Need Help With Kitten

[MrValdac]

So... my 5 year old cat died recently, and to help ease the loss I got a new kitten... it is starting to seem like that was a big mistake. I have only had it two days and it has been nothing but a headache. Any attempt to discipline it goes completely ignored. It has gotten to the point where it seems like my only options are lock her in a carrier all day or get rid of her. I hate to do the latter because I wanted this to work out, and I already invested $300+ dollars worth of vaccine shots, food, and gear.

Came here hoping that people with more experience with cats could help me out. The kitten is 2 months old. I do not have the time or energy to spend every waking second of every day watching it. The cat I had before I got when it was much younger... and it was still far less of a pain in the ass.

 

[danteshuman]

Ok first step cat proof 1 room with a door. Put the kittens food/litter/water/toys in there.

 

[susanm9006]

Kittens can be a pain, and time consuming, and annoying. When they are young is no such thing as discipline, just distracting and saying the word no ten thousand times. You may find it less exhausting if you confine the kitten to a single, well kitten proofed room for a portion of the day so that you can have a breather. And making sure the rest of your place is relatively kitten proofed will also help.

Then get a variety of toys, a cat tree for it to climb and a wand or laser toy to chase and you should be able to wear down some of that kitten energy. You probably have at least a year of kittenhood ahead of you but also the potential reward of twenty years of a furry best friend if you can make it through.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Yes to all of the above.

What are you doing to play with the kitten? What are you doing to discipline?

You've adopted a baby. You'll have to cater to the kitten for now.

 

[danteshuman]

Welcome to the site Kittens are cute but they go through a 'kitten crazies' stage ... it is like watching a two year old on caffeine Then they go through the teen stage which is less caffeinated mayhem and may get a little aloof. (be sure to neuter/spay your kitten before 6 months old. I would do 5 months max if it is a female kitten just to make sure she doesn't go into heat.) So about that kitten proof room. Your kitten will knock things down, break things, be sure to keep an eye on any cords just in case she starts chewing on them.

 

[danteshuman]

Please read this article on discipline: Cats And Discipline Don't Mix

Here are some other articles to help you:
The Dos And Don'ts Of Cat Behavior Modification
Cat Behavior For Beginners
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats
How To Stop Your Cat From Scratching The Furniture

 

[elliesvictim]

Try to drop the idea of discipline. Treats and hyper-praise will work generally better. Save the concept of discipline for the really bad stuff, like face scratching or revenge destruction.
My girl only recently came out of the craziest kitten-teen phase.
I remember the first time I hyper-praised her, she looked at me like "good girl? That doesn't sound like me". But I kept at it. It's a momentum thing. The more you praise and treat the more they do things to praise and treat. It can be very slow going.
Another thing was I gave my girl a naughty spot up high. Being up high can calm a cat. She may jump down but put her back, persistence beats resistance. It took some training and will but she now know that if she's put up there she's done something wrong and stays ther until I bring her down.
I would then use the room as a last resort.
I know this might sound stupid but try to find the humour in there behaviour. I used to lose my $h!t when she was constantly bad but finding funny side of "the crazies" will help.
And lastly forgive yourself when you do lose your $h!t because it can happen. My kitten constantly would do her best to upset me, it was her hobby and I obliged, foolishly. So you no don't punish yourself if you do.
The crazies will pass. Good luck

 

[sargon]

It sounds like your previous kitten was the offspring of a mother cat in your household, because, an 8-10 week old kitten that uses litter and does anything but meow piteously and or hide under the bed is actually doing much better than most kittens would in that situation.

Kittens can be difficult. That's why they are so cute, because it's hard to stay angry at something so darned cute. interactive play helps, as does figuring out what unmet needs are contributing to the problem behaviors, but the best advice I can give is to remember that, most kittens love their humans... a LOT, and any difficult behavior isn't intended to hurt you, and generally comes from the opposite motivation.

Setting up a safe room for he kitten is very good advice, but your instincts may be right. Your kitten is being a pretty good kitten, but not every one wants kittens (they are a huge hassle), and you might be happier adopting a 2-3 year old cat ( still young, but old enough to be relatvely calm and well behaved. Plus it is harder to find homes for fully grown cats than kittens, so you can feel extra good about adopting an adult cat.)

 

[riley1]

I foster kittens and when I worked at the shelter I told people I would never adopt one! They are gremlins! The answer to most behavior problems is play, play and more play! Get a bunch of fishing pole toys and play for at least 20 minutes morning and night. A tired kitten is a good kitten. Give up on discipline! It never works and will only make the kitten afraid of you. They just don't understand it. If you feel this is a big mistake return the kitten and go to the shelter and get an adult. You know exactly what you are getting and they usually come with all the medical stuff taken care.

 

[duncanmac]

Why is the discipline necessary? Is she bitey or is she just getting into and onto everything? A kitten proof room, and eventually home, will prevent her from getting into everything - eventually you can put stuff back, but at first she will go everywhere she can.

If she is bitey, then the best discipline is separation or ignoring her - just for a minute or two. Go into a different room, turn your back or put her in a different room and totally ignore her. Do it everytime - or set a pattern and follow that pattern every time. I used to put the cat on the floor 3 times if he was biting me and then would lock him out of the bedroom for a short amount of time. It took a lot of repetition to get this through his thick head (and a playmate for him to tire him out.)

 

[gingerbaby]

I just adopted two two 5 month old kittens and they are the same way I can say no 1000 times and they just look at you and keep doing that thing that annoys you. I find by distracting them and playing with them helps. Because I have two they play with each other, but they need constant playing. Kittens are a lot of work. I go to work and take classes at school at night and don't have a ton of time but I keep telling myself its worth it once they get a little older and calm down you will have a best friend!. Try containing them to one big room with everything they need so you can take a break from them if you get stressed or tired