Here’s some background: I recently adopted a 10 week old kitten. When choosing this particular kitten, I did all of the responsible things – picked one that seemed playful, was unafraid of strangers, and looked healthy overall. I brought the darling little bundle of orange and white fluff home and thought everything would be hunky-dory. I was -so- wrong. Now this darling kitten has undergone a personality change. Instead of the sweet, calm (for a kitten), well-adjusted critter that I thought I had chosen, after 3 days, I’ve ended up with an anxious, constantly howling cat that can’t be still or be quiet. No combinations of punishments/rewards has worked thus far (light swat with a paper, small squirt of water, praising her when she does something right) and Mr. Star and I are at our wit’s end.
So my question is this:
Have you ever dealt with an obnoxious kitty and what methods worked for you to turn a bad situation into a good one?
If I can’t get her to settle down, then the only other course of action I would have would be to take her back to her former owner and possibly switch out kittens. I’m not very keen on this idea since I’ve come to like the little bugger (when she’s not driving me to distraction). Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Well, you’re talking about a massive change in environment, and she’s gonna be anxious (and howl, if that’s how she deals with anxiety) for a while. Punishing her for being anxious is just going to make her worse, so knock that off right now.
When I adopted Eponine, she talked all the time. Not just a cute little “Mew” either; it was a near-contant “Rer-OWR” of varying volumes. She settled down as she settled in, and got a lot quieter. Now she just does that when she wants petting or food or to go play outside. And when you put her in a kennel. My God, does she bitch about being confined.
The best advice I can give you is to just ignore the crying and pet her and play with her and give her treats and toys for a while. She’ll adjust.
Give her more time (and I agree, no punishment). Also, if she’s your only cat, and you can, I’d suggest going back and getting a littermate, or other kitty so she can have a playmate. I’m sure she’s scared witless, and will get used to her new environment over the next couple weeks.
Let me clarify… I’m not punishing her for crying or being anxious. When she starts clawing the walls or climbing my leg like it’s Mount Everest is when she gets a small tap.
We haven’t confined her to a kennel but I can only imagine what she would do then. She has the entire second bedroom as her personal space and she still howls when you leave her alone there.
Thanks for the advice, and it’s good to know that your kitty settled into a quieter routine. It gives me hope for my little baby.
Okay, I think I’m seeing a big chunk of the problem here. Don’t leave her alone in the spare bedroom. It sounds stupid and facetious, but I’m serious.
She’s going from having all her familiar sights, sounds, and smells, as well as the constant companionship of her mother and littermates, to a whole new house with all new stuff. Being left all alone with all these new, strange things is seriously adding to her stress level. She’s scared, she’ll probably be less so if she has someone around. That, and some animals are very clingy and need a lot more companionship than others.
As for the clawing and climbing thing, get her a scratching post if she doesn’t have one already. With the climbing thing, I’ve found that it’s often just them wanting to be nearer you and trying to get into your lap. (That’s a longer jump than a kitty that age can make, so she has to climb.) Tell her “No scratch” then scoop her up and hold her a while.
Your kitty has just been separated from all it is familiar with (i.e., litter mates and mommy cat). It is going through massive and totally understandable anxiety. Isolating it in a strange, unoccupied room is the last thing you should be doing.
I strongly recommend that you go back to the breeder and see if there is a towel or small blanket that the rest of the litter has slept upon. This will provide a “home base” or “nest” for it to derive comfort from. When I took Zenpup home I asked for (and received) a blanket he had slept upon. There wasn’t a moment’s stress upon his part.
Phone up the breeders and request they line the cats’ resting place with a rag towel or something that you may then pick up in a few days. DO NOT bring the kitten with you, as re-exposure to the litter may only remind it how lonely it is.
If a scratching post isn’t a good solution, look into one of those exposed edge cardboard “scratching trays.” Some catnip (check for minimum exposure age) toys and other playthings will help to distract kittycat as well.
Do try to constantly reassure your new kittums as to how loved and cared for it is. Try to hold it and pet it frequently. As a last resort, get a kitty carrier and line it with the scented towel in order to stop it from climbing legs, walls and so forth. While you may not wish to provide massive food rewards all of he time, a bit of half & half or some other goodies may distract it and also serve to quiet it down, if only due to digestive torpor.
My kitted acted wierd when she became seperated from her normal environment (with her mom and other cute kitties) and you’re kitty should ajust back to its adorable little self soon enough.
Another thing though, I used to pick my cat up all the time and cradle her until she fell asleep and then deposit her into her own bed, but now she kicks me and pushes me away though she still likes being stroked. BTW I could tell she liked it before because she would purr and snuggle up to me and if she wasn’t tired and wished to explorew somewhere else she would just get up out of my arms and miow to be put down.
my kitty dosn’t love me anymore?