Teenage Kitten Behavior...sigh

[dorkbait]

Hi all! So in August of last year I added a 4th cat to my little clowder, a 10-week-old girl I named Zosia. She's not the first kitten I adopted (my boy cat, George, was 12 weeks old when I got him 10 years ago) so it's not my first time at the rodeo, but I just wanted to vent out a little frustration about how naughty adolescent kitties are!

I was super careful to socialize her really well as a kitten - she learned that biting and swatting hands was unacceptable, and I also focused on getting her to allow being handled and picked up without squirming or struggling. I got her used to having her paws and feet handled, and tried (key word: tried, lol) to get her used to being brushed at the suggestion of my vet. In fact, she was SUCH an angel at the vet office that he complimented me on her! She was so good, didn't struggle at all, just calmly let him examine her.

Fast forward a few months and we are in the midst of the terrible teens; she's about 10 months old now. My sweet as sugar little kitten has become...well, less sweet. She was never particularly cuddly, and never wanted to sit on laps, but now she more or less doesn't want me to pet her at all. Despite bribing her with treats, she absolutely DOES NOT WANT to be brushed, and will swat and attempt to bite sometimes - which is a pain, because she grew in a massively fluffy coat that's extremely prone to matting. She loves getting into anything and everything, and pesters even George, to whom she is extremely bonded, to the point that even he is done with her sh*t, lol. I've been through this with him as well - I remember that George wanted nothing to do with me as an adolescent either, unless he was falling asleep, and he was super crazy and destructive. I know that baby Zosia will grow out of her naughtiness and her sweet temperament will return. But it's still stressful, so I wanted to post here and see if you all can commiserate with tales of naughty teenage cats, and if you have further suggestions about how to get this fluff monster to accept the brushing she desperately needs.

 

[Etarre]

My adolescent kitty (about 10-11 months old, we think?) also hates to be brushed, although she clearly is a bit itchy and rubs up against everything in the house looking for back scratches.

Since she had a favorite corner that she would rub up against while 'helping' me make dinner every night, we wound up getting her a brush that attaches to your wall. She loves it, and now brushes herself. I'm not sure how well it would work with a long-haired cat, but maybe it would help get her used to the sensation of being brushed.

Here's a link:

We did buy heavy-duty putty to attach it to the wall, since reviewers said the supplied stickies weren't sufficient. So far, so good.

When I was a kid, I always hated having my hair brushed, so I can understand how a long-haired cat might find it painful to get all those mats out. With my Juniper and her short kitten hair, I'm not sure why she is so brushing-averse. Maybe it just involves too much sitting still, which is tough for those teenagers!

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, teenage cats are generally brats. You can try brushing her when she is asleep or very sleepy. Usually they still really konk out at her age and she might sleep through most of the grooming. And if you have an enclosed shower you can try bringing her in there with some treats. Something about the small space and having no place to run calms them down and the food distracts.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to The Cat Site. Sorry your little Zosia is going through her terrible teens. Sorry if I missed it, but has she been spayed?

Since you have your own little clowder, perhaps you'd like to introduce them in our New Cats on the Block forum. We love pictures, BTW.
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

 

[danteshuman]

Ummmmm my "perfect" cat was an angel as a teen. I swear. I call him my 'baby bear' because I can hold him/carry him around and he is so soft & cuddly. Then there is my punk Dante *sigh* When he was a teen OMG I just about pulled my hair out! Hyperest cat I have ever known. Every time I saw his periscope tail circling around the coffee table I knew he was looking for trouble. I used to call him my little terrorist of doom! He got downgraded to punk Seriously he responds to bud better than his name, because every time I'm happy with him I call him bud. When he was a young cat around 18 months old I had to create a name chant while I played with him just so he could hear his name in a positive way ... since most of the day I was saying "Dante!" in that stern mom voice to tell him to knock it off (usually to quit hunting his brother.)

About brushing, I always give my boys a treat after I annoy them. It also serves to tell them when it is over. You might try that ... or brushing a few strokes while she is asleep? I swear by my kong rubber brush because it is nice on their skin instead of those evil metal brushes. Also the static attracts hair. I turn it over to get all the hair up off my blanket after I brush them.

KONG Cat ZoomGroom Multi-Use Brush

 

[Lari]

My girl is a shorthair and I just use a soft human dry brush once in a while, but that wouldn't be good for mats and tangles.

I hear you on the teenager thing, though. Lelia's 11 months, and while generally a very good cat, I have noticed that when I get home and she's at the door she doesn't greet me so much - she sees I'm there and walks into the bedroom for playtime, coming back several times and meowing at me if I'm not fast enough. Brat.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Hi all! So in August of last year I added a 4th cat to my little clowder, a 10-week-old girl I named Zosia. She's not the first kitten I adopted (my boy cat, George, was 12 weeks old when I got him 10 years ago) so it's not my first time at the rodeo, but I just wanted to vent out a little frustration about how naughty adolescent kitties are!

I was super careful to socialize her really well as a kitten - she learned that biting and swatting hands was unacceptable, and I also focused on getting her to allow being handled and picked up without squirming or struggling. I got her used to having her paws and feet handled, and tried (key word: tried, lol) to get her used to being brushed at the suggestion of my vet. In fact, she was SUCH an angel at the vet office that he complimented me on her! She was so good, didn't struggle at all, just calmly let him examine her.

Fast forward a few months and we are in the midst of the terrible teens; she's about 10 months old now. My sweet as sugar little kitten has become...well, less sweet. She was never particularly cuddly, and never wanted to sit on laps, but now she more or less doesn't want me to pet her at all. Despite bribing her with treats, she absolutely DOES NOT WANT to be brushed, and will swat and attempt to bite sometimes - which is a pain, because she grew in a massively fluffy coat that's extremely prone to matting. She loves getting into anything and everything, and pesters even George, to whom she is extremely bonded, to the point that even he is done with her sh*t, lol. I've been through this with him as well - I remember that George wanted nothing to do with me as an adolescent either, unless he was falling asleep, and he was super crazy and destructive. I know that baby Zosia will grow out of her naughtiness and her sweet temperament will return. But it's still stressful, so I wanted to post here and see if you all can commiserate with tales of naughty teenage cats, and if you have further suggestions about how to get this fluff monster to accept the brushing she desperately needs.

For the brushing part, keep one hand on her and one hand on your brush and see if you feel static. I'm shocked (no pun intended, *groan*, I know, lame!) at how much static I feel when I dry-brush cats or dogs in dry weather. I think the brushing DOES actually hurt and randomly sends small shocks to them.
Keep a spritz bottle of water, or a container or vessel that you can dunk the brush into near by. Dunking or keeping the brush spritzed every few strokes cuts the static down. Don't outlaw the idea of a comb if you're not dealing with matting, a wide toothed comb IMO is easier to handle than a brush! =)

My youngest was a terrorizing hellion when she was a young cat/teenager but I persisted. She's an obnoxiously demanding lap cat now. She hated any kind of grooming but we kept it very short (1-2 minutes, tops, on a good day) and always ended on a good note, when she was calm and relaxed. When she DID relax, I stopped the combing and offered her the option to remain in my lap or a toy, etc...
Brushing often is good with fluffies IMO as matting never happens (or if it does, it's easily removed tangles vs. a big clump that hurts!), so I'd persist, keep it short and sweet and always end on a good note. If she hates brushing, find a spot (usually the croup, aka over the butt that makes their rear end lift) and end on that note. Leave her wanting a bit more brushing in that area when you quit.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Yes, teenage cats are generally brats. You can try brushing her when she is asleep or very sleepy. Usually they still really konk out at her age and she might sleep through most of the grooming. And if you have an enclosed shower you can try bringing her in there with some treats. Something about the small space and having no place to run calms them down and the food distracts.

One of my older girls was an outdoor cat when she came to us as an adult, and she and I never really clicked until one day I gave up grooming and just sat with her, then held her awhile. When I pulled her into my lap, she tensed up like "OMG NO" but after a few moments, I felt her muscles relax. She began to purr and her paws started kneading.
When I groom her or her brother, small spaces are necessary. I choose to bring them into our bedroom, shut the door, and brush them out while I watch TV.
My cats seem to do best in a small room with momentary escape possible, and by that I mean they have ample room to hop off my lap and walk to the closed door, only to have me retrieve them. It's like a weird duel; they can walk away, but can't walk far, I allow this but they can't rush off and hide God knows where.
It's a duel or a dance. Haven't decided yet.

 

[danteshuman]

1Bruce1 thank you for the water idea I'm going to try it. My punk is a super lap cat now. He doesn't always want to be petted but he wants to be on me 4 hours a day or so... plus sleeping by my feet. When he was a teen I just combined cuddles and playtime. Lately I have started holding him belly up and petting his jiggly belly when he won't stop hunting his brother muhahaha ... then of course I play with him for putting up with my annoying him for a minute.

 

[1 bruce 1]

1Bruce1 thank you for the water idea I'm going to try it. My punk is a super lap cat now. He doesn't always want to be petted but he wants to be on me 4 hours a day or so... plus sleeping by my feet. When he was a teen I just combined cuddles and playtime. Lately I have started holding him belly up and petting his jiggly belly when he won't stop hunting his brother muhahaha ... then of course I play with him for putting up with my annoying him for a minute.

Haaa!!! I'm laughing like heck as I have a male cat like this, he likes to stalk to the others for sport and lap time is like some weird sedative; it calms him.
"Punk" is a name I missed on the nick-name thread, as I have a guy here that likes stalking and pouncing on his pals. During the day he cuddles up to them so cutely it ought to be illegal but in the early mornings and evenings he has a personality change and fancies himself a mighty hunter =D