In need of kitten help..

SirPopcorn · January 2012

So as many of you know, I recently finally got my kitten, Vera

She's the first cat I've ever owned so I'm learning as I go haha Now she's just reached 3months of age and was adopted from the RSPCA. She's de-sexed and all that, totally healthy and up to date with all her vaccinations. Problem is, I'm having just a couple of issues that I'm not sure how to deal with. The main one is her using her claws for -everything- I've got tons of scratches and punction marks on my upper thighs from her jumping into my lap or sleeping in my lap like so; <img src="http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss170/clozobozo/IMG_1397.jpg"; alt="http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss170/clozobozo/IMG_1397.jpg"; class="bb-image" /> The first thing she does when she wakes up is dig her claws into my leg and pull herself forward, causing me to be in a lot of pain

Another naughty thing she does is jump up on our kitchen benches. We've tried spraying her with the water bottle but she doesn't react, I swear she loves water -.- We've also tried disinfecting every inch of the benches with awful smelling stuff and it had no effect, also tried a 'pet-off' spray and that didn't work either. We've had to move all of the bench stools well away from the benches but even then she'll just claw her way up. It's horribly unhygienic and really irritating. At the moment we're just constantly putting her back on the floor whenever she gets up and if she does it 3 times consecutively she gets put down the back in 'her room'. Can't really think of any other problems at the moment apart from her constant whinging... Help? :roll:

Minx · January 2012

Easy fix.. have her declawed ;D we declaw all our cats.

Hibachi · January 2012

Cats are naturally going to claw at you, my cat does that with his claws in his sleep or if he's stretching and im sitting/laying next to him he will dig his claws in my arm, he doesn't mean to or realizes he's hurting me. I usually just move him over away from my body when he does that. As for jumpin on things, get her a cat tree or something like this: <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Homemade_cat_tree.jpg/260px-Homemade_cat_tree.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Homemade_cat_tree.jpg/260px-Homemade_cat_tree.jpg</a> You can find them at pet stores or make your own, she'll learn this is her space. I wouldn't recommend declawing, especially if it's an outdoor cat, or if she where to escape you wouldn't want her to not be able to defend herself. From experience it can be painful & a traumatizing experience, & not all vets will do it. Just my opinion.

Emster · January 2012

Get claw COVERS

SirPopcorn · January 2012

VampireVenom wrote:

Easy fix.. have her declawed ;D we declaw all our cats.

I refuse to get her declawed thankyouverymuch

I'm quite against altering animals unless it's de-sexing or for medical purposes.

Avla wrote:

Cats are naturally going to claw at you, my cat does that with his claws in his sleep or if he's stretching and im sitting/laying next to him he will dig his claws in my arm, he doesn't mean to or realizes he's hurting me. I usually just move him over away from my body when he does that. As for jumpin on things, get her a cat tree or something like this: <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Homemade_cat_tree.jpg/260px-Homemade_cat_tree.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Homemade_cat_tree.jpg/260px-Homemade_cat_tree.jpg</a> You can find them at pet stores or make your own, she'll learn this is her space. I wouldn't recommend declawing, especially if it's an outdoor cat, or if she where to escape you wouldn't want her to not be able to defend herself. From experience it can be painful & a traumatizing experience, & not all vets will do it. Just my opinion.

I understand that but she also uses her claws when walking across us or just swatting at us.. We did look into getting a cat tree before we even got her, but it was too expensive, big and Vera gets moved between two houses (not often, once a month at the most) and it would be too hard to move the tree with her or just only have it at one house. She does have her little scratching post podium near the kitchen that's she's starting to learn is hers to sit and watch. If I get her off the bench and put her on it she'll stay for a little while... until I move away. She just loves running on the benches following us as we move around the kitchen and she also loves sitting watching dad do the dishes.. She's not an outdoor cat nor ever will be

sweetypie wrote:

Get claw COVERS

I've looked for these and haven't found them anywhere but online in another state. If she doesnt grow out of the habit I may invest in some of these when she's older.

DiamondPuppy0809 · January 2012

I agree with NOT declawing her - good choice. It's unnatural and completely only beneficial to owners and not the pet itself. If she were ever to escape from your home (assuming that she's an indoor cat), she wouldn't be able to defend herself against other animals. Claw caps are your best bet. We have them for our 2 year old cat that likes to claw furniture. The only downside is that he slips off of things easily due to not having enough grip - but sometimes this is a good thing if he's not supposed to be on certain pieces of furniture. I've never seen them in pet stores or anything, but our vet reccomended them to us a few years ago. Perhaps your own vet may supply them?

SirPopcorn · January 2012

Garfieldz Gal wrote:

I agree with NOT declawing her - good choice. It's unnatural and completely only beneficial to owners and not the pet itself. If she were ever to escape from your home (assuming that she's an indoor cat), she wouldn't be able to defend herself against other animals. Claw caps are your best bet. We have them for our 2 year old cat that likes to claw furniture. The only downside is that he slips off of things easily due to not having enough grip - but sometimes this is a good thing if he's not supposed to be on certain pieces of furniture. I've never seen them in pet stores or anything, but our vet reccomended them to us a few years ago. Perhaps your own vet may supply them?

Haha yes I don't think I would mind her slipping off things.. she gets into too many places she's not supposed to be! That's a good idea, I'll ask them when I take Vera again at the end of the month

Trianna · January 2012

VampireVenom wrote:

Easy fix.. have her declawed ;D we declaw all our cats.

Declawing a cat is one of them most inhumane things you can do to a cat... It's pretty similar to chopping off the first digit of a humans fingers, and can leave the cat with pain for the rest of it's life. Not only that, but it leaves it defenseless and more likely to have biting and other psychological issues. It's far from an "easy fix" and many vets won't even do it. Claw caps are helpful, but they might not be necessary. The clawing at you and most everything she'll likely grow out of, my cats felt the need to do that as kittens too. If not you may be able to train her out of it by getting her used to scratching her scratching post and only the post, and making a displeased noise every time she gets you with a claw to show her it hurts, the same way puppies yelp when a littermate bites them too hard. Also getting another cat (if possible) for her to wrestle with might help. As for keeping her of the table/counters... the only way to do that that I can think of is to make them as unpleasant for her as possible, without you being part of it... they have motion sensing devices that blow out a puff or air that you could place there, but it could be as simple as placing double sided tape on the surfaces so when she jumps on them it'll feel weird on her paws. Cats hate that, and it's a really good way to discourage them from being where they shouldn't without harming her.

SirPopcorn · January 2012

Trianna wrote:

 Claw caps are helpful, but they might not be necessary. The clawing at you and most everything she'll likely grow out of, my cats felt the need to do that as kittens too. If not you may be able to train her out of it by getting her used to scratching her scratching post and only the post, and making a displeased noise every time she gets you with a claw to show her it hurts, the same way puppies yelp when a littermate bites them too hard. Also getting another cat (if possible) for her to wrestle with might help. As for keeping her of the table/counters... the only way to do that that I can think of is to make them as unpleasant for her as possible, without you being part of it... they have motion sensing devices that blow out a puff or air that you could place there, but it could be as simple as placing double sided tape on the surfaces so when she jumps on them it'll feel weird on her paws. Cats hate that, and it's a really good way to discourage them from being where they shouldn't without harming her.

I'm really hoping she grows out of it, she accidently got my face with her claws one time.. I generally do go 'arghh' or 'ow ow' in a high pitched manner, but I would have no idea what a cat finds 'displeasing'. I won't be able to get another cat till I move out of home... Dad's going to try putting citronella oil on the benches... -shrugs-

EmmeZoec · January 2012

Do you have any poles in up your house? Try finding some big think rope (like for rope swings or tug of war) and wrapping a pole in it for her to scratch on if you can. Ropes a great scratching material and will also "trim" her nails for you. Tire rubber is a good one too. Try putting things like rocks, tin foil, bumpy wire fenceing on the bench to denture her. You could even mix it up, like putting rocks under the foil. Or even water balloons, so when she jumps up they pop. Just get a bunch and put them in big containers or a few smaller ones and they will also catch the water.

Trianna · January 2012

.clozobozo. wrote:

Trianna wrote:

 Claw caps are helpful, but they might not be necessary. The clawing at you and most everything she'll likely grow out of, my cats felt the need to do that as kittens too. If not you may be able to train her out of it by getting her used to scratching her scratching post and only the post, and making a displeased noise every time she gets you with a claw to show her it hurts, the same way puppies yelp when a littermate bites them too hard. Also getting another cat (if possible) for her to wrestle with might help. As for keeping her of the table/counters... the only way to do that that I can think of is to make them as unpleasant for her as possible, without you being part of it... they have motion sensing devices that blow out a puff or air that you could place there, but it could be as simple as placing double sided tape on the surfaces so when she jumps on them it'll feel weird on her paws. Cats hate that, and it's a really good way to discourage them from being where they shouldn't without harming her.

 I'm really hoping she grows out of it, she accidently got my face with her claws one time.. I generally do go 'arghh' or 'ow ow' in a high pitched manner, but I would have no idea what a cat finds 'displeasing'. I won't be able to get another cat till I move out of home... Dad's going to try putting citronella oil on the benches... -shrugs-

Don't use citronella, it's toxic to cats. The foil could work too, the same sort of thing as the tape... if it feels unpleasant on their paws they won't wont to walk on it, same principle as a dog not wanting to walk on hardwood if it's used to carpet. The biggest thing is it has to be when you aren't around, so the cat equates it with the surface, not you. Otherwise she will still do it when she thinks you aren't watching. Is there another place for your cat to perch, like a window ledge? You didn't mention how high her podium is. Most cats like a high spot to sit, especially if there is a dog around. Ours like to lay on top of bookcases and other high furniture, the male jumps on the fridge then on top of the kitchen cabinets (we don't store anything up there so we allow him to). If not giving it it's own designated elevated area may help.

SirPopcorn · January 2012

EmmeZoe wrote:

Do you have any poles in up your house? Try finding some big think rope (like for rope swings or tug of war) and wrapping a pole in it for her to scratch on if you can. Ropes a great scratching material and will also "trim" her nails for you. Tire rubber is a good one too. Try putting things like rocks, tin foil, bumpy wire fenceing on the bench to denture her. You could even mix it up, like putting rocks under the foil. Or even water balloons, so when she jumps up they pop. Just get a bunch and put them in big containers or a few smaller ones and they will also catch the water.

She has a scratching post xP She uses it often too but I don't notice any difference. Foil was our next choice of attack, just gonna need a lot of it >.< It's just our kitchen ye'know, the main place we hang out so I don't want to have to do anything to radical.

Trianna wrote:

.clozobozo. wrote:

Trianna wrote:

 Don't use citronella, it's toxic to cats. The foil could work too, the same sort of thing as the tape... if it feels unpleasant on their paws they won't wont to walk on it, same principle as a dog not wanting to walk on hardwood if it's used to carpet. The biggest thing is it has to be when you aren't around, so the cat equates it with the surface, not you. Otherwise she will still do it when she thinks you aren't watching. Is there another place for your cat to perch, like a window ledge? You didn't mention how high her podium is. Most cats like a high spot to sit, especially if there is a dog around. Ours like to lay on top of bookcases and other high furniture, the male jumps on the fridge then on top of the kitchen cabinets (we don't store anything up there so we allow him to). If not giving it it's own designated elevated area may help.

weird, none of the sites we looked at mentioned that citronella was toxic to cats, thanks for the heads up! She's not allowed in the kitchen when we aren't around... she will be when she's older though. He podium is only about 30cm tall, but I tried putting a chair in the middle of the kitchen and she didn't like it so yeah. I'm going to make her a cat tower tomorrow if I get the chance. Sadly, my dog lives with my grandma still, though the two have met.

Dark Flame · January 2012

My cat used to claw my legs quite a lot when he was a kitten, and he grew out of it without me doing anything other than putting a cushion on my legs that he was allowed to sit on, it was comfy for him and he clawed it (leaving no damage) but it was the cushion and not my leg that got attacked, also sometimes I would gently push him away from me if he was clawing too much, and when he would try and come back I would push him away, he would then play and use the scratching post for a while and then he was allowed to sit with me again. In the kitchen you could get like an automated mouse for the floor, so then she would be more interested in the mouse than sitting on the counters (this is not guaranteed just a suggestion), though you'd have to be careful when moving around if your kitchen is small like ours. Another thing we did with the male kitten we had was when he got on the kitchen counters, he would sit on the counter (naughtily) and we would push him off gently (it never hurt him), and then I hissed at him like his mom used to (pssst was the noise) if you make a hissy noise thats like another cats trying to tell it off it doesnt like it.

SirPopcorn · January 2012

TigerCub101 wrote:

My cat used to claw my legs quite a lot when he was a kitten, and he grew out of it without me doing anything other than putting a cushion on my legs that he was allowed to sit on, it was comfy for him and he clawed it (leaving no damage) but it was the cushion and not my leg that got attacked, also sometimes I would gently push him away from me if he was clawing too much, and when he would try and come back I would push him away, he would then play and use the scratching post for a while and then he was allowed to sit with me again. In the kitchen you could get like an automated mouse for the floor, so then she would be more interested in the mouse than sitting on the counters (this is not guaranteed just a suggestion), though you'd have to be careful when moving around if your kitchen is small like ours. Another thing we did with the male kitten we had was when he got on the kitchen counters, he would sit on the counter (naughtily) and we would push him off gently (it never hurt him), and then I hissed at him like his mom used to (pssst was the noise) if you make a hissy noise thats like another cats trying to tell it off it doesnt like it.

I used a seat cushion on my lap the other day to try what you suggested but she wouldn't even sit on my lap then so I didn't bother again. I might give it a go using her 'bed' (it's an old cushion). She has her fuzzy ball that most of the time she plays with, but when she's in a 'follow Clo and family' mood she just ignores it no matter how much we tease her with it $:\$ Our kitchen is rather big and combined with the lounge room and dining room. So about 20-30m in length and 10m in width. Hence why it's the 'hub' of the house and where Vera runs about. I'll try hissing, though I'm sure I'll just make a fool of myself :P Thankyou everyone so much for your suggestions

Dark Flame · January 2012

.clozobozo. wrote:

 I used a seat cushion on my lap the other day to try what you suggested but she wouldn't even sit on my lap then so I didn't bother again. I might give it a go using her 'bed' (it's an old cushion).

My cat didn't at first he was wary, I just wiggled my fingers on the cushion like they were his pray, he would start coming over and once I realised he was close enough I moved my hand and started petting him with the other, he liked that and sat down on the cushion, I did that a few times and then he would just come and sit on the cushion that was on my lap

SirPopcorn · January 2012

TigerCub101 wrote:

.clozobozo. wrote:

 I used a seat cushion on my lap the other day to try what you suggested but she wouldn't even sit on my lap then so I didn't bother again. I might give it a go using her 'bed' (it's an old cushion). 

 My cat didn't at first he was wary, I just wiggled my fingers on the cushion like they were his pray, he would start coming over and once I realised he was close enough I moved my hand and started petting him with the other, he liked that and sat down on the cushion, I did that a few times and then he would just come and sit on the cushion that was on my lap

Alrighty, I'll give it a go once she's calmed down out of her "supercrazykittyhyperyaylet'sruneverywhereandpounceoneverything" mood. So far today she hasn't been on the kitchen benches

She was about to jump up but I walked over and went 'NO! VERA!' and she stopped

Is it normal for kittens to chase their tail?

Dark Flame · January 2012

i think my kitten did it... i think they think its a toy, actually ive seen more cats do it than dogs

SirPopcorn · January 2012

TigerCub101 wrote:

i think my kitten did it... i think they think its a toy, actually ive seen more cats do it than dogs

-phew- She gets pretty aggressive when playing with it o.o

Dark Flame · January 2012

haha she'll stop when she hurts herself (would be very minor, since my kitten did it and he didnt even yelp after he'd bit it just stopped)

SirPopcorn · January 2012

Do you know anyway to get her to stop meowing every 2 seconds? She'll just follow us around 'crying' no matter what we do.

Dark Flame · January 2012

unfortunatly no, my cats had the same problem, and id just be like 'SHUT UP' by the end of the day, since i was stuck in the house with them on my own for about 4weeks at the end of that time i was so stressed, possibly just stroke her or play with her when she meows it may shut her up for a while

Trianna · January 2012

.clozobozo. wrote:

Do you know anyway to get her to stop meowing every 2 seconds? She'll just follow us around 'crying' no matter what we do.

She may be doing it to tell you she needs something, or she may just be a bit unsure of her surroundings still. What is her body language like when she's doing it? Is her tail up or down, what position are her ears, etc. The semi-feral kitten I'm rehabilitating right now has bonded to me, and she follows me around meowing with her tail down and her ears twitching because she's not used to being in the house yet, and she's very unsure of my cats. If it's something like that she should relax with time. She could also be doing it because she's bored, in which case some toys(like a fling-ama-string or a motorized mouse, something that is interactive... or a kitty tunnel) may help since you can't get another cat yet.

SirPopcorn · January 2012

Trianna wrote:

.clozobozo. wrote:

Do you know anyway to get her to stop meowing every 2 seconds? She'll just follow us around 'crying' no matter what we do.

 She may be doing it to tell you she needs something, or she may just be a bit unsure of her surroundings still. What is her body language like when she's doing it? Is her tail up or down, what position are her ears, etc. The semi-feral kitten I'm rehabilitating right now has bonded to me, and she follows me around meowing with her tail down and her ears twitching because she's not used to being in the house yet, and she's very unsure of my cats. If it's something like that she should relax with time. She could also be doing it because she's bored, in which case some toys(like a fling-ama-string or a motorized mouse, something that is interactive... or a kitty tunnel) may help since you can't get another cat yet.

She's been here 3 weeks now and all too comfortable with her surroundings... It's sorta everything I suppose? She's relaxed. We have all her toys up here and I try to get her to play but she never wants to. So I pick her up and she'll squirm out of my arms. I'll put her in her room by her food or litter box, she's not interested. She usually gets bored of following us and will run off and play with her fluffy ball..

FlyTM · January 2012

Its like one of my cats dose, she will randomly cry, its most the time telling me she wants me to go outside and play with her or somthing like that, or she just wants attention. Unless she has one of them breeds in her that just randomly crys, as I know Siameses is one of them breeds that will, (Has 6 siamese crosses =.=.) I'v not really looked into the breed but as far as people tell me and my kitten Dew (Who crys like that at random times.), its normal for that kind of breed.

SirPopcorn · January 2012

tbone wrote:

Its like one of my cats dose, she will randomly cry, its most the time telling me she wants me to go outside and play with her or somthing like that, or she just wants attention. Unless she has one of them breeds in her that just randomly crys, as I know Siameses is one of them breeds that will, (Has 6 siamese crosses =.=.) I'v not really looked into the breed but as far as people tell me and my kitten Dew (Who crys like that at random times.), its normal for that kind of breed.

Problem is, when we do give her attention it just seems that she doesn't want it. Well I'm pretty confident she has some sort of oriental breed in her! She's got the narrow/flat head, big ears and super skinny body..

Animalsaremything · January 2012

VampireVenom wrote:

Easy fix.. have her declawed ;D we declaw all our cats.

I go along with this it is better to do it at a young age cats do that naturally and there is really no way to fix it unless you de-claw the cute kitty

DiamondPuppy0809 · January 2012

tiny dancer wrote:

VampireVenom wrote:

Easy fix.. have her declawed ;D we declaw all our cats.

 I go along with this it is better to do it at a young age cats do that naturally and there is really no way to fix it unless you de-claw the cute kitty

Many people have already suggested multiple other ways to avoid declawing that will help.

Dark Flame · January 2012

Garfieldz Gal wrote:

tiny dancer wrote:

VampireVenom wrote:

Easy fix.. have her declawed ;D we declaw all our cats.

 I go along with this it is better to do it at a young age cats do that naturally and there is really no way to fix it unless you de-claw the cute kitty

 Many people have already suggested multiple other ways to avoid declawing that will help.

also declawing is quite in-humane as already stated, also it is not nessacary, my grandma actually taped some foamy stuff (cant remember what its called but not polystirene) to her wall when her kitten started scratching the walls, so there are other things you can do before going to the harshest answer

SirPopcorn · January 2012

Good news friends! Vera has made some great progress

While she still attempts to jump up on the kitchen benches, she pretty much runs straight off again. This is because we're teacing her an 'off!' signal. So like, if she gets on the benches we look her in the eye, yell OFF! and throw our arms up in the air. If she doesn't get off then she gets a squirt of water. If she still doesnt get off then the process repeats. So pretty much we're just associating the hand and vocal signal as a warning that unless she gets off, she'll cop the water. She's also getting used to sitting on her chair and just watching us

Sea Oats · January 2012

I know a lot has already been said, but! I keep Sophie's nails trimmed so she doesn't try to claw me up. When she was a tiny baby she just scratched everything, but now she's almost 9 months old and she's grown out of clawing people, and just scratches what she's supposed to. I know PetSmart (dunno if you have those down there) has the claw caps, but I think keeping them trimmed helps them resist the urge to scratch everything. And Sophie is a tortie.. which I think is just a whiny breed also. Because she follows me around crying all the time, but it's usually because she wants to be picked up and loved on. xD

Trianna · January 2012

Sea Oats wrote:

I know a lot has already been said, but! I keep Sophie's nails trimmed so she doesn't try to claw me up. When she was a tiny baby she just scratched everything, but now she's almost 9 months old and she's grown out of clawing people, and just scratches what she's supposed to. I know PetSmart (dunno if you have those down there) has the claw caps, but I think keeping them trimmed helps them resist the urge to scratch everything. And Sophie is a tortie.. which I think is just a whiny breed also. Because she follows me around crying all the time, but it's usually because she wants to be picked up and loved on. xD

Tortiseshell isn't a breed, it's a color that occurs in multiple breeds. It's a product of one x chromosome carrying black as it's base color and the other carrying red. Calicos are the same thing with a white modifier gene. I've got 2 tortis, one is an oriental mix, and the other is an unknown mix, and a calico oriental mix, and none of them are particularly prone to vocalizing. (The unknown mix is a bit food fixated, but it's because she was a stray) Some cats are just more vocal than others, for a bunch of reasons. XD

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In need of kitten help..

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