LoveToKnow Cats:AllComments

From LoveToKnow Cats

Comments

Hi Caroline,

Is this a sudden change in behavior? If so, then she may not be feeling well. I would also take a look at any major changes in the household and see if there is something that might have upset her. Cats are creatures of habits.

If her health checks out okay, then you may simply want to isolate her from the other cats and slowly reintroduce her into the household.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I need help with one of my cat - she has been moody and very nasty to my others cats. This's the first. How do I handle

-- Contributed by: Caroline Ortiz

Hi Madeline,

For now, keep the chords in a protector and tucked away. She will likely outgrow the urge to chew through them on her own. The clawing and biting is another issue.

Although there are pros and cons, if it is a situation that you feel is dire, you may want to consider having your cat declawed. She likely is just playing, but the problem is that your skin isn't as tough as that of her siblings and it hurts when she does this.

You could also try telling her no and setting her away or using a spray bottle or shake can. However, these techniques are not always effective with felines.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hello! I have a kitten who was born in early September. She insists on chewing on cords, specifically electrical cords. She has chewed through my cable modem cord, phone cord and also the Christmas tree cord. She also will leap onto the back of my legs and bite till she draws blood. I am in desperate need of advice on how to break her of these bad habits. Please help!

-- Contributed by: Madeline

Hi Frank,

Typically, kittens need to be with their mother until they can eat solid food on their own. You don't mention how old the kittens are. If they are eating dry food and are at least 9 to 12 weeks old, then it's probably fine to go ahead and find them homes. You'll need to see that they are up to date on their shots to protect any other pets in the recipient's home. Since they are outside, you may also want to have some tests run to rule out distemper, cat flu and a few other communicable diseases.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hiya

I have just bought a house and adopted a cat with the house. We dont let her inside and she just brought two kittens home so we made the cat basket warmer and all 3 are there now.

I will get her neutered very soon but was wondering is it ok to take the kittens from her and find them new homes. One of the kittens is very timid and I am afraid it wont survive too long.

-- Contributed by: Frank

Hi Erma,

It sounds like she is probably lonely at night. Is there any way she could sleep in the same room as you, if not your grandson? After she gets used to your routine, she will likely start sleeping through the night or at least not waking you up any more.

Be sure to play with her before bedtime to tire her out too. That may help her sleep better. Remember that she will outgrow some of these behaviors with time.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

i have a 9 week old kitty she cries all night ,wakes me up at 2in the morning crying at my bedroom door ,i got the kitty for my grandson who lives with me he is 13,but he don,t want her in his room cause she wakes him up ,is there anything that i can do ,so we all can get some sleep,

-- Contributed by: erma roberts

Hi Tayla,

Someone once said that if you do the same thing, you can expect the same results. It sounds like a nose tap doesn't really work with this kitten's personality, so we need to find something that will work better to curb her aggressive play. The last thing you want is a grown cat that bites and scratches. Right now, she likely is just being playful and doesn't realize that it hurts.

I would try this:

Watch her carefully whenever you are petting her or playing with her. If she begins to have dilated eyes or lay her ears back, stop giving her attention immediately. Some cats become overstimulated and this leads to aggression.

Never, ever play with her with your hands, like mock boxing, etc. This will give her the idea that you are a toy. Instead, use a cat toy for playtime.

If she does bite or scratch, firmly tell her no, set her away from you and completely ignore her. Walk into another room if you must.

On the other hand, many cats respond very well to positive reinforcement, so if she does stop when you say no, praise her and pet her gently.

Some of these things, she will likely outgrow as she gains maturity and calms down a bit.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

mi kitten is 9 weeks old and can be verynasty on times n bites n scrams most of the time so i taps her on tha nose n says no! but she dosen't seem 2 take any notice. how can i stop her?

-- Contributed by: Tayla

Hi Nadia,

Kittens often engage in behaviors that they might exhibit with litter mates or their mothers. The problem is that our skin (and scalp!) is much more sensitive and it hurts. It is important to train your kitten that certain behaviors are not acceptable, or you'll soon have a grown cat chewing on your hair. Trust me on this, because we have one that still tries it.

Every time she starts to nurse on your hair, pull her away and firmly tell her no and then ignore her. When she comes to you for attention without trying to nurse or do other behaviors that are undesirable, give her extra attention and praise her.

Cats truly do respond best to positive reinforcement. She should learn fairly quickly on her own. Don't worry about stressing her. She has to be taught boundaries. You and your kitten should have many years together as companions, so you'll want to make sure she is raised into a cat you can tolerate. Good luck!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

how do I get my kitten to stop nursing on my hair without stressing her out?

-- Contributed by: naudia

Hi Sofia,

When you are not playing with the kitten, keep him contained in the room with his litter box for a minimum of one week. This will teach him where the box is. In the meantime, thoroughly clean your bed and bedding with a good enzymatic cleaner, which you can purchase at any pet supply store. That way, he will not smell the urine and return to that spot. Good luck!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

hi there i have a new kitten he's 4 weeks old and his name is blaze. I am not a cat person and he is my first baby cat ever lol, and i was wondering how do i get him to stop peeing on my bed!!

-- Contributed by: Sofia

Hi Derek,

It really depends more on the personalities of the cats then on the sex, in my experience. If your current cat is territorial, it would be best to try to get a docile cat. You'll also want to watch the kitten closely and keep him/her separated until the size isn't an issue any longer. I would not leave the adult cat alone with the kitten at any time. We have a wonderful article on how to introduce a new cat into the household.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Im interested in getting a kitten and i was wondering if it would matter what sex it was. Because I already have 5 year old female cat and wondered if the sex mattered if they would get along better or not and my cat is fixed. If you could help me that would be greay. Thanks, Derek

-- Contributed by: Derek

Hi Raqi,

Cats are very independent and sleep a number of hours a day. She will likely adapt as long as your home in the evenings and on the weekends. Keep in mind that all kittens like to do things such as claw furniture and climb curtains. They usually outgrow it by the time they are grown. You will want to keep his/her nails clipped and probably have a contained area at first when you are not at home. This is for the kitten's safety. You should also "kittenproof" your home.

Good luck! A cat is a great pet and fairly self-sufficient.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi...I had cats as a child, but never one of my own in my adult life and I'm 38 now. My brother has a cat that just had 4 kittens and they are abou 6 wks old. I'm thinking of adopting one, but concerned she'll be lonely all day as I work full time and no one else is at home to play with. Will she adapt or just be lonely and take it out on my furniture? Am I destined to have to adopt 2 of them since they've been together since birth? I'm really not ready for 2 as it took a lot to decide to adopt 1. What do you think? Appreciate your help and feedback.

-- Contributed by: raqi

Hi Maxine,

Some people swear by getting the plastic runners (like for carpets) and turning them wrong side up just under the area you don't want the cat to jump. It's worth a try and an inexpensive solution :)

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

How can I keep my 6 month old kitten from climbing up on the kitchen counter? I've tried spraying him, scolding him, yelling at him, and even popping him (carefully). What's left?

-- Contributed by: MAXINE

Hi Brittany,

Three months is still very young, so there is plenty of time to train him. On the wires, try to tie them back and keep them away from him. Just as you'd babyproof your house for a child, you must kittenproof your house for a baby cat.

It sounds like this kitten may respond better to positive reinforcement than negative, so try praising him when he does what you want instead.

Obviously, biting and attacking isn't acceptable. Likely, he is just playing, so try to divert his attention with a cat toy. Firmly tell him no if he bites you and then replace with the toy.

I think he'll outgrow a lot of these behaviors as he matures.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

i have a male kitten almost 3 months old. he consistantly does things he's not suposed to. like go into areas hes not suposed to and chews on wires. i spray him with water but it doesnt seem to fase him anymore he'll run but go right back to doing it instantly. i dont know what to do and my boyfriend is getting really mad about it. what else can i do? then he bites and attacks us when we are sleeping. and he meows like somebody died when we are in another room and we have the door shut. i think hes scared to be alone. what can i do?

-- Contributed by: brittany

Hi Daniel,

Sounds like it is definitely time to get her spayed. Talk to your local Humane Society and animal shelters about any potential financial help they might have to offer for sterilization.

As for the counters, you can try taking plastic runners for floors and turning them wrong side up. This will leave little pointy spikes sticking up. Place this on the floor under the object you do not want the cat to jump on. You'll need to leave it there for a while to train her. Hope that helps!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi! I have a kitten, Kyra, that is about 7 months old. She recently has become a very naughty cat in that she keeps jumping up on tables and more recently the kitchen counter, much to my mother's disgust and anger. She never used to do this and has just started and does it all the time. We tell her no, have tried spraying her... we've even resorted to putting tape on the counter. But she still does it. How can we keep her off the counters and stuff?

Also, recently she's been very moody which has mad me mad cuz ill just be nice and petting her and then she'll attack me. Literally. Her ears will go back she make a growling noise and snap at me. She's kinda always had an attitude, but never this bad. We haven't gotten her spayed yet due to financial issues, but plan on it in the near future. Hopefully this will help, but do you know anything else that could help?

Thanks!!! Daniel

-- Contributed by: Daniel

Hi Jackie,

It sounds like he is playing. He just doesn't realize how much those claws and teeth hurt. The spray bottle doesn't work with every cat. There are a couple of things I would try, since the traditional methods have not worked.

Keep his nails trimmed very short. You can also place plastic caps on them as well.
Tell him no firmly when he attacks and then ignore him completely. Do not pick him up or talk to him further.
Praise him when you walk past and he does not use his teeth and nails.
Do not play rough with him at all, ever, as this may encourage his behavior.

Also, he will likely outgrow some of this behavior once he is an adult cat, but now is the time to stop the biting. Hope some of this helps!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I have a male traditional Balinese. He's about 8 months old. I can't get him to stop biting or scratching when he plays. He thinks its funny to hide and when someone passes run up and bite their leg. It's weird because he will sometimes play good and not use his nails or teeth but at random, it seems he gets too excited, he will use his claws and bite. I've tried everything from spraying him with a water bottle which now he has learned to just scratch the hand spraying the bottle and also picking him up and keeping him in the closed bathroom for a while. But, all he does is cry and doesn't seem to learn his lesson. Do you have any recommendations?

-- Contributed by: Jackie

Hi, Rachel,

The desire to go outside really depends upon the cat. I have a Siamese who has never been outside and shies away from an open door. On the other hand, I have a calico that has been declawed and tries to dart out an open door. Should you let her outside? This is a personal decision. I used to let my cats go outdoors at will in our old neighborhood. However, since moving, I have come to the realization that this is not the safest option for them and they are now strictly indoor cats. I only have two cats now, though, as one died of old age a couple of years ago.

Also, has she only been declawed in the front paws or the back paws as well? Although it is harder, the cat can still climb a tree if she has back claws.

There are also a lot of diseases your cat can pick up from other cats in the area or strays, so you will want to take that into consideration before letting her outside.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I want to adopt a kitten, but she has already been declawed. She will be an indoor cat for at least 3 years, but if I move somewhere with a backyard, will she have a desire to go outside? I heard cats trained to be indoor cats do not have interest in the outdoors? If this is wrong, is it safe to let her outside?

-- Contributed by: Rachel

Hi, Kurtis. Thanks, so much. Be sure to visit our Ask the Cat Experts page too. People propose questions and there is a lot of up-to-date information on that page that changes almost daily.

Warmly,

Lori Soard

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I think your addvice is great and that I may come back to this web site

-- Contributed by: kurtis knight

Good information! I can relate with the biting and was wondering how to stop it with my 9 week old cat. This works well.

-- Contributed by: Alicia
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