Cat is biting and is very undisciplined

[bryed]

So I just moved in with my girlfriend a month ago into an apartment. She brought her cat with her. She has had this cat since it was about 3 months old. She used to live in an apartment with two other people and another cat. There was pot smoke in that apartment 24/7, and my gf's cat would harass the other cat. When my gf would smoke weed at the apartment, she would sometimes blow it in the cat's face because she thought it was funny, I didn't at all.

So now we live in a two story townhome a year later, no smoking whatsoever, and the cat is totally stressing me out. It keeps scratching my futon that we use in the the living room and has crawled in the inside of it and is constantly trying to get in there. It chews on my girlfriend's purse and is always whining for attention, but when we give him attention he just doesn't care and walks away. This cat got away with pretty much anything at my gf's old apartment, and now I'm trying to fix his behavior. He started to bite me when I don't give him attention and when I pet him he grabs my had and scratches me. I've tried squirt bottles to get him out of places he shouldn't be and putting him in time out. But my girlfriend just keeps buying him toys and now TWO cat towers for this one cat. 

I'm done with this cat. I don't know why she got him in the first place since BOTH of us are allergic to him. I don't want him in my apartment anymore since I can't even be comfortable in my own home when I pretty much have to baby-sit this cat constantly from ruining our furniture or giving him attention. I'm just trying to figure out if this is even worth it and something we can't fix happened at my gf's old apartment with all the pot smoke around a developing kitten's mind. I just don't know what to do and would like some advice. Thanks.

 

[Willowy]

How much exercise does he get? He needs a lot, preferably 2 times a day. You wouldn't expect an unexercised dog to be well behaved, would you? It's good that he has a lot of toys and towers, but structured playtime is necessary to make him really run around. Get a fishing pole toy and a laser pointer, and run him until he flops. He also needs attention and affection, all living things do. What kind of biting is it? Does he just nip you to get attention?

What kind of scratching surface do his towers have? Does he have any scratching posts besides his towers? Redirection is best when he scratches things he shouldn't---take him off the couch, bring him to his own scratching things and encourage him to scratch (never rub his paws on it; that will just make him contrary. Just tickle your fingers on it or run a string on it or something), and praise him if he does. Cats do not respond well to punishment of any kind, it's better to encourage good behavior and make him think it was his own idea :lol3:.

If he gets inside the couch, staple some thin plywood or thick cloth to that area so he can't get in. If it's cozy there's just no way he's going to stay out of there unless you make it inaccessible.

Does he have any chew toys? Small dog chew toys will do. Some cats like chewing but you hardly ever see cat chew toys :dk:.

Is he neutered? if not, have that done ASAP, before he starts spraying. If he isn't, that could also explain the biting. Most tomcats get a little. . .overexcited when you pet them and will bite.

What exactly are the behaviors you don't want? The original post is just sort of a general rant, there are only a couple behaviors you specifically mention. Having a better idea of precisely what you want the cat to do will help us make more useful suggestions. He sounds like a very normal young cat, who is underexercised.

Do understand that if you don't keep him, he will probably be killed . There aren't enough homes for all the kittens born; finding a new permanent home for an adult cat is nearly impossible.

 

[cat dad]

I think generally bad behavior such as this is a sign of boredom. Not to mention he's in completely new surroundings and cats hate change.

I'd try to get him into a routine of play, eat, groom, sleep. Play with him for say 10min in the morning before you feed him and then again when you come home for 15-20min and then feed him. Cats aren't unlike little children and need to burn off energy or it comes off in negative ways and having a set routine is comforting.

I'd put at least one of his two cat trees near a window, so he has something to look at and entertain him while you are working and have a few toys that he can play with by himself.

Lastly, cats don't respond at all to negative reinforcement like dogs do. You are far better off removing whatever it is that he's attracting his attention. If you don't want him to hide under the futon, close it off and make him a hiding place you do want him to go to. If he's chewing up your girlfriends purse, tell her to put her purse somewhere where the kitty can't get to it and get him some toys that are okay for him to chew on. If he's scratching get him a good vertical scratching post and one horizontal one.

I think the biggest issue though is he needs aerobic play at least twice a day to redirect that energy.

Good luck and let us know how he gets on.

 

[cheeto-moe]

Try getting him some catnip. My one cat likes it a lot.

Also why date someone who has a cat if you don't like them. It's amazing the things a man expects a woman to do. I'm sorry I'm a total Jon Arbuckle, and would leave you if you even mentioned me parting with my cat... Cause of an allergy. I don't have allergies as I believe it has a lot to do with your diet. It's not the cats' fault. I roll my eyes since I was told by a doc to get rid of my cats when I was a kid cause he claimed I was allergic. Well some changes in diet really helped. I have 6 cats and not a sniffle.

 

[peaches08]

I'm getting the feeling that this kitten was handled too roughly by the former roommates, and now the kitten thinks that the correct way to interact with humans is biting and scratching. One of my cats was handled too roughly by his former owner, which landed him right back in the shelter. He would bite and scratch when petted, and it has taken some time to get him to stop.

First, I watched for signs of overstimulation. When I saw that he had been petted enough and was about to bite, I gently put him off of my lap and onto the floor. Immediately I would throw a toy or play with him with a wand toy. That was a safe way for him to play. The times he nailed me anyway? I yelled "no!" and pushed him off my lap quickly.

There were times that he jumped into my lap and immediately bit me. I admit that how I handled it is controversial, but I wasn't going to put up with it anymore. As soon as he would bite my hand, I grabbed him by the lower jaw and squeezed. Not hard enough to really hurt him, just enough that he felt "bit" back and couldn't get out of my grasp. Then I let go and pushed him out of my lap. Again I didn't hurt him, but the biting needed to stop.

Eventually he completely stopped jumping into my lap to bite me, but sometimes he still gets overstimulated while being petted. Now I can simply say "no" and he stops. I reward him by not overstimulating him and not removing him from my lap.

Hopefully you can find a solution soon.