My newly adopted year-old kitty is too mischievous. How can I train him to be obedient?
Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at
8:23 pm
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I used a spray bottle and sprayed my cats with water anytime they did something that I didn’t want. It worked very well. Every now and then though they try and test me but as soon as I grab the squirt bottle they jump off the counter.
You have a kitten not a dog. So some things will be much harder to do. The scratching, each time he does it pinch his paw and tell him NO in a loud voice. He will soon get the idea. I use a rolled up news paper when they get on things they shouldn’t and will whap my hand and tell them NO. Also a water pistol or bottle will teach them not to get on certain things. But I hate to tell you this when you are gone and the kitten is lose he will do what he wants! Good luck. And as he grows old some of this will settle down.
For the bad behavior, try Feliway plug ins which should cal him down some and I use them so I know that they work. Get some toys for him that you can attach to something, like a ball with feathers that has a string and can attach to the door…This will give him something to play with and it should make him tired and he will stop beating up on the other cats so much. Also when he plays to ruff, grab him by the scruff of his neck which is what his mother would do and then tell him a firm NO. As for the furniture and countertops, they make a spray called Bitter Apple Spray for this. Humans can’t smell it, but cats can and don’t like it so they stay away from it.
EDIT: Please don’t spray the cat in the face with a bottle because this will make him hide from you and if you don’t spend time with him he will become feral in your house and you won’t get your hands on him without a fight.
its a kitty!!! thats what they do. Getting it spaded or nuterd may help. But really kittys are hyper and love to run!
well, try to say "no" in a rather gowley voice when he is "bad" and see if that does anything?
try and Google kitten training also
Good luck and be patient. I have a cat that is almost a year old and she is absolutly the most destructive, hard headed, cat in the world. I have a squirt bottle too..works on some things, I’ve also bought the spray to keep her off my rugs..doesn’t work at all and now my house stinks..they are better outside than inside.
Its a cat…lol Thats how young cats act. Leave the 2 cats to work out their differences alone.. trust me if the older cat doesnt like what the young one is doing he/she will eventually lay down the law… I have 4 cats, my eldest is also docile, tolerant etc but once the kittens reached a certain age they got the smack down from her. If you dont want a cat on the furniture etc, well you use a squirt bottle, but that only keeps them off when you are home… they will get on the restricted places at night, when you are in another room, when you are gone and any chance they get… Thats how cats are, training them only goes as far as it takes before they learn that they only get punished if they get caught… they arent like a dog who can be trained to never do something simply because thats what you taught them. Training a cat to stay off something only applies when you are there.. when you are gone they know they can do whatever they want. You dont "control" a cat you co-habitate with one, and you understand that whatever way you use to teach them not to do something goes right out the door with you every time you leave.. Cats are hyper they get into things some are worse than others.. my oldest cat used to be a holy terror, into everything, breaking stuff, opening cupboards, sneaking everywhere, running around into EVERYTHING! But like every cat she has mellowed with age and aquired dignified maturity… your new cat will too just give him some time. Use a squirt bottle to discipline him for jumping on the counters, furniture etc or getting into things.. but dont use it too much or they become desensitized to it and it has no effect.. 1-2 squirts are enough punishment for each transgression. Soon if you just point your hand and go Ssst sssst! they will think its the squirt bottle and run. I have 4 cats as I said and that works to keep them in line, they are after all, cats, as such they are independant and cant be "controlled" like a dog. They can only be manipulated to a certain extent, before they rebel and dont respond to you at all. There is no controlling a kitten in its terrible twos, you just have to tolerate most of it until they grow out of that stage. Finally I am past that stage with all 4 of my cats… whew! They arent as michevious as they once were…
A spray bottle filled with water is THE BEST solution for discipline. But you also have to make sure you are giving the kitty plenty of attention. After raising 3 kittens, I can’t stress how important ‘play time’ is. Whether it’s feathers on a stick or bells on a string, you CAN change the focus of their energy. The real factor is your willingness to engage the cat.
You’re right – his behaviour is to be expected, especially because he’s been in a shelter and is probably extremely excited and overjoyed about being in a new house with lots of love and attention…. and an older playmate to torment!
Do not worry about him playing with the older cat. Two of my childhood cats used to grab each other by the head and kick the living daylights out of each other! Sometimes they would end up with some scratches….. but the next day they’d be curled up together like they were in love! It’s also worth knowing that two male cats will often ‘fight’ more than a male and female cat.
Your new kitten wants to see how far he can push your older cat, and your older cat is teaching him boundaries. Trust me, it is totally natural and perfectly harmless for them to fight. The only time you need to get concerned is if they hiss and get their hackles up at each other constantly – if this the case after about 6 months, the two cats genuinely may not be compatible.
But honestly, they will learn to live together. Your older cat will most likely learn to indulge in a little playfighting and eventually enjoy having an exciteable little thing around. Your kitten will learn boundaries and learn to leave the older cat alone. Your kitten also needs to learn his place in the home – the older cat needs to show him that he is boss. That’s why you need to let them get on with their fighting – it’s natural cat behaviour. Please don’t worry about it. I’ve had 4 cats in my lifetime, so I have seen this behaviour lots of times!
Another thing to bear in mind is that cats are very different to dogs – they rarely listen! Especially the young ones! They don’t understand sentences and they don’t always come when they are called! My 1 year old kitten is similar to yours with his behaviour – however, I use the phrase "LEAVE IT" and use a deep, slow, quite loud tone of voice. It usually works.
As for establishing rules, keeping him off the kitchen counter is a good idea. Simply keep telling him to get down, and when he jumps up there, get him down. Whether it will work or not is another question…. cats tend to just do what they want! When you bring a cat into your home, you have to do so with the understanding and acceptance that you will be SHARING your home with the cat. Dogs will listen and can be trained – cats are different… that’s the beauty of cats! To me, the biggest compliment a cat can give you is that he’s comfortable in your home and sees it as their own home.
Personally…. I let my cat on all of the furniture, because I feel that my home is his home. He can sit on the TV if he wants to! But if you really want to keep him off furniture, then it’s just a case of making sure he has somewhere to go and keep taking him off the furniture and telling him ‘no’. Alternatively, buy him a fleece throw if he doesn’t already have one. We put this over our leather couch and he always lies there when he’s not on our lap.
Good luck and just remember that everything he is doing is normal behaviour and really, you just have to let him be a cat!
xx Emmie