I'm starting to go insane..

[siren's daddy]

My 15 week old little girl has me wanting to pull my hair out.

For the last 3 weeks or so she has been in a pattern of very good, cuddly, cute, loving, licking, purring periods lasting a day or 2.

Then for the next 2 or so days she is replaced by the spawn of satan. Getting into everything she shouldn't, knocking everything off tables, bitting, sneaking up and attacking me in my sleep or while I am watching TV (not playing, she left bloody scratches on my face while I was sleeping.. ..she has trimmed claws). Not wanting to cuddle near as much. Mostly playing by herself.

What can I do? I hate to say it but if this keeps going on much longer she has got to go. I can't deal with this any more. This is playing hell with my already high blood pressure. Could this be something I am doing? Nothing about my life has changed from the time I got her. I am home almost all of my time outside of my 40 hour work week. I just don't get it. Don't get me wrong, I love her to death. I rescued her at 2 weeks old and I am basically all she knows.

The only thing I can think of is could this be connected with her smelling the animals I come in contact with out side the home? She is an indoor kitty until she is fixed and I have no other pets.

 

[farleyv]

It sounds like regular young cat behavior to me. They are very playfull at this age, and they do knock things off tables. It is normal. Have you ever had cats before?

Yes, she may smell other animals on you and that may factor into her behavior. Can you keep your bedroom door closed at night to prevent problems? My cat sleeps with us and he is almost 2. He will jump at our legs when we move. That is just their nature. They are hunters. Despite their affection for us, their instinct takes over sometimes.

Why have you had her since 2 weeks old? Extremely young to leave her mother. But not an impossibility to overcome.

Please don't give up on her just because she is being a cat. This stage does not last forever. I look at my senior cats now and remember fondly the days when they "wrecked havoc" around the house. I miss those days.

She has alot of energy, and in your opinion, she is releasing this energy in a destructive way. Why not get a cat tree? She will use tons of energy climbing and playing in it. Her behavior needs to be redirected and this is a perfect way to do it. Tire her out.

If in the end, you cannot cope with her and wait it out, please find her a good home with references. People that have had cats before. But please, give her time. She is a normal little one with alot of energy. Hopefully, given a little time and things to release her energy, you will form a bond as we all have with our cats. PS..Petting a cat is known to lower blood pressure. I just visited a nursing home where they have a resident cat...it is good for the people who are living there.

Please don't give up. It may take a little while, but the love she will bring you is so worth it.

 

[farleyv]

Another thought, there are behavior aids. Scattttttt is an automatic sprayer that you set where you don't want your cat to go. It emits an invisible beam of light. When your cat crosses that beam it sprays a harmless bit of air. Scares the cat and hopefully keeps her down. I use it and it works great.

There are also audible alarms. I have one on my stove. Again, works great. Check out online or catalogs. Many things available. Sometimes we have to spend a little to teach our cats what is off bounds. Think of your kitty as a 2 year old child. Because, basically that is what she is. There are the terrible twos. They don't last forever. Thank goodness.

Window seats for your cat to watch the birds would help keep her occupied. Try playing with her with a laser beam. My cats LOVE these. Just be careful not to get in their eyes. It tires them out and they have a lot of fun. Its a win win situation.

Please keep us informed.

 

[strange_wings]

Typical kitten behavior. She's trying to play with you like she would another kitten - and at that age they get very rough with each other.

If scratching you is a big issue you could try the kitten sized soft paws. The only thing is you'd have to keep a close eye on her claws because kitten claws grow a lot faster than adult cats' do.

Unfortunately people who rescue young kittens don't really get the choice of when to take them - you probably wouldn't have wanted a kitten knowing how much more trouble they are.

There's a couple things you can do to help. Keep redirecting her to toys and use interact toys like wands and laser pointers to wear her out. Or go for double trouble and get an older kitten/young cat for her to play rough with.

I'd like to say she'll grow out of this, but it will take a while. Now she's like a little kid and in another couple months she'll be like a teenager. Good news is that after a year most cats do start acting like cats instead of hyperactive balls of fur.

 

[otto]

IN addition to all the excellent advice already given, do be sure to spend time playing with her, yourself, every night. She needs interactive Game time with you every day.

40 hours a week is a long time for a young kitten to be alone, she needs you to be focused on her every night.

You are her mother, and she needs you to teach her how to be.

Every evening at the same time, get down on the floor and spend at least a half hour or more playing with her.

Play String on a Stick Games where she can pounce, chase and leap. Play Toss the Crumpled Paper Games, and don't be surprised if she retrieves. Play Catch The Bump Under the Rug. Roll up a newspapers wiggle it for her to pounce on it and watch her wrap her four paws around it and chew it and Bunny Kick it.

She needs you to teach her proper play and to help her burn off the kitten energy.

Keep us posted.

 

[shanynne]

Definitely needs more playtime!!

 

[-_aj_-]

yeah agreeing with what others have said, she needs more playtime with you, i can remember when my girl was that age and acting the same(we were working a=on average back then 50hours a week) so we got her a playmate and they paly together all the time and there was less (playful) agression towards us

 

[siren's daddy]

I guess I wasn't clear enough. She will not come to me during these times. It has nothing to do with me not playing with her. If I try to go to her when she is like this she will fight to get away. She will not even look at me when I call her name. I play with her any time she comes to me until she decides its over. I have spent a ton of money on toys to keep her happy when I am gone. Its the best I can do. I'm not going to quit my job so I can stay home with a cat. I would be homeless in a month.

Sorry if I seem short but as usual I was woke up by her 6 times last night. I can't remember when I slept threw the night last. This is one of the reasons my blood pressure is threw the roof. I need some sleep, and I can't get it with her around.

And when I said she is knocking things off tables I don't mean she bumps things I mean she clears off tables and desks to the point there is nothing left on them. My apartment is totally trashed every day

And I got her at 2 weeks because the mother abandoned her. She was almost dead when I found her.

Again sorry if I seem upset but I am at the end of my rope. She goes from being a great cat to driving me insane every couple days so just when I get relaxed it all starts over again.

I have had 2 other cats before and I don't remember having any problems of this magnitude. I have had to pinch her paw a couple times just to get her to let go when she bites me. she will hang on like a pit bull and hang from my hand, arm, feet, what ever she latches on to. Several times drawing good amounts of blood.

If it is my 40 hour work week that could be causing this I guess I have to get rid of her. But that opens me up to lawsuits when she attacks the new owners. I feel backed into a corner.

 

[-_aj_-]

have you had all your cats previous from 2 weeks old or when they were older as kittens learn certain behaviours at differnt stages of their development through play with their siblings and their mother, and you cant really compare one cat to another they all have different personalities

what you are describing is normal kitten behaviour, both of my cats that are bother over a year old still cct in this way if they dont want to listen to you they wont.

no one has asked you to quit work they have given suggestions to help, for instance using a laser toy when you kitten is in this sort of mood would probably help dramatically as you are distracting their attention away from what they are doing and focusing on something else

 

[mrblanche]

We have one cat that will clear off desks, too. She's even broken a few things, although usually her interest is in pens, papers, etc.

Fifteen weeks old is about the height of the kittenish behavior. However, it sounds like she may have another problem. It could be she's seeing another animal outside. This is called "redirected aggression" and it's not uncommon. If there is another cat (or several) that are "invading her territory," she may be having a problem dealing with it.

 

[mschauer]

Has she been spayed? If not, she *may* calm down a bit after being spayed.

 

[white cat lover]

I've raised kittens from 2 weeks upward - they are often more "behaviorally challenged" than kittens who live with their mothers/littermates, as they do not have the mother/littermates to teach them right & wrong.

 

[Willowy]

I have noticed that orphan kittens frequently turn out a bit odd. Especially if they were raised alone. She sounds a lot like my Silka. Is getting another kitten a possibility? I think she'd do better with a companion, and if you wait much longer she may not accept another cat. A nice male about her age, maybe a bit older (if younger, she may bully him) would be a great addition.

 

[lisar]

Shes old enough to be spayed, and knows you well enough to start introducing a buddy. I would get another kitten who is slightly older 4 months perhaps?

Once you get them introduced not only will she be less lonely but the other kitten will tire her out with the play sessions.

I think having two cats for those of us who work long days, helps our kitties cope. I give both of mine tons of love when I get home. But it doesn't change the fact I leave for a good 10 hours almost every day. On my days off I have class soo.. I'm a busy person.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by Willowy

if you wait much longer she may not accept another cat.

Where do you get this? It depends on each cat as an individual, not age.


To everyone suggesting another young kitten to teach this kitten manners... who's going to teach the new kitten? 4 months is still young enough that it would probably make matters worse (two hyper kittens getting into everything). Besides it's usually 6+ month olds that cannot get rehomed easily.


I have a 3 year old cat that has taken my kittens under wing. He's great with them, plays a lot, and smacks them around when they misbehave.

Yet, he's old enough that he's not leading them in games of "lets get into this".

 

[Willowy]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Where do you get this? It depends on each cat as an individual, not age.

Yes, I was mostly basing that on her described personality. Like I said, she sounds like my Silka, and Silka absolutely will not accept any cats she wasn't raised with. She lives alone in my bedroom at this point and much prefers it. I know MOST cats will accept a new cat at any age (most of mine have no problem at all with new cats), but this one sounds like a real princess, and I think that if the OP waits too long to introduce another cat, she won't like it one bit.

I do think an older boy, 6-18 months old (neutered of course) would probably be best for her. Even older would be fine, if he's playful. If he's too much older he may not want to play with her, though.

 

[killerapple]

I am not an expert on cat behavior.. but with the experiences from my 8 month old kitten, here are some of my thoughts:

I would temporarily remove all "breakable" type stuff. We have many candy dishes and glass objects that are now in closets - until our kitten is old enough to not want to play with everything. Same with things like pens - they're all away from him.

We got a very affordable cat tree from Walmart that goes all the way to the ceiling. It was $40 - pretty good for something that really helps wear out the kitty. Does your kitty respond to cat nip? Figure out something that will help wear her out - whether it's laser pointer, or cat nip on the cat tree, etc. As far as the rough biting, that's from not understanding that's bad. Kitty might not think it hurts you.

Our kitten was quite crazy at that age as well. My husband and I are gone 9 hours a day. He has always kept himself busy. He likes cheap toys too - carrying milk caps. Right now since he's older, he spends a lot of time just watching the birds. If the kitty is teething, let her chew on plastic straws. (We did not leave them out unsupervised - we are paranoid). You may have a little bit of a hellion for a while - but it's the fun of a crazy kitten. Try to be patient and figure out how to re-direct that crazy energy into something else.

Our kitten fell in love with this small scratching post with a little toy on the top - he beat the CRAP out of that thing at 4 months. It was the victim of his abuse. Try to find something that your kitty will understand as the "unleash the fury" - that is not you. Good luck.

 

[oodlesofpoodles]

As for sleep being a main issue, what are your sleeping arrangements? Does your kitty sleep in your room? If so, perhaps you should let her have the house at night, close your door and sleep. I live in an apartment, so i can hear if my cats are getting into things at night. At the moment they don't sleep in my room. Fae is active and playful. When she is in my room with me i get no sleep. On good nights the bedroom door is open so she can sleep with me if she wants. On hyperactive nights i close my door so she can play and i can rest.

Obviously if you do this you have to make sure there is nothing dangerous for her to get in to. Much like when you leave for work. But getting sleep is very important for both of your sakes. With more sleep you will have more patience for her playfulness. I know many cat lovers sleep with all their cats in their bed. I would love to do that but i am a light sleeper, and since I am the one who has to go to work to put food in their bowls, so when it comes to sleep, i do what i find necessary.

The mess is going to happen. Fae is 2 and Sebastian is 5 and sometimes they still make a mess when left alone (more so Fae than Sebastian). For a kitten abandoned so young things are going to be harder. Her aggression and rough play might be because she missed out on litter play. Kittens play rought with eachother and through that play teach eachother what kind of play is acceptable. If a kitten bites a littermate too hard, they get bitten back and the littermate stops playing.

When she bites, get her to release, then stop playing with her for a while. During play time, use something interactive. Lasers, or string on a stick (cat fishingpoles).

Fae is very tempramental too. She will be the most cuddley cat one moment and biting the next. The things i do help keep her behavior under control for the most part.

Another Older cat (i agree it should be closer to adulthood than kittenhood) might be a good idea, but you have to decide that you can muster up that kind of patience.

I wish you luck.

 

[siren's daddy]

Thanks for all the ideas and advice. Again I apologize if I came off harsh. I love my little girl but it gets so frustrating sometimes. I didn't realize that if they loose there mom early that it could have a dramatic effect on them later.

As far as play I play with her when ever she wants. I have gone threw a lot of laser toy batteries. She loves chasing the magic red dot. I also have what seems like a hundred balls with bells rolling around the house, catnip stuffed toys, and anything that seems to interest her ends up on the floor at least for a little while. The oddest to me would be the small tuber wear container thats just big enough for her head. She loves that thing. She has a catnip cardbord scratching thing that rarely gets used, and a cat jungle gym thing for climbing.

As for sleeping she has full run of the apartment. If I'm not in bed she sleeps there but when I'm in bed she sleeps on a chair near my bed most of the time (her choice), she could sleep with me if she wanted but never dose; she wont even cuddle with me if I am in bed. When I first got her she slept right next to my chest for warmth and the heartbeat sound.

I thought about a second cat but I'm worried that if one drives me crazy every couple days then what if 2 made it worse. Then I would be responsible for to cats that drive me nuts. I might do it if they would be good for each other. My problem is this is a very small apartment. But I do know someone that has 2 in about the same amount of space and they are well behaved.

I never thought about her seeing other animals outside. There are some strays (mainly cats with a dog every now and then) that I'm sure come by the windows from time to time.

 

[farleyv]

If you can just wait it out, she will start to calm down. I believe spaying would help. Get boxes and put away all the small things she can damage. When you have a "little child" around, that is what you have to do. I did the same thing with my "human" children years ago.

You can get through this. It does not last forever. She is learning to be a cat.