Questions about my Kitten!

[000Ronald]

Well, kitten might not be the right word, he's six months old-

ANYWAY! So my mother, to make a long story short, is a meddling type and decided to get me a cat. Because I live alone, and she doesn't like that. I named him Switch: he's healthy, six months old, very playful/active, and has a great personality. I don't know anything about cats and I can tell he has a great personality, which is to say my mother must have gotten me literally the best kitten ever.

BUT! I have some questions. And while I'm sure I could look it up, Googling "Kitten Help" was not getting me anywhere. Which isn't to say I didn't try, I did a lot of reading, got a lot of answers, I just didn't get all of them.

1) Most importantly, because I'm completely drawing a blank; how do you rebuke a kitten? He'll nip me when I'm petting him, and I want to get the point across that he's not allowed to do that, but without making him feel overly threatened. And, having read a bit about the psychology of cats (mostly on Wikipedia) I don't think saying "NO" would be very effective.

2) Where should I put his food and water dish? Right now I have it in a little nook, but that nook is on a counter three feet off the ground. Should it be on the floor? I'm pretty sure that it doesn't matter, so long as he knows where it is, but I would hate to be wrong.

3) Similar to the last question, where should I put his litter box? Right now I have it in a back room next to a garbage can, and my "That Is A Bad Idea" alarm goes off whenever I look at it. For some reason.

4) Lastly, how do you effectively train a kitten? Is six months to old to start? I'm not sure what I want to train him to do, but knowing would definitely make me think harder.

...and I think that's it. For now, anyway. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And yes, this is my first time owning a cat. I'm more of a dog person.

 

[SnowyGamester]

I can't give much advice because I absolutely abhor cats and would never want to own one, however my family has had a few so I feel like I know at least one thing about them, and that is they do not take well to training and will basically do whatever the hell they want. They are arrogant as fuck, and while they're fully capable of learning, any sort of detterent is going to prevent them from doing the wrong thing only as long as you're watching, and that's if you're lucky. If I had a cat that decided it wanted to do something that pissed me off I'd throw it in the bin, get a new one and hope that it turned out better...though I guess that's why I shouldn't own a cat.

But it gets better. If you really hate birds you'll enjoy when your cat murders them, mutilates them and leaves them on the doorstep or around the house (not because it's hungry, either - killing is just fun, y'no). Also never let your cat have access to a bed or open washing machine...it will probably get shat in. It's not nice.

I know, I'm a completely horrible person and should be chastized because 'kittez are teh cute and dah best evar' but nevertheless I'm allowed to be sane so leave me to my opinions.

 

[Agent Cross]

1) Most importantly, because I'm completely drawing a blank; how do you rebuke a kitten? He'll nip me when I'm petting him, and I want to get the point across that he's not allowed to do that, but without making him feel overly threatened. And, having read a bit about the psychology of cats (mostly on Wikipedia) I don't think saying "NO" would be very effective.

This may require some trial and error. Cats are smart(asses). This could be the cat letting you know that it wants you to stop petting it, or you could be petting him in a way he doesn't prefer. You'll have to determine this on your own by testing different methods. Say he only nips after several minutes of petting. Try to pet him for just a few seconds and stop. Repeat a few times. If the nipping stops, then he just may prefer for you not to pet him for long periods (cats love their fur, stop messing it up human). If you fail to get him to stop, and deem it to just be a behavioral issue. Then pull out the squirt bottle and give him a shot of water. This should be a final solution IMO. Try to do so in a way to where he doesn't see you though. Otherwise, he will associate you with the water and not his behavior.

2) Where should I put his food and water dish? Right now I have it in a little nook, but that nook is on a counter three feet off the ground. Should it be on the floor? I'm pretty sure that it doesn't matter, so long as he knows where it is, but I would hate to be wrong.

I use the floor, but I wouldn't think it matters too much. As long as it's there and easily accessible, you're golden.

3) Similar to the last question, where should I put his litter box? Right now I have it in a back room next to a garbage can, and my "That Is A Bad Idea" alarm goes off whenever I look at it. For some reason.

If he's using it then you have no problem. He's comfortable with it where it is. If your worried about him getting in your trash and starting a gang of cats, then move it. We all know cats are notorious for becoming gangsters once they set up shop by some trash cans(I'm joking ). This is strictly your call.

4) Lastly, how do you effectively train a kitten? Is six months to old to start? I'm not sure what I want to train him to do, but knowing would definitely make me think harder.

Six months is not too old. I don't think a cat can ever be too old to train. Start with some simple things like sitting and be sure to use some sort of positive reinforcement at first (treats work well). He might take to it quickly, or not. Just be patient and start with simple things. Afterwards... toilet train that sucker and get rid of the litter box. Use Google to find tips and how-to's on whatever you choose to do next.

...and I think that's it. For now, anyway. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And yes, this is my first time owning a cat. I'm more of a dog person.

Hoped that helped. Good luck with Switch!

 

[BrassButtons]

Well, kitten might not be the right word, he's six months old

I think that still qualifies. He's just a bigger kitten

1) Most importantly, because I'm completely drawing a blank; how do you rebuke a kitten? He'll nip me when I'm petting him, and I want to get the point across that he's not allowed to do that, but without making him feel overly threatened. And, having read a bit about the psychology of cats (mostly on Wikipedia) I don't think saying "NO" would be very effective.

Is he giving you any warning signs before nipping, like laying his ears flat against his head or swishing his tail back and forth? Or does it seem to be more of a playful nip? If it's the first case then you're the one making the mistake, not Switch. Learn to read his body language better and then he won't have to keep correcting your behavior. If it's the second case then when he nips you stop giving him any attention for a short time, since attention is what he's trying to get. Then you again need to learn his body language so that you know what "I want to play" looks like.

2) Where should I put his food and water dish? Right now I have it in a little nook, but that nook is on a counter three feet off the ground. Should it be on the floor? I'm pretty sure that it doesn't matter, so long as he knows where it is, but I would hate to be wrong.

You might want to put it on the floor-all the cats I've had have preferred to eat laying down. Try both and see which he seems to prefer.

3) Similar to the last question, where should I put his litter box? Right now I have it in a back room next to a garbage can, and my "That Is A Bad Idea" alarm goes off whenever I look at it. For some reason.

I recommend putting it on a floor that will be easy to clean if the cat misses. Beyond that, so long as he can get to it when he needs to and has no problems using it anywhere is good.

4) Lastly, how do you effectively train a kitten? Is six months to old to start? I'm not sure what I want to train him to do, but knowing would definitely make me think harder.

You train a kitten the same way you would train most animals: patience, repetition, and positive reinforcement. And no, six months is not to old. Some good ideas for training are getting him to come to you (useful if he's an outdoor cat, or if he ever slips outside), getting him to go into his crate (if you can keep him from associating "crate" with "vet" you will save yourself a lot of hassle), "down" (for getting him off of counters/tables/bookshelves,the tops of doors), and "SHUT UP YOU STUPID HAIRBALL I'M TRYING TO SLEEP" (which may be a pipe-dream).

...and I think that's it. For now, anyway. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And yes, this is my first time owning a cat. I'm more of a dog person.

There are some important differences between cats and dogs that are useful when dealing with them. First, like I mentioned above, tail-wagging in cats is not always a good thing. With dogs a furious tail-wagging almost always means good times, but with cats you really need to look at the rest of the body language. If he's hunkered down preparing to pounce on something then it's a happy tail-wag, but otherwise it's probably a sign of annoyance.

Cats are climbers, which means they really like having high places to sit. Consider getting a cat tree for him to hang out on. This will also reduce his temptation to scratch up furniture, as cat trees usually double as scratching posts.

Cats are much more independent than dogs. A dog looks to you as it's leader, model of behavior, and basically the center of the dog's world. A cat sees you as something that lives in his territory and provides food and a warm lap to sit on. This means that dogs are a lot more willing to tolerate things from you, and also that dogs are more likely to want to be close and get affection all the time. Cats like a bit more personal space, and they have no issue with letting you know if you're violating it.

Cats love boxes. Seriously, go put an open box on the floor and watch what happens.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

1) Most importantly, because I'm completely drawing a blank; how do you rebuke a kitten? He'll nip me when I'm petting him, and I want to get the point across that he's not allowed to do that, but without making him feel overly threatened. And, having read a bit about the psychology of cats (mostly on Wikipedia) I don't think saying "NO" would be very effective.

It depends on why the kitten is nipping you. You shouldn't play rough with a kitten (in the same way you might a dog), the kitten will associate your hands with prey (or sibling wrestling) and continue the nipping later into life. He might be biting you because you're petting him too much (over stimulation), if this is the case, you might also see his ears and tail twitching before he bites.

My older male cat likes to "love bite" which means he bites a little, holds on, then lets go and licks the area where he bit. He never draws blood when he does this.

If the biteing is just because he's a kitten, has a lot of energy and just wants to play (practice hunting skills), get a laser pointer or a fishing pole toy and use that instead of your hands.

2) Where should I put his food and water dish? Right now I have it in a little nook, but that nook is on a counter three feet off the ground. Should it be on the floor? I'm pretty sure that it doesn't matter, so long as he knows where it is, but I would hate to be wrong.

Put them on the floor, if the kitten becomes a messy eater/ drinker, you'll be thankful you did!

3) Similar to the last question, where should I put his litter box? Right now I have it in a back room next to a garbage can, and my "That Is A Bad Idea" alarm goes off whenever I look at it. For some reason.

As long as it's not in a place where the kitten can get hurt doing his business, and he's using it, you should be okay. Make sure to change the litter regularly though, don't get into an "out of sight, out of mind" mindset. Make sure your kitty is doing a number 1 and number 2 on a fairly regular basis (if they stop either or, it could hint at medical problems).

If you ever end up with more than one kitty, you may need to rethink where you put the litter box.

4) Lastly, how do you effectively train a kitten? Is six months to old to start? I'm not sure what I want to train him to do, but knowing would definitely make me think harder.

It's never too late to train a cat, but they don't train as well as dogs, so don't expect anything stunning or immediate results. Cats are also pretty independent, so will likely stop performing the trick if you stop providing the treats. Try simple tricks, like coming when called, sitting, standing on their hind legs, ext. How well it works also depends on how much your cat likes food. I personally don't like it when people toilet train a cat, but that's my opinion.

...and I think that's it. For now, anyway. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And yes, this is my first time owning a cat. I'm more of a dog person.

Just remember that a cat isn't a dog and you shouldn't treat them in the same way you would a dog. I've had several cats and they're all wildly different from each other. I've had some that really like to be pet, and some that don't want to be touched, some that are really active and some that are really lazy, some that can almost speak human words, and some that won't make noise beyond a squeak, your cat will develop his own personality, just make sure to encourage that, and also keep in mind... you don't own your cat, your cat owns you. When you become okay with this, your relationship with cats will be much improved.

Some other things to keep in mind, clip the nails with a nail clipper, don't declaw. Don't let your cat become an "outdoor cat" they live very short lives that usually don't end well, provide some toys and play with your kitty so he can burn off excess energy, kittens have a lot of that. If he isn't already fixed, do so before he gets much older, otherwise he'll start spraying and you don't want your place smelling like that. Cats are most active at dawn and dusk, so try playing with him at night, so he goes to bed, rather than punching you as you try to sleep. Feeding him and playing with him in the evening might also cut down on how much he punches you in the morning, but no promises.

He might try to climb into bed next to you, whether you allow that or not is your choice, but if he has his mind set on it, you probably won't be able to stop him. He might also leave you a dead cockroach on occasion.