Forget the Christmas tree! That's just asking for trouble.

She's old enough now to be spayed. Why wait? But don't expect behavior changes. I think you just have a wild child, lol.

Have you ever considered a minimalist decor? If not, maybe it is time. LOL! You need to kitten-proof your house! Put all your glass tree ornaments way up high!

Lizzy is so cute! If you hadn't named her after a dinosaur, maybe she wouldn't act like one!

I am so sorry about your parents pitcher but how can you resist that cute kitten?

Goodness, I've never had such a precocious cat. The worst thing mine does is lay in the bathroom sink - always picks DH's sink and he dislikes cats. We have to turn the water on to get him to move!

I would make sure he has enough stimulation somewhere else - although cats are notorious for not playing with what you want them to! Have you thought about getting one of those cat climbing play things? They're covered in carpet but have perches and dangly things for them to play with? They are expensive and not the most decor friendly things, but something like that may use up some of her energy.

I know you live out in the country, have you thought about letting her outside to roam and get some exercise/hunting/mental stimulation?

As a deterrent since you say hissing makes her stop, try the coins in a coke can trick. Shake the can at her whenever she's doing something or on top of something you don't want her on. You have to be persistent and on top of catching her, but maybe that would help.

Natal, this is the first time in my life besides when I was a kid that I can actually put up a nice large tree and the room not be cramped. No way will I leave it in the box. I've been anticipating this since last January! lol

I plan on using a couple of quilts as the tree skirt so if an ornament comes off it will fall on the quilt. I also plan to use the flyswatter on her if she DARES to attack the tree and bulbs.

The vet won't spay her until she's six months old, so she can't be spayed yet. We think she's 4 months old, possibly 5, so I have another month at least, to wait.

Use a spray bottle with water in it. When she does something inappropriate, hiss at her (yes, that's right) and spray her with the bottle once or twice while saying firmly, "No". Make sure the bottle is set to spray a mist rather than a stream because a stream of water could hit her in the eyes and hurt (ask me how I know...bad fur mommy). Another method I've used is after she's done something inappropriate, pick her up and carry her to a "safe place", such as a bathroom or another room where she can't damage anything. We put our wild child, Bitsy, in our master bath/dressing room to calm down. We have a scratching board in there, along with food and water and a litter box. We'll keep her in there for the day until she calms down. Sometimes there are cats that need a "quiet place" to be alone and to calm down. It's like a "time out" for a child but we've found that it works.

Growing up we had some wild cats like Lizzy. Normally after they were fixed they 'matured' and the behavior seemed to mellow out eventually. Hopefully in time she'll do just that.

Six months for spaying, no earlier. Glad to see you're going to do that.

Your kitchen looks beautiful : ) And all the more lovely with Lizzie in the breadbox, lol. Seriously, kittens just have to grow out of it. It takes at least a couple years, but I forget as it's been so long since I've had one that young. You could get her a playmate and they might wrestle all the time, as my boys did : ) Kept the black terror out of trouble ; )

Take your precious items and pack them safely -- or maybe afix them with QuakeTape? Bring the tree out, but no precious ornaments.

Does she have any toys bouncing off doorknobs or chairbacks or anything? Those might keep her attention. She obviously wants to play. I say get another kitten, haha.

Caroleoh, she has a climbing thingy with dangly toys and she loved it for all of two weeks. She has a lot of other toys but she's not playing with them very much.

And yes, she will go outside once she's healed from her spaying. I'm keeping her inside for now for fear that she'll go into heat early and get pregnant. I know that will calm her down. My other two cats stay out at night, and sleep inside all day.

Mrsmarv, I've always done the hissing with my other cats and it worked great! It scares Lizzie for a few seconds. lol. I'll definitely get out my spray bottle though.

Maybe I'll call the vet next week and see if he could do it earlier? ;)

Spray bottles and aluminum foil laid on countertops and anywhere else you don't want her to be. Not pretty, but it may get the point across. Nix the flyswatter!

We had one of those Keebler elf trees. Hanna & Artie loved it! After a couple years gave it to someone in kitty rescue.

You may want to talk to Aunt Jen about kitties and Christmas trees. ;)

Spaying before sexual maturity is a common recommendation now. The ASPCA even suggests the operation as early as eight weeks.

Here is a link that might be useful: from UCDavis (one of the top vet schools in the country) ... spaying/neutering

I know our pup was recommended to be spayed before six months, before ever going into heat. This helps cut down on the risk of uterine cancer. Not sure it if is the same in cats.

Don't hit your pets! Whoever mentioned the water in the spray bottle is dead on. You've allowed Lizzie to get on the counters, etc. and she thinks she's allowed into the other spaces.

Brand new *vintage*??

1. Florist Wire

2. Hot Glue Gun

3. Quake Hold

Solved most of my problems with our own 'Wild Child' kitty.

Remove the caps of your ornies and add a drop of hot glue, replace the cap.
Once dry, hang on tree and secure with an inch of florist wire instead of the metal hangers that one normally hangs their ornies.

Quake Hold has saved us tons of money not to mention the sentimental value of many things in our home.

Knead some Quake Hold between your fingers until it's really soft.
Put a little ball of Quake Hold on several areas on the bottom of vases, pitchers, etc.
Place your item on the shelf and press down gently.

Our 14.5 lb. D.D. (Dumpster Diva) hasn't knocked over anything since adding Quake Hold to shelf items and hasn't knocked a single ornie off the Christmas Tree.

Your Kitty is sure a cutie and has that look.... "Hmmmm, What can I get into next?"
Just adorable!

You may want to talk to Aunt Jen about kitties and Christmas trees. ;)

Or ... not. I've completely given up on Christmas trees since my bratty bunch simply will not leave them alone. It's just not worth the constant worry (and clean-up), IMO.

Mine have loads of toys, but what do they want with those things, when my "toys" are so much better than theirs? ;-)

I don't know what to tell you about curbing this little imp's behavior. Some kitties are just extra precocious. She likely will settle down as she ages, but in the meantime you're probably just going to have to pack away your treasured breakables and keep things as kitty-proof as possible.

I wholeheartedly agree with those who have said that it's never ok to hit your pet. I've known people who have thought it's ok to "swat them on the butt", when what they're actually doing is inflicting a blow to the animal's spine. Hitting with any object damages an animal physically and psychologically.

Lots of good ideas here, Oakley. My wild child Buddy (feral/rescue) finally calmed down after he was a year old. He was neutered at six months, but my friends tell me that their vets are neutering their kitties sooner. I'm sorry your kitty has caused such grief, but just remember that they're dumb animals that get bored sometimes and have to make their own adventures.

There are serious health risks associated with neutering very young animals. Their bodies, overall, are not fully developed yet.

Personally, I don't think it's ever a good idea to interrupt a natural process like that, before it gets to do its thing and at least reach a good level of maturity. Not to mention the other developing organs that are affected.

Immature behaviors can stick, too.

Do your research. It's still a personal decision, even though it's permitted these days.

I've honestly never heard to wait until a kitty reaches six months of age before neutering. I always just thought the sooner, the better.

My cats are too old for such antics now, but ...

I had trouble with cats attacking fake trees, but not real ones. I didn't use glass ornaments when they were kittens, because they turned the tree over so often.

I'm another fan of water bottles. I even had one cat that hated being sprayed so much that my hand squirting an imaginary water bottle worked!

It was always 6 months (or, after first heat, I think). I don't know when the thinking started to change. Maybe when the anesthetics became safer. I always seem to take in older animals, so it's never been an issue around here. But, if I did have a youngster to think about, I would still spay at the traditional age and not so early. Just seems like common sense to me (whatever the big 'they' says).

Squirrel, a lot of things have changed in the past 20 years.

The ASPCA recommends doing it before 4 months.

Here is a link that might be useful: early spay/neuter

It's a personal choice, Natal. Apparently everyone doesn't agree. Curious why you are promoting it.

From Natal's link: ... current research does show that spaying before the first heat prevents the development of mammary gland tumors. Since females can go into heat as young as four months of age, they should be spayed before then to receive that protection.

A number of years ago I had a dog that was not spayed early on, and she developed a mammary gland tumor. She was treated and did recover to live several more years, but believe me, that is not something you want to risk putting an animal through. Of course, until that happened to my dog, I had no idea that there was any correlation whatseover between the timing of spaying and tumors.

I'm calling the vet on Friday to see if I can get her in. We found her in July, so that puts her at a good 5 months old, and she's a good size & is chomping at the bit to go out with the other two cats.

The kitten we rescued last year (a true feral, Lizzie seemed tamed, as if someone dumped her), she went into heat at 4 or 5 months, and she was tiny. Drove me up the wall. Then I had to wait a week to make sure she was out of heat, and she went back in heat AGAIN. So I think Miss Lizzy will get done next week, I hope.

Squirrel, I have three cats now, she and Rex (the feral) romp around like two year olds every morning.

Yes tina, "brand new vintage".

AJ, it would appear that 5-7 months is within the period that's early enough to circumvent the possibility of late-spay mammary tumors (see first paragraph, below, from the linked site).

I don't like anesthesia (or surgery) under the best of circumstances, moreless on a baby. And I don't see what the real benefit is, other than some sort of convenience for the owners/breeders to do it very early. To each his own.

Reminds me of the pounding of young race horses on the tracks, before their legs are fully developed. They become cripples when older. Something I've seen first hand, having cared for one.

"In Australia and throughout much of the world, it has always been recommended that female cats be neutered at around 5-7 months of age and older (as far as the "older" goes, the closer to the 5-7 months of age mark the better - there is less chance of your female cat becoming pregnant or developing a ovarian or uterine disorder or a hormone-mediated medical condition if she is desexed at a younger age). In addition to this, it has always been stated that it is best if the cat is desexed prior to the onset of its first season as this will potentially reduce the risks of the animal developing mammary cancer in the future.

Some other info (from the linked site):

"The Debate:

Whether this 5-7 month age specification for general anaesthesia and desexing is valid nowadays (2008 onwards), however, is much less clear and is currently the subject of debate. "

"When asked by owners why it is that a cat needs to wait until 5-7 months of age to be desexed, most veterinarians will simply say that it is much safer for them to wait until this age before undergoing a general anaesthetic procedure. The theory is that the liver and kidneys of very young animals are much less mature than those of older animals and therefore less capable of tolerating the effects of anaesthetic drugs and less effective at metabolizing them and breaking them down and excreting them from the body. Younger animals are therefore expected to have prolonged recovery times and an increased risk of suffering from severe side effects, in particular liver and kidney damage, as a result of general anaesthesia. Consequently, many vets will choose not to anesthetize a young kitten until at least 5 months of age for an elective procedure such as neutering. "

Here is a link that might be useful: Info on the Current Debate

Squirrel, I'm simply sharing info on what is now a common, safe practice. I'm not "promoting", I don't have an agenda, and I'm not a vet trying to drum up business.

Personally, I prefer to get my information from legitimate sources. Have you read the disclaimer on the site you linked?

Here is a link that might be useful: disclaimer

Natal, if many vets are still saying not to spay or neuter before six months, then I don't think it's a common practice.
Anyway, I really don't want to debate spaying in this topic if that's okay. :)

Amity, I'm going to check into Quake Hold. Will it peel paint off furniture? And how sturdy is it if a cat bats at an object to knock it down? lol

Case in point, lol.

P.S. It was written by a vet. I don't think he made everything up.

And in case you've never noticed, Natal, there's a long history of things being "safe." Until they discover it isn't. Happens a whole lot with medical.

Note from the doc at the end of his article:

"Please note:
the desexing information provided on this page contains general recommendations and medical advice only. The information provided is based on published information; relevant veterinary literature and publications and my own experience as a practicing veterinarian. The advice given is appropriate to the vast majority of pet owners, however, owners with pets should take it upon themselves to ask their own veterinarian for further advice on animal sterilisation. Owners with specific circumstances (breeding cats, showing cats, stud cats, breeding businesses, those whose cats have hormone-mediated medical or behavioural issues, those seeking to control estrus artificially in breeding/showing queens etc.) should ask their vet what the safest and most effective protocol is for their situation. "

It was written by someone who uses Dr. in their name, not DVM.

Always consider:

Site Ownership
Who is the site's owner or producer? Do you recognize the name? Are they reputable?

Currency
How often is the site updated or revised?

Audience
Who are the primary users or target audience?

Perspective
Is there a bias or unbalanced orientation? Is the goal to educate, sell products, or promote an opinion?

Content
Is the content informative, timely, well balanced, documented (e.g., sources of information are given), and accurate?

Authorship of Content
Are the authors' credentials known (e.g., DVM)?

Overall Quality
Are there any obvious or known errors, faults, or inconsistencies?

Style
Is the site user-friendly and attractive? Is it easy to follow? Is there a built-in "search" feature?

Organization
Is the site well organized?

Stability
Is it a reliable and established site?

source: Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Here is a link that might be useful: Animal Health Resources Web Sites

Well, duh.

He said he's a practicing veterinarian. I see nothing about the site to make me think it's bogus.

Leave me alone. That is your agenda.

Looks like the doc has another website.

Here is a link that might be useful: stickers?

She's a kitten. Get her a cardboard box to run in/out of. Also paper grocery bags. Give her new "toys" every few days and expect her to make toys of her own from household objects. She'll get better with age. They all do. (Sorry about the breakage today.)

I would skip the tree this year. Not what you want to hear, but what I've always done myself. We had a puppy last Christmas, so no tree. I've learned over the years what my cats will leave alone and never buy or replace something they would tear up.

As far as spaying/neutering, I've had so many pets and have always spayed/neutered at 6 months. Almost to the day. I've never had one go into heat before 6 months.

I have one male cat left (have lost 4 in the past 2 years). He was adopted from a vet office. Neutered at 2 months, before I adopted him. Otherwise, I would have waited. No problems with him (so far), at 5 years old.

I don't know why you're trying to discredit the doc and bicker with me, Natal. It's an open debate. Look around.

Hey now ... The important thing is that you get your pet neutered. Do it when you feel it's most appropriate based upon your own understanding, but the bottom line is - JUST DO IT!

:-)

Yup, pretty much what I had said. Do your research. It's a personal choice.

Squirrel, I'm not bickering. My opinion differs from yours. Is it asking too much to have a discussion as adults?

Thanks Natal for clearing that up - I was thinking ovarian cancer, but it was breast/mammary cancer. I just remember our vet recommending we have the spaying done before she went into heat. Best I remember, she was pretty close to 6 months. It's a pretty fine line - waiting till they are old enough and trying to beat the first heat. I can't remember how much doing it before heat is supposed to reduce the risk, but it was a pretty good percentage.

tina

That is surely bickering, Natal. Oakley's own vet said no sooner than six months, yet you continue to insist that the info I linked is published by a bogus vet, on a bogus debate, and my personal opinion antiquated and invalid, by about 20 years.

I have no issue with a difference of opinion. I said it is a personal decision, requiring research. You keep coming back at me with discrediting posts.

Unless Oakley wants to look for another licensed DVM/VMD, it's six months for Lizzie.

What a cutie! Sorry to be late to the discussion.

In case you can't find Quake Hold, try MoreTite rope caulk. That's what they use in the theater to hold stuff where it's supposed to go.

Christmas tree? Um, I would skip it the first year. Our first cat, at 9 months, ate the needles and perforated her intestine. Huge vet bill. Second set of cats were also 9 months. They thought the tree was some sort of giant cat toy. Batted off and broke many vintage glass balls. Thank goodness that batch had the sense not to eat anything, but we ended up with all the ornaments within 6 inches of the top of the tree.

Second year around, for all three cats, the tree met with near-total indifference. Maybe one low-hanging ornament batted off.

The cats have actually been a big influence on our decorating style. We're not very knick-knacky because ours were very rambunctious as young cats and it was easier not to have cute little fragile things rather than have them get broken. One of our cats has executed three alarm clocks! Best of luck with Lizzie. She looks like a great lap cat!

Have you considered using a Scat Mat to prevent your cat from approaching the Christmas tree? You can even put it on top of your kitchen counters or furniture. We had one that we placed in the doorway to the dining room to kept the dog from standing in the window and barking at the kids walking to the bus stop. We placed it on top of the sofa to help remind him to stay off the couch. After a while we wouldn't even plug it in- all he had to do was see it and he'd avoid the furniture.

Here is a link that might be useful: Scat Mat

I'm definitely going to check into the scat mat. I will put up my tree darnit! lol. I've had kittens forever, and none of them have ever played with the tree before. But I know Lizzie will except I'm going to have a plan this time. What, I don't know. :)

Natal, I'm just going to say it. You have a tendency to come into every topic and lecture and start arguments. You even bring "dead" topics back to the first page just to get the bickering going. Can you please just let up on people and stop insisting on having the last word?

Sorry everyone, someone needed to say it. :(

oakleyok- if you do use a Scat mt just remember not to walk on it without shoes! Ask me how I know that- LOL. And my teenage son forgot it was on the couch and sat ont it- he jumped right up. It's not that it's so painful, it's more of a sudden surprise shock.

From experience one thing that you may NOT want to try is Catnip Video. I picked up a copy thinking it might calm one of our crazy cats down by having something to chase on TV.

My bad.

You see the TV was against a wall where the back staircase was that led up to my parents bedroom. Well one of the birds flew off screen in the direction of the staircase (of course the bird was on TV but the cat didn't know that) and the cat dove off of the bench that we would set up for the cats in front of the TV and ran up the staircase behind the TV. There was so much crashing around throughout the upstairs as the cat made her way from the back part of the house to the front chasing after the TV bird. She finally came running down the front staircase and took her place on the bench right alongside the other cats. Every time a bird flew off screen the cat would do that.

My mom actually has a picture somewhere of the cats all lined up on their bench watching Catnip Video.

We would spend so much time laughing hysterically watching the cats watch the TV and the one nut case that would run upstairs about 10 times per viewing!

LOL! Oh, I would love to see that crazy cat in action! Cats watching tv crack me up -- I've got one that seems to like watching hockey, of all things!

Let me introduce you to Kitty Pop. He's a neutered silver tabby. He's almost 3. He has not calmed down one bit.

Every night, I mean EVERY NIGHT we hear something crash, and Pop is behind it. He's gotten in cahoots with the dogs and climbs up to the shelf where the dog treats are, he knocks them down, the dogs tear the package open and Pop gets some too.

He is a Christmas tree freak. He could care less about the ornaments, he wants to climb the tree. We have to tie it up so it won't fall over because he will climb it constantly. His favorite holiday ornament is a plastic apple. I had some sitting in a decorative sled, he pulled them all out, one at a time, and batted them all around the house. I discovered one this summer that he'd knocked under some furniture and he came running and played with it until he lost it again.

He climbs the screen doors to stare at the squirrels on the deck.

We got him a companion, Norman, last year to help him calm down. Now Norman is fat & lazy and Pop is still climbing the walls.

Don't mean to frighten you...just sayin....

When we put up our Christmas Tree, my husband put the tree snuggly into the stand and screwed the stand to a base so it wouldnt tip over.

The kitten was a happy camper.

Speaking of Kitties and Christmas Trees, I'm sure lots of you have already seen this but every
time I see it, I'm smiling all over again so thought I'd share.

Awwwww...Shaun, that's toooo cute!

Oakley, you think YOU have problems? LOL
Check out the link. LOL

Here is a link that might be useful: Iris and Fern

I had a problem with a cat using the corner of the living room for a litter box. After replacing the carpet and installing hardwood, I thought the problem was solved. But no. I heard some scratching noise on the hardwood and went to investigate and found a rather unpleasant pile.

What I found to solve the problem is called SSSCat. It is about the size of a hairspray can and the top contains a motion sensor. When the cat walks by it blasts a spray of air. I put one in each of the 2 corners the offenses were occurring. One blast was all it took. That cat will not set foot in the room again.

you can use it on counters, furniture, rooms you want to keep the cat out of. I wish I knew about this when I still had some nice Christmas ornaments :(

Here is the product description:

Product Description
Scat the gentle way to protect off-limit areas. Stop cats from roaming freely throughout the house. This unique spray deterrent system uses an adjustable motion sensor to detect a cat's movement within three feet of a designated area. Once the cat has been identified, the system is capable of delivering either an audible warning or combining tone and a burst of compressed air. Package includes motion sensor device, adjustable spray nozzle, compressed air spray and instruction guide.

You can buy it online at Petco or Amazon.

I wish I had known about this years ago !!!!!