I just got my second kitten(a friend for the first one). The first one was great(6 month), she never scratched us, is very friendly towards people, does not meow much and always uses her litter box properly. There several things with the new kitten. 1) The new new kittne(2month) meows any time we ignore him, currently we keeps him in the bathroom, can he be trained now to meow so much? 2)He urinate on the floor even though he knows how to use the litter box. Is he marking his territory( he is fixed), how to stop that? I don't want him to be marking all over the house when we let him out to meet the older kitten in a few days. 3) He uses his little claws alot, how do I train him not to show his claw too much? Thanks Mark
Congrats. 1. All cats are different. Some meow a lot. Others don't meow at all. With this one, the only thing you can do is give him a couple of mon ths to determine what his personality is. Keeping him in the bathroom will very likely cause him to meow more at first. He needs to find his place in the house - particularly with another cat - and needs human attention, particularly as a kitten. 2. He will do this for a while until he gets used to the other cat. If the other cat is male, there will be an adjustment period as they determine who is the "alpha" male in the house - who is in charge. If the other cat is female, the same thing will happen, but it will probably go quicker. Also, kittens have a tendency to do things adult cats don't including urinating outside the box. If it becomes an issues, there are some products - pet pharamones - that are in the form of sprays or wall unit dispensers (like an air freshener that plugs into an outlet) designed to keep them from spraying in specific areas you can use. Try http://www.omahavaccine.com/ for stuff like that. 3. You cannot prevent a cat from using his claws. You can spray him with a water gun when he does it, particularly at a young age, to get him used to it. Also, get him a scratching post or something that is acceptable for him to use for that purpose and reward him with petting and love whenever he uses it. If there are a few particular pieces of furniture he uses, cover those spots with clear packing tape. He won't be able to sink his claws into them and he'll leave them alone. You can remove the packing tape later and it won't damage the furniture. Lastly, you should try to integrate him with the other cat as soon as possible. I would discourage you from keeping him in the bathroom a lot. He needs to learn the rules of the house as soon as possible and he won't do it from the bathroom. He will make mistakes and you can correct that. He may also fight with the other cat some, which is totally normal as he finds his place in the house. In reality, keeping him isolated only delays that process. Good luck.
No problem. I should mention a couple things I left out... Cat clawing is a way not just for them to sharpen claws but for them to leave their scent. It is a natural instinct. When you get them a post or a scratcher, make sure when they use it to pet them AS THEY ARE USING IT. You can't wait until 5 minutes after they are done or they won't associate the petting with the scratching.
