Do cats have the "terrible twos" phase as well?

February 4, 2008 8:14 AM

CatFilter: I know there are a lot of posts on weird cat behaviors, and I understand cats will be cats... but WTF how do I correct some of these problems?

I have two growing healthy kittens that are 10 months old now, brothers and neutered. They live with my roommates cat, female and about 3 y/o. We also have one other roommate who doesn't have a cat but loves the ones we have.

The boys are very active and acting very much as I would expect toddlers to. Most of the time they are well behaved, they even come or stop what they are doing when I call them. They do have some weird habits at the moment and I'm completely unsure of how to break them.... For example (and what prompted this post) Sammy for the past 4 days has started screaming at 8 am at nothing in the living room. I thought it was food, but there was plenty in the dish. He also has access to my room/bed so if he wanted attention he could try a more focus approach.

Secondly, Carmicheal, likes to dig in the groups water dish cause it makes a cool sound. We have one of the watercooler water dishes so there about half a liter of water on the floor some mornings.

Other things: Jumping and scratching the shower curtain, begging for table scraps. Probably least stressing, Carmicheal likes to suck on his tail. When he is done there is about 3/4 inch of slick wet tail flipping around the house. Its more gross than anything else, I've very careful to check hes not hurting himself.

We do use the water bottle method but its for behavior that we can catch and really want to discourage. Are these all just things cats do? Is there any other way to curve their behavior?

posted by jlweber to pets & animals (14 comments total)

As far as digging at the water dish, supposedly cats have a hard time making out still water, and some will move their bowls around or tilt it to get a better reading.
posted by drezdn at 8:32 AM on February 4

The weird howls at almost the same time every day are very normal. One of our cats has "crazy kitty" time at the same time every day...tearing across the apartment and meowing out loud. He's over 2 years old now. The flip side is that at a different same time every day he's super cuddly and purry.

The rest of the stuff is standard kitten stuff. Playing with anything that moves (including tails) begging for food etc. And cats lick themselves...including the same spots...again and again and again.

As for begging at the table...if ignoring them after a few months doesn't make them realize it doesn't work, then it's time to start using the water bottle. Everything else is normal quirky cat behavior that you're going to have to learn to accept like you will the cat hair.
posted by hylaride at 8:35 AM on February 4

Hm. I'm really not sure these are behavioral *problems*. Seems like its cats being cats - with time on their hands, boredom setting in, energy to spare and no where to exert it safely. You might want to consider getting them a game that is interactive with you such as cat toy fishing rod - buy or build them a cat condo they can leisurely scratch at, climb up and hide in, or get them some of these - to have them bat around the house. Warning - they do have a tendency to dissapear under fridges and beds. The idea is to make available to them *safe* play and giving them an outlet for all that energy. The best suggestion I can think of is praising them and telling them what great guys they are when they do something that's good rather than squirting them with water guns. Also getting them some good organic catnip and giving them that as a treat every other day or so, putting some Rescue Remedy in the water dish will also keep them from needlessly bouncing off the walls. Cheers.
posted by watercarrier at 8:36 AM on February 4

Pretty much 99% of "Is this normal?" cat behavior questions can be answered with "Yes."

You've entered what I call the Kitten of Doom stage. They're going to be assholes because they feel like it. Why not yowl at 8am in the morning? I feel like it. (and be glad it isn't 3am or 4:30 or 5:15 for now.) Why not claw at the shower curtain? It's there.

You need to wear them out -- get instinctive toys, as watercarrier mentioned.

The water bottle works okay, I've found the can of air to work better because it simulates hissing. If you don't like a certain behavior, pick them up by the scruff and deposit them somewhere else. They can be trained, to an extent, by discipline and praise.

The watercooler water dishes are cat theme parks. We use a large, heavy pyrex bowl on a non-slip mat with raised edges. You have to get creative.

Some of it will work itself out as they settle down, usually by their second birthdays. But if you're expecting a non-ungodly-hour-hellbeast or a creature who won't jump around in the water dish just because, well...
posted by atayah at 8:38 AM on February 4 [1 favorite]

A friend of mine had a cat that was a life-long tail-sucker. They never broke him of the habit and it was nasty. So, not particularly helpful advice, but I encourage you to be proactive about that particular behavioral quirk if it persists, because it may not be something that they'll just grow out of.
posted by mumkin at 8:40 AM on February 4

Bitter apple on the tail might work -- available at pet stores.
posted by beagle at 8:53 AM on February 4

The Drinkwell might solve some water problems, if indeed the cats are knocking and splashing to gauge the water.

Make sure no one has ear mites, as they live in the ear (duh) and can be on the tip of the tail. Think of when kitties are all shrimped up and their tails are right near their ears. It is not the most likely cause, but something easy to check.

I never did the water bottle for any of the 5 kitties. I did and do make use of the scruff, and I mimic hissing myself. That is what their mom would do, and since house cats are behaviorally kittens for life, I have adopted these myself. Make sure you don't do any lifting by the scruff when they get older, though. Just a good, gentle shimmy to remind them of who boss really is.

Everything else is such standard kitten behavior that in reading it I got a little teary, remembering my own little Melon as a wee beastie.
posted by oflinkey at 9:07 AM on February 4

Re: Boredom; Yeah I'm sure thats some of it but they have a great cat tree/scratching post that they love to play on, with a ball on a string attached for extra entertainment. Also, We often play fetch for hours during the day with a foam ball. (and yes there are currently 6 under the couch)

None of the previously behavior is anything we have ever punished them for, I know they wouldn't understand that and probably go pee on my bed just for spite (thankfully that behavior has subsided for now). I'm just trying to see if theres little things I can do to make my roommates less likely to want to hurt the boys.

I like the waterbowl idea, I never really thought about their ability to see the water the bowl and something heavier/larger would probably be a good idea anyways.

Re: Tail sucking; I'm sure its not just normal licking/grooming, its his comfort crutch, I think he was taken from his mom too early. I've never heard of bitter apple, I'll have to see if I can find some. Thanks.
posted by jlweber at 9:22 AM on February 4

A key to modifying cat behavior is consistency. If you are trying to get them not to do something, come up with a standard phrase for telling them, like "Bad cat!" or "Mittens, NO." in a stern voice -- and then always use that phrase and tone when correcting them. Be very careful not to inadvertently reward annoying behavior, but cuddling them or feeding them immediately after they've done something annoying, because that's how they train you to always cuddle them, or feed them, when they howl at 4 am or whatever it is they're doing.

Begging for food usually means someone has been giving them human food scraps. If not you, make sure you're roommate isn't either (assuming you don't want them to beg). It may take them a while (i.e. months) to get over expecting scraps when they beg, once they've had a taste of the glorious wonder that is human meat and dairy.

The sucking on the tail (or any other sucking behavior, like your earlobes or fingertips) is often a sign the cat was weaned too early as a kitten and has a small neurosis. Harmless in my experience, if a little sad. Will likely continue all their lives. (I had a cat many years ago I found as a stray kitten who was a fiend for earlobes, and my current cat who was semi-neglected by her mother compulsively licks my fingertips when I pet her.)

The water spray bottle can be effective discouraging some cats. Be sure it's only ever been used for water (never repurpose toxic household cleanser or plant fertilizer/pest control bottles). Bear in mind some cats could care less to get squirted and just look at you like you're a jerk when you squirt them. Cats are individuals with distinct personalities and quirks, so it's often hard to generalize. If behavior problems get really bad or destructive, some vets offer advice on cat behavior issues.

For another data point, cats I've owned have loved the Drinkwell, just don't let it run dry or you'll ruin the motor. I also agree with the folks who strongly encourage you to exercise your pet daily by tossing toys or using the "mouse on a stick" thing to get them to burn off some excess energy every day.
posted by aught at 9:34 AM on February 4

For example (and what prompted this post) Sammy for the past 4 days has started screaming at 8 am at nothing in the living room. I thought it was food, but there was plenty in the dish.

Yeah, cats are weird. Ours does that, and it usually means he wants us to, as we put it, fluff his kibble. He really likes it when we all feed together as a pack, I think--it gives him great pleasure when we stick a toe in his (full) food dish and move the cat food around a little. He'll purr and rub up on us as we do it, as long as we'll do it--we've never exhausted his patience for kibble-fluffing.
posted by MrMoonPie at 9:35 AM on February 4

Our 10 yr old often howls for no reason, at nothing, either in the middle of the night (waking us and the other cat up) or just before going to sleep, as he paws at his bed.

The water thing - yeah we see that too. They splash everywhere when shaking the dish around. They seem to prefer to drink out of the faucet; maybe it's colder and it probably does taste better.
posted by luriete at 9:54 AM on February 4

I second the suggestion of keeping them busy. My cats have been way into this cat tree lately. They love the sisal rope and the little puffball toys. Effective and incredibly cheap.

The Feliway diffusers have also been helpful in reducing their nervous behaviors.
posted by vorfeed at 10:29 AM on February 4 [1 favorite]

My Petey cat loves to howl at nothing in the basement. I honestly think he just likes the way it sounds, echoing around. He'll go down there, start making strange sounds, then come back upstairs. If disturbed while doing it, he gives me a funny look as if he can't understand why I might have thought he was in some kind of distress. Cats are strange.

My wife's cat Toby (Petey's littermate) is a completely different beast. He does quite a bit of the "put paw in water to check temperature and level prior to drinking" thing. Usually spatters a bit of water around, but not too much. He's also a "wool-chewer" as I've heard it put; he occasionally rubs his paws against his favorite blanket and nibbles at it as if he were nursing, something he's done since kittenhood. They're almost seven now, and their behavior has changed quite a bit as they age (less scratching, more sleeping, and some behaviors such as the wool-chewing have become less common) but for most of it, you'll just have to adjust with them as they display their catness. They will be doing so for years to come.
posted by caution live frogs at 6:46 AM on February 5

Only mildly related, but if you ever want a shock, try walking into the bathroom to see the tail and ass of a 25-lb Maine Coon Cat sticking up out of your toilet.

Apparently, cats don't like standing water.



(Be thankful your cat only sucks on his own tail and not, say, your toes in the middle of the night while you're sleeping. Or, even better, your nipples. Our other cat does both things, even after having once been accidentally kicked halfway across a room by a very surprised houseguest...)
posted by FlyingMonkey at 1:50 PM on February 20