Newly adopted KITTEH =^.^=

I'm the proud parent of my second kitteh, 3rd cat in general as of now.  







Her name is Isabel.  She's about 7 weeks old now.  She's so adorably cute.  Very active, we seem to be bonding very wonderfully.  I did have a few issues the first couple of days adopting her.  She wasn't eating or drinking and I was getting a tad worried.  I knew of course that she was adjusting to the new environment but I was more worried about her not drinking.  Thankfully I had a spare unopenned syringe from one of my other cats when they needed medicine so I used it to give her some water.  Luckily that only lasted about 2 days then she started eating and drinking normally.  Now though I have the problem of getting her used to the kitty litter.  I made the mistake of using clumping litter and the first time she was inside, she started chomping on it and I immediatly had to remove it and buy new litter.  I got the Arm and Hammer Feline Pine, but she hasn't used it yet.  Per suggestion from the person I adopted her from, I put used kitty litter in with a small amount of the pin in a little box she can climb into without trouble, and put her in to sniff and attempt to get her used to it.  Well didn't quite work, she pooped in the corner, so we scooped it up and dropped it in the litter, and put the little box where she pooped so she hopefully gets the idea eventually.  I truly hope I'm doing everything right as the thought of doing wrong scares me.  I love her to death and I do believe she is starting to love me too.  She will turn on her back and play bite me, albeit a bit hard sometimes , but I don't believe it's out of frustration or irritation but out of love for me.  My middle kitty, Chloe is actually very curious about it.  She keeps poking her paw under the door, and the kitten does the same.  Of course Chloe is hissing but that's to be expected.

On another note, I think I made a mistake with my Chloe she's a bit fat and I have to put her on a diet but i'm new to it.  I've always left food in the bowl and kept it topped off and my oldest cat never really had an issue.  So I don't know how to do this diet thing for them.  I tend to put a 3/4th to 1 cup of dry food in the bowl at least once a day.  If anyone knows of a better way I'd greatly appreciate any advice.

Awww, what a sweet kitty.  She's adorable.

Oooh, very cute kitteh.     I feel I need a little snuggle in with my Mouse now, but he's rather more substantial.      Isabel looks like she is settling in well in your photos, and very comfy with her fleece and soft bed.  Lucky girl.  I hope your three settle in well together and Isabel is accepted in to the fur family without too much more hissing. 

I don't know if you have read any of the articles here on TCS but this one might be useful for what you're thinking about for Chloe:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals

Mouse is a little chubby with his free feeding dry diet and I try to keep him as active as I can, as well as house train my lodgers not to give in to his seriously pathetic meows whenever anyone just MIGHT go near the kitchen.....   I have his daily allowance of biscuits measured out in to tins so everyone can tell what he has had.

betsygee said:

 
Awww, what a sweet kitty.  She's adorable.

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X-D!!!!!!

MServant said:

 
Oooh, very cute kitteh. 

   I feel I need a little snuggle in with my Mouse now, but he's rather more substantial.  

   Isabel looks like she is settling in well in your photos, and very comfy with her fleece and soft bed.  Lucky girl.  I hope your three settle in well together and Isabel is accepted in to the fur family without too much more hissing. 

I don't know if you have read any of the articles here on TCS but this one might be useful for what you're thinking about for Chloe:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals

Mouse is a little chubby with his free feeding dry diet and I try to keep him as active as I can, as well as house train my lodgers not to give in to his seriously pathetic meows whenever anyone just MIGHT go near the kitchen.....   I have his daily allowance of biscuits measured out in to tins so everyone can tell what he has had.

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actually that isn't a fleece OR a bed. it's actually a king size comforter from Meijers.  The blue soft side is so soft it probably reminds her of momma's fur.  When she settles down from playtme she cozies up either on a spare chair near my desk or jumps up my bed, in the cutest way mind you she shimmies up the side of my bed haha.  The first day and a half she would worm her way into some of the folds when I was sleeping on my bed and just sit there for hours sleeping.  Ironically there were times I'd walk out of the room for a bit, come back and I couldn't find her only to see her snuggle her way out of one of the folds X-D.   She also has this cute bubbly meow it's so adorable!!!

Thank you for the link I'll check it out .

Your Mouse sounds awesome .  See like I don't know if I should measure out a cup and leave it out all day?  or let her nibble for a bit then wait till later.  Again I'm new to the diet thing :/.

Diet is way too complicated for me - which is probably why Mouse is a pudge....      

The nutrition forum and the articles on nutrition in the Articles health section  (where the link I posted is) are full of information but it can get pretty overwhelming sometimes as there are so many different views.  With Mouse on dry food only I TRY to stick to the weight of food given on the packet guidelines for each day.  I measure it out in to a tin for the day and then put it out in 2 to 4 servings depending on how much anyone is in that day.  I like to leave him with an empty bowl sometimes but one of my housemates really struggles with that and Mouse knows it and pesters him to bits until he gives in.  Actually, Mouse is so persistent with him he doesn't really have a chance LoL.   Going by the cutsie look in Isabel's eyes in your photos I think anyone might have a problem resisting her.      Of course the rationing thing is much harder when you have 3 cats and there is quite a bit of discussion about how people work with that, mostly in Nutrition but some in Health and Behaviour as well.

MServant said:

 
Diet is way too complicated for me - which is probably why Mouse is a pudge.... 

    

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*joins MServant in a show of solidarity for People Who Spoil Their Kitties A Tad Much And Succumbs To Their Pathetic Meows*

MServant said:

 
Diet is way too complicated for me - which is probably why Mouse is a pudge.... 

    

The nutrition forum and the articles on nutrition in the Articles health section  (where the link I posted is) are full of information but it can get pretty overwhelming sometimes as there are so many different views.  With Mouse on dry food only I TRY to stick to the weight of food given on the packet guidelines for each day.  I measure it out in to a tin for the day and then put it out in 2 to 4 servings depending on how much anyone is in that day.  I like to leave him with an empty bowl sometimes but one of my housemates really struggles with that and Mouse knows it and pesters him to bits until he gives in.  Actually, Mouse is so persistent with him he doesn't really have a chance LoL.   Going by the cutsie look in Isabel's eyes in your photos I think anyone might have a problem resisting her.  

   Of course the rationing thing is much harder when you have 3 cats and there is quite a bit of discussion about how people work with that, mostly in Nutrition but some in Health and Behaviour as well.

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I have ADD, things that tend to be overly complicated overwhelm me and I struggle to deal with them.  I feel the same.  But the way I see it is, despite me having weight issues and having an extremely difficult time losing weight MYSELF, I would feel horrible if my kitties were to have health complications due to being overweight.  Even my 12 year old is just BARELY under the limit but she was free-feeder so I never needed to worry about it and the vet always said she was fine weight wise.  Chloe isn't quite as pudgy as her, but then again she's not quite the same size yet.  Maybe I'm overthinking it.  I think it's almost time for one of her vet checkups, I have to double check, so whenever I take her to the vet again I will ask the vet and get their recommendation.  Now I DID speak to the lady I adpoted Isabel from and she says that she feels by pictures I showed her, that Chloe is a bit too heavy.  I guess everyone has their own idea.  I've spoken to people from Petco/Petsmart and had differeing opinions.  I don't mind spoiling my babies when it doesn't compromise their health.  I mean she's only a year old so I guess I shouldn't be too concerned about it, but I do want to get a professional opinion soon.

I agree with it being very important to make sure a cat's weight is healthy.  If we don't manage what food we let them eat they will develop health problems just as we humans do.  I want Mouse to be around me for as long as possible which is why I try to explain to everyone in my home why it is so important not to give in to him, even when he is being either the cutest or most annoying cat on the planet.  It does feel mean though, esp as I too have weight issues and while I sit and munch my way through unnecessary puddings and crisps I make Mouse wait for his food bowl to be filled up with the next portion of his daily rations.   I think you are very wise to start now @xeoneex  as if your cat were to become over weight by the time they were two their activity levels could slow down while they are still very young and the weight become more and more of a problem as they mature.  I think it is a hard transition to get from that kitten feeding all they want stage to adult cat needs where their bodies are no longer growing and developing at that phenominal rate so need fewer calories and nutrients.    An even bigger challenge when you have a kitten like Isabel and older cats who require some degree of rationing. 

I'm having nothing but trouble getting her to use the litterbox.. On top of that I see where she poops but I have no idea where she's peeing.  The carpet is old but I'm worried about other issues with the inability to clean the old urine spots :/.  I'm very worried about all of this.  I've tried everything I can think of, aside from locking her in the bathroom all day...  I simply don't know what to do and I'm at my wits end X_X.

EDIT:  I have never dealt with a cat not going in the litterbox aside from our last cat when she was going outside the box due to hyperthoidism.  I haven't scrubbed anything because I simply don't know what to use to clean it or anything.

Oh my, that's not great for any of you.   Sad to hear this.

I don't know how many litter boxes / trays you have but general rule is one per cat plus one, and if your new arrival is young they might not have time to reach one or make their way past bigger and more dominant cats to get there.  They might also be phased by different litter.  With young kittens and cats it is often not being able to reach the tray for some reason, but also worth making sure she isn't unwell too.   There are some good Articles about how to manage this and how to remove the odours, here are a couple of links:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-remove-cat-urine

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-remove-cat-urine

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-many-litterboxes-should-you-have

You might want to take a look at some threads in the behaviour section too, or even start one your self.    Good luck with finding a solution.

Well we are at our wits end.  We were told by our vet to put her in a enclosed cage, only we don't have one so we used an open box with good space, she ended up jumping out and pooping in the corner -_- now I have a taller and slightly thinner box and she's crying she wants out and it pierces my heart to hear that...   I hope I'm not causing mental trauma by doing this X_X.  I'll have to pick up a $50 dog training cage...  I hope I'm doing the right thing i feel like I'm torturing her -_-.    I just canj't have her pooping/peeing everywhere...

I would really try getting some extra litter boxes first. She's still a little baby! Remember when kids are little and can't get to the bathroom on time? And kittens, just like kids don't want to miss a thing!  So she may be trying to get to her potty box, but it's just too far from where she is. Also, I don't know what kind of litter you are using, but those scented ones are very strong! They give me a headache! Cats are a lot like dogs when it comes to sense of smell, highly sensitive. Also the dust from that kind o litter could be almost toxic to a little kitten.

Anne with Cats said:

 
I would really try getting some extra litter boxes first. She's still a little baby! Remember when kids are little and can't get to the bathroom on time? And kittens, just like kids don't want to miss a thing!  So she may be trying to get to her potty box, but it's just too far from where she is. Also, I don't know what kind of litter you are using, but those scented ones are very strong! They give me a headache! Cats are a lot like dogs when it comes to sense of smell, highly sensitive. Also the dust from that kind o litter could be almost toxic to a little kitten.

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That's the thing though, I have 3 seperate litter boxes, 2 small and one large, she will not use any of them.  I notice she goes in 2 specific locations each time.  I've put litter boxes at both locations but she completely avoids both.  If I put her in any litterbox she immediatly runs off.  I simply do not know what to do.  I've never had this problem before.

As for the litter, I've tried feline pine, and tidy cat lightweight like the foster woman was using prior to me adopting her.

Can you put newspaper down in places she is peeing and then place the papers into a litter box so it then has her scent in it?

misterwhiskers said:

Can you put newspaper down in places she is peeing and then place the papers into a litter box so it then has her scent in it?

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Well, I've tried putting my older cat's used litter in and had her sniff it, but that's probably not the same.  I don't have newspaper at the moment it's 3am at the moment I need to get some tomorrow plus some pet cleaner to clean the spots she's marked so far.  

Does she have a little box that is just for her and in a place the other cats can't watch her?

MServant said:

 
Does she have a little box that is just for her and in a place the other cats can't watch her?

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Well aside from my Chloe who occasionally comes into my room to play with Isabelle (i officially spelled it this way so disregard the other way I spelled it ) but I've confined her to my bedroom until she's older/bigger.  I took her to the vet today to get her looked over in case she had an issue going on, she's healthy and fine, they are doing a fecal test but I'm pretty sure it's clean.  Anyway my vet said the problem is most likely the litter I was using, while she was using the tidy cat lightweight it was scented and she might have been tolerating it and now that she's on her own she doesn't want it.  He also said the Feline Pine was too strong for her, so I removed all the litter boxes except a small little box top that's perfectly sized to her, and I used Arm and Hammer unscented clumping litter.  She still is going outside the box, however this last time I caught her before she went and quickly put her in the box and she went in the litter.  She took a few moments to smell and I think she's starting to get the idea.  She's been sniffing around the box, something she didn't do before I bought this non-scented litter.  The only problem I see is she keeps wanting to nibble at the litter, but just now as of writing this she went over to the box, went inside and sniffed around.  I covered her pee from earlier so I don't know if that was a good idea or not.  I also bought a urine cleaner that works on carpet and I have to get a scrub brush and try to get as much out as I can, where I know she was peeing before.  The vet also said she still is young yet so she has some learning to do .  Naturally I have to be patient and I have to hang in their for her sake.  I will do what I can so maybe this worked!

She is just about old enough for clumping litter, you have to make sure she doesn't eat any though.   It does sound like you are making progress and I look forward to hearing how things go over the next couple of days.

Ya she's

MServant said:

 
She is just about old enough for clumping litter, you have to make sure she doesn't eat any though.   It does sound like you are making progress and I look forward to hearing how things go over the next couple of days.

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Oh I know it causes blockage and potentially dangerous health issues.  I'm a bit worried but i'll just have to keep an eye on her.  I've seen her go over about 2 more times since the last time I replied and sniff about.  She's slowly getting the idea I think.  She definatly didn't do that with the other litter.  I'm just scared if I go to sleep she'll want to chomp on it and I won't be awake to discourage it :/.  It'd break my heart if something were to happen to her.  Reminds me of Matty all over again.  Poor girl had to have major surgery at about 2 years because she ingested an insane amount of dental floss.  I was so broken up by that I was scared i'd lose her, and she pulled through and thrived for about 10 years not ^_^.  God was with Matty that day.  I do not want to go through that again if I can help it.

Well..... one step forward 2 steps backward *sigh*.  She has been going to the litter, but she's attempting to eat it...  *pulls hair out*  

EDIT:  She hasn't "used" the litter, I should have clarified that.  She just goes up to it, looks at it, paws it a second, then eats it...