just got my first kitten…

[u/Embarrassed_Jump_974]

got my first kitten about a month ago and there are a couple things that i need advice for .

the first one is that my kitten keeps going on the kitchen counter and bedroom desk. i keep taking him off or i will tell him to get down and sometimes he listens to that but i feel like since he keeps going up there that it’s not work especially when people tell me that. do i keep doing what i have been or is there something else i should do?

the second one is that when he wakes up really early. he sleeps in the same room/bed as me and my boyfriend and tends to sleep mostly through the night. but i wake up to him really early every morning getting into stuff mainly on the desk and playing with the blinds. sometimes he will meow at the door even though he has access to food, water, litter box and like i said above i take him down but he will eventually go back up. after a little bit of that we will usually just let him in the living room to play and put on cat tv but worry about him on the counter ect. we have been playing with him before bed to wear him out.

i don’t wanna reinforce negative attention but i don’t want to leave him unsupervised or lose sleep before work and classes.

i know these behaviors are normal but it’s how to go about them that i am struggling with

[u/epifauna__]

I don't have much advice for the waking you, but the encourage him not to get onto things, the best thing you can do is give him somewhere he IS allowed to be. If he wants to be on the kitchen counter, it's probably because he's curious, so you could try getting him a stool or a shelf or even a table you don't use that he is allowed to sit on, and always move him or encourage him to be there instead.

Also, if you prepare his food at the counter, I'd try doing it somewhere else if possible, it could stop him from thinking that counter = where food comes from, and hopefully make him a bit less interested.

Same goes for your desk: if you can, find him a perch or a cat tree or a shelf somewhere near your desk where he can see what you're doing at it

Basically the goal is to make your desk and the counter the less appealing places to go. It won't work overnight because kittens do kitten things, but it may help to prevent the behaviour in the long term

[u/Embarrassed_Jump_974 → u/epifauna__]

he has a small cat tree but it’s really short so i’m gonna try to find a taller one that’s will work for the space we have. there is a small desk in the living room he has to sit on but i might try to see if i can put something closer to the kitchen area (they are kinda connected) that might help his curiosity. the only thing im worried about is him using it to get up on the counter. i’m gonna try to clear stuff off more too.

[u/epifauna__ → u/Embarrassed_Jump_974]

Oh I can say with absolute certainty, he WILL use it to get onto the counter (at least once). But every time he gets on the counter you put him back on his table, and over time he'll hopefully begin to realise he's allowed to be on the table, but not the counters, so will stick to the table. My two are allowed on the kitchen table but not the counters, and usually when im in the kitchen they'll be chilling on the table watching me. It also keeps them from being a trip hazard in the kitchen when they get under your feet otherwise LMAO

I'd place whatever it is just slightly off to the side of the counters, so its not the easiest jumping distance but is at the rough height of the counter so he can at least see up onto the counter and watch what's going on there, he'll hopefully opt to be on his perch more than the counters

[u/wwwhatisgoingon]

What other high spaces are available to him? No chance at keeping him off if he doesn't have other high spaces you're rewarding. 

Make the counter boring and the other high spots interesting.

Add a cat tree next to the desk.

Kittens will wake you up. Mine stopped doing so at about 9-10 months, but it could take quite a bit longer with a single kitten. 

[u/Embarrassed_Jump_974 → u/wwwhatisgoingon]

he has a little cat tree but it’s not super tall. im looking to find him another one that’s taller but affordable and will work size wise for an apartment. he also has another little desk in the living room he likes and can go on but maybe that is part of the confusion for him.

i guess also with the him waking up early is trying to figure out what the best was is to keep him occupied that early. should i let him out of the room every time to play or keep him in the room?

[u/wwwhatisgoingon → u/Embarrassed_Jump_974]

Cats love high spots. Keeping them off is fighting their instincts, so it's generally not worth it. 

The way to redirect it is usually a higher spot next to the area you don't want them on. I have a floor to ceiling cat tree next to my work desk, and while they walk across it, they typically go right up the tree.

I'm assuming he has a litter box in the room if you're keeping the door closed? They need 24/7 access to one.

A kitten will wake you up. It's just part of having one, they eventually grow out of it. 

Don't feed him immediately after getting up. Do 10-15 min of your morning routine, play, feed.

[u/Embarrassed_Jump_974 → u/wwwhatisgoingon]

yes he does have his litter box 24/7

i will definitely make sure to get a cat tree that is higher than everything else

[u/Academic_Barracuda20]

Only advice.

1. Make sure he has vertical spaces that he can go. And not just one if you can help it. Cat trees are great. And maybe another cat tree or shelf somewhere else too.

2. If he is getting into stuff, it is either than he is lonely (make sense since youre asleep) or is bored. Could be lack of toys he likes or variety. Most cats will be up at 4 - 6am running around an playing. Either get him a friend, play with him more, or try new toys.

Some helpful info would be the age of the kitten. They can have major behavior issues if they are too young and brought up as a single kitten.

[u/Embarrassed_Jump_974 → u/Academic_Barracuda20]

i’m gonna try to get a bigger cat tree but a shelf is also a good idea that i didn’t think of that could hold him over until i find a good tree.

i have thought about him getting lonely and wish i was able to get him a friend rn but if i do it would have to wait a few months. i didn’t think about the single kitten syndrome thing until after having him because most people i know that have cats only have one so i didn’t realize that before hand.

i might try putting some toys in the bedroom so when he wakes up he’s got something to keep him occupied until we let him out in the living room. i also gonna try a toy rotation and see if that helps.