My elderly mother lives with me and my daughter. We recently got a kitten. I was told she was 9 weeks when I got her (I haven't had the chance to go to the vet yet) but I think she is younger, maybe 6 weeks. She can be so sweet but then she turns into a she devil!!!! She bites and scratches and takes off running. She particularly does it to my mother, and she's got thin skin and I worry about how she bleeds. One thing that is enticing, my mom uses oxygen 24/7 and its enticing when she has this cord dangling that the kitten can attack (in fact I have to monitor her carefully around it and keep her locked in her own bedroom at night when we are sleeping (my mom sleeps in the living room). So...my mom has tons of problems with the kitten and we've tried a water bottle, yelling and screaming NO! at her loudly and tapping her nose...everything we can think of to make her know its not right to terrorize grandma! Any suggestions? I am going to get her nails clipped tomorrow, which may help us, but still I want to curtail the agressive behavior before it gets out of control.
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my kitten bites and scratches grandma
- Thread starter mom2ericha
- Start Date
1. You don't yell and scream at the poor thing!, she's only tiny.
2. You don't squirt water at her!.
3. You don't tap her nose no matter how soft you think the tap is!.
She's a baby kitten what do you expect her to do?. They see something dangle so it's natural that they play with it. She doesn't know whats right and whats wrong anymore than a human child thats crawling would.
I've posted in your other thread about getting her those toys that dangle from a rod, that way you all can have some quality playtime with her, but please don't do those things that you've said you do to her!.
2. You don't squirt water at her!.
3. You don't tap her nose no matter how soft you think the tap is!.
She's a baby kitten what do you expect her to do?. They see something dangle so it's natural that they play with it. She doesn't know whats right and whats wrong anymore than a human child thats crawling would.
I've posted in your other thread about getting her those toys that dangle from a rod, that way you all can have some quality playtime with her, but please don't do those things that you've said you do to her!.
Susan is correct the methods you are employing are not the proper means of teaching your kitten proper behavior. Cats do not respond to negative reinforcement, and all you will succeed in doing is making her afraid of you.
When she plays with the 02 tubing, runs around, or sometimes bites in her play, this is completely natural kitten behavior! When she begins to play with an item or act practice a behavior you wish to deter, simply redirect her to an appropriate toy. As Susan mentioned, the wand toys are wonderful for interactive play or as a distraction, as is the Cat Dancer, and bet she would love to run after a ball or mouse!
Please be patient and gentle with your kitten, she's just a baby!
When she plays with the 02 tubing, runs around, or sometimes bites in her play, this is completely natural kitten behavior! When she begins to play with an item or act practice a behavior you wish to deter, simply redirect her to an appropriate toy. As Susan mentioned, the wand toys are wonderful for interactive play or as a distraction, as is the Cat Dancer, and bet she would love to run after a ball or mouse!
Please be patient and gentle with your kitten, she's just a baby!
I just got a kitten also and i just remembered that they are a little terror because teufel has calmed down so much!
Get it several toys such as cat dancers, toy mices, cat tree
I am going to clip my kittens nails as they are too sharp and lets say they arent only scratching the furniture it is scratching teufel badly when they play.
You can also get soft nail stick ons for your kitten.
What i try to do to make her understand i growl like cat when she has done something wrong or i grab her by the neck (she still has lots of skin) and gently say no! It may not be right but she is slowly getting the point.
But the others are right you dont scream at the cat because all it does it make her scared and sometimes even more ignorant.
Get it several toys such as cat dancers, toy mices, cat tree
I am going to clip my kittens nails as they are too sharp and lets say they arent only scratching the furniture it is scratching teufel badly when they play.
You can also get soft nail stick ons for your kitten.
What i try to do to make her understand i growl like cat when she has done something wrong or i grab her by the neck (she still has lots of skin) and gently say no! It may not be right but she is slowly getting the point.
But the others are right you dont scream at the cat because all it does it make her scared and sometimes even more ignorant.
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This is not aggressive behavior by any means. This is typical kitty play/prey and you won't be able to stop it. Perhaps better would have been if you had gotten an older mellow cat that is already out of kitty stages and wouldn't think the oxygen tube is a mouse tail. The others are right, negative action towards a kitten's normal playing tendencies is not a good idea.
Look into a toy called Da Bird or just get a peacock feather and play with this kitten daily several times a day, or get another kitten around the same age and the two will interact with each other more. Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to shut your mom's bedroom door and let her sleep in peace and let the kitty move around the whole other part of the house.
Look into a toy called Da Bird or just get a peacock feather and play with this kitten daily several times a day, or get another kitten around the same age and the two will interact with each other more. Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to shut your mom's bedroom door and let her sleep in peace and let the kitty move around the whole other part of the house.
