Mean Kitten

[lil_lisa]

I am in desperate need of help with our newest kitten who is now 3 months old. His name is Coco. First it's been a real struggle with him, he won't eat any kind of cat food wet or dry, so he eats actual baby food (chicken flavor) and once in a great while he will eat kitty treats. Second of all my two resident cat's really don't like him, they rarely come in the house because of him. He (Coco) is a very mean kitten, he attacks my resident cats and he attacks my husband and I. My legs and arms are so badly scratched up. We have many toys for him and we give him plenty of attention and play with him with his string toys but it seems this isn't enough. We have to keep him in a separate room at night when we sleep for fear he will beat our resident cats up, our resident cats are so afraid of Coco because of his extreme aggression. I am really debating if it is worth it to keep Coco anymore, I hate the thought of possibly having to take him to shelter but I just don't know what to do anymore. I have never had a cat or kitten that was like this. I have talked to our vet and he just says it's a phase and he will out grow it, this was at 6 weeks old when we asked this. Well here we are at 3 months old and so far no signs of it being outgrown. I just don't think it's fair to my other two cats to keep getting beat up on and it's not a playful beating, it is actual biting and scratching to the point of drawing blood, even to myself and my husband. Please if you have any suggestions I am all ears and willing to try anything. Otherwise I may have to take him to shelter as much as I don't want to because I can't deal with the aggression of Coco.
Thank you

 

[Willowy]

What's his history? Was he bottlefed or what? Why was he taken from his mother so early?

Baby food isn't a balanced diet for a cat. It's fine for treats or to keep a sick cat eating, but there is no calcium in it, or many other nutrients. Deficiencies can cause behavioral issues. What other kinds of food have you tried?

 

[lil_lisa]

What's his history? Was he bottlefed or what? Why was he taken from his mother so early?

Baby food isn't a balanced diet for a cat. It's fine for treats or to keep a sick cat eating, but there is no calcium in it, or many other nutrients. Deficiencies can cause behavioral issues. What other kinds of food have you tried?

He was 5 weeks old when we got him, the people we got him from said he was 8 weeks old and he was the last of the liter to go. When we took him to the vet, the vet said there was no way he was 8 weeks old and that he was actually more like 5 weeks old. The momma cat was outdoor kitty only, the people said that she had already weaned her kittens but now I really don't think that was the case, I think the people just didn't want to deal with kittens anymore . So when I got him he probably was never introduced to wet or dry food. So I had to supplement him with KMR for a couple of weeks, then slowly tried to introduce him to wet food which he took no interest and then tried with many kinds of both wet and dry and nothing worked, that is when I talked to the vet and was suggested I try the baby food only temporarily until I could get him to eat regular cat food but so far this has not happened.

 

[Shane Kent]

Have you gone through the articles on the site about aggression. My cat Taz gets aggressive when he is stressed out. Aggressive at people and other cats.

Re-directed Aggression In Cats

How To Deal With Cat "love Bites"?

Cat Aggression Toward People

When Physical Problems Turn Into Behavior Problems

How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

And other useful articles on cats and stress.

Is Your Cat Stressed Out?

Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist

Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

And there is good information in the cat introduction articles.

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction

Cats can be aggressive to people and other cats if they are in pain. They can also be aggressive if they are stressed out.

 

[KarenKat]

Sounds like he may not understand that he is hurting you, since he was taken too early from his mom? This could be play aggression, and you may need to step in for discipline. A loud hiss at him, and saying "NO" or "OW" will let him know he is hurting, not playing. I have heard taken a kitten before 8-12 weeks can cause behavioral issues since they don't understand kitty etiquette.

Sorry this is happening, he probably is not truly mean, simply ignorant.