Kitten is OUT OF CONTROL!

[_jumper]

Yes, I know they do tend to get stuck in crazy mode, but I need some advice.

Here’s the situation: I’m in college and moved into a house with my roommate/friend (it’s her family’s house so there is some nice furniture, drapery, etc.) She wanted to get a cat; I was hesitant at first since I was the renter, but I do love kitties so I agreed. We were originally going to go to animal services and pick up an older kitty, but I happened to find an absolutely adorable (proof) 12 month old kitten on craigslist. I figured, what the heck, and emailed the foster lady. Roomie fell in love with the kitten and so I picked her up and got her fixed and vaccinated.

She is crazy. Absolutely lovey and cuddly, but if she’s not purring and curling up with one of us, she is literally launching off walls. I’ve had kittens before, but she is out of freaking control. I got home today and found a nice lamp with a stained glass shade absolutely shattered all over the floor. It’s heavy and on top of the piano, so I don’t know how she managed that (scratched up the baby grand too :no:).

It gets better! Roomie is bailing on me so now I have to do something with this angel for summer (I’m heading home for work and my dad is not too excited about this one). I will absolutely not give her away or dump her; she’s my responsibility since my roommate has pretty much revoked hers. But she needs to learn some manners. I totally understand that, as a 1 year old, she has energy and should play and be a little crazy; but she ignores any reprimands. Whenever she jumps on furniture or counters, I say NO, and she knows she’s in trouble (she moves way too quickly for a spray bottle to be effective). But she’ll jump right back up 20 minutes later.

I’m really hesitant to put her out (at least at this age) because she’s quite stupid and I think she’d just run in front of cars…

Sorry for the long post…I really do love this crazy kitty would appreciate any suggestions or tips.

[sk_pacer]

She sounds fairly normal to me, however, you can improve on it by playing with her for a good while a couple of times every day to get that energy out of her. Can you put her in a closed room with food, water and litter when you are gone? If so, play with her, put her up for the time you are gone, and play again when you return. Get one of those wand toys and get her going for a bit. You can also try Feliway in the room you wish her to stay in while you are out - should calm her down.

FWIW, Da Lip, at age 11, still gets silly and runs like a fool, with his harem (3 and 9ish months) in hot pursuit. It was REALLY interesting when two barn cats moved in for the winter and the oldest of the pair joined in on the fun. Sounded like a cross between a herd of elephants and a steam engine releasing pressure - Da Lip would stop, and the rest have no brakes, so he would hiss madly at them and take off again. I call that the kitty train game.

[Peggy]

Jumping up 20 minutes later isn’t too bad. At least it’s not 20 seconds. You just have to be patient and persistent.

Have you considered crating her while you’re gone? Seriously. We crate our barn cat in the office at night because we don’t want someone opening up the office door and having him escape and become coyote chow. It’s a decent-sized dog crate. We had a film crew at the barn over the weekend and their art crew was fascinated by our crate-trained cat.

[_jumper]

Yes, she has a room (basically a guest bathroom) with her box, bed, food and toys and she got the privilege of spending the day in there after I came home and discovered the lamp. I always feel bad cooping her up but it looks like that’ll be her home while I’m at school or the barn for the next two weeks until classes end.

She has a ton of toys, but alas, lamps and tassels and expensive things are WAY more fun Our older cats at home definitely still play and get crazy, but I swear this kitten is training for a parkour competition or something. Gravity does not apply to her.

[BLBGP]

1.) that’s normal.

2.) keep her inside, it’s safer.

[ponygirl]

You might want to get her a “cat tree”. Having a 1 yr old cat that is bananas a lot of the time, it’s been a saving grace and it’s curbed unwanted antics in other parts of the house.

[dalpal]

Just like a puppy…kittens get bored. They need something or someone to play with. I have a laser light that I use and then after the game of chase, I’ll pull out a tangible toy for him to tug on. At least 30 minutes a day.

If you want her to sleep while youre away, you need to get the energy out of her before you leave.

[colorfan]

When I was training my kitten I kept a few spray bottles in strategic places.

put double sided sticky tape, I used duct tape rolled up on itself, on several place mats, put the place mats on the counter where she jumps up, perhaps on the piano, when she jumps up and tries to walk on the tape it won’t feel nice to her.

I would crate her when not home. You are right not to let her outside yet.

Has she been taught to come when called?

[Bank_of_Dad]

I have two like yours. The good part is they keep each other exercised. The bad part is its double trouble. The guest bathroom is their room. They go in at night, when we eat, when we need a break. If we last long enough to take them camping in the motorhome, they will stay in a crate at night.

I haven’t threatened to make them barn cats yet.

One of them broke a lamp too.

Get another so she has a friend.

[coloredcowhorse]

Sounds like purrfectly normal kitten (yeah, intended mispelling) to me. I have 5 at the moment…mom, dad, neutered adult male and two Ragdoll kittens, three months old. ALL of them get to playing at times…linoleum floor so skids, slides, bumps into things are normal (as is the Herd of Elephants sound as they all go racing through). Having them is like having toddlers…put anything breakable away. Double sided tape helps when there are places you don’t want them as do spray bottles. Mouse traps will result in HUGE leaps when set off. Confine to “kitten room” when you aren’t home…with a cat “tree” including cubbies to hide/sleep in. May or may not settle with time but truly, this is a kitten and this is what kittens do.

[Lynnwood]

If she is tearing up things with her tootsies you can also try those little plastic caps that go over their toes. My 5 year old DD got a BOH(Bat out of Hell) kitten for her birthday and they have been a house hold and skin saver. They just glue on and last about 30 days. She wears fronts and backs and is always an inside cat. :yes::yes:

[TKR]

AWWWW! She’s really cute. Getting another about the same age would help (really!) – have some entertainment and use that energy. Mine get crazy, too, we usually just laugh. We used to have NASCAT with one we got from the vet’s office. He was too wild for them and bounced around the furniture, bookcases, mantle into some top window sills (A frame house) and then back through and onto a supporting beam between the loft and a supporting wall. He was “talking” the entire time, up and down stairs, you name it. He stopped doing that now though, they all settle down eventually. Find some cat toys she likes and will use. There is a spray can that is motion activated you can sit on counters, etc. (Amazon has it) that will deter her from getting on them. You can also buy those plastic mats with little wires in them attached to a battery that gives a mild shock. Or just send her to me, LOL!
PennyG

[_jumper]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions!

The issue now is that because my roommate is unexpectedly leaving me, I have to do something with her over summer (she’ll most likely end up at my house). I may also be moving into a new place because of this situation so that’s something I have to consider too…whatever happens though, she’ll always have a home. Special as she is, I love her and I know this is totally normal, but I want to address it correctly and make sure she’s happy. So kitten-proofing this house is out of the question for now since I leave for summer in two weeks, as is getting another kitty. Until then I will definitely play with her more and try to keep her from eating up any more of my security deposit :eek:

[_jumper]

[QUOTE=hackinaround;5635148]
If she is tearing up things with her tootsies you can also try those little plastic caps that go over their toes. My 5 year old DD got a BOH(Bat out of Hell) kitten for her birthday and they have been a house hold and skin saver. They just glue on and last about 30 days. She wears fronts and backs and is always an inside cat. :yes::yes:[/QUOTE]

She actually doesn’t really scratch. She likes to stretch out with her claws in the carpet, but leaves the couches and everything alone…any claw damage is from her playing with tassels and stuff, so I really can’t fault her for that. It’s just that she jumps up on everything and knocks stuff over. She managed to climb up on top of a floor lamp and break that shade off, break the glass lamp I already mentioned, and bumps over other items. She has a ton of toys and plenty of windowsills to jump up on, but still hasn’t quite learned that pianos, counters, tables, and lamps are a no-kitty zone.

[eventer_mi]

Give her something constructive to do! Toys that she has to play with all by herself are no fun. Get one of “da Bird” toys - cats go nuts for them. Tire her out and then she’ll sleep. Also, when you’re not home, a treat ball works wonders if she’s not prone to putting on weight. My kitty goes nuts over her treat ball - keeps her entertained for hours. She’s just being a normal, healthy kitten with lots of energy. Help her use it by exhausting her - it doesn’t take much effort from you, but lots of jumping and chasing will wear her out so she sleeps more.

[AlmostDun]

A superball placed in the bathtub can be great fun. Kitty handball! A good paw swat will send the ball circling back behind the kitten, which is much more fun than a ball which just comes to a stop in the middle of the carpet.

[TropicalStorm]

Try having 3 of the little devils at once… All sisters, and really, the loves of my life http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-ash1/v123/138/66/567570258/n567570258_379176_9791.jpg

I had them at my parents house…and they collect antiques. I was almost dead in the water when, at around 3 months old someone grabbed a 250 year old Japanese scroll that was hanging on the wall and shredded it. :no:

First of all, I got a spray bottle. They quickly learned where they could/couldn’t go (I shudder to think what they do when no one is home, but what I don’t know doesn’t hurt me!) Then, I invested in a laser :lol: Best cat toy ever. They were constructively bouncing off the walls and the carpets, and really tired themselves out. I also got them each a cat treat ball. As for nails - cut them. Especially as a younger cat, its so much easier to teach them to sit quietly while you trim the nails, so they aren’t so needle sharp

[Jaideux]

Crate the kitten when you’re not home. This may also make it less unappealing to your dad to have the kitten in the home.

See if you can relocate the precious items still in the house that you don’t want damaged. Some cats find walking on aluminum foil to be most unpleasant- try laying that down on surfaces she shouldn’t be on. Take fun, hanging tassels and wrap them in cloth (so you don’t leave any marks on the actual material) and then tie or tape them up in a way that makes them rather un-fun.

http://www.lollypop.org/org/org31.asp?ssid=&orgid=31&storyTypeID=&sid=& This is the local ASPCA, and they are very good about education. Scroll through the list of PDFs and see if any can help you think of a creative way to survive!

Long term, though, invest in a cat tower. My cat is a ferocious, playful, 7lbs beast. She LOOOOOOOVES her cat tower, though, and takes out 95% of herself on it. We actually made ours- it is 6’ tall, has top shelf big enough for serious sleeping in her cat bed, 4 smaller shelves that wind around the stem covered in carpet (one of which has a favorite toy hanging from it on a bungee string), and the stem of it is tightly wrapped in medium thickness twine. She climbs straight up the stem like a bear climbing a tree. Sometimes she even hangs out mid-climb to shred the twine a little more

[_jumper]

Thanks so much for all these suggestions! At this point it looks like a family friend back home can take her for the summer since she just lost a kitty and her remaining one is lonely. After that I’ll be in a new place with no antiquey stuff and I can invest in some more interactive kitty toys

[BasqueMom]

Cat trees are wonderful…and you can often find good sized ones on Craigslist for $40 to $50 bucks. Foster for a rescue and have gotten 3 or 4 that way.
Plus have a small one in the hall bath for kittens == that’s their settle in
spot and safe place.