Kittens are well known to get into all kinds of mischief! Although this can seem quite adorable, this can also lead to some relatively naughty actions on the part of your kitten. 

Before you react to any kind of mischievous kitten behavior, do not scream or yell at your kitten. Instead, count to 10 and try to calm down first and then firmly, but gently, take hold of your kitten, say “No” in a firm clear voice and put the kitty down on her bed.  Your next step should be trying to identify why your kitten has gotten into this particular mischief – is she bored, did it offer too much temptation, or is she practicing her hunting skills.

In most situations it is actually a mixture of boredom and practicing of hunting skills that usually lands a kitten into hot water.  The boredom leads her to find things like trailing plants, or apples that roll, and these things tempt her to become playfully mischievous.  A cat loves to hunt however, and so occasionally she will “kill” the odd cushion! 

You can curb your kitten’s boredom by buying a few cat toys. This will also aid in teaching your kitten what is acceptable to play with and what’s not.  Give your kitten a soft ball to play with – kittens love something soft that they can bat around the floor with.  A ball made out of scrunched up newspaper is another good way of getting your kitten to play – but make sure that you scrunch it quietly because loud noises will probably scare her away.  Any toy that has been filled with catnip is destined to keep her amused for hours, but often the most entertaining of all is a box with large holes cut into it that she can jump in and out of. 

A kitten getting up to mischief can often be frustrating, but given the right toys, she’ll not only entertain herself, but she’ll also keep you entertained watching the antics that she gets up too.  Remember, your cat is not intending to be naughty when she does something that she shouldn’t; it is just that she is bored and needs some to stimulate her mind.