Poorly weaned kitten – aggressive, hyperactive and bitey. What should we do?

Actually, I highly doubt that’s it—we live on the first floor and don't have a balcony. The windows are quite high up and look out over rooftops where no cats ever go. Chelsea looks out of the window now and then, but we’ve never seen any other cats, and even if there were, I don’t think she’d be able to see them from that far away anyway.

I must admit, we’re trying to get to the bottom of it, but we’re a bit stumped. She doesn’t seem distressed at all; we play with her and change her litter regularly. We’ve even set up two trays, which are cleaned and have any poo or pee scooped out two or three times a day.

The thing that gets me is that she pees on the sofa and then 'scratches' at it as if she's trying to bury it. If we catch her just before she starts and call her in a 'stern' voice to let her know we've spotted her, she leaps off the sofa and goes straight to her litter tray... That’s why I’ve got this idea that she’s doing it on purpose for some reason, as she obviously knows where she’s supposed to go when we stop her in time. So, I’m not really sure what to think. I’ve been on loads of forums and read all sorts, and the general consensus is that this kind of peeing is a sign of unhappiness, but I honestly find that hard to believe. She always does it when we’re in the flat, or even right next to her. (When we’re out, she doesn’t do a thing, not even a bit of mischief...)

Anyway, it’s a mystery that we’re hoping to solve because we’re getting a bit fed up with washing the sofa every day (it’s a sofa bed, so it has a removable cover, which is handy, but still a real pain...)

Could you have a look around the local area to see if you can spot another cat hanging about?

In the spot where he’s peeing, is there a window nearby or a patio door where he might be able to see a cat passing by?

We’re feeding her Hill's kitten dry food. The lady we got her from never got back to us and refused to take her back when we told her she was peeing outside her tray (she clearly doesn't have a clue and just wanted to get rid of the kittens as quickly as possible, since she has a 6-month-old baby herself).

After trying a few different things, we’ve started using a water spray bottle. I wasn't a fan of the idea at first, but our kitten Chelsea doesn't really react to noise or a firm "no" (she hears it, calms down for two seconds, and then goes right back to it). We only spray her for things like biting or when she tries to steal food off our plates.

She has calmed down quite a bit lately; you can tell she's growing up.

However, she keeps peeing on the sofa, always in the same spot, even though she has two litter trays which she does use as well. It’s always when we're around, as if she’s playing or marking her territory (even though she's a girl). Obviously, we’ve cleaned it and re-cleaned it, used vinegar, pepper, and so on. She’ll do it one day, then we keep a very close eye on her and she won’t do it for 3 or 4 days, and then she’s right back at it again.

We’re trying to understand her, but I have to admit I’ve got no idea why she’s doing this.

This might end up causing more confusion than anything else, but just to show that it’s possible:

https://wamiz.com/chats/siberien-9/forum/conditionner-un-chat-59416.html

She’ll always be like this because she hasn't been weaned properly. There’s a reason people say you should wait until they’re 3 months old before adopting. She still needs her mum. So, if I were you, I’d take her back as soon as possible and wait the full 3 months.

Didn’t the lady who gave you the kitten know about the weaning period? And didn’t you do any research? Well, it’s done now. But if I were you, I’d just try to be patient and wait until she's properly weaned.

What are you feeding her?

I have a cat I adopted from a rescue centre who was very aggressive, but she hasn't been like that since she’s had a sister. I don’t know what her past was like, but getting a second cat could be the solution further down the line—once she’s been spayed and is fully weaned, it would be really good for you.

That’s exactly why you should try to get them back with their mum.

Regarding a second kitten, if you’re seriously considering it, I think things could go really well after a bit of a settling-in period. Kittens stay very playful for the whole of their first year (and sometimes longer... I’ve got a big lad of two-and-a-bit at home, he’s pure joy 😁) and they could really complement each other. I’d suggest a male, but you’ll need to be careful about neutering (we have a brother and sister at home, both neutered at 5 months old; the vet told us what signs to look out for regarding the male hitting puberty, just in case we had to get him done sooner).