New kitty owner with big concerns

[marysmommy]

I've always had a huge menagerie of pets, mostly exotics. I currently have a rescued English bulldog, 2 rescued pugs, 4 rabbits, 3 chickens, 2 chinchillas, 20 hedgehogs, and my latest additions: 2 cats. I hadn't owned cats since I was a toddler so it was a big adjustment but I've fallen in love and I don't know how I lived without them for so long.
MaryJane is my 7 year old tortie. She's lazy and chubby and has no teeth due to a previous owners neglect.I adopted her a year ago after she was in the local shelter for over a year. She's the sweetest cat ever and has made this last year such a joy for me. She sleeps curled up on my belly and is so affectionate and loving.
3 months ago my family rescued a litter of stray kittens and after vaccinating them, treating their fleas, deworming them, etc, we found them good homes. My family fell in love with one male orange kitty, we named him Buddy and decided to keep him. He was so sweet for the first month or so then began to attack my sweet MaryJane all the time. He's not vicious or anything, but he gets so much joy out of pouncing on her and biting her ears and tail and scratching her face. He started doing it my dogs as well and got his claw stuck in my bulldog's eyelid the other day, it was so terrifying for me. Now he has even started clawing and biting at my small siblings. He's not mean all the time and will go up to the kids (and me) like he wants to cuddle, but within minutes he's clawing your chest, biting your hands, and being really nasty. I've tried squiring him with a water bottle, yelling NO!, making him spend the night in seclusion in my bedroom after he hurts the kids, etc. But I'm at wits end. My older cat is so sweet and timid, she never fights back and she cries when he pounces on her. My English bulldog is 10 times his size but still takes all his crap and hasn't hurt him back. He just continues to assault her and has even drawn blood. To make matters worse, my bully has an AI appointment next week which means we will have pups in the house in a couple months. And I certainly can't have this kitten attacking puppies.
He is now about 6 months old. We have an appt to get him fixed this week. Do you think that will change his behavior a lot? Is it possible the aggression is just from being un-fixed still?
Is there any advice you guys have on stopping this behavior? My first cat is an angel and doesn't deserve to be attacked after she just spent a year in a shelter, it's not fair. If I can't change his behavior, I have to do what's right for the kids and pets and rehome him and find them a new cat. I really hope it doesn't come to that though because the kids still really love their kitty regardless of his abuse.
Please, any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

[helsic]

First of all I'm very surprised with all the animals you have. How do you manage to feed them all? How do you take care of all of them? I mean do you have time for all that pets? it seems like a lot of work.

Second, that's normal behavior in kittens. If they don't have a litter mate they'll play with whatever around them. They use their claws and bite because that's who they learn to hunt, it's in their instinct. If he is growing new teeth it could be that his gums itches so the biting can be related to this.

You can get many toys for him to chew and also try to play with him not with your hands but with the toys, so he won't focus his attention in your hands but in the toys so you won't get scratch. I'm afraid because you have to many animals the kitten can't control himself and want to play with them all, he may see the dogs and the other cat as brothers or littler mates so that's why he is constantly trying to play with them.

I also have a kitten about the same age, he is also very hyperactive and always biting my legs or ankles.

 

[mani]

It's a real problem when this happens, and I do understand The trouble is that disciplining him will only make it worse.  We have to think a little laterally and give positive reinforcement ... redirect attention with toys etc.  He needs loads of games and attention to let loose all that kitten energy!

Having said that, you may find an improvement when he's neutered.    At 6 months those hormones could really be kicking in.  He sounds like a real 'boy' and some of that will go.

  I'd see how the neutering goes first (the sooner the better!) before you get too concerned.

This is an old thread that may interest you.   Most say their cats didn't change (for the worse) and many said it made their cats more affectionate.  In fact some people say that ginger boys can be one of the most affectionate cats there are.

 

 

[marysmommy]

Thanks for the info. I've been trying to use a laser light for that reason, he's most naughty at night and bites my legs and feet while I'm sleeping. I use the laser light all over my room for about 40 minutes every night and after he's been been chasing it for a good while, I pray he's all tired out and I try to go to bed. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't make a difference.
Have any of you noticed a decrease in aggression as your kitty aged? How long did it take?

PS my family works in wild life rehabilitation and exotic animal rescuing and breeding. We're USDA certified and it's our career. Basically I rehab and bottlefeed hurt or orphaned animals (possums, squirrels, wild rabbits, etc) and release them back into the wild. I also rescue exotics that have been neglected (lots of people buy monkeys/kinkajous/hedgehogs/coati mundis/other exotics, and then neglect or abandon them once the novelty wears off). And to fund all the rescues and rehabbing, we're one of the other hedgehog breeders in the northeast. So basically that's why I have a crapton of pets and how I manage to care for them all.

 

[mani]

I think it's wonderful that you look after so many animals..

Kittens really are like this... they love to chase and bight and fight playfully (although sometimes it looks really intense).  My boy definitely calmed down as he aged, and he's only two now.  They do.  See how he goes after 'the snip' - and remember it can take a little while for the hormones to leave the system, so don't be downhearted if it isn't immediate.