My Kitten is Evil! What to do?

patchwork_cat

That kitten looks stuffed ugggh

LDJ2009

Thank god for this thread

My kitten is 6 months old and the devil in disguise !

We have an older cat and the kitten pounces on her, tries to pin her down and then bites her neck.

They really don't get on and i swear the older cat hates me for bringing the kitten into her life as she used to be a right soppy thing but now i get dirty looks from her all of the time

rita-rabbit

I'm afraid even if cat gets on with kitten their energy levels differ & often the cat is jealous of the kitten - you have to try & ensure you pet the older one to avoid too much of reaction displays (a bit like with children). With my two the indoor (younger) one is still more active than the older one - now they are adults. I have decided that it is better to leave the catflap unlocked if I am away for longer periods than usual - as the older one can end up bullying the younger one so it's better for the older one to go walkabouts in the general outdoor locality than be `locked' in with the younger one.

The younger one did used to pounce on the older one (younger one has a tear in her ear from kittenhood she received in retaliation from her older `brother') in very much the same manner. Younger was company for the elder but actually is only tolerated.

maggie111

My partner's Mum is a cat breeder, and we have a cat of our own (although I admit when he was a kitten he wasn't half as nutty as some on here!)

For brand new kitten people, as soon as the kitten does something naughty you must act. The first time, it's got to be cute as he paws your legs and tries to climb up... when he hits 6 months old, weighs a lot more with much sharper claws it's not so cute!

First thing I should say is that kittens have a "scruff" - somewhere between their neck and shoulder blades where the skin is looser and elasticy. When fussing your kitten one night have a go at lightly "grabbing" their skin in that area - if you find a mass of it, that's the "scruff".. Too high and you'll choke the poor thing and too low and it's effect is useless. Grabbing and pulling slightly on the scruff can have an almost hypnotic effect on some cats. When cat's mothers carry their little ones, they pick them up by the teeth in this area and it stops them wriggling. It's supposed to be instinctive and calm them right down.

When your cat is misbehaving, scruff them and pick them up (I would be tempted to go one hand under the belly and one hand on the scruff so their weight is not fully supported by the scruff) and say a firm, scary NO, and then put them down, away from the naughty area. Our cat used to do something naughty, we'd follow the above steps and he'd slink back to the wires he was chewing, or whatever, and I would watch him and say in a deep voice "I see you"... he would slow down and carry on sneaking on over and as he lifted a paw, or went to bite I would say NO, or do a loud sound, perhaps vocally, or banging on the desk hard to scare him. I might have to do that once or twice but he'd eventually go find something else to do.

If they're scratching somewhere naughty, you must have a scratching matt, or post, and carry them to the scratching post, place them and pick up their paws and move them over the scratching area - as if you're saying this is how you scratch, and this is where you do it. They will eventually learn that when they want to scratch, that's where they go and do it. I would not shout NO if you see them scratching naughtily, as they might bolt - just walk over, pick them up and move them to the correct spot. Once they get a bit older, a quick NO should sort it.

Personally, if my pet was like a cat possessed I wouldn't get cat nip, doesn't it make them high and more nuts? I thought it would be like giving a kid with ADD a bag of sugar?

You don't need to spend a lot of money on cat toys for them to have fun. You must invest in a scratching post and an independent toy or two. Our cat has a similar thing to this http://www.petsathome.com/shop/cheese-chase-3-in-1-cat-toy-by-petstages-15058, and a few furry mice. I avoid the plastic things with bells in because I inevitably step on them and crack it into shards of plastic lol. He also LOVES one of this http://www.petsathome.com/shop/fish-danglers-cat-toy-by-jolly-moggy-15094

Cats love anything simple, and their favourites are often something as inexpensive as a bottle top on a hard floor, and especially the tops off aerosols on any surface, as they don't roll straight.

For clipping their claws, my fella's Mum uses simple human nail clippers http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Finger-Nail-Clipper_929532/ . In fact I thought I would make our life easier for our cat and buy special cat clippers and they ended up almost shattering the nail. For me, I do this as a two person job... But essentially, once you get the paw, push down on top of in-between their toes, and their nail should slide out, trim off a few millimetres of the white bit. You will see nearer their paw there is a light pink to some of their nails, and simply, the nail that has pink in it is living, (like our nails) and it wont hurt them where it is pure white. And always err on the side of caution... If you do this regularly you wont need to want get as much off as possible in one go! Turn the nail clippers sideways on to their nail, the opposite of how you would cut your own and they don't even feel it.

Oh, and as for the posts about wet food and dry food - if you want to feed your cat wet food, especially if it has problems like mouth ulcers etc... Don't forget they can have things like ham, or raw mince to spice up their food. It's very good for them and they love it The MIL will quite often dish up a tin of whiskers, mash it up with some mince, or shred some cheap wafer thin ham on it and occasionally, sprinkle some dry food onto their wet food for a treat.

My goodness, who knew I had so much to say about cats??? Don't want to preach to the converted but I hope some of the people who are new to being cats get some help from this, I've spent a lot of time around them and must have got more knowledge than I thought!!

I'd berate the previous owner for smacking her cat, but plenty of other people have already done that. I hope you now know better

maggie111

Aputsiaq wrote: »

|Dont clip her claws. She doesnt need them clipping and it will only distress her.
If she jumps up smack her and shove her off. She will get the message.
She does not understand NO. She is a little kitten and wants to play.
She probably left mum far too early and isnt coping well so is using you to learn. Thats why you need to smack. Bite her ear if you prefer. She needs to understand that it hurts by you shocking/hurting her.

Aarrgh,,, Can't not respond...

Cats do need their claws clipping if they're razer sharp and long. Cats claws end up curling round underneath if they can't maintain them, and they can be painful. Perhaps your cats are avid tree climbers and it keeps them trim but not all cats are able to wear them down as quick as they can grow them.

Cats don't understand NO but they do understand a sharp short sound as well as any animal and can certainly appreciate tone. Any cat will tell her kitten off by "shouting" at her (and biting her scruff). The word may not be understood, but cats should view it as a warning noise.

By all means bite your cat whilst it is 'bunny kicking', if you don't mind getting your face scratched off. And you should never hit anything smaller than yourself - you can't get any idea of how much it hurts, and physical pain is never a healthy deterrent. It will make your cat afraid of you.

Now I have bored everyone, (and almost myself) lecturing about cats. I'll be quite now I promise...

hellokitty08

Thanks to some one on here, me and Ninja got on the new sky one show my pet shame, and had the help of a vet and animal trainer. The scars are still visable on my arms and hands, but ninja hasnt bitten me for about 3 months now and the show worked a treat. If anyone else if having similar problems i reccomend you watch the show as it changed my life.

I dont think Ninja will ever be a lap cat, but she is easier to handle now and i think we have a better life together, she even lets strangers stroke her now and she would have never done that before. I have lots to be thankful for thanks to mse. I would have never been able to afford the animal trainer myself. Sarah was my light at the end of the tunnel, who would have thought you could clicker train a cat!

Lyger

Hee! I called my cat Ninja, for much the same reasons as you!

My little Ninja was a complete handful to - he used me as his personal climbing frame. I'm not sure if he grew out of it, or if I managed to train him out of it. If he started hurting me, I'd gently get him by the scruff (where mummy cat would carry him) and that calmed him down. He did eventually stop attacking me so much. His favourite trick was waiting for someone to be en route to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Heaven help the fool who was wearing a dressing gown with tassles. He did eventually move on to the house plants instead, and by this stage picking him up by the scruff of his neck didn't work - I think he just got too big for it. A few squirts with a water sprayer when we caught him in the act soon stopped that behaviour! Or maybe it was that we started letting him go outside to terrorise the neighbourhood wildlife.

I'm not saying he's calm in adulthood like my previous cats - but he's more manageable, and I wouldn't change him for the world. Give it a couple of weeks, and your little Ninja will calm down to something more manageable to!

Courtmill

I adore my kitten, but she really is a little terror. She's very smart... she LOVES cuddles and insists on being picked up and cuddled the minute I get home. We always have a lay down together and a little nap.

The other day I got up from the sofa after being sat with her for a few hours and went and sat in another room with my partner. The little madam then came bounding into the room, jumped on my lap and slapped me, right across the face. I kid you not... no claws, just soft padded foot, but she full on batted me across the cheek. She's developed this as quite a habit now and I have no idea where it comes from!

She's an indoor cat, so she does have a lot of energy, and I seem to spend my whole life wrestling with her... luckily I can forgive all the scars, because she's the feline love of my life... and seeing her carrying her bed into an Ikea bag will get me everytime.

hellokitty08

Lyger wrote: »

Hee! I called my cat Ninja, for much the same reasons as you!

My little Ninja was a complete handful to - he used me as his personal climbing frame. I'm not sure if he grew out of it, or if I managed to train him out of it. If he started hurting me, I'd gently get him by the scruff (where mummy cat would carry him) and that calmed him down. He did eventually stop attacking me so much. His favourite trick was waiting for someone to be en route to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Heaven help the fool who was wearing a dressing gown with tassles. He did eventually move on to the house plants instead, and by this stage picking him up by the scruff of his neck didn't work - I think he just got too big for it. A few squirts with a water sprayer when we caught him in the act soon stopped that behaviour! Or maybe it was that we started letting him go outside to terrorise the neighbourhood wildlife.

I'm not saying he's calm in adulthood like my previous cats - but he's more manageable, and I wouldn't change him for the world. Give it a couple of weeks, and your little Ninja will calm down to something more manageable to!

Give it a couple of weeks? hahaha, she ripped my arms and hands to shreads over a period of about 8 months! She doesnt mind water so couldnt really use the water pistol, but she is fine now. I picked the name before i even collected her and she was 1 of 4 identical black kittens.

Jacqu79

elisebutt65 wrote: »

Hahahahaha - I had a cat called Spook and he used to do the same right up until he ran off and left after 8 years. His favourite trick was to hide on top of my wardrobe and then wait until I was asleep and launch himself onto my back or tummy. He never grew out of it - sigh!

:rotfl:

My cat is almost 3 and has done this to me ever since she was tiny! It's bloody terrifying at the time!:eek: Feels like a baby elephant has landed on me!:rotfl: