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Old March 11th, 2011, 02:55 PM
whimsicalator whimsicalator is offline
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Unhappy Whenever I make a movement towards my kitten, not sudden movement, he arches his ba

Then he'll swing around and come back while looking at me. Or he'll scamper off completely and hide somewhere while licking himself off.
My movements aren't sudden....!

Here are a few things you should know:
1) I have never hurt him. On the infrequent occasion that I step on his tail or paw, I pick him up and coo to him while I stroke his chin.
2) I don't think it's fear because A) he sleeps next to me when I sleep. B) he also lets me pet him and rub his ears the way he likes if I approach him carefully (as opposed to normally). C) If I make kissing sounds or our eyes meet, he'll slowly and quietly crawl over. D) Even if I ignore him, he'll silently slither over until he gets really close and then he'll land on all fours on my chest with a little squeak.
3) This is a kitten who, if it were up to him, would not let me leave my house. I can't go to the washroom without him following and if I try to shut him out, he's on the other side of the door crying. When I leave, he's on the other side of the door crying too. If I go to another room and out of sight, he immediately follows because he appears to not want me out of sight. So I really do find his behavior unusual.

Only thing I can think of: it COULD be that in my efforts to discourage him from frolicking all over my kitchen counters like it's Mardi Gras, I spray him with water, pick him up by the scruff, or loudly/firmly say "NO!" (Though none of it has worked....I've tried different things over the past 5 weeks)
Or it could be that he is really mad that I have not let him out onto my balcony or hallway anymore (he escaped to get to those places a few times...whenever I open the door) as he usually meows by the doors in frustration.

Either he is playing a game, or he is mad at me for leaving him alone for long periods (mostly I go to class for a few hours and come back but sometimes I am gone for the whole day...no different than someone who has a 9 to 5 job!) or he is mad that I ignore him (I play with him for at least two hours a day but he constantly, constantly meows for attention....he's only 14 weeks, I'm his third home already, and I'm pretty sure that the idiots who had him before separated him from his mother at younger than 9 weeks) or he is mad or scared of me because of the spraying/loud scolding.

If he is mad for one of the reasons that I can't necessarily control (like being away or ignoring him to do things), how do I make him happy again? If he is scared/mad over the scolding and spraying, how do I win his trust again without sacrificing some level of discipline so that he doesn't bring this habit of running on my kitchen counters with glee from kitten-hood into cat-hood?

I don't know! What am I doing wrong?!

I love my baby and I shower him with love most of the time (except for when I'm ignoring him or firmly scolding him to get off the counters) but I worry that he is starting to hate me or something.

I have had him for a month now. I don't think he did this before (or if he did, certainly not as much as he does now....)

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Old March 11th, 2011, 03:03 PM
Jim Hall Jim Hall is offline
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it COULD be that in my efforts to discourage him from frolicking all over my kitchen counters like it's Mardi Gras, I spray him with water, pick him up by the scruff, or loudly/firmly say "NO!" (Though none of it has worked....

yup that will do it he thinks you are going to sciod him what th issues on being a counter surfer?
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Old March 11th, 2011, 04:11 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Cats DO arch their backs in anticipation of being petted. It's a great honour to you. Kittens will also arch, move sideways and scamper off in play.

I do the same thing to discourage counter surfing and all my cats and kittens still play/played with me.

I don't think it's anything at all to worry about though it would be nice to see this in action just in the wierd off chance it is. My first guess though, sounds like a normal playful scally rag of a kitten.
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Old March 11th, 2011, 04:30 PM
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14+kitties 14+kitties is offline
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14 weeks old - he's still a tiny babe. Cats don't "get mad" at us for doing something. They may become a little leery of us but they don't get mad.
Have you tried double sided tape on the counter top instead of the water spray or scruffing? Scruffing really is not a good idea my dear. The only ones that should ever scruff are the momma cats. They know what they are doing and where to grab. We risk injuring the kittens by doing it. It can cause internal bleeding.
Have you tried playing with him with a wand type toy. Maybe if you approach him with one of those dangling in front of you it may entice him to want to play with it instead of running away. Sounds to me like he is either playing in his kitteny way or is unsure of what you want from him.
Thank you for not letting him out. There are so many out there as it is that have been let out and did not return.
I think the biggest thing you need to do is have a bit of patience with the little one. It takes time for them to learn.
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Old March 11th, 2011, 05:19 PM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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Like 14+says,this little guy is just being a kitten,playful and happy.
I too would never and never have lifted a kitten by the scruff and I have had a lot of cats in my life,not as many as 14+though.
Have you considered getting another kitten/cat to keep him company??
2 cats are always better than one IMO

Did you post a picture of the little guy
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Old March 12th, 2011, 05:04 PM
whimsicalator whimsicalator is offline
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Re:

Re: the scruffing. Wow! I had no idea that this was so potentially harmful. When I took my sweetheart to the vet for the first time and asked how to properly dissuade him from getting on the counters (lest you think I am lazy, I did try and do research but there was a myriad of advice on other parts of the internet....a smorgasbord which included anything from "gentle smacking" or "putting kitty in a box for time-out" to "hissing" or "spraying with water.")....anyhow, the vet's rec was to scruff him. Yikes. Last time I trust them....

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Hall View Post
what th issues on being a counter surfer?
Well....it kind of bothers me when he jumps straight from the litter box onto the kitchen counters. He also sashays right over the stove in between the counters and that's arguably a bad habit (though given my schedule and my resulting vastly superior skill of living on the student diet of sandwiches, my stove hasn't been turned on since September....)

On a fair note, Jim. Seeing as though he already jumps straight from the litter box to back in my bed when we are going to sleep, I guess I shouldn't be too concerned with the counters. Particularly as I have woken up more than once with my kitten's paws pressed against my lips or chin....a cute gesture but gross when one knows where the paws just came from
I think that's the same thing with the kitchen counters. Even though Arc and I sleep chin-to-chin and I have in 5 weeks more than surpassed maximum exposure to "his germs" including his "straight from the litter box" paws......I guess it's just psychological?

Re:14+kitties....I will never let him loose outside. But I am considering a harness when he is older and his vaccinations are complete. If he responds warmly to the trial run, I might bring him outside on that harness/leash so that he can get his outdoor fix. He really seemed to love the snow (and inexplicably, the freezing weather) along with being immersed in the fresh air/sounds/smells when he managed to get on my balcony without me noticing.

I attached a picture of my furry little heart
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Old March 12th, 2011, 05:08 PM
whimsicalator whimsicalator is offline
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Whoops

Ugh. That pic was too huge and doesn't do him justice. This is better.
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Old March 12th, 2011, 05:17 PM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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Awww,what a little sweetheartyou obviously love her very much..
To be honest,I would not worry too much about paws having been in the litter,cats are keeping themselves very clean.
I often kiss the soft little pads on my cats paws,only when they are sleeping though..and they are pretty well allowed to go wherever they want,or are able to,since they are 14 and 9 yrs old.

I hope you do not have any plans of de-clawing her when her spay-time comes.
Some vets(my old one did)will suggest de-clawing when they are going for a spay,please don't,it is horrible,no matter what the vet says

As for getting her used to a harness,that's a great idea,she will squirm at first and maybe even get out of it,you could get her used to it in the house,but only when you are there to check on her,so there are no accidents.
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Old March 12th, 2011, 05:39 PM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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I keep calling him a her...although I've had only on female cat,but many male cats over the years.
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