Biting, hyper, unloving lil kitty!

[sazcork]

Hi everyone,

I love cats, I have always loved cats and have had four cats over the years, one still going at the mighty age of 18, but........I really am not getting on too well with our kitten we took in at the start of July. He was found in a ditch, abandoned and unable to walk. Tiny was an understatement. When brought to the vet the next day he told me that our kitten, Bowie, was about 6/7 weeks. With a lot of TLC and time, he recovered and was walking, really boucing through the apartment. Now he is about six months old, he was neutered last month. He has developed a biting habit over the last few months. You cannot stroke him. When you try to show affection he retaliates. He sneaks up behind you on the couch and starts biting your clothes and hair. He physically drew blood from my partner, a massive scratch across his forehead and hands. He only shows affection in the mornings and when you come home from work, he never sits on us anymore. He is like a ninja cat and climbs up the curtains, matrix runs from walls,floors, couches and shelves. I have even caught him up on top of the high kitchen cabinets (the ones fixed high up on the wall). We have a spray gun (which i got for him clawing our landlords couch - to get him away quick). He runs so fast when its even picked up. I am losing my patience.....none of my other cats were like this. I have been considering finding him a new home as he clearly does not like us anymore. I'm devistated as I fell in love with him and basically nursed him back to health....showed so much love....now I'm not sure what to do. Help.

 

[roguethecat]

Would it be possible to get him a playmate of his own age with equal energy? He might never be a lap cat, and he clearly prefers to keep busy at all costs. 

Thank you for saving him!

 

[sazcork]

Unfortunately we can't - we are in rented accommodation, and a first floor apartment. Our landlord allowed us to keep him, I wouldn't want to push it. Especially with the rent crisis in Ireland. He is such a sweetheart really, but he is just getting to be too much. Maybe its his age, but I hoped the snip would calm him down....its made him worse.

 

[roguethecat]

I feel with you. He sounds so much like the Rogue (who needed more than one playmate and still got in trouble every day).

Maybe you can reach out to people who can have two or more cats - probably the more the merrier, and meanwhile try to keep him occupied...

I found crickets are quite good for that, available for purchase at any place that sells reptiles. 

 

[sazcork]

Its a difficult situation, and while I love ny lil man, I am starting to really think he does not like me at all. I came home from work this evening and my partner said that Bowie was such a quiet cat all night with him. He came up onto his lap and was kissing him and snoozing on him then went up to lie on the back of the couch all night, until i came home. Then he started biting our legs.

 

[sazcork]

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• sazcork
• Nov 23, 2016

 

[roguethecat]

he even looks like the Rogue! Best start finding him a place with other hyper kittens, then.

The Rogue mellowed with age, but he also didn't get very old

. He destroyed tons of things that I sentimentally can't throw away because they remind me of him. I'm glad he re-incarnated. Whatever you do, please love him.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Its a difficult situation, and while I love ny lil man, I am starting to really think he does not like me at all. I came home from work this evening and my partner said that Bowie was such a quiet cat all night with him. He came up onto his lap and was kissing him and snoozing on him then went up to lie on the back of the couch all night, until i came home. Then he started biting our legs.

He sounds like he is very high energy. How often and how much do you play with him?

 

[sazcork]

At least two or three times a day....i have a laser which he chases from one end of the house to the other. He has two scratching posts/trees. Toys littering the floors. Multiple toys on strings also.....dont forget my curtains. He hates me i'm convinced. Either that or he is demanding bad attention while im home.

 

[talkingpeanut]

At least two or three times a day....i have a laser which he chases from one end of the house to the other. He has two scratching posts/trees. Toys littering the floors. Multiple toys on strings also.....dont forget my curtains. He hates me i'm convinced. Either that or he is demanding bad attention while im home.

I really don't believe that it has to do with not liking you, but I can certainly understand why you feel rejected. He's just a teenager right now and it's a tough phase to get through. He'll come back around.

 

[sazcork]

When can i hope for things to change?....if they do at all. I just cant believe the attitide change when im there compared to when my partner is with him.

 

[Primula]

Hi everyone,

I have been considering finding him a new home as he clearly does not like us anymore. I'm devistated as I fell in love with him and basically nursed him back to health....showed so much love....now I'm not sure what to do. Help.

You fell in love with him but now you're considering passing him along to someone else. The very worse thing you can do to a cat is to re-home him. Can't you accept him for who he is? He is his own person & not a stuffed toy. Cats are very sensitive - he can pick up your displeasure.

 

[onecrazycatlady]

First, I'd like to express to you how beautiful your unloving, biting lil kitty is.  What a beautiful cat!  Second, please don't give up on him just yet.  I have had many, many cats in my lifetime and just like people, they have all had different and varying personalities....and you have to accept them as they are, the same way you would your child....for the good, the bad, and the ugly times....because often if you wait a little while, they will change yet again and often for the best.  Just like teenagers, kittens go through an 'awkward' stage where they are little stinkers. For instance, I had a couple kittens just like yours at various times.  One was off the charts he was so wild.  He shredded curtains, bit everyone's ankles, bounced off the walls and refused to be held.  He drew blood daily.   He is sitting on my lap as I type this and is the most affectionate cat I have ever had.  He sleeps curled around my head at night and we hold 'paws' til we fall asleep.  He was crazy-wild for the first year but suddenly mellowed out and is so calm, quiet and dignified you wouldn't ever think he was ever any other way.  He lives to be in my lap. He can't get enough of me and it is bliss to have him.  Another kitten was just an irritating little nuisance who attacked everyone and was mean as could be.  She was my daughter's kitten and my daughter couldn't take it anymore since my grandson was just a baby and the kitten harmed the baby. So I inherited her.  Once she got close to a year old she mellowed completely and is very sweet, quiet and friendly to all people and the other cats and never bites or scratches, ever.  BUT, she will never be a lap cat.  She just isn't wired that way and I respect that about her.  I have other cats to fill my lap up.  Sometimes you just have to be patient with kittens.  They aren't fully cooked yet...lol.  I hope you will wait it out and give the little guy time to mature.  Some of them just have more energy and if their quota isn't being met playwise they take it out on whatever is in their path.  It isn't personal towards you.  I wish you and kitty the best.

 

[sevenplus1]

 He hates me i'm convinced. 

I also don't think its that he hates you. He's just a very hyperactive and aggressive male cat. I have a very similar situation with my 8 month old Rex. From day one this cat has been a biter and his athleticism is greater than any of my 7 previous cats. He's as fast as lightning, can cover large spaces in the time it takes me to turn my head, climbs everything and I mean everything. He's on top of the kitchen counters, the bookshelves, the shower railing, and wall units. He used to have an activity cycle of every 6 hours as in every six hours he would go into full crazy mode, running everywhere, playing with all his toys (he loves Da Bird) and his tung hanging out as he pants. Now he gets that crazy mode every 2 days, but he does get very active at 4 - 7 am. He brings me two or three toys every night and drops them right in between my legs. 

Rex also bites alot and I have tried everything to get him to stop, literally every trick I have seen on the cat forums. I think it would be a challenge for Jason Galaxy himself to get this cat to stop biting. He's an only cat and I play with him 3 times a day, feed him high quality food (mostly raw) so no crap. He has more toys than I had when I was a kid (and my mother spoiled me), multiple cat posts, multiple cat houses, etc. He's gone through like 6 wands (he loves the wands). But he still bites and because I am not going to get him declawed, he scratches sometimes too. But he does show some affection. Not as much as my previous male cats who were total love boxes. But he does sit on my lap for at least 10 minutes a day, and he does sleep in between my legs for 30 minutes every night. But outside of that he spends a lot of time in his tree house and then runs around the house climbing everywhere and biting my feet if I don't have socks. 

My point is that this is a behavior pattern with some cats. IMO, its hormonal. Its probably related to testosterone cycling but don't quote me on that. I had a female cat that would do some crazy energy bursts where she ran back and forth. But she was a small female and her crazy time never lasted more than 5 minutes. Little Rex is just wired differently and so it seems is your little Tiny. A cat like this would be a terrible match for an elderly person. He's crazy not to mention that he loves to cut my feet when I walk, which is dangerous. But I'm middle aged and still fit so I have the reflexes to deal with him. 

I think your cat will come around and mellow as he ages. My little Rex, as crazy as he is, has mellowed a bunch since he was a kitten. Now at eight months he's showing signs of a mature cat. He's still hyperactive but it decreases incrementally every month. I couldn't give him up. I have him since he's 7 weeks and have appreciated him more than any other cat because after losing three cats in 6 months I realized how special cats are. Also, its not his fault he's a little insane. Cats are partially domesticated predators. They really are little lions. Some more predator like than others. 

Its a tough decision though as I understand now the demands of a hyperactive male cat. But my post is to point out that its not personal. He doesn't hate you. Its just in his genes. 

 

[Primula]

I was watching a horse whisperer type of documentary yesterday. Interestingly, when a horse feels he is disliked he will shut down completely & be very hard to train in any way.

 

[sazcork]

Hello everyone, I am at the end of my teather and dont know what to do. I have posted before about my cat anf things are getting worse. He was rescued from a ditch at 5/6 weeks old and we took him in immediately. He was injured amd over the last 7 months have been loving and caring for him. He is a confident yound cat now and seems to have the same issues, only worse. He is aggressive, constantly snaps and bites. Not painfully, but its irritating and I was told he would grow out of it. He is constantly doing bold things and getting our backs up that we give out and he runs. But still goes back to it.we had to buy a couch as he was ripping up our landlords leather couch. Now he just ripped a huge bundle of masking tape off the walls and took all the paint with it. Im so angry now I do not know what to do. You cannot teach a cat or punish it.....it doesnt respond. Him in particular, he hates me and I am fully convinced of it. He is a beautiful cat, I was told a Khao Manee, which is one of the rarest cats in the world, but now I want him anywhere but here in my home.

 

[2Cats4everLoved]

I'm going to read your other threads about him and I'll chime in when I'm done.

Truthfully my eyes are closing, lol.  however, don't fear, there are many answers.  He sounds like he needs some training, and perhaps you may need to change your approach as well.

All will work out for you both, I promise.

I'll be back to give proper answer tomorrow.  And i'm sure others will offer their assistance as well.

Chow for now.

 

[2Cats4everLoved]

Hello fellow Member's - it seems like beautiful sweet kitty Bowie is acting up again, leaving his owner ready to go crazy.

Does anyone have any more advice.  

@sazcork  - I'm going to have the moderators move your latest thread to this one, considering some members are already familiar with Bowie and his evil ways.

 

[sargon]

You had him neutered recently, so that was no doubt a stressful situation, and he may be a bit difficult because he's not over that yet.    Also, it can take 6-8 weeks for the hormones to work out of his system, so your boy ( who is a nice looking cat.. is he part Balinese, by chance?) may well start to calm down in in a month or so.

Also, your cat's biting may be worse when you are home, because he is excited to see you.  My cat often gets a bit hyper and difficult when she sees my housemate, because she likes my housemate so much, for example. She also sleeps extra when I'm not around, so she can save up her energy to play with me more.

 

[sazcork]

He was neutered in october. Christmas was a nightmare, the tree lasted one day and was ditched (i kind of expected that). He is a Kaho Manee or so i was told? Im just heartbroken and fed up.