just got an 8 week old kitten today, having some weird behavioral issues

cuddly calico

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Kyo is sniffing his litter box, digging,and then napping in his cube. I've checked the litter box 3 times in the past two hours and there's nothing. He has eaten and drank some water. But he hasn't used his box. My aunt who is giving the litter of kittens away and gave me Kyo says that he is litter trained. Is he maybe not comfortable enough yet with the house to use his box?
 

catpack

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It is completely normal that Kyo has not yet used his litter box. It can take a few hrs to a several days for kittens to adjust to a new environment.

I suspect he will use the litter box by morning.

Also, I have read your previous posts. Has Kyo had surgery yet?
 

thesighrye

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Hello!

My cat will do the same thing, and she's 2.

She'll go in, rearrange the scenery, and go out without doing a thing. She eventually does her business, but sometimes she just goes in there and plays, I swear!

I'm sure little Kyo will get used to it in time. What kind of litter are you using?
 
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cuddly calico

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I'm using tidy cats instant action. Has odor control as well. He seems to like it. For some reason now he won't drink water. He acts like it's killing him. His tongue is now all dry, so is his nose.
 
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cuddly calico

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Cat pack, Kyo has not yet had surgery. I have learned some disturbing news that makes me feel as though surgery is the best option. My aunt cannot find people to take in the other kittens and has decided that within a few days she will take them to a shelter. I also learned that this shelter is a kill shelter. I hope those kittens get adopted. I'm glad Kyo is with me.
 

thesighrye

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Interesting, my kitty when we first got her wouldn't drink her water normally either. She would bat it around and spill it...

Sometimes cats are weirded out by water because they can't see it; I'm not sure why. Lots of cats are weird with water.

What I've started doing recently is giving her wet food and actually mixing in a little bit of water with it. Is Kyo old enough to have wet food? Wet food alone has a lot of water in it to begin with.  If so, just pour a little water from the faucet into it and use a fork and mush it and mix it all together so it just becomes this glob of food--this way you're guaranteeing he's getting water!

And could you tell me or link me to the forum where you posted about your kitty needing surgery? What's going on with that? Here to help if I can! :)
 
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cuddly calico

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It's very sad. My little Kyo is going to get his front claws removed. I have no say in the matter. Since I learned today about the shelter... I think I'd rather have them removed than him put down for no reason. And mixing water with food is a brilliant idea. I can't put links in on my tablet. Ask someone else if they can do it for u. Right now he's commandeered my queen sized bed and won't let me on it.
 

thesighrye

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Oh goodness, that is so sad, I'm really sorry that's happening :( I wish you had more say in the matter..

Hah! Commandeering your super sized bed sounds ALL too familiar! Get used to it! :D Cats, though small, somehow find a way to take up any and all available space. As a tall girl with a tall boyfriend, this is problematic when Bellatrix takes up all the leg space in the bed -_- Joys of parenthood :D <3
 
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cuddly calico

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He seems to be settling in great. He's certainly made himself at home. He chewed up my ear buds. My iPod is charging right now and I promised some people pics of the little furball. I'll post pics tomorrow.
 

thesighrye

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Awesome, looking forward to seeing pictures of your new baby!

And hey real quick! Google "Soft Claws", they're claw covers for cats! They come in all sorts of covers and they're an alternative to declawing!

I don't know the whole situation and I realize you don't have a say in it, but maybe showing those to whoever is advocating for the declawing might help sway their decision!

I would have posted the link but I think it has to be reviewed first by the site if I include links... I'm still new lol... so I wanted to get the info to you!

Best of luck. Owning a cat is one of the most rewarding experiences a person can have
 
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cuddly calico

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I already brought up soft claws, but thanks for trying to help! He's currently sleeping but I'll post again if more issues arise.
 

artem

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WARNING: I will be discussing declawing in this post, so if this is a sensitive topic for you, you should probably skip it.  I do not go into much detail, but try and propose some strategies to help Kyo adjust.

About the declawing, the good news is he's young.  I've heard younger cats tend to have a much easier time adjusting.  My own kitten is not getting declawed by my decision.  While I think some activists go over the top, and dislike/disagree with several of the commonly cited arguments, the remaining concerns, alongside the fact that Hunter is pretty good with nail trimmings and generally uses his claws responsibly, were enough to make me say no.  But one of my family members was trying to persuade me to declaw him, so I have done a bit of research on both sides of the issue and wanted to offer what practical advice I can.  I'm not advocating for you, or anyone else, to declaw (as I've said, I decided that the risks outweighed the benefits), but I think if you go about this right, you can minimize your chance of Kyo developing serious, lifelong behavioral issues.  I know this is an anti-declaw site, and once again am not saying this is a good idea, but if it must done, you owe it to your cat to try and understand and manage the situation as best you can.  Also note that I have never lived with a declawed cat and am basing this off on information from a family member's vet, who does perform declaw surgeries, and anecdotes I have read online, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but hopefully it will be of some help.  I'm not going to condemn you for your decision, as I do understand that your vote is not the final one and that pitting yourself against cherished family members is not a trivial, or easy, thing to do, and I don't think you need to be made to feel any worse about yourself for making the best of the bad situation.  What I am going to try and do is help you through this, although I'd recommend enlisting the help of some of our members with declawed cats of their own, who probably have more tips to offer.

The main thing to understand is that declawed cats have the same general motivations as cats who have not undergone the surgery.  They will still "scratch" at surfaces to leave a scent mark (so he should be provided with a post that will be easy on his paws) and, in a low-stress environment, will likely behave like pretty normal cats.  A secure and content declawed cat is not going to randomly start biting.  A declawed cat may, however, resort to biting where another cat would scratch of hiss.  The key here is making sure your kitten has no reason to lash out.  Read his body language, respect his space and his needs, try to understand where his limits lie and give him safe ways of getting out his energies.  In other words, manage him like you should manage any cat, but be sure to be diligent about it or things could get ugly.  It's probably best to keep him away from dogs or cats with claws, as he may have trouble defending himself without biting, and make sure all humans know to be calm and respectful around him.  Aggression does not come from nowhere, even in declawed cats, and, if he bites, rather than panicking, you should investigate and remove the source of stress.  Similarly, if your declawed cat is spraying, he's spraying for the same reason as any cat: to mark his territory.  He may feel less confident without his claws and may resort to spraying sooner, but you should look for the same sources of territorial anxiety you would with any cat.

Where he will differ from other cats, however, is that there is an additional possible stressor: medical issues related to the surgery.  The two most common complications are continued pain and, later in life, a higher chance of arthritis.  If your cat starts developing behavioral issues, you should take him to a vet immediately.  All cats tend to lash out/pee outside the litterbox/etc. when in pain and, particularly if the surgery is not done properly, his paws may continue to bother him.  You should avoid handling his paws altogether, even if he doesn't seem to be experiencing any discomfort.  You'll also need to be sure to get a litter that doesn't irritate his paws.  Until he is recovered, cut up newspaper is (I think) your best bet, although he should probably stay with the vet for a few days so his condition can be monitored, as it is a major surgery.  You should ask your vet which type litter to use after that, as his paws will likely continue to be sensitive.  Perhaps offer a few litterboxes with different options to see which he prefers.  You want to be very, very careful about this as many declawed cats do develop litterbox aversion due to the pain.  I'd also suggest keeping an eye on how he's getting around, and maybe make things a bit easier for him if he's having trouble.  I know Hunter has trouble climbing even after a simple claw trim and I imagine things will be much the same with a declawed kitten and a key part of helping him feel happy and secure is making sure he has access to high places where he can be alone and survey his territory.

As for the surgery itself, be sure to go to the best vet you can afford.  I'd do some research before hand on different methods and what to look out for complications wise.  Look for sources written by vets that offer an objective, unbiased viewpoint focusing on the medical aspects of declawing (try PetMD, Vetstreet, AVMA etc).  I think laser surgery is the current preferred method, but it comes down to what you and your mom feel comfortable with and can afford.  I'd actually avoid reading any more anti-declaw articles if you've already presented all the arguments to your mom and gotten nowhere.  It won't change anything and will only make you feel worse, which is not healthy for you or the cat.  You want to be calm, realistic and ready to work with your pet, not panicking at the first sign of a problem or haunted by guilt over something you ultimately have no say in.  You may want to have your declawed and neutered at the same time, to minimize the number of times he is under anesthesia and let him recover from both at once, but this is a personal decisions, as many people feel that this is too much for the cat.  Doing them simultaneously would be my personal preference, were I in your position, but I am in the ripping-off-the-bandaid camp and, were I the cat, would rather have one major recovery period period than two more minor ones.

Once again, this is not a pro- or anti-declawing post.  This is a "what can Cuddly Calico, as a caring cat guardian in a bad situation, do to make her life and her cat's life easier" post.  Best of luck to you and Kyo and I hope you bring each other much joy in the years to come.
 
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cuddly calico

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This was a very well thought out post and I am very thankful. I really do feel bad about my situation and I'm trying to make the best of it. I will be getting the best vet we can afford. I believe we also will wait to have him be neutered until he is able to be de-clawed at the same time.
 

petcrazy76

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Laser declawing definitely seems easier on the kitten in my experience. It makes it harder to keep them from jumping though.

I have posted before that my cats are declawed. It was something everyone in my area automatically did and I honestly didn't know about the issues at the time.

That being said, I have experience with taking care of a declawed cat after surgery, because I've done it since I was a kid. If you have any issues after surgery don't hesitate to message me.

I'm sure you've read of things that can go wrong, but other times there are no problems. I don't say that as a way to say declawing is ok, I'm saying don't worry too much before you know what's going to happen. I'm lucky enough to have a 14 year old who's never had a problem with his paws.
 
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