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CagedLiberty posted:After wanting a cat my entire life, my fiance and I have reserved two jet-black kittens (sisters) at a local shelter. The litter of six and their mum were all rescued together from a house that was overcrowded with cats, but they're healthy and happy thankfully. We should get them within the next ten days hopefully because we're just waiting for someone to come out and do a home check on us. Very excited, and have read this whole thread so far as a start. Kinda late but I got kittens recently so I thought I'd throw in my two cents on my experience. It is pretty normal for kitties to be freaked out by the moving/adopting experience. They are taken from what they think of as home, brought to a strange place by strange people . . . they can understandably be a little scared at first. It's usually easier to confine them to a small room at first for a few reasons. Firstly, a small room all to themselves makes the acclimation process faster for the kitties because it doesn't take as long to stake out a small, quiet room. Also, if you choose the room correctly, you will rob them of places to hide and avoid you should they be feeling shy when they get home. This sounds kind of mean but lack of good hiding spots forces them to realize that they are in an awesome new place with really nice people that love them! My kitties were originally feral cats and are probably much more shy than yours, and even they took only a few days before they wanted to get out and explore. So I guess that if I were you, I'd shut them up in a spare room or bathroom or something for at least the first night. If they are cool with the whole move and don't seem too freaked out, then you can probably just let them out whenever they are ready. I just figure that it's likely more prudent to keep on the safe side rather than have them spend the first few days hiding under the bed or whatever. Also make sure that, if you do this, leave at the very least their litter box in the same place for awhile. If you move it when you let them out of their room then they may get lost trying to find it again.
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Sep 28, 2009 23:47
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Lawen posted:Any first hand accounts of how well Soft Paws work? I searched the thread and while the general consensus seems positive, I'm not seeing any "I use them and they are great!" posts. Our kitties really like destroying area rugs (but have zero interest in any of the several scratching posts I've brought home) and it's getting expensive to replace them. All three of my cats are pretty comfortable with letting us clip their claws, so I don't expect too much problem getting Soft Paws on, I really just want to hear someone say "They work well, the cats don't hate them, and they're more convenient than clipping claws every week." I absolutely LOVE soft paws! I have two cats who both wear them. My older, more crotchety ladycat meows as if I'm torturing her the whole time I hold her down to put them on. Definitely need two people (a holder and an applier) for a cat like that. But I also have a 7 month old kitten who's had them put on since ~2 months, so he's used to it and doesn't complain or struggle at all. I like to use latex gloves to apply them, because the super glue can be messy and tends to get stuck to my fingers, which I hate, but it's really not necessary. Make sure to watch your cat right after you put them on, they tend to chew on them at first and it takes about 5mins for the glue to harden completely.
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Sep 29, 2009 02:57
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When do kittens tend to break out of the "ATTACK loving EVERYTHING" mode, usually? The new kitten in the house hasn't really learned that faces, electrical cords, and the tail of the 20-pound Maine Coon in the house aren't exactly play toys yet.
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Sep 29, 2009 14:10
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Thanks for the Soft Paws answers, sounds like a good way to go. Ordering some now, I'll try to remember to come back and post my experiences with them later.
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Sep 29, 2009 14:46
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HondaCivet posted:Kinda late but I got kittens recently so I thought I'd throw in my two cents on my experience. Thanks for the reply. Home visitor lady is coming tomorrow to check us out, I feel sick with excitement/nerves! If we pass should be able to pick them up this weekend.
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Sep 29, 2009 15:36
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CraigK posted:When do kittens tend to break out of the "ATTACK loving EVERYTHING" mode, usually? I wouldn't hold my breath for that phase to end, it lasts well into adulthood for many cats. There's not much you can do besides kitten-proof the house and yelp when he attacks you to let him know it hurts. Wearing him out with some long play sessions might help a little but the fact is that kittens are assholes. Kittens do well in pairs/groups because they are little dicks to each other moreso than to you. Is the older cat too old/fat/lazy to play with him?
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Sep 29, 2009 21:02
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edit: just made a thread, nvm
overshottoast fucked around with this message at 08:18 on Sep 30, 2009 |
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Sep 30, 2009 08:08
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CraigK posted:When do kittens tend to break out of the "ATTACK loving EVERYTHING" mode, usually? I wouldn't worry about the Maine Coon... 
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Sep 30, 2009 12:34
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CraigK posted:When do kittens tend to break out of the "ATTACK loving EVERYTHING" mode, usually? My 7 month old kittens have just recently showed some restraint. It used to be if I made the feather on a string toy move, they'd be all over it. In the last week, they've displayed some restraint by watching it for a second or two, and then pouncing on it with thought. I still get face walked on while I sleep, but it significantly decreased around the 5 1/2 - 6 month mark. My 9 year old cat still goes after the 12 year old cat's tail. Tails are delicious, and cannot be ignored.
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Sep 30, 2009 14:42
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My girlfriend's two year old cat does thing sneezing/coughing thing almost every night. It's loud enough to wake us up. She makes a choking noise for about 20 seconds and then she's done. Nothing comes out (puke/hairball), but it sounds somewhat violent. Here's a video of her doing it. Can anyone tell me what the hell she's doing? plasticbugs fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Sep 30, 2009 |
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Sep 30, 2009 23:24
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plasticbugs posted:My girlfriend's two year old cat does thing sneezing/coughing thing almost every night. It's loud enough to wake us up. She makes a choking noise for about 20 seconds and then she's done. Nothing comes out (puke/hairball), but it sounds somewhat violent. Sounds like a hairball to me, even if she's not managing to hack it up. With fur that long it's even more likely.
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Oct 1, 2009 00:22
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plasticbugs posted:My girlfriend's two year old cat does thing sneezing/coughing thing almost every night. It's loud enough to wake us up. She makes a choking noise for about 20 seconds and then she's done. Nothing comes out (puke/hairball), but it sounds somewhat violent. She's coughing, and you should take her to the vet. A lot of the time, when a cat does this and does NOT produce a hairball, it's a symptom of feline asthma. Not necessarily the case, but I would definitely suggest a vet visit so that they can at least listen to her breathe - because I don't think they can detect asthma unless she has an attack while she's there.
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Oct 1, 2009 01:14
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quote:She's coughing, and you should take her to the vet. A lot of the time, when a cat does this and does NOT produce a hairball, it's a symptom of feline asthma. She's been to the vet a few times for shots and bloodwork and checked out fine. She never had a coughing fit while she was there, though. I'll have my girlfriend give her vet a call. Thanks for the info. plasticbugs fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Oct 1, 2009 |
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Oct 1, 2009 02:08
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I have sort of a general cat question from watching my little guys have their kitten fights. Why is it cats do that butt wiggle before they pounce? Is it like a balance thing?
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Oct 1, 2009 05:16
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OatmealRaisin posted:I have sort of a general cat question from watching my little guys have their kitten fights. Why is it cats do that butt wiggle before they pounce? Is it like a balance thing? It might be a traction thing. I'm only guessing, but maybe predators like to make sure their back paws are firmly planted before they make that devastating leap and attack.
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Oct 1, 2009 08:14
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OatmealRaisin posted:I have sort of a general cat question from watching my little guys have their kitten fights. Why is it cats do that butt wiggle before they pounce? Is it like a balance thing? They do it because they know we'll be all  as we watch them act like a vicious jungle beast. I'm sure of it.
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Oct 1, 2009 13:20
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I was approved after my home visit by the shelter and I'm going to pick up my two kitties on Saturday, I can't wait! We have started to leave the toilet seat down now to get into the habit.
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Oct 1, 2009 13:31
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Has anyone ever adopted a cat that they found on the street? I ask this since my girlfriend brought one home at 1 AM last night. I think he's someone's indoor cat that got lost (he's quite clean and has a bell around his neck), but now I have a cat of mysterious origins sleeping on my couch. I contacted the police and animal control where she found him, but I doubt I'll hear anything. Is it a completely insane idea to keep him? IDemandSatisfaction fucked around with this message at 16:21 on Oct 1, 2009 |
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Oct 1, 2009 16:05
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IDemandSatisfaction posted:Has anyone ever adopted a cat that they found on the street? You should at least take it to get scanned for a microchip. Personally I'd also put up fliers in the area with a description to try to find the owner. It's one thing to keep a stray, but keeping a cat that obviously belongs to someone else without looking for the owners is a pretty lovely thing to do.
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Oct 1, 2009 16:38
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IDemandSatisfaction posted:Has anyone ever adopted a cat that they found on the street? What Hady said. If he has a little collar and is clean, he's got a home. Put around fliers and call local vets & shelters and see if anyone has reported a similar cat missing. I hope you find his people, but if you want a kitty, there are probably plenty of lovely cats in your local shelters.
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Oct 1, 2009 17:56
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Hady posted:You should at least take it to get scanned for a microchip. Personally I'd also put up fliers in the area with a description to try to find the owner. It's one thing to keep a stray, but keeping a cat that obviously belongs to someone else without looking for the owners is a pretty lovely thing to do. I'm definitely going to put up fliers and such. I was more concerned with whether its safe to keep an animal that's been exposed to the wonders of the outside world. He seems way to docile to have been out for too long. He's pretty much slept the whole time he's been at my apartment.
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Oct 1, 2009 18:13
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The only thing is the owner thing; otherwise it's awesome to take in a kitty from the outside world. Obviously you just have to take them into the vet to get dewormed and all that good stuff, but they are just as awesome as shelter kitties, who also often come from the outside world. There are lots of people here who have taken in feral or near feral cats and kittens and they've turned into adorable loving beasts.
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Oct 1, 2009 18:28
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Another Kitten Question! We got our two kittens about a month ago and everything is fine and well. This question regards the litterbox and how they don't bury their shits/pees/whatevers. The thing about it is though is I have tried the "bury the litter with their paws" trick and they don't seem to be getting it. What they do in a medium sized litter box with a cover is they will do their thing and then scratch at the sides of the litter box. I think they think they are burying, when they are not. Interesting stuff. If anyone has any suggestions to this that would be great.
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Oct 3, 2009 02:17
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Yisan posted:Another Kitten Question! Have you tried a larger box, or more boxes? If you can catch them "in the act" maybe try the paw-scoopy trick (as I will now call it) and bury it to show them?
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Oct 3, 2009 03:45
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My kitten's tooth just fell out. We were playing before bed and he went to bite my finger and stuck to it after he pulled away was a hard white thing that looked like a tooth. I pulled his mouth open and sure enough there's a bloody socket where I assume it used to be. Is this normal? He's nearly 6 months old. Here's some more photos of him:  Click here for the full 1280x850 image. This was after I gave him a bath tonight. My allergies are going to require this happen pretty much every other week, so he might as well start getting used to the misery of water.  Click here for the full 1280x850 image.
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Oct 3, 2009 08:49
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IIRC kittens lose their baby teeth between 3-6 months, It's perfectly OK!
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Oct 3, 2009 08:55
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evelynevvie posted:Have you tried a larger box, or more boxes? If you can catch them "in the act" maybe try the paw-scoopy trick (as I will now call it) and bury it to show them? I have tried the paw scoopy trick and they just look at me and then proceed to get upset and run away. I think a bigger box is the next step
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Oct 3, 2009 12:20
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ChairmanMeow posted:IIRC kittens lose their baby teeth between 3-6 months, It's perfectly OK! Also make sure there isn't any infection. The kitten's gums should be a distinct pink color and not red. It probably won't be a problem, but my Izzy had a little bit of an infection involved with her baby teeth coming out. It's weird. I never knew cats had baby teeth just like humans. I mean, it makes sense, but I never thought of it before.
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Oct 3, 2009 23:42
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Our shelter kitties came home with us yesterday after a week of waiting and not sleeping and they've settled in wonderfully! They hid for about half an hour, then gradually explored the perimiters of the couch they were behind, then ran around like crazy all around the living room. Having two of them is great, I can immediately see the benefits. They never stop playing! When we came in this morning to them they hadn't destroyed anything (although they love my fiance's shoes) and came right up to us for pettings! They're eating fine and using the litter fine too. Hooray!
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Oct 4, 2009 08:19
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Yisan posted:I have tried the paw scoopy trick and they just look at me and then proceed to get upset and run away. I think a bigger box is the next step I have a cat that does this. He didn't respond to the paw scoop thing either. He's just too dumb I guess. What's strange is that he will dig to make a hole but one he's done, he reaches too far to bury it. I think he's afraid of getting his paw in his poo. We upgraded box size once, now they have a very large Tupperware bin with a hole in the side. It helped some but the walls are still there and he's pretty big so he can still reach them. He seems to be growing out of it very slowly though, sometimes he'll bury stuff a little bit. I'd just try to deal with it and give it some time.
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Oct 4, 2009 18:33
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It's official: kittens are stinky.
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Oct 4, 2009 19:24
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CagedLiberty posted:It's official: kittens are stinky. When my husband and I get into a silly argument, we threaten to "feed the kittens tuna." Oh good god, the farts the kittens had from Trader Joe's Cat Tuna (not fit for humans, it's actual organ meat from tuna) was enough to not just clear a room, but the whole house!
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Oct 4, 2009 19:40
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CagedLiberty posted:It's official: kittens are stinky. My kitten took a poo poo the other day that was so foul it woke me up from a deep sleep at like 3 am. I had to scoop the litter right then and there in a vain effort to stop the smell. It didn't work  Smudge also has a habit of snuggling into my shoulder or chest, getting all comfy and warm and purry, and then unleashing a torrent of farts that make my eyes water.
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Oct 5, 2009 14:18
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I didn't see it in the op or the rest of the thread but I may have missed it. A nice alternative to catnip is honeysuckle. A friend gave me a piece of honeysuckle wood and the cats play with it all the time. I later bought some honeysuckle spray to renew their interest in old toys. Works well. Anyone have a cat that plays fetch? My one cat has gone overboard with fetch. She'll play for hours and has taken to waken me up by dropping her mouse on my face. I like to show guests her doglike traits which everyone finds amusing.
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Oct 5, 2009 19:09
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Good news! Just received ChairmanMeow's package! Kitten is getting his treatment, also the mange is gone, and hair is starting to grow again on his ears. Thanks a lot!! Also bonus pictures of kitten, now fat,bigger, happy and playful:  Click here for the full 672x504 image.  Click here for the full 672x504 image.  Click here for the full 672x504 image. Edit: Bastet has to wear a collar , because he spends more of his time in the outside and the neighbors stole him once. Awful people, I must say.
Desperado Bones fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Oct 5, 2009 |
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Oct 5, 2009 23:21
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I'm kind of conflicted. Today I met a kitten on the street, maybe 12 weeks old or a little older. He was pretty soft and clean, and not dangerously skinny. Skittish but not feralcrazy. There was a little food and milk set on the sidewalk near him. I was extremely tempted to try to get him to a shelter, but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do. He's being taken care of, basically at least, though probably not vetting. It is cool here but not freezing yet. He was hanging out on a busy street. Should I knock on the door of the church he was near and see if they know anything about him? Pick him up and get him neutered & vaccinated at the very least, and hopefully fostered/adopted? Should I just leave him alone? Advise me, goons 
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Oct 5, 2009 23:28
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Our new kitties are quite settled now, and I just wanted to check we're going about the feeding right. They currently get 3 pouches of wet kitten food a day each - morning, afternoon and night. This is currently Felix (ugh) because that's what they were on at the shelter - we are going to start upgrading this to Applaws over the next couple of weeks. They also get a bowl of dry Applaws kitten food which I keep topped up all day. Is this okay? Is free feeding the dry food an issue or is it correct procedure with kitties? They are c.10 weeks old.
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Oct 6, 2009 21:19
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exactduckwoman posted:I'm kind of conflicted. Today I met a kitten on the street, maybe 12 weeks old or a little older. He was pretty soft and clean, and not dangerously skinny. Skittish but not feralcrazy. There was a little food and milk set on the sidewalk near him. I was extremely tempted to try to get him to a shelter, but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do. He's being taken care of, basically at least, though probably not vetting. It is cool here but not freezing yet. He was hanging out on a busy street. If there was no indication that he had a owner other than the food (which could have been left out by anyone), I would take him to the shelter and see if he's chipped or if anyone is missing a cat. After all, if my kitty just managed to escape I would hope that someone would pick him up instead of assuming that it was supposed to be out. ^^^ Pod, it's generally considered fine to free feed kittens until they're like ~6mo/full grown. They need all the energy to grow and have unlimited zoomies.
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Oct 6, 2009 21:44
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Women's Rights? posted:My kitten took a poo poo the other day that was so foul it woke me up from a deep sleep at like 3 am. I had to scoop the litter right then and there in a vain effort to stop the smell. It didn't work Ahaha, this cracked me up, thanks. I've found that nothing works better than Oust air sanitizer. It just sort of removes the smell without covering it up with flowery smelling crap, I love it. Febreeze and other aerosol smell-removers just can't compare! Question: So, I just found out that my coworker, who gave me my 7 month old cat, never got him his shots. She told me when I adopted him that they were all vaccinated and were FELV negative, but now she's saying she never said that and she only gave them flea treatments.  I've had him for ~6months now and he seems perfectly healthy; he stays indoors 100% of the time. Should I rush him to the vet to get checked out right away? Or wait for his 1 year birthday? Helvetica Neue fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Oct 6, 2009 |
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Oct 6, 2009 22:30
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Pod posted:Our new kitties are quite settled now, and I just wanted to check we're going about the feeding right. They currently get 3 pouches of wet kitten food a day each - morning, afternoon and night. This is currently Felix (ugh) because that's what they were on at the shelter - we are going to start upgrading this to Applaws over the next couple of weeks. They also get a bowl of dry Applaws kitten food which I keep topped up all day. Free feeding is cool for kittens because they have tiny tummies and therefore need to eat more often in order to get the calories they need. You should probably transition them to 3 meals a day when they are 5-6 months old, then to 2 if you want once they are a year old. Some cats can free feed without turning into tubbos but a lot can't so meals are probably going to be best for them.
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Oct 7, 2009 04:17
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