hi i just got a cat - Page 2

Maybe your friend can catsit while you try to get some sleep!

You sound just like my husband did when we rescued our first cat. We didn't adopt her - she adopted us over time, and she lived outside. But he thought she was SO ungrateful for everything. Yet there he was - making sure she was beautifully groomed (long hair) - and as the weather got colder, he was the one who suggested we get her a bed - we started feeding her inside... and of course, every morning at 3:00am she wanted out and let us know in no uncertain terms.

She did become quite the love bug. But this was an adult cat that had formerly been owned by someone, and gotten out and got lost. (She was a pure bred Maine Coon and had already been spayed).

9/10 years later, we now live with 8 cats, all rescued ferals - some older, some younger when rescued. ALL of them seemingly ungrateful (according to Gary).

She'll get cuddlier as time goes on. The cooler weather will help. And you WILL look back on this time fondly. Don't forget to take LOTS of pictures, because they grow up really fast. It doesn't seem like it while it's happening, because they are a handful. Young ANYTHING is a handful! (Well, maybe not fish). But one day you'll look back and wonder where all the time went and how she got so big so fast...

Sleep when you can, play with her when you can... and one morning you'll wake up and realize you slept through the night.

When she licks your hair, she's grooming you. It's definitely a good thing and a sign of affection and claiming you as "hers". Sleeping with you and following you around and such is also a good sign as she's wanting to be near you and she recognizes that you're her human. I would say that's also a sign of affection because she wants to be with you and near you, seeing what you're doing and getting in your business. I thought my little guy was in one of the other kitty's food this evening when he had actually followed me over to the back door!

Keep working on breaking her of the biting habit. Some kitties don't outgrow it, but most will. Redirect her with an appropriate soft chew toy. Some kitties also just aren't lap cats nor do they like to be held. Or, they are lap cats and like to be held on their terms, when it's their idea. Just continue to work with her and you might be pleasantly surprised in a few months when she's a bit older that you'll see the fruit of your labors.

I got my first kitten last summer. I had an older cat growing up, and my husband had a few cats when we met but they were all older. I wanted a kitten and a friend had some so we ended up taking one in. She was all by herself, no other cat wanted to play with her. We made sure she had TONS of toys to play with, got lots of love etc. We would bring her into the bed when we went to bed (she was so small at first we wanted her locked with us) and I would hold her on my chest so she could feel my heartbeat, and lightly stroke her nose/head til she was sleepy, and she would curl up with us.
Kittens are so funny. I know you said you can't get another kitten or anything, but kittens in pairs are amazing. We had Katie last year and she got kinda mean and distant after awhile. I started working from home, so we adopted Joey back in April of this year. Joey just wanted to play ALLLLL the time, and Katie was still young, so he played with her a lot. We had to wear socks all the time because Joey's favorite game was to bite our toes when we walked.
A few weeks later, we had the chance to adopt a blind kitten that was going to be abandoned/put down, and he was about Joey's age. They bonded immediately...Now, 3 months after that, we found a kitten outside scrounging for food in our chicken coop. Toby was about 8 weeks old, and once he got over his sickness, he is now so bonded to our other kittens. They sleep in the same areas, play together all the time, and are adorable. We throw some balls with bells in them into the kitchen and they "play soccer" with them. We use dangly toys, and they find their own things to play with. If we take them into our room at night, we try to make sure to have a scratch post, and some other random toys. They sell toys that can suction cup to your wall, that maybe your kitten can play with so it doesn't bother you while you sleep?
Joey was SO playful when we got him, I worried he would never want to be around us. He is such a big baby/lapcat and he is only 6 months old. He runs up to me all the time and leaps onto my lap and purrs so loud and he waits outside the bathroom for me also
Toby, our youngest, we also call BITEY. He is awful with biting. To the point that it is hard to hold him without him biting. So we end up holding him and trying to dangle toys at him so he knows that biting/scratching is for toys and not us. We also make sure to pet his upper nose/head so he doesnt see hands coming at him as a threat ( as that seems to be when he bites/scratches most).
Be patient with it, she is a baby and just playing. My husband gets a little annoyed with the biting sometimes but I just remind him that its what kittens do and try to redirect the kitten. Also, welcome to the site. I just started posting a couple months back when we got our blind kitten, and I love this site. The people are awesome, and I love being able to discuss my kitties with other people who love kitties!

Pardon but I had to laugh about your complaint that you can pick up Meeka but then she does not stay on your lap when you sit down. I have had a number of cats & have 10 affection-seeking indoor cats right now. Not one of them will stay on my lap if I pick it up.
Most cats feel being on your lap should be the choice of the cat. However, if you have more than one cat, odds are you will never have an empty lap.
Although 9 of my cats range from 5 to 14 years, I presently have a kitten, feral-born & rescued at around weeks. I had to keep him in a cage most of the time while my adult cats got used to him, so he was a wild thing when taken out to play with toys every day. I let him play as he wished, then let him chase a fluff-on-a-string toy for about 10 minutes, after which he was pooped enough to happily spend some quiet time on my elderly Mother's lap, for 5 to 15 minutes. He would never stay on my lap at all, and was indeed all teeth & claws most of the time. Now, at 4 months, he runs around all day chasing & jumping on the other cats, but apparently they clued him in that laps are good. I can no longer sit down without the little guy on me. I have to put him into the cage (with his kitten kibble) to give the other cats lap time.
I have also fostered a litter of 4 ferals, also from 5 weeks old. They were playful & affectionate with each other, but too squirmy to like being held & petted. I gave each some petting time every day, whether they liked it or not, since it was my aim to socialize them for adoption. By the time they left for their new homes, they were all loving & affectionate with their humans, although they played extremely roughly with each other. I think little carnivores need to play rough & learn limits with play-biting. If they don't have other kittens to react against, you get to be their chew-toy. IT takes a lot of patience & toys, but if you don't try to impose your will on her (this is a cat, not a dog,) you can have a wonderful, affectionate companion that will be bonded with you.
(Incidentally, you don't have to go broke on toys. Empty toilet paper rolls, anything that can be chased on a string with you on the other end, empty paper grocery bags - all will be welcomed with delight.)

No smacking the cat!! Definitely not a good thing for a cat. You can hiss and you can firmly tell her "NO!", but absolutely NO hitting the cat.

Hey dude !

My cat bites and generally does not like to be touched too. I figured out that he knows I do not like what he does when I turn my back toward him for a minutes and then say if we are sitting on the couch together and he bites me I will block his face with my hand, but from a distance. I basically block his gaze toward me with my hand and it drives him nuts! (Kinda like how you can "crush peoples heads" with your thumb and forefinger from a distance.) And after he is done pacing around because I wont let him see me, he eventually will lay his head on the ground kinda sad and pitiful like.

That's what I do when he bites me, if that made sense, idk that might get you further instead of hitting her.

When my cats used to misbehave I would gently blow in their face. Let me stress gently! They don't like the feeling of it but it is non aggressive and not painful like hitting or grabbing them. I do have one cat who loves when you blow air in her face, but most likely yours will not and it will be enough to stop the behavior. Target makes very inexpensive battery operated toys that can run for many hours. I got one for my two youngest cats and it was a lifesaver for those midnight hour spurts of energy.

If I may, let me recommend a way to bond, I tried this on all four of my cats and only one has had issues. But after kittens usually eat, the mother will take time to groom them. Try playing with her a half hour before she eats, feed her a high protein meal, then pick her up and pet her gently. You may at first only get a few minutes, but she will come to associate you being affectionate with all the other things she likes.

Enjoy your baby! They grow up very fast and remember, for the most part this is a normal behavior.

I wonder if you're touching her too much? My neighbors had a small cat that kept biting. Turns out they kept waking up the poor cat while it was sleeping and the cat started biting because it got no peace. I told them to at least let it sleep in peace and it hardly ever bites now.

She's still young. Got that kitten play in her. Be patient, it will calm down.

I'm a squirt bottle user. It's filled with water and I use it when my cats or dog misbehave. It works for me, to the point that I rarely even squirt anymore. All I do is reach for the bottle and shake it and the naughty kitty (it's usually a naughty kitty and not the 10 year old greyhound), the naughty kitty will stop the bad behavior and take off running.

I do the same thing. I don't even have to spray the water, just the sight of the bottle is enough to send them running!

Just let her do her own thing. Remember, she's not here for your entertainment, she has a life of her own. And I don't mean that in a snarky way - I know you mean well otherwise you wouldn't be on this site.