new kitten behaviour

Hello all. I just recently got a kitten from the local SPCA. At first site it looked like a great cat, so I brought it home with me. Now i'm almost regretting it. I can't be alone for 2 mins without it clawing at my feet or jumping onto my lap attacking my hands. (it's wrecked one pair of pants already from it's claws) It randomly attacks anything that stands out; spot on the carpet, bed post, it even attacked the door. I live in an apartment so it's an indoor only cat, therefore the only way I can try to keep it away is to put it outside my room and close the door. This only causes him to whine heavily, so much that I have to open the door. Once he's back inside he's back to his regular ways. I know you're supposed to give kittens a lot of attention but it's hard when he's gnawing on your hands I made him a cat scratch with a play toy on it, as well as bought him numerous toys, none of which he is playing with. At night he runs around causing tons of noise, which has allowed me to get an average of about 5 hours of sleep every night. Is it possible he has some sort of ADD? Or is this just a phase that he'll grow out of shorty? This is really frustrating

Sounds like a normal kitten to me! I know it is aggravating that it is attacking you, but it is following instinct and playfighting. Your best bet would be to adopt a second kitten around the same age as this one, so they can play off each other. It actually is a compliment when a kitten starts this type of behavior with you, because it is identifying you as the mom figure.

But if you can't adopt a second kitten, there are several things you can do. First of all get a washcloth and roll it up tightly and tape it. Use this as a buffer when he launches himself at you, let him roll and play with the cloth and not you. A Beanie Baby is another excellent buffer for a rambunctious kitty.

When he starts to claw or gnaw on you, then gently blow one puff of air in his face and tell him once quite loudly "QUIT!" He is scratching you partly to mark you as his, cats have scent pads on their paws. It feels good to him and he is communicating with you in the only way he really can, so try not and lose your patience with him and don't spank him either. Try and keep your fingers and hands off limits for this kitten, don't do the old trick of wiggling them underneath blankets and such. Cats are not dumb, they know even if they are hidden what they really are and consider them fair game either hidden or in plain sight.

Thanks for the reply. I taped up a cloth, but when I toss it around on the ground he completely ignores the cloth and still goes for my hand. Is catnip ok for them at a young age?

You don't toss the cloth at him, you intercept him with it, and they usually end up wrapping their claws around the cloth and playing with that.

You do not want to give this kitten catnip or you will really have a fiesty kitty on your hands.

Hi Tooth and welcome!

You: I just recently got a kitten from the local SPCA.

Me: A huge congrats for adopting a furbaby! Many cheers!


You: At first site it looked like a great cat, so I brought it home with me.

Me: i think it is so vital to be prepared BEFORE adopting a kitty. It is so imperative you have the time to love and care for the kitty. Also, having a kitty involved $$ as well.

i feel owning a cat entails RESPONSIBILITY. i have a friend who told me he is inspired to get a cat. i kept asking him questions, and feeding him via emails a lot of cat care info, etc, to make sure he is fully prepared to make that decision.

i have seen too many abandoned cats. Some cat owners go to an adopting center to see a "pretty and cute" kitten. They quickly filled up the necessary paper work and bring the kitten home.

As the kittens grow bigger and no longer "as cute", or if the owners have a change of mind about handling the responsibilities of looking after a cat, the kittens might end up being abandoned. i am sharing this with you, as i see a lot of such cases, Tooth.

i believe strongly in the nurture theory when coming to rearing pets. It is important to provide a conducive environment when come to keeping a pet. Mainly, lots of love, attention and care. For me, i think it is imperative to look at one's kitty as a baby. Cats are really smart, and they have a lot of feelings.


You: Now i'm almost regretting it.

Me: i am so sorry u are feeling this way so soon. Just give some time, some attention, some love. You'll see, all will be better.


You: I can't be alone for 2 mins without it clawing at my feet or jumping onto my lap attacking my hands. (it's wrecked one pair of pants already from it's claws)

Me: Wow, seems to me like your baby is kinda aggressive, or playful, or wants attention, or a combination of all three. It sounds about right for a kitten to behave that way.

Like you said, you have a KITTEN.

i have a kitten as well, and my Venus is a handful. To tell you honestly, she had such SHARP claws the first day i adopted her. She would not let me clip her nails, and she even gave me more than 12 or 20 (i can't remember the exact figure now) scratch marks the very first day. i just took everything in. She was probably scared and was not familiar with the new environment.

To cut the long story short, i trim all her nails now, and she lets me do it quietly and willingly. i guess the bond and trust is there (needs to earn it over time, you know?)

Also, Venus is very very playful and has bounds of energy. i got ready ALOT of different toys in advance BEFORE she steps in the house. Also, she often go to different windows to widen her perspective by viewing the outside world.

Cats like heights. It is just their natural instints to climb and such. Venus jumps or climbs on the tree everyday. This is yet another form of exercise.

i would recommend interative games - you know, stuff you can buy to play WITH your kitty. My kitties' favorites - feathers, slithering snake, or even ribbons. It is a great time to bond with your furbaby during these game sessions as well.

What about wearing socks or soft slippers around the house for right now? i was hoping to protect your feet. Attacking your hands? Sounds a little severe for a little one. Possibly your baby just wants your attention or just wanna play. i feel that kittens are the MOST innocent. i seriously doubt your baby is capable of "attacking" at this tender age.

Very important personal view of mine: i really DON'T believe in hitting animals. So, no matter what your furbaby does, please don't hit him. Trust needs to be gained. By hitting your pet, it will only encourage animosity to increase, and creates a rift between you two.


You: It randomly attacks anything that stands out; spot on the carpet, bed post, it even attacked the door. I live in an apartment so it's an indoor only cat, therefore the only way I can try to keep it away is to put it outside my room and close the door. This only causes him to whine heavily, so much that I have to open the door. Once he's back inside he's back to his regular ways.

Me: Seems like your baby has traits of a normal kitten.

Play with him! Keep him occupied with toys, give him "a room with a view" (window perch is really excellent!) and exercise ALOT of patience and love with your kitten.

i feel that by keeping your kitty outside your room, and closing the door, it only builds a physical gap between you two. What about paying MORE attention to your baby and giving lots of positive reinforcements? My kitties react to a lot of hugs, kisses, gentle strokes, games and tasty treats.

Truly, it sounds like your kitty wants to play and interact with you.
Try those interactive toys - they work miracles!


You: I know you're supposed to give kittens a lot of attention but it's hard when he's gnawing on your hands I made him a cat scratch with a play toy on it, as well as bought him numerous toys, none of which he is playing with.

Me: Use interactive toys for a start, if you afraid of him. Some toys work, other don't. They are a lot of toys around the house that my kitties don't touch at all.

i guess you have to be on a trial and error basis, to really know what your kitty like or dislike. It is the same with food, you know? Just like us, kitties don't respond well to all games. i don't like the xbox games, whereas my hubby spends tons of hours a day on them!


You: At night he runs around causing tons of noise, which has allowed me to get an average of about 5 hours of sleep every night.

Me: i have TWO furbabies, and sometimes in the middle of the night, they chase each other around in different rooms, and sometimes on my bed. That is how it is. Gotta take it all in in good stride.

By the way, according to research, an adult needs an average of 5 hours of sleep. Of course, it varies with different individuals.


You: Is it possible he has some sort of ADD? Or is this just a phase that he'll grow out of shorty? This is really frustrating

Me: i don't know the meaning of ADD. i can tell you through interacting with many kittens, they can be a handful and very playful. Some are more playful than others.

i am sorry you feel frustrated, and i sincerely hope you will consider some of my own personal experiences.

Also, you might consider talking to the person at the SPCA where you adopted your kitten. Possibly a follow-up evaluation/consultation is in order?

Take care of your baby, and take care of you!

Cheers!

Thanks so much for the replies. I've had one other cat from the kitten stage up and I don't remember it being this aggressive. I guess this one is just overly agressive, or my other one was just a little more passive.

I read that as well, that cats like heights. So i'm going to expand my scratch post I made for him, making it a few levels higher. Hopefully that will keep him a little more busy I also set up a chair by the window so now he can look outside. I've already seen him up there a few times locked onto some moving target down below. This is all such a big change, as all the cats i've had before have been indoor/outdoor. So when they were bored, they usually got into some mischief outside (chasing bugs, climbing trees, etc.) Now when they're bored I have entertain them. I guess i'll keep trying new toys to see what he likes.

Tooth-

Also once he gets big enough and you neuter him, he will calm down a lot as well.

As for toys, a big hit over here is the turbo scratcher-

Turbo Scratcher

Good luck with your bundle of energy!

He actually just got neutered last week. So could this all be repercussions from that?

On a side note, do you guys know of any sites with plans for building cat trees?

Tooth, i like you already.

You exuded such positive vibes at your response posting, that you made me smile!!!

Once, while i was searching and researching on cat trees, i came across a site that sells the materials (with instructions) necessary to build a tree.

You could search on www.yahoo.com under the topic "cat tree."

Otherwise, depending where you are, the prices varies. From my research, i would not get one from the big stores, like Petco or Petsmart as the prices there are on the high side. You could search for pet stores near your locale, and start shopping.

i did the same, and finally found a reasonably priced 7-footer penthouse. In fact, i brought my Daisy along to shop for trees, and she picked it herself (kept staying in there without badging!! Hehe!)

Trust me, your kitty will having a tree!! Share pix with us will ya?

You take care and God bless!

Smiles to you!

Cheers!

Here's a pic of the little devil

Just to let you know at about a year or so they get a littl quieter at night. I am so glad you will only keep him indoors! I have 7 indoor kitties at this time.
By the way, what is your baby's name?
My kitties love the feather wands and lazer pointer to chase around the floor. Just be careful not to shine it into the eyes. Most kitties love to chase the beam all over the room. I know before you know it you two will have a play routine that will wear out the baby before bedtime and help him to sleep a bit more. You can also feed him wet food at bedtime after you two play and this will help him to sleep as well.
Best of luck with your baby and keep the photos coming!

Asterix is his name

Tooth here you go.

The owner Patrick is a really nice man, and his plans for his cat trees are quite nice. His units are solid and the CD's are very detailed.


And your kitten has about a month or two before all his testerone is finally depleted, he will calm down-

Cat-Tree-Plans

Aw!!! What a cutey! I have raised 5 kittens now... 2 females and 3 males. My most recent, Aiden is actually one year tomorrow! He is the first all black kitten I have ever had experience with and also the first shelter cat I have ever adopted. And let e say that i can sympathize with you. What a terror he has been! He is gradually calming down but at a much slower rate than most cats i have had experience with. He wasn't as aggressive towards us as your baby is, but he was and still is to some degree very foos agggressive. He also could not be left alone at all when he was a kitten. We are getting to the point where he is getting better on that. But when we first got him, his limit was about 3 minutes! He has had and has to some degree a major wire chewing problem. It has been an ongoing battle. Your post and picture just reminded me of him! But, we have kept with him and have tried to shower him with love despite everything. And i am happy to report that he may be the most exasperating cat i have ever owned, but he is by far the firendliest, most amusing, most ougoing and maybe even the most happy cat I have ever had the pleasure of sharing my home with. I am so happy to have Aiden as my furbaby. So, keep with your baby and I think you won't regret it. just remember, patience is the key.

Thanks for the site hissy, i'll check that out.

CEC mine too has a wire chewing problem. Was there anything you did to combat it? Or was there nothing you could do. I'm quite nervous now after I found him chewing on a wire, as I have quite a few electronics in the apartment. I'm afraid i'm going to come home one day and find that nothing works.

you can buy flexible tubing at Radio Shack that fits over cords and cables, or you can spread Vicks Vapo-Rub on the cords and cables and he will keep his distance. He is a cutie!

Well, I have not found a solution yet for Aiden's problem, but there are many things you can try. My problem is our darling Aiden loves to eat anything, and I do mean anything! So many of these solutions did not work on him because he doesn't mind the taste. You could try buying apple bitter and putting that on the wires. (Aiden didn't mind the taste) You could try rubbing ivory soap on the wires (Aiden didn't mind the taste) You could try rubbing vapor rub as someone else suggested (I didn't do this because my other furbaby, Ashke, positively hates the smell and will run and hide. I didn't want him to feel he couldn't be anywhere. ) You could try tobasco sauce. (Aiden wasn't keen on this, but Ashke likes it. I didn't use this either because I didn't want Ashke to start thinking the wires were a tasty treat!) You could buy the flexible tubes to cover the wires. I have yet to try this. What I have done is to try to hide every wire possible or at least tack the wires down so he can't get to them. And on the little bit that is left exposed, I have tried to disipline him to stay away from or I have wrapped in electrical tape because he seems to not like to chew on the wire once it is wrapped. I found this out after using the tape to repair the places he had already chewed through. He has not chewed a wire in a couple of months now, so I am hoping that he is outgrowing it.
Hope some of this helps.

Tooth, did you name your kitty after Asterix the Gaul?

i love animation, and have some collection of the Asterix comics from the 80s, when i was just a little girl.

Asterix comics are by far my favorite. They are very creative and funny. i can tell ALOT of thoughts are placed in the drawings and the wordings. They stopped making the comics for a while, and lately i found another hard copy of it in a comic book store where i live.

My favorite character is Obelix!!

Smiles!

I sure did

I grew up reading those as well, great comics

The very best, tooth, the very best! At least in my eyes.. hehe~!!

Let's cheers to Asterix and Obelix!!