Overcoming Common Behavior Problems in Kittens

You’re probably not nave enough to think that when you welcome a
new kitten into your home, all will be bliss with the adorable
ball of fur. But a kitten can develop habits even more
destructive than you think if you don’t know how to curb bad
behavior. Good news! By working with your veterinarian, you can
eliminate or even prevent many kitten behavior problems. Here
are some common challenges and the steps you can take to lick
‘em.

Inappropriate Perches

Although young kittens may not be able to successfully complete
high vertical jumps, their acrobatic abilities grow tremendously
in the first few months, so you may find your kitten perched in
unusual and perhaps undesirable places. It’s normal for kittens
to explore their environment and perch on high surfaces. By
using vertical space, kittens increase the relative size of
their home environments and their ability to survey activity.

If you want to teach your kitten to stay of kitchen counters and
dining room tables, first you must provide alternative vertical
perches. Try placing a commercial scratching post or shelving
near off-limit surfaces, and encourage your kitten to use the
acceptable perches by playing with your kitten on or near the
perches, feeding treats on them, and praising your kitten when
it uses the perches. Next, make the unacceptable surfaces
undesirable. It is best to have something that does not require
your activation, because unless you are extremely covert in
delivering a negative consequence (e.g. squirting the kitten
with water), the kitten may just learn not to jump on that
surface when you are watching.

Instead, try placing double-stick tape, a motion-detector-type
alarm, a pad that delivers a small electric shock when touched
(Scat Mat- Contech Electronics), or some other sort of device
that ensures a negative consequence is delivered regardless of
your presence. In addition, do not tempt your kitten onto
counters or tables by leaving attractive items on them (such as
food, flowers, or plants).

The Nighttime Circus

Does your new kitten exhibit a burst of nighttime activity,
leaving you with little sleep? This is a common complaint among
kitten owners. Many kittens don’t get a great deal of exercise
or activity during the day. While you are at work, they spend
the day sleeping. And in the evening, you may enjoy curling up
on the sofa with your new companion.

Thus, all that kitten energy explodes in the wee hours of the
morning. To manage this problem, you need to channel your
kitten’s energy into activities when you are awake. A kitten
that is kept awake all evening with games and toys is much less
likely to get into mischief in the middle of the night.

Make sure you don’t scream at your kitten or chase it when it
exhibits this behavior. This only encourages the activity. If
you can’t ignore the behavior, you can deliver a remote
punishment (e.g. a squirt of water). Of course, closing the
bedroom door or slipping some earplugs may help ensure a full
night’s slumber.

Also, do not get up and feed your kitten when it exhibits this
activity. It will quickly learn that awakening you reaps great
rewards, and if you try to stop this behavior, your kitten will
often become more persistent. Consistent disregard on your part
will eventually extinguish this behavior.

Another Fine Mess…

Although they may weigh less than 5lb, kittens can inflict
substantial property damage in a relatively short time. Their
main weapons of destruction are their front claws, although some
kittens also chew items.

Scratching is normal and provides many benefits to cats-it
stretches their muscles, leaves a scent and a visual mark, and
grooms their nail beds. Cats are going to scratch. The key to
successful management is to target the scratching at acceptable
items in prominent locations. These scratching surfaces should
be sturdy, either horizontal or vertical (depending on what your
kitten likes), and made from materials that your kitten favors.
To find out what your kitten prefers, you can offer a variety of
choices or mimic the shape and materials of unacceptable
targets. You may also make unacceptable targets aversive (e.g.
place double-stick tape or aluminum foil on them) or
unavailable. Trim your kitten’s nails weekly to keep its nails
blunt. For difficult cases, consider soft rubber nail caps that
are applied monthly (Soft Paws- Soft Paws, Inc., Three Rivers,
Calif.).

Although it is less common, some kittens chew household items,
especially string like objects or plants. Just as you childproof
a house, you need to kitten-proof. Keep plants out of reach.
Unplug cords or place them out of reach, too. A protective
covering for cords that can’t be removed from the environment
can be found at home improvement stores. A remote punishment may
be effective; consider coating target items with an unpleasant
material such as a commercial deterrent spray or bittering agent
or attaching a motion alarm. It is important to provide
acceptable items to chew: a small pot of wheat grass or a
rawhide chew one may help. Playing with fishing-pole type toys
will tire the kitten and provide an appropriate outlet for oral
activity.

Not All Fun And Games

Cats, especially kittens, need appropriate outlets for play. If
these needs aren’t met, cats will sometimes use their owners as
play targets. If your kitten becomes too excited or aroused, it
may injure you. Over-exuberant play behavior toward another pet
in the household may also result in problems.

Cats that exhibit play-related aggression need to have
appropriate daily activity play with remote toys. Initiate these
play periods, and avoid any activity that results in your body
being the target of play. Try to anticipate such an attack, and
redirect it onto a toy (e.g. carry a ball to toss). Avoid giving
any type of a ward for the play aggression-running and screaming
may only encourage the behavior. Do not deliver any direct
interactive punishment (e.g. don’t hit the cat), because it may
induce fear or defensive aggression. You can interrupt
inappropriate play by providing remote punishment (e.g. using a
squire bottle or an alarm) or leaving the room if the cat
instigates inappropriate play. Adding another cat of a similar
age and energy level to your household is also an option.

Litter-box Basics

One of the joys of owning a kitten is that housetraining is
usually much easier in cats than in dogs. Most kittens are
naturally attracted to a litterbox for elimination. Problems
tend to arise when the litterbox isn’t accessible, clean, or
attractive. And sometimes a kitten discovers alternative,
equally attractive elimination spots such as the dirt in a
potted plant. It is easier to avoid a litterbox problem than to
fix it.

Most cats prefer finely particulate material to eliminate on,
and clumping-type litters provide this type of surface. Cats
generally prefer unscented litters. A litterbox can’t be too
clean – daily scooping and routine washing with soap and water
are mandatory. Uncovered boxes are recommended, since covered
boxes tend to trap odor, and you may scoop less often if you
cannot readily see the deposits. In a multicat household, there
should be one more box than there are cats. So, in a household
with 3 cats, there should be four litterboxes.

Social relationships with other home inhabitants may cause
litterbox access problems. For example, a kitten may be
unwilling to cross the path of a household dog or another cat to
get to the box. Or perhaps you have a young child who likes to
grab the kitten while it is in the litterbox, making the kitten
reluctant to use the box again. You must identify and address
the social problem situations.

In addition, make sure you place the litterbox near your
kitten’s core living area so the kitten can easily access it.
Expecting a young kitten to crawl down two flights of stairs to
reach the litterbox may be setting the kitten up for failure. In
addition, make sure the kitten fits the box. A small kitten
should not be expected to scale a high-sided box. And as the
kitten grows, the litterbox must reflect the kitten’s need for
more space.

Some kittens need to be restricted to a smaller area with a
litterbox until usage patterns are successfully established. Of
course, if a kitten has a medical problem that causes increases
urgency or frequency of elimination, you should see your
veterinarian.

The above is general veterinary information. Do not begin
any course of treatment without consulting your regular
veterinarian. All animals should be examined at least once every
12 months.