Our recently adopted 8 month old kitten, Emma, has started being very energetic, which includes some destructive behavior and biting. She had a cold which she is almost completely recovered from. As she gets better, her energy level increases. She's our only pet.
When she bites (almost always at night, such as biting feet), shreds toilet paper, scratches chairs, launches off furniture, etc., we usually do some or all of telling her NO, blowing in her face, water gun, moving her away, trying to ignore her and distracting her. We tried putting her out of the bedroom when she attacks at night, but the last time we tried she meowed loudly, shredded a roll of toilet paper, tried to tear up some towels, etc.
I'm hoping this is just adolescent behavior and she'll calm down eventually.
I do many play sessions each day by having her chase a small toy mouse, which she does with great enthusiasm.
She relates more to my wife, both sleeping on her, asking to be petted and biting. She won't sit on me at all, but will let me pet her. I'm her primary feeder.
She's also developed the habit of running to the sink when we run the water. She'll stare at the stream of water and try to bit it and swat at it. If nothing else, this provides a way of distracting her.
Please tell me she's likely to outgrow the aggressive and destructive parts of her behavior (which I realize isn't entirely unusual). As that's probably too much to ask, are there any other suggestions for dealing with her behavior?
When she bites (almost always at night, such as biting feet), shreds toilet paper, scratches chairs, launches off furniture, etc., we usually do some or all of telling her NO, blowing in her face, water gun, moving her away, trying to ignore her and distracting her. We tried putting her out of the bedroom when she attacks at night, but the last time we tried she meowed loudly, shredded a roll of toilet paper, tried to tear up some towels, etc.
I'm hoping this is just adolescent behavior and she'll calm down eventually.
I do many play sessions each day by having her chase a small toy mouse, which she does with great enthusiasm.
She relates more to my wife, both sleeping on her, asking to be petted and biting. She won't sit on me at all, but will let me pet her. I'm her primary feeder.
She's also developed the habit of running to the sink when we run the water. She'll stare at the stream of water and try to bit it and swat at it. If nothing else, this provides a way of distracting her.
Please tell me she's likely to outgrow the aggressive and destructive parts of her behavior (which I realize isn't entirely unusual). As that's probably too much to ask, are there any other suggestions for dealing with her behavior?