The life of a Kitten

lovemykitten

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My kitten is 2 and a half months old. She has way too much energy!
I was just wondering if anyone has any tips for young kittens.
My kitten sleeps most of the evening and plays most of the morning and night. She tends to act much like a child. She picks up everything she can and hides it behind the lazy-boy chair and she's also very demanding attention wise.
Hopefully someone has a few tips for me!
 

goldenkitty45

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Sounds to me like you've never owned a young kitten
Bear with them - they are babies for many months - and sometimes brats


Have lots of different toys to play with, a good treehouse for climbing/nail sharpening and be sure to establish a grooming routine (including trimming nails) now - that way you won't have problems later.

Where's the pictures of her? (I'm assuming she's about ready to be spayed too - don't let her go into heat, which can be as early as 4 months old!
 
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lovemykitten

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Yes, I'm new to the whole life with a young kitten!
Toys wise, what would you, or anyone else who wishes to answer, recommend? I haven't gotten anything yet because I wasn't sure what to get. Maybe I'll head out to the pet shop tonight?

I have a few pictures of her, I'll try and maybe post them later(is that possible to post photos).
Thanks.
 

kittiesx2

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Hi, congratulations on your new baby
Kitten's are alot of fun but definately alot of work as well. Some ideas for your shopping trip would be....

A scratching post (sissel preferably) or cardboard scratcher (mine both LOVE
these)

A pair of cat nail clippers and stypic powder (in case you cut too short.. to stop bleeding)

A grooming brush...mine love the Zoom groom best

Some real fur small mice...cheap, easy and they LOVE them


A teaser toy...anything on a wand .... mine like feather toys

A laser pointer is a great choice to tire out your little one before you go to bed (make sure not to shine in eyes...can cause permanent damage)

cardboard boxes with "doors" cut into them make great toys..
paper bags are fun too
 

goldenkitty45

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If your kitten is longer hair, you'll need a comb or two (fine and medium teethed). Brushes don't do anything for a longhair coat.

When you are looking for the scratching post/tree house - get one a MINUMUM of 4 feet tall - with several shelves, beds, etc. The ones they sell cheap in WalMart are far too small. Post has to be taller then the cat when stretching out when full grown - otherwise they will not use it and you waste your money. Invest in a quality treehouse - $150 and up.
 

meistersar

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Kittens act just like little kids. They need these things;

a) lots of play time
b) lots of sleep
c) good food
d) a lot of care and supervision

Yes, it IS tiring at times. Trust me, this is my third go around with a young kitten, and he's exactly the same way. He is 9 weeks old yesterday, and when I wake up and just want my coffee? Oh no, it's play time! He spent most the night sleeping and he wants to romp! After a few hours of play time, it's nap time. And then....more play time! Play time, of course, means getting into everything he possibly can, bugging his new buddy Sven, annoying Poopers (the girl kitty, sister to Sven) ...

But it's worth it. Have patience and give a lot of love and care to the kitten and she will grow up to be great. Though if she's strictly an indoor cat, it will take years before she loses all her kittenish tendancies...if ever. My two older indoor cats , while still pretty young at 3 years, still like to play almost as much as they did at 6 months. It's something you get used to
 

mybabyphx

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Everyone that has already posted has given you GREAT advice. What you are going through now is completely normal- that is the way kittens are. Enjoy it now, because when their older they won't want to play as much
And will be lazy. Get your kitty a fishing pole with a little toy attached on the end. They sell them at walmart and petsmart. Every cat I have met-- goes crazzzzzy over these things! I even have one that has a suction cup on the end so that way I can put it up on window and he can play by himself! Don't forget to get your kitty some treats for when he's being good
And maybe some little balls to play with on the floor.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by LoveMyKitten

Toys wise, what would you, or anyone else who wishes to answer, recommend? I haven't gotten anything yet because I wasn't sure what to get.
Anything will work, even wadded up balls of paper.

What you must remember when picking out toys, get nothing that can be a choking hazard, if it has bells, eyes, or strings that can come off and be swallowed, remove them. If it could easily break, like the cheap plastic balls with the bells in them, best to just avoid it. If it's small enough to possibly choke you kitten, go for a bigger toy.

Two toys that my cats love are, this weird furry octopus shaped thing called "great balls of fur" (.99 cents) and the larger 3-4 inch furry mice ($2.99) from Kmart. I twist the bell off the first toy and the eyes and nose are removed from the mice with a pair of nail clippers.

Another thing kitties love is those cheap nylon cubes, these usually cost around $3-4 and you can get multiple ones then stick them together. There's also crinkle tubes and caves that aren't too pricey.
 
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lovemykitten

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Thanks everyone!
I guess I'm going out tomorrow for some toys!
My kitten loves paper balls, but I'd like to get her something that doesn't turn to mush after a few minutes! She also loves fabric. When ever the sewing machine and fabric come out there she is ready to catch her prey!
I also have one more question for everyone. She tends to steal anything that fits in her mouth and hide it under and behind the lazy-boy chair. Is this normal? She steals fruit snacks from the counter and treats from the kids school bags when no one is looking. It's driving me crazy, nothing is sacred anymore!
 

goldenkitty45

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Be careful - because if it fits in her mouth she could swallow it! Seems to be a trait of the oriental type of cats (siames, oriental, rex) or the ocicats/abys rather then some of the other breeds.

I've heard that maine coons are pack rats too.
 
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lovemykitten

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The things she steels she couldn't possibly swallow!
Like this morning I placed the paper on the stairs while I went to get a glass of water and when I returned it had vanished! I looked every where and then thought about my kittens new hidding place. I looked behind the chair and there was my news paper, along with a bottle cap and fully wrapped granola bar. Maybe she's planning on running away!
 

kittiesx2

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Originally Posted by LoveMyKitten

The things she steels she couldn't possibly swallow!
Like this morning I placed the paper on the stairs while I went to get a glass of water and when I returned it had vanished! I looked every where and then thought about my kittens new hidding place. I looked behind the chair and there was my news paper, along with a bottle cap and fully wrapped granola bar. Maybe she's planning on running away!
Seems like you have a little packrat on your hands

Tucker like's to hide things too...mostly under the sofa..
 

catsarebetter

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Originally Posted by kittiesx2

A scratching post (sissel preferably) or cardboard scratcher (mine both LOVE
these)
Mine adore the cardboard ones, but they also have adored the sissel on my cat tree so much it's now coming off... my four all say definitely yes to this!!

Originally Posted by kittiesx2

A pair of cat nail clippers and stypic powder (in case you cut too short.. to stop bleeding)
I'd search the net to see a picture of what the cat's claw looks like and where you can cut so you have a visual, but.. basically there's a little vein running through the claw that appears somewhat lighter or pinker in color.. you can definitely see it at least on my four, and you want to make sure not to cut into that.

Originally Posted by kittiesx2

Some real fur small mice...cheap, easy and they LOVE them
They love them. All four play with them. Actually, they'll even fight over them.

Originally Posted by kittiesx2

A teaser toy...anything on a wand .... mine like feather toys
Da Bird. Teasers work great, though.. but they really love Da Bird.

Originally Posted by kittiesx2

A laser pointer is a great choice to tire out your little one before you go to bed (make sure not to shine in eyes...can cause permanent damage)
They like this too, but my hand gets tired of holding the little button down.

Milk rings, wads of tin foil, paper bags, and this toy gave them hours of fun: http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...N=2033745&Ne=2

Oh, and they love those little nylon blocks.
 

ashley45

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and they love those little nylon blocks
does anyone have a pic of these? Are they small blocks, like fabric baby blocks, or the larger play-structure things?
 

bonnie1965

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Originally Posted by Ashley45

does anyone have a pic of these? Are they small blocks, like fabric baby blocks, or the larger play-structure things?
Here are a couple photos of my two using the cubes - they love them! Not great pics, but should give you some idea


Your kitten is very normal. My Daphne is driving me bananas so I know she is fine
 

epona

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Kittens are so exhausting! If a kitten isn't running you ragged then it is time to worry! I must be mad because when my Radar was 8 months old I went and got another kitten Sonic, I swear I haven't had a good night's sleep since last summer.
They do grow up fast though, so cherish her kittenish ways


Radar hides his stash of stolen goods under the sofa. I have found lighters, empty asthma inhalers, miniature ceramic fruit, water bottles, bills, all sorts of things under there. The other night I heard a strange noise and caught Sonic running off with my nice silver & amethyst necklace in his mouth, I don't know how he'd got it or where he'd hidden it but I hadn't seen it in a while


As far as toys go, mine love mice with rabbit fur. Sonic also loves till receipts and will steal them to play with, but you're right they don't last long! Toys attached to wands are really good, as you don't want to encourage a kitten that age to play near your hands, if they start to think it's ok to play-hunt your hands and feet it can be a difficult habit to break them of when they are older, and it's not fun once they get their adult teeth.

Play with her before you go to bed to tire her out and give her a meal after, even if it means waking her up - you'll get a bit more sleep yourself that way


Congratulations on your new kitten - enjoy her antics, yes kittens are tiring, but they are also hugely entertaining
 

samantha1979

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My kitties like the glitter balls that you get in the craft section of walmart. I don't know what they are really called, but they are just little, well, glitter balls. Kind of like cotton balls. My cat actually just brought me one! I bought a couple of bags, and every few weeks as I see them disappear, I will drop a couple more on the floor. The kitties end up knocking them under the dresser or places like that. Occassionally I will just go on a hunt and collect them all again.

The things on strings don't work for me.
Reggae immediately grabs whatever it is, and bites the string in two.
 
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lovemykitten

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Beleive me I will cherish her kittenish ways; even though she is a pain!

I just bought her some toys today. I got a play mouse with bells in it, a wand with a tail like thing on the end, a little scrunchy ball thingy, and and scratching pad with a toy on it.
She loves the new toys. She's been carrying the toys around in her mouth and playing with the wand on the table.
Thanks for all the good advice!
 

jenny1124

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I got a little mouse toy for Princess. When she bats at it, it makes a squeek noise, but it isn't an irritatingly loud noise either. I rubbed catnip on it and she went to town.

She often gets it stuck up against the wall though..she hasn't figured out how to get it back so she cries for me to do it. Although it could be a ploy to make me get up too I guess.. haha!

She likes these little imitation yarn ball toys too. I got all my stuff at Petco
 
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