So it’s been ages since I’ve taken care of a kitten, and that was our own, so it was different. And I could use some advice for the one I’m caring for on a sit. On the one hand, she’s tons of fun. I knew that I’d need to provide a LOT Of play time, which I’m doing. I play with her using various toys/lures until she is tired and wants to stop or sleep.
But despite all this playtime and petting when she lets me, she is a Tasmanian Devil. She’s into everything, including wanting to be up on the table and touching my food when I try to eat, putting her paws in any glass of liquid I set down, getting up on the counters and walking on the stovetop (eek!), so I have to be vigilant every second and cannot relax. And any time she’s close to me, she wants to attack my hands. NOTE: I do never encourage any cat to consider my hands/fingers as something to attack – I always use a toy or other object for them to interact with. So that’s not the reason.
I don’t mind that she bats at my hands because she does “soft paw” (no claws) but she also tries to bite my fingers constantly which is a real PITA. But she does this whenever I try to sit down or relax for even a few minutes, including when she’s climbed into my lap and is purring and seems to want to cuddle and be petted.
I’ve tried every deterrent for her behaviors that usually works with other cats but nothing discourages her. I have to move her physically and go somewhere else, but then she follows me everywhere.
It’s exhausting! Any ideas?
Advice for kittens? Good luck on that. Personally, I’d consider time with a kitten with begin and end time boundaries as a blessing. It’s not like you’re going to be stuck for the entire 4+years it takes a kitten to become a reasonably sane cat. Yes, kittens are a pita but, on whole, the joy and delight of a kittens’s behavior makes their pita bits a more than fair trade. My only reservation on that is whether the hosts want you to pay extra for taking care of kittens. At that point, it’s a negotiation.
relax in a different room for a while and close the door, you seem to have tried everything else.
We said for fairly new kittens and were so glad there were two of them. While they were lots of fun to play with and loved a cuddle, they also did a lot of wrestling together. All I can say is you will need a rest later 
I had tall cat trees for mine which I adopted when the two were four months old. The cat trees were 6 and 7 feet tall, one put downstairs and one on my 2nd floor. They never wanted to jump on anything else. I understand not everyone will buy 6 and 7 feet cat trees but so many houses I go into have no cat frees or ones shorter than tabletops. Cats like to be up high for safety. They will gravitate to the highest point in the room which may be the stove if there is no other option. When your kitten is on the stove which can be dangerous if on, a firm no and remove the kitten. It’s like having toddlers. I don’t believe in spray bottles but enough nos and removing should work. I love kittens and would love to sit for some but never see that listing.
Unfortunately, there is not much more that you can do to distract the kitten. The kitten really needs another kitten. The behavior you describe is the reason why I, and most rescues, will not adopt a kitten into a home with no other playful pets. Bored kittens get destructive and obnoxious and it is practically impossible for one human to provide the stimulation that they need.
Q I have fostered over 160 cats, mostly kittens, and they dont bother me when they have each other to play with. There are battery-operated toys that will distract the kitten for a while, but probably not for long. Sorry that you are dealing with this.
Have you tried acting like a cat mom? Start hissing and if needed, escalate to growling. Listen first to a real cat doing it (online and without the cat hearing it) and maybe try it (away from the kitten) a few times to get it right. A cat mom would also physically discipline her kitten by a light tap on the head. An overexcited kitten should be calmed down by immobilizing it, holding it softly down on the floor (or wherever it is on). It comes down to check online how cat momma’s do it with their kittens and imitating it. But kittens will always continue to test your boundaries, exactly like human teenagers do. I guess it is part of growing up…
Mark, this is a great idea. The sit is now finished so I can’t try it out, but you’ve reminded me that my spouse used to do something similar with our late cat when she was young and excitable. He would gently hold her head in his hand with the palm over her face and she would calm down. I think it’s similar to how a mother cat will grab a kitten by putting its head in her mouth. And the cat couldn’t bite him when he did this. If I’m around a kitten again, I will try your tips!
I appreciate your deep experience speaking here! I have known other people who adopted a kitten and before long adopted another one for just this reason.
There were three cat trees in the house and one was 6 feet tall. So that wasn’t the issue.
Thanks! I finished this sit yesterday and slept like a dead person last night at home so you are right!
I forgot to add that there was an older cat in the house who was not happy about this new young sibling. And he did hiss at her regularly, sometimes just proactively as he walked by to warn her not to start anything. Yet she still tried to attack and play with him. He was having none of this.
Please write an honest review for the next sitter .