Took In 3 Week Old Abandoned Kitty

[houseofnine]

Hey everybody... Chloe has gotten so big and is doing well. Besides the fact that she’s actually gotten aggressive. She’s biting every time you try and touch her, and is always pouncing and biting your ankles. It HURTS. We have tried everything. The noises, the spray bottle, yelling, just about everything. We love her so very much but we’re starting to give up which is heartbreaking for me and the kids. She’s about 6ish months old now, and she’s had her shots and been spaid. The hardest part is her longing to be outside. She spends hours in the window watching outside. We can tell she wants to be outside and hunt (it’s her nature, she was born outside). She recently has gotten into the garage and we can’t seem to get her out or keep her away. We want her to be an indoor cat because of a couple reasons. 1) There’s coyotes in the neighborhood that have killed other pets. 2) Fleas and bugs. 3) Were terrified of her running away. We’re very scared that someday she’s going to get out of the house and never come back. Summer is coming up and we’re not sure if having a cat that wants to go outside is going to work. Is there a way home to tame her, and have her be okay with staying inside? Would taking her on walks help? or make her want to go outdoors even more? She hasn’t been outside since she was about 2 weeks old. Also is she going to mellow down as she gets older? Looking back, when I said she was aggressive when we first got her, she wasn’t. She was just playful. She really is aggressive now. What do we do? We have tried everything and she’s just so stubborn that nothing seems to work. Please help!!! Because we’re starting to give up which is heartbreaking (like I said) Because we love her so much. We would be so heartbroken if we had to rehire her but if that is the best thing to do, I guess we will just have to consider it.

Hi and thank you for saving this beautiful kitty, and definitely keep her in!
She needs lots of playtime. Do you have self-service interactive toys like the Turbo Scratcher? Does she have a cat tree to climb? There are some good battery-op laser toys that you can set on the floor and let her go at it. Switch up the regular cat toys--put some away and pull new ones out.
I agree that a companion cat might help, but you know your lifestyle and finances best. I'd recommend a mellow male cat--usually opposite gender gets along better. Would you consider another kitten? Then they can play all day like idiots and then sleep in a pile. She could be a bit aggressive if she was an orphan, because kittens learn from each other and their moms how to play without hurting.
Let us know if you have more questions--here to help. Thank you for giving Chloe a safe home!

 

[catsknowme]

Unfortunately, spray bottles and yelling tend to make cats MORE aggressive - the emotional centers of their brains are the closest to humans' . She is young still and looks very healthy and energetic so she probably wants more play and mental stimulation. Also, being an "only child" she has not learned her boundaries from other kitties. We have 4 eight months' old Siamese mix and they get overly play-aggressive; if they cause pain, a loud shriek makes them stop. But if your kitty has been rough-housed too much, it will take more intensive work - what was "cute and feisty" as a baby kitten is now "obnoxious and mean".
P.S. There is typically a lot of prey in a garage such as rodents, lizards, bugs and spiders. She probably hears and smells the scurrying (a cat's senses are incredible - they can smell a spider's 'foot prints' and hear mice a hundred yards away. My friend installed a pet door so his 6 mo kitten can go into the garage from the kitchen - the first nite, the kitten caught 2 mice! We had no idea that the immaculate garage had mice but Tigger knew. The pet door has shut down his "midnight crazies" so we think just the scent of cat is keeping the mice away; Tigger, as a master "simbon" was going nuts hearing those mice and acting out as a result.

 

[AC1819]

Hi and thank you for saving this beautiful kitty, and definitely keep her in!
She needs lots of playtime. Do you have self-service interactive toys like the Turbo Scratcher? Does she have a cat tree to climb? There are some good battery-op laser toys that you can set on the floor and let her go at it. Switch up the regular cat toys--put some away and pull new ones out.
I agree that a companion cat might help, but you know your lifestyle and finances best. I'd recommend a mellow male cat--usually opposite gender gets along better. Would you consider another kitten? Then they can play all day like idiots and then sleep in a pile. She could be a bit aggressive if she was an orphan, because kittens learn from each other and their moms how to play without hurting.
Let us know if you have more questions--here to help. Thank you for giving Chloe a safe home!

Sad to say, another cat probably wouldn’t work. We already have family members struggling with allergies but are just bearing it because we all love her. So another kitty (although it sounds like so much fun) wouldn’t work. She does have toys but her attention span is not very great (lol) thanks though!

 

[AC1819]

Unfortunately, spray bottles and yelling tend to make cats MORE aggressive - the emotional centers of their brains are the closest to humans' . She is young still and looks very healthy and energetic so she probably wants more play and mental stimulation. Also, being an "only child" she has not learned her boundaries from other kitties. We have 4 eight months' old Siamese mix and they get overly play-aggressive; if they cause pain, a loud shriek makes them stop. But if your kitty has been rough-housed too much, it will take more intensive work - what was "cute and feisty" as a baby kitten is now "obnoxious and mean".
P.S. There is typically a lot of prey in a garage such as rodents, lizards, bugs and spiders. She probably hears and smells the scurrying (a cat's senses are incredible - they can smell a spider's 'foot prints' and hear mice a hundred yards away. My friend installed a pet door so his 6 mo kitten can go into the garage from the kitchen - the first nite, the kitten caught 2 mice! We had no idea that the immaculate garage had mice but Tigger knew. The pet door has shut down his "midnight crazies" so we think just the scent of cat is keeping the mice away; Tigger, as a master "simbon" was going nuts hearing those mice and acting out as a result.

Good to know about the spray bottles and yelling. It makes sense that her emotional senses are like humans, I know I wouldn’t want to be treated like that! Letting her in the garage might not be the best idea since we park in there and could easily run outside if we open it. I need more help! Is there a way to make her less interested in then outdoors? Will taking her on walks help with that or make it worse? Also, since she wants to be outside so badly, is it cruel to keep her in?

 

[catsknowme]

When I lived in town, it was safer to take my Maine Coon on walks on the leash. Also, I found a torn baby stroller whose frame was good; I used bungee cords to attach a large cat carrier and I would take him for rides through the park and downtown. He wore his harness, even in the carrier, so he could get taken out so kids could pet him. But I had to give him extra exercise inside with the lunge whip for my horses ( you can also tie string to an old fishing pole and attach toys to that - the circumference is waaayyy larger and more fun for the cats, compared to a regular wand toy).

 

[trudy1]

It might just be that biting and ankle grabbing are a way of getting your attention. I’ve seen that in some of our rescues. A lot of play to get the little guy worn out might direct some of that energy and the “ I’m going crazy on you if you don’t pet me”. We too have allergies so I know what you’re going through BUT in many instances a second kitten/cat can take a lot of the work load off. They play a lot, fight a little, eat and then you find them asleep in the corner!
He is really cute. Oh, regarding the “hand play, rough house” just keep the thought that hands are for loving, touching gently and loving never for disciplining or correction....use this idea for cats and mates, works well for both.

 

[houseofnine]

Hi! I'll give you a shopping list. you can get all this stuff from amazon and not crazy expensive.
Turbo scratcher (ball in a track with a cardboard scratcher in the middle).
They also make a double-track ball toy that our kitten really likes.
Automated laser light toy (battery op)--there's one you can put on the floor.
Cat tree--put it near the window--Amarkat makes decent ones that aren't ridiculous cost--also you can buy "open box" from amazon warehouse deals dept.
Infinity Cat Lounger (about $50 but lasts for years)
Ping pong balls
Catnip toys (there is a banana shape one that everyone's cats seem to love, but only give it to kitty for limited doses/time).
Agree that yelling and spray bottle do nothing but scare the little one. Also don't use your hand as a toy--I made that mistake with my first kitten long ago and she was kinda feisty for years.
I hope some of this helps!