Pelushka Persians

 

   Playtime Aggression

    

 

 

Owners of new kittens can be easily identified – all you have to do is look at their hands! Kittens are notorious for attacking hands during playtime, and those tiny teeth and claws can and do leave marks on delicate human skin. Some owners take pleasure in this form of play, at least while the kitten is young and the game is still relatively painless. As the kitten grows, in a matter of weeks, many owners find that the cute game is becoming too painful. It's time to teach the kitten to stop…

It should be stated at this point, that as with any behaviour trait, consistency is the key. Therefore, you would be advised to avoid any aggressive interaction between your hands and your kitten, as young as she may be. It may look cute now, but soon enough it will get nasty and you'll have a bad habit to deal with.

The Reasons for Feline Playtime Aggression

Your kitten is not being "bad". When playing, all young mammals imitate some form of adult behaviour that will be useful for them as they grow up. With kittens it is either hunting or fighting. Watch a litter of kittens tumbling around on the floor and you will see the same type of playful aggression displayed between them. It is their way to practice hunting and fighting routines which nature intended them to use as adult cats.

There is nothing wrong with aggressive play itself. The problem begins when the target is delicate human hands. The solution lies with redirecting the aggression to more suitable targets.

Adding a Playmate for Your Kitten

Another kitten can make the perfect target, or rather partner, for aggressive play. Protected by their furry coat, kittens seem to know their own boundaries and thresholds and there is usually no need to intervene in their aggressive play.

Obviously, the decision to take in a second kitten is more complex than that. You are not getting a toy for your kitten, but rather committing yourself to taking care of another cat for years to come. However, if you can afford and provide a home for another kitten, remember that in terms of kitten behaviour, raising two kittens is actually easier than one. They keep each other occupied and make the best playmates for any kind of kitten play, aggressive types included.

Redirecting Playtime Aggression to a Toy

A cat toy makes a perfect outlet for all that pent-up playful aggression. Use fishing-rod like toys to initiate interactive play sessions with your kitten. This is a great way to interact with your cat while keeping your hands out of reach.

Use a variety of toys, whether bought or homemade, but make sure that they create enough distance between your kitten and your hands. Rotate the toys and keep them out of reach when you are not playing with your kitten. This will keep them fresh and enticing when you do bring them out (and it may prevent your kitten from getting entangled in any strings while you're away!).

How to Release Your Hands

Your fingers are very tempting. With a lively kitten, or even a cat, it's sometimes too easy to find your hand held tight by teeth and claws. Often, they will not be penetrating the skin, but painfully close to that point. Your cat is likely to be extremely excited at this point and hold tight, not letting go of his coveted prey.

 What you should NOT do is:

Do not try to pull your hand away by force. When prey tries to escape, a cat’s instinctive response is to tighten its hold. You could end up with painful scratches and bites.

Do not shout at your cat. He/she is not thinking clearly at this point, and you may aggravate the situation and turn this into fear induced aggressive behaviour.

Never ever hit your cat. Not in this situation or any other. If you do, you will end up with an even more aggressive cat, and a stressful episode for both cat and owner. Next time, your cat is even more likely to bite and scratch - this time out of fear as well.

What you should do is:

Relax the hand that is held by the cat's teeth and claws. Stay calm and avoid direct eye contact with your cat. With your other hand try to grab a toy or some other object and distract your cat's attention with it. If possible, make some playing moves with it, in an attempt to make the cat let go of your hand and move on to chase its "new prey".

If you are unable to reach anything suitable, use your free hand to create a diversion. Tap on something, or make some scratching noises on some fabric. Make the cat lose interest in its "current prey", your hand, and focus on the new attraction.

Wait for your cat to at least loosen its grip on your hand, preferably let go of it entirely. Once you are sure you can remove your hand, move it out of reach in a swift movement.

Break away from your cat at this point and allow for some cooling off time before you engage in any form of play again.

Finally …..

Be Consistent

Do not allow playful aggression in any form. Whenever your kitten directs his/her aggression towards you, be it your hands, ankles, or any other part of your body, use the method described above to break away.

Remember to provide your kitten with alternatives – either by bringing in a second cat into your home, or by using cat toys. Keep in mind that this is natural behaviour for kittens and young cats. They are more than likely to outgrow this phase at some point. Handle this correctly, without ever shouting or punishing your cat and you should be able to make it across kitten hood with most of your skin intact.

 

 

DROOLING

If a cat drools all of the time or when eating, or if the drool has a bad odour, it may indicate a problem with the mouth or teeth.  If you think this is the case, then take your cat to the vet for a check up.

If your cat is drooling only when you pet him, then is normal behavior.  Some cats are just born droolers.  What happens is that your cat gets carried away with joy and pleasure as you're petting him and he totally relaxes his lower jaw and forgets to swallow!  Even though it may seem a bit messy, those drooling moments mean your cat is very relaxed and happy.

Some cats that drool may even display this behavior when they are scared, such as during a visit to the vet.

 

LITTER BOX PROBLEMS

Litterbox problems are not unusual for cats and there are many possible reasons. 

Your cat may have decided it is an unpleasant place to be. 

The box may not be clean enough.

He/she may have experienced pain whilst urinating in the box.

You may have changed the brand of litter suddenly.

Your cat may have been startled by a noise whilst using the litterbox, or even 'ambushed' whilst in the box by another cat, child, or dog.  This kind of an aversion may require you to completely replace the litterbox so that it no longer reminds your cat of an unpleasant experience. 

Buy a new litterbox and put it in a new location. Remember to keep the box clean, and scoop out several times a day if possible.  Completely change the litter anywhere from 4 days to once a week.  Wash the litter tray  and rinse with a mild bleach solution.

If you have more than one cat in your household, make sure you have enough litter boxes. The general rule is one box per cat plus one for good measure. 

Make sure all areas where your cat has 'eliminated' are thoroughly cleaned. Use a Urine Odour Neutralising product available from your pet shop. Once thoroughly cleaned, if possible, place sheets of aluminium foil over the areas until your cat has started to use her litter box again.

If stress is involved, you may see other behavior or physical changes, such as weight loss, or changes in eating/sleeping habits. Check with your vet, as health problems can often be the cause of litterbox problems.

 

CATS JUMPING UP ON WORK SURFACES

It is quite normal for cats to be attracted to worktops, not only because they are attracted to the interesting food smells, but also because cats love elevated positions.  They feel safe and can see further and wider from higher up.

To deter them from jumping up on your work surface is easy, but as you will be taking away one of their favourite spots, it is a good idea to substitute it with another i.e. a multi perch cat tree or perhaps a shelf on a spare patch of wall.

To stop your cats jumping up, cover some cheap place mats with strips of double sided tape and scatter them on the work surface.  You will have to cover enough of an area to prevent the cats from finding a landing place.  Keep the mats in place whenever the work surface is not in use.  When your cats jump up they will find themselves standing on sticky tape, but don't worry, it will not harm them.  After a few weeks the cats will have decided that the work surface is not a nice place to be, and you can start to remove some of the mats.

Another deterrent is to cover the work surface with kitchen foil, as cats do not like the sensation of  the foil under their paws.

A friend of mine has tried using empty drink cans with a few coins inside them, and placed along the edges of the work surface.  This she assures me has eventually worked, but  in the interim period you have to put up with an awful lot of noise!!