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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Why is my kitten so naughty??

35 replies

SweetSeraphim · 18/02/2013 19:16

I have a just turned 6 month old tortie kitten, and she is the worst behaved pet I have ever had in my life Shock

She's very bitey and scratchy, horribly destructive, and seems to need company all the time or she miaows and whines.

I have had cats all my life, but I've had her since she was ten weeks old and she is the youngest I have ever had. None of my other cats have ever behaved like this and I'm finding it a bit stressful.

Is this normal for her age?

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 18/02/2013 19:33

Ten weeks is quite young to take a kitten on its own. At that age they really need another kitten to play with. And that has probably has had an effect on her and could be why she seems to need company all the time. Six months is still very young and kittenish though. All I can say is that in another six months she will probably have calmed down considerably.

MaggieMaggieMaggieMcGill · 18/02/2013 19:34

Try some feliway.

Original poster
SweetSeraphim · 18/02/2013 19:40

I couldn't have had 2 thecatneuterer, I already have an older cat, and we have 4dc between us! I was off work for an extended period when we first got her, so I suppose she is used to the company....

What does Feliway do Maggie?

OP posts:
FestiveFrollockingFrenzy · 18/02/2013 19:47

Kittens generally are ime. Its just a phase usually.

thecatneuterer · 18/02/2013 19:47

I wasn't blaming you - just saying that could in part explain it. Feliway could be worth a go, but that tends to work more on stressed cats than on over exhuberant ones, although if she has separation anxiety it could help. Worth a try

Original poster
SweetSeraphim · 18/02/2013 19:52

Oh I know you weren't having a go! Maybe she came away from her brothers and sisters a bit too early.

I can't find anywhere 'safe' for her to be at night, for example. If we leave her in the living room, she comes upstairs and scratches and whines at the bedroom doors.

If I put her in the kitchen, she finds something to break. Her latest thing is sneaking into the bathrooms and pulling the toilet rolls off and unwinding all the paper Hmm

I litter trained her with no problems, but now and again, she'll do something on the floor just out of badness.

OP posts:
Cailleach · 18/02/2013 19:57

Kittens shouldn't really leave their mothers before 3 months of age: their mother does a lot of social training with them around this time which helps them be well adjusted cats later in life.

Of course, this isn't always possible: when I got my two cats they were flea-ridden tinies (roughly seven weeks of age) that were rescued from a neighbours garden. There was no way they could be left in that situation (a heavy flea infestation can kill a kitten) so I took them on.

I'm glad I did, but boy oh boy were they hard work. They were very very clingy, needy, shouty kittens: they followed me everywhere and demanded my attention much of the time, and they're still a bit like this now.

I've had cats all my life, and none of them were like these two: I'm convinced that this is because they left their mum way too young: probably before they were fully weaned, looking back. What did help was that they had each other to play with: I would second thecatneuter in saying that they need a companion at this age or at the very least, a lot of interaction from you.

Remember she's just a little kid, in cat terms. She's probably bored, and needs stimulation. I recommend lots of games: string, treats thrown about the room for her to chase, and a game of chase the red dot courtesy of a laser pen all go down well with my cats.

JustCallMeFish · 18/02/2013 19:59

I don't think getting her early would affect her behaviour much tbh.

We got one of our cats as a stray kitten and he was tiny. He could stand on all fours on my hand. And he's the most docile, softest, loveliest cat ever.

I've heard torties are a bit like that though. But I could be wrong.

And all the things you've mentioned one of my cats used to do. Normal kitten behaviour ime.

Get lots if toys, she'll soon grow out of the naughty stage.

(I won't tell you about the naughty cat a relative had that's just viscous and naughtySmile)

RedwingWinter · 18/02/2013 21:19

My cats still love unwinding all the toilet paper from the roll, and they are 3 and 4!

I think some of it is as others have said, she came away from her mother and fellow kittens too young and so didn't learn all the rules of play and social behaviour from them. And some of it is just that kittens are a lot of work! By the time another six months has passed she will be much more grown up.

When she is playing and is all claws and teeth, just disengage and she will learn to be more gentle. Alternatively you could get an oven glove specifically to wear for that kind of rough play, and only play like that when wearing the glove.

Kittens need lots of opportunities to play so try and find lots of time for her. If she is never allowed in the bedroom at night she will get used to it and eventually stop scratching at the door.

She doesn't poo outside the tray to annoy you, so it could be that she hasn't quite learnt her toilet-training yet, or else that she is upset about something. Also if it's not cleaned up with a biological cleaner, there will still be an odour that she can smell (even though we can't) which will confuse her.

She sounds like lots of fun. I know it's a bit much, but enjoy it while it lasts, because they grow up very quickly!

Original poster
SweetSeraphim · 18/02/2013 21:22

Oh, she IS fun, this thread makes me sound like I don't like her! I love her to bits Grin

She's just soooo naughty Hmm I just wondered if it was normal kitten-y behaviour.

OP posts:
sashh · 19/02/2013 04:59

Sounds normal to me.

cozietoesie · 19/02/2013 07:13

Let her sleep with you.

thecatneuterer · 19/02/2013 12:59

Yes, let her sleep with you.

Also torties have a reputation for being naughty. In fact there are always referred to as 'naughty torties' at Celia Hammonds. I find i hard to believe that there really is a correlation between cat colour and temperament, but all cat people seem to swear there is.

And I was just reading a thread in the Relationships section about someone's appallingly behaved teenage daughter, and the advice there was to remember that this is a phase and it will pass. Somethingapplies to your kitten to and that's worth remembering and also that no matter how naughty your kitten is it can't come close to the horror of having a stroppy teenager :)

Original poster
SweetSeraphim · 19/02/2013 14:08

Yours would be sage advice catneuterer if only I didn't have a stroppy teenager AS WELL Wink And 3 more to follow.... Shock

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 19/02/2013 16:28

ha ha. Oh dear ...

NorbertDentressangle · 19/02/2013 16:36

Torties can be slightly bonkers (speaking from experience here!)

Our tortie would do mad things - run up doors and sit on the top of them when they're open, have mad moments and do 'the wall of death' around a room, could be loud and demanding and was very 'in your face'.

In fact it was that last trait that drove me mad sometimes when the DC were little. When I finally got to sit down at the end of the day, without a child clinging to me, the cat would appear on my lap and stick her face in mine.

It sounds like she needs lots of time spent with her, lots of fun and lots of wearing her out!

florencearbuthnot · 19/02/2013 16:39

Yes torties are very naughty.My vet describes them as bipolar.He also said that there is a link between the length of hair in the ears is a n indicator of naughtyness i thought he was joking.My tortie stalks me,wool sucks my hair and tries to pull out by the roots and is a monster,at one stage i was actually quite frightened by her because she seemed to want to attack me all the time .As she has got older she has become really loving and actually puts her paws up when we are outside in order to jump on my shoulders just like a child.They really are special i've never known a cat like her.They seem to need lots of love and attention and I think if you let her sleep on the bed she may settle down.My tortie definately doesnt think she is a cat.

Fluffycloudland77 · 19/02/2013 16:41

Sounds like normal tortie behaviour.

Ours was bonkers, she had been abused as a kitten so she got away with blue murder.

I've heard it called tortitude too.

florencearbuthnot · 19/02/2013 16:43

Oh yes tortitude that sums up torties.

Unlurked · 19/02/2013 16:46

I read the title of your post and thought "I bet that's a tortie"!

Our tortie was an evil kitten. We couldn't get off the couch or out of bed without chucking something on the floor first for her to attack otherwise she would attach herself to our ankles with her teeth and claws.

She's a grown up now and lovely so long as you don't stroke her without her permission

NorbertDentressangle · 19/02/2013 16:47

Florence - your post has reminded me of something else ours did....she would pick up stray socks from the clothes airer, floor, radiator etc and carry them round the house in her mouth (like kittens) whilst yowling!

There was also the night when her mad run around the house whilst we were all asleep included her standing outside or bedroom door and, no word of a lie, yowled the loudest and clearest 'HELLO' you've ever heard! DP and I both sat bolt upright and went "WTF did you hear that!?"

I do miss her crazy ways. We had her for about 16/17 years so the house seems strange without her.

Original poster
SweetSeraphim · 19/02/2013 19:22

Ahhh these are lovely stories Grin

Guess she's a naughty tortie then! Let's hope the bitey scratchy thing wears off soon!

OP posts:
portraitoftheartist · 19/02/2013 20:47

Kittens always used to be given away at 6 weeks old. Now it's 8 weeks. No way would I want one at 3 months old when you'd have missed so much of its short kittenhood.At 6 months old they're teenagers.
Agree that tortie cats are often psycho.

thecatneuterer · 19/02/2013 22:48

'Tortitude':) I love it. I intend to introduce this word to the other people at Celia Hammond's tomorrow.

Schnapple · 19/02/2013 23:00

My mum has a silver tabby, he is about 18 months old now. He is a little monkey!!!! He loves to play fight, bite and scratch. We thought when we got him neutered he would calm down..... nope! He is nuts! My mum has very expensive curtains and the cat used to climb them!!! He has pulled them down on several occasions! He unfurls the loo paper, attacks my mums knitting. He loves climbing the christmas tree. He plays tag with the kids a chases them! He has calmed down a little bit as he is getting older but we have just got used to his hyperactivity! My mum jokes that he has ADHD.

Not much help but you arent alone. I love my mums cat, he has such a great personality and whilst sometimes its annoying I wouldnt change him, he is hilarious!