Problem child

[AvaAdore]

My kitten has been giving me all sorts of problems. I have 2 male kittens. I think they are about 4 months old. The smaller of the two is a trouble maker. We are trying the spray bottle meathod of discipline and it's not working. He's always jumping on counters, begging for food, and getting into the garbage. What am I supposed to do? Second problem is that he acts like he's constantly hungry. He always cries for food eats all the time. He's not gaining any weight. Our other kitten ( the well behaved one) is about twice his size. Could he have a tapeworm or something?

[Traci]

Have they ever seen a VET? If not, get them to a vet immediately, they need proper exams, testing for FELV/FIV, vaccinated appropriately, and scheduling for neutering when of proper age and development. Your vet can also deworm them appropriately...never use OTC products on your own, they are ineffective and dangerous, your vet has safe and effective products. Then discuss the diet with your vet, you could be feeding a diet that is inappropriate to their needs, lifestyle, development, etc. or it could be deficient in quality nutrients, etc. In any case, if the two are siblings and one of them is not gaining or maintainting healthy weight, then you need to get him to a vet immediately for an exam and diagnostics to rule out health problems.

Btw, you have to understand they are very young kittens, which means they are active and energetic and playful and curious 24/7, this is normal behavior. They need to expend their energy and you shouldn't attempt to limit that. You can try to teach deterring of inappropriate behaviors using the squirt bottle, but you have to be consistent, and not just at any time, it has to be at the time of the behavior, and eventually they will learn that association. Give them proper toys, a kitty perch or kitty tree, scratching posts, and spend quality time with them in activity and playtime sessions.

Put the trash can in an area away from the cats. Surely, you understand the dangers of a pet getting into the trash, this can be deadly to pets! Keep the tops of the countertops free of food, and other things they shouldn't be getting into.

[AvaAdore]

Our cats have one of those kitty condo things and probably more toys than I can count. We're young and don't have much else in our lives so our cats are treated like our children.
We only use the spray bottle on them when they beg or jump on the counter or get into the trash. They run away at the time but then 15 min later they are at it again. Sometimes I think the little one does it for attention. He's in constant need of attention. When he isn't being a trouble maker he always has to sleep next to me or on my lap (wish he could be that sweet more often)
We've finally gotten both of our kittens to get out of the habit of scratching people. It seems to be the only successful type of training we've been able to achieve.
Ive made an appointment to see a vet tomorrow hopefully I'll figure out what's going on with my little ones.

[Traci]

It isn't unusual for kittens of this age to want and need attention and affection, it's perfectly normal! Don't equate trying to get your attention for spite, because pets don't do that, they truly are needy and need attention, affection, bonding, socialization, and all of their basic needs, from you. But, I do strongly advise you give them more attention, and pay attention to their needs. Yes, they are curious and will get into mischief, that's what kittens do. You really should enjoy this stage and their entire kittenhood, because too soon, they will be adults and many of those cute kitten antics will be gone.

Glad to hear you're getting to the vet..please let us know how that ensues.

[mamabear]

I agree with Traci. These are two 4 month old kittens. They are supposed to do this. Their behavior is very typical and you shouldn't associate that with anything else but being a kitten.

Just like a 2 year old child needs all the attention and love and it hyper as the day is long(trust me i know this, i have 4) so do kittens.

If you are concerned with him not gaining weight have vet run a CBC and THyroid screening on him.

They seem to be very normal in what they are doing, hopefully they will calm down with age. This is just kitten hood right now and you have to make sure that you have plenty of toys for them and a place to scratch their nails. Stuffed animals are ok for them BUT make sure there are no buttons or anything they can swallow.

Let us know what vet says.