New Kitten Owner Needs Training Advice with Scratching and Biting

alicenyans · May 11, 2014

Hello!

I recently got my very first pet. A Parisian Kitten that was born in 20/2/2014. And i named him "Mika".

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alicenyans
May 11, 2014

This is a picture of his first morning at his new home.

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alicenyans
May 11, 2014

This is the second morning. I'm clueless for what he was trying to say.

Pets are very expensive in my country. The kitten i bought was $479.94 (And with the food and today and all, The bill becomes about $700). And as it's expensive, It disappointed me that the kitten did not had any super powers. But oh well. I've always wanted a cat so here i am.

There's a problem, Though. The thing is that he keeps hurting me with his scratching and biting (I assumed he got too excited on his playtime season). I don't know how to train him to stop (and i'm too scared to go snap his claws because i don't want to hurt him and i wouldn't want Mika to have no defense against whatever.). I also heard that the best way to train your cat is when it's small. But i'm not sure. I also heard that one of good training methods is to alert your cat that you're hurt and walk away. But i'm not sure.

So how do you train your kitten not to hurt you?

catspaw66 · May 11, 2014

Welcome to TCS. I would like to point you towards the articles section of this site. www.thecatsite.com/atype/43/Cat_Behavior

The section is about behavior, but there are also sections for health, general care and such.

The first thing I will suggest is to not use your hands to play with him. Doing so tells him it is OK to bite and claw at you. It may be cute now, but you don't want a 14 pound lunatic biting and scratching the crap out of you.

Nail trimming is something you need to get him used to while he is a kitten. www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-best-take-care-of-cat-claws

By saying "go snap his claws" I hope you are not referring to declawing. This is a pro-spay and neuter and anti-declaw site. I know you said you didn't want to do it, so bravo for you.

Please keep posting questions and hopefully you will get several options for each one.

EDIT:

I see I gave you no advice on how to train him not to hurt you. When he grabs you, don't pull away. That just causes him to grab harder. Hiss at him, say "Ouch" in a firm voice and give him a toy to distract him. It is best not to use a spray bottle, blow air at him or even tap him on the nose. A cat has no sense of being disciplined .

Your average wall is easier to discipline.

alicenyans · May 11, 2014

catspaw66 said:
Welcome to TCS. I would like to point you towards the articles section of this site. www.thecatsite.com/atype/43/Cat_Behavior

The section is about behavior, but there are also sections for health, general care and such.

Thank you, Sir/Ma'am! And thank you again for the links! They're very helpful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by catspaw66

By saying "go snap his claws" I hope you are not referring to declawing. This is a pro-spay and neuter and anti-declaw site. I know you said you didn't want to do it, so bravo for you.

I wasn't referring to declawing, I was referring to clipping the claws. Declawing is horrible anyway and i wouldn't think about it even.

Quote:

Originally Posted by catspaw66

Please keep posting questions and hopefully you will get several options for each one.

Hopefully when i get time for it. I will.

catspaw66 said:
EDIT:

I see I gave you no advice on how to train him not to hurt you. When he grabs you, don't pull away. That just causes him to grab harder. Hiss at him, say "Ouch" in a firm voice and give him a toy to distract him. It is best not to use a spray bottle, blow air at him or even tap him on the nose. A cat has no sense of being disciplined .

Your average wall is easier to discipline.

So you're saying that i can't do much for him to stop but to distract him away and clipping the claws. Ah well. Thank you for your advises. I'll work on clipping his nails slowly. Hopefully i'll do good work.

catspaw66 · May 11, 2014

I'm a 60 year old fat male hippie. I also go by "crazy cat dude" You are most welcome for the advice. Check out the article on claw care in the Cat Care section of the articles on how to clip claws. Mine prefer me to use a pair of human toenail clippers, even though I bought a fancy pair of cat nail scissors. One thing I want to emphasize, you have to convince Mika that any behavior changes are HIS idea.

alicenyans · May 12, 2014

catspaw66 said:
I'm a 60 year old fat male hippie. I also go by "crazy cat dude" You are most welcome for the advice. Check out the article on claw care in the Cat Care section of the articles on how to clip claws. Mine prefer me to use a pair of human toenail clippers, even though I bought a fancy pair of cat nail scissors. One thing I want to emphasize, you have to convince Mika that any behavior changes are HIS idea.

I checked it out. And today, I tried to snip the first claw with human nail clipper. It turned out quite alright as my kitten was sleepy and i was planning to only clip one claw today but the claw didn't really come out all of it. It's half snipped?? (perhaps i'm being too gentle. But then again, I'm still a bit terrified as i don't want to hurt him. Aswell that i'm a bit scared that the claw would fly off somewhere.) Thee kitten then told me to knock it off (It was more of a lazy meowing.). And so i backed off quickly and praised him for being good then let him sleep.

But i'm not sure if i should continue working on that claw today or should i leave it for tomorrow?

It's kinda hard to work on those claws because of the long fur too. Should i snip the fur on the paws a bit or should i leave it and work my way around?

catspaw66 · May 12, 2014

At first, you need to only snip the point on the claws. Don't get too far back, as that will cause pain and bleeding. Even with my large cats, I only take about a sixteenth of an inch off each claw. Again, just take the little needle point off the nail. Clipping a long-haired cat IS more difficult. I, personally, wouldn't trim the hair around the paws. Too much chance of accidentally cutting the cat.

stormi71 · May 12, 2014

It is a bit tricky when you first trim cat claws. I did my kitten's the first week we had her, as even though she is gentle, those claws were like pins!
I find it easiest to trim them when she's relaxed, or even asleep. I also touch her paws if she's laying on me or near me, as cats often don't like you touching their paws, so just touching them or gently squeezing them (without clipping claws) gets them use to having them handled. My kitten is a ragdoll and it can be quite difficult finding the claws through the fur, as her paw fur is white and she has clear claws.
You have to be very careful to not cut what is called the "quick" of the claw. It is easy to see if your cat has clear or light claws, it's also important to make sure you are in a well lit area so it's easier to see this part.
Sometimes I choose the wrong time to do my kittens claws, and I can only trim two. I usually just leave it till the next day and do some more. You don't want to force your cat to have it done, or they'll end up not ever letting you do it.

shemp61 · May 13, 2014

When clipping nails, always place a large towel or a blanket over the cat's body, exposing his head---the socalled "barber's bib".

The towel calms them down and you can control the cat much easier. Use this technique when administering meds.

ldntown · May 13, 2014

As someone mentioned earlier a loud "ouch" works. When my first kitten was a very aggressive play fighter I would yell no! and make a loud noise by clapping. You can also try making a noise with your hands against a table or couch, depends where you are when you are playing with the kitty. This worked for me personally, he didn't enjoy the loud noises and till this day understands "no!" when he is up to no good! It seems that he associates the loud NO with unpleasant noises and just rather stop what he is doing.

Be careful not to pull your hands away suddenly (also as mentioned). And always distract with a toy.

The harsh play fighting took him a while to outgrow but he doesn't exhibit any of those behaviors now as an adult cat - luckily.

Also for my kittens I regularly cut their nails when I first got them so they would get used to it. Even if it wasn't grown out fully I would put the cat in my lap and take his paws and go through the motions as if I was clipping them.

Now all three of them sit calmly in my lap and let me do my job!

I even can give them baths if they get poop in their fur, fleas or run outside under a car and get dirty now because I got them used to baths as a kitten. It's incredible how much you actually can teach a kitten during their first year. You just have to be persistent and patient and also very confident. Cats can sense when you are not confident and aren't sure of what you are doing, and they will take advantage of that and make a run for it mid- nail clipping.

Best of luck to you!

alicenyans · May 14, 2014

Stormi71 said:
It is a bit tricky when you first trim cat claws. I did my kitten's the first week we had her, as even though she is gentle, those claws were like pins!
I find it easiest to trim them when she's relaxed, or even asleep. I also touch her paws if she's laying on me or near me, as cats often don't like you touching their paws, so just touching them or gently squeezing them (without clipping claws) gets them use to having them handled. My kitten is a ragdoll and it can be quite difficult finding the claws through the fur, as her paw fur is white and she has clear claws.
You have to be very careful to not cut what is called the "quick" of the claw. It is easy to see if your cat has clear or light claws, it's also important to make sure you are in a well lit area so it's easier to see this part.
Sometimes I choose the wrong time to do my kittens claws, and I can only trim two. I usually just leave it till the next day and do some more. You don't want to force your cat to have it done, or they'll end up not ever letting you do it.

Awh. White fur and clear claws IS difficult! Man, I hope it'll get easier for you by time. But i understand what you mean.

I trimmed the first claw today. I only cliped the tip on the claw though, But my kitten flinched. I'm not sure if i hurt him or if the noise made him nervous. He refused to give his paw back. But the tip was on my hand and so i was happy it didn't fly off somewhere. I didn't continue clipping. I left the kitten alone for today. I even forgot to praise him...

That's bad, right?

SHEMP61 said:
When clipping nails, always place a large towel or a blanket over the cat's body, exposing his head---the socalled "barber's bib".

The towel calms them down and you can control the cat much easier. Use this technique when administering meds.

Ah. Thank you very much for mentioning this! I'll see what i can do.

ldntown said:
As someone mentioned earlier a loud "ouch" works. When my first kitten was a very aggressive play fighter I would yell no! and make a loud noise by clapping. You can also try making a noise with your hands against a table or couch, depends where you are when you are playing with the kitty. This worked for me personally, he didn't enjoy the loud noises and till this day understands "no!" when he is up to no good! It seems that he associates the loud NO with unpleasant noises and just rather stop what he is doing.

Be careful not to pull your hands away suddenly (also as mentioned). And always distract with a toy.

The harsh play fighting took him a while to outgrow but he doesn't exhibit any of those behaviors now as an adult cat - luckily.

Also for my kittens I regularly cut their nails when I first got them so they would get used to it. Even if it wasn't grown out fully I would put the cat in my lap and take his paws and go through the motions as if I was clipping them.

Now all three of them sit calmly in my lap and let me do my job!

I even can give them baths if they get poop in their fur, fleas or run outside under a car and get dirty now because I got them used to baths as a kitten. It's incredible how much you actually can teach a kitten during their first year. You just have to be persistent and patient and also very confident. Cats can sense when you are not confident and aren't sure of what you are doing, and they will take advantage of that and make a run for it mid- nail clipping.

Best of luck to you!

Oh my. The loud clapping might work for me so i'll try this out. But shouldn't you end the play session after the loud noise? Or should it continue and you'd keep repeating the same noise?

I've heard that taking more than one bath a month is bad for he kitten. And my friends kept telling me not to bath the kitten because it can clean itself which made me really confused. As well that the guy at the shop told me to use powder shampoo since my kitten's only three months old and so he said it's too young to give my kitten water baths and only use the powder shampoo once a month. So i'm very confused.

ldntown · May 14, 2014

You should probably stop laying after you've made a loud noise just so he understands why you made the noise better.

In response to your questions about bathing. One of my cats is a Norwegian forest cat and even though yes cats DO clean themselves a lot of the time he will get poop, pee and dreads in his fur which he just can not clean out. He has very long bushy fur and just cannot do it himself . People get this idea that you don't need to bathe cats but I've smelled some older cats that have never been groomed or bathed before and trust me it is not nice haha. Around 5 months old I would start to bathe my cats once a month with gentle all natural soap. (There are many fantastic videos on YouTube on succesful ways to bathe your cat. )I wanted them to get used to the water and be calm with bath time. I do not bathe them once a month any more just when they are dirty . This is just what I do. A lot of the times being a cat parent is like being a real parent . You will get advice from everyone saying different things on what they think is best but ultimately you must choose what you think is the right thing to do for your kitten . Good luck!

sarah ann · May 14, 2014

I think you could use a book on cats! Anything to help you get started.

Bathing is not an issue. Some people never give their cats a bath.

I like my cats to get baths- if they get a smell to them (from anal glands), I like to give them a bath as it seems to take away the smell.

You want to start the kitten when it is little. Put warm water in the bath tub and gently dip them in. Just be very careful, as for the first bath, you will probably get clawed! For my adult cats, I put one hand under the stomach, lift them up, and support the hind legs with my right hand. Make sure to face them away from you and hold them out from your body as you put him in the tub.

You want to make sure the water is not too deep or over the cat's head. The kitten should be able to stand comfortably in the tub.

Keep working on getting her claws clipped. Get some scratching posts, as they will help file the nails.

stormi71 · May 14, 2014

I never bathed my last cat, but I've had my ragdoll kitten for a month and she has had two baths, only out of necessity. When we first got her, she stunk of I don't know what, but it was nasty, plus she was having runny poop and when we got her home it was all up her tail and back legs, so the poor thing had to have a bath on the first day we had her. Then she had another one a week later as she still had a bad smell, but not so bad. But she's fine since, and I won't bathe her now unless it's necessary, as it's almost winter here. Once the weather warms up again I might bathe her once a month just to keep her used to it. She was really good being bathed, she didn't attack me, and she didn't really try to get out, either (she was in a deep laundry sink, so the sides were quite high). I didn't fill it too much, maybe a couple of inches, then used a container to pour the water over her. A towel on the bottom makes them feel more secure as they aren't sliding around so much.
If you have a cat that you will be showing at cat shows, then you will definitely need to get them used to being bathed. But other than that, it's really personal preference and also the temperament of the cat. My last cat would have ripped me to shreds if I tried to bathe him, especially as he was a huge cat (10.5kg)

alicenyans · May 21, 2014

ldntown said:
You should probably stop laying after you've made a loud noise just so he understands why you made the noise better.

In response to your questions about bathing. One of my cats is a Norwegian forest cat and even though yes cats DO clean themselves a lot of the time he will get poop, pee and dreads in his fur which he just can not clean out. He has very long bushy fur and just cannot do it himself . People get this idea that you don't need to bathe cats but I've smelled some older cats that have never been groomed or bathed before and trust me it is not nice haha. Around 5 months old I would start to bathe my cats once a month with gentle all natural soap. (There are many fantastic videos on YouTube on succesful ways to bathe your cat. )I wanted them to get used to the water and be calm with bath time. I do not bathe them once a month any more just when they are dirty . This is just what I do. A lot of the times being a cat parent is like being a real parent . You will get advice from everyone saying different things on what they think is best but ultimately you must choose what you think is the right thing to do for your kitten . Good luck!

Ah. But a bath once a month is okay, No? I mean, My kitten doesn't go out but it does stink a bit. I'm not sure if it's the normal smell or if it's not the good smell.

Sarah Ann said:
I think you could use a book on cats! Anything to help you get started.

Bathing is not an issue. Some people never give their cats a bath.

I like my cats to get baths- if they get a smell to them (from anal glands), I like to give them a bath as it seems to take away the smell.

You want to start the kitten when it is little. Put warm water in the bath tub and gently dip them in. Just be very careful, as for the first bath, you will probably get clawed! For my adult cats, I put one hand under the stomach, lift them up, and support the hind legs with my right hand. Make sure to face them away from you and hold them out from your body as you put him in the tub.

You want to make sure the water is not too deep or over the cat's head. The kitten should be able to stand comfortably in the tub.

Keep working on getting her claws clipped. Get some scratching posts, as they will help file the nails.

Stormi71 said:
I never bathed my last cat, but I've had my ragdoll kitten for a month and she has had two baths, only out of necessity. When we first got her, she stunk of I don't know what, but it was nasty, plus she was having runny poop and when we got her home it was all up her tail and back legs, so the poor thing had to have a bath on the first day we had her. Then she had another one a week later as she still had a bad smell, but not so bad. But she's fine since, and I won't bathe her now unless it's necessary, as it's almost winter here. Once the weather warms up again I might bathe her once a month just to keep her used to it. She was really good being bathed, she didn't attack me, and she didn't really try to get out, either (she was in a deep laundry sink, so the sides were quite high). I didn't fill it too much, maybe a couple of inches, then used a container to pour the water over her. A towel on the bottom makes them feel more secure as they aren't sliding around so much.
If you have a cat that you will be showing at cat shows, then you will definitely need to get them used to being bathed. But other than that, it's really personal preference and also the temperament of the cat. My last cat would have ripped me to shreds if I tried to bathe him, especially as he was a huge cat (10.5kg)

mycatwasthebest · May 21, 2014

my advice is if the smell does not sicken you it is "cat smell" and embrace it!

alicenyans · May 21, 2014

mycatwasthebest said:
my advice is if the smell does not sicken you it is "cat smell" and embrace it!

Shall do!

mycatwasthebest · May 21, 2014

I would also suggest that you read up on Persians because according to the experts here that breed has a tendency to have certain medical issues

New Kitten Owner Needs Training Advice with Scratching and Biting

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