Hello out there....I'm looking for anyone whose had problems with raising a kitten who likes to scratch, bite and climb legs with vicious intent. My family and I have been very patient and loving toward our "Peanut" however, we are starting to get worried that it may be her physical makeup to attack constantly. She has had all her shots to date at 3 months of age, however, she has not been fixed. Any comments or hints would be greatly appreciated. We'll continue to love her, but at this point...SHE'S RUNNING THE HOUSE!!!
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I need advice as to why my kitten is out of hand...
- Thread starter vargsgirl1
- Start Date
welcome VARGSGIRL1!
we have a behavior forum, and I'm sure a moderator will move this there, because some of our resident experts don't come into the lounge, and may not see this.
good luck with kitty!
we have a behavior forum, and I'm sure a moderator will move this there, because some of our resident experts don't come into the lounge, and may not see this.
good luck with kitty!
Hiya!! Welcome to the site!! Im going to move this thread to the Behaviour forum as AP said... - you'll get alot more responses there!! Do come back and introduce yourself here in the lounge though!!
Peanut is just at the rambuntious kitten stage. The biting and attacking should be directed at something else. Mine love a wand with a swinging suede tassel. You can get those at any pet store. They will also chase a piece of rope pulled across the floor, or even a towel. When she attacks or bites one of you, a loud, firm, "NO" will sometimes startle them in to stopping what they are doing. A good squirt with a water bottle can be very effective if you can catch them in the act. I have several around the house. Gently squeezing their entire head or a gentle holding of the scruff (never pick her up this way) the way a mom cat does has also been effective. It is good that you are dealing with this problem now, because it is extremely difficult to get a grown cat to stop doing anything. Assuming you are planning to have her spayed, this will also calm her down a little. I hope this helps you. I am not an expert, these are just a few things that have worked well for me over the years. Good Luck with your little Peanut, and welcome to the forums!
Welcome!
Krazy Kat has some excellent suggestions. I have only a couple of ideas to add....
1. Once Peanut attacks, stand perfectly still. Don't try to pull away the hand (or other body part) that she is biting. If you try to pull away, this will trigger the "prey" cues in her brain and she will attack even harder. So, stay still and use your free hand to pull her off (as Krazy Kat suggested).
2. Immediately after an attack, put her in a quiet room (the bathroom) for no more than five minutes. This will give her time to settle down and for attack mode to turn off.
3. Pay careful attention to her behavior. Learn what her pre-attack behaviors are. All cats do something right before attacking, like twitching their tails or their eyes dilate. Each cat has its own unique signals, so you will have to learn Peanut's signals.
4. Once you have learned her pre-attack signals, IMMEDIATELY upon seeing a signal and BEFORE the attack occurs, do one of the following:
-- toss a small toy in front of her. Toss the toy at an angle across her field of vision but at an angle so that it is going away from her...like the way a mouse would run...toward a wall away from the cat. Cat's brains don't perceive verticle movement very well, so it needs to be tossed across the floor.
-- or use another toy to distract her (never play with her with your hands or feet...always use a toy)
-- or Shout NO! and squirt her with water
-- or shout NO! and pick her up and put her in the bathroom
The main idea is to keep the attack from happening. It won't take too long before she realizes that she can no longer do this.
Good luck with your naughty girl! And let us know how it is going.
Krazy Kat has some excellent suggestions. I have only a couple of ideas to add....
1. Once Peanut attacks, stand perfectly still. Don't try to pull away the hand (or other body part) that she is biting. If you try to pull away, this will trigger the "prey" cues in her brain and she will attack even harder. So, stay still and use your free hand to pull her off (as Krazy Kat suggested).
2. Immediately after an attack, put her in a quiet room (the bathroom) for no more than five minutes. This will give her time to settle down and for attack mode to turn off.
3. Pay careful attention to her behavior. Learn what her pre-attack behaviors are. All cats do something right before attacking, like twitching their tails or their eyes dilate. Each cat has its own unique signals, so you will have to learn Peanut's signals.
4. Once you have learned her pre-attack signals, IMMEDIATELY upon seeing a signal and BEFORE the attack occurs, do one of the following:
-- toss a small toy in front of her. Toss the toy at an angle across her field of vision but at an angle so that it is going away from her...like the way a mouse would run...toward a wall away from the cat. Cat's brains don't perceive verticle movement very well, so it needs to be tossed across the floor.
-- or use another toy to distract her (never play with her with your hands or feet...always use a toy)
-- or Shout NO! and squirt her with water
-- or shout NO! and pick her up and put her in the bathroom
The main idea is to keep the attack from happening. It won't take too long before she realizes that she can no longer do this.
Good luck with your naughty girl! And let us know how it is going.
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