Lord Marrowgar "Destroyer of Everything" (Kitten Issues)

[Rawr]

As u all may or may not know, I have a new kitten named Lord Marrowgar, and he is the destroyer of everything He has chewed threw an old mouse cord, spilled soda on my new keyboard, scratched and bite me several times to the point of bleeding, and has caused no less than 2, count then, 2 raid wipes in Icc. Also he never sits still for a moment, unless he is stalking Stormy (my dog) or myself, he refuses to take a nap unless it's on my lap, and I can't go out of sight of him without him crying (going to the bathroom is interesting when u have a kitten jumping on u) I need help, this is my 1st cat, and he is driving me mad Any advice from the crazy cat ppl on the forums would be great Thanks

[Sarayana]

http://www.feliway.com/us

That stuff worked wonders for us when we had two very competitive cats who started pissing on our stuff to "mark" it... Pheromones are the "feel-good" hormones secreted in your brain when you're in a good mood, and they're known to calm anxious or vicious animals. Basically this thing makes them airborne in your home (not in any amount to affect you, don't worry ) and help calm your pet.

[Vephriel]

Are you spending part of your day playing with him and interacting? Kittens are pretty much guaranteed to come with high-energy, sometimes reaching Tasmanian Devil proportions. x) Ensuring he doesn't become bored and playing with him will help channel some of that energy away from your unsuspecting possessions.

As he grows older he should become more self-sufficient and calm, but in the early stages you'll probably have your hands full keeping an eye on him.

There are products like Bitter Apple spray that you can put on cords and such to deter chewing. I've heard some people use tabasco for the same purpose with good results too.

[bluddy]

....a kitten named lord marrowgar? that just made me laugh. i'll be naming squirrel Arthas. i got two cats atm but the worst they do is bite. and scratch. and destroy the carpet.. nothing serious.

[Rawr]

In response to Sarayana, hes not marking, he's just really, REALLY clingy and hyper. Also I do play with him alot but, raid time is raid time, but him having him pounce on keyboards, mice and my chest to get at my necklace is not cool. Also he always wants what I'm eating and makes good attempts at getting it. Sarayana, I'll have to see if I can't get my hands on that spray, thanks.

[Rhyela]

That's pretty much kittens for you. They can be a handful. Rarely will you find one that's mellow and calm. A lady at work has a little female kitten named Bailey who is just an absolute little terror. She actually chases her other 20-lb cats around the house, knocks stuff over, takes baths in the toilet, dumps things on the floor, drug a laundry basket down her hallway......she's just absolutely rambunctious. They can just be that way. And it's kind of a cat's nature to want to cuddle with you when you're busy and don't want them to. Or in my case, to try to claw my feet as I'm sitting on the toilet. My kitty won't play with me when I try to, nooooo, it has to be when I'm most vulnerable with my pants around my ankles. Oh and when we try to pet her during the day, she snubs us. But she's ready for loving every morning at 4:00 a.m., clawing at our door, doing this insane gurgle-meow. Cats are not dogs, they are really something else. I love them, but if you're not accustomed to it, it can take some getting used to.

Good luck with your kitty, and hang in there!

[Sarayana]

My cats were both female and not spraying, they were just being general pains in the butt. They were always fighting and angry because of the competitiveness of their relationship and one became neurotic and started licking her tail bare... So the feliway isn't just for peeing, it helps overly hyperactive or aggressive behaviour in general. It was really a god send for us.

We found ours at the vet's office, that'd probably be the best place to look for it.

[Rawr]

So, they are all like this then? *sigh* Ok so how do I get him from crying when I leave the room? He doesn't like to be away from me for a second, and could care less if my boyfriend is home. Also the biting/scratching is becoming an issue, it really hurts and making us bleed doesn't seem like something I should be letting any thing do to me, animal or other wise. Any advise on that?

[Rawr]

I can't think of how to punish him for the biting and scratching. I can't flick him in the nose like our dog when she was a pup, his nose is too small and I'm afraid I might get him in the eye. Squirt bottles are a no, because I don't want him to dislike water as I take showers with him (I tried the sink but he always manages to fly out of it somehow ) So any thoughts? My friend suggested sticking my finger down his throat, not far enough to make him puke but far enough to make it uncomfortable.

[Vephriel]

I would not recommend any physical punishment like that. He'll only come to fear and resent you if you, and will not act any better in the long run.

Discipline him by saying "No." in a firm voice when he is doing something bad. You can also try a hissing noise, and at most gently hold him by the scruff of his neck while stating "No." to reaffirm dominance. Only discipline him when he is caught in the act of something. If he's hyper and getting into trouble take some time to play with him for an hour or so to work out the energy. Just stay positive while training him, and remember to have a lot of patience. A kitten is a full time job and you need to dedicate an adequate amount of time to him each day.

[cowmuflage]

Just wait till he gets older he will slow down. My cat i have had him since i was 4 and i am 20 now ok i got him when he was a young adult but he was hyper and very very scratchy and bitey and would not let you touch his belly or paws ( this ended in me gettting hurt alot you know kids we don't learn lol)
and he would attack anything that moved and would not sit on you but the older he got the less he did that and now he lets you pat every part of him and he will sit on you and has not hurt me in ages.

But that may just be cos hes like 18 lol be paitent your cat will hopefully grow out of it.

[zedxrgal]

Two words. Spray bottle. $1 at a store, fill with water and when kitty does a behavior you don't like ...................... SQUIRT. That should work.
Another thing is yes a physical reprimand. Not hard, not even close. But if you've ever seen adult felines (big and small) punish a kitten /cub it's with a smack and I'm betting you from them it hurts. I have a cat now who is still very unruly and was worse as a kitten. The bad cat spray bottle works amazing and so does a tap on the nose. Not hitting or smacking just a tap with the word "no".

Another thing is I've crate trained ALL my cats /kittens to sleep at night. But you HAVE to be consistent. Regular routine and schedule. Don't let them out if they cry because that enforces that crying is 'ok' and will get them let out. Believe it or not this works charms and every rescue I know does this and my vet recommend it.

Bitter yuk or even wasabi or chill sauce works wonders. Coffee grounds to.

Good luck.

[Rhyela]

I would also suggest toothpaste for your cables - it smells nice and minty but is too strong for their noses. At least every cat I've owned that's smelled toothpaste has winced and cringed away from it.

[Sarayana]

I would also suggest toothpaste for your cables - it smells nice and minty but is too strong for their noses. At least every cat I've owned that's smelled toothpaste has winced and cringed away from it.

My last kitten used to try to lick my lips after I brushed my teeth... I know she was a peculiar one though, all the other cats I've known didn't like it one bit.

[bluddy]

hm we don't punish our cats. mainly because they don't need to i think. Only Dorothea maybe sometimes that cat is 4 years old and still everybody think of (dutch dunno english translation) ADHD some hyperactif something in the brains. thought it had something to do with adrenaline maybe. either way i guess we can be lucky with out cats...never thought i would say that.

[Rawr]

Two words. Spray bottle.]

I don't want to use water cuz I take showers with him to wash him and being afraid of water might make that painful for me (sinks dont work). I will try the all the other things that were suggested. Thanks guys

[Bellatryx]

I'm 100% with Veph on this one. Kittens are supposed to be little idiots. I wouldn't punish him for being clingy or cuddly because when he grows up and calms down maybe you'd enjoy that.

I enjoy my little dependent and clingy siamese.

[Rawr]

Ok.......so toothpaste he likes, so thats a no go. The hot sauce is a no also, it has onions in it and I was told never to give a cat anything with onions or garlic in it. The hissing thing seems to work. So I just have to hiss at him when he starts chewing on my computer cords or my hand or the dog. This morning was fun, I woke up to a kitten jumping on my head and eating my hair Well at least he was easier to house train than my dog was Thanks guys

[zedxrgal]

If you don't want to use a spray bottle and the hissing stops working then another thing you can try is get a empty cleaned out soda can, some whole coffee beans or regular uncooked beans and put them in the can and tape the top. Give the can a little shake when the pet is doing a behavior you don't like.
This works great on dogs to.

[Rawr]

I might try that Zed, thanks