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- Jan 13, 2016
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Back in October, my mom rescued what we assume to be a feral kitten from the neighborhood. He did not have any previous owner and we took him to the vet to get him scanned and checked out. He was confirmed to not belong to anyone and was a stray (or dumped at a young age by someone). It's very clear this little guy has not had any socialization in his younger years and with his health problems he had when he first came to us, he has had it rough.
He is now approx 9-10 months (per vet) and has been nuetered since November. He eats a fresh raw food in morning (Fresh Pet) and Organix dry in morning and at night. Litter box is cleaned daily/every other day and he gets a good playtime twice a day. Usually 30min in the morning of running around with wand toy, sitting out on the patio with me, and then after work he gets a good 1hr-2hr playtime while I relax and watch my shows and have him chase toys, etc.
He can be the sweetest thing, wanting to cuddle with you to sleep, kissing, rubbing his head against your cheek, etc. He wants to be with me all of the time and I try my best to give him love and that needed kitten time for his play.
We have an older cat in the house who is very docile and sweet. She wants to be with him and love him too, she always tries to lick and clean him and cuddle with him. However, he is just too rambunctious for her and is too harsh with playtime.
Very often, Oliver will get what we call "pissed" and take it out on us or her. He will go into an annoyed state if we aren't paying attention to him 24/7 and will come up to me on the couch and jump and latch onto my leg and bite or scratch with his back feet. It is very clear he is trying to be playful, however he is just too harsh and strong with his paws and teeth.
I have been consistently saying "No!" and picking him up and putting him on the ground when he is on the counter where he is not allowed, and I do a similar thing when he bites or scratches too rough. I say no, pick him up, and put him in the room for 10-20 minutes.
We have had him since October and doing this same thing, however the bites and scratches have not gotten any more gentle.
I know the most common suggestion is to get a kitten his age to learn with, and I would be absolutely for that, however I am worried if it would be a good idea because of his relationship with our 3 yr old cat Rory. He does not treat her kindly and doesnt learn from her hisses or cries that he is being rough. I don't want him to hurt another kitten with his strength.
Right now, Rory and him are separated and I am reintroducing them the Jackson Galaxy/forum recommended way with food on the other sides of the door and slowly opening it as weeks continue to go on.
Being separated from her now makes him harsher to me when I'm doing things like laundry or cooking dinner though because he takes it out on me for being distracted from him. When I lock him in his room, he cries very loudly and yowls and as we are in an apartment building, I worry that he is annoying the neighbors too.
I'm seeking some advice or suggestions on how I can help curb this behavior with him and get him treating Rory fairly so we can live at peace. I feel like I'm always on edge around him these days because he can go from cuddling my chin and kneading my arm to biting my ear in 2 seconds!
Thanks in advance!
He is now approx 9-10 months (per vet) and has been nuetered since November. He eats a fresh raw food in morning (Fresh Pet) and Organix dry in morning and at night. Litter box is cleaned daily/every other day and he gets a good playtime twice a day. Usually 30min in the morning of running around with wand toy, sitting out on the patio with me, and then after work he gets a good 1hr-2hr playtime while I relax and watch my shows and have him chase toys, etc.
He can be the sweetest thing, wanting to cuddle with you to sleep, kissing, rubbing his head against your cheek, etc. He wants to be with me all of the time and I try my best to give him love and that needed kitten time for his play.
We have an older cat in the house who is very docile and sweet. She wants to be with him and love him too, she always tries to lick and clean him and cuddle with him. However, he is just too rambunctious for her and is too harsh with playtime.
Very often, Oliver will get what we call "pissed" and take it out on us or her. He will go into an annoyed state if we aren't paying attention to him 24/7 and will come up to me on the couch and jump and latch onto my leg and bite or scratch with his back feet. It is very clear he is trying to be playful, however he is just too harsh and strong with his paws and teeth.
I have been consistently saying "No!" and picking him up and putting him on the ground when he is on the counter where he is not allowed, and I do a similar thing when he bites or scratches too rough. I say no, pick him up, and put him in the room for 10-20 minutes.
We have had him since October and doing this same thing, however the bites and scratches have not gotten any more gentle.
I know the most common suggestion is to get a kitten his age to learn with, and I would be absolutely for that, however I am worried if it would be a good idea because of his relationship with our 3 yr old cat Rory. He does not treat her kindly and doesnt learn from her hisses or cries that he is being rough. I don't want him to hurt another kitten with his strength.
Right now, Rory and him are separated and I am reintroducing them the Jackson Galaxy/forum recommended way with food on the other sides of the door and slowly opening it as weeks continue to go on.
Being separated from her now makes him harsher to me when I'm doing things like laundry or cooking dinner though because he takes it out on me for being distracted from him. When I lock him in his room, he cries very loudly and yowls and as we are in an apartment building, I worry that he is annoying the neighbors too.
I'm seeking some advice or suggestions on how I can help curb this behavior with him and get him treating Rory fairly so we can live at peace. I feel like I'm always on edge around him these days because he can go from cuddling my chin and kneading my arm to biting my ear in 2 seconds!
Thanks in advance!