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Our rescue, Gaia! (long story, lots of photos)

post #1 of 32
Thread Starter 
A month ago yesterday, I got a call from my wife saying that someone at work is giving away a kitten. She explained she found 2 newbornish kittens under their tool shed in town and have been bottle-fed since found (8 weeks old at the time, her brother died, within a few days, but she lived). The lady had 3 cats already, and they despised the kitten, so she never got to play and had to be kept in a bedroom while they were at work so the adult cats wouldn't terrorize her.

Anyways, we decided to take her in... here are a few photos of her first few days at our place. She had crusty eyes, not horrible but unsightly, underweight (worms), ear mites, and her coat seemed unhealthy. (she was weaned to adult cat food at her previous home)



Here's a photo for size comparison, 8 weeks... 1.1 lbs


3 months... growing fast! ~3 lbs


She loves to play video games with us...
DS


Wii fit



Gaia naps in peculiar positions...




A few shots of recent weeks...



Overall, I'm glad we decided to take her. She's very curious about water, gets a little wet each time we shower! She didn't seem to dislike her first bath much, hopefully she stays that way when she's older. She's healthy now, been 2 the vet twice, rid of worms, ear mites&bacteria.

She is full of energy, more so than I can say with most kittens I've been around. The last time I was part of raising a kitten though, I was 4, so I don't really remember what it was like. She's very nippy, not hard, but don't want it to become a nuisance when she's full grown. Within the last few days she'll come onto my chair and sleep on my lap when I'm on the computer, and in the morning she'll sleep next to us on our bed, until she wants to play more.

So, here's the question section! Can anyone point me in the direction of a great post about correcting biting problems? She only allows petting when she's tired, or eating, otherwise she wants to play with your hand after 10 sec of petting. She likes to be carried around on one arm, looking at fish tanks, out the windows at cars, animals and allows petting then also.

How long should play sessions be? Whenever she's awake, she wants to play with someone, she'll play by herself for 5-10 min, then start attacking us to play with her, we redirect her to her tackle buddy for a while. If she gets out of control, we put her in the bathroom for 5 min to settle. We've tried to socialize her with our neighbors cats, but they are afraid of her and wont play, would bringing them over here help? She LOVES to lick! She wakes us up by crawling under the covers and licking our toes!

We plan on spaying her @ 5 months, maybe declaw her also. I really don't want to declaw, but most of her nails split after they're cut and don't want to cause problems as a result. Will nail splitting keep happening, and what problems can it cause? Do females calm down after being spayed, I know males do, but not sure about females?

The last... what breed mix is she, we think she's mostly russian blue. Will traits from other breeds start showing when she's matured? Thanks for your help and any comments welcome!
post #2 of 32
Hola y bienvenido a TCS, ...Catulina y Milky te saludan!!!........
(Translate: Hi and Welcome to TCS, Catulina and Milky say hello to you!!!...)

Please feel as you home here, we can learn so much and deep about out kittys in this marvelous site, I just only please ask you read the rules and other stuffs that can help you to feel as you Real home!.. here you have the link my friend.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82565
Thank you for share those photos!...

Please ask whatever you need to know, there are plenty of good members and of course our tireness Mod´s to help us here!....

See you on the forums!, Glad that you join us!

post #3 of 32
She's a little beauty. At around 4 months they start teething so tend to get a bit "bitey". Get some of those fat plastic straws and toss a few around for her to chew on. When they get too chewed up, toss them out and add a few new ones.

When she gets nippy, say NO really loudly and hiss at her. Stop dead in your tracks because if you continue to move the hand/foot she thinks you are still playing. Never play with your hands - use a wand type toy.

As for declawing - this is a very anti-declawing site. Declawing is very inhumane and I always ask anyone thinking about declawing if they are willing for me to cut each and every one of their fingers off at the first knuckle. If they wouldn't mind me doing that to them then I suppose they could do it to their baby kitten when I'm finished with them.

If you cut her claws from the side rather than from top to bottom, you will find you'll get less splitting. Also, cats naturally shed pieces of claws and you may be seeing that and thinking it is splitting. Please, please do not declaw. Declawing can cause other behaviour issues, such as more biting and not using the litterbox as they associate the litterbox with the pain of the declawing.

Lastly, welcome of course, thank you for giving this lovely kitty a wonderful home, and I hope you'll stay around and learn lots of wonderful things about the beautiful cats in our lives.
post #4 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by frogmanjared View Post


We plan on spaying her @ 5 months, maybe declaw her also. I really don't want to declaw, but most of her nails split after they're cut and don't want to cause problems as a result. Will nail splitting keep happening, and what problems can it cause? Do females calm down after being spayed, I know males do, but not sure about females?
Please do her a favor & don't declaw her. Here is a thread on declawing

You need to read this thread & go ahead & search my username & the word "Bea" to read the holy that cat lived through. The lasting effects of declawing were debilitating on her.....and ruined her life.

TCS's official stance on declawing

Quote:
3. This website considers declawing a drastic way to curb cat behavior. A painful ordeal for your kitty we would suggest that declawing never be considered for any behavioral issue. Health issues are entirely different. It is up to you as a responsible pet owner to explore all the different options available instead of declawing. Your cat is dependant on you to make wise choices for her, and not put her into any more stress or discomfort. Please be a responsible pet owner and research this subject thoroughly. Understand that if you are pro-declaw in your posts, you will encounter opposition. Please learn more about alternatives for declawing here in our forums as well as on our website itself. Declaw - More than Just a Manicure. Hopefully those of you with claw-related problems will find solutions by spending time in our Behavior Forum.
Splitting claws in normal - I have 8 cats in the house, only 1 is declawed, with scratching posts & regular nail trimmings I have no problem.
post #5 of 32
Thread Starter 
Thanks for voicing your concerns about the de-clawing. If split nails wont harm her, than we're not going to do it, there's no problems with her scratching where she's not supposed to. Are cat nail trimmers a necessity? For me, it's very hard to see the quick with those bulky pair of trimmers, or is a nice, sharp regular nail trimmer just as effective? She's a very fast learner, only had a litter miss her first night here.

I've read that the teething phase ends around 8 months, will this help her to stop biting constantly? We got her a "kong wubba hubba" and she loves to chomp down on it, can't find any large straws anywhere. And what about spaying, does it make female cats less energetic?
post #6 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by frogmanjared View Post
Thanks for voicing your concerns about the de-clawing. If split nails wont harm her, than we're not going to do it, there's no problems with her scratching where she's not supposed to. Are cat nail trimmers a necessity? For me, it's very hard to see the quick with those bulky pair of trimmers, or is a nice, sharp regular nail trimmer just as effective? She's a very fast learner, only had a litter miss her first night here.

I've read that the teething phase ends around 8 months, will this help her to stop biting constantly? We got her a "kong wubba hubba" and she loves to chomp down on it, can't find any large straws anywhere. And what about spaying, does it make female cats less energetic?
I use regular human nail clippers and clip from the side. I find it's easier for me to see with the small human clippers. I've tried the special cat trimmers and don't find them easy to manage - it will depend on you and what is comfortable for you. So to answer your question, no, specific cat trimmers are not necessary. The teething phase will start around 4 months. It is important to curb her biting now by doing as I suggested above, not playing with her with your bare hands (use a wand toy).

Spaying is really necessary. Unspayed cats can get a uterine disease called pyometa which can be costly to treat and can cause death. It's much healthier for your cat to have her spayed. Also some female cats, if not spayed will start spraying. Once they start spraying they may not ever stop even if they are neutered. Age and maturity makes cats less energetic, spaying seems to calm them down somewhat. Unless you are a registered breeder there is no reason to not neuter your pet. If she just got outside once, she can get pregnant. If she mated with a cat that was not healthy she can pick up diseases from him. Please be a responsible owner and have her spayed.
post #7 of 32
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite View Post
I use regular human nail clippers and clip from the side. I find it's easier for me to see with the small human clippers. I've tried the special cat trimmers and don't find them easy to manage - it will depend on you and what is comfortable for you. So to answer your question, no, specific cat trimmers are not necessary. The teething phase will start around 4 months. It is important to curb her biting now by doing as I suggested above, not playing with her with your bare hands (use a wand toy).

Spaying is really necessary. Unspayed cats can get a uterine disease called pyometa which can be costly to treat and can cause death. It's much healthier for your cat to have her spayed. Also some female cats, if not spayed will start spraying. Once they start spraying they may not ever stop even if they are neutered. Age and maturity makes cats less energetic, spaying seems to calm them down somewhat. Unless you are a registered breeder there is no reason to not neuter your pet. If she just got outside once, she can get pregnant. If she mated with a cat that was not healthy she can pick up diseases from him. Please be a responsible owner and have her spayed.
We are doing all the things to curb biting behavior... not totally working yet, hopefully soon (heard that bottle raised kittens are harder to train not to bite).

I'm getting her spayed, I just want to know if she will be less energetic after the procedure.

Sorry if I sound like I mean something that isn't totally clear. I'm just used to being on fish, plant, reptile, and amphibian forums, and the lingo is quite different on those! Not that it's bad here, I just have to explain differently I guess. Again, sorry for any confusion!
post #8 of 32
Thread Starter 
As far as hair length goes, I don't think I've ever seen a medium hair cat. Gaia has some hairs that are significantly longer than most others, unless it's the double coat coming from her russian blue side of things. You can see them in the pic where she's sleeping on my lap, there's quite a few long, silver tipped hairs and she's getting them all over now. Is she going to be a medium hair cat?
post #9 of 32
Your kitten is very pretty. I could see a difference in her coat from the "baby" picture to the most recent.

The suggestion about the bendy drinking straws is a great one. I bought a pack of them for my kittens and it seems to work.
post #10 of 32
I used regular (human) nail clippers on my kittens, but found as they got older and the claws got bigger the clippers were crushing instead of cutting. Maybe they just weren't sharp enough. Anyway, the next thing I tried were the scissor type clippers. They worked a little better but were too bulky for easy handling. I think I may have gotten the ones intended for small dogs instead of cats. I finally found a very small pair of scissors like this and they work great.
post #11 of 32
Awe! She's a cutie. I love her playing the ds and the wii. Adorable!
post #12 of 32
Bless you for taking her in! She's adorable! HOW does she bite? Does she bite kinda hard, or is is lightly? If its lightly, she may just be hungry. If it's really agressive(u need to be able to differentiate,b/c some cats are different) If it's an agressive bite- I'd tell her "NO-NO" while shaking my finger(like 3x slowly) & touching her teeth--again- GENTLY--ALWAYS be gentle w/her. As for de-clawing--NOOOOOOO! This is SO VERY PAINFUL FOR THEM! Imagine your index finger getting cut off right under the nail @ that 1st joint-THATS what de-clawing is to a cat. There are some vets who refuse to perform this procedure-it's THAT cruel! I HOPED I was of some help to you.This is ONE of the reasons I LOVE this site-they TRULY CARE!
God Bless
bcbc
post #13 of 32
What everybody else said I use those LITTLE kitty claw trimmers (the scissor-looking ones) and they work GREAT! Use them regularly and she will get used to the procedure. Cats do shed layers of nail so it might look like splitting when it's not. Your kitten is beautiful! My kitten is almost six months old and she loves to chew on things and lately that includes US; a firm NO and redirection with a toy works quite well. Welcome and good luck!
post #14 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by frogmanjared View Post
Thanks for voicing your concerns about the de-clawing. If split nails wont harm her, than we're not going to do it, there's no problems with her scratching where she's not supposed to. Are cat nail trimmers a necessity?
I'm not clear on what you mean by "split nails." Cats claws are sharpened by shedding an outside sheath. They grow from the inside out, and, just like a snake, they shed the outer layer to reveal new needles. You may see those sheaths lying around, or hanging on to the claw for a little while.

Clipping them is a skill, but one you can easily learn. And it makes them much easier to love.
post #15 of 32
She is a sweety first off. Second, her energy simply comes from being a kitten... It will wear off as she ages. You have heard about declawing so I wont harp on it. Yes bottle fed kittens ARE harder to train against biting. I have raised 1 litter of 9 and 1 litter of 7 and am in the midst of raising a single kitten. As was said before, dont play with her with your hands. Wands, unsharpened pencils, yarn, jingle balls, wind up mice( or any other wind up toy) paper balls, but not your hands, hands are for loving not biting. she needs to learn this. as for straws, go to a fast food place buy a soda and snag some straws. any straw will do... oh... but not slurpy straws, they splinter and can cut the gums. Do not buy the new electric claw clippers, they make an awful lot of noise that traumatizes cats and it will become impossible to clip her claws after using it. I think that covers everything. Hope I helped
Shim
post #16 of 32
Thread Starter 
Michelle was reaching down to get food for the hamster... and she saw an opportunity!


This is currently her favorite way to be held.
post #17 of 32
She looks so healthy and happy. I especially like the new hamster toy you got for her.
post #18 of 32
Hello and Welcome to TCS neighborhood
post #19 of 32
What a beautiful little girl! It is amazing what a little TLC can do. It looks like you are dong a great job.
I guess I will add my about the biting problem. My cats have all grown out of the biting. When they would bite, I would scream like they were killing me, and they would stop immediately. Pepper will still bite if she gets over stimulated, of touched in a place she does not like to be touched, but she stops quickly once she is reminded biting is bad.
You are taking such great care of her that biting will likely not be an issue once she is done teething. I am so happy that you have decided not to declaw. Please keep us posted, we love to watch TCS kitten grow up.
post #20 of 32
aww she is soo cute..she looks just like our kitten smokey
post #21 of 32
Oh my gosh! She is so adorable, I love her fat little tummy! To answer some of your questions (in my opinion):
As far as biting goes:
Kittens always bite to play- my kitty is the same way and use to only like to be pet when she was tired as well. If they are playing with you and start to bite stop playing with her. If it is light biting she is only playing it is when they start to get to rough that I stop playing and say (tist). We don't punish her with a water bottle or make her be by herself. We just let her know with that sound that she shouldn't be doing that. But young kitties don't know the difference. They will learn as they grow.
As for after spaying:
They are a little groggy the first day. But our kitty who was spayed at 8 weeks was fine the next day and already wanting to play. After about 2 days they are fully back to normal (except for their little shaved tummies!)
As for declawing: Yes kitties nails cause some issues with furniture and nail splitting. However my fiance and I trained our kitty not to scratch (it took a while but it worked!) And her claws are never had splitting issues. I can see why declawing may seem necessary but it really isn't. We shouldn't take away kitties natural born functions. Really the nails don't need to be clipped very often anyway.

Hope this helps, your kitty is so so ADORABLE!
post #22 of 32
Thread Starter 
Well, we were at the vet a week ago for some boosters... and she's 1-2 weeks older than originally thought! She had already started her incisors(i think). I'm glad we took her in, she might not have made it if we didn't bring to to the vet at quick as we did when we got her. That would also explain why she's still growing like a weed! @ 4 months, just over 4 lbs!

Do all kittens have extra skin in their armpits? When she's flying through the air she looks like a bat sometimes! She also has a belly flap, hopefully it won't get too low as she gets older.
post #23 of 32
I love the gray color of your kitties fur i have a rescue that i had for 5 years now he looks just like your kitten when he was a baby. love the pictures. keep up the good work.
post #24 of 32
She is gorgeous and it looks like you are doing a great job!
post #25 of 32
She is beautiful! (I might be slightly biased as gray happens to be one of my two favorite cat colors). Good for you on taking her in & I am glad that you are educating yourself about declawing. If her scratching does become a problem one thing to think about are something called Soft Paws, or Soft Claws. They are plastic nail caps that glue on to the nail. My cats range in age from 6 - 4 & I just started using them, but wish I had started when they were younger.
post #26 of 32
Everyone else has pretty much said it all so I'll just say welcome to the board
post #27 of 32
Thread Starter 
Here are a couple of new pictures. This is her napping next to her kitty grass...


This was taken after thanksgiving dinner... they both ate too much turkey!
post #28 of 32
What joyous photos of your beautiful girl.
Gaia is thriving under your loving care.
Her "full tummy" Thanksgiving photo is adorable.
Thanks for the update.
post #29 of 32
Ah, she does look like she's made of velvet, doesn't she?
post #30 of 32
She looks a lot like our Gracie - who is a Russian Blue/Korat mix. She does not shed and I love it. (The other five make up for that, though ). Anyway, your kitty will calm down some after spaying.

Don't worry if her "baggy" belly gets baggier. Gracie has one and it started developing before her spay. The vet at first thought she was too fat but she is our slimmest and most energetic cat. I think that it might be part of her Korat heritage.

They used to call it "spay sway" but now realize some cats developed loose skin on the belly as a defense in fighting.

She is a pretty girl and bless you for taking her in.
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