I could really use some advice! My 9 month old kitten, Indiana Jones, has been ornery ever since we first got him, but we assumed it was excess energy that he was finding an outlet for. He is neutered, and was neutered the day before we got him. He is also very big - currently 12.5 pounds, and it's all muscle! He is not declawed, but we keep his claws trimmed, he is pretty good about letting us clip them.
When issues have cropped up throughout his little life, we have tried the usual discipline methods to stop them - that is, block him from getting into things, ignore him when he's bad, and praise him when he's good. It worked fairly well, he grew out of many of the problems, such as attacking people's feet from under chairs/beds and biting at our fingers when we were petting him.
He has a problem right now that I just cannot seem to break him of. He jumps on me when I am sitting at my computer, sitting with my mom in her office, or asleep in my own bed. He uses his claws when he does this - my shoulders are covered in scratches from him, and I am currently nursing a couple of small but deep scratches in my scalp from his 'wake-up call'. I've tried ignoring him when he does this, and praising him when he sits on my lap or curls up with me in bed, but he has not gotten any better about it.
I'd like to mention, he is VERY brave... He lives up to his name, he explores everything and has no fear. He adores water, so spraying him has never done anything except make him playful and get him to beg us to turn the faucet in the bathtub on for him. Clapping at him and shouting startled him the first two or three times we did it, but now he doesn't care.
He gets free roam of our house, we have cat-proofed anywhere he can get into, such as on top of our cabinets and fridge - we lost an old glass slow-cooker to his clumsy paws and the tile floor before we realized he could get up there. He play-tussles with our family dog for a little while every day which helps him get his energy out.
I would appreciate any suggestions, comments, thoughts... I am at wit's end... I would never give him up because of this, I made a promise when I signed his adoption contract that I intend to keep. But I would love to be able to sleep without being woken up by his claws in my head.
Thank you for reading through all this!
When issues have cropped up throughout his little life, we have tried the usual discipline methods to stop them - that is, block him from getting into things, ignore him when he's bad, and praise him when he's good. It worked fairly well, he grew out of many of the problems, such as attacking people's feet from under chairs/beds and biting at our fingers when we were petting him.
He has a problem right now that I just cannot seem to break him of. He jumps on me when I am sitting at my computer, sitting with my mom in her office, or asleep in my own bed. He uses his claws when he does this - my shoulders are covered in scratches from him, and I am currently nursing a couple of small but deep scratches in my scalp from his 'wake-up call'. I've tried ignoring him when he does this, and praising him when he sits on my lap or curls up with me in bed, but he has not gotten any better about it.
I'd like to mention, he is VERY brave... He lives up to his name, he explores everything and has no fear. He adores water, so spraying him has never done anything except make him playful and get him to beg us to turn the faucet in the bathtub on for him. Clapping at him and shouting startled him the first two or three times we did it, but now he doesn't care.
He gets free roam of our house, we have cat-proofed anywhere he can get into, such as on top of our cabinets and fridge - we lost an old glass slow-cooker to his clumsy paws and the tile floor before we realized he could get up there. He play-tussles with our family dog for a little while every day which helps him get his energy out.
I would appreciate any suggestions, comments, thoughts... I am at wit's end... I would never give him up because of this, I made a promise when I signed his adoption contract that I intend to keep. But I would love to be able to sleep without being woken up by his claws in my head.
Thank you for reading through all this!