Dog Person Adopts Kitten, Quickly Discovers Key Difference: 'Help?'

Newsweek

a day ago

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A self-described "dog person" who recently rescued a kitten has taken to Reddit for help with their mischievous new companion.
Redditor u/SnowboardingEgg shared their experience in the subreddit cats, where their post quickly gained 25,000 upvotes.
"Saw this stray rescue pop up on my FB so I picked her up last week. Learned after I brought her into work to show co workers that she's a torti [tortoishell] and apparently they're kinda special in their own way. She is the most cuddly cat I've ever seen, she's attached to my hip," he wrote.
They explained that they had grown up with dogs but, after moving away for a new job and finding themselves without pets to visit, decided to adopt one of their own. While Labradors and Rottweilers were their favorite breeds, they felt a large dog wouldn't be fair in a small apartment with their full-time work schedule.
The new owner's main question to Reddit was: "How can I discipline her when she's in her 'menace' mode?"
They said a coworker had recommended a spray bottle, but while it made her run off, she would quickly return to cuddle before going back to mischief, such as destroying toilet paper or chewing power cables.
While she behaved well when left alone during work hours, but when he comes home, she starts to play up.
They wondered whether time-outs in the bathroom or confining her to a safe room might help teach her not to destroy things.
Amber Batteiger, an animal emergency services and disaster relief expert and PR and communications manager at Embrace Pet Insurance, told Newsweek that tortoiseshells with "tortitude" are "in a league of their own.
"They are super fun, bold, and often chaotic. While not a clinical term, 'tortitude' captures the mix of sass and personality torties can bring into a home.
"Shredding toilet paper and chewing cords aren't signs of a 'bad' cat. They're signs of a smart, curious one who's still adjusting," she said.
A stock image of a tortoiseshell on the edge of pink couch.
A stock image of a tortoiseshell on the edge of pink couch.
Liubov Kaplitskaya/iStock / Getty Images Plus
Batteiger emphasized the "3-3-3 rule" for rescue pets: "about three days for a rescue cat to decompress, three weeks to start learning the household routine, and three months to feel truly at home." Mischief during this time, she said, is often just part of figuring things out.
Instead of punishment, which can damage trust, she recommended redirection and enrichment. Spray bottles, she said, don't teach—they just scare.
Alternatives include wand toys, puzzle feeders, cat trees, cord protectors, and chew-safe items like silvervine sticks. She advised rewarding calm and curious behavior: "She's not trying to be difficult. She is just trying to connect and figure out her surrounding. With patience, play, and a little structure, she'll settle in and become a wonderful companion."
Other Redditors chimed in with their own advice.
"Cats truly don't understand discipline. Really only option is to cat proof as much as possible. And exhaust her with play. Experts recommend adopting kittens in pairs because it can help a bit with the menace mode. They do eventually chill out (well, usually....torties are special!)," said one cat owner.
"They're monsters for certain but completely worth it. My demon calmed down at about six months. She still terrorizes her older brothers, but we redirect her towards toys. They'd last longer if she were dumber, but interactive chase toys have been a life saver. As has Jackson Galaxy's play–feed–bathe–sleep. She'll get used to your routine and settle in except for her torti-tude," wrote another.
Another commenter noted the importance of positive reinforcement: "On the flip side they understand rewards and positive reinforcement very well. The best way to get a cat to stop doing a certain behavior is to disengage, wait a min or two, then redirect their attention to a desired behavior and reward them when they engage in the desired behavior."
Newsweek reached out to u/SnowboardingEgg for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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