Yes, I do believe Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are residing inside my kitty!
Boots
He can be the sweetest, most loving little guy one minute and the next minute, he has his sharp little baby teeth buried in my arm, or my leg, or my chin . . whatever part of me he happens to get to first. He just wants to play and he plays a little rough . . especially with those sharp teeth.
Boots
Every evening he sits at the door and meows with this evil sounding meow . . I don’t think he’s forgotten the rabbit he saw outside. He wants to go out and hunt and I feel like I’m being cruel for keeping him inside but (1) he hasn’t had all his boosters and I don’t want him to tangle up with a feral cat til his leukemia vaccines have him fully protected and (2) I don’t know if he’ll come back before we go to bed and there are coyotes and foxes and all kinds of critters that would love a tender kitten for dinner.
Boots
He’s so sweet when he’s in his loving mood but when he wants to play rough . . I’m glad I can leave him in the sewing room and get away from him for a while.
Howdy says
You need one of those little laser lights to have him chase. The one we had was on a chain and when we picked it up the cat could hear the jingle from it from anywhere in the house and would come running… frantically looking everywhere for the light. Even when he got old – he remembered that sound… couldn’t chase the light as long but enjoyed it.
A few minutes chasing that light will make Boots forget all about any bunny outside.
JudyL says
We have one of those and I play with it to wear him down but he’s always ready to play more. He needs to go outside and run off some energy but I’m keeping him in til he’s had all his boosters.
Toni in TN says
He’s at that two year old temper tantrum stage! And this too shall pass! Good idea to keep him in as we were told when we lived in TX that coyotes just loved cat.
Carolyn says
Judy…yes, dr j and mr h do reside inside your little kitty, as do many other personalities! By the time he is a year old he will settle…but until then…I will pray for you! I have had kitties all my life so this is the voice of experience…remember , the water gun, it works really really well as a control device!
Suzy from Ontario says
Judy, some of the behaviour is probably teething. I find that they sort of chew/bite a lot when their teeth are coming in. It will calm down and lessen as he ages, as will a lot of that crazy behaviour. It’s almost like kids…but happens in a compressed framework. They have a period where they sort of pull away and don’t want as many cuddles, I find, (to show they are growing up and independant), but then once more fully grown they are more gentle and cuddly. We’ve had a lot of cats (and dachshunds) so that has been our experience overall (although of course every cat/dog has their own personality that plays into it as well). Good luck and enjoy your kitten! 🙂 p.s. My husband says he loves dachshunds because they are so cat-like, so you’re already prepared! ha
Lee says
Oh those baby teeth are the worst! So very sharp. Adult teeth aren’t as razor blade-like but they’re bigger and his jaws will be stronger. They do grow out of that some, but claws & teeth are their defense mechanisms and he’s learning to defensive in his play – it’s a cat thing. With mine I’ve gently squeezed against the sides of the mouth when they bite too hard, and when they were little and using their claws, I would gently, just enough to get their attention but not hurt, squeeze their paws. They now rarely get me with their claws at all, and only occasionally with their teeth. It’s all a learning process in proper behaviour.
Emma says
My husband’s family is from Texas, and they lost 7 cats during his childhood to coyotes and owls. Keep him inside! He’ll be around much longer if you do. 🙂
He’s cute…I’m vicariously living through you with him. He looks just like my parents’ old cat (Sylvester died a few weeks short of his 18th birthday) that we had from when I was 4 or 5 until 22/23-ish. He’ll calm down eventually.
Sharon says
Dr. J & Mr. H — huh, we have a Guild member who we refer to as that; sadly, her bite pain lasts longer than Boots!
Boo to mean people!
pdudgeon says
my cat finally calmed down a bit and learned (mostly) not to scratch and bite, but it took all of 15 months to get to that stage. Mostly it’s instinctive for them to go after something that moves within their sight, or when they feel a sudden touch on their back or neck, or near their tail, or a tickle on the tummy. all of those areas for a cat are places where they are vulnerable to attack, so it’s a natural defense measure to strike back that kicks in automatically until they get older, and their brain can process and recognize when the touch comes from a friend.
For a while as my cat was growing up my hands were decorated with the little ‘Sheer Spot” band-aids where my cat had “scored a hit” on my hands or arms. eventualy he got the message lots of those strange circles on my hands that those hits hurt and drew blood, and then his mommy had to cover them with band-aids when he was a bad kitty. When he was old enough to associate those spots with my being hurt and that he had caused it, he learned that he had to pull those claws and teeth back when playing with me.
He still has most of those instincts, especially when he wants to play, or when we walk too close in front of those front paws in the early morning.
the interesting thing is that he usually does these things either early in the morning or towards dusk at night—prime hunting time for cats!
Tam says
I read this one time and never forgot it–that an outdoor cat lives an average of three years, and an indoor cat lives ten years or more. Please keep your baby inside.
It’s a big, scarey world for them out there!
Betty says
Boots is a cutie, but I understand what you are saying. I have a Jekyll and Hyde cat also. Just this morning he stretched out so sweetly for hubby to rub his tummy and then nipped him when he got close. Sometimes kitty will cuddle up in my lap like an angel, then if I move in a way he doesn’t like, he jumps down so quickly that his back claws scratch me. He is getting better as he matures and we are learning to recognize his warning signs. It’s hard to stay mad at them!
Joanna says
Hi Judy,
Vet advice here: when your dear Boots gets wild and crazy and in “attack” mode, move your hands slowly away from him and give a stern “NO”! Keep a bath towel nearby, and if he starts the rough play and won’t respond to the above “NO!”, gently drop the towel on him and make him have a little “time out.” Usually kitten will emerge from under the towel in a more gentle mood.
Don’t allow anyone to encourage “rough play” with Boots. Sometimes guys like to do this, like rub the belly and laugh when kitten instinctively starts to kick with all fours! But I KNOW Vince would never do this!
This method has worked well on a few juvenile delinquent kittens of mine and turned them into gently playful young men. Hope this helps!
Joanna
Lee Ann L. says
I don’t know how old the kitten is; but, if he’s still very young, then he could very well be teething. He needs toys and whatnot that he can sink his teeth in. Also, he probably has a strong prey instinct and will attack anything that moves. My foster kitten will do exactly that; but, she has learned to be gentle because I would bop her on the head every time she bite. And, since she needed to get aggressiveness out of her system along with teething, I would put on an oven mitt and play with her like she would with another kitten mate. I also have a long feather like thing that I would flick around and she would leap, jump, run and sometimes catch it! The only thing I would never do with a cat is play with bare hands. It’s not a good thing to do! 🙂