Zel Tokumo
I have had this kitten several months now, I have tried everything the vet and the pet stores have suggested doing.
I have given him more toys
I have given him more attention
I have tried a spray bottle
I have tried clipping his nails
I have tried the anti clawing and biting spray
NOTHING IS WORKING! he has seriously hurt me on several occasions, he has drawn blood and scratched me so bad I have had to get stitches, Today he bit a hole through my lip and I honestly don't know what to do, I know if I take him to a shelter he will be put down for being so aggressive, is there anything anyone can suggest I am at my whits end, I don't believe in declawing or filing down cats teeth i think its barbaric.
I said I was AGAINST declawing.... and please understand I cant just "deal" he is physically harming me, causing me to get stitches and severe cuts and bites.... he is 7 months old.
Answer
I applaud your decision to not de-claw. Even while you're in pain, very nice.
I have four cats. My newest female kitten liked to playfully bite or chew and sometimes grab with her claws on tender skin -- this lasted for a couple months. I was getting concerned, we don't bite or claw in this cat family. I quickly told her (though not sure how much she understood) that this was unacceptable, none of the other cats do this. I tried a tactic that a dog trainer showed me a few years ago for my puppy, asserting your dominance. Your companions must know that you are the Alpha. Not the Master, that title holds no respect. But the Alpha.
Every animal family has an Alpha and to become the Alpha, you must set an example of dominance. For large dogs I was told to (if safe, not an aggressive animal) have the animal (I used this on the kitten) lay flat on the ground, not painfully, just holding her steady so she couldn't stand up, and lay on top of them. Obviously, this is a kitten and you should not put any pressure or weight on her. But lay your body against and on top of her own, maybe holding paws so you don't get hurt. Do this very gently, don't apply a lot of pressure at all, you're getting a point across not harming. Stay there for a few seconds at a time. When she gets feisty and starts grabbing with her claws while you hold her, immediately and gently lay her down, hold her paws for your protection, and be the top dog. You may choose to gently (always gentle, trust is important) scruff her neck like her mother would do if she were to misbehave in her litter.
My kitten would still want to get rough and tag me with her nails, and every time she did, successful or not, I grabbed both paws and held them, spoke softly and petted her gently. She learned quickly that this behavior wasn't acceptable and she wouldn't gain anything by it. Not my blood, my anger, nor my fear. Eventually she stopped. Now this is a kitten I can piss off repeatedly and at most she will gently, with claws retracted bat at me.
The key is if they love, trust and respect you - they wouldn't want to harm you. Some animals play rough, but just the same way, calm them down, hold them and show them that you're the boss. If you can't or aren't willing to risk your body by laying (gently) on her, grab up those paws and just hold her so she can't get loose, never hurting though. I always told mine, "gentle paws, gentle paws" and now she's fine.
It takes time. And patience. And love and kindness and a lot of trust. Always remember, your cat is an eighth your size, and that can be scary and intimidating. Shouting can be scary as well as spanking, that can be traumatizing and lead your cat to never trust you again. Just show him patience and kindness.
Maybe sit in a room with him and make him focus attention on you, just repeatedly bring him down a notch so he can't harm you. if this is an out of control biting and clawing cat, measures may be a little more drastic. Try socks, slip little socks onto those paws while you interact. This could either help you or just annoy your cat.
He could be acting this way for any number of reasons. Maybe he's scared of you and feels that he must defend himself, or just unsure of people in general. His heart can still be won. Just remember how hard it is for you to communicate to him what you want, it's that hard or harder for him to tell you what HE wants. Also, nail clipping can be unpleasant for both parties involved. You should just get a scratching post or emory board or something similar for him to scratch, it's his natural instinct to scratch and clipping nails doesn't actually do very much, they actually lose the entire nail periodically as new ones grow in and clipping probably doesn't make his scratches hurt any less but I can promise you it probably scares the hell out of him.
Just always keep your patience and your kindness. This is an animal with free will, ruled by no one. Should he grow to love you it could be a beautiful thing.
i've had dogs and cats, but no dog was as loyal as my felines.
Zoo Animal Toy Ideas?
Eva
So I'm an intern at the zoo and one of the projects that I have to do is make a creative toy/enrichment item (something they will find entertaining) to give to one of the animals I work with. I really want to make an impressive toy but so far my mind has been drawing a blank about what to give them. Here's a little bit of info about each of the animals I work with:
Polar bear: her current toys are thick plastic blocks (think giant ice cubes), balls, burlap sacks, thick ropes, and thick plastic rings. She really likes peanut butter, honey, yams, and obviously meat. Sometime we will give her pine cones covered in honey and she loves them. She has a large pool in her exhibit and also a large grassy area. There really are no limitations in terms of the material the toy I can make her. During christmas she gets christmas trees to tear up. The toy can be something intricate to hide food in that she can mess with.
Lions: they really like soccer sized balls. They also have large pieces of wood to chew on. They can't have anything made of thin plastic or fabric. I was thinking maybe something with feathers to attract them but I couldn't think of what.
Baboons: they love ripping open boxes! Everyday their food is hidden in boxes for them to find and open. I was hoping to make some sort of intricate puzzle box for them to figure out but I'm open to suggestions as to what the design should be. They also like picking things out of holes, in their exhibit there is a giant tree stump with holes drilled into it and they like picking food out of it. Basically they would enjoy any type of toy a five year old or younger would enjoy.
Anteater: they like ripping things apart with their long claws. They don't really have any actual toys besides pieces of wood that they tear apart. They also like oranges because they can rip them apart too.
Andean bears: pretty much will get into anything. They have some sticks and pastic balls to play with but I think they could really use more interesting toys.
Tapir: doesn't have any toys. He likes veggies and swimming in his exhibit pool. Can nudge around at things with his nose pretty well.
Capybara: Not really sure what they guys might like. They are pretty shy. I know they like the water though.
Any suggestions for any or all of these animls would be great. If I like your idea I might just make it and be able to give it to them, and then I can let you know what they do with it. Thank you!!!
Answer
Polar Bear:
How about diving rings? You know the ones they make as pool toys for little kids? They might be a little small though, so maybe you can make it out of something else...bike tires maybe?
Lions:
I'm stumped. Perhaps food animals with the fur/feathers still on?
Baboons:
Wrap food in progressively bigger boxes. Get a small-ish box and wrap it in gift wrap. Put that box in a slightly bigger box, then a slightly bigger box...you see? They'll open a box expecting food and get another box.
Alternatively, as you pack the boxes together, you can squeeze food in around them. So, they open a box, get a little treat and another box...open that box a little treat and another box...
That will work for the anteater and Andean bear too. They can rip through the layers.
Try big cardboard boxes for the tapir and capybara. Big enough for them to get into. Put food in and around them, and cut holes as windows. Works for rabbits, cats and hamsters. LOL!
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