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What to do when your kitten growls at you?

post #1 of 10
11/22/10 at 10:20am
Thread Starter 
Our door has a huge window in the middle. We have a shade over it, but we open it during the day. We have 2 clips holding the shade up. Anyway Midnight is obsessed with the clips, knocking them down. Today he knocked 1 down, and took off with it. I went to get it from him. He growled at me and moved away. I tried again to be sure I heard correctly and he growled again, and again took off with it. The 3rd time I picked him up and got it from his mouth and put him in his carrier to time out. He's never growled at me before. He's never growled at any of us before. How do we stop this new behavior, we don't want him to get into the idea of growling at us especially only at 3 and 1/2 months old.
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post #2 of 10
11/22/10 at 10:53am
When your kitten growls at you, grab the scruff of his neck, and push him down. The scruff of the neck is where cat's mothers grab them, so they know they are doing something bad.

http://cats.about.com/od/behaviortra...ruffingCat.htm

Here's an article on how to scruff a cat.
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post #3 of 10
11/22/10 at 12:11pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you for the website!
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post #4 of 10
11/22/10 at 1:51pm
Growling - sometimes, I think, it just depends on the cat as to how serious the growl really is.

Our female calico makes the hugest fuss over things - by the way she's growling and hissing you'd think that someone was about to get ripped into - but it's all just fussing, just threats that usually work to her advantage, except on her big brother who goes ahead and challenges her anyway.

On the other hand, we have a large, former stray, male (neutered) and if he growls, I get out of the way!! I will usually get a growl and/or a hiss when I'm trying to brush his britches - he has long hair that is so soft it collects litter - and I need to keep him cleaned up so he doesn't get furry knots - so, I expect complaints and am prepared for a quick get-away.

You said he was 3 months + - maybe when he gets neutered he'll change his ways. ??

I guess what I'm trying to suggest is that his growling may not be as threatening as it may seem, and try not to be overly concerned until you know him better. It's amazing how neutering really helps an aggressive kitty settle down.
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post #5 of 10
11/22/10 at 2:16pm
Thread Starter 
Gloria

Midnight actually is neutered. Luna calmed right down after she was spayed. It didn't work that way for Midnight. He's still has a very high energy level!
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post #6 of 10
11/22/10 at 2:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by My4LLMA View Post
Gloria

Midnight actually is neutered. Luna calmed right down after she was spayed. It didn't work that way for Midnight. He's still has a very high energy level!
shoot! guess you have "fun" in your training plans - so sorry, hope you are successful!
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post #7 of 10
11/22/10 at 2:29pm
Didn't you say in another post you had to seperate Luna and Midnight because Midnight was playing rough? I think Midnight might just be really overactive and needs lots of play to calm down. Try playing with him until he is absolutely pooped one day, like an hour straight, and see if his energeticness subsides a bit.

Frustration is bound to arise if energy levels aren't brought down. I would avoid putting him in a carrier as punishment, instead scruff him, or ignore him. By the time you carried Midnight to his carrier and put him in, he had already forgotten that he growled at you, and the punishment didn't register as having to do with his actions. Scruffing works because it is immediate, and it is natural for the kitten to be disciplined by the scruff of its neck. If you ignore him completely and walk away the next time he growls, he'll get the point that you don't like it and that you're willing refuse to play with him when he acts out of line.
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post #8 of 10
11/22/10 at 9:53pm
I had difficulties washing the feet of my kitties when I first got them.

Violent flee attempts were made, and positive reinforcement and consoling was going nowhere.

I scruffed and growled menacingly, and she froze in place. Ever since then, even just a quick scruff or growl gets her wide-eyed and very still.

Then after relax a bit and then lots of play and cuddles and a treat or two, mainly I think just for me so I don't feel like a meany heheh!
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post #9 of 10
11/23/10 at 1:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rad65 View Post
Didn't you say in another post you had to seperate Luna and Midnight because Midnight was playing rough? I think Midnight might just be really overactive and needs lots of play to calm down. Try playing with him until he is absolutely pooped one day, like an hour straight, and see if his energeticness subsides a bit.

Frustration is bound to arise if energy levels aren't brought down. I would avoid putting him in a carrier as punishment, instead scruff him, or ignore him. By the time you carried Midnight to his carrier and put him in, he had already forgotten that he growled at you, and the punishment didn't register as having to do with his actions. Scruffing works because it is immediate, and it is natural for the kitten to be disciplined by the scruff of its neck. If you ignore him completely and walk away the next time he growls, he'll get the point that you don't like it and that you're willing refuse to play with him when he acts out of line.
Yes we did keep Midnight and Luna seperated for a few reasons 1: At first he was way to little to play with her. He was 3 weeks old, and she was 12 weeks old when they first came here. 2. They played to rough when they were allowed to play together, we were afraid someone was going to get hurt.

When we got them the Soft Paws 2 weeks ago we let them play together. And they still play rough, but the more their allowed to play the less time they actually rough play. They sometimes now even walk away from each other, and take their own breaks. Because of Luna's condition we keep a very close eye on them. We do break them up when Luna let's us know she's had enough, and Midnight won't stop. They only are together if someone's home to make sure no one is getting hurt.

Your right about Midnight not knowing he was being punished for growling. I think he thought he was being punished for touching the clip. He did go back for the clip, but he did it very cautiously later that night.

I do play with the cats seperatly. Luna likes to chase a ball I throw for her. Midnight likes to attack my hand. Because of things going on with Lynxx I haven't been spending as much time with them, as I used to. I feel bad about that, but right now Lynxx needs me more than they do.
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post #10 of 10
11/23/10 at 1:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GloriaJH View Post
shoot! guess you have "fun" in your training plans - so sorry, hope you are successful!
I think it's cool that Midnight has so much energy, but sometimes it is fustrating because he really demands a lot of attention. But he's cute. He's got more energy than Lynxx and Luna combined!

Just last night Midnight really freaked us out by showing us how high he can jump! Pretty soon he'll be on the tables and counters! Lynxx and Luna are table cats their always on the table, but they aren't interested in the counters at least not yet for Luna.
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