As someone commented, he’s just a harmless little bundle of energy.
Boots
Look how sweet! He wouldn’t dream of hanging from the back of my shirt, with his claws in my back, nor would he dream of attacking my ankles with his razor sharp teeth .. nor would he ever consider climbing up the batting on the quilt I’m working on, leaving little rips all through it.
Boots
Oh, have you ever seen such a sweet and innocent little kitty? This precious little purring bundle of fur wouldn’t dream of hanging onto the edge of the sofa with those needle like nails . . that I clipped just two days ago!
Boots
Nope, he would never dig his claws into the furniture. Good kitties don’t do that.
Boots
This precious little rescue would not dream of laying in wait at his scratching post . . waiting for me to get to that end of the longarm, where he could sink those teeth into my leg!
Boots
Oh . . she wore the shorts with the kitty toys (strings) attached! But he wouldn’t grab those with his claws because he would likely scratch my legs and nice kitties don’t injure their moms!
Boots
Yes, he’s a good kitty. I’m so glad we got a good one! I’m so glad he’s trustworthy and makes being in the sewing room such a . . what would I call it? An adventure!
Boots
Ahh . . dad is home for lunch! Boots will go back to being a docile, sweet kitty because Vince never sees him being a wild and crazy cat and I’m not even sure he believes me when I tell him some of the things that cat does.
When the two kittens appeared at our house, Boots was the friendly, outgoing kitty. The other one was shy and we hardly ever could even catch a glimpse of him. I’m wondering if we kept the wrong kitty!
Sherry Moran says
Boots is just the cutest guy! I sympathethize (sp)
with his craziness. Hang in there, Judy. Things will get better! Keep us posted!
Linda in NE says
Yep, Boots is as cute as they come…and sweet, and innocent and all that. But, enough is enough, and his kitty mama wouldn’t put up with the stuff you do. She would swat him and hiss at him when he gets too rambunctious. Maybe you should try it when he digs in those claws or teeth. It won’t do any permanent damage.
JudyL says
You want ME to hiss at a cat? 🙂
Linda in NE says
Sure, what harm can it do? 🙂 Might even be fun to see his reaction. You never in this lifetime thought you would love a cat either and look how little Boots has melted your heart.
Terri says
We got 2 kittens a couple of weeks apart. They were litter mates and we got one, and then went back to get the other one. I don’t remember playing with either of them when they had their claws out, but I can’t remember for the life of me what we did to teach them that. Once in a while, if they forgot, I would just tap their paws and say “soft paws” and then they’d remember. I think a lot just depends on the personality of the cat. Mine never clawed the furniture or climbed up the drapes. I used to find them sitting on top of the entertainment center, and they climbed the Christmas tree and an ornamental fig tree I had in the house, and one of them used to like to curl up and sleep in the bathroom sink.
Your kitty stories are hilarious, but I know how frustrating it can be. I wish I had some ideas, but I just don’t. You know what they say, dogs have masters and cats have staff!!
Mel Meister says
I’m laughing with you as I doctor my own tiny wounds from needle claw and teeth. Pride is 13 weeks old now!
Julie in WA says
OK! I believe you!!! LOL
I am rather stupefied to see the picture of Boots with his mouth wide open, chomping on your leg…OUCH!
But what a personality!
JudyL says
After about the fourth time of every time I got to that end of the quilting machine, he grabbed onto my leg, I realized it would be pretty easy to get a picture.
Jenny moss says
Love your cat, I had two cats, brothers, they were a hand full. They lived-in my quilt shop and each morning it was clean up time before we opened. I sold the shop but kelp the long arm quilting part of it. Needless to say the new owners didnt’t want the cats, so home they came with me and the long arm. I had a studio out back and they lived in it. When I was quilting, one of them would lay around my neck, it was like I was wearing a fur collar. Their names were Nip and Tuck. I named my new quilting business Nipntuckquilting.
Sharon in Michigan says
Perhaps you should wear a pair of combat boots when you longarm. That way when you get to the end Boots won’t sink his claws into your leg. Just a thought!
Helen Koenig1 says
Judy – I know you love Boots and he IS adorable. But what would you do if you saw your child act as out of control as Boots has been acting? Hate to say it – but you might want to think of teaching Boots some manners – either through “time out” (brief times in the kitty carrier), putting him down with a LOUD and STRONG “NO” added every single time he does that, rewarding him when he is being good and getting as close as you can to ignoring kitty requests to play when he isn’t. You aren’t doing him any favors – and yes, he WILL calm down somewhat when he is older, but the habits he learns now will stand him in good stead. Only thing – spanking – uhm – to a kitty a human spank HURTS even when light. A NO and light tap on the nose might be better. Think of momma cat (which is whom he considers you to be) – and how she would teach him to mind kitty manners! And think of how you feel when you see other people’s children (and cats resemble children in MANY ways!) that are acting out of control.
I know this is all frustrating to you because you aren’t sure WHAT to do. But you know YOUR rules and what you all are willing to tolerate and what you aren’t. Boots will adjust but he needs help right now to get him there.
Just my 2c worth of opinion – which considering the value of a penny is not worth a whole lot!
JudyL says
He’s just a baby with too much energy. I’m not real concerned . . I think he will grow up and be just fine so long as we can stand this kitten stage. I tolerated a whole lot more out of my son when he was 2 years old than I did when he was 5 years old or even 10 years old. I knew that some things he would grow out of and he would learn but I never wanted to “break his spirit”. I feel pretty much the same with Boots. We allowed him into our lives. We made the decision to make him an inside kitty, living in the sewing room. That isn’t an easy situation for a kitten and I’m trying to take his energy and habits into consideration too.
He isn’t wild and crazy all day. I’ve just spent an hour or so holding him while doing my morning reading. He is coming to life . . his batteries have been recharged so our day will become a bit more chaotic and “interesting” but he is a very sweet kitten who will become a well behaved cat . . it just takes time.
Nancy Angerer says
I love seeing pictures of Boots. I had a cat named mittens when I was young. Anyway, back to Boots. You might consider having his front claws removed since you have decided he is an indoor cat. We had a calico named S’more (because she was the color of chocolate, marshmellows, and gramcrackers) who wanted to claw our oriental rug. That was the only naughty thing she did. Anyway, we had the vet remove all but one of the claws on each of her front paws. We left the one in case she got out and needed to protect herself. She spent the night in our basement. I must say though, the sound of the clawless paws on the basement door was pretty pathetic sounding but also funny — kind of a squeek. S’more lived to 17 yrs old. I loved that cat! Now we travel too much to have any pets, and too many of our family members are allergic to cats.
Sherry Moran says
Judy, Don’t let him bite you. Kittens need to know
you are not food. “Love bites” are one thing, but
to draw blood shouldn’t be acceptable, in my opinion. I love cats and always have had at least one, but I won’t take hard biting. Now, not sure how to stop him, but maybe getting him immediately and telling him “no” will help.
Bev says
Mona (now 16 mos and still kitten in her) absolutely loves her “daddy.” Judy, she will be just a love bug around him. They can be like kids….good for dad and quite devious for mom!! Our 2 black cats never did love bites but mona is a tiger cat and she gives “love bites!” When a cat gets too crazy with the nails with me I do something silly. I cry “OWWW and sort of cry/whimper” like a little kid would. So far for me they always stop and get real concerned. they bite I do it again. They usually just go away ’cause they don’t want to hurt anyone really. So now I’ve got their attention, next step is “no…..be gentle” or “be nice” in a warning tone. If Mona goes for the couch I clap my hands, point at her and say “no!” Gets her attention and she usually runs off to play. Next we’ll graduate to pointing and saying “NO” in that mom tone. You can always try that and then take him to the scratching post, etc. Don’t you wish sometimes you could speak cat?? The one thing you will realize as they grow up is they truly want to please you and get upset if they’ve done something wrong. Once the teaching begins, you can’t miss that….makes me feel like the bad guy(gal)!