My first cat...help!

[beksy]

Ok, that's not exactly accurate. Today I got my first kitten since I moved out of my parents' house to go to law school; we have 3 at home. So I know about taking care of one but have never done it by myself...the other 3 are shared between my sister and me with a lot of guidance from mom. Advice or just good wishes would be most welcome! I'm looking forward to the company but at the same time this is a big step! Thanks :party:

[DisneyMelissa]

Hi there! I just got my first kitten about 3 weeks ago (she's 4 months old now), so I'm sort of in the same boat! She is trying to eat my laptop screen as we speak! :thedolls:

One major problem I have had with her is nighttime. She sleeps in bed with me, but she usually wakes up at about 3:30 or 4 AM. She will tear around the room, walk all over me and try to constantly lick my face because she either wants to play, wants to eat or do both.

If you run into this problem and you aren't normally feeding the kitty before bed, my vet suggested even just a few kibbles of food before bed can help them fall asleep. She also suggested that if she wakes up early in the morning while you want to sleep...to put them outside of your bedroom, either in another room or in their carrier until you want to get up. Eventually (she said about 2 years later...oh boy :blush:) her cat stopped bothering her in the morning.

Best of luck with your new kitty! :thumbsup:

[DrivingSideways]

I have two precious cats myself. Make sure you have a good place for your kitty to hide (to feel safe) and toys (to "hunt"). If you're not going to want kitty to be on your kitchen counters or other places, don't let her there now just because she's small and cute.

I've been trying for two years to keep my Zoey away from my laptop... if anyone has any advice about that, let me know. I think she just wants to play on Intercot. lol

I wish you and your kitty a long, healthy, and happy life together. Even though I hate cleaning the litter box, I wouldn't trade my girls for anything (not even a stay in the Castle suite).

[Katzateer]

We have had many cats over the years. The ones we have now don't really have any bad habits-one is so shy she only comes over to say Hi but doesn't get into anything. The other is a rescue that as long as her belly is full she is happy.

some of the things we have done with kittens-

leave a paper grocery bag (if you can find some-our grocery doesn't have paper anymore) opened up on the floor, tear a small hole in a corner and stick your finger or a small object in the hole and pull it in and out (a feather works great). Cats love doing that and once you stop playing they usually will still play with the sack by themselves.

I move toys around and rotate them so the cats don't get bored. They like surprises.

Any empty boxes will be enjoyed.

Have fun with your new baby!

[RenDuran]

Wow....a kitten! Haven't had one of those in a long time! But my cat, Molly, is 13 now and she's still a charmer. She can still take a flying leap off the couch and sail a good ten feet.

Boxes are great toys, as mentioned already. Anything they can squeeze into seems to be fun. Molly likes to get under the covers where my feet are. She goes crazy for catnip...but I think kittens aren't into that until they're a little older.

Have fun with your kitten! Remember when he/she is driving you crazy with typical kitten behavior, it doesn't last forever!

[Tinkerfreak]

I would say make sure you are feeding her a good quality kitten food. Also as tempting as it is to give her people food it is really bad for her. Kittens need good nutrition to grow strong and healthy just like our kids do. A good quality crunchy food helps keep their teeth healthy and clean.
As others have said, just expect her to do normal kitten things like chasing everything that moves and hanging from curtains etc.

[beksy]

Thanks for the responses everyone! So far I am loving having the company--she slept on my stomach and purred last night! Thanks for the great advice.

[TinkerbellT421]

I have two beautiful sweet girls myself! They can be a handful at first! I just wanted to stop and wish you luck with ur new addition Im sure you will be getting and giving unconditional love! Oh the memories and pics I have of mine! Awww good luck :cloud9:

[DisneyMelissa]

Ah yes, forgot to mention...

My kitten loves the toys that aren't really toys...paper towel rolls, paper bags, boxes..etc. I bought her a bunch of toys, and she usually ends up playing with the bag or paper towel roll.

Also, if you have a target by you...I would suggest buying the "kitten cubes". It's $10 for 2 cubes...they are soft sided, and have 3 holes in them for the kittens to climb into. My kitten loves to play with her toys in there--she goes absolutely nuts! She tumbles around the living room inside it. The $10 was a GREAT investment. The only thing I would recommend though (if you get these) is to cut off the dangly strings that are inside..the kittens can get easily caught on them.

Have fun!

[mrsgaribaldi]

A word of warning about toys:
When I got AL and Charlie I had a big carpet "toy" for them to climb on that had a bell attached by a string and it dangled down in front of the opening. The first week I bought the boys home I found Charlie upside down hanging from the string by his tail!! I'm sure if I was home it would have cut off the piece of his tail. I had to cut it off the toy to get him down and he still has the scar on his tail. It was scary. I always cut those things off the toys now. I see DisneyMelissa mentioned it too.
I can't believe I forgot this. I found Al stuck in the blind pull cords once. Now I always draw the blinds all the way up when I go out and I wrap the cords up and attach them to the curtain. Maybe it's just my boys are dummies?
Good luck with your new baby. Mine walk all over me, literally. :cat:

[DrivingSideways]

A word of warning about toys:
When I got AL and Charlie I had a big carpet "toy" for them to climb on that had a bell attached by a string and it dangled down in front of the opening. The first week I bought the boys home I found Charlie upside down hanging from the string by his tail!! I'm sure if I was home it would have cut off the piece of his tail. I had to cut it off the toy to get him down and he still has the scar on his tail. It was scary. I always cut those things off the toys now. I see DisneyMelissa mentioned it too.
I can't believe I forgot this. I found Al stuck in the blind pull cords once. Now I always draw the blinds all the way up when I go out and I wrap the cords up and attach them to the curtain. Maybe it's just my boys are dummies?
Good luck with your new baby. Mine walk all over me, literally. :cat:

I agree... definitely tie up the cords on your blinds. I use the binder clips to attach them to my blinds. Target does have a really good selection of toys. And I'm not just saying that because I work there. We definitely have a ton of them around the house.

[InLikeSin]

I think its neat to find a thread about kitties on here. My husband and I have two boys of our own (3&2 yrs old). The older cat has a very cat personality confident and a little aloof. The little black kittie is the complete opposite... he talks (a lot!), follows us around the house, sleeps on my lap, shoulders, head etc. The situation that kind of puzzles me is his behavior when I shower. He sits on the floor or counter and wails these big, long crys. I have to open the shower door and reassure him several times but he just looks at me and cries somemore. Anyone else have the same kind of issues? He's been doing it his whole life I'm not sure what to do to help him.

[Katzateer]

[QUOTE=InLikeSin;1761270]he situation that kind of puzzles me is his behavior when I shower. He sits on the floor or counter and wails these big, long crys. I have to open the shower door and reassure him several times but he just looks at me and cries somemore.


I think he has you well trained:D If you had ignored him when he first started doing it he probably would have stopped. Or maybe he thinks he is singing along with the water.

If my Callie was in the bathroom when I took a shower she would probably just jump right in-she spends a lot of her day in the shower playing with water drops left in the tub.

[hokies4life]

DBF and I just got two new kittens ourselves about 2 months ago (they are 4.5 months old now). I really have to agree with the posts about paper bags and empty boxes as toys. Our kitties love them and even though we dont leave them out for very long (a couple days) we still put some out every once in a while. We also invested in one of the kitty condo/jungle gym things. (DBF spoils them bad...) They love it. And we got a crinkle chute for them to run through and play in...I recommend the one from Walmart it was like 3 feet long compared to the one that was about 1 foot long from the pet store.

We keep them in a separate bedroom right now until we can get them declawed. I dont necessarily agree with it, but we have nice furniture in the rest of the house that DBF would freak if it got all scratched up.

I'm sure your kitty will like whatever you get her to play with, and don't forget to take her to the vet to get her kitten shots and to get her fixed if she needs those things done! Good Luck and Have Fun!!

:chipdale:

[beksy]

Thanks everybody! I'm definitely checking out Target and tying up all my strings! I appreciate the great stories and advice.

[debandbub]

Think twice about declawing. It may change your cat's personality- she will become scared and aggressive if she feels she is not able to protect herself. The better solution is to train your cats from the start (YES it can be done). It looks weird, but put tin foil on the furniture/carpet you don't want them to scratch. THEY WILL NOT SCRATCH IT!! Feel free to remove it before company comes. ;) Once they learn NOT to scratch it, you can remove it permanently. Provide an appropriate substitution- scratching posts, or -my cats prefer these things- (another Target find) that are basically coregated cardboard laid flat that is just scrumptious for them to scratch.
Another thing I found out about is Feline Pine cat litter- completely biodegradable, and STINK-FREE. I've had several people comment that they didn't know how may cats I had (3) because my home does not smell. If your cats are used to regular litter, you may have to phase them into this, but trust me, it will be worth it!
Sorry so long- just had to pass these ideas along :blush:

[JanetMegan]

Thanks to Beksy for starting this thread cause I sure needed it right now. For those of you who are keeping the cats in one room, do you feel bad for them being stuck in there while you are gone or sleeping? I kinda feel bad for my little cat in that room ALL by herself.

I got her nails trimmed yesterday so that is helping with the scratching. I bought one of those cardboard scratchers even with the catnip and the cat seems to have no interest in it for now. (Only the couch ;)).

I do want to try some other litter, so far this one isn't helping with smell, I think the poor cat had been eating garbage before this weekend so it's not pretty.

I took her to the vet yesterday to get shots, nails trimmed, de-worming meds etc. I'll get her spayed in about 4 weeks but don't plan on getting her de-clawed.

[mrsgaribaldi]

I cut the nails myself. I recently bought that nail file they show on TV but I haven't used it yet.

[TinkerbellT421]

I love that this thread was started. :thumbsup:
I love my two girls. My first girl Munchkin I felt like was a present sent from my dad..I know it sounds wierd but its just the way it happened. I pulled in my driveway with my mom after going and paying the bill for my father's funeral and in my driveway was this cat. Holding her back leg up. I got of the car and literally ran up to her and she just looked at me and meowed this very sickly meow...very soft and scratchy but I could tell she was meowing with all her kitty-might. I picked her up being careful of her bag leg and she took her head and nestled inbetween my head and my neck and started to try and purr but it sounded like she had a cold or something because her purr kept breaking mid-purr. And she just started rubbing her head against my head. I started crying. I called the vets and took her there that day. I vowed she was mine and I was going to take care of her. Well I get to the vets office (never went there again after this) and there was a very rude vet there. And he just looked at her leg. Pulled it a few times and said "There could be something wrong with her hip, we can take very expensice scans, but if it is her hip she will never fully recover and you should put her down now"...I was devastated. I told him I couldnt make that decision yet and I was going to take her home. I had him give her her shots and take her blood, etc...I took her home, and two days later I couldnt get her to stop jumping off stuff! lol! That was five years ago! Shes my sweetheart. Then my other cat I saved from going to the pound after a friend of mines cat had kittens.... Well the moral of my story lol after the big long rant (Sorry OT) is dont always jump that vets know what they are talking about. I take my better judgement now in situations. Also, all the advise everyone stated is wonderful. I thought mine were the only ones that played with the box their toys came in? lol....My cats run when they hear a new toilet paper roll paper come off....we have to crinkle it up in a ball and throw it to them, they will play for hours all by themselves. My cat Munchkin has thumbs too its so funny. She picks things up like pens and stuff and will hold them between her thumb and I dont know what its called but I guess her index toe? lol...She LOVES walnuts! I put out a bowl of nuts around Christmas time and she insists on digging out only the walnuts and throwing them on the floor! lol...Never get to eat them! lol...She plays with them until she breaks them open! I fortunately have had NO issues at all with scratching the couches or anything for that matter. I bought a big jungle tree thing at joblot for 50 bucks and they love it! And I also use to lay-down flat with catnip inside cardboard scratch thingy from target! I also have a wrought iron bed made for cats! lol My DBF and DM think I spoil them like kids! lol....I also bought them two faux crystal dishes for there fancy feast soft food treat....Yes it is the exact replica of the one from the commercial! They each have their own! lol...I also bought them the Aristocats placemat at Disney that I keep their bowls on! lol..You learn to spoil them rotten! lol
Its also very funny how each cat has their own personality! lol

[hokies4life]

We've both had cats in the past that were declawed which is why we're ok with doing it. I'd rather only do it if it was for a medical reason like with the cat I used to have (her paws got infected from her being underfoot and getting stepped on by accident), but his parents cat gets along just fine and still beats up on the family dogs (LOL).

As for keeping them in one room, we did feel bad when they were younger, but since they are brother and sister they at least have someone to keep them company when we have to put them away. We really only confine them to their bedroom at night and if we're going to be gone for a long amount of time like an overnight trip.

We use Scoop Away litter and it seems to keep the smell down. Our families have always used clay litters so for us thats the type we went with.