Kitten teething/scratching
Any suggestions on how to help my teething kitten? He has found a liking to the blinds in my bedroom. All night long I'm up and down with him to get him off the window ledge... I'm losing a lot of sleep and chunks out of my blinds.
He is also scratching up my carpeting - I have several scratch pad options for him, and cardboard boxes all over the apartment. I'm going to clip his nails tonight for the first time.
Any suggestions would be helpful :)
av111ks Put some catnip with the cardboard to draw them into scratching it.
On the blinds try some two sided tape. It'll get ugly the first time the cat goes for it, but that's the way to learn. ;-)
GC 
John C Aluminum foil usually works -- wrap it around the blinds. Cats don't like walking on it -- lay it down on your carpets.
You could also lay down a tarp on the floor.
happiest girlAluminum foil is not a universal cat aversion. We found this out when we lined the bottom of the parrot's play tree with foil to dissuade our then-kitten from hanging out there. I heard a crinkling/crunching noise and come in to find the kitten rolling around on the foil, and chewing on the edges of it.
I've had some luck with spritzing things with citrus scent. Although I did have a cat that loved lemon scent, so again, not universal.
The material a cat prefers to scratch is very individual. Make sure your scratch pads are as close to the carpeting material as possible. If they are lined with sisal or cardboard, for example, they will not appeal to a cat who likes to scratch at carpeting.
Good luck.
Aquarius 
Calico696 You might want to try spraying white vinegar on/or around the blinds and window ledge. I used it to keep my cat away from certain areas and it worked.
When my cat was teething...I bought him puppy toys for him to sink his teeth into.
positive Great - thanks for the info. I tried the training spray for the furniture, and carpet...hasn't really helped. He's soooo cute...but late at night keeping him from destroying the house has been killing me in the sleep dept.
I try an hour of play time with him before I go to sleep in hopes it will keep him happy, sleepy and out through the night...hasn't helped LOL
OK, so I admit it. I'm not proud of it, but I eat foil. And styrofoam. It's not tuna, but still tasty. ;-)
There's no amount of play that will make a kitten sleep through the night. But the good news is, they outgrow it eventually. Cats can be playful but nothing like that zany kitten energy. My theory is that cats are born with a finite amount of energy, and they use 90% of it up within the first year.
The playtime is making him happy and it's a good thing. But you may want to try it earlier in the day if you can; it might be riling him up too close to bedtime. Which to him is just nighttime.
Didn't think of pushing it up a few hours Aquarius but it does make sense and hopefully it helps, I'm going to change the play time starting tonight.
THANKS!
av - Are you going to post a pic or leave us hanging as to what the little cutie looks like?
Calico: His name is Bambino - I adopted him through Hackettstown PAL :) love him to pieces, the sleepless nights are worth it because he is just so lovable!
I hope it helps, av!
Kittens are very, very cute. It's a good thing, because they can also be very, very annoying. :-) But they are only small for a short time, so try to enjoy as much as you can.
And I second Calico's request for a picture.
5catmom Lazer pointer to distract and help use up some energy. You can also fill a can w pennies. Cats hate the sound it makes and run. We put a couple propped in the crib before baby was due and it quickly kept the cats from thinking it would be a comfy place to sleep.
ladeevee 
av111ks- I adopted his sister!!!!!! We changed her name to Amelia. We're having the issue of her kneading us and suckling, meaning she was weened to early from her mother I am assuming. Teething isnt TOO bad, but our other issue w/her is going behind the tv and computer desk, which keeps knocking out my wires.
sunshinenj 
Oh my goodness! The kitties look like siblings indeed. Both are just to-die-for adorable!
Congratulations to both of you on your furry new family members.
Rebecka Could be that the kittens were orphaned or abandoned at a young age, since they were rescues, so they didn't have the chance to be weened.
Sunshinenj - Oh my goodness...I do remember her pictures, she is so cute!
Yes, he does the same...he loves a furry brown blanket I have and he kneads/suckles on there a lot. I don't mind it because I feel it helps calm him down, he will also try sucking on my ear lob if he finds access when I'm laying down lol!
Does Amelia love water? Bambino can't get enough of the leftover water that sits in the shower when I'm finished. He rolls around and plays in it, I have to keep the bathroom door closed because he's also attracted to the toilet haha.
Good luck with Amelia, I'll tell Bambino she says hi ;) :)
You think that's bad....my kitten has taken an aggressive obsession to my daughter's nose!! Any chance he can get he sidles right up to her and starts to suck on her nostril like she is his mother and he's gonna get milk out of it!!
H-town Mama That is so funny Poppy Girl..my cat loves water too. Whenever I take a bath he tries to jump in the tub with me and he loves to help me wash the dishes. Lol
When I had kittens they also liked to go in the wet shower or tub.
Now that it is corn season, try giving your cats some kernels of corn --- all of the cats I have had over the years were crazy about it. One cat used to pull on my pants while the corn was boiling.
There must be something in fresh corn that they need.
If you get 2 kittens, they keep each other busy for the most part, and it's not much more work for food and litter. Funny to watch them play too. Years ago, I was the only one who did rescued newborns, many from PAL, some from other vets and some just from word of mouth. Sitting on the kitchen floor watching 4-6 kittens running around, climbing all over you and your very patient older cats, is better than tv. DH would come home from work and just chill on the floor with the babies. Nothing like having a kitten " incubator" in your dining room!
Dansker My youngest cat is a fiend for water. She runs into the bathroom with me before I can close the door, and jumps on the sink to wait for me to wash my hands. We met her mother when we adopted her, but not her father, so we joke that he must have been an otter.
Bambino and Amelia are adorable, and there is a strong resemblance!
I've never heard of corn kernels for cats - I'm assuming its safe, you just give it a boil and serve when its cooled off?
Oh and Bambino LOVES the hair dryer...he gets so excited when I dry my hair in the morning, I even give him a quick dry from far away because he's usually wet from his love of water!
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