|
Why yes, Fartie, we DID decide that the last two of the thirty rescue rabbits we took on three years ago are now our buns. Why yes, Fartie, miss Sylvie IS hopping around the couch. And your chunky nasty feline rear end just got chased off by prey  I swear these cats all act like the rabbits are monster demons from hell. Except Boots the Elder. He bumps noses with them.
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2021 15:41
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 20:45 |
|
|
MarcusSA posted:Imo get one of these if you haven’t already. How loud is this?
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2021 20:35
|
|
|
I run a white noise machine at night playing thunderstorm noises, and I also give my cat a treat before I go to bed. My cat has taken this to mean that thunderstorm noises mean that it is time for a treat, so every time we get a storm she comes up to figure-eight around my ankles because she heard thunder and that means that it is time for treats.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2021 20:52
|
|
|
Heroic Yoshimitsu posted:How loud is this? It’s the sound of trickling water so it’s really not loud. The water gets a little louder when it gets low but if you keep it topped off it’s pretty drat quiet.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2021 21:12
|
|
|
Khizan posted:I run a white noise machine at night playing thunderstorm noises, and I also give my cat a treat before I go to bed. My cat has taken this to mean that thunderstorm noises mean that it is time for a treat, so every time we get a storm she comes up to figure-eight around my ankles because she heard thunder and that means that it is time for treats. ! i should try this. thanks!
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2021 23:24
|
|
|
Thanks for the advice! She definitely takes off and hides under the bed when there's a particularly loud noise, but otherwise she seems to be mildly acclimating to it. I'll try setting up some hiding places in other rooms and see if she prefers being able to hide close to wherever I am. She's pretty easy-going in general, I just worry about taking that for granted and not noticing that she's getting too stressed until it boils over. So I appreciate the preventative advice!Khizan posted:I run a white noise machine at night playing thunderstorm noises, and I also give my cat a treat before I go to bed. My cat has taken this to mean that thunderstorm noises mean that it is time for a treat, so every time we get a storm she comes up to figure-eight around my ankles because she heard thunder and that means that it is time for treats.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 01:46
|
|
|
Have now put together the little home base for the kitten for the first few days/week of it living here.  It's bigger than I thought it was going to be - has a bed, interactive toy, litter, and cardboard scratch thing in there. Does the thread think the litter being that close to where the cat plays/sleeps is going to make it not want to use it?
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 04:25
|
|
|
That looks pretty small for an eight week old kitten? They really need like a room at least. I would not put litter that close to anything.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 04:28
|
|
|
Organza Quiz posted:That looks pretty small for an eight week old kitten? They really need like a room at least. I would not put litter that close to anything. I don't have anything like a mud room or emptyish room, just two pretty packed bedrooms and a living room. The bathroom is far too small for a kitten to be in. I was under the impression it's better to keep things smaller so they don't get overwhelmed, is that not the case? Or is that too small? I was already thinking that the litter is too close, we have a bigger plastic litter box but it's got fairly high walls and we aren't sure how easily the kitten is going to be able to get in and out of that. The litter material is walnuts apparently. Hope that's okay at least.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 04:34
|
|
|
A tiny bed-hiding place like that or a carrier is good but only if they can go in and out themselves. Otherwise it’s just a jail cell.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 10:32
|
|
|
Surely the bathroom is bigger than that tiny thing at the very least? Kittens are full of energy and need to run around.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 10:34
|
|
|
Also, warning you now: you will not be able to keep that kitten contained. They are fast and surprisingly creative.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 13:43
|
|
|
Keeping cat contained is also not a hard and fast unbreakable rule, it's more of a guideline that a lot of cats will be overwhelmed in a large new space and happier in a small one for a while. With a kitten it's also about making sure your space is properly kitten-proof before letting them out I guess. But if it's hard to do in your space then it's not going to be a disaster if you don't do it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 13:48
|
|
|
Oh man that thing wouldn't even fit in our bathroom, it's tiny. But alright we'll play it by ear about the space for the cat. We mostly wanted something we could keep closed that would be safe for a kitten if we all need to be out of the apartment at the same time over the next few weeks before it may be safe to let the cat explore by herself.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 15:04
|
|
|
It's been a year since we brought the litter robot into the house. He still has to investigate it every time it spins. drat poo poo gremlin Cat tax 
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 15:08
|
|
|
I mean don’t leave rat poison out on the floor and knives hanging off counters but there isn’t much in a normal house that would make it “unsafe” to let them roam unattended. Keeping them in one room is more to make them feel more comfortable for the first few days. Really depends how old they are and their personality too. Cats that I’ve gotten real little ~8-12 weeks when they look like tiny furry potatoes will hide from everything for a few days. The ones I got older where they look like actual cats but smaller were full of fun kitten energy basically right away.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 15:18
|
|
|
I got two 4 week olds a few years ago and snuggled them at night then went to work while they had the run of the downstairs (too small to climb stairs) and they were fine. They're not toddlers, they won't go sticking their fingers into power outlets. Leave the pet pen open so they have a place to hide but otherwise kittens quickly become too curious to be cooped up for long.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 15:55
|
|
|
I'm not advocating for kitten jail necessarily, but they can be quite destructive, climbing up curtains, biting anything they find including cables and papers, eating anything that fits in their mouth. They also have no concept that things might fall over onto them or that they might not be able to get out from where they climbed / crawled to. So if you have an area in your house that isn't kitten proof, I'd try not to leave them there unsupervised, at least until you know that this kitten isn't inclined to do the specific dangerous thing (e.g. many cats have no interest in cables).
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 16:28
|
|
|
Its funny to me. None of our shelter rescues have really had the urge to stay in a room for a few days. They all hang around our bedroom for a few hours then go exploring. Only Fartie really stayed in our room, but i think thats because she came directly from a home that pretty much kept her in one room 24/7.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 19:16
|
|
|
For more anecdata, my cat was 6mo when adopted and she was immediately comfortable and interested in exploring my entire one bedroom apartment.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2021 23:59
|
|
|
We need a Meyers Briggs test for cats.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 00:08
|
|
|
I think that's a cute little play area for a kitten just put the litter box outside of it and make sure they can climb in and out of it. Probably move the interactive toy out too because that's the kind of toy they want to run AT and tackle so it'll be more fun in a wider area. There's not much reason to lock them up in that thing unless they need to be unsupervised for a lengthy period in a non-kitten-proofed area though.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 01:38
|
|
|
Thanks to everyone for the plant-eating advice, I now have a little tub of baby blades of grass on the go.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 11:54
|
|
|
What do you all do with wet food leftovers? I got some big cans from the foster home and Lotte I boy needs half at a time, so I’ve been refrigerating the other half. She doesn’t like the cold leftovers, and I haven’t had great luck with microwaving for a few seconds or even leaving out to naturally get to room temp.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 14:48
|
|
|
Split it with her as a bonding exercise.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 15:30
|
|
|
That's why we only buy the small cans. I hate the extra waste but at least the metal is theoretically recycled, and it results in less food waste. Once a cat decides they don't want to eat it the battle is lost.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 15:33
|
|
|
dantheman650 posted:What do you all do with wet food leftovers? I got some big cans from the foster home and Lotte I boy needs half at a time, so I’ve been refrigerating the other half. Mine's the same, refrigerated leftovers are filth she won't touch. I never found a solution, now I buy the food that comes in the tiny 85g (3oz) cans. It's more expensive per serving, but not really since most of the stuff in the larger cans go to waste.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 15:33
|
|
|
How have people found bitter apple sprays? Maple is taking apart the arm chair cover one thread at a time, at the part where the cover velcros onto the body at the bottom, Ikea-style. I figure my options are either spray it with unpleasant taste, or screw on a metal strip (I don't care too much about the chair, but I don't want her eating a load of thread). But knowing Maple's history with cat-deterrents, it'll be "I love it, it's fun" again...
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 15:43
|
|
|
I used a bitter grapefruit spray to stop Pepper chewing on wooden stuff to great effect. It does wear off after a while so you may need to reapply it if the cat is smart enough to try stuff again after a while.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 15:55
|
|
|
Nothing worked for us so I kept buying those tiny scratching posts and setting them up anywhere I saw bad habits and eventually the cats get the hint.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 16:17
|
|
|
dantheman650 posted:What do you all do with wet food leftovers? I got some big cans from the foster home and Lotte I boy needs half at a time, so I’ve been refrigerating the other half. Do you guys not have the type that come in pouches? Those tend to be the ideal individual size for my (granted chonky) cat.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2021 21:29
|
|
|
I suppose I owe everyone pics of the kitten that we picked up today - thanks for all the help and advice!     She got a bath with baby shampoo when she got home but hasn't really been scratching and nothing is showing up when we use a flea comb on her so maybe we lucked out. She's super full of energy and loves playing with the toys we picked up for about an hour and then she passes out hard for another hour. It'll be interesting to see what kind of cycle she settles into. She drank a *lot* of water and had a lot of food (she seemed to eat without any rush so not worried that she's gorging herself) and hasn't used the litter yet, we moved it out so it's spaced a good distance from anything and have put her in it a few times but she just paws at it and looks at us and walks out of it. I guess she'll tell us when she needs it or she'll just use it herself.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2021 04:51
|
|
|
Omg those ears!!! That face!! Thank you yes this is adequate payment. Good to hear she's eating and drinking and kittening, she's gonna do just fine don't stress.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2021 05:13
|
|
|
the EARS
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2021 07:06
|
|
|
VelociBacon posted:She's super full of energy and loves playing with the toys we picked up for about an hour and then she passes out hard for another hour. You appear to have a kitten in good working order.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2021 12:39
|
|
|
Oh right the bath reminds me, one thing that is a good tip which I don't think has come up yet is that you should handle her and play with her paws and open her mouth and look at her teeth and look in her ears as much as possible while she's tiny. Get her used to all of that stuff now while she's small and malleable! One of my cats was badly injured as a tiny kitten and spent eight weeks at the vet being fixed up before I adopted her and she is an absolute dream to deal with because she's totally used to putting up with whatever. The other one was barely handled as a kitten and is... difficult.....
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2021 12:58
|
|
|
New kittens just dropped.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2021 13:40
|
|
|
^cute kittens!Organza Quiz posted:Oh right the bath reminds me, one thing that is a good tip which I don't think has come up yet is that you should handle her and play with her paws and open her mouth and look at her teeth and look in her ears as much as possible while she's tiny. Get her used to all of that stuff now while she's small and malleable! Yep I've been handling her paws and she has no issue with it. Will handle her mouth (?) soon enough.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2021 13:59
|
|
|
VelociBacon posted:^cute kittens! For pilling! And checking teeth in general. In case the ? was for not knowing what sort of handling I meant.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2021 14:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 20:45 |
|
|
If you can get her to tolerate having her teeth brushed it can pay off down the road. Brushing a couple times a week to prevent gum disease later in life.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2021 15:37
|
|