Blue Russian Kitten

somayeh

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Hi all and happy new year!

I will be bringing home a Russian Blue kitten aged around 12 weeks in mid February. Since this will be my first pet I would love some advice from people who have had or do have Russian Blues.

I live in an old school building, my room is pretty big (an old classroom) and my floor consists of a long corridor with various other rooms (other housemates, kitchen and bathrooms). I'm thinking of predominately keeping it in my room until it's 6 months and I can let it out. In the two months it will be solely indoors, I am thinking it can roam outside my room in the corridor if it wants to when I'm home and on weekends? Any suggestions on this?

My main concern is that I have to work during the day. I know they are a breed that love routine, so I was wondering would it be a good idea to work from home the first week the kitten arrives so I can bond with it and train it? Or will this be unwise if after that week I will be woking 5 days a week and it will have to get used to being alone most of the day?

I really can't have two kittens, so I'm thinking of asking friends/other housemates who might be home during the day to pay a visit and play with the kitten- again is this wise with Russian Blues?

I am going to purchase this automatic feeder for when I'm away and I am also thinking of doing a combination of a raw food diet with high end foods on the market- has anyone done this and have any advice in terms of what is the best for Russian Blues? Advice of cost effective ways to do a raw diet?

I really want to make sure I do everything right from the get go so any advice would be great!

Many thanks in advance. x
 

shadowsrescue

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When you first bring the kitten home it is usually best to keep the kitten confined for a week or so.  Let it get used to the new surroundings as well as finding the litter box.  As far as working from home for the first week, that is up to you.  The kitten may then get used to you and it will be harder to leave the following week.  Maybe popping home early or leaving later that week to ease the transition.  Having your housemates visit is a great idea.

Be sure that if you plan to allow her time outside that she is spayed.  You do not want her going into heat and then having kittens. 

She really shouldn't need an automatic feeder unless you will be away overnight.  You can feed her first thing in the morning and then again when you get home.  If she feel she needs a mid day meal, then maybe a house mate could give her a bit.  Just be careful about overfeeding her.

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy.  May you have a wonderful life together.
 

mservant

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Hi there Somayeh, welcome to TCS - mid February must feel like a year away for you right now.  I remember that wait until being allowed to bring my Mouse home all too well!  I wanted to spend every weekend visiting him and the poor breeders had to come up with all sorts of reasons for me not to pretty much move in with them!  
    I hope you are prepared for blue cat servitude, and Russian Blue to boot.  How exciting!   They are very good at training their humans.  
   Trust me - I've been 'done'.  

I'm interested that you mention keeping your kitten indoor for the first 6 months and then letting out more widely.  Will your kitten be neutered when you collect?  Is it a male or female your are getting?   When I adopted Mouse he was already neutered by the breeder's vet, which is common practice for pedigree cats in the UK.  

Also, Russian Blue cats can be prone to 'bolting' if they get a fright or any unexpected loud noises when they are out so considered to be at high risk of getting lost or injured if let out.  Many pedigree breeders may not even permit someone to buy one of their cats unless keeping indoor only.  With Mouse he is super confident in his own home territory and master of the world he lives in but if he sets foot outside it he is as timid as anything.  He is also super friendly and trusting of people and there's no way I would let him out even if he wasn't so afraid because he would go off with anyone should they choose to tempt him (or just pick him up).   To top all of that he has zero road sense.  Being known as happy indoors is one big reason why I chose to get a Russian Blue cat.   A small space with lots of interest and use of height as well as horizontal floor space can provide a rich and active environment for a cat without any of the stressors of shared territory with other cats, people they don't know, and unfamiliar noises etc.  Be ware if you do decide to let your cat out, even if it is in to a wider indoor area of communal corridors.  

Mouse is actually a very sociable cat but many Russian Blues are pretty timid with people they don't know well, and known for bonding strongly with their main human companions.  Your new arrival may well prefer to have a quieter time with you, and a rich home environment where he or she can play when you are not there than to have a stream of different people coming in to their territory.  All cats are different and it might be wise to see how your new arrival gets on as they settle in, how quickly they get used to their new home, and how they react to visitors when they come in.   I did take time off work when I brought Mouse home, and while I was off I purposefully started to go out for short periods of time and then return, gradually increasing it so that hopefully he would learn about my coming and going without getting too anxious.  He did seem a little anxious and clingy when I first went back to work and was out longer but still coped well, and I found some games he could keep himself busy with when he got bored of surveying the world outside from his window placed cat tree.   

With tending to be a little older when adopted, pedigree kittens should cope without timed feeders unless they are going to be alone for very long periods.  I fed Mouse when we got up in the morning, when I came home later afternoon, and again before bed.  He is now on dry food so has rationed amounts left on a similar time schedule. Beware, Russian Blue cats also have a reputation for liking their food a little too much!   Mouse is a very fine example of a Russian Blue, and one who loves his food, so he is a slightly chubby RB.  
   I currently have him on strict rations and as much kitty-gym-play as I can coax him in to because he had charmed a housemate of mine in to believing he was a starving cat whose ribs could not be felt easily only because his fur was thick. 
      

Suggested routine - serious play as soon as you get up, and then breakfast before you go to work.  Serious play when you come home then a nice evening munch and a little rest.  Then another serious play before a light supper so you have some vague chance of sleep before your kitten decides it's play time again....  If you play lots when you are in then your cat will have had lots of activity and interaction and be more naturally ready for a quiet time when you are not there or want to sleep.  Play time is bonding time too, so if you are lucky your furry one will curl up on you once you've worn them out, filled their belly with nice food, and then you sit or lay down somewhere warm and comfy.   Just remember and leave them somewhere nice and warm and comfy for when you are out at work - Mouse spends most of his day in my bed....

I look forward to hearing more about your anticipated new arrival.   Do you have any photos or anything yet?  
 
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somayeh

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Thank you both for your responses and advice!

Oh my god, it honestly feels like forever away. So happy you can appreciate this, as my boyfriend and other people don't seem to!

I'm going to go for a boy and will most certainly be getting it neutered. The owner herself has kept her Russian Blue's indoors and has recommended I also do so. I personally, however, feel its a little cruel given that I don't have the entire home for it to roam in, so in order to get around this indoor/outdoor dilemma I'm thinking of getting a body harness and take it out for walks as much as I can in the garden and around my building?

That's great advice on leaving for short amounts of time for him to get used to it. I think I will try doing it that way! A part of me feels like I should just start off with the routine the cat will be mostly in, i.e be gone for most of the day from the get go....on the other hand I feel it's wise to train him as best I can in the first few days/week? It's a tough choice and I want to make sure I make the right decision!

I will certainly be feeding him in the morning and playing with him before work, it's just that sometimes my trains will have delays on the way home or if I am delayed at work I would worry about it not having it's dinner. Since it's going to be 12 weeks old it would have to eat during the day too and I won't be home so I'm thinking an automatic feeder will give me peace of mind.

Ok so a few more questions please:

One of my housemates who lives downstairs has agreed to play with it/keep it company when I'm away at work. What would be the best way to go about this? He doesn't mind having the kitten in his room whilst he works etc so it has company/new surroundings to roam. I was thinking this could be good for it? It'll get to be in a different room from time to time and get extra playtime? Or is this a bad idea for a Russian Blue? If we implemented this from early on,  would it get used to it as part of it's routine?

A girl who's room is next to mine has a an adult cat (Oscar) in her room. She leaves her window open so he can go out and come in as he wishes. He's rather timid and isn't out that much. Is this going to be a problem? Will my new kitten sense the other cat in the building? What would be the best way to go about this? There used to be also another adult cat called Tiki who would roam the building and be outside the building a lot. Oscar and tiki never seemed to have any problems......

Tiki has gone now but she was in my room a few times and has brushed up on my furniture, will the kitten sense this even though some time would have passed? 

Finally do you have any good cat tree suggestions to put by my window and or games to keep hm occupied for a long time?

I regretfully didn't take any pictures but I'm sure I'll be visiting again before February so I will take some and post soon :) I would also love some advice on how to kitty proof my room so will post some pictures to kindly get some help with that too!

Thank you so much! 
 

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Congratulations on your Russian Blue kitten! I have a handsome gray kitty myself. Enjoy! They're the best!


I don't think that it's cruel to keep cats indoors, I think that it's wise.

I'm guessing that you're in the UK?

Here in the United States, there are a lot of hazards for outdoor cats. In my area, the biggest risk is getting eaten by a coyote. Even in the UK, where there aren't the same type of predators as the US, lots of cats are hit by cars. Letting a cat out to roam is quite a gamble. Between my husband and I, we've lost several childhood cats to outdoor hazards when we were children. I lost several cats to antifreeze poisoning, some to predators, my husband lost a cat to cat fights, etc. Thus, as adults, our cats are indoor.

If you would like your little guy to go outside, I highly recommend training him to walk on a leash. It's best to buy a leash and harness, made specifically for cats and to carefully adjust it so that they can't slip out of it. This is the brand that we use with our cats: 
For entertainment, I have a large cat tree and a number of cat toys. I put a bird feeder right outside the window where the cats cat sit and watch the birds. My cat also entertains himself by playing with the foster kitten. 
 

ritz

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Everyone has said I would have said. Don't know if this is common in the UK, but I would also get your new cat microchip. Cats are innately curious, and if he were to get out, be startled and run away.
Good luck!
 

crazy4strays

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Yes, I agree with the microchip.

Using a collar and tag as well, along with the microchip, will ensure the best chance for reunion if he ever escapes and gets lost.
 

mservant

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I have a leash for Mouse and put it on him reasonably regularly still in case I need to have him out of my apartment for any length of time (fires or such like in the building), but when he was first with me I would put it on him regularly and encourage him out in to the communal corridors and stair part of the building - hooping to get him to go outside.  He made it very clear to me he did not like being out and would get more and more nervous if I encouraged him to go down towards to main entrance to the building.   Follow the messages your cat gives you @Somayeh, it may well be  he or she has no interest in going out.   If you have seen any of the documentaries about cat behaviours recently on TV there was a lot of information about how cats in inner cities can exhibit high levels of stress behaviour if outdoors because they have to share and negotiate territory so much, and also have a high risk of other cats using their routes in and out of their home and don't even feel safe in their own territory because of invaders their humans are often unaware of.  

Check with the person you are getting your cat from as they should be preparing the kittens for the homes they are going to and knowing if they are likely to be outdoor or sharing space with other animals would be part of the socialization.  Also, check with them if you haven't done so already about the chip thing - most pedigree breeders microchip and insure their kittens before any sale is completed and documents transferred along with ensuring the neutering has been done.   

There having been cats in your room and surrounding area recently probably won't bother your new arrival - I had had 2 cats in my apartment for nearly 22 years and their fur was still everywhere when I brought Mouse home but once he had thoroughly inspected the place and found no critters other than the scary blue cat that stared back at him from the mirror in my sitting room he was absolutely fine (very wary about the sitting room for a bit though).    

It is great that you are preparing and looking in to all these things before you bring your little cat home.  Hopefully it will help this time pass more quickly, but it should also ensure that your introductions and settling him or her in to your home will go more smoothly too.  Good for you.   I hope you manage to get along there and meet your kitten in the fur really soon - and are able to share some pictures with us.  
 
 

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Thank you both for your responses and advice!

Oh my god, it honestly feels like forever away. So happy you can appreciate this, as my boyfriend and other people don't seem to!

I'm going to go for a boy and will most certainly be getting it neutered. The owner herself has kept her Russian Blue's indoors and has recommended I also do so. I personally, however, feel its a little cruel given that I don't have the entire home for it to roam in, so in order to get around this indoor/outdoor dilemma I'm thinking of getting a body harness and take it out for walks as much as I can in the garden and around my building?

That's great advice on leaving for short amounts of time for him to get used to it. I think I will try doing it that way! A part of me feels like I should just start off with the routine the cat will be mostly in, i.e be gone for most of the day from the get go....on the other hand I feel it's wise to train him as best I can in the first few days/week? It's a tough choice and I want to make sure I make the right decision!

I will certainly be feeding him in the morning and playing with him before work, it's just that sometimes my trains will have delays on the way home or if I am delayed at work I would worry about it not having it's dinner. Since it's going to be 12 weeks old it would have to eat during the day too and I won't be home so I'm thinking an automatic feeder will give me peace of mind.

Ok so a few more questions please:

One of my housemates who lives downstairs has agreed to play with it/keep it company when I'm away at work. What would be the best way to go about this? He doesn't mind having the kitten in his room whilst he works etc so it has company/new surroundings to roam. I was thinking this could be good for it? It'll get to be in a different room from time to time and get extra playtime? Or is this a bad idea for a Russian Blue? If we implemented this from early on,  would it get used to it as part of it's routine?

A girl who's room is next to mine has a an adult cat (Oscar) in her room. She leaves her window open so he can go out and come in as he wishes. He's rather timid and isn't out that much. Is this going to be a problem? Will my new kitten sense the other cat in the building? What would be the best way to go about this? There used to be also another adult cat called Tiki who would roam the building and be outside the building a lot. Oscar and tiki never seemed to have any problems......

Tiki has gone now but she was in my room a few times and has brushed up on my furniture, will the kitten sense this even though some time would have passed? 

Finally do you have any good cat tree suggestions to put by my window and or games to keep hm occupied for a long time?

I regretfully didn't take any pictures but I'm sure I'll be visiting again before February so I will take some and post soon :) I would also love some advice on how to kitty proof my room so will post some pictures to kindly get some help with that too!

Thank you so much! 
Now, one of the big points with getting yourself a purebred RB, and not just a nice grey moggie, is this way you are entirely sure the cat will accept to be inside only.

At least, it was so we though when we adopted our RB boys...  Not to have any fancy "fiiine" cats, but to have a cat whom look as a nice moggie, but was comfortable with being inside only.

So dont throw away this advantage!    

What we did however, was to net in our balcony.  Later on when we got our own house, we made  a netting outside our kitchen entrance, a big cage of sorts.

They often wants out to this cage, breath fresh air, look and listen on the birds.

But they never ever showed they want further on, be letted on outside.   Although they did saw the outside, and surely understood its fully possible to go outside too.

Its possible he will want cat company.  If the other cat in the house is essentially inside cat, so why not?

Otherwise you may perhaps reconsider, taking yourself an extra company cat.  Having two cats whom are friends, is usually easier than having just one.

Last, but not least.  RB are rather lively esp as kittens.  He may very well race around tirelessly, perhaps ut to a full hour... But they never struck down anything running.

  I myself think this is half of the pleasure to having a young cat...
 

mservant

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@StefanZ  If you managed to get through Russian Blue kitten phase without anything being broken I am amazed!  I pretty much cleared my home of ornaments and anything breakable before I brought Mouse home and he STILL managed to either break the ornaments that were left out or break himself on them....  Mouse was full or energy and needed several hours of play a day as a kitten, but he has never been the most coordinated of cats. 
 

How are you getting on with your potential cat aquisition @Somayeh  ? 
 
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somayeh

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Thank you all for the advice!

I am potentially viewing Kola (I'v decided on his name) again this weekend so I will be sure to ask the buyer some more questions based on all your advice and post some pictures of him too!

I'll be picking him up earlier at around 10 weeks on 3rd February as the buyer is getting married abroad on the 6/7th and won't be able to look after him until he's 12 weeks. So I've just been spending most of my time going through insurance options, making a to do list, looking at potential vets and which litter I should use! To be honest the list just keeps getting longer and my brain is beginning to hurt! 
 

I will keep you all updated! 
 

mservant

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   Oooooh, it all sounds so exciting!    Kola's a cute name.  
    Be sure to try and get some photos when you are visiting him if you can (but don't terrify the little guy and half blind him like I did with Mouse.  
 
 ).   It would be lovely to see the little guy if all goes well when you meet him and his family / breeder.   Be sure to check out the mum and dad while you're there, not least because they will give you an idea on Kola's likely size, looks and nature, as well as how healthy they are.   

Kola sounds like he will be quite young when he leaves his fur mum so check out how confident he is and that he is happily fully weaned for his adoption date and which food he's eating so you can continue with the same stuff while he settles in.  Also check where Kola will be in terms of his vaciniations - if they have been started or if both shots will be needed when you bring him home.  

With the age you are getting him I assume Kola will not have been neutered before you bring him home so check with the vet you select when they prefer to neuter.  Mouse was chipped at the same time as he was neutered to avoid any distress, but he was neutered between his vacinations, at around 11 weeks.  Some vets don't like to neuter that early.   I hate to think what Mouse would have been like if I'd brought him home as an entire cat and he hadn't been neutered until he was 5 months or more - he was one seriously bouncy and boistrous kitten even after his surgery and needed a LOT of 'nice behaviour' guidance.  
     Be prepared to play hard.  
 
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somayeh

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Hi guys,

Here is Kola the kitten who came home last night.

He is litter trained but refuses to use the litter box even though I've put him in it 10 times... he just jumps out and has peed on my bed once already!



He's playing and overall settling in very well. He's finally ate some Almo Nature food!

He doesn't like me petting him much and get scared when I move my hands but he likes licking my hands, feet and using them say toys even though I'm trying to discourage him! :)

He is currently bitting my macbook pro as I type!
 

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He may need to be confined in a small area with the litter box for a few weeks.  He's so young that he won't have the awareness to go to the litter box when he has to go.  So cute!!
 
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somayeh

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I live in a studio so I can't really put him in a confined space. He's spending most of his time on the side of the room that my beds in and not going to the other side where the litter box was. So I've moved the litter box next to the bed and he's investigated it....he hasn't gone to the toilet again since he's peed in my bed this morning so I'm waiting to see what he does but yeah he's been litter trained so I hadn't expected much trouble!
 

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He is likely litter trained, but he's so small that he needs more litter boxes around. Even baking pans with some litter at this point. He's just not going to remember to look for the box when he feels his tiny bladder is full!
 

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What a little sweetypie! 
 
 
   My heart has melted - he looks so tiny in that red kitty-bed.  Such a little baby cat and not yet grown in to his ears. 
   Does he still have the stripy pajamas baby coat on his body?  

He probably does need his litter nice and close to where ever he's playing but also just to check - are you using the same kind of litter the breeder was using?   If it's different / smells different it might confuse him.  Be sure to soak where he has used your bed with enzyme cleaner too so the smell from there doesn't add to his confusion.

Mouse wasn't interested in any strokes or petting at that age - he was either playing like a daemon or snuggled up sleeping (at which point he would use humans as a heat source or course).  Kola will be very tired and stressed after being moved from his familiar home and his fur mum still so it might take him quite a while to settle and not be jumpy with people moving about, but I am sure he will start to feel at home and want to cuddle in for warmth very soon.  The combination of being a kitten and stressed from his recent move will have his brain set on alert and he will be seeing everything that moves as possible threat first and then possible prey so it's no surprise he's found your hands and feet.

Best to stop moving and stay very still when he comes in for an attack, let him get used to your hands and feet being safe to lick but not fun to play with or bite.  Slowly and carefully offer toys for him to attack instead and at his age he should get the idea  pretty fast.  Something like the kickeroo can be good as a kitten can get their teeth and all four paws right in there and bunny kick and bite just like they would with another kitten while you move it about keeping the toy between you and the teeth and claws.   Kola's energy levels will pick up over the next few weeks as he gets bigger and needs less sleep and you are going to be his main play-mate - I hope you're prepared to enjoy plenty of hard work playing all his energy out of him several times a day / evening before you want to try and get some sleep.  
 
 
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somayeh

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Hey,

Yes he still has the stripy fur!

We had succes with the litter box last night so I'm very happy. He is also eating more now and is very playful and active! I think he's settled in really well.

I can see what you mean. If I even move slightly he jumps away. He hates me holding him and only lets me stroke/pet him when he's sleepy/tired. Rather surprisingly he's not scared of other people who have come to see him and he doesn't run away.

I've heard I should try and talk to him sweetly but I'm not sure what to actually say apart don't "kola" and " good boy" I find it a little awkward still haha. I guess I have to get used to him as much as he has to get used to me!

I've started calling his name and giving him treats to try and train him to come when he's called. We'll see how it goes! But yeah it's still really early days.
 
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somayeh

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The thing that slightly upsets me is that he lets my housemates who have come to see him touch him, but with me it's 80/90% of the time a no.

Maybe it's because I've tried to do so in the last few days and he's associate negatively with me petting/holding him?

Any tips and tricks to try and make him feel safer and ok with me? Ive started to give him treats and try holding him at the same time, done that only once so far and it wasn;t too bad.....
 
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