My new kitten I got a week and a half ago is quite the crazy kitten now. One thing we do not like is that it tries to claw on our furniture. It also plays with other stuff that it should not play with. What can I do to my kitten so that it dosen't get into stuff that it shouldn't be in? I almost am thinking about a squirt bottle with water.
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Kitten Craziness
- Thread starter pcdoctor2
- Start Date
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- Jul 24, 2005
- Messages
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It works for some cats, but others will associate the negative experience of being sprayed with you rather than with the behavior you are trying to correct. Do you have a scratching post for your kitten? If not, then do get one and when she scratches the furniture take her to the scratching post and scratch on it yourself. She'll get the idea. Make sure it is nice and sturdy and treat it with catnip to entice her. My cats loved the carboard one you can get at Walmart. Concerning her getting into things, well, you really have to catproof your home. You can tell her no and take her away from whatever it is she's into that you don't like but you can't really reprimand a cat the way you can a dog. Remember too that she's still a kitten and will be very rambunctious for a while.
Hello!
For the scratching....get a scratch post. They have great ones at pet stores, some with catnip in them so they are attracted to it, and you get a catnip spray, and spray the the post with it, if you get one without catnip. They also have furniture saver type things at pet stores....I belive in "petco" they have eveything!
OR, they have such a thing called "soft paws" ( I think ) not sure of the right name, it might be "soft claws" or something to that extent. But they are little things that you can put on your kitties nails, so they arent able to scratch the furniture and get stuck on things. I almost bought some today, but ran out of money before I got to that section.
I should just work at a pet store. Anyhow, I noticed they have different colors and the new ones are green and red for christmas. You can get clear too. Check that out.
Also, the squirt bottle thing, I dont think of it as bad...I use it when it really comes down to it. My kitty likes to eat our fake plants like crazy, and I know it's in his instincts to do that, but I still dont want him to do that. I have recently started to use a squirt bottle for that, (put it on the setting that doesnt JET STREAM, but use the sprayer function. That way it wont scare them too bad, just one spray. and firmly tell them that that is naughty, and you dont want them to do that again. They can hear tone of voice, just like a little kid.
Our kitty has cut his plant eating in half, and knows its naughty when he does it, so he contemplates it before he does it now too.
Good luck!
For the scratching....get a scratch post. They have great ones at pet stores, some with catnip in them so they are attracted to it, and you get a catnip spray, and spray the the post with it, if you get one without catnip. They also have furniture saver type things at pet stores....I belive in "petco" they have eveything!
OR, they have such a thing called "soft paws" ( I think ) not sure of the right name, it might be "soft claws" or something to that extent. But they are little things that you can put on your kitties nails, so they arent able to scratch the furniture and get stuck on things. I almost bought some today, but ran out of money before I got to that section.
Also, the squirt bottle thing, I dont think of it as bad...I use it when it really comes down to it. My kitty likes to eat our fake plants like crazy, and I know it's in his instincts to do that, but I still dont want him to do that. I have recently started to use a squirt bottle for that, (put it on the setting that doesnt JET STREAM, but use the sprayer function. That way it wont scare them too bad, just one spray. and firmly tell them that that is naughty, and you dont want them to do that again. They can hear tone of voice, just like a little kid.
Our kitty has cut his plant eating in half, and knows its naughty when he does it, so he contemplates it before he does it now too.
Good luck!
It may "work," as in stopping the behavior -- but it also affects the kitty's personality and his relationship to you. (And actually, it doesn't always work; some strongwilled cats will just become defiant and angry.)
Please stick to positive methods for teaching your kitten what's okay and what isn't.
There's something called "Clicker Training" that many people here recommend (I'm sure someone will direct you to information on that), but all I do is use tone of voice. I don't shout, but just make my voice low and stern when my kitties misbehave -- and then as soon as they stop, I make my voice light and gentle and tell them how sweet they are.
It took a few months to get them to respond to this consistently, but it's so worthwhile -- my kitties are happy and confident, and I've never had to feel for a moment that they fear me... which would break my heart.
Please stick to positive methods for teaching your kitten what's okay and what isn't.
There's something called "Clicker Training" that many people here recommend (I'm sure someone will direct you to information on that), but all I do is use tone of voice. I don't shout, but just make my voice low and stern when my kitties misbehave -- and then as soon as they stop, I make my voice light and gentle and tell them how sweet they are.
It took a few months to get them to respond to this consistently, but it's so worthwhile -- my kitties are happy and confident, and I've never had to feel for a moment that they fear me... which would break my heart.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
I'll probabily try the scratching post with catnip and see if that works. I will try other things as well.
