Kitten advice needed

[ta tc 10]

hi i have a 8week old kitten that keep doing stuff he shouldnt like attacking my blind and always going behind the tv. is there anything i can do to stop him doing this i heard tapping his nose works but it aint doing all help appreciated

[Plain Talker 11]

he's just being a kitten, really...

 

A firm "NO!" often works, or (Providing it's not near electricals!!!) a quick zap from a water pistol or a plant-spray that's set to "Jet" not "mist" should persuade him it's not a good idea.

 

I'd also recommend getting something to put your cables inside, so little kitty doesn't get a blast from chewing the electrical cables, too.

[cuddlycats 10]

Don't tap his nose-he is only a baby! Startling him as he is doing something or about to do something should work. Clap really loud, or squirt him a tiny bit with a water pistol.

[Cat86 10]

i heard tapping his nose works but it aint doing all help appreciated

 

Thats awful. Just make a loud noise when it does it/say NO!, it'll make it jump, and the kitten will learn quite quickly. That and physically pick it up and move it when it goes near.

Another thing my mum did with their cat when it started scratching at the wall paper, she put lemon juice on it (the wall, not the cat) and the cat hated the smell of lemon.

[doncaster26 10]

come on this is just a baby he is just doing what baby kittens do ! he is exploring and playing what did you expect him to do sti doing nothing all day ! dont spray him with water how cruel a noise should stop him if you have to another kitten from the same litter or another if you cannot get one from the same will stop his going behind the tv as he will have someone to play with mind you saying that my cat loves to go behind the tv just something cats do .

[focusedhypno 10]

Lots of cats go behind stuff, it's in their nature. If you don't want the little un back there make somewhere more appealing for him to play. I got a cardboard box & brown parcel paper (he loves the crackling noise!) and made him a play den. I second the water pistol idea also, it can be very effective

[Lotti 10]

Does he have plenty of toys? There are all sorts of toys and gadgets you can get to keep your kitty busy nowadays.

 

Block off his entry to the TV by putting something in the way and distract him when he's about to attack the blinds etc.

 

If you are not around to supervise then keep him confined to a room where he can't cause too much damage or even get a (large) playpen and fill it with his toys so he has plenty to do without getting into any trouble.

 

He's just a baby, kittens can be hard work (moreso to some extent than puppies I think!) and this is what they do. He's not being naughty, he's just being a kitten.

[becky1004 10]

please dont tap him! he will get anxious, he is just a baby, my daughter has one the same age, we had all on from keeping him from up the christmas tree but they dont do these things for long he will soon settle down as he matures a bit, make sure he has plenty of toys and a scratch post, he isnt gonna be a baby for long :-( enjoy the funny side of it!!!

[neeeeeeeeeek 10]

hi i have a 8week old kitten that keep doing stuff he shouldnt like attacking my blind and always going behind the tv. is there anything i can do to stop him doing this i heard tapping his nose works but it aint doing all help appreciated

 

It's a kitten, what did you expect!

[foxyflugel 10]

Get a cardboard box for the kitten (left open,of course!!). They love playing in these - whenever I have bought my 6 lovelies anything ie, scratch tower - they are more interested in playing in the box

[Aries22 10]

I found a loud noise most effective, this can be a clap or a shout usually works!!

[medusa 16]

Would you hit a baby human for doing something that they couldn't be expected to know you didn't want them to do? I doubt it.

 

If you want to teach your kitten to be a happy and friendly beastie who also follows rules then you start off at this age by stopping them from doing whatever (physically, by picking them up and removing them from their action and putting them somewhere that you are happy for them to be) and saying 'no' or 'leave'. Be prepared to repeat this dozens of times until they give up trying to do whatever it was, and then to repeat it ad nauseum until the kitten is a couple of years old.

 

This little one is way too small to understand what is expected of him so you need to educate him about what is expected of him. All kittens will play, all kittens will chew things, explore where they aren't meant to go and pat things to see if they're fun to play with.

 

If you take the dual approach of stopping him doing what he's not meant to do and providing him with lots of things which you ARE happy for him to play with*, chew and generally climb all over then he should be a lot less of an issue soon.

 

If you aren't happy with him exploring then maybe a kitten wasn't the right pet to get?

 

*EDIT- all kitten toys can be made with a bit of ingenuity, some basic household things, a couple of carpet samples and a few cardboard boxes. They aren't expensive and it's great fun making new play equipment. You can start with some string, some beads and some scrunched up silver foil balls to flick around the floor.

Edited January 2, 2010 by medusa