Tips for a first-time cat owner?

[meggers8806]

Hi everyone, I've posted in the New Cats on the Block section, but I figured for this question I would post here. I'm the proud new momma of an adorable 9-week old kitten, Lux. She's great. I just had a few questions- what's the best way to teach her to "play nice" with me? She's pretty good, but occasionally when she's feeling very playful, she tries to pounce on/attack my feet, and it can be pretty painful with those razor sharp kitten claws. I've tried a technique I've read online and seen on TV, where you completely freeze when this happens, so the kitten learns that playtime stops when she does this. This technique isn't really working for me. It works ok if she goes for my hand, but I've also mastered having a pink monkey to swap out with my hand if she tries that. Also, the attacking my feet thing seems to happen more if I'm sitting in the floor cross-legged, with my feet under my knees. Although sitting any way any wiggling a toe or stretching my foot seems to make her wanna go for it. Should I invest in those Soft Paws things? Online it says she's too young for them right now. Will clipping her claws prevent it from being painful when she does scratch? I have a few accidental scratches from her jumping off my leg or my shoulder (little girl loves to climb!) I just got her a rather tall cat tree yesterday, so I'm hoping that helps somehow, lots of scratching surfaces that she loves using. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I just love my new family member so much, and want to make this the best experience for both her and myself. Thanks everyone!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mingking]

Congratulations on your new kitty family member!! 

I don't deal with this personally but have come across posts where people have asked the same thing. Members have suggested the following:

• Play time, play time, play time! Since she's a kitten, she has so much energy so you really have to poop her out. I'm a big believer in playing before mealtimes and finding toys cats can catch so they get that satisfaction. I notice my cat becoming more destructive when I miss a few days of our routine play times (He'll start knocking things off my counter after meal times... 
  
  ). So, I'd find a play time-meal time routine that works for both of you. 
• Try throwing a decoy toy when you see her about to pounce at you, like a ball or toy mouse so she'll pounce at that instead of your feet. 
• Block off places of ambush so she can't hide and attack you without you noticing. So that might mean blocking off under the couch or a drawer if that's possible for you.

Hopefully others chime in with more help  

 

[molly92]

Kittens are very determined when it comes to playing! Some behaviors you kind of have to put up with for a while, although occasionally when a cat does not get taught well what hurts and what is acceptable play, it can become a problem they don't outgrow. This usually happens when people play with kittens with their hands and accidentally teach them that body parts are great toys, so be very careful not to do that or let any visitors who come to see the adorableness teach her to do that!

Kittens usually learn that claws and teeth hurt by playing with other cats, which is one of the advantages to raising kittens in pairs. However, if another kitten is not in the cards for you, you can still make it work. The freezing is a very good technique and I recommend keeping that up. A hand or foot that jerks away like a little animal is irresistible! Kittens are very persistent experimenters, though, so she's just going to keep trying until she's completely satisfied that your toes actually aren't the best toy. You just have to be more determined than she is. Since she loves toes so much, maybe you can try wearing socks and see if that makes them any less appealing. You can also try indicating that you don't like it in a "cat" way, by crying out in pain like a little kitten (be really loud and sharp so you can really surprise your kitten!) or by hissing like a mother cat. Sometimes that works really well, and sometimes the kitten just shrugs it off. 

Redirection is also helpful. If she wants to grab and kick, have a nice big toy for her to sink her claws into ready to go. If she wants to pounce on something in motion, wand toys with little mice or birds or feathers on the end are great. The goal is to teach her to go for that specific toy when she gets those urges. Again, it will take a lot of repetition to teach her anything, though.

Trimming nails will definitely help. It makes the edges blunt so they're not razor sharp, and it's good to get your kitten used to having her paws handled at a young age! The scratching she does will take off some nail, but each layer beneath the old nail has a nice sharp point ready to go, so trimming is really the best for making them a bit less painful.

Mostly, she's likely to get more careful with her claws as she gets older. Softpaws are a good option if it's still an issue at all, but the majority of cats learn the appropriate times to put their claws away as they mature.