Kitten Takes Old Cat Food Containers Out Of The Bin

[Simsurf]

Hi my first post, and I haven't been able to find anything about this behavior elsewhere on Google yet. So my little four month old kitten goes through the garbage and pulls out kitten food sachets and hides them. I just found a whole stash under the bed. I've also seen him walking around the house with then in his mouth.

I've can't think why he would do it!

 

[susanm9006]

First, are you sure this kitten is getting enough to eat? In addition to wet food a few times a day it also needs kibble left out day and night. If it is not hungry this could still hunting and prey behavior, which is instinctive. Get a garbage can with a locking lid or keep it away in a closet.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And the packets still SMELL like his food! They're naturally going to attract him, especially if he is hungry. At four months, he should have wet food three times a day, and dry 24/7. They are insatiable at that age becaue they are growing so fast and using calories like a Cadillac burns gas!

 

[Simsurf]

Yes he gets 3 kitten wet for meals a day, plus a small bowl of dry food and a small bowl of lactose free watered down kitten milk.

Oh well I guess it's not destructive behavior so I'll let him get away with it

 

[KarenKat]

How cute! Olive does similar things, and she's 3 years old. She has clawed/chewed open our recycling bag at the corner to try and get at old cat food cans (that were fairly thoroughly rinsed). We clean her bowl with a silicone sponge, and she steals that off the sink and plays with it. She has also gone garbage diving if any human or cat food was recently thrown away. We try and seal garbage and thoroughly rinse things, but since it's not destructive either we just laugh and pick up whatever it is.

How cute that she is creating a treasure trove though! One smart kitty!

 

[amethyst]

As others have said it's likely he still smells food in the containers. I would be careful though, you don't want him actually chewing the packages and swallowing pieces of them if it's the plastic pouch kind, or getting cut if it's the cans. Also keep in mind what else is in the trash, you don't want him eating something he shouldn't. Also unless it's a shallow trash can or has no trash bag in it I would also be worried about the kitten getting stuck and/or suffocating in the trash bag.

 

[lalagimp]

We got a heavy 11 gallon Simplehuman trash can when we just moved to this location last month. I am NOT having the boys go through the garbage. They'll do it, too. I also wanted to make sure the trash can was heavy enough that The Blue Thunder can't take it down during zoomies.

Your description of this situation with your kitty reminds me of when I used to have a ferret.

 

[Simsurf]

Thanks for all the input guy's and girls much appreciated. He doesn't seem interested in anything else in the bin. He just seems to any of good food containers. Finding them, walking around the house holding them in his mouth, and stashing then under the bed. He found another one just as I was writing!

Now his other behaviors!

He still sucks my shirt, which I'm hoping he will grow out off...

And be can get really aggressive when he wants to play and gets over excited e.g he launches himself into the air and latches onto my arm/leg with term and claws. It didn't worry me at the start, but yesterday he drew blood twice from my hand. His mouth is getting bigger!

 

[Anime Chick]

Thanks for all the input guy's and girls much appreciated. He doesn't seem interested in anything else in the bin. He just seems to any of good food containers. Finding them, walking around the house holding them in his mouth, and stashing then under the bed. He found another one just as I was writing!

Now his other behaviors!

He still sucks my shirt, which I'm hoping he will grow out off...

And be can get really aggressive when he wants to play and gets over excited e.g he launches himself into the air and latches onto my arm/leg with term and claws. It didn't worry me at the start, but yesterday he drew blood twice from my hand. His mouth is getting bigger!

Your best bet to resolve that is by giving him extra play and re-directing him to toys when he starts to get like that.

Another thing I always use with my cats to help them learn not to do that is to verbally train them not to. Kittens don't INTENTIONALLY act overly rough, they need to be told its too much. When with the litter-mates the other kittens will typically tell them when its too hard. You also have to do the same.

A firm--but not over-aggressive--'No', 'gentle', or even just giving a firm 'OW' to let him know he hurt you should help.

You'll know what works when you see him visibly acknowledge what you said and that it hurt and in unwelcome.

Once you get him to that point he may still play rough but he'll be gentle about it. Meaning he will learn to control how hard he bites and to keep his claws in.

My little boy likes to play rough too and until I told him 'gentle' when it came to myself or my older cat, he would go too rough. Once I got him to that point now hes so gentle even if he nibbles on someones finger they just coo at how cute he is and have no issue with pain.

Cats aren't dogs but it doesn't mean they don't want to please someone they adore either. Just teach him its not nice by doing that and he'll stop. Be more firm if you have to in your tone till he stops, then tell him hes a good boy and give him a few pets or a treat for being good~.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

He still sucks my shirt, which I'm hoping he will grow out off...

Hekitty's chosen spot is the inside of my right elbow. I now look like I have some obscure skin disease from the kneading. I'm convinced she'll outgrow this. She's only ten years old now.

 

[danteshuman]

I'm wondering if you got a trashcan with a lid that opens by sensing a hand (or trash) plus sprayed the trash down with vinegar every time you put his wet food can/pouches in, if that would stop his behavior?

The suckling? Ahhh it is adorable!!!

The play aggression? Tell him no, firmly (or hiss at him) then ignore him for 15 minutes. Also play with him for 20-30 minutes 3 times a day. You can not play with him to much! Make sure all play is with toys only. Setting up a bird watching window perch helps to.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Thanks for all the input guy's and girls much appreciated. He doesn't seem interested in anything else in the bin. He just seems to any of good food containers. Finding them, walking around the house holding them in his mouth, and stashing then under the bed. He found another one just as I was writing!

Now his other behaviors!

He still sucks my shirt, which I'm hoping he will grow out off...

And be can get really aggressive when he wants to play and gets over excited e.g he launches himself into the air and latches onto my arm/leg with term and claws. It didn't worry me at the start, but yesterday he drew blood twice from my hand. His mouth is getting bigger!

Do you know what his life was like before he came to you? I'm wondering, with the suckling and the crazy kitten stuff, if he was a singleton kitten or removed from mother/litter too early.
I just posted a few days ago about a tiny kitten of my neighbor that playfully launched at my face and did draw a bit of blood, but it was play!
They don't know that their teeth and claws hurt so you can underline this point by replacing your legs/arms with a toy, and if he still goes for them, just walk away into an area of the house he has no access to. The point gets made quickly. Play too rough, your playmate says "I'm outta here" and leaves!

 

[susanm9006]

Years ago one of mine loved to tip the garbage can and dig through it and I had no enclosed space to put it. I ended up buying a large planter hoop, attaching it to the side of a cabinet and setting the wastebasket inside it. Totally, completely untippable.

 

[tinydestroyer]

One of mine goes through the recycling for the tins. I can always hear him skidding them across the floor, though. I have to throw them in the trash (I have that bruiser of a trash can listed above.) My kitties both do the suckling (which I think is cute,) but I got them each a special fleece blanket, which they prefer. That way the kneading doesn't hurt my lap with their claws, and the suckling doesn't ruin my clothes or furniture.

 

[1 bruce 1]

One of mine goes through the recycling for the tins. I can always hear him skidding them across the floor, though. I have to throw them in the trash (I have that bruiser of a trash can listed above.) My kitties both do the suckling (which I think is cute,) but I got them each a special fleece blanket, which they prefer. That way the kneading doesn't hurt my lap with their claws, and the suckling doesn't ruin my clothes or furniture.

If I leave the storage door shut that has a lidless trash can that stores food containers/etc. cracked 1/1000'th of a millimeter, we'll wake up at 1:30AM to the sound of a tin cat food can flying across the floor as the cats play a rip roaring game of hockey.