My First Kitten

The reason that Orange tabbies are mostly male is (simplified) that coloration is presented on the X chromosome, and a male only needs one. With other colors more dominant on the X, a female would need both X chromosomes to have orange for her to be orange. It happens (around 5%)... my girl is a Orange ticked tabby.

Really adorable! Ready to be a mom? At that age, it falls to you to teach him manners when there are no siblings around to teach him boundaries. Wow - so cute, just want to pick him up and squeeze him.

bigperm20 said:

Cheddar is sooo cute! He would not be any particular breed so to speak. He's considered a red tabby colored domestic short hair.

Was Cheddar an orphan? How did you end up with him so young? It will be really important to watch his biting and scratching. If he bites or scratches you, give him a firm no, and give him one of his toys. A small stuffed animal or two would be perfect. When he scratches and bites the toy, be sure to praise him.

Kittens usually learn these lessons from mom and their littermates, orphans need us to teach them.

He is gorgeous. I love yhe shots of him eating. As far as most red Tabbies being male, I think the ratio is about 75% male. I have a red tabby female myself, btw.

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I found Cheddar in my shed. I've been caring for a couple of feral cats that have been hanging around for a while. One had babies, total of 8. I was able to get 6 babies and they went to a cat rescue. I believe they deserve a chance to be part of families instead of living outside just to survive (I live in a rural area so there's lots of coyotes and raccoons and such). The other kitten I haven't been able to catch, so i'll try to get him/her as soon as possible (not going too well in that) and get him spayed through the TNR program. Both mama cat and the other adult female have been spayed. Cheddar was cast aside and I didn't have the heart to just leave him there. The vet said he was about 10 days old when I found him and was pretty dehydrated. I've been caring for him ever since. I think he's about 6 weeks old now.

I have been working with Cheddar with the whole biting thing. When I see that he's getting over stimulated, I step back and end all fun (by fun for him). He's not too bad but we'll see how he progresses as he gets older. I got him lots of toys that he plays with while on the couch with me. Other than that he's exploring around the house and hanging out on the coffee table. Since I have so many dogs plus a foster who is showing way too much interest for my comfort, he's got a huge crate with a bunch of toys, blankets, bowls to climb around in, a little cardboard house that he loves to sleep in, water, and his litter box. So I do switches to let my foster dog out then Cheddar gets his time. I know it's not the most ideal but it's the best I can do right now considering the circumstances. In the future I will let the rescue know that I can only foster cat-friendly dogs (my foster was already here when I found Cheddar) so I don't have to do rotations and Cheddar can be out with us all the time.

Having a cat was never something I thought I would end up with (as I am a huge dog lover so have 6 dogs of my own, and i'm allergic to cats), but I love him to pieces and hope he can stay with me forever.

NBrazil said:

 
The reason that Orange tabbies are mostly male is (simplified) that coloration is presented on the X chromosome, and a male only needs one. With other colors more dominant on the X, a female would need both X chromosomes to have orange for her to be orange. It happens (around 5%)... my girl is a Orange ticked tabby.

Really adorable! Ready to be a mom? At that age, it falls to you to teach him manners when there are no siblings around to teach him boundaries. Wow - so cute, just want to pick him up and squeeze him.

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Yup, i'm enjoying being Cheddar's mom.

One tip that really helped Beans when she was a kitten was using drinking straws as "teething toys". They can really sink their teeth into them, and it helps the pain. Plus they are fun to play with, at least my cats think so. A boxof 100 is less than a dollar as well.

Ole' Cheddar will be teaching your foster dog a thing or two when he getsva little bigger.

So darling!  I love Cheddar's color!

I really love that it seems he has made friends with your doggy. Still can't get over how adorable he is 

You need a WARNING on the title of this thread! I just about died of cuteness overload!

Oh my, how prescious!!!  What a cute little punk'n!  My cat Angel didn't come to me until he was 5 yrs. old, but I bet that's what he looked like when he was that age. He also has a white chin, chest, belly & feet.

He's the most beautiful kitten ever!!! I wish I could get bitten by a kitten without teeth I wonder how it feels like. Foley is a red tabby as well but I didnt get him until he was 5 months old. He is 2 years now and weighs over 15 pounds. How are you gonna name you're cutie baby?

Here are more pics of Mr. Cheddar from yesterday. I swear I take pictures of him everyday, I already have over 300 pics!

Lol his name is Mr Cheddar I was so distracted by his cuteness I didn't notice

It's appropriate his name is Cheddar because I want to EAT HIM UP!   

Beautiful pictures of Cheddar and the ones with him and the dog are stunning

Cheddar and Tynan

Awww...  Sweetness!  

He is getting so big!

What a cutie. It is nice he seems to have such a good relationship with your dogs.

How did I manage to miss this thread until today?       Mr Cheddar is simply oozing with catitude in your photos!    What a stunning little kitten in every way.  What do you mean you only have about 300 pictures?  More! More ! More!   This little guy has such as expressive face and looks so confident you need to capture as much of him as you can - they grow up SO fast!   (I am a very very sad person, I even have a 'kitten album' for Mouse's 1st 6 months  )   I hope he keeps his brilliant colour and this confident and cheeky personality he has as it looks like you are doing a fantastic job with him.   

Awwwwww, SO, SO, Sweet!!!!!     "Best buddies!" 

Cheddar has hit the 2lbs mark as of this morning. :-)

Happy 2 pound day! You little cutie!