Need Kitten Tips

S

Shelbygirl

Cathlete
Two weeks ago, my husband a I adopted a three month old kitten. He's such a little sweetie with an awesome personality (part crazy kitten, part affectionate cuddler). I could use, however, some tips on just two things.

1. How do you keep a kitten from being obsessed with the Christmas tree? He likes nothing better than to go under the tree, in the back corner and start chewing.

2. He likes to snuggle and be held a lot, but at the same time he wants to chew on/bite our fingers.

Any tips on how to discourage both these things?

Thanks in advance,
Shelbygirl
 
I think the tree is a tough one. For the fingertips, you can put something the kitten won't like on your fingers so he is discouraged from chewing. Bitter Apple spray is supposed to be good.
 
I've never found a way to keep a kitten out of the Christmas tree. I'm counting the days until we can take ours down because our youngest cat (she's about 6 months) is always in it. The cat we had before her used to climb it. The other 2 don't bother it at all...I think they grow out of it.

The chewing thing is probably just teething and he will stop eventually.

Kittens are cute, but they're a real pain in the butt. I prefer grown cats. If he starts digging in your plants, fill the soil with those decorative stones. That's the only thing I've found that works with that.
 
Shelby,

I have had cats my entire life and both items you listed I have experienced a time or two...

1. We used squirt guns with water to discourage our kitties from playing with the Christmas tree. With your little guy...I am not sure that will work because he is so young. Every kitty I have ever had is fascinated with them. You might try a bitter spray on the branches. We usually just put the tree in a room where the kitties couldn't get to it when they were young. The older the kitty the less interested they are in the tree has been our observation.

2. I have only had two kitties who did this and they were both taken from Mommy too quickly. My last siamese actually tried to nurse on me one night...I FREAKED! He also loved to bite on my ears. I thought he had brain damage and called the vet and she told me that when they are young this can happen. The only thing I did was tell him "No!" while maintaining eye contact.

Sorry I can't be more helpful! Bless your heart for adopting! Happy Holidays!
 
I used to have a cat that was obsessed with chewing my hair and cellophane tape. He liked picture negatives too. I think he was a stoner.

He was SO cool! I loved that cat.
 
George is a *huge* fan of chewing tape!!! And, LOL, sitting on boxes. December has to be his favorite month because we get all kinds of present boxes delivered from UPS (presents to give others) and they are sealed with tape!!! LOL not to mention ribbon... I'm almost embarrassed to give my friends the chewed packages!

G&G both loved the tree their first Christmas when they were about 10 weeks old. I think they were both in it. Now they are 6 and neither one of them have showed an interest in it in the slightest! I guess the ribbons are easier to get to...
 
Shelbygirl,

I take care of nearly 30 cats - most of which are ferals/strays, but I have a few inside, one of which is a baby ("Mickey" - so cute!) and we have the same trouble. Here's what we've done to discourage his tree disturbances.

First, the squirt bottle works good with the babies (some older cats could care less if you spray them). Put it on stream and try to hit them in the top of the head - they may be soaked before it sinks in...haha. Second, make noise to frighten them if they get near the tree. I have a loud bell to ring, and I stomp hard on the floor as I near the tree to spook him out. And lastly, my hubby and I sprayed our tree with the "repellant" spray that you can buy at the petstore to keep cats and dogs out of your garbage. You have to spray more than once, but I swear it worked wonders.

Good luck! :)
 
Keep the lowest branches of the tree trimmed back - out of his reach.
The nibbling on your fingers is because he's a baby. As others have stated, some cats never fully outgrow that. We had a cat that sucked on the satin edging on blankets - put big holes in them. He would suck on your pajamas or t-shirt or whatever. I think he was taken from his mother too early. Let him do it for now - unless it physically hurts you. He'll likely outgrow it. Although my other cat remained a love-nipper until the day she died. She liked to bite my cheeks and earlobes.
 
I wanna kitty! My DH won't "allow" it, because he says they stink and pee in the house...not true, they pee in their box right? Plus we have doors we keep open alot for our dog and I do not want a cat that is outside.:-(
 
I want to second the squirt gun approach. I have 4 kitties and a dog and they stop whatever they are doing if I pull out the sprayer (it's actually one of those for your hair set on "stream" instead of "mist"). It took several sprays before they got it but, if I had to guess, I probably haven't refilled the bottle in over 2 years. Seriously I pull it out, say "No!" and they stop. It's wonderful!

For the biting I agree that the kitty was probably taken away from its mother too soon or is teething, unless you are guilty of using your hand as a toy. Never use your hands when playing...always dangle a string or use a toy. It's hard for them to understand that your hand is a play thing when you want it to be but not other times. I find that most of the people I talk to that have biting issues use their hand as a toy. Don't do it!

Enjoy the kitten stage...it's such a fun time!
 
Some kitties pee inside - but it's rare. Especially if you only have one or two. If you keep the litter pan very clean and in a secure area where they don't feel exposed or something, they rarely pee anywhere but the box if they are trained. Also, getting a girl will cut down on "spraying" that the males usually do.
 
I had to laugh becausa this brought fond memories of our sweet kitty we lost in May. He was 9 years old and let me tell you for all 9 of his years he messed w/ our christmas tree. When he was very small he would get on the coffee table and leap into the tree. Even knocked it over a few times. LOL Oh I miss that cat. He was too funny. I never did figure a way to keep him out of the tree, but the spray bottle sounds likea good idea.

I also laugh because we never had our kitty bit us, but from the time we got him he would suck and paw at our 80lb labradors ears. The dog didn't mind at all and it was so funny to watch this little kitten sucking our big dogs ears.

Enjoy your new addition. Cats are so much fun!
 
Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'll have to try spraying some water. I did pick up some spray that is supposed to keep cats off furniture, so I sprayed the tree skirt. It might just be a strange cooincidence, but little Stewie went behind the tree as usual, and then ran right back out. He didn't go back there the rest of the night. We'll have to see if it works today.

We are definitely enjoying him. He's a great combination of mischievious kitten and loving lap cat. He'll get the "zooms", where he runs around like crazy for about an hour, and then he just wants to be held and cuddled.

We have one other cat, a sweet girl who is six years old, but she never really bothered the tree, nor did she do the finger nibbling thing. Our previous cat, who was the coolest cat ever, just died two months ago. He was a total a tree hound. We never figured out how to keep him off it, right up until his last Christmas.

I could talk about my cats for hours (but I guess I should get back to work)!
Shelbygir
 
Congrats on your new family member!

>1. How do you keep a kitten from being obsessed with the
>Christmas tree? He likes nothing better than to go under the
>tree, in the back corner and start chewing.

That's a tough one.
You either have to make the tree less appealing (spray "bitter apple" on the branches he likes to chew on--it's harmless, but tastes aweful) and/or hang something scented with pure lemon oil on the bottom of the tree.

>
>2. He likes to snuggle and be held a lot, but at the same
>time he wants to chew on/bite our fingers.
>
The chewing could be teething related (I'm not sure at what age it happens, but kittens tend to like to chew things at a certain age).

You have to teach him that chewing fingers, or using human hands/fingers as play toys, is a no-no. (And make sure every human in the house is on board...the message has to be consistent: no playing with hands.)

I like to start using 'cat language' with its equivalent 'human language' to teach kittens. When kitty starts to chew or bite, do a hiss (it comes from the back of your throat, like you're trying to disloge a piece of stuck popcorn) followed by a stern "NO!". Eventually, the "NO!" alone (in a firm, deep voice---you're serious about this...not like my stepmother, who tells her cats to get off the dining-room table with a high-pitched, half-joking 'get down off of there' that they never listen to, LOL!) will suffice.

You can also try wimpering like a hurt kitten when he bites, which can make him realize that he's hurting you (even if he may not be much). Then take your hands away, an no petting until he's calmed down a bit. (Sometimes, the chewing will turn into a licking, which is acceptable...until it turns back into chewing).
 
>I wanna kitty! My DH won't "allow" it, because he says they
>stink and pee in the house...not true, they pee in their box
>right?

Maybe he's just had experience with unneutered male cats (who do stink, and spray in the house...which is why it's stupid to not get them neutered).

Cats will pee in their litter box. If they don't, there is sometimes something wrong (like a urinary tract infection) or the litter isn't clean enough.

Maybe your DH just doesn't like cats, and is looking for an excuse not to have one? (In that case, maybe it's best not to?)
 
> Also, getting a girl will cut down on "spraying"
>that the males usually do.
Males don't 'usually'spray unless they're not neutered, or neutered late (though not all late-neutered males do...and there are even some odd un-neutered males who don't).
 
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