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Kitten/Bottled fed

18 15:30:37

Question
QUESTION: Hello
I have a 13 week old kitten that I have bottled feed since he was about a day old. Well I need some questions answered.
1. He seems to be be a bit aggressive. My hands llok like I have a skin diease on my hands. He has bit and scratched the heck out of me. I think he is only playing but I am not sure how to stop him. I know we can do the water bottle trick, but Sunny loves the water and takes baths and showers.
2. Litter Training: At first he did really well with the little box. I even went to the extra expense for the good for the earth. Well now he seems to do his pooping in there, but pottys elsewhere in the house. HOw do I break this?
I love Sunny and he is the first animal my husband has not banned to the outside or our barn. If there any tips you can provide that would be great, as he has not siblings to help him.

ANSWER: Well Sunny's problem is that he thinks you are his sibling/Mommy and the way he plays with you is the way he would play with the above mentioned family members.
The problem is you never drew the line when he drew blood.
You are going to have to re-train him gently by NOT playing with him using your hands, which is the very first thing we tell our clients.
Didn't your vet tell you how to play with him when he got his first vaccs? Did any of this come up?
You need to start substituting some kind of toy for your hands and when he wants to bite and scratch you instead you need to give him a FIRM NO! and remove yourself from the area.
If he follows you and gets aggressive then you need to put him in another room and close the door until he calms down.
This didn't happen overnight and it will take just as long to un-train him from his habits now.
Never yell at him and never pick him up when he is trying to play/fight/bite or scratch you.
Get him one of those things on a long stick that has glittery strings on it that he can jump around and play with. Play with him using that until he is tired then put it UP where he cannot get to it himself.
As far as the litter box goes, changing a cat's litter substrate after they are used to one kind is a ticket to the problem you are having right now. Most cats develop a preference for one kind of litter and you might have to stick to that brand to keep him on tract and in the litter box.
You also need to keep it in one place and make sure it is out of a traffic area.
Water bottles are mostly used for cats that scratch furniture or jump on things, not for biting and playing.
I hope this has helped some. Ask your vet for other tips on the biting/scratching and the litter box management. He should be getting one more vaccination along with his rabies at this age.
Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I have not changed the litter, However I would like too, only for clumping reasons. He hates little things on his feet. Is there anything I should know about bottle fed kittens and behaviors? I have found that he is his own personality. Complete opposite of the dogs.  Several strange meows from him too, I only get the I want my cat milk meow right now. Thanks for answering my questions. There is alot of information about bottle feeding, but I cant locate after you stop the bottle and behavior without siblings.

Answer
You said that you spent more money and got a litter called Good for the Earth, so I assumed that meant you switched from a different brand than he had when he was 'doing good with the litter box."
At 13 weeks this kitten shouldn't be anywhere near milk of any kind. He should be on Kitten Growth by Science Diet and nothing else.
If you did a search on Google on cats and behaviors I am sure you find a plethora of information. Your Vet, however, is the only one you should listen too, not stuff you find online. So take what you research to your vet and discuss it with them.