New kitty help

[Mylo]

Hi all I'm new to the forum and in need of some assistance please!

I rescued a little kitty, vet said he was around 5 to 6 weeks old at the time, I've now had him for just over 3 weeks. He is very clean, used his litter tray right from the word go, eats very well and sleeps most of the day. We did have an issue with him trying to climb the curtains and sofa so I bought him a scratching pole and this has stopped him going for the curtains most of the time. I've tried to secure most of the wires around the apartment but he still manages to go for my laptop cable when he's in that mood. When he does misbehave I say 'no' quite firmly and try to get his attention onto a toy which usually works but the last week his behaviour has turned aggressive towards me when I do say 'no' and even when I don't....especially at night. He'll hiss, ears back, arch his back and I believe he kind of spits at times as well and will pounce at me while I'm in bed! When he does become so aggressive I usually leave the room and close the door to give him a bit of space hoping he will calm down, sometimes this works other times not.

Just now he ate and went to his litter tray, on his way out I was passing by and he hissed at me and pounced at my feet giving them a good scratch on the way! I try to divert his attention away from me with a toy and this works but these incidents are happening quite often now.

I'm not even sure he was a feral cat or abandoned as he took to me fairly quickly and can be handled by strangers too, although he is nervous around them he won't attack. Also I'm new to the kitten owner world, usually have dogs, although I'm aware cats are very different! I have grown quite attached to Mylo now but am concerned that if this behaviour continues I don't know if it's going to be a very happy experience in the long run.

I'm feeding him kitten food, small amounts 5 to 6 times a day, I work from home so he is rarely on his own, he's got lots of toys, I spend around 15 minutes three times a day and an hour in the evening playing with him, litter tray cleaned daily.....am I doing anything wrong?

Sorry for the longish post but this is starting to stress me out a bit! I'd be grateful for any advice.

Thanks

[suelily]

Hi, my partner got a 4 week old kitten who never used the litter tray for first week because she was took away from her mother too early. She would hiss, scratch you and bite you and attack your feet when you walked past. Sometimes even when you were just sitting doing nothing. She was only playing and this lasted for a good few months. Remember your cat is only a baby so they will do this. I had plenty of scratches to show for it. It will stop as she gets older. All the best.

[suelily]

Sorry HE will stop eventually.

[Mylo]

I hope so, it's just that he gets into attack mode, ears back, arches his back, claws out, walks sideways. It's doesn't seem very playful to be honest, he's got totally different body language when he plays rough. Been checking google a lot haha!

[bobster38]

Hi

One of my rescue cats took 3 months to calm down, you just need to stick at it. He was around 2 - 3 months old at the time. Whenever I had to take him to the vets I looked like I'd been in a battle, blood everywhere. Now he's a snugglebum.

[Crewella]

Play is part of their learning process, so he's obviously got on to the 'fight' part of the curriculum! The problem is that at this stage his mum and siblings would be teaching him boundaries and would let him know when he plays too rough, so he's missing that part of his education. Keep doing what you're doing and hopefully he will get the message.

[Bookeedo]

How old is the cat? If he's young he's just playing, trust me. Just keep redirecting him to a toy. Make sure you play with him often. Get him a little mouse toy or something he can carry around and growl at. Lol Don't Worry He's just getting started

[Lilith]

Ah. I've got one too!

(Sorry all the regulars on here - you might know Lil and the dreaded Molly would be dropping in on a thread like this )

Molly's 4 now and I'm wearing a load of scratches on the back of my hand from absentmindedly 'stroking the wrong ear' ie approaching her when she didn't want to be approached the other day.

Don't know much about her background other than that she was acquired as a kitten by a family whose other cats walked out a week after her arrival, that she used to attack the kids, and they feared for the new baby...with good cause I must say. So I took her on, the little horror.

Like your Mylo, she doesn't back down. Try to waft her away from where she shouldn't be and her eyes narrow, she turns on you and she's ready to do battle. She too grabs you in passing, and goes for feet, screaming and biting...Sometimes there are encouraging signs; she'll even sheath her claws or enjoy her back 'scruffled up'. If told off about curtain climbing, for instance, she'll come running and purring and turn on the charm.

She's possessive, loving, shadows me everywhere and sleeps on the bed - you can feel the purr through the duvet - and talks to me all the time.

When she arrived it was into a household of elderly cats all too old to play with her - and although she got on best with the tomcat Finn (now sadly passed on) this was the trouble. As Crewella's said, another cat who would rough and tumble with her and teach her manners and to inhibit her bites and scratches would have done her the world of good. My eldest, Emily, will bash her if needs be and the two have reached a mother/bothersome kitten truce; the middle cat, Mouse, is still nervous of her and I stand up for Mouse.

I definitely agree with your method of saying 'no!' to Mylo when he starts roughnecking, and withdrawing all attention. Also I refuse to play rough with Molly - she's never grasped the fact that humans aren't padded with fur everywhere - no, but she's grasped me - ouch! And I HISS at her sometimes, like an angry fellow cat, especially if she's menacing My Mouse.

There aren't any easy answers with a cat like this; sometimes it's impossible to know what triggers off this behaviour; sometimes they're so lovable it's impossible to believe what little ASBOs they are - until they do it again of course. Getting Mylo a friend might be an answer - but you'd have to search for a total THUG by the sound - and two cats slugging it out round a flat might not be that convenient...

I do hope he settles down soon and begins to learn some manners; there's every chance he will. I think my Molly's an extreme case.

All the best to you and Mylo (and Molly sends a nice growl lol) Let us know how you get on

[bobbys girl]

I agree with Helen and Lilith, it sounds very much like part of the growing process. Mylo seems to missing an adult cat to teach him some manners!

Our first cat Willow was about a week old when she was dropped in front of me by a neighbour's dog. We had to learn the hard way about kitty discipline and what is acceptable behaviour. All other kittens have had an adult cat to whack 'em round the ear 'ole when they got a bit above themselves.

Do what they suggest and don't let it get to you. You'll be fine. As for attacking you in bed, our lot still think toes under duvets are fair game and three of them are 10+.

Hoping you and Mylo have a long, happy life together.

[Mylo]

Thank you all so much, feeling a lot better now! I thought I had a one off kitten lol

I thought maybe he's spending too much time with, needs a bit of space cos I'll be honest I do tend to smother him with oohs and aahs most of the day - can't help it he's too cute! So today I had to go out and I stayed out a little longer than planned - 4 whole hours in fact - honestly you wouldn't have thought a cat lived here, there wasn't a thing out of place apart from his food bowl of course (!) and he was sound asleep when I got back.

Hasn't snapped at me yet but I'm waiting for it, in fact I have a toy mouse on me just in case he gets the urge to pounce lol

Thank you all once again, such a friendly forum, look forward to being a part of it!

[Mylo]

Hi everyone! Kitty is getting more aggressive unfortunately and my friend who has had cats for years has told me he has behavioural problems and that he will always have these problems! That it's not normal kitty behaviour....she has also taken in two stray kittens in the past and says they never attacked her like Mylo attacks me!

So the last 2 weeks he has become more and more aggressive towards me, not all the time but I would say 50% of the time. He will be sitting on my bed for instance and I'll walk into the room and he goes into his ninja stance ready to go for me, I avoid looking at him, ignore him and he still pounces. He bites and scratches so hard I bleed most of the time. I know he is only a kitten and looking through the forums and what you guys have said to me this is normal behaviour and it seems he was abandoned by his mother (he was around 5 weeks when I rescued him) so he doesn't have mum around to correct him. I will only correct him by sternly telling him no and walking away / ignoring him.

He has plenty of toys which he loves, balls, cuddly toys, little mice, scratching pole, scratch mat, places I allow him to climb and I have a couple of pole toys (so as to avoid biting my hands) which he will play happily with and all of a sudden he will again go into ninja mode and hiss and spit and go for my arm.

Other than the above when he is good he is very good....I tell him off (sternly not yelling) when he goes near the curtains or jumps onto the furniture and he has a little growl and runs off but I manage to divert his attention to something else. He regularly curls up on my lap and crawls up to my neck and I get a wet nose kiss and purrs!! He is really clean, uses his litter box no problem.

So I'm really attached to him now but I am worried with what my friend told me, as he is getting stronger of course by the day! I do plan on neutering him as soon as he is old enough and another friend has told me he will calm down a lot once this is done. Any tips or advice will be gratefully received.

[Lilith]

Hi, sorry to hear he's still being aggressive - but I wouldn't give up hope. No, it's not 'normal' but it's not unusual - and (if you're long-suffering) it is possible to live with.

One point struck me and that is, about his challenging you and you averting your gaze. Don't. In cat language you're acting submissive. GLARE back at him, outstare him and get HIM to blink or turn his gaze away. Then you can withdraw your attention (sorry should have explained this more fully before.) When he's acting nice, blink gently at him and talk to him, but in situations like this, glare and even growl! Evil little git, bless him!

Well, this is what works for me with Molly.

All the very very best with him, and other people on here will have good tips too

[Mylo]

Thank you Lilith, I'll do what you recommend. I did think it might be because I seem to be constantly telling him off! Hope I can come back with some positive updates next time around x