My kitten wants me to hate him. Help!?

Question

I have had this kitten for 3 1/2 months, he is nurtured, goes to the vet on a regular basis. I have talked to the vet about this problems, but the vet says nothing. He isn't interested in us anymore, all he wants to do is get in trouble. He rips apart EVERYTHING. The box of kitty litter, he will knock the garbage can over and rip the bag open if we leave him out while not home. He gets on the Kitchen counter knocks dishes on the floor and breaks them. When we get up to put him in his cage he runs from us. And bits us when we catch him and put him in his cage. He is in his cage A LOT because I try to teach him what he does is bad, but as soon as he gets out, I try to play with him and love him but he doesn't want my attention. He wants to go back to what he was doing, when he got in trouble.

This makes my cry because I am starting to hate my baby kitten. Its like he wants me to hate him. He as so many toys, and everything he ever wanted. He hasn't always been like this.

Ok people. I have had cats and dogs all my life. Theres this thing called a Kitty Paypen. Look it up. I am NOT cage training my kitten. It is a big TALL cage. It has his litter Box in it, water, a Kitty Hamock, two shelves for climbing and sleeping. HE LOVES it.

Also, he is 7 months old. So he know our small apartment very well. Don't treat me like an idiot people. I thought I could get some helpful insight on this problem. Not rude and "sarcastic comments". This isn't what Yahoo Answers is for.

ALSO, he LOVES water, so the spray bottle does not work anymore. We were told to us a Air can and spray him, but I likes that too.

The vet told us to try loud noises, but he dosn't effect him.

Answer 1

He's got energy he needs to burn off. What are the possibilities of you getting him a friend to torment to possibly distract him from entertaining himself? Another cat of his own age would be good. But you'd have to take on the duties of a multi-pet owner.

Answer 2

Part of this is just a phase that kittens normally go through between two and a half and five months. Part of this just your cat being a cat, unfortunately.

First off, it is NEVER a good idea to put your cat in a cage; that is probably a big part of your problem. You see, your cat connects you picking him up with being put in the cage, and so he will avoid contact with you. He doesn't associate him being bad with being put away; he associates you with being put away.

I'd suggest a spray bottle. If you see your cat about to do something, squirt him, and then quickly turn away and act like it wasn't you. This way he thinks whatever he was destroying was what sprayed him, and not you.

Cats in general are incredibly curious and love getting into things. One of my cats will open my container of litter, pretend there are 'bugs' in it, and dive around in there for hours on end if I let him. My other cat will open cupboards, remove everything hard, (books, cleaning supplies, boxes, birthday presents, etc) go into my bedroom, take my pillows, go into the living room and steal some throw blankets, stick them all in the cupboard and take a nap in there. And yes, I am serious. He is a very smart cat; I just wish he'd use his powers for good instead of evil.

The best way to prevent a cat from causing trouble is to put things away. It means keeping things clean, but it works. If your cat rips up the kitty litter box, put it in a cupboard. Put the trash can under the sink, and don't leave dishes out for him to knock over. If you have an evil-genius cat like I do who can open cupboards easily, purchase some child-proof locks for the cupboards. They are cheap and effective.

Try giving him treats and playing with his toys with him so he associates you with positive things. I am very sorry for what you are going through, there is nothing more frustrating then giving your pet everything and having him destroy it all. I've been there and I know how difficult it can be. I sincerely hope my tips help.

Good luck.

Answer 3

We adopted this cat from the side of the road one day back in '02 and my husband swears that ours went through a similar "phase." I was out of the country and luckily didn't have to put up with it, but he said that he was super-sweet for about a month, and then all of a sudden turned into devil-cat. Scratching, ripping, running away.... Lasted a few months, and by the time I got home he was sweet again and has been ever since. Maybe it's some sort of strange adopted cat syndrome? They really can change... maybe just give him a couple of months?

Answer 4

Okay, this is a really common sense kind of thing. Try to follow my thinking here.

You get a kitten, already full of energy. Of course he's going to get into trouble just because he's exploring and everything is new. Then you lock him up and he has no way to expend any energy at all. No wonder you think he hates you.

You cat needs a LOT of exercise at this stage of his life. Intensive play and mental stimulation are the keys to normal, well-adjusted adult cats.

Edit - If you took my comments as insulting and derogatory, I apologize. It wasn't my intention to talk down to you. Please understand that people here can only visualize what you write in words, not always an accurate representation of the layout and situation there.

Also, please try to understand that even the biggest playpen is still a form of restraint to a rambunctuous kitten. He just wants go to everywhere, see everything and be into all fascinating objects whether they can hurt him or not. He cannot reason that you're doing the best for his welfare. All he knows is that he wants to do SOMETHING and can't. That aggression builds up and results in unwanted behavior such as knocking over dishes, etc.

Answer 5

Aw, you poor thing. I used to think my dog wanted me to hate him too. He grew out of it, but still does it on occasion. When we had our cat he was similar. He really just wants to play, and never really wanted our attention either. He seemed to love being outside so we would let him out for a few hours and he would come back before bedtime. When we brought our daughter home from the hospital he went out and never came back. I know this isn't helping but I think some cats just aren't people pets? Give him time and hopefully he will come around. If you have a room where he cant tear anything up try putting him in there instead of a cage, or leave him out in the house and risk him tearing things up but possibly coming out of it quicker.

Answer 6

I think part of your problem is that you're locking it in a cage. Kittens are not like dogs, they cannot be kennel trained. What you're doing to him is cruel and THIS is what is making him not like you. He is full of energy and needs to expend it. Buy LOTS of toys for him and PLAY with him!!!!!!! If YOU take the time to expend that energy then he will have less time to get into things. I have had the same problem with my cats getting into cupboards. Simple solution: baby-proof them. They have these pretty cheap baby-proofing things that fit over the cupboard doors and lock them. The cats can't open them and can't knock things over. Another idea is to get another cat for him to play with. He just sounds really bored and may really do well with a companion. Good luck. You're gonna need it. Oh, and another thing is that cats go through what I call the "teenage stage". All cats go through this. They don't want anything to do with you but want to get into everything else. They do eventually grow out of it. Believe me, I've been there.

Answer 7

i find it odd that you are cage training a cat this is prolly why he is acting out. cats are not dogs. they dont respond the same way to cage/kennel training. try using a squirt bottle to show him what hes doing is wrong. and actually it sounds like your cat is just being a cat. very curious.

Answer 8

Since you mentioned him loving the cage, dont put him in it. If he loves it he will break stuff to get in it. Maybe, spray him when he is bad, unless he likes water, then put him in a bath (only a couple inches deep) when he is bad, eeven if he like water he wont like that, I hope this helps you. Please dont get rid of him..................

Answer 9

LOL.DANG THATS A BAD LITL KITTY.DANG I HAVE NEVER SEEN A CAT THATS 3MONTHS THAT KNOCKS OVER DISHES AND BREAKS THEM.