Coping with new kitten

[callxm]

Hi,
A few weeks ago I took in a stray kitten (around 4 months old) that was living under my shed. I have taken her to the vets to have her checked over and microchipped, I have bought her lots of toys and everything else she needs. She is now very happy and very safe, and has grown really fond of me as I have of her. However, I am struggling to cope with some of her behaviours. Its almost as if she is trying to be as destructive and reckless as possible. I understand there are certain difficulties with caring for a stray - but its really taking a toll on me. I make art from clay and just this morning I found she had destroyed something that was drying that I worked really hard on. I love her and I want her to be as happy as possible, but its hard. Does anyone have any advice? thanks

 

[Babypaws]

I have six cats in a section of my house, they’ve been inside since they were kittens and I’ve had several things broken. I had to “cat proof” the area, which was a little heart breaking because I had a lot of houseplants which either died or I had to move them to another part of the house.
I had to remove things on top of a hutch, piano and fireplace. So I had to learn to keep things out of their reach...its a whole new world when you have Indoor cats.

 

[fionasmom]

She is very young and you have not had her for very long. Both of those things are factors. Take this one step at a time and do what you need to do to protect your belongings, or the ones that she seems to be interested in. Over time, some of these behaviors will more than likely change for the better. Try to be very specific when you observe her. Was there something about your artwork that seemed like fun to her? Would a special toy replace that tendency? But for now I would cat proof what you can, restrict her access to anything like a studio or work area and see what happens.

 

[callxm]

She is very young and you have not had her for very long. Both of those things are factors. Take this one step at a time and do what you need to do to protect your belongings, or the ones that she seems to be interested in. Over time, some of these behaviors will more than likely change for the better. Try to be very specific when you observe her. Was there something about your artwork that seemed like fun to her? Would a special toy replace that tendency? But for now I would cat proof what you can, restrict her access to anything like a studio or work area and see what happens.

Thanks so much So you think she might grow out of these behaviours? that is very nice to hear

 

[Talien]

A second Kitten would help keep her attention away from other things, they will play with eachother and burn off a lot of energy that would otherwise be going toward undesirable or destructive behavior. It's not a 100% thing, but it would definitely be a big help.

Another thing that would help is set up a room for her and keep her in there until you arrange your house in a way that doesn't give her access to things that you don't want destroyed.

 

[Willowy]

It has nothing to do with her being a stray and everything to do with her being a kitten . That's just how they are. I agree that getting her a friend will help her burn off energy and prevent some destruction, but even so, that's just what happens when you have pets. A lot of cat owners have separate craft rooms, because cats will almost always wreck crafts.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

I don’t think it has anything to do with her being a stray and everything to do with her being a kitten They have endless energy Mine calmed way down by 1yr I agree about a 2nd kitten As counterintuitive as that may sound it’s true They have always got a buddy to run and play with to get the energy out And their not lonely when you have to be gone You still have to move certain things that could be dangerous or they could destroy But once your home is kitten proofed it will be much less stressful Just observe and move things as needed What interests them now will change in time as they grow

 

[Jcatbird]

All the above advice is great! As with any young creature, they need to play and explore their worled. Another tip would be for you to have lots of playtime with her to help her burn off energy and to challenge her skills and her mind. Boredom can lead to looking for something fun to occupy herself. There are puzzle toys out there that might help. A wand toy is a good one for you to use when you can spend time with her. Getting her to run and jump after the toy will challenge her skills, expend energy and provide extra bonding time so that when she is bored she is likely to come looking for you. Kitty proofing your home is very helpful. Cords, wires and things that are dangerous to her as well as things that are precious to you will prevent stress for you and keep her safe. She won’t always be this active. They do learn too. I’m so sorry you lost a piece of your artwork but I am very grateful to you for adopting her.
BTW, we love photos of kitties here if you can post one of her! Please do let us know how things are going.