Chaotic Kitten

[JellyCat99]

We just acquired a kitten who is now about two months old, however, when we got him he was way too small to have been taken away from his mother, as he initially found it difficult to eat solid food and tries to suckle people when he is relaxed. Since the first time we went to the vets his behaviour has been getting worse and worse!
While I understand that kittens love to chase and play, our cat is really bitey and has begun to climb up peoples legs, which is really embarrassing when we have guests over!

He has lots of toys and stimulation, and he gets lots of attention, but when he starts running around he can be really manic and particularly enjoys biting and scratching my partner.
When we are asleep he can sometimes jump at you and bite you too.

I have tried using short sharp sounds and pointing to try to divert his attention away from his bad behaviour, and I was also advised to use scruffing by a friend (as I am told that a mother cat will do this to discipline her young) but neither of these things are working!

Does anyone have any advice, as I am worried that we will not be able to correct his behaviour before it becomes more severe?

Thanks very much,
Jelly

[JulieandBarney]

Hi Jelly and welcome.......

My Barney is over 8 years old and behaves this way !!! Other than running up peoples legs, he bites and kicks like a bunny...I am afraid that this is normal cat behaviour and especially as he is only a kitten, I would not be suprised or upset at it .....if your visitors don't like the behaviour of normal kittens, then maybe it's best you keep them apart !!!....

Lots of luck....xx

[Lyn from Australia]

I agree, he sounds like a fairly normal kitten. If in fact he was too young to leave his mum he'll need lots of gentle reassurance. Try distracting him with play - "Da Bird" or a laser pointer to chase will probably tire him out and then he won't be so inclined to want to "attack" which is play behaviour. What's his name? I'd love to see a picture if you can manage it.

[bobbys girl]

Hello Jelly, and welcome to CC

The girls are right, your kitten's behaviour is perfectly normal (sorry about that ).

Our Gracie took terrible liberties as a kitten, climbing our legs, stealing food from under Rosie dog's nose and growling when Rosie tried to move her. She still hates being picked up.

Willow was only about 1 week old when I found her. I was the first thing she saw when her eyes opened. All the cuddles and reassurance did nothing - she has always treated me like 'staff'.

Lyn is right about distraction. Play with him using toys and if her turns his attention to you, put the toy in the way. If that doesn't work, turn away from him. Hopefully he will grow out of it and calm down.

You can't 'train' a cat the same as a dog. When my dog Bonnie was a pup she was a terror for play biting. She went too far one day, so I bit her back (a nip on the ear). It worked, after a surprised yelp, she never bit anyone again. I shudder to think of the reaction of a cat if I tried that stunt!

I'd love to know a little more about your boy.

Best wishes

[andrea8411]

I have just had a new kitten who is about 10 weeks old and oh yes he goes crazy, I am covered in scratches and bites but he is only playing.
This morning I watched him climb up my 6 foot high curtains and sat thinking oh dear how am I going to stop him doing that.
It's when I am not paying him attention he likes to climb up my leg with his claws and also when it's food time, he jumps on me most mornings around 4.30 am has a crazy 10 mins then falls asleep again by which time I'm wide awake.
They are just babies at this time and what you are describing is normal kitten behaviour and they just want to play play and more play until they fall over and sleep for 6 straight hours.
It does get better when they get older
Good luck

[lilynmitz]

He's just a normal hyper kitten, but he will slow down in the coming months (and years). Please don't scruff him - it might be ok when they're tiny, but not as they get bigger - it's very uncomfortable and distressing for them.

Mum would have taught him some manners had he been with her longer, so to some degree you're paying the price for that I'm afraid. Distraction is the best way, show him something more fun when he's doing something you don't want him to do.

You could also try hissing at him when he bites too hard, or a sharp squeak, which is what his mum and siblings would have done. I also used to find a short sharp puff of air by blowing in their faces can make them think again. If the hand biting is getting too much, play with him with remote toys - feathers on sticks, bits of string, rolling balls etc, to give your hands a rest, and only handle him when he's a bit calmer.

But as others have said, he should calm down to some degree as time goes on. He sounds a loveable little pickle right now though!

[JellyCat99]

Thanks for all the advice guys, it's really reassuring to know that this is normal and not something to worry about. I will continue to try the sharp "no" and pointing just to keep him in check, but no more scruffing.
Perhaps when we first got him he was more timid and his "naughty" behaviour is the result of him beginning to feel more comfortable with us?
I've always adopted older cats and he is my first kitten... I do feel bad for having to put him out of the bedroom though, can any of you give me advice about bedding? My kitty likes to sleep on a dining room chair, but should he have a set sleeping area?

His name is Jellybean. He has so far mastered the use of the "puss in boots" eyes!

[JellyCat99]

I will send a picture when I can work out how to get my files smaller... he is so pretty! ^_^

[Hunnybunny]

Single kittens usually get theses behavioural traits as they should learn most of the social skills of being a cat with a sibling not a human which is why young kittens should not be homed by themselves until at last 4 months old. See it all the time and is why so many kittens end up dumped because they are to rough due to no fault of their own!!!!!!

[Moo Bear]

I can definitely relate to.the leg climbing..... not so bad when you have trousers on but when your trying to put your underwear on in the morning it's slightly more painful .

Ahhh....i don't miss those days haha!

[JellyCat99]

We certainly wouldn't dump him for being too rough, but it's good to get some advice from people who know more about cats than we do so we can figure out how to socialize him better He's really great at being well behaved in other ways, he picked up using the litter tray really quick and he doesn't beg for food or overeat... just the naughty biting.

We got him a new fishing rod toy and I will look for some other ways for him to burn off his energy

[greenkitty]

My first experience of cat ownership was with a 7 week old kitten Pip, I had no idea that was too young to be away from her mum but her mum had already been rehomed the day before so it was what it was. She came from a chaotic house of cats, dogs and kids and was a feisty miss even at 7 weeks old. Pip's behaviour was very similar to your kittens and after living with her for about 6 weeks it became apparent, even to a novice like me, that she needed a friend. I spoke to my rescue explained the situation (I also had house rabbits at the time) and they recommended I come and meet year old Hector, who was a gentle boy with a beautiful nature. After an initial bit of hissing and fluffing up from tiny Pip the two became firm friends (Hector was so gentle with her, never once hissed at her) and we never looked back. 7 years on she adores him, as soon as he walks into the room she rushes over to him and washes his face

He did a great job of helping to socialise her but she still is a feisty miss with humans, much as we tried the behaviour was too ingrained to change.

[bobbys girl]

'JellyCat', your avatar - how cute is that?!

[JellyCat99]

Thanks very much for all your advice, I must say that now we know his behaviour is a bit more normal than we first thought, we are taking it in our stride.

Do you chaps have any recommendations about the bedroom situation? He likes to try and play with us when we're sleeping and only sleeps in short bursts through the night... we got him a cat bed, but he prefers to sleep on one of my dining room chairs. What kind of bedding is most suitable for a new kitten? Do you think that changing his bed will help him to sleep through the night?

Thanks Bobby's girl! That's a picture of Jellybean... he has taken to sitting in my handbag when I come home, and really likes to steal the tissues from it :p

[andrea8411]

I did the Jackson galaxy method, which worked for me. Depending on what time you go to bed approx 3 hours before play play play and wear him out. Just before you go to bed feed him his evening wet food, he says do this for 10 nights and the cat will sleep through the night, it worked for me after about 5 nights, now I have to wake him for his breakfast!
Do no be tempted to feed him in the night just ignor him as much as you can.
My cat has his blanket on my bed and sleeps with me.
Good luck

[Alice]

Andrea's advice is very good. When I got my first kitten she was very much like yours, sleeping in short bursts, then wanting to play at all hours. I thought I'd never get a good night's sleep again! It was hard to ignore her during the night when she tried to wake me, to play -licking my face, ears,etc even gently pawing my eyelids to make me open my eyes, but by ignoring her she quickly learned that it didn't work. That stage doesn't last long and you'll find that she soon sleeps much longer.

I've tried various cat beds, but never had a cat which used one - always choosing either to sleep on my bed or a chair I'd used, and presumably had my smell on it. It's rather like asking "Where does an elephant sleep?" Answer "Anywhere it wants" - my cats have always been like that. One of my present ones often waits for me to get up from my chair to go to bed, then jumps up on it before it goes cold, and is still there when I get up in the morning, though in winter he knows that my bed, with an electric overblanket, is a better option.

If there's a place where you really want Jellybean to sleep, try putting something you've worn (unwashed) there and there's a good chance that she'll be attracted to it by your smell. Similarly, if you go out and leave her for a while a recently worn garment left in a suitable place for her to curl up on it, and sleep, will comfort her till you return

[Lyn from Australia]

Is that Jellybean with his head poking out of the bag? Such a cute cat and a cute picture - I wish I managed to get my lot in such cute poses! Most of the time it seems like they know exactly when to move their heads, just as I take the picture, and most of the time my pictures are of the backs of their heads or their eyes are closed!!

[KittyWitty]

My 7 month old cat loves to sleep on some cushions I have placed on our chest of drawers for him and my 13 week old loves to cuddle into my partner and i's heads at night

Cats will sleep anywhere they want

[bobbys girl]

Purdy has taken to wrapping herself around my OH's head. He says he feels like he is wearing a Davy Crockett hat!

In the winter most of ours fight to get into the airing cupboard - on top of my CLEAN washing!!!

[JellyCat99]

I did try Andrea's advice and it worked pretty well... I played with Jellybean for a long time and after I played I cleaned my apartment (he likes to totter around after me and chase my broom). He slept for most of the night, but at 2am he did decide it was time I needed to get up :p

Yeah that's Jellybean in the bag, he always does such cute eyes when he know's he's being a nuisance. When I finally retire that handbag that would make a great bed for him since he likes to sit in it.