We adopted a couple of new kittens a couple of years back after their predecessors in interest went to that great scratching post in the sky, and they constantly lurked by the door to the garage, which scared the heck out of me because I did not want them to get out. Out vet recommended the water spray bottle, and that did a good job of curing the behavior without affecting any of their other endearing qualities. That spot just became a no-go zone. Might try something along those lines.
I’ve had cats my whole life. Last May we adopted two kitten sisters from our local shelter. We call them “the crazies”. They absolutely love each other. So much playing going on in our house!
One really loves her wet food. The other really loves bites of the cooked chicken breast we make for our 14 year old dog (we put his daily heart medicine in his chicken portion).
I have changed how I feed these sisters opposed to all my previous cats. I researched this alot. First, they definitely need moisture for their urinary system, so wet food is great twice a day. I only buy Wellness brand wet food. Second, they need dry food too. They also need some grain in their food (grain-free is not good for them). I mix equal portions of Hills Science Diet Kitten food (for grain) and Wellness Dry Kitten food (which has great ingredients including chicken and cranberries). They love it. If I had your kitten I would consider getting him a little kitten brother or sister. Hopefully if they like each other you will see constant playing. I would also suggest getting him one of the dry food feeders and fill it with an equal mixture of the two dry foods above (the good stuff) so he always has food available and you know it’s good food for him.
We adopt dogs. Always adopt in pairs so that they can experience both the animal world & the human world. Fascinating to watch them play together.
Please do not surrender your recently adopted pet as it is likely to be a traumatic experience for your kitten.
@Publisher , I would never, not ever give this little guy back. My post was asking for help, but I cannot imagine giving him back unless he was psychotic and you know, developed tool use and tried to stab us or something. But even then, I would probably keep him. He is that cute.
I agree with @sdl0625 about trying to add another kitten. I think with young kittens, there isn’t really a risk of them not liking each other, as happens with adult cats when you introduce a new kitten or cat. A shelter should be able to address this concern, and pair you up with a kitten that loves to play (and would have a return policy if it didn’t work out).
Plus your dog will have more fun herding two cats 
(Coming from someone who adopted two kittens, then years later got a dog with herding instincts)
Thanks to your suggestions, I am looking up puzzle feeders. Are there any in particular that you recommend?
I have a couple from this company https://www.nina-ottosson.com/products/great-for-cats/ for my dogs. They’re clever and well made (the toys, the dogs too I suppose). I like plastic, it just seems cleaner than the wood.
Also used slow feeder bowls like this https://www.chewy.com/outward-hound-fun-feeder-interactive/dp/113711 but one of my dogs was insulted.
Brain damage? Get a CT scan (eg a CAT scan).
I agree with another kitten. Kittens spend their entire day playing with one another, so I’m guessing he’s just bored.
I think you’ve gotten some good suggestions - but maybe this is is just his personality? Maybe he’s not bored or hungry; maybe he’s just impish.
I never understood people who say things like “oh, cats are too aloof” or “cats are too unfriendly.” Cats have different personalities just like dogs (and people). We’ve always had cats and their personalities have varied greatly.
Currently we have one who is very needy (and knead-y) and who will only calm down if I sing “Good King Wenceslas” to her. Her litter mate is much calmer but he does hide our mail in the basement…a little like your new cats and his kitten hockey.
@scout59 : Are you familiar with the old joke differentiating dogs from cats ?
Essentially:
When a dog is fed, housed & treated well by its owner, the dog thinks “He/She must be God.”
When a cat is fed, housed & treated well by its owner, the cat thinks “I must be God”.
I volunteer at a cat shelter - which can be heartbreaking but also very rewarding. I agree with all of this great advice, but also agree that this just may be who this little guy is! Cats that have rough beginnings with not enough food and love can really overcompensate - I see it all the time.
He does sound adorable!
What memories! I had a relatively small cat who could levitate herself from the floor to the top of my apartment refrigerator without having to stop at the kitchen counter. When I went to grad school and she had to move in with my parents, my mom cleared off the top of one of the kitchen cabinets for her. In two bounces (kitchen counter, then cabinet) she was in her favored spot for supervising all family activities.
“Cats that have rough beginnings with not enough food and love can really overcompensate - I see it all the time.”
Ditto. We have a white cat (in addition to the avatars) who was rescued from a cat hoarder’s house. She was the runt of the last litter and about the size of a tennis ball… but boy did she eat!!! It actually worked to her advantage occasionally. After we got her, she developed some infection and was not looking like she would last long, but her appetite did not suffer. She recovered from the brink in no time! She is now 11 and weighs about 16 pounds. Can’t jump on the counters but can still scale the cat tree and lounge on soft furniture. We have always limited her food intake and monitored what she eats, but she is what she is.
I am loving your cat stories! We are also seriously considering getting another kitten for our little marauder to play with.
He is from a feral colony on an island off the coast of Maine. They have a TNR policy toward the adult cats, but there are still some intact cats out there who keep making more kittens. I’m sure our little guy struggled for the first month or two until he was captured and brought to the shelter.
^^Awww…
My avatars came from a dumpster. Literally! Best cats ever.
My black cat in my avatar was adopted at 8 weeks along with her sister. Both girls are larger cats. My black one weighs 16 pounds, but at 3 years old she can jump on counters and anywhere she wants to. We limit her food and feed her away from her sister. I have small squirt bottles of water around the house that work well to keep both kitties from doing stuff they shouldn’t be doing.
We also use a squirt bottle for our one cat - never even have to squirt it; just showing it to him works.
We have an 10yr old neutered male cat who is somewhat timid/aloof/anxious. He is part tabby/part siamese. A few months ago we adopted a lost calico kitten. The kitten had been rescued by D’s friend a couple weeks before we got her. Still, she was skinny and needy. This now-teenage kitten acts so desperate for food of any kind. She tears into loaves of bread, bags of bagels, etc. We have to keep everything in the fridge or cabinet now. (Our older cat only likes meat and fish.) Though they eat at the same time, I have to feed the kitten first. Still, she’ll go to the older cat’s food and push in to steal it–while she still has food on her plate. The one word to describe her is “bold.” Her name is Fiona, but I usually call her Fi-NO-na because she is always getting on the table, counters, etc. (Yes, we have spray bottles for this.) She even goes after the vacuum cleaner while I’m vacuuming and investigates strangers who come in the door. (Our older cat cowers, hides under the bed.) They do wrestle and play together, but when the old man has had enough, he starts to growl and hiss. She is very friendly and loves to cuddle up, sit on my lap. Our old cat is jealous and will sit at my feet and growl at her, but she won’t leave. Right now they are curled up sleeping next to each other on the couch–very surprising! Old man actually curled up next to the kitten! I think they are used to each other now. My sister has a similar pair, though her older cat is the female calico. Kitten is male, crazy, dominates and attacks the older cat, climbs and jumps like mad. She definitely had more work getting those two to get along.
Funny stories about cats getting into their humans’ food.
My cat is 17 and has never shown any interest in our food. I’ve even offered her salmon and chicken before and she turns her nose up at it. The only people food she has ever accepted was canned tuna, because it’s most like her wet food.
Growing up, we had a cat who would eat anything (and so he was named Renfield). He would steal a Cheeto out of your hand if you weren’t watching. Bugs, lizards, mice of course, Doritos, whatever he could get his paws on was fair game.