Expert: Dear Tabbi - 8/18/2009

Question
so i got a 4 week old kitty..standard age to take a cat from his mother im gonna assume. off the bat, after a day of being in his new home, he was noticeably playful. hes about 4 months old now and has turned into quite a playful kitty, maybe too playful. my question is on how to make him learn to stop doing things, i.e. jumping on a couch and scaring people..staying off tables or tv stands. he is extremely stubborn as well. ive tried almost everything to get him to stop but he seems to not care. he also has a bad habit of biting feet and attacking at arms randomly. it wouldnt be so bad if he didnt bite so hard! plz help :(.

Answer
Pancho,

4 weeks old is really too early to take a kitten away from it's mom and siblings. It's best to wait until they are 8-12 weeks old.

He is just a normal, healthy kitten. Some kittens are more energetic than others. I call them 'kittens of mass destruction'! I always suggest getting 2 kittens so they can play together, roughhouse, and burn up energy. A human can't play with them like another kitten can. And a kitten alone is more destructive than 2 kittens because they get bored and lonely.

Try interactive toys like a pet laser light (from Petco/PetSmart/etc.). Cats love to chase the little 'red bug' on the ceilings, floors, and walls. It's a good energy burner and it helps with bonding too. Also pull a rope or a shoestring around, get little furry stuffed toy mice, and little balls to bat around. A ping pong ball in the bathtub is great fun too (first plug the drain though because it will get stuck). Also a cat tree/kitty condo scrathing post is good for them to run up and down on which kittens love to do.

He is playing 'attack' with your ankles because they move. Give him something else to 'attack'.

He will grow out of it and settle down more....in a few months! (smile)
Also it's time to get him neutered. That helps too.

Tabbi