Does your cat does this to the point it is annoying!

Question

I adopted a kitten from the shelter last week, I was looking for someting sweet and one who likes attention, which I know was a 50/50 shot. well, my cat is sweet alright, and not only does hie like attention HE LOVES IT. he sleeps on my face at night, or by my side, when i give him kisses he gives kisses back, and he is just all around the best cat i have ever had, he keeps our house fly free, and bug free for that matter, and loves my current cat. they are constantly playing.

the only problem is he doesn't know how to put his claws in.

and he constantly climbing up my legs to sit in my lap or clawing his way up my back to sit on my shoulder, does your cat do this? Is there any way I can teach him to put his nails in? Will he learn on his own? he is probably between 9 12 wks. not sure. He even attacked my sister with his nails the other day when we were ruff housing and she kicked me.

Answer 1

He's just playing, he's probably going to grow out of it.

Answer 2

He's a kitten, and he doesn't know yet that you don't have a nice thick coat of fur to protect you.  I usually just very gently take a kitten's paw and hold it and the kitten will automatically retract its claws -- don't do this roughly.  It's also important not to slap or yell or do anything energetic, because a kitten will see that as an invitation to just do more wild playing.

Don't worry.  Kittens grow up, and it sounds like you've got a wonderful one.

Answer 3

If he is going to be an all the time inside cat, you should get him de-clawed.  I promise you, the scratches on your legs aren't going to be anything compared to the scratches on your furniture.  I know a lot of people think it is cruel, but I have 2 cats inside and they have both been de-clawed and they are fat and happy!

Answer 4

Have the vet teach you how to trim her nails. Also get her a scratching tree.

It is the cat's instinct to use their claws to climb. She is very young, she will learn and settle down a bit.

We trim our cats nails about every two weeks.

Answer 5

Yes, I have a kitty and she does the same thing.  I've nicknamed her Ninja Kitty because her claws are freaking lethal weapons.  This is very common behavior for kittens.  You are his mommy now :-) so you need to help him learn when it is not OK to use claws.  If kitty claws you while playing, stop playing with him immediately. Say "OUCH" when he hurts you (cats pay no attention to the word NO)  If he climbs up your leg or back, remove him and walk away.  Get him a scatching post and praise him lavishly when he uses it (this will save you AND your furniture).  Make sure he has some toys he can bat and claw at to his heart's content.  It will take some time and patience but he will learn that claws are not appropriate for all occasions.  In the meantime, keep his claws clipped to minimize damage to you and your loved ones.  

Answer 6

Make sure he has a scratching post. If he starts to claw you, pick him up and move him to the post. If he claws you while playing, give him a stern "NO," remove your had, and put a toy in its place. He'll soon learn that clawing toys and the post is OK, but not people.

Answer 7

Although the cat I adopted was older than yours, if you do not start now to try and teach him when it's appropriate to use his claws, and when it's not, he will never learn :-(.  

The following is a very good way to gently teach him when is NOT an appropriate time for him to use his claws:

When he starts using his claws to crawl up on you, or whatever, gently move your arm or whatever away from him slightly, then touch his paws by his claws, and gently lift up on the front part of his paws -  gently prying his claw from you / your skin / clothing or whatever, then gently tucking in his claw until he retracts it on his own.   If you also say the same word when you do this, he will learn what that means.  

It didn't take my cat long to learn, he still has his claws in case he should ever need to defend himself against an animal, and I just trim his nails back a little bit once every week to 3 weeks  

Answer 8

Your kitty will learn eventually.  Just try to keep the nails trimmed to minimize damage.  I still have light scars from the scratches my babies gave me at that age.  They would climb up my legs to be held and 2 still try to nurse on my ears to show affection.  And I thought cats were supposed to be aloof....

Answer 9

Don't worry. All kittens do this. They're just trying to get the feel of things. My 3 month old kitten does the same thing. It's normal. I understand a little bit why he attacked your sister. Did your sister have her feet under a blanket? Kittens attack moving objects that are unfamiliar to them. My cat did the same to my sister. Don't worry about it. If you have any more questions email me at [e-mail]  Hope this helps!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

I don't know if you can teach a cat how to keep his claws in, but you could try cutting his nails.  My cat doesn't necessarily like having her nails snipped, but i never cut them too much to make them bleed and it keeps her from scratching people.  You can find these animal nail clippers at places like Petco.

Answer 11

Get him a scratching post. Reward him when he uses it and say 'NO!' when he uses something else (the walls, furniture, you...) and take him back to the scratching post. It works as long as you keep at it.

My grandparents just got a kitten and it works well with her.  

Answer 12

Shelter kittens may have been separated from their mothers early in their lives and she would have taught them to keep their nails in during play.  I would recommend keeping the nails trimmed and look into "Soft Paws" they're a squishy plastic covering that goes directly on the nails (kinda like Lee Press-on Nails for cats) and keep the sharp edges out of our skin.

Also, when you kitty uses his claws yell "OUCH" and quit playing with him.  Hopefully, after a few times of this he'll learn on his own that if he hurts then you won't play anymore.

Good luck!

Answer 13

My little girl used to do this also when she was 6 months old! She used to climb up on my legs and God, it hurt. She did outgrow it!

Answer 14

its a cat thing, and yours is still a baby yet. most cats as they get older learn to balance them selves instead of using their claws to hold on to things and they generally quit doing this, but some cats never learn and i guess are just a little clumsy or lazy and like to attach them selves to their people instead.