# Advice on gently teaching a kitten, please? : )



## freija (Jan 28, 2014)

Hi!

So, after a last-minute switch from Shadow to one of her (yep - she turned out to be a girl!) brothers, my little cat is home. : ) He's a gorgeous darling, and he's trying so hard to be good - there hasn't been a single accident yet, and he's the cuddliest, friendliest love - but there are a couple of kittenish things that I really want to start teaching him not to do as he grows up, and I've just realised how long it's been since I last had an eleven-week-old kitten around, and how out of touch I am! As I said, this little one is such a confident, friendly, well-meaning darling - just also occasionally over-excited, over-enthusiastic and, well, _kittenish_ - so I really really don't want to make a big deal out of this, hound him about or stress him out. I'd just love some advice on the best ways of slowly and gently persuading him not to do three things, please...

The first, and biggest thing is going after feet and legs, especially when they are crossed. I don't mind the odd nip or scratch going for a toy (of course!), but this is different - this is purely attacking legs/feet, and although it's playful, it really hurts! I've just been saying 'no' firmly and lifting his paws/chest up away from me so that he stops, but I'm not sure if he's getting the message or just incorporating this into the game. I don't want to turf him off my lap entirely, as I don't want to be discouraged from hopping up and snuggling altogether...

The second thing is scratching carpet, walls and furniture. He has a small scratching post which he's used a few times, and I'm going to get a big Kalven tree as soon as I can. I think part of it is frustration - we're keeping him downstairs at the moment and of course he wants to be upstairs, so he goes for the wall/floor by the door to the stairs. He mostly does it when he's over-excited (he goes bonkers in the mornings and late at night!) and so coming up to him to move him away doesn't really work - it just turns instantly into me chasing him from one place to another, while he bounces from scratching the chair to scratching a wall, to scratching a bookcase, etc. He gets so wound up, and telling him 'no'/moving him just makes it worse.

The last thing is climbing onto the kitchen table and worktops. We've just been saying, 'no', scooping him up and putting him back on the floor - is this the best way to get him used to the idea? We've been keeping him out of the kitchen when we aren't in there, too.

I don't want to make it sound as though I think he's anything other than gorgeous, and good - he really, really is! He's snuggled up and sleeping on my lap right now, and I am allll melty. I just don't want to ruin his trust and gentleness and cuddliness by trying to teach him in the wrong way. I _never_ want him to feel he has anything to fear from humans. I've been playing with him and trying to distract him lots when he starts to go bonkers crazy (around 10:30 at night until I go to bed, and then again from when I get up to about midday), but maybe the way I've been playing with him (chasing balls of paper, dangly feathery fishing rods) has been getting him more wound up rather than helping him?


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## Ely01 (May 14, 2014)

freija said:


> Hi!
> 
> So, after a last-minute switch from Shadow to one of her (yep - she turned out to be a girl!) brothers, my little cat is home. : ) He's a gorgeous darling, and he's trying so hard to be good - there hasn't been a single accident yet, and he's the cuddliest, friendliest love - but there are a couple of kittenish things that I really want to start teaching him not to do as he grows up, and I've just realised how long it's been since I last had an eleven-week-old kitten around, and how out of touch I am! As I said, this little one is such a confident, friendly, well-meaning darling - just also occasionally over-excited, over-enthusiastic and, well, _kittenish_ - so I really really don't want to make a big deal out of this, hound him about or stress him out. I'd just love some advice on the best ways of slowly and gently persuading him not to do three things, please...
> 
> ...


Hey,
Welcome to Shadow, hope he settles well.

It's ok, you can be firm with him, that won't affect his trust, as long as you treat him well and lovingly.

Feet and legs and hands? - Perhaps he integrates your struggling against it into the game. Or he knows he's getting your attention cause when it hurts then you do something about it and your attention is drawn to him. 
I would say keep saying "no" gently but firmly, put him down and hide/remove your feet/hands away, SLOWLY, in a way that he can't see your hands/feet as a thing to play with.

Forgot to ask : do you trim his claws? I'm struggling to trim Oleg's claws these days but when I managed his playing was a little less painful.

Play with him as much as possible to tire him up, he's got a lot of energy to burn, but not with your hands, use dangling stuff and paper balls as you are doing.

Carpet - Is there a reason he's not allowed upstairs?

Worktops - My cat is allowed on them so I haven't trained him off (he's just not allowed to touch anything), but I understand the thing to do if you want him not to go on there is put a high thing that he IS allowed to go on to, a high bin, a cat tree, something like that. He can then inspect your veggie chopping, stirring, can opening, and all the exciting hap' from his high place. The reason he's climbing on there apart from the thrill of heights, is to check what is going on there, right? Find a way that he can see.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi, your little kitten sounds lovely!

The main thing to remember about training kittens is that they learn through constant repetition, consistency and kindness. They don't understand punishment, so never respond well to it.

Over the many years I have had cat companions I've found the most effective way to train kittens to stop biting and scratching me is to give a high-pitched squeal every time they do it, and leave my hands/feet in the same position. Certainly I don't move suddenly, as that would encourage the kitty to think it is a game.

Squealing is what kittens do when playing with their litter mates, if one kitty plays too rough. The squeal startles the kitten, and he stops what he is doing, and gradually learns to associate the squeal with behaviour you want to stop.

Climbing on work tops :- as said cats/kittens learn through repetition. Every time your kitty jumps on the work top lift him immediately to the floor. No need to tell him off. Just keep doing it over and over and eventually he will learn. I have trained all my kittens and cats this way, and they never jump on the work tops (at least not when I am in the room).

I also agree with Ely01 it's best to provide some high-up vantage points where the cat is allowed to sit in the kitchen, so he can watch what's going on. In my kitchen I have one of those tall cat barrels (from Zooplus) as well as several shelves the cats are allowed to use.

Scratching posts, mats etc - provide as many as possible, located all over the house, in every room he uses, on stairs, landing and in the hall. Basically you can't have too many. (I have 17 different cat scratchers in my house for use by 5 cats, and none of my cats ever attack my carpets, furniture or walls)

Provide a mixture of types of scratcher of different textures, e.g. several cheap cardboard ones for the floor (Zooplus sells them), carpeted ones (nail a piece of carpet around a plank of wood), mats you fix to the wall, several upright posts with sisal on them, as well as a couple of cat trees.

When you have the extra scratchers rub them all with powdered cat nip. Then start training kitty to use them by redirecting his attention away from the walls etc and onto the scratchers, as follows: the second he goes to scratch your wall, doors, furniture, calmly lift him up and carry him to the nearest scratcher. Place him in front of the scratcher and gently 
paddle his paws up and down on it, mimicking the movement he would make himself.

Be prepared to keep up the training for several weeks before he understands what it is you want him to do. Then give lots of praise when he uses a scratcher of his own accord.


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## freija (Jan 28, 2014)

Thank you so much! He's really good about hands - it's just that sometimes when he's playing he will forget the toy and leap at/'kill' your legs instead, whether you're sitting on a chair, the floor, or standing. Or he'll start off by playing with the toy, and then somehow change the thing he's pouncing on/rolling at/kicking to your feet. He *adores* socks, and used to steal them from the floor/washing line at his fosterer's house, which doesn't help! He also tries to fight himself into the little gaps if you have crossed legs, and will then pounce at your feet/grab and kick your calves through them. I will try slowing my reactions down, as you say - I have also been reading about yelping 'oww', and freezing still, and I think that might help. : )

I don't trim his claws, I wouldn't know how to do it safely - I'd be too worried about hurting him, I think.

He will be allowed upstairs in the end, we were just trying to keep him downstairs at first, so that he can get settled into a routine and learn exactly where his tray and water are. But he scratches lots of places when he gets really wound up, bless him, so I don't think just letting him upstairs would solve all of it. I think I need either a no-fuss way of letting him know not to do it, or a means of distraction...

Thank you so so much for the tip about worktops! I can clear off the top of a bookcase in there, which would let him see - I've just been putting him down from_ everything_ in there so far because I was worried about confusing him, so I'm really grateful for the suggestion. : )


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

freija said:


> > I don't trim his claws, I wouldn't know how to do it safely - I'd be too worried about hurting him, I think.
> 
> 
> You just take off the very tip of the claw. You could ask one of the nurses at your vets to show you how to do it the right way.
> ...


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## freija (Jan 28, 2014)

chillminx said:


> Hi, your little kitten sounds lovely!
> 
> The main thing to remember about training kittens is that they learn through constant repetition, consistency and kindness. They don't understand punishment, so never respond well to it.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much! This is really really helpful. I will definitely try the squealing, and I will stop saying 'no' or anything else when he gets onto a worktop - I will just lift him down. The bookcase is now his, and he can sit on the chairs, too, just not the worktops or tabletop. : )

I'll have to start working on the scratchers - he had a good long go on his current scratching post earlier, and he loves sitting on top of it, so I'm sure he's getting the idea. : ) It's just when he's having his crazy bonkers time late at night and early in the morning - I can't lift him up calmly, because he dives across the room as soon as I move towards him, so if I chased him the whole thing would just escalate into some frantic game and probably stress him out, too. I'm starting to think that maybe I just need to find ways of distracting/redirecting his attention when he gets like that, and using the other times - when he is just scratching and not going mad - to teach him by moving him to a scratching post?

I'm more than happy to be patient and persistent - I just want to know that I'm doing the right thing, and that he's okay. : )

Edit: just seen your second post, sorry! I will ask the vet when I take him to be registered.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Yes, redirecting his attention when he is racing around the house like a loon is probably not the best thing to try 

I'd wait until he is scratching the wrong place in a calmer mood, and then redirect him to the right place.


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## freija (Jan 28, 2014)

Just wanted to say - tonight has been *perfect*. I am so so proud of the little one right now! We tried a couple of things - coaxing him up for a short play and some food in the early evening (we have been leaving him to sleep straight through from lunchtime, almost, and I think that has left him suddenly with far too much energy by 11p.m.); keeping ourselves seated, calm and still while dangling fishing-rod toys for him (before, esp. with the paper balls, my partner had been down on the floor and up moving around with him, and I think that just overstimulated the poor love); and playing with him constantly until he started to get tired, so, giving him a good continual direction for his energy and attention. We traded off over about two hours, so we didn't get tired and impatient.

I also yelped, 'oww - oww' when he started at my feet, and it really really works!

He played from about 9:30pm to about five minutes ago, and only went for the stairs/walls once or twice. I said 'nuh-uh...' and the second he stopped to look at me, I said 'come on!', swished the toy, and play resumed. The fishing-rod is great, too - it means we can lead him, and keep him away from furniture/places he might be tempted to scratch.

He used his scratching-post really well this evening, too, when he was calmer; I only had to scoop him up and take him to it once. I put a couple of treats on it, which fell off and caught his attention when he started scratching.

About five minutes ago, after winding down for a while, he hopped up onto my lap and is snuggled up sleeping on me now.

Thank you so much for all of the advice! : )


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Sounds brilliant! :thumbsup: I am so pleased to hear of the progress! He sounds like a very trainable little fellow, bless him! And it sounds as though you are doing all the right things.  I agree it's best not to leave him to sleep through the evening if he's been asleep all afternoon.

It'd be lovely to see a photo of him!


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## freija (Jan 28, 2014)

Hi - I have an update, and another question, if that's okay, please?

We're settling slowly into a good routine now - breakfast at 8-9; then a play (with him going steadily more crazy); then second breakfast at around 11-12; then he slowly winds down and sleeps for a few hours, playing at intervals, with his third meal at 4.30-6, depending on when he wakes up for it; then napping/playing through the evening and finally his last meal just before bed (all his meals are wet except for the last one, which I give to him as a small handful of grain-free kitten biscuits in a food puzzle ball - I leave him to play with it and go upstairs).

He's seemed a lot calmer in the evenings recently, he really has, and he's getting much much better about being gentle with bits of people - but he's now becoming a terrible terror in the mornings, especially when I need to get on and do things!

In the mornings, he can suddenly become really, really scatty and wild, much more than he was at night. When that happens, he goes from playing really well to suddenly losing all interest in playing with anything for more than half a minute - we've tried fishing rods, the Catit track, rattly balls, bits of paper, a Kickaroo, rabbit fur mice, and cardboard boxes, all of his usual things, and he just can't focus on them, bless him. The second he loses interest in one toy, if I'm not instantly distracting him again (and I mean instantly) then he's taken to clawing at the kitchen wall, bookcases and cupboard door as well as the stair carpet. This morning, he even started climbing the living room wall. He's going to cost me my whole deposit for the (rented) house at this rate, and I'm trying not to panic when I picture what the place could look like by the time he's six months and can be lovingly deposited outside in the garden to burn off his crazy mornings...!

He has and uses his own scratchers the rest of the time now, so it isn't because he _needs_ somewhere to claw. At other times in the day, even at night - and when he's on his own in the house - he seems to be really, really good. So I do think that this type of clawing is just for attention and the reaction, and it's something he only does when he's already bouncing off the walls. It happens the second I'm not focusing solely on him - so it means that I need to be constantly interacting with him until he calms down (this can take up to three hours, in which I can't even go to the loo!). And when he starts scratching, I can sometimes say 'no' and he will stop, look at me, and then do it again _while_ looking at me. If I then come over to move him, he charges away, and goes from place to place - bookcase, stairs, wall, door, bookcase...

Distraction doesn't work - at least, I've not yet found any toy that he'll let himself be distracted by for any length of time when he's in that mood. I've covered up the stair carpet with a piece of plastic tablecloth which I'm hoping will protect that place and deter him - but I'm not sure I can do the same to the walls and bookcases!

The one thing I have found to work so far is giving him a warning 'no' and 'come away, come on' - sometimes that is all I need to do, and he will stop and come back to playing with me - but then, if he ignores me and does it again, giving him 'time out' by scooping him straight up mid-scratch and carrying him to his travel box. I put him in, close the door and sit beside him - I don't leave him, and sometimes I talk softly to him, but I don't try to touch him or let him see me. He stays in there for three or four minutes, plus any extra time he needs to calm down and sit quietly - and then I open the door and let him walk out. When he comes out, he's much calmer.

I'm not trying to punish him at all, or expect him to have a concept of 'wrong' - I just want it to do two things: let him know that scratching doesn't get the outcome he wants, and give him a break from racing around and being constantly stimulated (over-stimulated?). I know that he's only a baby, and needs to play - I just think that at times, after a point, he can get so worked up that he just keeps working himself up more, in a vicious cycle.

He doesn't seem too unhappy so far, but he's a bit clingy when he comes out. He purrs a lot, nuzzles me, and hops up into my lap. After that he either goes to sleep on me, finds somewhere else to sit, or carries on hopping about and playing, but much more gently.

I just want to know - is this safe to do with him? Will it stress him out, or could it actually be helpful, please?

Also, are there any things I could try - toys, games - to try to stop him getting so wound up, or that he might be able to enjoy by himself for short spaces? I adore him, and I love playing with him, but it's really hard to not be able to get anything at all done (even a shower and getting dressed sometimes!) every day from 8:30 to 12:30, especially when it doesn't even feel like proper play; just me telling him 'no' every five minutes.


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## ALR (Apr 16, 2014)

Hi Freija, it sounds like your kitten has a lot of energy to burn. Do you hide his toys when he's not using them. I'd put the toys away and take them out only when I need to play with him. 

Also have you tried a laser pen? It might be easier to burn his energy with one. 

Does your cat have a cat tree? Some cats will climb curtains and everything they can. It's instinct and it's hard to stop them but if you have a cat tree you might be able to redirect his attention onto the cat tree. You might need more than one cat tree if you have the space. 

Your kitten is a growing kitten. They can be quite trying sometimes but it sounds like you're making an effort to keep him occupied :thumbup1:.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Freija, I like your idea of putting kitty in his carrier for 5 minutes and sitting beside him when he has become very hyper and OTT in his behaviour.:thumbsup: It is a good way of breaking the cycle and stopping him getting more and more wound up and destructive.


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## freija (Jan 28, 2014)

Thank you again, both of you! I have more toys now, so I'm rotating them with a bit more success. Also, although I don't have a cat tree at the moment, I do have one on order from Kalven. They have a bit of a backlog at the moment, apparently, but I'm counting down the days until it gets here and Alfie has somewhere to clamber with impunity!

I still feel so guilty about putting him in his travel case for five minutes when he's really wound up, so I'm so, so glad to have reassurance that it isn't a terrible thing to do. : ) It does calm him down, and it keeps stress in the house down generally, so I think I'm going to keep going with it. And he really doesn't seem to mind... I mean, a couple of times since my last post, he's not even bothered to come out straight away when I opened the door; he's just stayed lying on his blanket in there, purring. I hope he's starting to see it as a very safe, but boring space. : )


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

I don't know if it's been mentioned anywhere else, but what are you feeding him? Often, foods can have a massive impact on behaviour.


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## freija (Jan 28, 2014)

Hi, we're feeding him a mix of Felix (which he was fed at home; we're weaning him carefully off that) and Grau. He also gets Bozita sometimes. I'm wary of moving too fast, though, because he's had a lot of wind since starting to add in the Grau/Bozita and I don't want him to get an upset stomach. We give him Royal Canin biscuits at night, since they are what he had at home, but will get him onto Orijen in the end.

These have been the worst two days yet. He clawed up the wallpaper near the window ledge while my partner was (not) watching him and I was out. I think that patch was for scent marking, though, because he saw a neighbourhood cat on the other side of that window ledge a couple of days ago, who hissed horribly at him.

The past few nights, he's also decided that he shouldn't have to keep being good about being downstairs at night, too. He started off just crying, and my partner went down, gave him food and fuss and played with him,  which has been fatal - he has been crying each night since, and last night he started shredding at the paper on one outward corner by the stairs when we didn't respond to his cries. He's left gouges in the embossed wallpaper which paint isn't going to cover.

I don't know what to do with him. Especially at night, it's unbearable to have to lie trapped in bed listening to him steadily taking the house apart for attention and knowing that if I go down and stop him, I'll only be reinforcing his behaviour. And I love him, but I don't want him in the bedroom (a habit his rescue fosterer got him into) - I'm not keen on the idea of cats in the bed, and I don't honestly think he'll settle down to sleep properly upstairs either (his fosterer mentioned that he always went mad again after 3 a.m. with her). Most of all, my partner and I each focus completely on him all day, every day, and he's gorgeous but emotionally and physically exhausting. Going to bed is the only time I get to focus on my partner, and the only real time off that I used to get from Alfie, before he started destroying things at night, too.

I am really, really struggling to cope with this. I've been crying half the morning because I feel so frustrated, and so guilty for _being_ frustrated with him. I feel like a terrible, unprepared owner, I hate having to say 'no' and move him around all of the time, especially since it doesn't seem to be working at all. I expected him to go for the furniture - which is all mine and doesn't matter - but I just didn't expect him to wreck the walls in both the rooms he has been in.

He's in his carrier at the moment because about half an hour after I came downstairs and fed him, he was at the walls and attacking my partner's feet again. Our landlady isn't exactly an understanding soul, and I'm terrified of losing our deposit when we move, because it's all we'll have towards the next place. I have no idea how to repair the damage he has already done in a fortnight, either, let alone everything he's going to destroy by the time I can let him outdoors...


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

Bozita, especially the tetrapacks, make cats incredibly windy. I'd avoid this.

Have you thought about feeding him raw? This way, no upset tummies, and it really does change the manic behaviour.

Felix and the Royal Canin stuff are full of sugar, so I'm not surprised he's going a little loopy. Feeding Felix is the equivalent of feeding your kid ice cream or sweeties and then asking them to sit still for the rest of the evening. Not going to happen!

What I'd suggest is that you try raw. If you're not comfortable with that, then you need to move him quite quickly off the Felix. Have you looked at the Happy Kitty Company? They have lots of foods just as good as Grau, but not half so expensive. I'd also suggest Butchers as part of a rotation. I have a couple with sensitive tumms, and this stuff never upsets them. I wouldn't feed it exclusively though as they have to eat a lot of it to get the nutrition they need, but part of a rotation is just fine.

Ditch the dry altogether as it will be ramping him up all the time too.

Feed him adlib rather than set mealtimes, as this will let him nibble and even out his energy instead of giving him big spurts.

Feed him something very high protein just before bed (the evening's when I'd let his bowl go empty so he eats a whole meal before going to bed). They have to work hard to digest protein, so he will settle and sleep off his full belly for a few hours. Have a food dispenser set on a timer to open in the middle of the night to feed him again. Run him really hard with a wand toy before bed so that he's tuckered out.

Clip his claws weekly. This won't stop him scratching, but he'll do less damage when he does. When you're running him with his toy, make it dance up and down the scratch post so that he climbs and runs and jumps and gets to be mega manic while on it. Don't dart it near your walls etc.

Lastly, and I know this suggestion is going to seem like utter madness to you, but have you thought of getting him another kitten playmate? That way, he can take out his excess energy playing and fighting with someone else. Believe it or not, two kittens do much less property damage than 1.


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## freija (Jan 28, 2014)

Okay, first of all - thank you so much for replying! I'm reading every piece of advice I'm given, and I'm so, so grateful to everyone who has taken the time to help.

Consider the Royal Canin and Felix ditched. : ) I'm kicking myself for not thinking about his diet, because I've read enough here, and had enough advice, to _know_ how bad Felix etc. is!

TMI, maybe, but I actually decided to hold back the Bozita (chicken pate) for the time being in the middle of last week, because I did feel it wasn't right for him. I don't know, he just seemed a bit off about eating it, and he went from being slightly constipated one afternoon to being a bit soft the next. I've just been feeding Grau Grain-Free (and Felix) since then, so I think the Grau gives him wind, too. So - I want to keep introducing that very gently, if I can. Maybe I can start by switching straight to something in jelly, like Hi-Life or Butchers, in place of the Felix, and keep introducing the pate-type foods slowly as I am now?

I will definitely check out the Happy Kitty Co.! Are there any particular brands you have in mind, please?

I've only been feeding dry so that he can use his feeding ball. He loves that thing, and because he's quite food-motivated, it seems to be quite a good way of keeping his attention (sometimes, anyway). Could I maybe still use it sometimes, but with something like Thrive pure dried chicken treats instead?

I actually asked the vet about trimming his claws this afternoon, when I took Alfie for his checkup, and they have said they'll teach me next week when he comes back for his second vaccination. : )

I'd love a second cat, and my partner and I discussed it for a long time. We just can't afford it, though - by the time you add up the extra food, two lots of insurance, two trays of litter, two lots of flea and worming treatments, it's just more than we can manage.

ETA: I've been talking to his lovely, lovely fosterer about him today, too, and she's been talking to other fosterers in the rescue about how to help him settle down a bit more. They've suggested that a large dog crate might be a good idea for overnight, or if I just need a few minutes during the day, so I've been out this afternoon and got an XL one (it's big enough for his litter tray, bedding and a toy, with space between them). If I can start getting him hungry in the evening then feeding him up right before bed, and settling him in his crate, that will cut a huge amount of the stress.

She also suggested blowing on his nose when he's scratching. Apparently she's done that with all of her kittens, and has found that it works really well. If it's something he's already learnt that means 'stop now' then it's got to be worth a try. : )


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

Anything from Happy Kitty Company will be just fine.

you can still use the treat ball with him, but choose better biscuits. Thrive actually do a dried food which isn't grain loaded like Royal Canin. Eden Pet Foods do one too, as do Applaws and Orijen. Thrive would be my top choice though if it agrees with him.

Are you definitely against going raw? It's rare that you get tummy upsets with this, and so youwoudln't necessarily need to do a gradual change over. Biggest benefit is that it has no sugar at all! I wouldn't say that Pate is the problem. Perhaps it's the brand that is. The texture of food shouldn't indicate whether he'll be windy or not. HiLife and Butchers are good options while you move him to something better.

Pity you can't have a second cat, but good that the vet is teaching you about claw clipping.

Have you got him some electronic toys so he can play on his own? Under Cover Mouse is great for high energy cats and kittens, and it'll giv eyou time off too. I've heard that the Frolicat laser toys are also good, but haven't personally tried them. I'd also suggest you get a Trixie bird hanging door toy off Zooplus. Some of the best money I've ever spent when it comes to keeping kittens busy!


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## freija (Jan 28, 2014)

I would rather not feed raw for the main food source, I think - I really respect those who do, but between the cost and the fight I would have to get my partner to do it too, I would prefer to stick to a high quality wet food as long as it wasn't hurting Alfie.

He has just been having Grau and Orijen (for his food puzzles only) for the past few meals, and actually seems to be okay so far. I also have some tins of Mac's and... the one beginning with 'R'?... on their way from the Happy Kitty Co, so I will see how he gets on with those. I already had the Orijen, but I'd been advised by the rescue to wait a few months before starting adult biscuits. He seems to be doing fine on them, though, and really likes them.

I think the diet is making a difference already, I really do. He's energetic and playful this morning, bounding about on the floor, but he isn't being destructive or frantic. He just seems to have come down a notch. : ) 

I will have to have a look at those toys!


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

The toys are really good. Pleased to hear he's ramping down already.


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## Citruspips (Jul 6, 2011)

A big pile of empty cardboard boxes with a few windows cut into them solved "mad kittens at night syndrome" for me. I used to bring the boxes out at night and hide them away during the day. I'd hide a few treats and toys randomly inside them. 

He'll be able scratch and jump all over them and may find them more interesting than the walls to attack. Cats absolutely love cardboard boxes


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