Why is our young cat so fricking MEAN at times...?

[catdad7x]

Originally Posted by Robyn herchelroath

Im so happy that I am not alone!!! I have a 4 mth old kitten named Mia. We apsolutely love her.... but she is often, plain old MEAN. However, as a family, we discussed how to handle her behaviors and re-direct her with toys and fun! She's a baby !!! She just wants us to pay attention to her !!! So I always make sure I have toys in every room of the house , so when she attacks me, which is almost always, I start playing with her . Its funny........ the reason I didn't get a dog was to save myself on all the work of taking them for walks and potty training. But a kitten has been a great deal of work verses a puppy! However, I have no regrets and will by no means throw in the towel !!!! She is our family member now and we all work together to play and babysit her ! Its a family endeavor, for sure. At the end of the day........ she lays down next to me and cuddles. First thing in the morning she steps on my face to wake me and play play play ! she is like having a real baby around. And its an honor and blessing having precious little Mia in our lives !!!!!! No regrets ! All worth it !!!!!!!

Not sure what you mean by 'being mean', but sounds like you have a pretty much normal 4 mo old kitten on your hands. Some kittens will tend to be more aggressive in their play, while others may be laid back/shy, so it depends on the kitten. I've raised many kittens over the years (including some feral-born) and I've yet to meet a truly mean one.
Don't know how cat-experienced you are & you may already know this, but will say it anyway. When your kitten want's to play, don't use your hands or feet. Use feather teasers or other appropriate toys. You don't want your cat to see your hands as play objects.
Glad to hear you're committed to Mia, despite her 'being mean'.

[WoodyWW]

Originally Posted by smoky_topaz

Hi all,

DH and I have a nearly 6 month old cat who is still like in the terrible twos of develpment or something. Well, we got him from his aunt who has practically got a cat breeding facility LOL...anyway she gave us one of her kittens from that litter, anyway we love him our cat Buddy, but he is just so gosh darned mean at times. He loves to nip and bite, and loves to get us at our feet and ankles...I tell you what it makes me swear, adn I know that hubby has cussed him out and called him everything but a child of God when Buddy tries to bite his ankles and feet as I do too. Heck you should see a video I put on Youtube not too long ago where I uttered an expletive b/c I was trying to do a video and Buddy jumped on me and tried to bite me.

He is also an indoor cat right now plan to let him be indoor/outdoor by the time Buddy is a little older maybe 8 months old or something...I have been entertaining the thought of maybe getting a second cat but wouldn't want another one like Buddy...duh right?

Saying "NO" "NO" "NO" sternly about 1000 times might help. You have to try to teach them what's acceptable.

OTOH, there are a few very disfunctional, nasty cats. Not a lot, but I had a very mean destructive cat in my house for a few years courtesy of an ex-g/f. Had to rush the ex-g/f to urgent care once late at night after psycho-cat chewed her up. Constant pi**ing all over the house (by psycho-cat, not the ex-g/f, hah).

I don't know of course if Buddy is headed in that direction (??). But the part where he: "jumped on me and tried to bite me" doesn't sound promising. I'd just say; try to "work with him".

I was once badly bitten by a kitten about Buddy's age; had to go to the Dr.

Also I had a crazed Siamese kitten once (not the kitten who bit me) who turned out to be my best friend eventually. He was a real handful. He was still pretty crazed as an adult, but not destructive.

[Marlow]

We have a 10-year-old cat who is still a brat. As a kitten he was a terror. You could be standing still and he'd run up your leg as if it were a tree trunk or leap from the couch to your back. He wasn't bad or mean, just treated us like were giant siblings.

Now that's he's so much older he doesn't do those things anymore and he's a pretty sweet guy with us. But he's still a savage with our elderly dog. They love each other most of the time, but the cat will attack the poor dog without warning.

So....try to keep your kitten worn out with appropriate toys and distractions and expect it to be a while until he settles down.

[tacrit86]

I have a new kitten as well she's about 3 months old found her at Nascar and brought her home she does the same thing my hands are literally blood red all the time bc she attacks how two feral cats would fight me 24/7. And I know this is the first kitten I've had that acted like this EVER. And as for saying if she let's the cat be indoor/outdoor it'll shorten the cats life expectancy that's not true, my grandparents have lived in the same house for over 50 yrs and all their cats have been strictly outside and they've all lived well into their 20 ' s she currently has a cat I gave her 20 years ago and she is still alive and well and been outside her whole life.