New Kitten Owner That Needs Advice.

[Wizard2019]

As a 21 year old male who has never owned an animal before (but has been wanting one for the longest time) I recently got a 14 week old kitten. His name is Wizard (Wizzy for short) and he's the most adorable thing. He has insane amounts of energy even though I play with him at-least twice a day. Since I'm new to this, I don't want to make any mistakes to bother my little fella and hinder his maturation into a sweet grown up cat.

Here are some things I feel like I'm somewhat confused about.

He seems to love me, I can tell because he tends to sleep next to me in bed, at night or when i'm hanging out in bed. Sudden movements trigger him so if he sees my foot move under the blanket, he would get scared or smell it and possibly attack so I keep my feet above the blanket now.

He also seems to be scared or shy because at times he could snuggle next to me and sleep but others (like the next 10 minutes) he would run away from me and hide under my parents bed or my bed. He doesn't hide for long though because he would come into the room I went into and then randomly just bolt under the bed again even though I was completely disregarding him. I think that may be caused from him wanting to play chase? Not sure.

Additionally, when we got him we gently placed him in my upstairs bathroom (3 floor house) for him to get used to the house and my family and I. We let him out the 3rd day and he still hasn't went downstairs, it's day 5 now. Not sure if he's scared of the stairs but he can definitely jump, unfortunately for my house lol.

Lastly, he isn't an aggressive kitten per say, but he for some reason tries to scratch/lightly bite my hand when i'm gently petting him. I made sure I never used my hands as a toy so i'm not sure why he would do that. I immediately stop petting him and ignore him when he does that or give him a toy to play with alternatively.

Thanks in advance guys. These are just observations so If anyone could explain why he does these things.

 

[vince]

Cats are often awake in the morning before we are. It's part of their normal daily cycle. Your toes look like play prey to the cat (sometimes called "blanket mice").

I think your assessment of the hide-and-seek behavior as play-eliciting is correct. Cats are also prone to having the "zoomies," where they burn off excess energy by just running around for a while like maniacs. It's normal, but if you play with your kitty for a good while every day, kitty won't get the zoomies as bad.

Your kitty will eventually figure out how to scale stairs in his own time. Be sure that he can't fall through the balusters while he's learning how the stairs work. One day soon you'll be surprised when you find him downstairs.

The light scratching or biting while petting is normal. The biting is often referred to as "love bites." Sometimes it's not so light. Stopping undesired behaviors consistently and offering something to redirect the behavior to is a good strategy. He'll probably stop if you're consistent. A loud "OWW!" when he bites will help drive it home that he needs to stop.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!!

You're doing a ton of things right, including ignoring him when he bites.

This may help a little, and you'll get more posts. You're doing great, and your kitten is being a kitten in all the ways you described

First-time Cat Owner's Guide

 

[Wizard2019]

Cats are often awake in the morning before we are. It's part of their normal daily cycle. Your toes look like play prey to the cat (sometimes called "blanket mice").

I think your assessment of the hide-and-seek behavior as play-eliciting is correct. Cats are also prone to having the "zoomies," where they burn off excess energy by just running around for a while like maniacs. It's normal, but if you play with your kitty for a good while every day, kitty won't get the zoomies as bad.

Your kitty will eventually figure out how to scale stairs in his own time. Be sure that he can't fall through the balusters while he's learning how the stairs work. One day soon you'll be surprised when you find him downstairs.

The light scratching or biting while petting is normal. The biting is often referred to as "love bites." Sometimes it's not so light. Stopping undesired behaviors consistently and offering something to redirect the behavior to is a good strategy. He'll probably stop if you're consistent. A loud "OWW!" when he bites will help drive it home that he needs to stop.

So like I shouldn't pet him until he grows out of that? I can only really pet the guy while he's sleeping gently. I learned quickly that cats don't necessarily like belly rubs. I really hope he doesn't become a cat that doesn't like rubs and will scratch

 

[vince]

Keep petting. That's what most of us like about cats, especially if they purr. However, if you don't like the love bites, you'll need to consistently redirect him to extinguish the behavior. Not that everybody hates the love bites. I even let mine bite me when playing rough. I even used to let them draw blood. It's just the way I always played with my cats.

All the cats I've had grew out of the biting stage on their own anyway.

If he bites sometimes, try and find the spots he does like. Some good ones to try are behind the ears, under the chin and his cheeks, just behind the whiskers. Also good for most cats is on the back just at the base of the tail. You'll also need to keep aware of Wiz's body language. Cats can only take so much petting before they become overstimulated. Look for rippling skin and quick flicking tail as a possible sign of stimulation overload. The cat generally will become more used to petting as he gets older.

As far as belly rubs, some cats never get used to it, but often they do become more accepting of them and gradually get to like them over time. Two of mine love belly rubs; the other does not.

 

[Wizard2019]

Keep petting. That's what most of us like about cats, especially if they purr. However, if you don't like the love bites, you'll need to consistently redirect him to extinguish the behavior. Not that everybody hates the love bites. I even let mine bite me when playing rough. I even used to let them draw blood. It's just the way I always played with my cats.

All the cats I've had grew out of the biting stage on their own anyway.

If he bites sometimes, try and find the spots he does like. Some good ones to try are behind the ears, under the chin and his cheeks, just behind the whiskers. Also good for most cats is on the back just at the base of the tail. You'll also need to keep aware of Wiz's body language. Cats can only take so much petting before they become overstimulated. Look for rippling skin and quick flicking tail as a possible sign of stimulation overload. The cat generally will become more used to petting as he gets older.

As far as belly rubs, some cats never get used to it, but often they do become more accepting of them and gradually get to like them over time. Two of mine love belly rubs; the other does not.

So you're saying even though he's gonna use my fingers as a toy, I should still approach to pet the guy? Cause if he's not sleeping and sees me go in to pet him, he'll go for the bite or scratch. And yeah they don't hurt but youre saying he'll get over it?

 

[Furballsmom]

Try a hiss when you see him going for your fingers or as mentioned, a high pitched OW. He needs to hear, consistently and repeatedly, that biting is bad.

 

[Wizard2019]

Try a hiss when you see him going for your fingers or as mentioned, a high pitched OW. He needs to hear, consistently and repeatedly, that biting is bad.

Won't he become fearful of me if i'm loud to him though?

 

[Furballsmom]

Watch his reaction, you'll know by how dramatic or not he behaves whether you've overdone it, and if so, just tone it down a bit the next time.

 

[ArchyCat]

Hissing at unwanted behavior is what mom cats do. That or a loud "Ouch!" should discourage him. Them move your hands out of his reach for four or five minutes.

But keep petting him as others have suggested. Sounds as if you are doing the right things. Other than the hand biting.

 

[Wizard2019]

Hissing at unwanted behavior is what mom cats do. That or a loud "Ouch!" should discourage him. Them move your hands out of his reach for four or five minutes.

But keep petting him as others have suggested. Sounds as if you are doing the right things. Other than the hand biting.

So lets say I'm going to pet him, as my hand is going towards him he goes to grab my hand and bring it to his mouth and bite it. I should hiss, leave the room for a few minutes and try again?

 

[ArchyCat]

I don't think leaving the room is necessary. Just continue reading, watching tv, etc. Just ignore him for several minutes. You don't want to reward the hand biting our other unwanted behavior.

 

[Wizard2019]

I don't think leaving the room is necessary. Just continue reading, watching tv, etc. Just ignore him for several minutes. You don't want to reward the hand biting our other unwanted behavior.

I do that constantly then by accident lol, just without the hissing part. Most kittens do the same thing though i'm presuming.

 

[vince]

Yes. The love biting seems universal, or at least the dozen or so cats I've had over my lifetime have all done that.

 

[Etarre]

It could help to pet him when he's sleepy after playtime. If he's feeling energetic and eager to play, then it'll be more tempting for him to bit your fingers and see your hands as a toy. If he's tired out and sleepy, he's more likely to understand that you're not playing, and it'll mimic his mother grooming him as a tiny kitten.

Enjoy your new kitty! And please share pics with us. I remember being a nervous first-time cat owner many years ago. I had always been a dog person, and was intimidated to switch 'teams' but it was a great decision...and now here I am.

 

[duncanmac]

Don't take this the wrong way because it took me a while to fully appreciate this: Cats are not dogs. I'm a dog person and am used to belly rubs, rough housing and the like. Cats typically hate that. They want gentle petting and scratching mostly around the head and face and you can't swoop in from above (my other problem).

If (when) he starts to bite or pull your hand in, what I do is a low, rumbly "No" or "gentle" and it seems to work but it took time. He really just wants to play right now and kittens play rough. Get him as tired as you can with play - a wand toy to get him chasing it up and down from your bed or something he wants to play fetch with.