How To Discipline New 4m Old Kitten

[Cosmobenny]

so i’ve adopted a new kitten, the vet guesses he’s about 4 to 5 months old. Hes a very sweet kitten but like all kittens he gets into hyper active moments, and during them i dont mind him running around or being loud but theres two things that need to stop immediately.

He loves to jump and play on my very expensive laptop when im using it or watching videos on it, its very frustrating when he’s stepping all over the keyboard and disrupting what im in the middle of.
The other thing is he tries to get into my food, i feed him well, so i know hes not hungry. As much as i love this kitty already, i dont want his paws and teeth on my food.

Ive had him less than a week but i want opinions on ways to help him phase out of these behaviors.
I have been just picking him up and moving him away and ignoring him but that only results in me doing it over and over again for a long time, he doesnt seem to be getting the picture. Just now i was attempting to use a time out method by putting him in his kennel for 5 minuets everytime he jumped on my laptop but when i let him out hed do it again within 3 minuets.
Before i commit to the time out or extend the minutes hes imprisioned for let me know if this an effective method that will work over time ,is it seen as cruel, is the kennel (where hes subject to timeout) too small for this? Hes recovering from a upper respiratory infection and his meow is a little hoarse so im worried contining to put him in time out will cause him to strain his throat (cause he continues to meow to be let out during it)..... let me know what you think.
Also i saw someone suggest clapping loudly when bad and ignoring will work but i think it may make him scared of me if i continue it. Id rather not be rough with him.
(And to clarify ive had many cats before this one, he has many toys and room to play, and is getting a lot of attention and love)

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I don't know whether time-out is effective with kittens - plus as you say, he meows a lot. (Oh by the way, have you put him in the bathroom with a steamy hot shower for a little bit? The warm-to-hot moisture will help his airways.)

What could work is a hiss, like his feline mama would do.

What about tossing a toy he particularly likes?

 

[Cosmobenny]

I’ll try the hiss, hopefully itll work.
Sometimes im able to distract him with his toys for a little while but hes quick to trying to be in my business again, he loves attention it seems, but im happy to give him it as long as my food and laptop arnt fiddled with.
Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Furballsmom]

You're very welcome - let us know how things go

 

[Blakeney Green]

Time out does work with kittens, but you have to use it right. Kittens don't understand time out as a punishment. It just isn't immediate enough for a kitten to connect that it was the result of their actions. What time out does work for is if the kitten is misbehaving because it is overstimulated. Putting the kitten in a quiet area with a few favorite toys can help them calm down if they're acting out because they're too wired.

Since time out seems to be making your kitten more upset, I don't think your current strategy is ever going to work for you.

If you think your kitten may be overstimulated, you could try time out in a room like a bathroom where the kitten can't see you and doesn't feel caged. Focus on things that will make the kitten more calm rather than trying to make the kitten realize you are trying to punish it.

To me, though, it sounds more like your kitten is seeking attention instead. A firm "no" or hiss should keep the kitten off the keyboard in the moment, but to prevent the behavior from continuing you are going to need to find a way to occupy the kitten and refocus it. Try a favorite toy while you are working (a self-pointing laser light or a toy on a track work great for that) and holding or petting the kitten while you watch videos.

The bottom line is you need to find and address the reasons for the unwanted behaviors, not just the behaviors themselves in the moment. Trying to think like your kitten (bearing in mind this animal is still just a baby) really helps.

 

[Cosmobenny]

Thanks for the reply, this will help me think more critically with what to do with benny (the kitten) when he seems to be acting out.

He just has a lot of energy, which i understand cause coming home from a shelter is giving him a lot more freedom and attention than he was use to so i mostly ignore anything that most would consider bad by others. But im just anxious my new laptop will become a victim of kitten excitement.

I have been trying to find more toys to keep him occupied but the self laser seems to be one ill look into getting soon.
Thanks again!

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS.
Congrats on the adoption of Benny. He sounds purr-fectly normal.

Cats don't really understand discipline, but if they are really getting into trouble, you can put them in a different room and close the door. Just make sure the room is kitten proofed, and that they have their food, water, litter box and toys.

TCS has some articles that may be helpful. Here are the links:
How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat
Cats And Discipline Don't Mix
https://thecatsite.com/ams/get-off-how-to-discourage-your-cat-from-jumping-on-counters.22407/

 

[Cosmobenny]

Thanks for the links! Benny is a great kitten and has a good personality so im really lucky. Ill just be patient about the laptop and food and hoping hissing and moving him away will slowly take effect.

 

[rubysmama]

You may have to learn to be VERY patient about him getting on the laptop. Or simply buy him one of his own! Because cats LOVE laptops!

About his time-out kennel. Is it an actual kennel? Or his cat carrier. I, personally, wouldn't put a kitten in a kennel for a time out. But that's just me.

But if you mean his cat carrier, then I would hesitate using it as his "time out" space, because he might start to associate it with negativity, and then you might have trouble getting him in it when you need to take him to the vet.

 

[Cosmobenny]

Ha! Im actually looking at some heated cat beds on amazon to get him and hope if i put it near the desk itll kill his need to put his feets on my laptop.

Yea thats what i thought after i put him in his first time out, cause ive been actually trying to get him to enjoy the carrier, not that he ever gave me problems with it, hes a mature kitty. Some pillows and toys to make it more comfortable for him and he actually likes to jump in and out of it so i dont wanna ruin that with useless timeouts.
Thanks for the reply!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Great advice in this thread, so Ill try not to repeat other members here.

Benny sounds like a great kitten and it's always important to remember when you have a kitten to tell yourself (along with noting the good advice mentioned above):- This is just a phase, this is just a phase -- but also, Kittenhood is priceless, kittenhood is priceless! Remember to take photos of these cute but sometimes frustrating times in history for your memory's sake! Post the photos at TCS!

Search Results for Query: computer | TheCatSite


Kittens love a ton of excitement, play, and stimulation, but they need their down times too. They really can act out if overstimulated. The key is to head that off at the pass and --for this kittenhood phase of their life-- just sigh, smile and then go play with them for short bursts of fun. It will help! It helped for me when my kitty was a kitten.

It's important to remember that, to them, it's not a new laptop worth some $$ and an object that requires human time, but just a warm, odd surface and funny object that is sitting smack in front of their new human, right in the way of happy playtime.


You can also take a few minutes to set up some interesting youtube videos for them to watch (birds, squirrels and the like)... like from this great channel...
Paul Dinning

 

[susanm9006]

When I have a feisty little kitten that is pestering me it seems like a perfect time to pick it up, hang on to it while I give it a few kisses and wait the 30 seconds it takes for it to get annoyed and want down. Usually after getting its freedom it will scamper away - at least for a few minutes.

 

[Cosmobenny]

Funny you mention the video thing, I actually have an old ipad i refer to as benny’s ipad cause i put on playlists of videos for cats with the screen on no touch mode. I usually put it on for him when i leave the house for whatever reason so he can have some background noise at least.

Thanks for the advice! Ive been letting a lot of his antics slide cause i know hes just full of energy and excited. But maybe its cause hes just too cute to be upset with

 

[Cosmobenny]

Ha! Thats a cute idea but my new kitty loves to be loved on so it take more than that to deter him!