# can't cope with naughty kitten



## brilyn (Sep 9, 2011)

My 14 week old kitten bumble is constantly naughty, not just in the way a kitten should be.
Twice this week i've woken up where she's peed on my bed-despite happily using the litter tray! I would lock her out but my bedroom is my older cats safe space as she's very timid.
Also, 90% of the time, she is unstrokeable because she will turn around and bite or grab a hand inbetween her claws and bite. Only time she can be stroked is when she's going to sleep or decided she loves you and nudges up for cuddles. Worse thing is, she obviously loves us as she purrs the second you speak to her.
She is also awful to my older cat. Flo is quiet and fairly reserved but comes to you when she wants love.
Bumble how ever is constantly attacking her no matter what she's doing but especially if i give flo attention. Its affecting her personality too and she seems sad.
I really need help! Thanks x


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Good news: Except for the peeing, she's a typical kitten. 

Bad news: Except for the peeing, she's a typical kitten. 

Is the litter box in your bedroom? If not, you may want to get another to put in there until she gets a little older. Sometimes kittens are like little kids and play and play and wait until it's too late to reach the bathroom.

Everyone falls in love with kittens and think they're adorable - and they _are - _but they're hard work. They are willful, little stinkers! I wouldn't trade mine for the world, but I also adopted sisters so they'd have each other to burn up all that endless energy with. 

Did you do a slow introduction?


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Marie asked a good question about the introduction...how was the kitten introduced to Flo? Did you just bring the kitten home and put the two cats together?

Also, you say the peeing happened while you were asleep, so do you know for sure that it was the kitten? Or might it have been Flo? Given your description of Flo and her relationship with the kitten, it would not be unusual for Flo to start having litter box issues. If you're sure it was the kitten, then I agree with Marie about putting another litter box close by. 

As for the biting, that's perfectly normal in kittens and something they normally outgrow. She's just trying to play, although that's not to say you should just let her do it; rather, you must teach her that biting is an unacceptable form of play. When she grabs your hand, say "NO" in a very stern voice...not yelling or screaming...just a firm voice. Stop playing with her or petting her, and ignore her for five minutes or so. Kittens hate to be ignored! It may take a while (a few weeks), but most kittens eventually get the message.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Most of it sounds like normal kitty behavior to me. As for the biting, if she was taken from her momacat and litter mates before she was 8 wks. of age she never really learned to control her bite. Kitties need that important socialization period from 7-12 wks. to really know how to control their bite and claws and when they are hurting. _Susan_ has given you good advice on how to deal with that. Since your older cat Flo is having a difficult time adjusting, in fairness to her, I would confine Bumble to the bathroom for the nights, with food, water and litter box. Feed an evening meal or snack just before you put her in the bathroom, and it will be a routine she will adjust to very quickly. Ignore any meowing after you've put her to bed. This should solve the wetting of the bed, and give Flo some extra special one-on-one time with you. Kittens can take away a lot of your attention with their antics, so you'll have to make some extra efforts to give lots of loving to Flo, away from the kitten, to give her more confidence and make her feel happier. Good luck!


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## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

As cute as kittens are, often it unfair to an older cat to bring a rambunctious kit into the home.
You didn't say how old Flo is, many older cats just want to live in peace and quiet and don't want to live in constant dread of attack by a bratty kitten.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I did the same thing to my guy. He's 7 and I decided that it might be time for a playmate for him (he was lonely when I went back to work) and I figured he's at a good age to 'teach' a kitten how to behave (and hopefully be as amazing a grownup cat as he is).

He was less than thrilled with the new addition and for the first month I was ripping my hair out and cursing myself for getting us both into this mess. The kitten was/is rambunctious, obnoxious, noisy, messy and in general a pain in the butt.

However, now I've gotten attached to the small demon and MowMow learned how to stand up for himself a bit when the kitten bugged him too much and things have started to settle in. Would I do it again? .. NO FREAKING WAY..... but I promise it does get better with patient training.

Imo, it IS important for the old kitty to have a special place she can go where the kitten can't follow. I usually keep Shepherd Book locked up during the day so MowMOw has the apartment and they are only together when I'm home to supervise and be sure he's not driving the old guy nuts but even on weekends.... I'll close the bedroom door with just MowMOw and I in there and he gets some quiet time away from the little demon spawn. I've tried leaving Shepherd out all day and while they SEEM to be fine when I get home, MowMOw is always short tempered and cranky with both of us so for now (until the kitten has learned to play nice and not tick off big brother) they are separated for any length of time I'm not there to tag team the baby.


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## brilyn (Sep 9, 2011)

flo is now 18months. I know it definitly was bumble who peed on the bed as i have caught her before. I have put a litter tray in the bedroom to try and stop this.
Unfortunately, bumble was a lot younger than i would have wanted but i rescued her from a family who weren't interested when their cat had kittens. They just shoved the litter outside after they hit 5 weeks and left them to it. Bumble was taken to the vet immediately and he aged her at about 6 weeks.
She wa kept away from flo completly for 2 weeks as she had flea's, worms, an eye and skin infection so i made sure these were clear before introductions.
Over about 3 weeks, they were introduced gradually, usual hissing from flo but not much else. Unfortunately, i think bumble is trying to be boss.
I was looking for a friend for flo as our other cat was killed by a car and thought a younger cat would be better. Unfortunately, flo was a very quiet kitten so didn't expect quite this much boistrousness.
Having said that, there's no way on earth i could have left her there because if i had, she would haven't had much of a chance!
Flo has lots of places to go as bumble can't climb so we've made sure she can get out of the way.
I think it might have been easier the first time because mao my old cat was the most maternal, laid back cat in the world (loved our neighbours 3month old springer spaniel pup no end) which might have made it an easy ride!
Thanks for the advice, i will try all the tips you've given.


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## Layla0710 (Nov 30, 2010)

The peeing could also be caused my a UTI, the only time (knocking on wood) by kitten peed outside of her box was due to that.

Her biting could be attributed to her young age or from possible pain. It wouldn't hurt to get a full workup to make sure she's not biting because there's something internal going on. You always want to rule out physical problems before deciding that the problem is behavioral. It's not fair to punish them when they are in pain.

Now, my little evil one is just that- evil. No pain whatsoever except what she inflicts onto humans. :wink


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I had a tough time with my two when Abby was a kitten, because she always wanted to play and tumble with Muffs, but Muffs is a very timid cat and she was scared of Abby. It got a lot better once Abby got a little older and settled down a bit. They're now best friends. 

I doubt Bumble wants to be the "boss", because kittens are not territorial. She likely just wants to play but, since she was taken away from her littermates so early, she hasn't learned how to play nice or gently. I'd do what Krissy (MowMow) recommends and try to keep the two cats separated when you're not home to supervise and spend some alone time with Flo when you are home, both of which will give Flo a rest from the little jack-in-the-box! Things should improve with time, once Bumble is a bit older.


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## whitty26 (Nov 2, 2011)

When Stanley was a kitten, he had a lot of pee issues. I think it just takes them a little longer to take to the litter box sometimes, or they may not like the litter you have chosen (they are so finicky). Stanley would pee in any soft area he could which is also a sign of a UTI, as others have suggested. He eventually grew out of it or had a UTI that the anti-biotics for his stomach issue also cleared up.

I had a goose down comforter and put a different blanket over that in case he had accidents, since that is much easier to clean than a big comforter.

Good luck!


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## brilyn (Sep 9, 2011)

i'll make sure to get her checked at the vets to rule out any infection.
With the biting, i don't think she's in any pain as you can stroke and tickle her anywhere when she's in the right mood. 
I've been using the gel cat litter as she's quite picky with other types. As soon as she had used it once to pee in, she pretty much refused to use it until new litter was put in. Think it was because it was wet. She's better with the gel.
Would make sense if its a uti as she's willing to use the litter tray so much of the time and has never -so far - gone for a poo anywhere she shouldn't.
I'm going to start keeping them apart while we're out during the day and spend time alone with flo to try and make sure she's still getting lots of love. 
Sounds like with the biting and hyperactivity, i just need to wait it out and be patient!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

You've received some great advice from _Susan_, _Krissy, Bob, Layla, _and _Whitty_. I hope things turn out well, I think it's just a matter of time.

Cali was my biter. It took a while, but kittens really DO hate being ignored.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

marie73 said:


> Cali was my biter.


Not Cali. She has the face of innocence.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

marie73 said:


> Cali was my biter.


Psh! I'm quite sure if that sweet little angel ever bit you, deserved it by performing some horrible cruel deed!


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## kaworu (Nov 2, 2011)

Yeah, this is definitely the sort of problem that crops up quite often. Like many have said, it's more than likely that everything will get better with time. Most of the stuff in your post is typical kitten behavior. Kittens are SO adorable, but the unfortunate thing about them is that they're also TOTAL jerks. I mean, really, kittens are just the jerkiest freaking jerks you're ever going to encounter. It's in their nature. It's why I tend to recommend for people to adopt adult cats, if possible - not only are they always harder to rehome at shelters (so there are a lot of them) but they're infinitely more relaxed and chilled out and easy to get along. I know, everyone wants a kitten, but still. 

Anyway, what worries me is how Bumble is treating Flo. I sincerely hope you properly introduced them in a VERY slow manner - there are guides on how to do this, involving keeping them in separate rooms, allowing them to experience the other cat's scent and getting used to that before meeting the cat, just allowing them brief, supervised visits at first... All that stuff. If you didn't do that, and they are still really not getting along, you might do well to try and start slowly from square one and keep either one of the cats isolated in one room as much as possible for the time being.

Sometimes, these things do not end well. My cat, Jackie, is a 4-year-old adult whom I took in 6 months ago from my parents home because she couldn't get along with the two younger kittens. It had been almost a year and things had just gotten worse and worse for Jackie, to the point where her personality had changed completely. She would growl and hiss at anyone who came near, wouldn't let any human really give her love, would have her ears constantly back, was eating way too much due to stress... just a bad scene, and the younger cats were still bullying and provoking her constantly, it was just a never-ending game for them. But she got WAY better after I took her in, and went back to her normal, gentle, loving, affectionate self. I just really hope you can avoid having your older female go through all that


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## brilyn (Sep 9, 2011)

They were introduced slowly. Bumble was seperate for 2 weeks before any introductions due to illness then introduced bit by bit. Initial hissing but flo actually seemed more sacred of bumble than trying to warn her off. Until about 2 weeks ago, they were apart all day when we were out and when they started eating happily together and playing, we let bumble stay out during the day. Bumble loves flo as she purrs as soon she see's her but then promptly attacks her. I was wondering if its because she was outside and essentially fending for herself before we got her.
I'm separating them during the day again when we're out to see if that helps.
Think it doesn't help that flo has always been a grumpy cat naturally and bumble is giddy. My laid back cat, mao, suited flo perfectly but you aren't always so lucky.
With regards to shelters, they frustrate me. I live in the uk and in a small house with a shared garden but because of this, i'm apparently unsuitable to adopt cats, despite having plently of time and love and being away from any main roads but near fields. But that's their policies - i just wish they would change to prevent wanted pets being put to sleep after a month for the sake of a garden!
My apologies, rant over! X


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## BoBear (Sep 8, 2011)

I agree with this, rule out physical problems! Have her checked by a veterinarian and rule out pain and possible UTI, Cystitis, and kidney problems (though kidney problems are unlikely in a young kitten). You may also be dealing with anxiety issues. Cats, like humans, can sometimes have a chemical imbalance that causes a variety of agressive and/or improper elimination behaviour. I had a cat that was on Clomicalm (Clomipramine) for 11 years, an anti-anxiety medication. It made a tremendous difference in his quality of life (and mine too!). Without Clomicalm he would eliminate outside the litter box, shed fur like I've never seen before, was agoraphobic, tended to bite frequently, be somewhat unpridictable and spent far too much time hiding under the bed when we had visitors. On the medication, he returned to proper use of a litter box, became social with visitors, shed by far less and though he still affectionately nibbled on fingers, he did not bite. He also started to enjoy going outside on the harness and lead when I took his companion outside on the lead. 

Talk to your veterinarian, and if you are reluctant to medicate orally, try Feliway plug-in (similar to a Glade plug in). It is a feel-good hormorne that is released into the air. We can't smell it but it does help the cats feel more at ease.


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## brilyn (Sep 9, 2011)

thanks for that. In all honesty, I know sometimes medication can be the best thing all round despite any feelings against it. I'll get some feliway anyway to try but have got an appointment at the vet on wednesday so will hopefully get some answers.
I've gone to completly changing both litter trays on a daily basis because i know she has her hang ups with regards to her litter and she hasn't peed any where she shouldn't since then. I'm hoping the aggression is to do with her age/early separation from mum and litter and not a personality trait. I think flo may also benefit alot from the feliway too as she is incredibly timid naturally and it may help her come out of herself!


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## Fyreflie (Mar 5, 2011)

I bet she'll settle down, she's still so young! Our 1 year old kitten was very rambunctious and "bitey" when he first came home to us (about 15 weeks old)--he was luckily very well socialized as he lived in a foster situation, but he still "attacked" our older cat constantly. Wicket defended himself really well, was actually fairly gentle with the kitten but did hiss and/or remove himself from the situation if he was really ticked off. Between this and the kitten getting that firm "NO" when he used his teeth on us, he still took months to settle down! 

Now, he's the gentlest "kitten" (he just turned a year) I've ever seen--he'll playfully "mouth" your hand when he gets rambunctious but he never bites, and the other day when he jumped up on my lap and then slid down my leg by accident he didn't even use his claws, just soft pawed all the way down. He still plays very ferociously with Wicket and the two of them LOVE their playtimes, it's really fun to watch. But it took a good long time, and Wicket teaching him some manners. 

Funnily enough, Wicket also taught him some litterbox manners (like how to cover up his poop properly, which he didn't do when he came to us) and how to groom himself properly, but it took a little while (to be fair, we did NOT do a slow introduction of any kind and were very lucky they got along so well--they were out together within hours of the kitten coming home, and after the first week they were no longer separated at night for the most part). 

Hang in there! I bet she's just growing up. Maybe she's also teething, and that's why she likes to mouth so much?


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## brilyn (Sep 9, 2011)

I do hope so because when she's having nice moments, she is so lovely! 
Could be right about teething for some of the biting as she chews on fingers at the back of her month. Flo still does this very gently and she's 18month old but think that's just out of habit and one of her strange ways of showing love!


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