Cat in BIG trouble...please help

[hissy]

Kytten-

Scroll up in the post and catch that link on behavior. If I were you I would contact a professional cat behaviorist and go from there. Good luck!

 

[grouchmonster]

May I suggest something I haven't seen yet? The counter behavior can be controlled by putting double faced tape on periodic spots on the counter. Not the heavy duty type, but just light enough so that the cat gets up on the counter and the sticky feeling on her paws will not be appealing. Also, try putting a glass of milk on the table like you usually do, but put a bit of hot pepper around the rim. You will have to be very patient, but after awhile she should associate all glasses with this terrible taste. The key is PATIENCE, PATIENCE AND PATIENCE. I have had many strays that other's have tossed away like yesterday's trash just because of bad behavior. If you have the patience and stamina, you will succeed. Don't let hubby give you an ultimatime. You will find that if you try this, the cat will associate your food and drinks with a bad taste and hopefully just go her own only. Good Luck.

 

[pamela]

Maybe this is her way of getting extra attention? It sounds like u have more than one cat and maybe she feels the other cats are getting more attention than she does?
Try separating her into another room like others suggested AND maybe spend a bit more time with her one on one and see how that goes.
Good luck! Keep us posted!

 

[cookie]

kytten,

I have read all your posts. I too have a kitten who ate from our plates. Me and my husband are mostly alone too, so we didn't mind at first. But it was annoying. Our kitten does not jump on counters yet he is to small, but we solved the plate thing. When he would try to eat off our plate we would say no! not yell, just no, and push him gently a little bit a way. Now, he only went after foods cats would like, milk, chicken.... if it was chicken, I would give him a piece away from our plates (very tiny) and each time he would come to our plates, I'd do the same thing, say no, when he backs away give him a tiny piece. Now he will no longer come to our plates, but waits to see if we will give him anything. When he comes after something I know he will not like, I let him snif it, he realizes it is not what he wants and goes away. When he was really bad in the begining we gave him cat treats/food while we ate, little by little.
The best advice I want to offer is that for your kitten it seems, distraction and attention would be the best solution. I toss little scrunched up papers on the kitchen floor to keep kitty busy while I cook, I even take out some plastic bowls, put them on the floor, he jumps and crawls in them. OR which will entice most kitties, tie a toy your kittie likes to the end of you belt (on a string) and let it drag on the floor so kittie can chase it while you move around the kitchen and cook. If kitty bugs or gets bord I give him a treat and play a bit with him before going back to cooking. If your kitty learn to associate palying while you cook instead of eating what you are cooking she will eventually learn and enjoy herself! Best of all, remember the easiest way to teach a kitten not to do something is to avoid it. Therefore do not punish her (in a room) but distract her as soon as you see her about to start the bad behavior, distract her with anything, a toy, cat treat, a hug, I even sometimes put a stool near the tv a let him watch animal planet, eventually she will shift her focus when she realizes how much more pleasure there are in these things the the food!It will require alot of repetition to get here to understand, but she seems very smart and may surprise you so don't give up! The reward will be well worth it!
good-luck let me know how things are going! She sound like a cat with a big personality!