Using the Litter Box
Until the habit of using the litterbox is firmly established, confine the kitten to a small room with its litterbox whenever it cannot be closely supervised.
Place the box in an area that is easily accessible and provides some privacy.
Provide at least two boxes if you have more than one cat.
Scoop the box daily and completely clean every week.
Avoid using strong-smelling disinfectants to clean the box.
Do not medicate, punish, scold or do anything else disagreeable to the cat when it is in the litterbox.
If you change the brand of litter, gradually replace the old litter with the new over a 5 day period.
Don’t rub the pet’s nose in urine or stool if it misses the box.
Neuter the pet soon after it reaches 6 months of age.
Scratching Furniture
Provide a scratching post in an easily accessible location.
Make sure the scratching post is sturdy.
Try scratching posts with different surfaces[wood,rope,carpet,fabric,etc.] to find which kind the kitten prefers.
Whenever the kitten scratches the post, immediately give a food reward.
Closely supervise the kitten and punish unacceptable scratching by squirting it with a water gun during the act.
When the kitten cannot be supervised, confine it to a room where the only acceptable scratching surface is its scratching post.
Booby trap furniture you want to protect.
Pin or tape balloons to the sides of furniture.
Place mousetraps (which have been set and placed UPSIDE DOWN) on or around furniture.
Chewing on Plants
Mist the plant with water, then, sprinkle cayenne pepper on the leaves.
Booby traps(see above).
Playbiting
Don’t encourage attacks toward your hand.
Direct attack play behaviors toward thrown toys(try ping pong balls) or toys on a short string.
Discourage biting or attacking by using a water gun or blast of compressed air (cans are sold at camera stores).
Some kittens will playbite after a predictable amount of petting. Anticipate this response and keep petting sessions short. We want you and your new kitten to get off to a good start.
