Boundaries: Constant Meowing/Controlling where my cat goes on my desk

[daremo]

If anyone has been following my saga. I was adopted by a kitten named the Max of Zorro on Friday. He is a 6 month old kitten. I thought I did something dreadfully wrong and lost my kitten, but he made an appearance last night and he now is beginning to feel a bit more comfortable around the house. 

I am really trying to do everything right and be a good cat dad. It is probably very good I never got married and had kids. I would be such a worrier,

He is sleeping under a couch in the extra room and has been coming out by himself now. I am EXTREMELY Happy. He and I are trying to figure out boundaries. I would love to pet him all day, but since I work at home. I got to figure out how to be able to keep him happy and still get work done. 

I have several questions in this post.

1. If he is awake he is meowing, though I am trying to ignore it because I think he just wants attention. How do I get him to stop meowing constantly?

2. I work at home as a computer tech and need to be able work without him climbing on the desk blocking the screens or trying to jump on me so I would pet him. I saw on one place that I was researching is that cats don't like walking on tinfoil and that seems to be helping a bit.  I would love for him to find a place on the desk and be comfortable on the desk, but right now he is kitten monster. Do you have any other suggestions? What do you do? 

3. How do you say "NO" to a cat. I want him NOT to try to climb on me to get me to pet him, especially when I am trying to work. I have read that using spray bottles seems to only make the cat scared of me.

4. How do you set the boundaries between you and your cat from the beginning?

I had cats 15 years ago, I wasn't a very good cat dad then and want to do better now.

 

[daremo]

One more question... 

5. Do kittens ever just hang out or are they either sleeping or a bundle of energy?

 

[itspursonal]

Congrats on finding your kitten.

While I don't know much about how to steer cat behavior, which I will leave to someone with more accurate knowledge. It drives me crazy how on this subject in particular, there is an endless stream of conflicting advice from everyone. The difficulty is in parsing it and knowing which sources and advice to trust.

I know this, though. It is important to give the cat an alternative to the behavior you want to discourage. As someone who also works from my computer desk at home, I solved this problem by simply setting up a little bed for her right on the edge of the desk. A few sprinkles of catnip to develop the habit of her getting there, and now she never gets on my keyboard and is content to just stare at me like this when I work. She is an adult cat, though, so I imagine it would be a bit more challenging for a kitten. Also, it can get unnerving if she decides to eyeball you constantly while you work. This set up is really convenient for me though because I can just lift my right hand a little bit and let her have a sniff of it or pet her once on the forehead if she looks like she wants attention

I just used catnip and treats to convince her that this little cardboard bed is the best thing since canned tuna.

. 

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• itspursonal
• Jan 29, 2017

 

[itspursonal]

 
One more question... 

5. Do kittens ever just hang out or are they either sleeping or a bundle of energy?

Our kitten (more of an adolescent at 8 months, though) chills out when he is tired and only if there is nothing moving to trigger his prey drive. I think he can't help himself, if he is lounging for a much needed nap, he will pounce and run after any small thing that runs across his vision.

While the apartment is new to him, he used to find every object to be a source of stimulus. It was really hard to find him lounging, but eventually he either grew up a little or got bored with all the stationary objects and furniture... well, just bored enough to prefer his nap. If something moves, though, he will decide to nap later.

 

[daremo]

The way you have your desk is what I was thinking in fact I got him a scratching post with a "bucket" on top for him to sit in. I guess I have to give Max some more time to figure life out before really expecting him to mellow out. 

Your point about contradictory advice about training/behavior issues. I read several articles about not using a spray bottle and then when I talked to the shelter where I got my cat they mentioned that I can use one but wait a little longer. 

Thank you for taking time and answering my question. 

 

[yogakitty]

My kitten will be 7 months in just a few days. He's also a bundle of energy. If something is moving around, just like another poster stated, he will go after it. He loves to play and never seems to wear out. But he does have nap times and snuggles up with me during the evening when I'm watching tv. He also jumps up on everything. Including the stove. He burned his paw because of it but still persists. I am thinking of buying a few of the air puff cans that hiss out air when they sense kitty closeby. No doesn't seem to work although that little bugger totally knows what it means. Lol he doesn't seem to care as soon as I turn my back. I try to give him time out by putting him in another room when he does something bad and closing the door for like 2 minutes. I really don't know if it does anything though lol.

Yelling doesn't work. Don't do it. It could cause aggression and fear. Don't use spray bottles either because he will associate bad things with you. Foil might work. Or, like I want to try....those air puffer cans.

Let me know what works for you as I'm also in the same boat.

I also wanted to know if anyone free feeds their kittens at 6-8 months? I've stopped at the suggestion of my vet. I usually feed him a can per day of Natures Variety instinct until I rotate to another can brand. But I feel like he's always hungry. I feed him four times. Split the can into four. He gobbles up the food in a minute when I put down the bowl each time. I don't know if my vet was right!

 

[tabbytom]

Hi daremo,

A 6 month old kitten needs lots of attention. Meowing is one way of expressing that they need something.

They could be hungry. They have to be fed frequently in their growing age. And once they are full, they may just go to sleep, and wake up play and eat. Kittens sleep a lot to as they are growing.

They could be wanting to be carried or maybe felt neglected and most of all, kittens need lots of playtime and interactions. Though at times they do play by themselves but human interaction is most important. This is where you bond with your kitten.
Maybe you could put aside some time to play with him and tire him out. Play with him for a good 15 mins or so. Toys could be a cat wand or get him to chase a ping pong ball.
Does your house or room where you do your work has a window? Get him a cat tree and place it by the window so that he can climb and watch the world go by and see the birds. That is their big screen tv.

To get a kitten to listen to commands starts early with lots of patience and love coming from you. It's not an overnight thing or crash course for the kitty. Cats are inquisitive creatures. They like to explore. Let him do what he wants but with supervision. Things that you don't want him to do, just say with a firm 'NO'. Say like he wants to eat your sandwich, let him smell and at the same time say 'No, it's not yours. Smell will do'. And remove the sandwich away. Do it a few times and every time and he'll knows that it is not for him though he'll still like to smell it. Just repeat. Never shout at him and never, never spank him or use the acquire bottle. There's no need to.
I never restrict my boy from anything. I watch him and talk to him and say 'No' if it's not for him. Whenever I eat or hold something in my hands, I'll let him smell and inspect and he'll do a few sniffs and walk away. He never chomps at my food. There are cats and that's the way they are. All you need to do is work around them and not against them.

As for boundaries, as I mentioned above, keep repeating till they get the message. Patience and love is the key. If you do not bond with your kitty, it's hard to set boundaries. Not all cats are the same. Some are mellow from the beginning and some are wild all the time. Whatever it is, accept your cat as he is.

Yes, kittens are a bundle of energy. They wear you about faster than you know but they fall asleep as fast they play and wake up to repeat the cycle.

The other thing is get him neutered. He's at the right age now. Neutering will do him good as it'll stop him from wanting to run out or escape to look for a mate. It also help him in certain health issues that an unfixed cat will have. Here's an article on that :- [article="22304"][/article]

If you have any further questions, please ask and I'm sure that there are many others with experience will answered your questions

 

[tabbytom]

yogakitty ..........your kitty is still a kitten. A kitten needs to eat several times a day. They need proteins to grow. One can a day is not enough for a growing kitten. Feed him as much as he can eat. And proteins comes from wet food (canned).

For example, feed him xxx amount, xxxx times day. You have to increase his intake. Just roughly gauge the amount each time and you'll roughly get it right after a few feeds. Remember, he's still a kitten. Once they reach adult age, the'll eat less.

Free feeding is only useful if you are not home all the time or if feeding time is not according to your schedule.

Also this is an important article for you to read :- [article="22304"][/article]

 

[yogakitty]

My cat is already neutered.

I'll up how daily intake. When does feeding switch from kitten to adult then? Have I don't something negative to his body at this point?

 

[tabbytom]

My cat is already neutered.

I'll up how daily intake. When does feeding switch from kitten to adult then? Have I don't something negative to his body at this point?

Most cats mature at one year old while some takes up to 4 years depending on the breeds. Since your cat is 7 months old, he is still very much a kitten. Continue feeding him food meant for kittens as they need all the nutrients to grow. Or some brands that make food for all life stages.
As you did not mention how big is the can when you split the can into for feedings. But whatever it is, feed him as much as he can eat but make sure he has enough water and exercises too. Their intake of food will slow down as they gets older.
So you just as much as he can eat at one go a few times a day. Then monitor till you see him start to eat less amount and also less amount of times. From there, you just do the adjustments.

To test if your cat is fat or thin, run your fingers on the side of his body and see if you can feel his ribs. If you can, he is underfed and under weight. If you can't, he's overweight. What you need to feel is not all bones and not all fats. And weigh your cat every week so you can monitor his weight and see if the weight is constant. If the weight is not constant, it could mean that he is putting on weight or if he is loosing weight despite eating a lot, it could be a health issue.

 

[foxden]

daremo
One way I've trained cats and kittens to find "their spot" in various rooms is to put a folded towel on the couch, the table where I do crafts, the beds and wherever else I'd like them to stay. Patches, the first kitty in my adult life, taught me this trick with an afghan. I was traveling back and forth to grad school, but she knew where her bed was as soon as I put the afghan down.
We brought 2 new kittens into the house last year. It's amazing how they seem to know that the towels are the "right spot" to curl up.

The towels are in addition to the beds that are around the house. You may want to invest in a heated bed. All of the cats (on #6 & 7 now)I've had through the years have enjoyed the cup-style heated beds.
Behavior-modification -- I will sometimes pick the kitten up and put him away from me, sometimes several times. Other times, I'll put my hand up in front of their face and say No several times. If the kitten starts biting or scratching when they're playing, stop what you're doing and take your hand away. Have fun with Max of Zorro. Treasure the times you have together

 

[mama africa]

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• mama africa
• Mar 31, 2017

​I work from home 1 day a week. When Missy was a kitten, she continuously tried to climb on my desk and played with the laptop, the electric wires, my files, my pens and markers. It took some time (up to 6 months) before Missy understood that the bed on the chair next to mine was more comfortable than the desk. I was consistent in removing her from the desk (and saying 'no') and in taking her to more comfortable places as the bed you can see on the picture, or my backpack (on the floor) or even the cat carrier (with a soft fleece in it) under my desk. Playing with her (tiring her out by throwing balls or paper lumps, which she brought back to me) during the breaks I took, also helped her to sleep while I was working.

Consistency, patience and seduction are the key words to be succesful..

 

[golondrina]

Hi everybody, I have just discovered this thread.   My problem with Cucumella's excursions into my desk has been finally resolved by placing a cushion on the corner for her. She now stays put on it and even sleeps forr long periods without interrupting my work.View media item 415402

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Ozzy is the only one of mine who feels that he must constantly be on the desk, and I use P.D.M. - the Paper Displacement Method.  I keep the desk piled high with stacks of papers, as if I were an unorganised packrat, and Ozzy will push one or another of the piles onto the floor.  Wherever he flops down for a nap becomes his place for the duration of the nap, and when he awakes and makes his exit, I place the papers back in their stack, and the process repeats.  This method benefits both of us, since it means that he hasn't fallen asleep on one of the keyboards, making work impossible.  YMMV.

.

 

[golondrina]

Cucumella takes advantage of the open dictionary on my desk

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• golondrina
• Apr 5, 2017
• 1

to check her spelling