Need help with problems with kitten

Sounds like fairly normal behaviour, if he was still with his litter mates you would see a lot of this, along with meowing and squeeling too

I had a cat way back now, who had a fetish for suckling on my dressing gown, i think she enjoyed the feeling of catching the threads loose, and would always keep going until the patch she was playing with was saturated with saliva! She was a quirly little thing though, loved Polo mints, once climbed into my handbag and ate a full unopened pack, paper and all! Cleaning her litter tray was not fun after that episode i tell ya!

At 7/8 weeks old he's a bit young yet to be disciplined in the way you described, far better to get some toys that you can use at arms distance, like feather danglers. Great for keeping him occupied while kepping your extremities safe! Keep laptime and grooming as quiet and calm as possible and he'll learn by your example when its appropriate to play.

What did you expect when you got a kitten? And when it was taken from its mother so soon. It's a baby - that's what they do!

Is he at home on his own all day? If so, he probably sleeps all day then is excited when you come home. We got out two at the same time so any scratching and biting they did to one another. But our female used to always jump on our backs and climb our legs - she stopped after a while.

The suckling is comfort - he was taken away from his mother too early. Our girl still 'paws' us when she's sleepy - it can be annoying but it's comforting for her. When he gets like that have a special blanket or facecloth for him - it will save your clothes.

Don't try to punish him - it's what kittens do!

Hey lilsis, congratulations on your new kitten.
It sounds like like he's a bit of a handfull at the moment and, unfortunately, a lot of kittens can be very bouncy and full of beans one minute and then fast asleep the next - it's all part of the fun

The sucking thing is something that a lot of kittens do and indeed it often continues into adulthood. It's mostly on soft fabrics like fleece blankets and dressing gowns. They're not actually looking for food, it's a comfort thing for them and it shouldn't be a major problem unless you object to being covered in cat/kitten drool Some of them grow out of it and some continue all the way through their lives. You can get them to stop by moving them every time they do it but why deprive them of a little bit of comfort if it's not hurting anyone. It seems to appear in kittens that have been weaned early and we have one who's just 8 weeks now (a rescue) who does it as she's falling asleep, either on one of us or in her bed. Her little pal, who's about 10 weeks, doesn't do it at all and seems to be fascinated by her doing it and will sit and watch her until she falls asleep.

The scratching, growling, hissing and rough-housing in general is just part and parcel of kitten development and boys seem to be a lot worse than girls. I wouldn't punish him for it as it's just his nature and he doesn't have any other cats to teach him right from wrong. He probably won't understand what you're trying to tell him and he may get upset and stressed as a result. This in turn will only serve to make the problem worse instead of better.
He needs a lot of love and cuddles at the moment as he's still very young and any attempt at trying to dominate him may actually make him more aggressive in the long run.
Your best bet is to get loads of toys for him to take his aggression out on instead of your hands and face. Anything dangly on a string or little balls with bells in them are a great distraction and will help enormously. There are the crinkly tunnels you can get for him to run through and hide in or, failing that, put down a few different sized cardboard boxes with holes cut in them for him to use as coverage for his 'hunting expeditions'. Things like the plastic lids of larger cartons, well washed, provide hours of fun when chased around on wooden, vinyl or tiled floors.
If he's an only cat, chances are that he'll be asleep any time you're not there and the novelty of having you around and paying him attention will mean that he'll be mega-excited and revved up and full of beans. The best way for him to get that out of his system is lots of play that involves him tearing round chasing things that he's allowed to 'kill' without hurting you. I've found that if you put a few small cat balls or table-tennis balls in the bath, they get hours of fun out of chasing them around and it gets out all their excess energy. Just make sure you put the plug and chain out of harms way.
There are also toys that you can get where you put some cat-treats inside and they have to turn them round and play with them in order to get the treats out and these often keep them distracted and occupied for hours. Just remember that he'll get bored if you use the same toy all the time so rotate them every few days so that the novelty remains.

If he scratches at you, just put him, gently, to one side and say a firm 'No'. Then ignore him for about 5 minutes keeping your hands out of his way. He'll only be trying to play but he needs to learn that that type of play is not allowed. After his little time-out, you can praise him and try again. Repeat a necessary and, believe me, it may take a bit of time but he'll eventually understand. In the meantime, keep him busy with things that he's allowed to hunt and kill.

Try and stick to regular feeding times unless you're planning to free feed. If you're giving him both and wet and dry food, try leaving out dry food all the time so that he can snack if he's hungry but keep his wet feeds to strict times. Only put out enough wet food for one meal at a time and if he doesn't eat it all within an hour, take it away again as he obviously isn't hungry enough. Make sure you use a good kitten food as he needs all the extra minerals, vitamins and suppliments that they will contain.
I wouldn't worry about the kitten milk at this stage as he's obviously happily eating solids. Most cats are lactose intolerant and it's better for their little tummies if they don't have any lactose in their diets and a lot of kitten milk contains some lactose - even in small amounts. Cats in the wild get the liquids they need from the prey that catch but if you're feeding dry food, you need to have a regular supply of fresh clean water available for him to drink. If you can stretch to a drinking fountain, they are a great investment as they circulate and filter the water and keep it fresh for longer. Failing that, a large bowl of water is perfect but just remember to clean the bowl well and change the water regularly.

I assume you're going to have him neutered before you let him out when he reaches about 6 months old and this will also help with the aggressive behaviour as it'll take away all the hormones that can contribute to the problem.

With a lttle love and understanding, Gizmo should turn out to be the perfect little cat and your best friend for life.

Hi lilsis,

Glad to hear that he's settling down a bit and the madness is not constant :rolleyes:

I wouldn't stress over the wet/dry food issue as long as he's eating. You can feed either wet/dry or a combination of both as long as he's getting the right amount of nutrients.
Science Plan do kitten pouches in fish or chicken and are supposed to be perfectly balanced. They also do a kitten kibble which is small and has the right balance of nutrients that they need. Both my kittens and adult cats like both and as the kittens are still very young, I feed them two meals of wet food daily and free-feed the dry food. I mix it with the Orijen dry food (which has loads of protein and no rubbish in it) which is suitable for both adults and kittens so there's no problem if they all eat the same thing.
I find that the Orijen/Sci Plan kitten mix works very well as it means that they all have solid/non-stinky poo and I don't have to worry about whether anyone is hungry while I'm out at work all day.
You just need to remember that he'll need access to fresh water as he'll need to drink more if he's on dry food.

lilsis wrote: »

Thanks. Just wondering where I could buy the Orijen and the Sci Plan, still not sure if he'll eat the wet food but it's worth a try, esp if he's poo won't be as stinky! Oh another thing he sometimes steps in his poo and then tramps it across the floor, bit stupid of him but not sure how to stop it. Like if we're there then we just pick him up and clean his paw with a baby wipe, but if not then we can sometimes come home to a pooey floor. Think it's just because he's trying to cover it up and then he goes to sniff to see if it is covered and instead steps in it. Silly kitten!

Oh the joy of kittens :rolleyes:

I buy my Orijen from Zooplus as I order in bulk or the special offers because I have 5 to feed. I know that there are a few places you can get it here but it tends to be more expensive than zooplus. I've found it to be the best food I've tried on all my cats and they all like it. Their poo is solid and stink-free, their coats are soft and shiny and they're full of energy.
The list the ingredients on their website and there's no rubbish in it.

INGREDIENTS
Fresh boneless chicken*, chicken meal, fresh boneless salmon*, turkey meal, fresh chicken liver*, herring meal, russet potato, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), sweet potato, peas, fresh boneless walleye*, fresh whole eggs*, fresh boneless turkey*, fresh boneless lake whitefish*, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fiber, fresh boneless herring*, organic kelp, pumpkin, chicory root, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, blueberries, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium.
* DELIVERED FRESH, preservative-free and never frozen.



I buy the Science Plan dry Kitten food either from the vet or from Maxi Zoo in Naas as they have a special offer on it at the moment. They also do the pouches but if your cat's a fussy eater, I'd advise buying a pouch to try before you buy a box as it's not the cheapest of foods.

I'll be weaning them off the wet food over the coming few months as I find that the adults are thriving on the Orijen and it won't be a stretch for the kittens as they're eating some of it already.

The issue of tracking poo around the house is one that all cat owners will probably contend with at one time or another. All you can do is make sure that the litter tray is big enough for him and that you have a decent depth of litter in it to allow him to dig and bury, especially if you're out during the day. Once he develops solid poo, it shouldn't be an issue but while it's soft, it's something that can happen Also, make sure that you clean out the litter box as many times a day as you can as he'll be more likely to dig and bury if the litter is clean. Use a good quality litter as some of them can be very harsh on little paws and they don't like to dig in something that hurts them. I use a mixture of the OKO Plus and OKO Plus Gold and, luckily, don't have any problems.
If he's still struggling, you could try putting a track-mat outside the entrance to the litter tray to see if you can catch some of it on that. And maybe scatter a bit of litter on it so that some of the poo is caught on the litter rather than reaching the floor.
If the smell persists while his stools is still soft, and even for later, you could try getting a Litter Locker for the waste from the tray. It works like the nappy disposal units that new parents use. The litter goes into the unit into a thick plastic bag and is covered over with two lids so that it keeps the smells and any germs contained. Then, when that section of bag is full, you just knot it, throw it in the bin outside and use the next section. We have two in our house and they're a godsend. I know that they tell you that you can flush the OKO Plus down the loo but with 5 cats - it's a lot to ask of a domestic sewerage system. This way we don't have to worry about the place stinking like a sewerage plant.

No matter how much you think you know, or how long you've had cats, there always seems to be something new to learn.

They're lovely little people and I wouldn't be without mine but they have me completely under their spell and in no doubt but that it's they who run the house and not me.
At one stage, one of mine was on a twice daily antibiotic when my OH's old school friend was getting married in Galway. We'd had a hotel booked for a long weekend and someone organised to come in and look after the cats but she wasn't confident about giving tablets so we cancelled the hotel, did the morning tablet, drove to Galway for the wedding, stayed for the meal and the first few dances and then got in the car and drove back to Kildare - all so that madam didn't miss out on her meds :rolleyes:

With a bit of luck, your little man will have you that well trained before long.

lilsis, just a quick tip for play things. I've spent a fortune on toys and gadgets for my little one, but her favourite thing to play with is tin foil, balled up. She chases it non stop for hours. And if it goes in under the couch she will cry until you get it back out for her.
You also cant beat a piece of string - cliche but always works.

Be patient with your little man, he's just a little baby who misses his mammy and is still getting used to you. He will settle down eventually. If he starts to scratch and bite, place him away from you and say NO in a firm voice. A few repeats of that and he will get the message. If you are putting him into another room, do so calmly - never loose your temper with him, never slam the door.

You'll be fine - he's just going through the terrible two's.