# Peanut is getting worse, not better. Don't know what to do.



## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

I don't know what else to do. Peanut is still bothering Chinchilla. We put him in time-out when she's eating or drinking and we distract him, but he continues to attack her. Yesterday he displayed food aggression. We were putting cat food away and he and Chinchilla approached the tupperware container. At first they were munching together, but then Peanut growled, swiped at Chinchilla and then hissed at her. It was pure aggression. Later that night, when we were getting ready for bed, he went on the attack and Chinchilla had to pin him by the neck with her mouth. That could have gone bad, so he was put in time-out for the night. Just earlier, my SO was petting him and holding him and Peanut attacked his face and could have caused damage, had he not lost a baby tooth last night. 

This is bad and it's breaking my heart. He didn't come here with these issues. They have developed and are getting worse. We haven't been doing anything different with him. I don't know where these new behavioral issues are coming from, but if we can't correct them quickly, then we will have to re-home him and I don't like thinking about that possibility. I don't know what to do. We can't afford to bring him to a behavioral expert. This is just getting horrendous. All we want is a cat that won't attack us or Chinchilla all the time. I need help.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Personally, when Chinchilla pinned him down I wouldn't have interfered. IMO, you undermined her putting him in his place by stepping in. SHE needs to be the one to deal with him when he bothers her, not you. 

As long as there is no blood I let my big guy deal with the kitten. MowMOw (big guy) has had a few scratches on his nose but nothing terrible and he's always careful not to leave any marks on his little brother. He just scares the bejeezus out of him.

As for scratching your bf.... I think that Peanut probably gave SOME indication he was getting over stimulated like lashing his tail or swatting gently and it was over looked. I seem to remember that he is young, isn't he? YOu can almost always tell when trouble is coming. At that point he should have been put down or BF should have gotten up and walked away until he had settled down.

HOnestly, I don't think it sounds that horrendous. It's just kittenish behavior and him testing boundaries. Hissing isn't necessarily pure aggression and neither is swiping. It's a warning. If Chinchilla had a problem with it she'd let him know, as you said later on she had to pin him down. It sounds like she TRIES to deal with him but you stepped in... do you do that often? Let them work it out....again, that's just my opinion...we have much more experienced people on here.


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

MowMow said:


> Personally, when Chinchilla pinned him down I wouldn't have interfered. IMO, you undermined her putting him in his place by stepping in. SHE needs to be the one to deal with him when he bothers her, not you.
> 
> As long as there is no blood I let my big guy deal with the kitten. MowMOw (big guy) has had a few scratches on his nose but nothing terrible and he's always careful not to leave any marks on his little brother. He just scares the bejeezus out of him.
> 
> ...



My SO did break up the scrap last night, but only because Peanut kept going at Chinchilla after she pinned him. It's like he's challenging her to an all out brawl. We usually don't interfere UNLESS it's apparent one or both will get seriously injured. Do boy kittens at 4 months tend to do this? Challenge and WANT to fight? 

My SO didn't see a tail flicking. One minute Peanut was fine, and then he bit his face. It was unprovoked. 

There are days when he's well-behaved and then there are days when he's out of control. I thought at first that he was just irritated because not all of his baby teeth have come in and he just lost a tooth, but I don't know anymore.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

I agree with everything said above. It's a very good thing that Chinchilla pinned Peanut down. She is standing up for herself and I'm pretty sure as an adult, Chinchilla would control her bite to hurt a bit but not draw blood. I think you should only interfere if Peanut is being bully and Chinchilla doesn't have the gut to fight back. Peanut may not learn his lesson the first time, but with Chinchilla's repeat diciplines, he will know his place eventually. You are worrying too much, cat mom 

As of hissing/swiping at meal time, no biggie. I have two sweetest and gentlest girls who have been best friends since kittenhood, yet there are occasional food agressions if they are getting something they really enjoy. As long as it's not scaring Chinchilla away from eating, you don't need to be worried. 

And the issue of attacking your SO... How long has your SO been petting/holding him? Some cats only tolerate being pet for a short time, and don't like to be hold at all. If start squirming, let him go. There should be signs before he attacks. 

Overall from what it sounds, Peanut is just a normal kitten. Nothing over agressive. Just be patient, give him a few more month and he will grow out of these issues eventually 

PS: I think you can play with him more often to burn those excessive energy.


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## catinthemirror (Jun 28, 2011)

I went through something similar when I brought in Moxie, who was under a year old. Sassy is my grumpy older cat, and she had been an only cat for about 13 years before Moxie came along. Needless to say she wasn't at all thrilled with the new cat, but like MowMow said... you kinda have to let them work things out on their own. The hissing and swatting are all just attempts for them to figure out who's dominate. You can't figure this out for them, so it's best not to interfere. 

Also you have to remember that cats can't just speak to each other. They can't simply ask another cat to back up, or tell another cat they want to eat first. Hissing and swatting isn't 'pure aggression', it's a feline conversation. I know it can be upsetting for people to watch, but I've been hissed at and swatted before. Being swatted on bare skin doesn't hurt. So I imagine with a covering of fur it's probably even less noticeable. 

I will say that I truly wish I had gotten another younger cat at the same time as Moxie. I don't know if that would be an option for you, but now I understand why people recommend getting kittens in twos. They drain each other's energy. Kittens love to play, but all Moxie's attempted to get Sassy to play with her didn't go so well. These days I spend close to an hour a day on play sessions with Moxie, and it's helped her relationship with Sassy a lot. Now she doesn't need to pester Sassy to play with her - she comes and pesters me 

If you're putting your kitten on time out a lot, especially if you're doing it when he's trying to play with your older cat, I would worry he's not getting enough exercise to drain his energy. If he's not getting enough play time he could be acting out because he's bored/frustrated because he's full of pent up energy. 

And one last thing... about Peanut attacking your SO. You're absolutely right that he could have caused damage, but I really doubt a missing baby tooth was the only reason he didn't. Cats can chew through bones - if they really want to hurt a person, they can do A LOT of damage. If they don't, then I would be hesitant to consider it an attack. Kittens 'bite' each other in play all the time, Sassy has used her teeth on me as a warning before (but she's never broken the skin). They have a lot better control of their teeth than we usually think - a cat can use their teeth to kill and eat small animals, and yet also use them to gently transport their new born kittens. If they don't hurt you with their teeth, it's because they're not actually TRYING to hurt you with their teeth. 

You do have to make it clear it's not acceptable for your kitten to use his teeth or claws on you, because kittens especially can cause harm when they get carried away and don't realize their own strength (just like any kid really). My uncle's kitten is like that, because my uncle has been using his hand as a cat toy, and now the kitten thinks it's ok to claw and bite people - to the point where he's drawn blood on me. 

Anyway I don't think you're dealing with a highly aggressive animal at all. Just a young animal, with a lot of energy, trying to test boundaries and figure out what he can get away with. Maybe it would help if you checked out some videos of kittens and cats rough housing. They play by chasing/pouncing/biting/wrestling each other, which is how they learn the skills they need to be predators. It's perfectly natural.


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

I think some of his behavior is due to the fact that he's teething still and he just lost another baby tooth. I noticed some blood on one of his toys and checked his mouth. He lost the tooth on the other side of his mouth on the bottom jaw. Unfortunately we can't find where the tooth fell. 

Could that be part of the problem too?


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## shan841 (Jan 19, 2012)

LadyMiseryAli said:


> I think some of his behavior is due to the fact that he's teething still and he just lost another baby tooth. I noticed some blood on one of his toys and checked his mouth. He lost the tooth on the other side of his mouth on the bottom jaw. Unfortunately we can't find where the tooth fell.
> 
> Could that be part of the problem too?


it could be, kittens that age tend to be a little mouthy. and they usually swallow their teeth, so you most likely wont find any


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## tghsmith (Dec 9, 2010)

teething can make them a little more bratty,, find some acceptable chew stuff for him.. and yes as said above chincilla may need to teach him some manors.. when we put are little monster into the mix with three older girls two of them let him get away with nothing, the third was afraid of him and he chased and tormented her.. he made the mistake of forcing her into a corner one day, she got mad and wacked the crap out of him,, problem solved!! the next day he got ready for the daily assault, she looked at him, he decided it was no longer the thing to do.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

You say _Peanut_'s 4 months old? Has he been neutered? It's about that time that the male hormones start to flow, so that would certainly make him feel more feisty. Get him neutered ASAP if you haven't had him done already. Also the fact that he's teething is likely making him feel a bit cranky if his mouth is sore, and crankiness=aggression.


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

tghsmith said:


> teething can make them a little more bratty,, find some acceptable chew stuff for him.. and yes as said above chincilla may need to teach him some manors.. when we put are little monster into the mix with three older girls two of them let him get away with nothing, the third was afraid of him and he chased and tormented her.. he made the mistake of forcing her into a corner one day, she got mad and wacked the crap out of him,, problem solved!! the next day he got ready for the daily assault, she looked at him, he decided it was no longer the thing to do.


We actually read something about plastic straws for teething and we bought some today. He's too busy chewing and playing with the straw to bother Chinchilla. Yaye!


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

LadyMiseryAli said:


> My SO did break up the scrap last night, but only because Peanut kept going at Chinchilla after she pinned him. It's like he's challenging her to an all out brawl. We usually don't interfere UNLESS it's apparent one or both will get seriously injured. Do boy kittens at 4 months tend to do this? Challenge and WANT to fight?
> 
> My SO didn't see a tail flicking. One minute Peanut was fine, and then he bit his face. It was unprovoked.
> 
> There are days when he's well-behaved and then there are days when he's out of control. I thought at first that he was just irritated because not all of his baby teeth have come in and he just lost a tooth, but I don't know anymore.


I vividly remember my two naughty boys at four months. They aren't challenging and they don't want to fight the way you are thinking about it. Rather than thinking about him as a mean brat, try thinking about him as a kid who doesn't have anyone to play with. The things you are describing are exactly why we decided to keep Muffin rather than finding him a home when he was old enough. Doran was such a brat when I wasn't home that my BF agreed to keep Muffin, so they boys could tackle and wrestle each other...leaving the girls alone.

Note that I said when I wasn't home. Yes, Doran was still sometimes bratty, but he knew I would leave whatever I was doing to make sure he was following my rules. Every. Single. Time.

If Doran tried to play with Torri or Jitzu I would le thim get told off, then wait. If he backed off and went to do something else I always rewarded him with a quick (30 seconds or so) play time. Even just saying "Good boy Doran!" and trowing one of his toys worked.
If he didn't back off when he was warned then I stepped in before he could annoy the other cat more. I would grab his harness (which both boys wore until they were 7 months or so) and move him away saying "Doran, uh uh." I would distract him with a toy.
If that didn't work and he went back for another try I would again take him by his harness, but this time he would go in a kennel for up to a minute. After that I'd let him out and try the toy again. Repeat as needed.

It is important for kittens to learn from the adult cats, but I didn't trust Jitzu to correct him appropriately and TBH I didn't feel it was fair to make her. Jitzu didn't bring the kitten home, I did. It was my job to teach him manners to a certain extent. I let her tell him off, and then I would step in and make sure that was what happened. Jitzu never got in trouble for beating up the boys, they always deserved it, but I never let it go that far until the boys were over 6 months, big enough that she couldn't really hurt them.

Your solution for Peanut is ultimately going to come down to one of three things.

1. Management/training. You play with him more to decrease his energy level, and you lock him in a kitten room when you aren't home untl he learns to follow the rules, and grows up a bit.
2. You get another kitten to play with him. This will make him leave the older cat alone for the most part, and you won't be the one having to work out his energy.
3. You rehome him.



LadyMiseryAli said:


> My SO didn't see a tail flicking. One minute Peanut was fine, and then he bit his face. It was unprovoked.


...I want to point out that just because you, and your SO, didn't see the sings doesn't mean they arent there.

Kittens aren't always great at really obviously showing body language, and they aren't known for their self control, so it could be that he showed his signs and reacted so fast that you couldn't have done anything about it anyways. Practice will help with that.

Watch for his pupils to dilate, his ears to go back, his mouth to be slightly open, his tail to lash, even something as simple as his body tensing. These can all be signs that he is getting over stimulated.

You can also prevent this sort of thing happening by watching him to see how excited he is. If your SO was playing with him roughly, wrestling, tossing him around, growing, getting him all riled up, ect...it was bound to happen. Make a point of playing with him in calmer ways, or ways that are less physical. Rather than wrestling and using your hands use a laser pointer, large toys, or a wand toy. This will make your body less exciting, and will help him learn self control.

Overall just remember that he is only 4 months old. He's a baby! He has no self control, just instincts. It's up to you to teach him what he can do and what you don't like him to do. Note I didn't say what is 'wrong' to do...It's not wrong to him. It's instinctual.

And yes, teething can be very uncomfortable and make him a little grumpier than usual. But don't punish him for it. It's not something he can control.

*Edited to ad:
Be careful with the straw. If he starts chomping bits off to swallow take it away. Petsmart sells these awesome teething toys, my cats love them!
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3548959


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

We actually bought the worm for him when we first got him. He lost it again. He always pushes it under things, but he does love it.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

I really think it's premature to be considering rehoming a four month old kitten. Kittens are rambunctious. They'll bite, scratch, annoy other cats,...the list goes on. Peanut is being a typical kitten. Don't rehome him for that. Learn to deal with his behavior, but don't rehome a kitten. And let Chinchilla handle her business. Peanut isn't going to learn if you and your SO intervene. The only time I'd intervene is if blood is drawn by either cat. Otherwise, let Chinchilla put Peanut in his place.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I'm not sure that I would have brought a rambuncious kitten home with an older cat who needs to be assist-fed at times and has some medical issues, not the greatest combination. For that reason alone, I don't see rehoming as a bad thing in this situation. Sometimes it's best for everyone, and kittens find new homes and adapt very easily. 

If Chinchilla was healthy, I'd agree with everyone else and say let them work it out. Believe me, I'm familiar with aggression problems, and yours isn't that serious. (Of course, it's easy to say when you're not right there.)


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

marie73 said:


> I'm not sure that I would have brought a rambuncious kitten home with an older cat who needs to be assist-fed at times and has some medical issues, not the greatest combination. For that reason alone, I don't see rehoming as a bad thing in this situation. Sometimes it's best for everyone, and kittens find new homes and adapt very easily.
> 
> If Chinchilla was healthy, I'd agree with everyone else and say let them work it out. Believe me, I'm familiar with aggression problems, and yours isn't that serious. (Of course, it's easy to say when you're not right there.)


We're taking this one day at a time. Yesterday he lost a tooth and started calming down. As much as it would make me feel like a bad pet-mom, if he doesn't start chilling out more, re-homing might be the best choice. I'm going to hope that he starts behaving better. Sometimes, his behavior tells me that he wasn't properly fostered before we adopted him. I don't want to have to re-home him because someone else screwed him up.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I don't think he's screwed up at all and that he's getting a bit of a bad rap. I think he's an average rambunctious 4 month old kitten. 

I hope if you DO rehome him that you don't stick the stigma of 'needs to be only cat' or 'problem kitten' on him because i really don't think that he is. From everything you've said he sounds quite average and normal to me. He just needs proper training to mature into a well behaved cat.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

He's four months old... There is only so much mess someone can make in that time.

Kittens are easy to train, it might be frustrating to teach him what's appropriate, but it's fully possible.

If your older cat can't handle his kitten antics, and you are considering rehoming him this is the time to do it. At four months old he's not anywhere near his set adult personality. Kittens are cute and are easier to find homes for than adults. If you end up waiting and not working on his behavior you'll end up with a cat that's a year old and you'll have a hard time rehoming a year old cat with minimal manners.

IMO if you're set on rehoming do it now.

If you're willing to work with him then pull up your socks and do it. Protect your older cat by putting him in a kitten room (with toys, litter box, food, water, scratch post) when you aren't home and at night, and teach him manners. He's not going to magically get manners over night. There's work involved.

Keep in mind that he's no where near done teething, so be prepared for more bad days/weeks. It's just something that happens with kittens.

TBH I was absolutely shocked to hear that you think someone 'screwed him up.' He's a BABY. At four months old there are almost no behavioural problems that you can't completely get rid of with time and effort. If you truly think he's 'screwed up' then rehoming him is probably your best option.

I have rehabilitated kittens that were feral until 4 months old...it took me one month to make them into happy, playful, polite kittens. Well, as polite as kittens get anyways. I had no problem adopting them out to your average pet owners.

I will be happy to support you if you want to put the work into him...but please don't say someone 'screwed up' this poor baby.


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

librarychick said:


> He's four months old... There is only so much mess someone can make in that time.
> 
> Kittens are easy to train, it might be frustrating to teach him what's appropriate, but it's fully possible.
> 
> ...


We got Peanut from a so-called rescue organization. On the paperwork, the person who fostered him's name was etched out for some odd reason. We have no info on where he was before he got to us besides being in a little cubbyhole at Petsmart where the volunteers barely socialized him or the other cats there. When I say I think someone screwed him up, I'm saying that I suspect he might have been neglected in his first three months(we got him before he was three months) or poorly handled in general. I don't think he's a bad kitten at all. I don't want to re-home him. I'm willing to work with him. My SO suggested re-homing after Peanut bit his face, which I felt was an overreaction. 

I've never dealt with a kitten that behaved like this before.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I've worked with lots of kittens and his behaviour sounds completely normal to me, right down to the nose biting. Doran did that to me a few times when he was over excited. I have many scars from naughty, distracted, or scared kittens. It's what happens when you have a high strung baby animal.

Even if he was completely ignored, or didn't get the training and attention I think all baby animals need from a foster-mum he's still at an age where consistancy, exercise, and patience will work wonders.

I worked at a PetSmart as their dog trainer for 3 years. I was also the resident dog/cat food expert, and the cat behavior expert. I was the one who clipped the nails on all the cats in the adoption center, and I think in three years there were only 4-5 cats that I didn't get trimmed before they were adopted. Considering the borderline hoarder rescue we were working with that's a miracle. I spent time with kittens who had been around people, but had never been really interacted with, or at least never properly interacted with.

It is possible, that's what I'm telling you. If I can teach a kitten decent manners in less than 10 minutes a day, 5 days a week, you can certainly work with yours. Most of kitten training is redirection anyways. Don't bite this, bite THIS. Don't wrestle me, wrestle THIS. Don't jump on that adult cat, jump on this kitten!

All I'm trying to say is that I would love for you to work with this kitten. I'll be more than happy to coach you throught naughty kitten stuff, and I know I'm not the only one.

But don't say that he's 'broken', 'screwed up', 'awful' ect. Your mindset will have a lot to do with how he turns out. If working with him is a chore, rather than the fun bonding playtime it should be, then you need to ask yourself why are you doing this.


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

I want to work with him. So here's a question to start. He seems to be really attracted to attacking Chinchilla's backside. I've been letting her correct him on this, but her growling only makes him want to do it more. Would redirecting his attention or giving him a little time out be the better way to get him to understand that her butt is not his plaything? Or should I just let her do the correcting? She's an old gal who seems to have the "I'm too old for this" mindset.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Using her butt/tail as a plaything means he's bored. I would make sure that you have some defined interactive play times with him. If he needs a play session every two hours...do it. Exhaust him so he goes and takes a good nap. Da Bird and a laser pointer are two ways to exhaust a kitten...the latter being something you can do from the couch when you're feeling lazy. Don't let him get to the point of using her tail as a toy...when you see him getting rambunctious, get him playing you. Also, get him a treat ball and some interactive puzzle type toys if you don't have any. 

There really isn't anything abnormal about his behavior. Some kittens are more active than others...you have one that is extremely active. Out of 4 kittens I've had two like that...this is what kittens do. 

The biting sounds like he was separated from his mother/siblings at an early age. You will need to teach him what is acceptable and what isn't. And yes, there will be a few scars in the process. 

The other thing I stress is that you must be patient and don't become angry with him. He's a baby, he needs to learn. Your attitude and stress level also become factors in his behavior.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

LadyMiseryAli said:


> I want to work with him. So here's a question to start. He seems to be really attracted to attacking Chinchilla's backside. I've been letting her correct him on this, but her growling only makes him want to do it more. Would redirecting his attention or giving him a little time out be the better way to get him to understand that her butt is not his plaything? Or should I just let her do the correcting? She's an old gal who seems to have the "I'm too old for this" mindset.


Awesome! Im glad to hear that.

I agree with doodlebug that catching him before he starts attacking her is a perfect idea. If you don't catch him before he jumps her then follow these steps:

-let her tell him off a bit. Let her hiss/growl/swat. Then step in.
-redirect him to a toy and move him across the room. Make sure he is interested on the toy.
-if he goes back for more interrupt again, move him farther away, and use a better distraction.
-if he goes back a third time it's a 1 min time out any try again.
-repeat the last step as many times as needed.

When you are away, or sleeping, put peanut in his own room. This will give your older girl a much needed break from him, and prevent anything serious from happening while you're unable to deal with it.

IMO expecting your elderly cat to fend him off isn't fair. Let her tell him off, but make sure both of them know that you'll back her up. It will help her feel safer, and teach him manners without forcing your girl to be a chew toy first.


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> Using her butt/tail as a plaything means he's bored. I would make sure that you have some defined interactive play times with him. If he needs a play session every two hours...do it. Exhaust him so he goes and takes a good nap. Da Bird and a laser pointer are two ways to exhaust a kitten...the latter being something you can do from the couch when you're feeling lazy. Don't let him get to the point of using her tail as a toy...when you see him getting rambunctious, get him playing you. Also, get him a treat ball and some interactive puzzle type toys if you don't have any.
> 
> There really isn't anything abnormal about his behavior. Some kittens are more active than others...you have one that is extremely active. Out of 4 kittens I've had two like that...this is what kittens do.
> 
> ...



Laser pointers, we have lots of those. He loves chasing the red buggy on the floor. We had a toy similar to Da Bird, but Peanut hissed and growled when he played with it, which I'm not too sure is a good thing. He LOVES playing with stuffed animals and little balls of paper. 

I never get angry with him when he bites because I know he's teething. I tell him NO firmly when he does it. 

Right now and so far today he's been very well-behaved. He's sleeping on top of a textbook on Abnormal Psychology.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

One other thing I thought of...is he getting enough food? Hungry kittens are obnoxious kittens. How much, how often and what types of food is he getting? I know you've had kittens before, but they're all different and you may be underestimating his needs. Kobi ate way more than any of my girls, he was a bottomless pit... and there was a reason, he's now 19lbs and he isn't overweight.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Have you considered clicker training? This might give you the pro active interaction you need to train kitten and also give him an outlet for his pent up energy...with the added benefit of teaching him things like "Don't bug your sister" and "Come when I call you."

I have teenage issues with Book, he's just so active and so curious about EVERYTHING...and he's a MAJOR food hog. I decided that clicker training might be a good idea. In the past few nights he has learned to come to his name (not a meandering "I may get there in time" but a "OMG! FOOOOOOD could be involved" response). He also learned to sit pretty darned reliably (9 times out of 10) even if I don't give him a food reward, just pets. I think that focusing some of his attention might really help is over the top energy.

Here are some links to clicker training threads.

http://www.catforum.com/forum/37-behavior/142326-clicker-training-cats.html

http://www.catforum.com/forum/37-behavior/149434-looking-other-clicker-trainers.html

http://www.catforum.com/forum/37-behavior/148005-how-train-do-tricks.html

http://www.catforum.com/forum/37-behavior/147744-clicker-training-question-im-confused.html

http://www.catforum.com/forum/37-behavior/143855-clicker-training.html

http://www.catforum.com/forum/37-behavior/146493-clicker-training-classes.html


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> One other thing I thought of...is he getting enough food? Hungry kittens are obnoxious kittens. How much, how often and what types of food is he getting? I know you've had kittens before, but they're all different and you may be underestimating his needs. Kobi ate way more than any of my girls, he was a bottomless pit... and there was a reason, he's now 19lbs and he isn't overweight.


We feed Peanut and Chinchilla wet food twice a day and we have two bowls of dry food on the floor at all times, so either of them can munch when needed. We also give them treats here and there.


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

MowMow said:


> Have you considered clicker training? This might give you the pro active interaction you need to train kitten and also give him an outlet for his pent up energy...with the added benefit of teaching him things like "Don't bug your sister" and "Come when I call you."
> 
> I have teenage issues with Book, he's just so active and so curious about EVERYTHING...and he's a MAJOR food hog. I decided that clicker training might be a good idea. In the past few nights he has learned to come to his name (not a meandering "I may get there in time" but a "OMG! FOOOOOOD could be involved" response). He also learned to sit pretty darned reliably (9 times out of 10) even if I don't give him a food reward, just pets. I think that focusing some of his attention might really help is over the top energy.
> 
> ...


That sounds like a good thing to try with him. Maybe even with Chinchilla, although she might be too old for it. Where do we get clickers? Are they at most pet outlets?


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I picked up two at Petco a few days ago for .75 a piece. I imagine just about any pet store would have them.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

LadyMiseryAli said:


> We feed Peanut and Chinchilla wet food twice a day and we have two bowls of dry food on the floor at all times, so either of them can munch when needed. We also give them treats here and there.


But what brands of food? Studies have shown that, just like with humans, the quality of food can have significant influence on behavior of pets. Low quality foods have large quantities of simple carbs that are easily converted to sugars and/or ingredients that have naturally occurring sugars to begin with. Feeding a cat a diet heavy in corn can be like giving a toddler a bunch of chocolate bars. Artifical dyes and preservatives can also have impact on behavior. Poor diet can contribute to hyperactivity, hypersensitivity to stimulus and aggression.


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> But what brands of food? Studies have shown that, just like with humans, the quality of food can have significant influence on behavior of pets. Low quality foods have large quantities of simple carbs that are easily converted to sugars and/or ingredients that have naturally occurring sugars to begin with. Feeding a cat a diet heavy in corn can be like giving a toddler a bunch of chocolate bars. Artifical dyes and preservatives can also have impact on behavior. Poor diet can contribute to hyperactivity, hypersensitivity to stimulus and aggression.


The wet food is Friskies and the dry is Purina Naturals.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Both of those are low quality foods containing many of the types of ingredients I mentioned. A diet change could have positive impact on his behavior as well as just being overall much better for him in the long run.


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## LadyMiseryAli (Jan 22, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> Both of those are low quality foods containing many of the types of ingredients I mentioned. A diet change could have positive impact on his behavior as well as just being overall much better for him in the long run.


What would be a better brand to feed them? We buy what can be afforded.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Not knowing what you're paying and what is available to you...it's difficult to suggest. But looking at petfooddirect and seing the price of Purina Naturals there I'm betting you could get Taste of the Wild for a reasonably comparable price. Remember that you feed less off a high quality food, so even if the price is a couple bucks more per bag...in the end you'll likely end of even or ahead. 

I'd suggest going to a local independent store that only sells good foods and seeing what they have that will fit your budget. Even going to something like Chicken Soup, although not grain free, would still be a major step up from Purina as it has whole grains and not junk fillers.


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