Holly is driving me nuts!!

I got this kitten for my boyfriend for Christmas ... I should have gotten him a watch!!! Holly is now 8 months old, spayed and declawed in front. She's a house cat and has gotten along very well with my 2 Poms, who've accepted her almost like a puppy

I've never had a kitten like this before, ever!! She tears through the house, bouncing off the walls, diving into plants, looking for food everywhere, including getting in the cabinet and chewing a hole in her cat food, ( she did have food in her dish)

We have a spray bottle, but I haven't put any vinegar in it, how much should I use in a quart bottle, and will this hurt her eyes? When she want to be petted, she ends up wanting to knead at my neck, chest or arm, and this is getting annoying!! She wakes us up at night trying to knead on us,

I'm at my wits end with her, I wouldn't ask my boyfriend to give her up, but she is really driving me crazy. Now, the other day she decided that the throw rug by the garage door is a good place to urinate!! I've washed the rug, and sprinkled it with lemon juice, so we'll see if that works.

Someone please help me with this cat!!!! Please!!!!

She is a normal overactive playful kitten, aside from the peeing inappropriately.

I would increase her play sessions- kittens this age have limitless energy and need tons of exercise. Also review the litterbox situation. She may need an additional box, a different litter, or more frequent scooping.

DO NOT SPRAY HER WITH VINEGAR at any level of dilution. Keep reading on this website....your Holly is behaving like a normal kitten. She will begin to calm down as she gets older.

She's a baby and being hyper now and again is what they do.

Whatever you do though please don't spray her with water or even worse vinegar!!

My Rosie still kneads now and again and she's four years old because it's a comfort thing. You should be pleased that she's " making bread " on you because i know a few members here would love their kitts to do it

But again i have to stress, please throw the spray bottle out

My favorite thing in the world is when my kitties "mash potatoes" on me. It reminds them of being safe and loved and cuddled when they were nursing, and having a cat do that on me is the ultimate compliment. Moments to treasure IMO.

Thanks for your help, and I'll just wait and see if things get better as she grows up!!! Which, by the way can't come too soon!!!

A bit off topic. But I love it when Mitts kneads (when his nails are cut! )

I love the different terms:

kneading bread
mashing potatoes

We call it "making biscuits!"

I love it too! I think it's just adorable! This is what they do to their mama cats when they're babies (which she still is!) and it makes me feel so good when she does this.

I agree that she needs TONS of playtime. They say a normal kitten needs 1 hour of hard human/kitty playtime per day. And if she is a little hyper active maybe she needs more. But be sure to do this well before bed time or she'll be all amped up when it's time to go to sleep. You can even play with her from the couch with a fishing pole...that's what we do. And sometimes while we're still watching tv she'll just fall over exhausted! Such a hard life being a kitten!

kneading is a good thing... As for the kitten being hyper it is cool.. Let he do it.. Also you have a pom and they are hyper and well she wants to play. Up the time you play with her.. Get creative.

The only thing I can add is get rid of the rug - that should solve your problem.

or better known as Osama Bin Kitty, I tried the lemon juice on the rug ... no good, she did it again today. We're using the pine pellets in her kitty box and normally she uses it fine. So, out with the rug ...

As far as her playtime, I play with her a lot!! She loves to run after a fluffly ball on an elastic string, and a stuffed Sylvester, ( that used to belong to the poms) I will, however, play more, and see if this helps to calm her down at night. My boyfriend works second shift, so it's hard for him to give her much attention, so it mostly comes from me. The poms love her and and they do play together until Holly goes over the top and bites them on their legs, then they growl and get the heck away from her.

Thanks for all the replies, and I did put away the squirt bottle. Guess I'll just have no little throw rugs on the tile!

Originally Posted by Lue5008

or better known as Osama Bin Kitty,

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A breeder friend of mine had a queen she called Weapon of Mass Destruction ... Maggie for short ... Maggie gave birth to two very active, very naughty kittens who then became known as Shock and Awe. *grin*

I tried the lemon juice on the rug ... no good, she did it again today. We're using the pine pellets in her kitty box and normally she uses it fine. So, out with the rug ...

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Lemon juice won't work at all. Since you've thrown the rug out, this is probably beside the point now, but you must use an enzymatic cleaner specifically designed to remove urine odors. As for the pine litter, I hope you have better luck with it in your home than I did in mine.

On a side note, a change in litter box behavior can denote a health problem. I am not sure if you have already ruled this out, but it may be a good idea to have your kitten see her vet for a work up including urine labs just in case.

As far as her playtime, I play with her a lot!! She loves to run after a fluffly ball on an elastic string, and a stuffed Sylvester, ( that used to belong to the poms)

I will, however, play more, and see if this helps to calm her down at night. My boyfriend works second shift, so it's hard for him to give her much attention, so it mostly comes from me. The poms love her and and they do play together until Holly goes over the top and bites them on their legs, then they growl and get the heck away from her.

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Play with her hard about an hour before you are planning on going to bed. Then give her a healthy serving of her favorite canned cat food. Most cats will sleep on a full tummy so this might also help.

Thanks for all the replies, and I did put away the squirt bottle. Guess I'll just have no little throw rugs on the tile!

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Having kittens in my home for around 6 months of each year, I have learned the hard way that nothing is sacred anymore. Pretty knick-knacks and other dustcatchers are all put safely away, the drapes come off of the windows, heavy covers are placed over all of the furniture and instead of my normal perfume, my fragrance is that of Clorox Bleach Spray. *grin* The things we do for love!

Originally Posted by Lue5008

I did put away the squirt bottle

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Brilliant!!! because it could make her scared of you eventually

Originally Posted by rosiemac

You should be pleased that she's " making bread " on you because i know a few members here would love their kitts to do it

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Bella kneads me first thing in the morning and I absolutely love it! When she does it, she closes her eyes and looks so sweet and happy!

Cinders kneads too but she prefers to knead her fluffy Felix cushion I think she thinks it's her mum!

I bought my girls a Panic Mouse toy a while back and they absolutely love it. I turn this on an hour before I go to bed and they go mad playing with it. By bedtime, they are exhausted and I get a good night's sleep