brat kitten

[TESSTY]

i have a kitten that is about 5 or 6 months old. and he is just a pain in the butt. i cant get him to stay off of the counter he begs for food worst then my dogs. i have tried the squirt bottle thing and he just comes back for more. how can i make him not a pain in the butt.

[Lexx]

Well try not to inadvertantly reward any of his bad behaviour with attention or food. If he begs for food and you squirt him with the bottle does he run away? Even if he comes back, keep doing it every time. He'll get the message. If that doesn't work at all try ignoring him, and if he bats at you or tries to jump up a sharp no or even a scruffing and make a growling noise usually works. I had to do all of these for my kitten Isis....she was a stray and likely getting all her food from the resturaunt dumpsters and thought people food was her food. She'd even dive for your plate. She is good now, and about 6 months old.

As for the counter is there any reason he jumps up? Is there something he likes to play with up there? Remove it and put it somewhere else. Is there a window there he likes to sit at? Try redirecting him to another windowsill. Is there food he can get into? Again remove it or put it in cat-proof bins. Is he trying to get up high, and maybe away from the dogs? You might want to try getting a tall cat tree so he has something tall to perch and sleep on.

Hope this helps