desperately need help.

Hello. I am new here and hoping for some help!!
I will start by saying I am new to having a kitten and always had older cats who are rescued and already house trained.

Our female kitten (named Gea) is around 13 weeks, we got her when she was apparently 6 weeks old although she looked rather small for that age. She is and always has been a very confident and playful kitten right from the start.

Now I understand that kittens are playful and will go for anything that moves but I am at that point were I just can't handle it or her. She scratchesy hands, bites them, attacks my three months old when she's moving her arms and legs but never drew blood. She is always running around the whole house like mad one, scratching the carpet, doors, walls just anything!!

She also wee's on the carpet occasionally but knows were the litter tray is because she goes in there most the time. It's always cleaned when half full so I don't understand. We have been very patient with her but I am ready to call it quits this is my last hope. She's a lovely cat and I would like to keep her but it's stressing me out.

Can anyone please give me ideas how I can stop her from attacking us and ruining the house?? How can I stop her from weeing on the carpet? Xx thank you in advance.

I volunteer at a shelter and have a lot of experience with cat behavior.  I try to discourage people from adopting a kitten if they have small children or are elderly.  The scratching, running like a wound up spring is normal kitten behavior.  For this reason I recommend getting two kittens so that they will play with each other and get rid of that pent up energy.  Kittens will attack anything that wiggles ie:fingers and toes.  What you are describing is normal kitten behavior other than not using the litter box.  I would suggest adding at least one more litter box.  If you don't have a scratch post..get one.. a cat tree is even better.  Kitty is going to scratch something.  You also need kitten toys.  The biting is also normal for a kitty..a form of play.  They usually outgrow it.  If you kitties nails are sharp, they need to be trimmed, usually just the front.  For a kitten use a nail clipper and just take off the sharp ends.  There is probably something on line that shows you how to do it.

Good luck!

Thank you very much for the reply. I though as much, they are just so energetic and with a new baby I think I was setting myself up for this lol. We have kitten toys, a scratch post and even a large litter tray so she has no excuse I think she is trying to fight for our attention. I must admit there isn't much time to play with her but we do try hard to make at least half hour for her.

Getting another kitten might be trouble but I am willing to try anything!! Would I get one the same age? Older or younger would you say? Xx

I would try to get one around the same age, just make sure it has an 'energetic' personality too! A male might be better, two females usually grow up to try to rule the roost, and only one can. Good luck and keep us posted!

Ooo; you added 2 babies to your house at once!  That makes things a bit harder I know.    She does sound like a normal kitten to me. They need lots and lots of play. Also; like small children, they will have accidents because they are busy playing and don't have the best judgement when to stop playing and go use the bathroom!  Be sure you clean her box twice a day.  An extra litter box near where she normally plays  may help her have less accidents. This is something you can do temporarily while she is still small.  Be sure you don't use your hands when you play with her; so she doesn't see them as a toy.  She missed being with her litter mates at the age where they learn "social" skills if you will; how to play without hurting others.  So you get to help her learn.     Wearing her out a couple times a day will help too.  Toys that get her moving; wand toys, laser pointer, da bird, etc will be your best bet.  And some can even be used while you sit with your baby (easier with a larger baby than a tiny baby).

I do think it's easier with 2 kittens instead of one; but please consider your situation before adding another.  My 2 were litter mates so that helped us out.  Being young; they may accept each other easily, but be prepared to introduce them slowly if need be.  2 may not need as much interaction with you; but they will still need some and will require a tad more time with the litter box.  You will need 2 at least.  Generally we recommend one per cat plus one.  Also; both will need vet care and spaying/neutering.  

Good luck! 

Getting another litter box is really not a bad idea, by the way. Some cats are difficult when it comes to litter boxes, others aren't. But having 1 extra is never a bad idea. When you do get a second kitty, DEFINITELY get a second litter box and the ideal would be three boxes in total. You never know if they are willing to share or not. Luckily mine do share their boxes (maybe because they are used to it, as they were litter mates) and we only had to buy two, but we already have a spot reserved for a third box in case it's needed in the future.

1 per cat and 1 extra. I think a lot of people keep to that "rule".

As for your kitten. It sounds all normal. Occasional accidents do happen with pee. Maybe she gets too excited and forgets to go, or tries to go too late. She's very young still, it should change over time. Especially since she IS using the litter box in general. If it continues too long you can always take her to the vet to get her checked out.

Another kitten seems like a good idea. Having a baby with a kitten was maybe not your smartest move.   Just remember that she is only playing. She is not actually attacking you or your baby, but she has no idea what is going on or why. She's very energetic and another kitten to keep her occupied seems like a good idea. Remember that it won't solve EVERYTHING. They will still want to play with other things besides eachother, but if you can wear them out together, like.. let them play with a laserpoint together or something, or even put them into a room together to cool off, it will be much easier with two in steads of one. And also, it won't be such a problem if you have less time for them at the moment, because they will always have eachother.

My two kittens (now almost 9 months) adore eachother and do everything together. They always have. Sometimes they even seem to forget we even exist, so it gives us more time and them more distraction. 

Enjoy your babies. It'll all be okay eventually. <3

Caralian said:

1 per cat and 1 extra. I think a lot of people keep to that "rule".

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Yes, I agree, this sounds like wisdom. When it comes to litter boxes, "less is NOT more." You can't really go wrong with extras.

GVerdugo said:

 
Yes, I agree, this sounds like wisdom. When it comes to litter boxes, "less is NOT more." You can't really go wrong with extras.

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Yeah, especially because some cats won't even poop in the same box they pee in, or vice versa, so you would need 2 as a minimum.   Ours usually both poop in the same box and use the other one for pee only, we tried having them both use their own box, but they keep sharing. At least we don't need 4 boxes.