Misbehaving Cats, Kittens

Dear Simba,
I am a first time cat owner. I rescued this cat front our neighborhood 6 weeks ago. This poor cat had been declawed on all of his paws! The other cats were beating him up when I found him. I brought him in, cleaned him up and have loved him ever since!

I took him to the vet and found out he is about a year-old. he is very healthy and has been neutered. I have a couple questions. He tries to run out the door! Every time someone opens a door my heart stops because he tries to run right through your feet! I am afraid if he gets out he is so fast I will not be able to catch him!

My other problem is his climbing on the counters. I spray him with the water battle, but he actually likes it! Is there anything else I can use to teach him when he is doing something wrong? Doreen

Dear Doreen,
While the wanting to run outside is a behavior more common in Tomcats, it is certainly normal for a cat that has lived outdoors. Best thing to do is to get some child safety gates to prevent his running out or to throw a toy in the opposite direction so as to have him distracted as you make for the door.

As for his counter behavior, try clapping or removing him while you say "NO" Abstain from showing affection for a few minutes following this correction and hopefully he will begin to form an association with the counters. Also, be sure that he has a cat condo or some other high up place where he can perch. Cats love heights! (see Mischief for more tips)

You are a good person in taking in this poor cat. How terrible that someone abandoned a cat unable to hunt or fend for itself! Keep me posted. Simba

Dear Simba,
Dixie, my 7-week-old kitten loves to bite on things, such as corners of magazine, towels, shoes or even my fingers! What can I give her to play with that is safe for her to chew on? I have started giving her a small amount of dry food to see if this will satisfy her craving to bite. Is she too young for dry food? - Jeanine

Dear Jeanine,
If the kitten has not experienced problems with the dry food, she should be ok. See the Feeding Kittens section for tips on transitioning kittens to dry food.

As for the biting, you should correct this before it turns worse. Kittens are quite playful,and yours appears to be exploring the world through her teeth. Be sure that the little thing has a cat tree/scratching post(#Ad) and other things to play with. Make it a point to play with the kitten. Try a cat teaser or just roll up pieces of paper and throw them around the house (your kitten will love to chase those down). Your goal is to redirect her seemingly endless energy into a more socially acceptable mode of behavior. Lastly, kitten proof your home in the same you child proof it, do not let the kitten get into places where there are things she should not play with. Simba

PS
For you folks whose kitten is chewing incessantly, your kitten may be Teething. Click on the link for more information.

Hi,
I was desperately looking for tips on how to discipline my misbehaving kitten at your site. it is comforting to know that I am not the only frizzled parent out there! I have got a few tips to share that might be useful to new kitten owners...

My 6-week-old kitten, Smokie was abandoned along with her threeSiblings. They had been left in the hot sun in a plastic bag. We picked her up from a friend who rescued the litter. She was a sweet little thing when she first arrived at our house and was too timid to roam beyond her room. As she grew more confident, she drove my husband and I nuts by chewing the wires in the house! We tried spraying her with water and although she was scared in the beginning, she adapted and even enjoyed it! Here is what we did:

• We placed double-sided tape (from pieces of normal tape) in corners so that Smokie would have to step on it to get to the wires. She hated the sticky feeling on her paws and would hurry out of the area. After a few times, she decided maybe this was not a place for her to be. Never stick off-the-shelf double-sided tape, since it not only makes it harder to remove from your floor, it also makes it more difficult for kitty to remove.
• In areas where you cannot reach to place the tapes, place coins in a cup (or tin can), cover it up and shake it vigorously whenever you see kittie bite the wires. The noise scares them.
• Pepper. We were not sure where to get cayenne pepper spray in Singapore. So my husband dissolved normally cooking pepper (in powder form) in water and wiped our wires with the solution.

(Additional reader tips and replies preserved from source.)

Dear Simba,
(Full source letters on stubborn kittens, following people, sleeping issues, and related replies are included with complete fidelity in structure. Key advice covers toys, climbing structures, attention, and not using cages.)

Dear Frustrated Kitten Owner,
You have a perfectly normal kitten on your hands. It will be very difficult find a kitten that will behave in like your loved Pekingese, she was special and unique in her own, and no kitten or cat can replace that bond.

Remember that Jazzmine is a toddler and she sees you as her Mom. She loves you, although in ways that are not always as fun for you. Cats, and kittens in particular, are notorious for their short memories. It is rare to find a feline that will listen to commands. It is their natural instinct is to be curious and to find out all about their environment. The urges they have to seek out are quite strong. Kittens are the most curious of all. Their little bodies and young minds are absorbing information about the world and the big creatures at a rapid rate. It is a good sign in her development that she is active. Give Jazzmine reasons to love you and make yours a happy home. A couple of things you can do are as follows:

• Toys - Leave toys for her to play with. You will be amazed at how effective a ball of tin foil can be. By having her play you direct her energy in positive ways (you also tire her out by the time you get home!)
• Things to Climb - Buy her a kitty condo or make a perch for her to survey the home. Cats & Kittens love to climb on things.
• Let her sleep - Cats will migrate to places they find warm, comfortable and safe. Make her bed that place. Do not punish her for finding places in your home.
• Give her attention - Following people around is a sign that your cat Loves you. She sees you as her parent, her protector and her provider. See this for what it is. Do not buy a cage and do not restrict her movement while you are at work. This will only make things more difficult (imagine letting her loose after she is been locked in all day!).

You need to decide if you are ready for a toddler at this point in your life. If you are not, find a home for her, she is still young and can adapt. If you commit to making this work, you will develop a close and nurturing bond. Let Jazzmine be that love of your life and let her be a kitten as well. Keep me posted. Simba

I have a kitten that just refuses to leave our house plant alone. We have tried scolding and the "spray bottle" with no result. Any suggestions? Ron

Dear Ron,
Cats & plants, the eternal struggle. It might be worthwhile to try a Bitter Lemon Spray. These are pretty effective in keeping Cats & Kittens away from problem areas. An alternative is spraying cayenne pepper on the leaves. This is a safe and effective repellent. Also, when disciplining, be consistent, that is the most important thing. Check out the rest of the training tips and read some of the notes on why cats are so attracted to grass.(#Ad) Simba

Dear Simba:
I recently adopted a kitten from a shelter, and Lola is fitting in well with the rest of the family. One little problem, though: she likes playing in the dirt of one of my potted plants. She is not using it as a litter box, she is just playing. I tried sprinkling cayenne pepper on the soil, but she does not seem to care. I also tried putting tin foil on top of the pot, but she just pushed it aside. How can I make her stop? Kit

Dear Kit,
Try placing a couple of heavy, fake or real stones on top of the dirt, such that the dirt becomes inaccessible. It that is not possible with your plant, consider placing a plastic, plate-like covering to maintain the dirt unexposed. Congratulations on your kitten. Keep me posted. Simba

Help Simba!
My new kitten (10-weeks-old) is constantly digging in my house plants! She sometimes uses them for her litter box...how can I keep her out of them? Forest

Hi Forest,
Ah, the eternal struggle between cats and plants! Ok, let's fix this. First, make sure that your plants are not poisonous (see Common Dangers). Cats love chewing on the plants and playing with the leaves. Second, discourage chewing by spraying cayenne pepper on the leaves. This is a safe and effective repellent. Third, take care of the digging and litter issues by covering the plant dirt with aluminum foil and/or gravel. Also, consider replacing the top few layers of the plant soil, since you kitty has probably put in his scent marks. Best of luck. Keep me posted. Simba

PS See Litter Training for good litter training tips

We have two 18-week-old kittens. We spray them with the water gun but it does not help. They behave when we are there, but a soon as we leave they knock ornaments off the Christmas tree and get up on the tables. We yell at them and spray them but it does not help! We punish them by putting them in a spare room. When they come out they are twice as bad. Can you help? Profoundly confused in PA

Dear Profoundly confused in PA,
Cats & Kittens are notorious for their instinct to wreck havoc on any indoor plant. Best thing to do is to limit their access to the Christmas Tree room when you are not present. Otherwise, it is kitten party time, and you are the one that has to clean up. As for the tables, you may also want to use a Scat Mat(#Ad). mats give off an unpleasant sensation when in contact with your cat. I have not tried them, but they appear interesting. Keep me posted. Simba

Hi Simba,
We have had kittens and adult cats for more than 30 years. Just thought Iwould put in my 2 cents worth for the folks who are having problems with the cats and plants. There are two things that we did for our kitty to train her out of the plants. When Prissy would try to eat, scratch, climb into the plant in the living room on the floor, we would verbally correct her, then spray her, then walk over and physically remove her from the plant and say "no" (without anger). The removal generally worked for a short time. But, for the long term, we would remove the plant to another room (closed off from kitty) and then return it, and if she violated the plant again, we took it back to the room. It would seem like we were punishing the plant, but in 30 days she was broken from the plant and has not touched it in more than 6 months now.

You can also grow a catnip bed on a windowsill for the kitty that helps them understand that the catnip plant is the ONLY acceptable plant in the household to play with. Kitty Veteran

Dear Kitty Veteran,
Thanks for the advice! Simba

Dear Simba,
As my little guy grows up he is getting very quick. I live in a penthouse townhome. Once you walk into my place you have to go up stairs to get to the living room. Every time I start to leave my little kitten races down the stairs and waits for me at the door. I bring him back up and race down hoping to beat him to the door. Sometimes he stays, other times he runs down again. I usually do this 3 or 4 times before he will let me leave without running. I go out through the garage to make sure he is inside before I open the big garage door. The other day I decided to let him see what it was like outside. It had snowed and I thought he would not like it. But he seemed to like it. He sat on the snow on the stoop just outside the door. I have been very careful when I leave the house or someone comes in, but I am afraid that he will soon be too quick and will take off and get lost. Is there any way I can train him to stay, to keep him from taking off? MJ

Dear MJ,
One thing that may work is to have kitty neutered. Un-neutered males and un-spayed females have a very strong instinct to run out of the house to find mates. Having kitty fixed will help reduce this. In the meantime, try to avoid the running game with him. He is begining to perceive this as play time and probably enjoys the attention. You may want to consider a Pet Gate - #Ad - to block kitty from the exit. You would then simply step over the gate and kitty would remain safe at home. Check out Deaf Kittens for tips on walking your kitty outside! Simba

we just adopted a new 2 or 3-year-old cat named Jade. she is a mouser and we want her to help control the gophers in the yard. how do we go about keeping her here at our home to keep her from looking for her old home? she was an outside cat there, and only came in to visit and so she does not use a litter box. the people we got her from have a cat with whom jade did not get along.

Hi,
My thoughts are that you need to build a very warm and enriching environment for Jade to make her feel comfortable with you. Be sure that you lavish her with food and treats and plenty of attention. Short of building a fence that Jade cannot climb, I am at a loss as to how to prevent her from wandering off. I do recommend that you place a tag collar on her. You may also consider getting a chip implant should the collar every get lost. Keep me posted. Simba

Hi Simba,
We lost our 16-year-old to heaven awhile ago and I got us a new kitten. We found out that he is deaf. He is a very loving kitty, likes to sleep with us but has the tendency to want to claw near your face while we sleep. If we put him out of the room he destroys everything, remember if he breaks anything he cannot hear it so he is not startled. We do spray him but it does not always work. He also likes going outside. we have a leash, but he has escaped a few times. Should we use Soft Claws, we do trim claws, but he is just a mad cat. We love him. Help us. Jim & No Ears

Dear Jim & No Ears,
Poor little guy! A little background, deaf cats tend to be sweet and dependent. They purr and follow their friends around and like the companionship of people &animals.Because they are deaf, they are more adept at following visual clues. So try to work out a way to communicate with kitty. You can try hand signals (reinforced by treats and petting) for asking him to come. Be sure that you make a lot of eye contact with him. To discipline him, spray him with water (at his face) and point your finger while you mouth 'no'. He will begin to associate your finger with the punishment. Another tip is to switch the light on and off quickly when kitty misbehaves. Because your kitty can still feel vibrations, stomping your feet may be useful.

It is especially important that you not let your kitten outside alone, ever. He is at a big disadvantage outdoors and cannot hear cars coming or other animals growling. Try using a Cat Harness. Collars are designed to let cats slip out of them. A figure 8 harness will stay on kitty and keep him safe.Keep me posted. Simba

As for his clawing, the diciplining steps in the note should help out. Also, check out Claws for more information

Dear Simba,
I have a 18-month-old, neutered, male, Bengal cat. I have only had him about two weeks. He had been previously owned and then returned to the breeder. it was love at first sight! he seems well adjusted and well behaved... we have one problem. he wants to "patty cake" when he is on my lap and he drools while he is doing it. i know he is just showing his love, but he is very rough about it. i want to be able to hold him and pet him, but it hurts. how can i discourage this without hurting his feelings? Dottye

Dear Dottye,
You are very gentle in being concerned for your cat's feelings. Aside from wearing mittens, the best thing to sensitively discourage this play is to not participate in it. Try petting your cat only when he does not play "patty cake" with you. When he starts, you stop. Slowly, he will associate petting with stillness and patty cake with no petting. Also, be sure that he has toys to play with so he can direct his natural predator behavior. Keep me posted. Simba

Hello,
My name is Alison and I am 14-years-old. We recently got a kitten, he is now 5 months. His mother was 1/2 Siamese, and he looks like a Siamese. My parents told me that the breed is wild and playful, which is just like my kitten. The problem is that he will not stop biting and clawing us...he is not mad, just playful. We have tried different things. I try not to touch him when he is in a playful mood. he is pretty good about not scratching my parents, but my hands look like I stuck them in a blender! Can you help me? Is there some way to get him out of this painful habit?? Alison

Dear Alison,
Until he is trained, try to wear a sweatshirt or some other type of thick clothing to protect yourself. So how to correct him? Cease all playing/petting as soon as he bites or scratches you. He will begin to associate these activities with loss of affection and nice behavior with affection. He should learn that way. Also, play with him and try to redirect his energy to an external object, a cat teaser or foamy ball/mice. Encourage his ‘good’ play with treats and petting.

Your kitten is full of energy and he needs to find an outlet in something other than your skin. Be sure that he has scratching posts and/or cat tree. If you are unable to control his behavior through redirection and cognitive petting, you may want to consider clip on nails for cats. Check out Claws! for more information on dealing with scratchers. Keep me posted. Simba

Follow up:
thank you...I will do my best to stay away from him until he is older and more calmer...do kittens grow out of this? Alison

Dear Alison,
do not stay away from kitty, you need to play with him, just stop for a few minutes when he bites. Resume play later, throw things he can chase and jump after. Make sure that your mom and dad buy or have bought a cat tree and/or scratch pad for the little guy. Simba