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Cats aren't meant to be thrown away if they don't measure up.
You cat is only 3 months old. Give it some time. At 6 months get him fixed and some of that exuberance will die down.
Neutering does not "calm a kitten down". (and this kitten is 10 months old)
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I brought another cat into the house and they fought all the time vying for alpha spot. you will have double trouble.
This is not a given. I have always had multiple cats, spanning 40 years as an adult, and never had any trouble. Proper introductions, and enough resources (including attention) for every cat is always necessary, though of course there are some cats who need to be an only, and there are times when, just like people, one cat just can't stand another.
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A cat owner has to exercise and entertain their cat when they are indoor cats especially. Get into playing with him with something to chase or pounce at for about 20 mins. He will tire and right after play feed him. This mimics the natural behavior chasing prey and then eating it.
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Use a spray bottle full of water and blast him good with it when he is in the midst of bad behaviour. You can try cat repellent on furniture and drapes. Don't slap him. Reward him for good behaviour with a toy or treats. Or distract with play.
Spray bottles and other punishment don't work on cats, and either just cause the cat to be a nervous wreck (stress is very bad for cats) or the cat learns to simply ignore it. The second part of this post is correct, so I can't imagine why you would say that about the spray bottle. Horrible idea!
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Above all do not declaw! It maims them and the pain is with them for life
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Agree of course. Thankfully the OP did not say a thing about cutting off her toes.
Cats aren't meant to be thrown away if they don't measure up.
You cat is only 3 months old. Give it some time. At 6 months get him fixed and some of that exuberance will die down.
I brought another cat into the house and they fought all the time vying for alpha spot. you will have double trouble.
A cat owner has to exercise and entertain their cat when they are indoor cats especially. Get into playing with him with something to chase or pounce at for about 20 mins. He will tire and right after play feed him. This mimics the natural behaviour chasing prey and then eating it.
Use a spray bottle full of water and blast him good with it when he is in the midst of bad behaviour. You can try cat repellent on furniture and drapes. Don't slap him. Reward him for good behaviour with a toy or treats. Or distract with play.
Above all do not declaw! It maims them and the pain is with them for life.
Who in the world are you talking to? Me, the OP?
First, my cat is 10 months old.
Second, I never said I would throw her away because she "doesn't measure up"; in fact, I said I could never return her because it would be cruel. I've had her for 7 months now, and this is her home.
Third, I have never - and will never - slap her.
And fourth, of course I know not to amputate her toes. More cruelty.
Part of your message had helpful advice, but some of it came across as scolding. Perhaps you've run into neglectful cat owners before, but I assure you I am not one of them.
Rachel976 ... so sorry that I am sitting here laughing! I can so picture your kitten-cat because I have a similar one. Remus came when he was about 5 weeks old (rescued from neglect). He will be 2 years old next month and he has not slowed down much. Active Kitty is his personality. He is a tree dweller and plays no-touchy-floory when going from room to room, preferring to take straight routes from Point A to Point B by way of furniture.
However, it has been less so over the past year because we have tons of toys, the kind he can pick up and run around with or bat like crazy (most of which end up under the refrigerator). We discovered his favorites are plastic springs (made for cats) and "cigars" (they remind me of those Chinese finger torture things). We also have two different rings with the balls inside that cats can swat round and round. The key has been to find toys and activities with which he can entertain himself since there's just no way we can interact with him 24/7. And what has also worked is changing out toys so that after being put away for a while, bringing out a favorite is like it's brand new.
A puzzle feeder is on our list. We had a little cardboard one with treats placed inside, but it has somewhat fallen apart. That would entertain Remus for quite a long time.
The other cats in the household are older and wanted nothing to do with rambunctious Remus. So we adopted a female about his age whom we thought personality-wise would be a good match. For Mollie it was a disaster. She went from being a confident kitty to petrified, and for her sake she went back to the rescue group and was adopted out to another family. We learned through this experience that Remus has no idea how to be social in the proper way - he never had siblings to play-fight with to learn acceptable behavior.
This is not to say that adopting a playmate for your kitten-cat would be a disaster, but I do recommend taking your time to find one who might be able to cope better with your "tornado" kitty than Mollie did. In the meantime, the cat tree and a bigger cat tree and lots of interesting toys may help. Maybe buy a cat DVD and play that on a TV while you're out running errands? Remus enjoys that entertainment and is known to sit and watch (and bat the screen) for 30 minutes at a time.
Thanks! Interesting idea about the cat DVD. I've actually played some youtube cat videos on my computer when I go out for an hour or so, and she seems entranced. (Her two favorites shows are "Keep Track of the Squirrel" and "One Bird....Two Birds....Three Birds." The plots are a little boring, but they seem to hold her interest!)
Right now she is sleeping. (Hooray.) I feel like an exhausted mommy of a toddler who just went down for a nap.
Thanks! Interesting idea about the cat DVD. I've actually played some youtube cat videos on my computer when I go out for an hour or so, and she seems entranced. (Her two favorites shows are "Keep Track of the Squirrel" and "One Bird....Two Birds....Three Birds." The plots are a little boring, but they seem to hold her interest!)
Right now she is sleeping. (Hooray.) I feel like an exhausted mommy of a toddler who just went down for a nap.
Thanks again for the tips, everyone.
Yes! I forgot to mention that mine love playing cat games on my iPad as well. So entertaining,cute and fun to watch!
Thanks! Interesting idea about the cat DVD. I've actually played some youtube cat videos on my computer when I go out for an hour or so, and she seems entranced. (Her two favorites shows are "Keep Track of the Squirrel" and "One Bird....Two Birds....Three Birds." The plots are a little boring, but they seem to hold her interest!)
Right now she is sleeping. (Hooray.) I feel like an exhausted mommy of a toddler who just went down for a nap.
Thanks again for the tips, everyone.
Never ever believed I would ever use a video babysitter ... always thought it was improper and a cop out from responsibility ... however, I was wrong :-) Remus's current joy is "Squirrels and Birds Extravaganza" ... I will show him "Keep Track of the Squirrel" and "One Bird....Two Birds....Three Birds". I admit I thoroughly enjoy watching him as he watches videos. It's also scientific observation to prove cats can think and rationalize - why else would he walk around to the back of the video-playing device to look for the bird who flew off the screen?
I also thought of another "tool" that can assist with cat intros and building relationships. The battery-operated Cat's Meow (a mouse tail hiding under a circular yellow fabric disk that spins one way then another) can draw two or more cats to play - not necessarily play together, but in parallel play. Sometimes mutual curiosity can lessen the stress between cats while they are getting to know one another.
Never ever believed I would ever use a video babysitter ... always thought it was improper and a cop out from responsibility ... however, I was wrong :-) Remus's current joy is "Squirrels and Birds Extravaganza" ... I will show him "Keep Track of the Squirrel" and "One Bird....Two Birds....Three Birds". I admit I thoroughly enjoy watching him as he watches videos. It's also scientific observation to prove cats can think and rationalize - why else would he walk around to the back of the video-playing device to look for the bird who flew off the screen?
I also thought of another "tool" that can assist with cat intros and building relationships. The battery-operated Cat's Meow (a mouse tail hiding under a circular yellow fabric disk that spins one way then another) can draw two or more cats to play - not necessarily play together, but in parallel play. Sometimes mutual curiosity can lessen the stress between cats while they are getting to know one another.
Yes,all excellent ideas and advice! I love watching mine as well. The squirrel and bird videos are their favorite on the IPad. Their favorite cat game is chasing the mouse.
We have the world's best and cutest cat (I know everybody thinks this). We didn't have an issue with him destroying anything. Our children decided he needed a playmate, so he wouldn't be lonely. He is a big boy, 13 lbs (not fat). Anyway, we got him from the SPCA and decided to go get him a lady cat at the same place. Big mistake!!! He went crazy and tried to attack the smaller lady cat at every chance. We put her in a different room until he calmed down, but he scratched the door trying to get out her, shrieked and even peed on our bed to express his displeasure. Long story short, we returned her and he has been the king of the castle for 6 years.
We have the world's best and cutest cat (I know everybody thinks this). We didn't have an issue with him destroying anything. Our children decided he needed a playmate, so he wouldn't be lonely. He is a big boy, 13 lbs (not fat). Anyway, we got him from the SPCA and decided to go get him a lady cat at the same place. Big mistake!!! He went crazy and tried to attack the smaller lady cat at every chance. We put her in a different room until he calmed down, but he scratched the door trying to get out her, shrieked and even peed on our bed to express his displeasure. Long story short, we returned her and he has been the king of the castle for 6 years.
Yep!......Just another example of what I've stated on here before no matter what the subject of conversation is on this forum. Every cat,circumstance and situation is different and has to be treated and dealt with accordingly!
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