New Kitten Owners - Easy Solutions to Little Nuisances

If you are a new kitten owner, or thinking about getting one, here are five tips that address common complaints to help make your life, as well at your new companions, easier and more peaceful. The top three complaints I've heard from new cat owners are: one- my kitten is too playful, especially at night when I'm trying to sleep; two- my cat keeps jumping up on counters when I don't want him to; and three- there is litter all over the place, why can't he keep it in the box!?!

So let's address the first one, your new kitten wants to play all the time. Cats are nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and want to play at night - the opposite of their human caregivers so to cure this problem I have three suggestions. The first solution is to hide their food, I know it sounds somewhat cruel but if allows them to use their hunting instincts during the day. Of course this tactic only works when you feed your kitten dry food; hide a few pieces in different locations. It may take a little while for your cat to catch on but they will eventually realize what they need to do. If you notice that your cat isn't eating any of the food you've hidden, this isn't a good solution, all cats are different and you obviously don't want to starve your cat so just put their food dish back and try a different technique.

My second tip for a playful kitten is to give your cat direct attention about an hour before you want to go to bed. Get on the floor and play with your cat, use their favorite toys and tire them out. Another tip to help prevent boredom from setting in during the day, you should rotate the toys you have out for the kitten to play with. Put a few toys out at a time, hiding the rest somewhere that your cat won't get to, and at least once a week, switch the toys to keep their appeal. If your new companion has the same toys all the time, they will get bored with them and want more attention from you, and we all know that our lives are busy and although we want to play with our pets, we can't always devote as much time as they want to them.

My fourth tip addresses the second complaint of your cat jumping onto counter tops and other surfaces where you don't want them. Most kittens don't like the sound or feel of tin foil so if you crumple up a piece and then flatten it out again, then cover the counter top with it, when your cat jumps onto it he or she will have an unpleasant experience which will then deter them from doing it again. If the tin foil doesn't work, double sided tape serves the same purpose, just without the sound.

The last complaint of litter being all over the bathroom floor can actually clue us into something your cat is trying to tell you. When a kitten scoops their litter out of the box, and I don't mean just the little bit stuck to their paws, it usually means they're trying to tell you one of four things, either their box is too small, it needs to be cleaned out, there is too much litter for their liking, or they don't like the brand whether it is the texture or smell. Pay attention to their behavior when it comes to their litter box because it is usually a behavior problem that is easy to solve, you can just use the process of elimination to figure out how to make them happier.

These top three complains of new cat owners can easily be solved by following some of these tips. Cats are great pets that can definitely become a part of your family for years so don't let little nuisances that can be solved get in your way of enjoying them.