I have decided I need HELP!! :(

[shais_mom]

With my little Kloe - I am up in arms what to do.
I KNOW that it is b/c I am a newbie with kitties and she is my first kitten and simply b/c I am 'cat stupid'. Of Course I also thought Keegan was the devil puppy reincarnate thru her puppy stage and she has turned out to be an awesome dog, I keep thinking Kloe will be the same (except of course a cat) but I am just afraid I am ruining her little life.

-She is soooo mean. Anytime I go to pet her she just turns and bites me. And she bites to HANG ON she curls around your hand to attack
---when do they loose their baby teeth?
-I try being as gentle and as soft as I can and she still does it.
-She is getting better with her claws - for the most part - altho she did scratch my face the other day. BUUUTTT
she will not use her scratching post - she uses my mattress or the corner of my futon. I spray her - I yell "NO" to startle her - I take her over to the scratching post and the other sratching pad I have and work her paws over it and nooooo goooo. The one that uses the scratching post - is the one who doesn't have claws! (Kylie - was declawed when I got her - please don't yell at me!)
---tonite my dad was sitting on the couch and reached down to pick up something and she attacked him thru the sheet that I keep over it and THAT went over like a lead balloon. My dad doesn't care for cats anyway and was mad at me back when I refused to declaw her b/c he thinks she will ruin the furniture (which is WHY I NEED HELP - we have to prove him WRONG b/c I will NOT declaw her!!)
-I have a FELIWAY plugged in - and I have been giving her rescue remedy.
** I really don't think that Soft Claws are the answer b/c we have a HUGE HUGE HUGE battle when I try to cut her nails - I have to wear my leather driving gloves! She has been that way since she was 6 weeks old - the day I picked her up my friend cut them and said "wow she was a little wildcat" and that is EXACTLY the way she is. When she was spayed they cut her nails while she was out - and BELIEVE me I WISH I could do that everytime I need to cut them!!!!
So unless I sedate her she isn't the best canidate for Soft Claws.
Sooooo
tell me what I am doing wrong - where have I gone wrong - what did I do? Do I need to find a more suitable home for her - one where someone knows what the *ell the are doing??? I obviously don't want to do that b/c I have become attached to the mean little pooper! And I don't think I would allow myself to EVER get another kitten/cat b/c I would feel - do feel that I failed Kloe.....

Thank you.....

[Cinder & Smoke]

Gud GRIEF - Calm DOWN, Staci!!

You're NOT a BCM (Bad Cat Mom)!!

Kloe sounds just like "lil" Boots was... NAsssssTee! with
both Klawz AND Tooferz!!

Only took him about what... 3 - 4 years to *mellow* out.

And he STILL Klawz the Heck out of ALL the furniture - AND
his well-worn Skratchin Post!

Get a "catcher's face mask" and wear your gloves!

Hang on - we'll find ya a KAT Expert...

{{{HUGS}}}

/s/ Phred
..

[kitten645]

You are NOT a bad meowmie...you just have to tell the kids whats right and what isn't. They have to learn and it takes kids years and years but kits learn it pretty fast. You have dogs and they are vastly different to kitty's so you have to be patient. I had a declawed cat attack the back of my ankles for nearly three years till he realized I wasn't gonna hurt him and he was a best friend for fifteen years after. It is nothing but time.
Kitten

[catmandu]

You,certainly,are not a Bad Cat Meowmie,its just that you,have adoptedva Kitten,that has a lot,of fear,in him,and does not trust people!And I know,that this is easy,for me,to say,as I never have a Cat,that does those things,but please hang in there,nad hopefully,that Little Kitten,will become the Cat,that you prayed,for when you adopted him.

[jenluckenbach]

Kloe sounds like a fairly normal kitten. When kittens play with other kittens, they bite......and the OTHER kitten lets them know what is too hard or too rough. (was Kloe taken from her family at a VERY early age?) Does Kylie play with Kloe? (if not then Kloe does not have an "outlet" for all her kitten energy)

They WILL grow out of it if you do not reward the behavior now. If she attacks your hand when you pet her, hold a nice sized toy when you go toward her so she grabs that. If she bites you, stop petting and ignore..... Be patient but persistant. As far as biting objects that are under the covers, they ALL do that. It will fade.

As for the scratching post training, that is exactly what it is....training. They don't automatically know where is the correct place. Besides chasing from inappropriate spots, MOVE her to a good spot. Put the scratching post in a different place. Get more posts, and different types. Put catnip on them to attract attention. Use double sided sticky tape or aluminim foil on areas she is NOT suppose to scratch (but does) as a deterant. Keep the nails SHORT. every 2 weeks while she is a kitten, every month as an adult.

And remember, you have a tortie....VERY strong personaities!!! YOU have to be MORE persistant than her.

[kimlovescats]

Staci, does Khloe ever let you just pet her? It isn't such a big deal if she isn't a lap kitty at this age, but are you able to pet her at all? If you are, then just ignore her when she is in one of her moods ... if you are never able to pet her, then you are going to have to stroke her while she is eating, sleeping or otherwise preoccupied. Eventually she will get used to the good feelings of being petted, and will seek it out from you. Sitting on the floor and showering Kylie with affection might just attract little Miss Kloe, but if she bites, no petting! Hang in there, and keep us updated so we can walk you through this together!

(((HUGS)))
Kim

[catnapper]

Have you thought of fostering or bringing in a second cat? You'll see an almost immediate improvement in her biting and scratching if she had another cat around to "teach" her cat-ettiquette. I had a foster that did exactly what you described, and I knew it was just play to her, nothing agressive (I'm going to assume your kitty's doing this out of play too). She came to me as a foster because nobody wanted a cat that did this. She was adopted and returned several times in her short life. Then she came to me.... and my moster crew took care of her within a few days.

Every time she tried to bite me, I also said a stern "no bite" and blew softly into her face. She hated that and connected the negative face blowing with her actions.

PS: Depending on how young she is, it MIGHT save your sanity and hers to adopt another kitten! Kittens have more energy than they know what to do with and two entertain each other and offer unlimited social benefits.

[moosmom]

Staci,

You got some great advice here. I think Kim has a good point. How about another kitten that Khloe can play with. This way all that pent up kitten energy will be re-routed to the playmate.

AS A MATTER OF FACT... I have JUST the kitten playmate for you!!! Her name is Mandy! I think she and Khloe would get along very well!

She can be sort of a "rent-a-kitty". Keep her as long as you like. Think about it. It might just be the perfect solution. When you're ready, you can bring her back.

I'll PM you with my phone numbers.

[PayItForward]

Sounds like you already have a possible playmate arranged which is great news.

I agree with everyone else a playmate for your kitten and more time will improve your kittens behaviour.

They hit their peak of naughtness between 9 months and a year and just as you are ready to throw them out the window (joke), they settle down and become very nice cats

Though life with a torti cat is never boring, I can't remember the number of times our torti Milly bite and scratched me when she was young but I survived and she grew up to be a very nice lady.

If she is aggressive put her down gently and walk away, ignoring a cat is the very worse punishment. Also never play using your hands or feet with a kitten, or they will grow up thinking limbs are good toys..not funny when the cat is full grown.

Try playing with fishing rod toys with her but remember to put them away when you are not supervising her as kittens can hurt themselves with string.

[Rie Rie]

My Annie is like that and she's almost 5 years old. I had her declawed when she was little, she was tearing up my new furniture and hubby was about to throw her out. But her teeth well make up for not having claws and she does the curl up around your arm or leg and is out for blood. I thought she would have outgrown it by now, but NOT!!!! Maybe you'll be lucky and when she gets out of the kitten stage she'll calm down some.

[sirrahbed]

(((Stacy))) I have read little bits and pieces about Kloe and have been thinking about her and wondering how she is doing. Lizzie is similar - maybe not quite so nawtee I cannot often pet Lizzie with her turning to bite and claw- and you have had the exact excellent advice here - stop playing and give her a toy!

You are NOT a bad Meowmie - you have a kitten with attitude! The idea of trying Mandy with her is a good one!! They can use their kitten playfulness with each other!! I think it would be ard for *anyone* to have an only kitten, and a tortie on top of that!! It is frustrating though isn't it?? I can hear that in your posts, so here is another (((((HUG))))

Her Valentine, Robbie - would love to wrestle and bite her They would be worn out and sleeping in no time!!

[PayItForward]

Originally posted by Rie Rie
My Annie is like that and she's almost 5 years old. I had her declawed when she was little, she was tearing up my new furniture and hubby was about to throw her out. But her teeth well make up for not having claws and she does the curl up around your arm or leg and is out for blood. I thought she would have outgrown it by now, but NOT!!!! Maybe you'll be lucky and when she gets out of the kitten stage she'll calm down some.

Annie's aggression sounds like a common behavioural problem developed as a result of the declawing, which of course will never be outgrown.

It may be worth getting her paws checked out and xrayed to check the declaw was done properly and to check she isn't in pain from bone fragments etc.

[carole]

Staci I think you have been given some excellent advise, I am no kitten expert either, but the kitten we found and luckily found a home for sounded just like Chloe as well, she was real bitey and quite agressive little girl, but she did sleep on you, I think with patience and persistence which I believe you have she will indeed grow out of it.

My Lexie never stops scratching anything in the house, she has found a new scratching post, we shifted our computer into the bedroom and she loves the new chair, it is old and has a few rips in it, but she goes there in the middle of the night and scratches it, nothing I have tried has worked yet, I just have given up on it, and she has lovely trees to sharpen her claws on too, lil monkey.

We all can empathise with your situation for sure, here's hoping some of the suggestions work Staci, but please don't give up on little Chloe.

[catcrazylady]

You are NOT a bad kitty mom! We went through all kinds of heck with Sammy when he was a youngster. He tore me to shreds all the time! I realize now that I was his toy and all of his playful aggression came out on me. I finally got to the point that I had to watch him at all times. He would sit on the kitchen table watching my back while I was doing dishes and plotting his attack! I was covered in nasty scratches and bites all the time. People at work thought I was being abused ( I was but not by my hubby )
He did settle as he got older. I have never had that problem with any of my other cats but also none of them came in alone. They all had siblings or other young cats to play with. I don't think that all "only kittens" act this way but some are just more energy loaded than others and must find a way to vent it. The attack on your dad, from under the sheet, is a common occurance around here. Most of the time it's the game of hide and seek...ahah! I got ya!...game. If it is at all possible spend lots of playtime with her using a big stuffed animal or stuffed sock. Tickle her belly with it and let her bite, scratch, and back bunny feet the thing to death! Do that a couple of times a day and let her get that playful energy out.

I promise she will get better. If you try playing with her and toys that she can attack I really think she will get better and you two can have fun together while she kills the toy and not you! I hope this helps.
Good Luck

[NoahsMommy]

(((Stac)))

You aren't a bad kitty mommy! Kittens are frustrating sometimes. I remember when Noah was a kitten....I think I cried every week while he did the SAME stuff Kloe does. Don't worry. Like Jen and the others have said, with patience and persistance, she'll get better.

Shoving (gently) a stuff toy in her mouth will really work. I used that on ALL our kittens and it really worked. I also taught them all "gentle" as soon as they were getting the idea that hands/people are not chew toys.

Do as the others said and she'll get it.

Love, Kelly