Kitten driving me CRAZY!

[lylasmom]

We adopted our 3 month old kitten about 2 months ago. She's our only cat and she thinks we're her playtoys. She NEVER minds us! It's killing me. I can't get anything done because I'm constantly having to shoo her off of the desk (where she's not allowed) or get her by her scruff for biting and scratching my arms and pieces to absolute bloody shreds! I have to admit that we have tried the squirt gun, but it really hasn't worked and after reading this site's recommendation against it I think we'll stop. Also, we yell "no" at her when she's in trouble, but it doesn't deter her. We've tried giving her the equivalent of mama kitty "whacks" on the nose (nothing that actually hurts her or is abusive) in an effort to try to get her to not do whatever it is she's in trouble for at the moment. I've also spanked her behind when she's in trouble. We try to be consistent, but after a while she wears me down and sometimes I let her misbehave because she's simply WORN ME OUT and I'm tired of dealing with her! I'm really hoping that this is a phase of hers. I'm worried though that she will randomly attack our friends when we have them over like she does us and she will scratch and hurt someone. Her vet even said that he thinks we'll all have to wear leather gloves around her because she's so "feisty." She's such a sweetheart when she's not raising hell and I want to bring that side out in her more.
Help! Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to handle this little kitty? What are some effective discipline techniques?
Thanks!

 

[rosiemac]

First of all stop spanking her, tapping her nose, squirting her with water and yelling at her because doing those can easily stress her out, i know it would me

She's a baby and she needs entertained just like kids do, and unlike dogs cats and kittens can't be disciplined.

What toys have you got for her?. Do you have a cat dancer or a fishing rod toy that you can dangle about for her to jump after.

She will grow out of it, but if you have no patience with her then are you suited to having a kitten?.

 

[gingersmom]

How about shutting her in a small room by herself with no toys when she is misbehaving? Kittens hate to be ignored, and maybe some "time outs" will help you.

I do have to say, though, in my own personal opinion, squirting the kitten with water (taking care not to hit the face) as a deterrent is a whole HECK of a lot better than spanking a kitten on the behind or tapping on it the nose. Again, just my opinion.

 

[jlutgendorf]

You are her "mom cat" and need to speak to her as such. When she bites and scratches, hiss at her, or try blowing on her nose. If she's really getting out of control, you can gently grab her scruff and hold her still for a few seconds. By doing that you are asserting your alpha cat status.

Never allow her to play with any part of you. immediately redirect her attention to a toy. If she won't be distracted by a toy, then small timeouts should be given.

Really the best solution is to get another kitten around her age. She'll shift from playing with you to whomping on the other kitten.

Also, you can try trimming her nails or applying soft paws to them so she is unable to scratch you.

Good luck!

Julia

 

[phenomsmom]

I agree that hissing and blowing in her face is a good deterrent. Another kitten would be ideal to give her a playmate but I understand completely if that isn't an option.

Cats don't respond like dogs to to punishment as you have already found. Spanking and squirting and all of that will only make things worse. She could become afraid of you if you continue.

 

[jen]

I agree with hissing at her and getting her a playmate is a really great idea. Do you actually take time out everyday to sit and play with her?

 

[bab-ush-niik]

Definitely hiss when she does something bad. "No" only works on Puppy here, and Princess and Patches will ignore it. Even though Puppy listens, the word seems to freak him out a lot. They all listen to hissing though.

As far as water, I think a mister is much better than a squirt gun. It's not actually the water, it's the sound. Princess is the only one of mine that responds to that punishment. Unfortunately, all she did was learn to race off before we could grab it.

 

[natalie_ca]

Originally Posted by LylasMom

We adopted our 3 month old kitten about 2 months ago

You got her when she was only 4 weeks old? That's way too young to take a baby kitten away from it's Mother.

Originally Posted by LylasMom

She's our only cat and she thinks we're her playtoys. She NEVER minds us!

You are her play toys. She's just a baby and you are now her Mom and she expects you to pay attention to her, just like her own Mom did. She didn't get enough of her own Mom because she was taken away from her far too early in life.

Originally Posted by LylasMom

I can't get anything done because I'm constantly having to shoo her off of the desk (where she's not allowed) or get her by her scruff for biting and scratching my arms and pieces to absolute bloody shreds!

Kittens are like little kids in that they are balls of energy, defiant and their "work" in life is exploring and learning and they want to be near their parent.

Also, cats and kittens love to "help" you with things, like reading the newspaper, writing a letter etc. I've never been able to read a newspaper without one of my cats coming up and poking her nose around wanting to know what I'm doing. Doing my taxes is rather fun too as they chase the pencil as I move it. It's a cats nature.

Originally Posted by LylasMom

I have to admit that we have tried the squirt gun, but it really hasn't worked and after reading this site's recommendation against it I think we'll stop. Also, we yell "no" at her when she's in trouble, but it doesn't deter her. We've tried giving her the equivalent of mama kitty "whacks" on the nose (nothing that actually hurts her or is abusive) in an effort to try to get her to not do whatever it is she's in trouble for at the moment. I've also spanked her behind when she's in trouble.

All that stuff is going to do is make her afraid of you.

Originally Posted by LylasMom

..sometimes I let her misbehave because she's simply WORN ME OUT and I'm tired of dealing with her!

No offense, but cats, especially kittens aren't for everyone. So many people think that they can get a cat and all that it required is litter, food and water. Contrary to popular belief, cats aren't independent. They are very social animals and when you adopt one you become it's surrogate Mom and it depends on you for everything, including play time.

It sounds to me like you don't have the patience to raise a kitten. Perhaps you should find the kitten a new home and get a pet that doesn't require much work to integrate into your home, like a gold fish or a bird.

 

[naturestee]

I just wanted to share that I had a cat like this when I was a kid. He never grew out of it and although we loved him he was really hard to live with. He liked to play rough and used his teeth and claws a lot. When he was 4 years old we got another kitten by accident- the poor little stray crawled into my mom's car engine to get off the hot pavement and got stuck.

We introduced them when the new kitten was healthy enough and our vet gave the all-clear. We thought Scooter, the older cat, would hate the kitten but it turned out that another cat was exactly what he needed. He wore himself out playing with the kitten all day, and he was much more gentle with the kitten than he had been with us. He acted more nicely to us too because he wasn't as bored or frustrated.

 

[abigail]

of course your kitten is misbehaving because all you do is tell her what NOT to do and shout squirt and hit her. i am surprised she still wants to be near you. Kittens are like litle childrenand need lovingly enforced limits and lots of distraction and a varietyof other things to do. And they need lots of reinforcement and treats for appropriate behavior. Try spending several chunks of time playing with her, trim her claws so she doesn't shred you and get her name and "good girl " in her comprehension vocabulary. cats are much more agreeable when they love you and they think that what you want them to do is THEIR idea. And then the occasional NO said firmly but quietly will be more effective than shouting. and please. stop scaring her, hitting her nose or squirting her, thats just plain mean. Would you do it to a toddler? I hope not.