Hi All,
I have a kitten who is now 8 months. We got him from a rescue shelter when he was only 2.5 months old. He had been abandoned by his previous owner. He is extremely adorable and nice 75% of the time. However, I am having two major problems with him and have been searching for answers all over the Internet. If I cannot resolve them, then I plan on taking him back to the rescue shelter so that he can find a home that is better suited for his needs; although, I would really like to avoid this.
I) He loves peeing on my bed.
Not my roommate's bed. Just my own. I have tried using acidic smelling fruit juices and sprays to dissuade him. That didn't work, so I tried purchasing a plastic covering, but he pees on that too. When he does pee in his litter box, I will give him a treat. I also bought a second litter box specifically for my room, which he seems to use more and more often, but if he gets angry (for example, if I go out in the evening), then he goes directly to pee on my bed. At first, I would punish him by saying "NO" in a very clear voice and pointing to the spot, but that didn't seem to work, so I have been ignoring him for a while when it happens and, instead, focusing on positive reinforcement for good behavior (i.e. using the litter box). But this does not seem to be helping either.
II) He has very erratic behavior.
One second he will cuddle you, and the next, he will sprint at you full force and jump, biting your neck and scratching your back and arms (he has claws) with his ears pressed back flat against his head. If you try not to move, or even worse, if you pull back, then he will dig his claws in even deeper. It has gotten so bad that I have cut marks up and down my legs (they usually go away after 2 - 3 weeks). A few weeks ago, he cut me on my face about 1 inch from my eye when I was reading. I would really like to find a way to stop this behavior, but it seems to be completely random. Sometimes it happens right after we play, or in the middle of the night, or if he was just sleeping, etc.
Do I need to accept that our home is not the right one and take him back to the shelter? Or is there something else we could do to help him feel more calm at home, even when we are not around? A second kitten is not an option. Our apartment is about 50 meters squared, with three full-sized rooms. He also has an outdoor balcony that goes around the entire apartment complex, which we let him out on during the summer, but it is now too cold to do that.
I work from 8h00 - 19h00 most days, so he normally sleeps during the day, unless my roommate is around. In the evenings, he likes to mosey around the kitchen when I cook, and we usually play for 15 - 30 minutes with his toys, depending on the evening. Otherwise, he follows me around or lays next to me while I work on my laptop. He also likes to wait by the door and is very loving when I first get back home. Unfortunately, he has been waking me up multiple times throughout the night, so he now sleeps in the living room with his bed, toys and scratching post. He's fed twice a day, with fresh water in the morning and evening. His litter boxes are also cleaned twice a day.
I'd be grateful for any suggestions...
I have a kitten who is now 8 months. We got him from a rescue shelter when he was only 2.5 months old. He had been abandoned by his previous owner. He is extremely adorable and nice 75% of the time. However, I am having two major problems with him and have been searching for answers all over the Internet. If I cannot resolve them, then I plan on taking him back to the rescue shelter so that he can find a home that is better suited for his needs; although, I would really like to avoid this.
I) He loves peeing on my bed.
Not my roommate's bed. Just my own. I have tried using acidic smelling fruit juices and sprays to dissuade him. That didn't work, so I tried purchasing a plastic covering, but he pees on that too. When he does pee in his litter box, I will give him a treat. I also bought a second litter box specifically for my room, which he seems to use more and more often, but if he gets angry (for example, if I go out in the evening), then he goes directly to pee on my bed. At first, I would punish him by saying "NO" in a very clear voice and pointing to the spot, but that didn't seem to work, so I have been ignoring him for a while when it happens and, instead, focusing on positive reinforcement for good behavior (i.e. using the litter box). But this does not seem to be helping either.
II) He has very erratic behavior.
One second he will cuddle you, and the next, he will sprint at you full force and jump, biting your neck and scratching your back and arms (he has claws) with his ears pressed back flat against his head. If you try not to move, or even worse, if you pull back, then he will dig his claws in even deeper. It has gotten so bad that I have cut marks up and down my legs (they usually go away after 2 - 3 weeks). A few weeks ago, he cut me on my face about 1 inch from my eye when I was reading. I would really like to find a way to stop this behavior, but it seems to be completely random. Sometimes it happens right after we play, or in the middle of the night, or if he was just sleeping, etc.
Do I need to accept that our home is not the right one and take him back to the shelter? Or is there something else we could do to help him feel more calm at home, even when we are not around? A second kitten is not an option. Our apartment is about 50 meters squared, with three full-sized rooms. He also has an outdoor balcony that goes around the entire apartment complex, which we let him out on during the summer, but it is now too cold to do that.
I work from 8h00 - 19h00 most days, so he normally sleeps during the day, unless my roommate is around. In the evenings, he likes to mosey around the kitchen when I cook, and we usually play for 15 - 30 minutes with his toys, depending on the evening. Otherwise, he follows me around or lays next to me while I work on my laptop. He also likes to wait by the door and is very loving when I first get back home. Unfortunately, he has been waking me up multiple times throughout the night, so he now sleeps in the living room with his bed, toys and scratching post. He's fed twice a day, with fresh water in the morning and evening. His litter boxes are also cleaned twice a day.
I'd be grateful for any suggestions...
