How do I preserve my 8 month prehistoric kitten from disobeying?
I feel bad for her. I really do. She is cooped up inside all morning long and when I get home I play with her for 15 minutes but afterwards wear out and hope that she can amuse herself with her toys (or just relax a little!) The foremost issue I'm having with her is her need to drop up on our table which then is an easy jumping nouns for her to reach the kitchen counter. She waits for me to be doing something (like sitting at my computer where I do not rate 100% attention to her) or my boyfriend to be reading a book and then jumps onto the table, runs across it at top speed, jumps onto the counter and runs across it of late to see if she can make it before she get a loud noise and squirted with water.
When she get a squirt and a loud squeak from a noise maker she runs across the room, briefly sulks, and then dart back up onto the table and counter for the "game" to continue. We've tried to put tin foil and double-sided tape on the counter but it singular deterred her for a day.
We've also purchased her an electronic interactive cat toy which will hopefully, once it arrives, entertain her some once both of us have worn out.
I can convey she's afraid of us every time we chase her down but she can't be tracking across our table and counter like that. Besides that, there's a fish bowl with African Dwarf frogs in it explicitly within her reach on the counter. This is part of her desire for getting up at hand, but not all of it. (The reason I know this is because there is a loose a network that covers the opening on the bowl and when she puts her head in the bowl the network falls off. It's hardly ever off when we come domestic. Just after we get home and are able to income attention to her.)
Anyhow, maybe if I move the frogs upstairs onto our bedroom mantle she will stop trying to get up onto the counter, but as I said up to that time I'm pretty sure her main impetus is to draw from the negative attention. Should I resort to something even more extreme or is this all my fault?
Maybe time outs might help. When she get on the table gently pick her up & say no & put her in a room for 5 mins. Do this every time increasing her time outs to ten minutes whether she gets repetitive. I'd be persistent & patient & I don`t know she'll get it. If you could save for a cat tree it might keep her sour of your space & help with her boredom.
I too had a crazy kitty, she would always jump on table and the counter and knock stuff off. I came to the conclusion she might be a little lonely due to denial of kitty on kitty interaction, so I adopted another cat from the local animal shelter and presto shes like a new cat! they are other running around chasing each other and playing. She so much better behaved now.
Answers: It's not your guiltiness. Cats are independent.
Stick her in a room by herself when you go out... that way she can't grasp hurt, or hurt anything.
You should find another domestic for the kitten. It's obvious that you and your boyfriend were not ready to love and give somebody a lift the time to "be there" for her. Your kitten is being a kitten! This is what they do!!
She's been alone all time, so when everyone comes home, she expects and deserves to be played with..not for 15 minutes then unobserved the rest of the evening (except for getting in trouble). As it is, by chasing her down, squirting her, she's already becoming afraid of you. Given enough of this treatment, you're going to own a MEAN cat on your hands.
As for the frogs...get an aquarium that has a LID on it ( I enjoy one with fish, and my 12 cats like to watch them swim around, but they never try to pilfer the lid off). This will protect the frogs from the kitten.
Also, at 8 months, she's past the time of coming into her first "heat". If she hasn't been spayed, this would be a good time to do it. It could also quieten her down some.
Hope this helps..if you can't give her the attention she requirements, find her another home, with someone who can.
Good luck.
SHe's bored to death and you aren't giving her enough attention. Therefore, approaching a toddler, she'll seek any attention--even negative. My advice, procure her a friend! Cats do better in pairs. May take her about a week to attain used to the new kitty's smell, but then I'll bet you'll see a real evolution in her behavior--she won't be so lonely!
It's definately not your fault, and you don't really want to do anything too extreme. What you own is a VERY playful kitty...and a very stubborn one! This has become a game for her, and even though it get negative attention...it is still just a game and one that get attention! Our youngest cat did this as well for several months and almost drove us mad LOL!
When she get on the counter..don't make such a big deal of it..she's enjoying the attention and the spontaneous effect she gets from you, simply take her off the counter, put her on the floor and speak firmly "No!"..then walk away. DON'T cry at her. It's likely that you will have to do this for SEVERAL weeks...it may take months! Cats are intensely independent and stubborn and will do pretty much anything they like LOL! Good luck though!
delight in her games while you can. get her spayed and she'll calm down a lot. but capture it done while she's young. it won't be long before she'll slow down a little.
