Earlier this year I rescued and subsequently adopted Piglet, a tiny, shy kitten someone dumped (probably) in our front yard, in the country, on a busy road. Tiny kitten + dumped + country + busy road = death sentence, as anyone with an ounce of sense would have, should have realized.
Pig is now about four months old now, not so tiny and certainly not so shy. I think he must be in the kitty-equivalent of the "terrible-twos". Piglet has become the Kamikaze Kitty.
While I don't know much about dogs, and I'm certainly not a professional, I am somewhat used to what they do, and I can pretty much cope with their various behaviors. The puppies I've raised and have worked with had their "terrible-twos" too, but it wasn't like this.
I know Pig is becoming a very good kitten really. He comes when he's called, doesn't use his claws when he plays with me (mostly) and has stopped biting me when I pick him up (mostly). He's getting along with the dogs, and is trying to get along with the resident cat (she's a bit bitchy). He doesn't claw the furniture or the curtains (we're still working on the houseplants). He also "helps" me by discovering new functionality in the various MacBook programs I use.
What I haven't been able to overcome are his Kamikaze missions. When I'm not paying attention - working at the computer or cooking dinner, or even just walking from one room to another with a hot cup of coffee, he runs at me, grabs my leg with his claws and bites HARD, then tears off. I'm always caught off guard, swear loudly and feel a total failure at dealing with an unwanted behavior.
When I'm not really busy, I grab my squirt bottle in one hand and my bag of treats in the other and work on "breaking" this habit of his, and it seems to be working. I walk back and forth - if he attacks, I squirt, when he doesn't, he gets lots of treats, praise and attention.
The problem is A) sometimes I'm busy and can't/don't care to be interrupted by Kamikazes or training a cat, B) I suspect Pig does these things for attention, which he certainly gets, and C) Piglet is focused on his "mission" more than I've ever been able to focus on anything, ever. I know all of these things and I'm still frustrated by my lack of time, patience and failure to understand and remember what cats need.
If feel like I can't cope, how do "average" pet parents deal with pet "problems"? What right do I have to be scornful of pet parents who don't follow my advice, when I don't always follow it myself?
And the sad truth is that many pet parents don't deal with the "problems". Too many "bad" pets are subjected to a lack of training, bad, cruel or outdated training methods, or a quick trip to the pound (or dumped in someone else's front yard. We buy expensive toys, but don't spend time playing with our fur-kids. Dogs are labeled hyperactive, cats are labeled anti-social. Dogs are confined to crates for their crimes, kitties are booted outdoors. And we humans blame them, go on with our lives without regard for the animals WE'VE invited into our homes, and the "superior" species refuses to take responsibility when things go wrong. The animals suffer.
Which brings me to the track on the broken record I seem to be playing lately. When you adopt a pet, you take the good with the bad AND you accept responsibility for spending the time, money and effort to ensure they have what they need - attention, exercise, training, restrictions. You train them to be the pet you want them to be, but accept that they are still dogs, cats, parrots or ferrets.
When I give this little lecture to myself, Pig becomes a little less of a menace and becomes an opportunity to learn, which makes the bites and scratches a little less painful. I remember to perform "random acts of positive reinforcement" (thanks to Deborah Flick), and keep treats stashed around the house just in case. I remember to watch for the signs that a Kamikaze attack is on it's way (spooky-kitty back and tail, poofy hair, wide pupils) and take a defensive posture. I try to avoid causing Pig to go Kamikaze through my own actions - playing too rough or making inciting motions/noises when he's already wound-up. And I keep Piglets nails trimmed - much less painful for everyone.
In other words, I try to remember to be a better pet-parent.
Am I perfect? Hell no! I'm still learning and anticipate I'll be a student for a very, very long time. But I've taken the first step - I've accepted responsibility for my own part in Pig's behavior and for the life I invited into my world. It's what I would advise all pet-parents to do...
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