Question regaurding Somali devolpmentt.

Well we have arrived home with our new kiten yesterday I have a few questons about the breed.


Is it normal for a 11 week old kitens whiskers to look short as if someone had cliped them off? When we got our kitten his hiskers where short and he was smaller then most of the litter only a little girl was smaller. According to the breeder he did have the best personality of the bunch and would have been show if not for some spots on the belly.

Should I keep him seprate from our young male Bindi when we are gone at work, I do come home in the afternoons however.

When he got home he pooped very large and stinky poops for his size and dived rgt in the new food we have, Innova EVO. IMO I think his food is going to the shelter where I vulnteer? He loves the new type better.

The breeding papers also confuse me

They do not forbid declawing (will nver ever happen to this kitten )and they say, Buyer promises to provide indoor facilities for the kitten However before my dad intervened ( He wants me to keep him inside)I told them about purrfect fense and that I wanted to build an outdoor enclosure where Bindi and the new kitten could frolic, he said it would be fine as long as he was supervsed, I will write a letter to the breeder when winters here, the kittens older and netered asking about having him in an outdoor enclosure, I wll do this before spening money on the fense, its sllly to set it up if only one cat can go out in it.

Kitten has all his shots, except for rabies and a final boster which was gven to us by the breeder.

theres about an inch or or so of whishers he has them, they are just shorter then I've been used to

Whiskers sound normal to me. Personally I don't pay much attention to how long or short. With rexes you have very short/curly whiskers and sometimes none

As far at the enclosure. Almost all breeders in the US have that in the contract about being indoors only. Not sure if they can enforce it, but personally mine are indoors only. If you have a stand alone screened in porch or gazebo that is enclosed, you could take them out there.

We plan on building a screened in porch and the cats and dog will go out there with us from time to time. That's about the closest the cats will get to being "outside".

The breeders don't want their cats roaming unsupervised or possibly escaping being tied out.

If you are building the enclosed area only for the cats I'd not spend the money.

Some times the kittens littermates chew on their whiskers, LOL! I had one litter that not one kitten had any whiskers left at all by time their owners came for them. It won't bother them and they should grow back.

As far as out side and enclosures, I wouldn't allow it (like goldenkitty said, there really isn't any way to enforce it people will do what they want any way) I say no to all out doors supervised or not, on a leash or not, and in outdoor enclosures or a screened in gazebo or just loose. I feel when they are given acess to the out doors, they tend to like it and try harder to escape. They can't know that it is ok to go out when they have a leash on but when they don't they can't go out so I feel they just develope a liking for the out side and will try to get out with or with out you.

I just found out a few days ago that one of my kittens from last litter Ares(kluchetta's Smudge and Yuki's from my siggy their brother) was allowed to be an out door cat even though the owner signed my contract which states indoor only. He was hit by a car and he is now gone. They allowed him out by him self, but I feel that if they only allowed him in an enclossure or on a leash, what happens if the door was left open a crack and he decided to go for a walk like he is taken for and then the same happens, he goes in the road and is just as dead, because he only snuck out once, which is all it takes. If they never go out they don't know it out there. I guess.

It would encose the ironwood tree rght out in the front, very close to the door and shaded, no poisonous plants or other animals would be an issue.


I would wait until he was netered and had all shots and i would ask promission from the breeder as well as send pic's of the enclosure beforehand .

Right now Kitten is thriving and loves his new feather toy.

Originally Posted by Panther pride

It would encose the ironwood tree rght out in the front, very close to the door and shaded, no poisonous plants or other animals would be an issue.


I would wait until he was netered and had all shots and i would ask promission from the breeder as well as send pic's of the enclosure beforehand .

Right now Kitten is thriving and loves his new feather toy.

Click to expand...

I see what you are saying, and that there probley isn't any chance of escaping the enclosure and are safe in it. The point I am trying to make is that they are out and smelling the air and seeing the birds, feeling the dirt in their toes, ect. They are really enjoying it and safe. But one day you come home with a bag of groceries and the door didn't get shut behind you and the cat slips out while you are putting the groceries away and have no idea that he just went out side. The more of a tempation to the out side the more they may try to get out with or with out you, that is the point I am trying to make, that's all, and just my oppinion, I am not the breeder of your cat, and after showing them pictures ect they may be fine with it, it is up to them, not me. But, that is why I had been strict on it, and now I will be even more strict since my dear Ares was killed, because he was allowed to be out side. Lots of people have out side cats for many years and never have it happen, it happened to Ares at less then a year and a half, it's like russian reloutte and I am not willing to take the chance. Not with one of my babies.

With the gazebo, we would probably just pick them up and carry them out (even in a carrier) and then they would not get to "feel" the ground. It would be more like Charlie going to a show - you ride in the carrier, go in a different place (hotel) and then are let out.

Not like we would allow either cat to walk out to the enclosure on their own. I can see your point. We took enough time teaching them to keep away from the door so they didn't just run out. When bringing in a lot of groceries, we just lock the cats in the basement till all the food is inside the house

I've also notced that this kitten does NOT like to be picked up or handled in any way- Is this normal for the breed?

He is very affectionate and loving though and is settling in well to our family

Originally Posted by Panther pride

I've also notced that this kitten does NOT like to be picked up or handled in any way- Is this normal for the breed?

He is very affectionate and loving though and is settling in well to our family

Click to expand...

Kittens often are just used to MOM .... keep handling and he/she should be fine.. I can handle my once feral so there is always a chance

I wonder if he'd like TTouch -- Tellington Touch?

I'm going to copy something I compiled for a friend last September, when she'd just adopted a kitten. I checked the links here and they all still work.

By the way, my Frosty, and Tiger while she was still here, loved TTouch. (Never tried it on Sinbad, didn't know about it before she went to the Bridge.)

Cindy

___________________


Here's a page with some simple TTouch instructions:

http://www.pawsnlearn.freeserve.co.uk/basic.htm


And more info, including examples of TTouches:

http://www.animalambassadors.com/ttouch.shtml

http://www.animalambassadors.com/ttouchhowto.shtml

http://www.animalambassadors.com/ttouchexamples.shtml


And there's more information here:

http://www.ttouchsa.co.za/main_frame...ttouchcats.htm

http://tteam-ttouch.com/catttouch.shtml


And this page has links, in the Learn More section on the right margin, to a video and slide show demonstrating TTouch. I haven't had a chance to check those out yet, but want to give you the link to the page anyway:

http://www.lindatellingtonjones.com/...tFriends.shtml

Cool thats neat, tanks. I'm a bit septical but it looks intresting.

Thecat are doing great Bindi and Leopalorn are becoming fast friends.

Telington does work .. I am using it with accupressure on both girls

Is it normal for Somali kittens to not like to be picked up? Leopalorn is getting better about being picked up and I'm wondering about the breeder and if he really had them underfoot, they were when we came..

Lots of kittens would rather be on the floor playing/running then to be restrained for very long. You just got him, be patient; he'll come around and want more cuddles as he gets older.

I heard somalis are not lap cats, could this have something to do with it?

Maybe but I've never heard that. I know some friends that have them and they are lap sitters.

Mosi is definitely a lap cat! He loved being picked up and carried around when he was little. He's not so keen now (19 months) but he's still happy to be picked up, just doesn't like being carried around for as long. And he climbs onto my lap a lot.

I'd guess it's more to do with individual personality and early socialisation than breed. Mosi was very well socialised as he grew up in a family environment with children and other cats, and he was there until he was 14 weeks. All the kittens in his litter were outgoing and sociable and happy to be picked up. Maybe the breeder just didn't pick up your kitten a lot and he's not used to it. If you get him used to it gradually by picking him up for very short periods of time he should get used to it, although he may never love being picked up. Jaffa hates being picked up but he's a real cuddle bug in other ways.

As to the outdoor enclosure - over here, breeders would be fine with it as indoor really means no free outdoor access, but a cat proofed garden or enclosure is generally acceptable. But best have a word with the breeder about it first.

A couple of things and frankly I just glanced at the replies....

Both Adik and Abang had NO whiskers at age 12 weeks! Mommy had kept cleaning the babies causing the whiskers to break - thankfully by the time Adik was ready to be shown ie. 2 weekends ago, both sported a fine set of whiskers.

Somalis are just long haired Abyssinians ... some Abys are lap cats others are not. Also, both breeds are one human cats. Your new kitten has probably NOT chosen his/her preferred human and when s/he does, watch out - s/he will be a lap cat to that human and not to others.

Veeshan is not a lap cat. Kingston is. I have often heard how lovable red males are. Veeshan is a ruddy female and Kingston is a red male. So maybe true? I have an outside enclosure for my cats. The reason I built it was because Veeshan was always escaping outside (even though she had never been out). She even learned to open the screen door (always locked now). They both love it. The best thing I done for my cats was building that enclosure.

Originally Posted by kitytize

Veeshan is not a lap cat. Kingston is. I have often heard how lovable red males are. Veeshan is a ruddy female and Kingston is a red male. So maybe true?

Click to expand...

Could be - both Jaffa and Mosi are red cats and they are both incredibly loving and always wanting cuddles.

Although Mosi's litter mates (1 ruddy, 2 sorrel) seemed equally loving when I visited the breeder and were all happy to be picked up and cuddled.