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Childhood memories

post #1 of 4
1/20/10 at 5:47pm
Thread Starter 
In October we adopted 2 kittens (Boy and Girl) from a local shelter. As they have become acclimated to our home, they have very stranger habits and I wonder if it stems from their childhood out on the streets. Approximately, 8-10 weeks. They love to chew on plastic bags and sleep on them. The boy “nurses†on a fuzzy blanket. They also LOVE to be in tiny boxes, usually to sleep. I have owned cats for most of my life, so I understand the box fetish. But, it is more for them as a comfort area. They feel the need to thoroughly clean and chew on our fingers. Also, the boy will jump and hug my leg.
Could this be from their childhood?
Besides being Green and having no plastic bags in the house, Should we worry about this?

For those who read my previous post of kitten gas. Yeah, they still have gas. Deworming and food changes have not cured the problem.
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post #2 of 4
1/21/10 at 5:03am
First, that's great you adopted these two little ones.

I would keep plastic bags away from them. They could chew off bits and injest them causing problems. Also, some get caught in the handles. Very frightening for them. Good thing you don't have bags anymore.

As you say, boxes and cats go together. They are chewing your fingers because they are probably teething. Redirect them when they start chewing on you. Give them a cat toy instead. Climbing legs is perfectly normal. Can you get them a cat scratching post or a cat tree to climb? They will find this much more fun than your leg. Kittens, even adults, will "nurse" on wooly blankets, etc. It is natural for them to do this. I believe it is a comforting thing. They associate it with the good feelings they had when nursing from mom.

I think they are being kittens. There is nothing in your post that I would be concerned about. They will outgrow the chewing if you make a concentrated effort to turn their attention to something else.

As they get bigger, just give them bigger boxes!
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post #3 of 4
1/22/10 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for responding. It has been over 18 years since we've had babies in the house and they never nursed on blankets or chewed plastic bags. My marty cleaned our fingers, but these babies go full force. Thanks for the reassureance. We bought some Hartz teething toys last month. They have LOTS oftoys which are probably all under a chair or sofa or hidden from us. They have a cat tree which in the few months that they have been has seen better days.

Thanks again for the reassurance. Being a new mommy again is scary.
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post #4 of 4
1/22/10 at 4:40pm
My Cleo II love to chew on plastic bags...so we have to make sure they're always put away. She even comes running as soon as she hears one "crackle".

They really sound like fairly typical kittens to me. I think it's GREAT that you adopted them from the shelter too!
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