Question for the catsperts

crazyismycat said:

...The vet told me that I should play with her and tease her get her rowdy and it's ok if she bites and scratches because that is her way of playing and she thinks I'm her mom or litter mate. When she gets intense he told me to tug at the scruff.

I just want your opinions because like I said I want to raise the best cat.

Click to expand...

Obviously, this "Vet" is one of those very lucky people who has graduated last in his/her class at Vet College...and, despite that, earns the title of "Doctor".

Lili...what does your own common sense - your own "gut feeling" tell you about this "advice"?

If I heard that from a Vet, I'd be looking for a competent feline Veterinarian!

I'll bet a paycheck that, if you follow that advice, you'll next be posting new threads in the Behavior Forum asking how to stop your kitten from biting and scratching you...that's after you return from a trip to your local hospital emergency department having been treated for cat scratch disease!

My own advice is that you continue to cherish your sweet gentle kitten!

As for scruffing your kitten, here's where that comes from:

‘Scruffing’* is a general term for a variety of holds on the skin of the cat’sneck. Grasping the scruff of the neck varies from a gentle squeeze of skin,
to grasping a larger fold of skin with varying amounts of pressure.
Consideration of natural feline behavior can help put this technique into
perspective. Cats grasp the scruff of the neck of other cats in only limited​

circumstances. During the first few weeks of life the mother cat may lift

kittens by the scruff of the neck using her mouth. This is a method of transport and immobilization, and not a form of discipline. http://catvets.com/uploads/PDF/2011FelineFriendlyHandlingGuidelines.pdf ​

Click to expand...

(That document comes from the American Association of Feline Practitioners' website as an educational piece for veterinary clinics that may wish to implement a cat-friendly environment - there are some valuable tips in there, especially around "reading" the non-verbal behaviour of your cat....as well as being a great tool for evaluating your own Vet clinic!)

A great book is Think Like a Cat by Pam Johnson Bennett. I think you’d enjoy and learn a lot from. They sell it used and new on amazon. I try to give them out to people who adopt from me. A good resource.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Cat-Pam-Johnson-Bennett/dp/1579544258/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338321823&sr=1-3"]http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Cat-Pam-Johnson-Bennett/dp/1579544258/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338321823&sr=1-3[/ame]

Its not recommended to use your hands to play with a kitten or cat because they get use to biting and scratching their people as something that’s ok. I would recommend a wand toy which they can chase or jump in the air after. Or a laser pen with the red dot they can chase. I throw bottle caps and tin foil balls for my fosters” to chase.

I harnessed trained my first cat. I found the best type harness is the ones that kind of look like a shirt. You can find it in the dog section. The strap kind cats can get out of. My cat when frightened would thrash around and jump and get out of the strap harness. He wasn’t able to with the shirt kind.

We love people who want to learn how to enrich their cats lives and be the best cat parents possible. I hope the suggestions help

FYI most vets are dog oriented. It’s hard but not impossible to find a knowledgeable cat vet who understands cat behavior. Ask around at no kill shelters or rescues and find out who they think are the great cat vets in your area.

Walking a cat on a leash is more like a cat walking YOU on a leash I find (at least with my guys). They meander and wander around and sure as heck aren't going where I want to go. I can't walk Book where I am, he's petrified of cars and there is no area around my apartment that doesn't have cars whizzing by (I have the scars to prove how terrified he gets). MowMow isn't afraid as long as I'm close(he flipped out when SO tried taking him out. He clawed his way across the sidewalk back to my door, howling the whole way), but his idea of being out on the leash is to lay under a bush and watch the world go by..... not so much fun for me standing there like a dope at the other end of the leash.

I agree with not playing directly with them. Inevitably your going to get hurt and scratched and it won't be kittens fault if he was taught to play that way. My guys both play with limbs but know the world "gentle" and if they get rough I just need to remind them with that word and they let go and ease up. I was VERY fortunate that both came knowing that. Book must have had an amazing foster parent as young kitten because he has always been a gentle player and MowMow just seems horrified when he's drawn blood by accident.

crazyismycat said:

Do you think it's to late to teach her the proper play methods at 10 weeks?

Click to expand...

No, she is still in her kittenhood. She'll learn. You just need to be consistent in your teaching. When she gets rough and hurts you (even a minor twinge) punish her by stop playing with her.

It's always funny to see how my littermates would punish each other. They'd wrestle with arms and feet kicking. Then when one got a little too rough and made claw/teeth to skin contact, I'd hear a squeal. The offended would get up, walk away about 10 feet then stop, drop to their bottom with their back turned to the offender and groom themselves. It was like they were saying "I'm much more civilized than YOU!" Always they'd do their shunning within visual distance of the offender. There was no hiding. The offended wanted to be seen and make a show of it. Then the offender would sit or lay there and look at their play partner with the most bemused expression. It was like they were saying "What did I do?" After a minute or so, they'd start grooming themselves as well, as if to say "See I can be civilized too."