now it's a sweet cat
- Thread starter michellem
- Start Date
oooh yes. Kitty was a terror as a kitten! We got her at about almost 4months old, and we couldn't pick her up without getting scratched untill she was closer to 10 months old. She only plays rough with my fiance still, cause he encurages it
She was only sweet going to bed and waking up when she was a kitten. i don't know if all kittens are like this, or just most, but I think they grow out of it eventually (close to a year old)
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thanks Meowers! How funny that your kitty looks just like my ferocious little Gator - hopefully, he'll grow out of it just like yours did. Did your little one sleep with you as a kitten and if so does she still now? My first baby, Pokey (who also looks just like yours - a beautiful Russian Blue mix) slept with me from day one and was always so sweet so I'm not really sure how to handle this little monster.
One thing I learned about cats - can't force them to be different. I've raised orphan kittens, treating them equally. They've grown up to be individuals with unique personalities. They are all affectionate, but each has different degrees of "lapcatness"
Go is my biter. He was hyper as a kitten. He is now 2 years old. Still psycho but once in a while he will cuddle next to me and nap. I treasure those rare moments.
Most kittens will learn what is acceptable by your reaction. Can't promise a snuggler, going thru that myself right now. In the last 3 years I went from having 4 VERY snuggly cats to 4 rambunctious kittens. It is very hard when you are used to them living to be near you, to wanting to be elsewhere.
This is a sort of sad/happy story:
My Boomer was a month shy of 21 when he had a stroke and passed 3 days later. His girlfriend Piglet was 19 and went 3 months later of what we all decided was a broken heart. They both died in my arms, literally. I was heartbroken and so was my daughter. Within days of them going I got a call from the guys on my plant floor that a wild mama cat had left a barely 3 wk old kitten in one of the rooms. I was elected to bring that baby home. The next day the same guys kept hearing more meowing and after searching everywhere, the same mama had brought two more babies in and left them in an old file cabinet. I now had 3 barely 3 wkers. It was just what I and my daughter needed to fill that hole in our hearts. I found homes for two when they were old enough and kept the first one that showed up.
A couple months later, my 13 yr old male got a quick moving kidney infection and died. Two weeks later, I got a call from a friend about a kitten that wandered into her office and needed someone to catch it. This kitten looked really similar to my newest kitty, both are torties. Knowing my hubby was not wanting any more kittens, my daughter and I formulated a plan. We called her Figment (of my hubby's imagination) we thought he might not notice. lol He did but, she's still here. Three months later my 13 yr old's sister got cancer. They had both been feral litter mates. She passed in my arms as well and the last of my really snuggly ones. Within a month I got a call from my neighbor about a little boy kitten that had been dumped and needed a home. Now we have Buddy. lol Then last Halloween weekend I heard some neighborhood kids screaming and holloring outside and went out to see what was going on. I see them chasing something and throwing rocks. Out of nowhere, a little black streak came racing towards me and didn't stop till it was on my shoulder. sick with kitty flu and about 5 wks old. That's how we ended up with Pumpkin. I also have two others that are 9 and 14 but they are only snuggly in spurts. My hubby is conviced that when we have less than 6 cats the vacancy sign goes on and they replenish themselves. I didn't even leave the yard for the last one lol.
My new babies are now 7 mos, 10 mos. 1 yr, and 2 yrs old. they are starting to get snugglier so I hope at least one is a good cuddler in the group. My hubby's puppy (his vengance on the sudden kitten population lol) has taken over the cat's spot on the bed, it's not the same and I have great hopes the kittens will again rule the roost.
I do know what you are going through and have been wondering the same thing myself. So far I see lots of signs that I will get a cuddler yet, it just may take time.
This is a sort of sad/happy story:
My Boomer was a month shy of 21 when he had a stroke and passed 3 days later. His girlfriend Piglet was 19 and went 3 months later of what we all decided was a broken heart. They both died in my arms, literally. I was heartbroken and so was my daughter. Within days of them going I got a call from the guys on my plant floor that a wild mama cat had left a barely 3 wk old kitten in one of the rooms. I was elected to bring that baby home. The next day the same guys kept hearing more meowing and after searching everywhere, the same mama had brought two more babies in and left them in an old file cabinet. I now had 3 barely 3 wkers. It was just what I and my daughter needed to fill that hole in our hearts. I found homes for two when they were old enough and kept the first one that showed up.
A couple months later, my 13 yr old male got a quick moving kidney infection and died. Two weeks later, I got a call from a friend about a kitten that wandered into her office and needed someone to catch it. This kitten looked really similar to my newest kitty, both are torties. Knowing my hubby was not wanting any more kittens, my daughter and I formulated a plan. We called her Figment (of my hubby's imagination) we thought he might not notice. lol He did but, she's still here. Three months later my 13 yr old's sister got cancer. They had both been feral litter mates. She passed in my arms as well and the last of my really snuggly ones. Within a month I got a call from my neighbor about a little boy kitten that had been dumped and needed a home. Now we have Buddy. lol Then last Halloween weekend I heard some neighborhood kids screaming and holloring outside and went out to see what was going on. I see them chasing something and throwing rocks. Out of nowhere, a little black streak came racing towards me and didn't stop till it was on my shoulder. sick with kitty flu and about 5 wks old. That's how we ended up with Pumpkin. I also have two others that are 9 and 14 but they are only snuggly in spurts. My hubby is conviced that when we have less than 6 cats the vacancy sign goes on and they replenish themselves. I didn't even leave the yard for the last one lol.
My new babies are now 7 mos, 10 mos. 1 yr, and 2 yrs old. they are starting to get snugglier so I hope at least one is a good cuddler in the group. My hubby's puppy (his vengance on the sudden kitten population lol) has taken over the cat's spot on the bed, it's not the same and I have great hopes the kittens will again rule the roost.
I do know what you are going through and have been wondering the same thing myself. So far I see lots of signs that I will get a cuddler yet, it just may take time.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
I'm so sorry to hear about all of your losses. I can't even imagine! I still cry about my Pokey every day, I couldn't imagine losing four of them so close in time. I hope that you will get a snuggeler (or four)out of the bunch. I keep showering mine with love and hoping that he starts to crave it. Maybe it's because he was a stray, as yours were... and it will just take more time for them to learn how to love us humans.
Gosh, Friday was a terrible biter. He was sweet but knew NO boundaries to play. I bled for weeks and tried EVERYTHING to get him to stop. Finally in frustration I bit him back. Crazy as it sounds it worked. It was like he finally realized that what he was doing hurt me. He's nine now and can't be peeled off of me at night. He's not much of a lap cat but he does sit next to me on the couch. Just being beside me makes him purr. Oh, and he's the BEST I've ever had at carefully biting in play these days!
Michellem thanks for the kind words. It was and is hard to lose so many in such a short time, but I had them for a long time and they were all special. I do find times where I miss them snuggling, but we (my family) got it in our heads that each one of them sent a new baby to keep us company. My DH of course wished they hadn't lol. The new ones each have their own personality and we are excited to see how they mature. Kittens are a whole different set of issues than geriatric cats, but great. The best has been seeing how they whip the puppy into shape. My youngest who is also very small, about the size of a 4 month old kitten, rules the roost including our 120 lb lab. My DD 10 has been very helpful and has taken on responsibility for their care, this she couldn't really do with the older ones as they were pretty set in their ways. Most of them sleep with her and follow her around so it has been a special experience in itself. My DH says I passed the cat gene on to her. My Grandmother used to always tell me that when God shuts a door, he always opens a window.
