Further trials of the PANTHER

Question
Hey Hilary....eddie here again....with a report on TROUBLE...er, i mean Panther. Panther is now approx. 5 1/2-6 weeks old. And ornery as all get out. Too ornery. i'm all too familiar with a kittens rambunctiousness, but panthers turning out to be one of those mean-spirited ones. and it hurts me to see it. You cant touch the little fart-head without her wanting to bite the crap outta you. i know its just play, but its constant. allways its on the back, grabbing your hand, and clawing and biting. And i've dubbed her the FOOT MONSTER, because shes fascinated by my feet, and allways attacks them as well..which is a delight when youre getting out of the shower, let me tell you. She has free run of my bedroom, until she gets big enough to climb the barricade i've got in the doorway...just about 2 1/2 feet high...a box.
she has tons of toys, and i play with her to try to wear her out, but i allways poop out first. lol. I miss the little miracle that would curl up in my lap after feeding, and purrrr...any suggestions on the "bad" behaviour??  And the real reason i'm writing is this...she refuses to use the litter box. Its in the bathroom, and she has been GOING in the bathroom, just not the box. I put her in it after every feeding, but no joy. And i cant catch her in the act, so i can scold her. And about feeding.....she wont give up the nipple, either. I've tried the canned food/formula gruel thing, it just ends up a big mess. She just wont NOTICE anything thats not a foot to attack, or a nipple to eat from. I also bought a bag of dry kitten chow, and soaked it in formula...no success there, either. Its high time she got off the bottle, and got on the pot! (so to speak) HELP!  

Answer
Hi Eddie! LOL...you crack me up hehe.  Okay...have no fear!  Some kittens are just WAYYYYY more rambunctious than others...this craziness WILL pass!  Here's a tip that always works for me....when the kitten bites...don't pull away from her.  This will make her clasp on harder.  Instead...push TOWARD her...she won't like this and will let go.  When she gets REALLY out of control, gently but firmly scruff her (by the skin on the back of the neck), look her in the eye and say "NO!" Kittens that are hand raised are often wayyyyy more rambunctious than kittens that have their mothers.  The reason is that the mother cat will teach the kitten not to play insanely rough.  The mother cat does this by biting the kitten or scruffing it in her mouth.  So...again, you must play mamma cat! (which you are a pro at by now hehe)
About the litter box.  Keep her in a small area (like your bathroom) with the litter box.  She WILL get the hang of it.  Continually put her in their like you normally do.  When she goes outside the litter box, hold her and show her the feces and let her see you put it in the litter box.  Then place her in the litter box with it.  She will get the hint that she is supposed to put "that" in "there" !
Now, about the eating.  She definitely needs to get her little paws off that bottle.  This might sound mean, but honestly it isn't....  Mix a little canned food with the formula in a shallow bowl.  Place her in front of the bowl and gently dip her face into it.  This will cause her to lick the food off of her face and realize what it is.  She should be drinking from the bowl within a few days after you continually do this at every feeding.  This will make her get the hint. Keep the bowl in her little area along with her litter box and she will be getting the hint in no time.  Please let me know if this helps, and even though she may seem unruly and rough now, she will go back to being that little sweetie pie you cuddled once she gets out of this stage.  Hang in there and let me know how it goes! I hope this helps. I'll be thinking of you and Panther!
Hilary