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The litter tray

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New kitten - destroying house.

12 replies

SkyBlue1987 · 07/06/2026 21:11

Hi, no hate please because I’m already feeling bad enough about this but I’m starting to not like my kitten. He’s about four months old. We’ve had him since 12 weeks. I’ve had kittens and cats before but never one this playful and slightly aggressive. He’s destroyed all our dining chairs, my son’s bed, and the couch. He has so many toys and scratching posts everywhere. All day I’m telling him no not to climb curtains and couch’s etc and I’m exhausted it’s genuinely worse than a toddler. He hides under beds and bites feet. My two children adored him and the start and now I worry they are getting frustrated by him as well. He jumped on my son’s face with his claws in the middle of the night so now he stays in the bathroom all night and whimpers at the door at times throughout the night. I guess I’m just after tips and tricks - any anti scratch spray for furniture that actually works, toys that keep cats entertained for a while etc. I also want to replace my dining chairs - any tips for fabric/chair types that are fairly resistant to cat claws. I’m thinking we may have to do plastic or wood so that he can’t actually get a grip on them.

OP posts:
Username9020 · 07/06/2026 21:18

We have only ever had pairs of kittens. They tend to play together a lot meaning less damage to the household.

If another one isn't an option, try to keep him out of rooms where he can do damage until he's a bit calmer.

Get a pair of thick gardening gloves and try to set aside some time for play where he can bite, kick and scratch like he would with litter mates. This type of play is important for his development, I guess some are more enthusiastic than others.

Good luck!

mondaytosunday · 07/06/2026 21:38

As OP says getting a second will resolve a lot if you issues. We got one and it was a nightmare for a week til I went back got his sibling. 100% improvement.

JimBobsWife · 07/06/2026 21:42

Sorry to hear that. I've only ever had one kitten and she was a girl and not at all destructive. Is it because he's a boy and full of male hormones? When is he due to be neutered?

AlbieJiggered · 07/06/2026 21:42

All day I’m telling him no not to climb ...
Maybe he doesn't speak English.

MrSchubertWhiskers · 07/06/2026 21:43

Are you actively playing with him every day? If so, for how long?

Once he's fully vaccinated & neutered, will you also be able to let him outside?

ForPinkDuck · 07/06/2026 21:53

Yes he needs lots of playing. I wouldnt replace the furniture yet

mumumental · 07/06/2026 21:56

Teach him to use a scratching post asap.

zigzag12 · 07/06/2026 22:11

Yes, he'll need a few scratching posts around the house & make him a 'ball pit' with a large box & empty loo rolls ( throw a few treats in for more excitement). Also streams of brown packaging paper ( like you get in Amazon parcels) slightly crinkled up, he'll love rolling about in that.

SkyBlue1987 · 07/06/2026 22:14

MrSchubertWhiskers · 07/06/2026 21:43

Are you actively playing with him every day? If so, for how long?

Once he's fully vaccinated & neutered, will you also be able to let him outside?

My kids play with him maybe 10-15 minutes before school and then again after school. More on weekends. The rest of the afternoon he watches them play, chases the cars etc that they are playing with but they are not directly playing with him. I play with him maybe 3 x 5 mins during the work day and maybe 10 mins before I go to bed at night. Struggling to find more time than that but he has lots of toys he can play with independently.

OP posts:
Favouritefruits · Yesterday 09:56

You can’t lock him in the bathroom, he’s obviously got lots of energy and locking him in a small room will make it worse! Get him a friend or lots of electronic toys that you can switch on a leave him to play with! He’s only a baby still don’t rebuy anything yet not until he’s a bit older. Getting him neutered and letting him outside will fix a lot of these problems.

xOlive · Yesterday 10:01

I would never again get a kitten.
I adopted a cat who was 3, he is an angel.
Then we were asked to rescue a kitten so we did. Fuck me, I actually hated life for 2 years.
Curtains ruined, bed ruined, chairs ruined, she peed on everything despite 3 litter trays across the house and outdoor access.
It has randomly all stopped now, she’s 3 now and is much calmer.
I’d never get a female cat again though. I’ve noticed they’re much more territorial and aggressive than male cats (both neutered).

Blackbird2409 · Yesterday 10:17

I had a very mischievous kitten years ago who was very lively and would run up the backs of your legs etc while washing up. He turned into the most beautiful relaxed adult after a short while. Don’t give up and stay patient. As others have said, getting another may help. As for your children, this is why rescues won’t rehome kittens to families with young children!

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