Having problems with new kitten...from a first time indoor cat owner...?

Question

I recently decided to bring a kitten into my home. However, i feel like i am having some severe problems with him. First of all, he wakes me up in the middle of the night. It started out as only a morning habit, usually occuring at 6 on the dot. He would wake me up, clawing at my feet. Now this has turned into full on destruction. He pulls things down off of my dresser, jumps into the blinds, and bats at my face, and now he does it every two hours of the night. Should i lock him in the bathroom? I'm worried about destruction of other things if he's left oout in the rest of the house.

I thought it was just that he needed to get to the litterbox, but now he has access and still the habits persist. This kitten gets as much excercize as possible for both of us. He fetches and chases better than my dog. He has too many toys to name. He wrestles with the dog. I dont know what more i can do to wear him down!

Secondly, he seems to use his litterbox a lot. It seems to get very full very fast. I dont think he has a urinary tract infection, but maybe something else? Is it because he's a boy? A friend of mine has a cat and it seems like she can go a lot longer than I can without scooping.

Thank you all so much. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm on the verge of sending this kitten to live on my moms farm...

Answer 1

I feel your pain!  I have a male kitten about 5 months and he is the same way.  He will dive-bomb people from the top of the curtains and raise all heck.  I think he does it just to do it.  He is obnoxious, and he isn't the first male cat that I have had like that either.  I just try to ignore him for the most part, or I have a spray bottle of water on my nightstand and I just give him a spritz if hes out of control.

Answer 2

Get another kitten... seriously :)

I had the same problem with my kitty, so I got her a friend. Dogs and people don't play the same as kittens do and they don't give the same feedback (like ouch! not so hard!). My local humane society believes in it so much they have a two for one deal on kittens.

Answer 3

I can help you with the first part.

Cats are naturally nocturnal. They like to get up and play at night. It is their 'hunting' time, if you will. Its very normal for cats to try to play with you while you're sleeping.

What I did when I had this problem, I took everything breakable off my dresser, and any other place that my cat liked to play and knock stuff down. Also, I got very good and waking up around the time they wanted to play, and I would cover my face so they couldn't pounce on me.

Best advice, play with them a lot before you go to sleep at night and tucker 'em out. Lol. Also, if your cat does bug you at night, you need to show it that nightime is your time to sleep. I also got a bunch of toys for my cats. So I just didn't play with my cat at night when he'd try to wake me up, and then after about a month it started playing with its toys at night, [and other cats I have]

I wouldn't recommend putting the cat in the bathroom, as they will probably start mewing LOUDLY, and that can often be worse than them playing with your feet or face. Lol.

I hope this helps you a bit. =]

Answer 4

When kittens have a playmate it helps a lot.  Cats are nocturnal creatures, so they'll play a lot at night.  If kittens have a playmate, they are much more likely to play with each other instead of you or household items.  Make sure your cat has access to dry food at night because he might be hungry and trying to wake you up to feed him.  My best advice is to consider getting another kitten about the same age for him to play with at night.

Answer 5

You need to understand cats - and especially kittens .... what your cat is doing is very normal .... he's treating you like a litter mate - and that means you play when he wants to play, you sleep when he wants to sleep ..... the fact that he's waking you up more frequently shows what a good littermate you are!  He gets over-excited to play with you and wants to play all the time! His damage to the blind, pulling things off your dresser are all part of his learning experience - he wants to see what they are and what they do ... he can't reach them properly and so he pulls them down to him - much as a small child would.  You really need to keep him in the kitchen or bathroom at night so that you can get some sleep - and he needs the security of his 'own' space at this time .... put his bed and a furry something in with him for him to snuggle up to and not feel alone and make sure all breakables are in cupboards or out of reach (and don't underestimate a cat's ability to quickly work out the best route to get to something - using whatever means he can to reach higher levels - they're great climbers!).... The destructions is not really destruction for him .... he's developing and practising all his cat skills - and kittens do this a lot - so you need to make sure he has a scratching post and board ... and spray everything else with something like 'Get Off' or similar to deter him - or use something that has a strong lemon or orange smell - cat's don't like this ... when you see him doing something - stop him immediately and speak with a stern low voice saying something like 'stop' or 'leave it alone'.... he will probably try to persist in doing what he wants - and you must be persistent in reprimanding him (you don't need to smack him - just a stern, and if need be, loud voice - he will work it out that you're not happy).....As he's a tom he's prone to doing more of these things than a female, although the sexes as kittens really doesn't make that much difference - they're all inquisitive, nosey and want to explore everything ....  last, but not least unless he sounds like he's in pain when he uses the litter tray and his stools and pee look normal, then there's nothing to worry about - some cats use litter trays more, and more often than others - just like people - it's just how their bodies work .... but if you are concerned then a check up at the vet's might be a good idea just to put your mind at ease......  As you say, you're a new, novice, cat owner .... give it time, have a little patience..... I promise you you will learn to love him so much and understand him as a cat .... just as you hope that he will learn to love you and understand you as a human .... but the wait is definitely worth it!....Cat's are very loving, loyal and great fun!.  

Answer 6

Be sure your cat food is a high quality,high protein food.The cheaper foods have more filler in them.Kittens can not digest this so they eliminate it.I would put the kitty in the bathroom at night.There is no need for both of you to be up all night.The kitty needs to be trained.I think he might calm down if he doesn't have to much stimulation at night.Give him a little longer,he just might become your best friend!!Good luck with the wild child!!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

Cats are very independant and when they want attention they want it now.

You can close the cat into a bathroom if their litterbox is in there and they have access to water. Just make sure you take the carpets out or it might go on them.

It will calm down some as it gets older. You can also try just closing your bedroom door when you go to bed. My cat sometimes wakes me up, I just sweep him off the bed and he gets the message that now is not the time to play.

Be glad he's using the litterbox and not anything else. It's just like with kids. His bladder will grow and he will go less, but boys sometimes mark and it smells worse. After he's fixed it'll help too.

Have fun with your kitty I know I love mine.

Answer 8

This is what kittens do!  Since you're a first timer, I would have suggested you educate yourself on what they do and ask around before it's h**l in the house.

I prefer adult cats to kittens any day.

I would say kitten proof your house, and set aside a part of the house for his recreation.  They get into everything, will be descructive until they become adults (you're looking at 10 months to a year yet), and just basically raise h**l.

Also a kitten's digestive tract is running on high, due to the calories that he's burning, so what goes in comes out.  They need to be fed alot during the first year.  

Yep, this is a kitten.  The really good part though, is that he sure is healthy....   LOL

Check my source below, as your cat is nothing compared to what I went through!!!!!

Answer 9

My new kitten does this too, it could be that he's hungry how many times do you feed him a day and how much do you feed him? Right now my kitten is four months old and she is supposed to get 3/4 a cup a day. When my kitten is hungry she will act in a similar manner.

Also when she's bored she'll destroy things! There have been countless things torn off the walls, pulled out of my room, and many many stuff toys that have been beheaded! She has many toy too but they can become bored and will seek other things to play with.

My cat also uses the litter box alot I'm not sure what I can say to helo you but what you're saying seems normal for a kitten.