First Time Cat Owner Advice

solomonar

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Whiskas stress = the whiskas touch the margins of the bowl, if to high (and most bowls are to high for cats) causing stress while feeding. Some cats are very sensitive in this respect (mine included) and may even refuse the food so presented. 
 
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joelh

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Whiskas stress = the whiskas touch the margins of the bowl, if to high (and most bowls are to high for cats) causing stress while feeding. Some cats are very sensitive in this respect (mine included) and may even refuse the food so presented. 
Thankfully she hasn't a problem eating out of her bowl.
What she does have a problem with is that she only eats one specific type of kitten food which I can not get anymore, for whatever reason it's just impossible to find. I've better more expensive stuff of many varieties which she has no interest in. I have to cut it with a tiny amount of her old regular to get her to eat it but I'm fast running out! So that'll be interesting!

I had to spray almost half a bottle of a citrus multi surface cleaner all around the TV cabinet to stop her from going into it. I'm gonna have to get inventive there to find a long term solution.
 

doomsdave

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KItten antics seem to follow certain patterns I've noticed over time:

1. Arch back at each other, and mother.

2. Lurk inside something, then pop out like a jack-in-the-box at the approach of another.

3. Play Sabre-Tooth Tiger or Tigress with your toes under the blankets in bed around dawn.

4. Climb on curtains, screens, lampshades (!), tweed fabric.

5. Climb on you, clothed.

6. Climb on you, unclothed (once).

7. Engage in suicidally daring acrobatics, sometimes on you. (Pictured below.)

 

solomonar

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I have a similar problem: my cat eats supermarket wet food as well as a variety of other brands, but as far as dry food  is concerned, he eats only two brands.

I suppose (still not convinced) that this comes from my option to feed him a lot of wet food brands (at least three and sometimes even more than that) while settling on two dry food brands only.

So, in a way I suppose my cat preferences reflect my preferences and not his

Nevertheless I feel OK, since the two dry food brands are Purina and Sensibel (or something, I always forget the correct name of that German brand, sorry for that). :-)
 

cocobutterfly

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Sounds like she likes to climb up and in and out of things. I think she needs a good cat tree with lots of levels to climb up and cubbies to hang out in. They're great investments. We have two just for our one resident cat and two more for the fosters that come and go. They all love it. Like most kittens, yours is very playful and energetic. She's not "angry" or "psycho." Count your lucky stars that she's healthy and thriving. I've taken in so many sick kittens with all kinds of medical conditions that require round the clock care. It is heartbreaking to say the least.

As far as food goes, continue to try to move her onto quality wet food with protein as the top ingredient (not byproduct or unhealthy fillers like rice, corn, soy, etc). It will save her long-term health and your wallet by avoiding expensive trips to the vet. Dry kibble is incredibly dehydrating and can lead to urinary problems and kidney issues down the road. Yes, there's always exception to the rule, and you'll hear people proclaim "my cat lived to be 20 and all she ate was dry kibble." But that is not the reality for most cats who eat only dry kibble. 

Glad you found this forum. It is incredibly helpful with so many amazing, helpful and compassionate humans all with the same goal - to provide the best loving care for our feline babies. It's the greatest place to come to for helpful support. Congratulations on the adoption of your kitten. She sounds perfect! You will fully accept her adorable and quirky ways in no time.
 

tiptopper

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Not sure if you already do this but it is a good idea to put some toys away and then take one out. They thinks it's new and find it interesting where it may have previously been ignored.
 

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Congratulations with the new kitty!

Everything you describe is kitten play!

For the wires=get some foam pads/old pillows and stuff them behind your cabinet where the wires are-just make sure no fabric is leaning right on the outlet box where you plug things in. Or use various cardboard boxes cut up into narrow boxes to use as blocks behind things you don't want her to get into. Old lawn cushions work for this.

I don't know what to say about the food. did you check Amazon?

Cat tree-will help greatly. Amazon has hundreds of designs to choose from. Luckily she is little that it won't matter if it's small. You can always get a larger one later on. Take chairs and move them to other areas to give her something to jump up on. We have things arranged to make it like stepping stones in my house. sometimes they use the steps to walk up/down and other times they curl up and sleep on said steps.

More pictures of your widdle baby!!
 

solomonar

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Congratulations with the new kitty!

Everything you describe is kitten play!

For the wires=get some foam pads/old pillows and stuff them behind your cabinet where the wires are-just make sure no fabric is leaning right on the outlet box where you plug things in. Or use various cardboard boxes cut up into narrow boxes to use as blocks behind things you don't want her to get into. Old lawn cushions work for this.

I don't know what to say about the food. did you check Amazon?

Cat tree-will help greatly. Amazon has hundreds of designs to choose from. Luckily she is little that it won't matter if it's small. You can always get a larger one later on. Take chairs and move them to other areas to give her something to jump up on. We have things arranged to make it like stepping stones in my house. sometimes they use the steps to walk up/down and other times they curl up and sleep on said steps.

More pictures of your widdle baby!!
Another option is DiY cat tree, using some cardboard tubes (supermarket refusal bins :-) and rope. I am planning do make one to include cat-scratching post. I also plan to include climbing boards to the window, that may be very amusing.

This Christmas I used the Christmas Tree as a cat tree. Instead of chasing kitty away (which was in fact my first option - that worked very well after spraying my aftershave on the tree - which nevertheless gave as a very "Manly" winter time :-)))), I let him climb and look at him as a living ornament. Very fun. Of course I had to anchor the tree like a Boat post, which gave the room a very... how to say... sailing aspect :-))).

So, just leave your mind to wander out the box. Life is full of phantasy. :-).
 
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joelh

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Those 7 points are spot on, especially the daredevil acrobatics. My head is one of her favourite places to climb up to. My scalp is full of cuts from her sliding off onto my shoulder.

She's slowly warming to the whiskas kibble, but slowly. Every attempt at trying to feed her wet food results in every bit of it going in the bin, I've tried feeding it to her out of my hand and she has no interest. I've been adding water to her kibble and she eats it up but still doesn't want to transition to wet food. I've a month to twos supply of wet food of all sorts of flavours and brands so it will be great for my wallet when she does start eating the wet stuff.

It is a great site, it's been a good help because I came into this with little to no experience with kittens. I didn't want to get her so young but we kinda didn't have a choice about it, it was too complicated to get into here! But she's getting by okay I think.

I like the idea of making a cat tree for her, could fit the room a lot better than a store bought one too. I still haven't gotten one because the only ones I've seen have been tiny or ridiculously expensive. I feel she does need it because she's quickly making a mess, knocking things off shelves etc

Half her toys have been lost around the house at this point so each time I find one she's already forgotten it existed, under the couch must be like a treasure trove at this point

Behind the TV is a constant struggle. I'm collecting cardboard boxes now and will try to devise some way to block it all off. The citrus spray doesn't fool her for long. She'll just know not to lick her paws and walk over it. I'm almost on a vitamin c overload I've been eating so many oranges for their peels but she just knocks them to the side. Tin foil, she isn't a huge fan of but gets over her fear of it to get to that sweet, warm, wirey spot behind my internet router and TV. I had to stop distracting her with toys because I felt like she was expecting a reward for going there. Now I've been dragging her out, which is very difficult because she claws onto anything, picking her up by her scruff and saying no, plonking her down on the couch only to watch her run straight back over there again.. I feel like I might have to get a spray bottle as the only disincentive. But I fear that it might just cause her to dislike me instead!

Christmas is gonna be a challenge. I had her a few days before taking down my tree at the start of the month and she was on it like a fly on.. dirt. I just fear all the lights either electrocuting or strangling her.
Since that's been gone her new target is the promised land behind my TV. I guess I should just be happy she can't reach the kitchen counter yet!

There was a lot to reply to there I hope I got them all!
 

solomonar

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For the cat tree your may use natural rope to cover the tubes - say hemp rope. In my country this cost next to nothing.

The real challenge is to fix the vertical post. I am planning to use a sort od "L-shape" stripes - the ones for DIY shelves (few cents each, maybe one buck maximum) - in this respect.

No need to use electrical lamps on the X,mas tree, in fact. Using some LEDs (few cents each) and a battery (whatever, for iinstance one from a dimanteled cell phone)you can do one on your own- funny, cheap and you do what you want.
 
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joelh

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Today there was a new challenge.
She's been on the whiskas mostly for the whole week and she was using her litter box fine with no changes but today, might just be unrelated, but she had diarrhoea.
And my god did she make a mess of it.

It may get a bit graphic from here but I'll try to keep it PG.

She threw litter everywhere trying to bury it. Including the litter that she had just dirtied. I watched as she stomped ankle deep in it and i was just so glad I had previously set up the corner of the tiled bathroom for her litter box spot.
I closed the door to quarantine the area.
I cleaned up what I could and had no choice but to either leave her in it or to give her her first bath, which I thought I'd avoid as it's mostly unnecessary with cats but I thought for both our sakes we should clean this mess up asap..

I filled the sink with warm but not too warm water, had a towel ready and lifted her up into the sink. At first she actually seemed interested in the water but then after 20 seconds had enough and tried to break free.
I decided to not go over board especially as it was her first time in the water and just got the problem areas, her paws, legs, belly and backside. I didn't use any soaps, I would think water should be enough and don't want to damage her furr or skin or have her lick up old shampoo.
Then I towel dried her as gently as I could which for some reason she hated more than the water.
Then she groomed herself, was allowed back into the rest of the house and thankfully she didn't look too annoyed with me and gave me a few headbutts and went about her business as usual again. I wonder if she was feeling dirty herself and was relieved to be clean again.

Question, how often would you recommend changing the litter?
The litter bag says it'll last a month but that seems a bit much. The current litter has been in there about 2 weeks and I scoop it as soon as she drops one so it's never lying in it for more than a few minutes unless I'm not home.
I'm using an absorbent non clumping non toxic crystal litter that I get cheap in a pound shop/ discount store that's holding up well though it's a little discoloured at the bottom of the box now.
I just wonder if I changed the whole lot of it would she be less inclined to use it as it wouldn't smell like her anymore?
Also do people encourage or discourage baths? I don't see the problem with them so long as the cat doesn't mind it and I don't scrub her too much
 

solomonar

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Today there was a new challenge.
She's been on the whiskas mostly for the whole week and she was using her litter box fine with no changes but today, might just be unrelated, but she had diarrhoea.
And my god did she make a mess of it.

It may get a bit graphic from here but I'll try to keep it PG.

She threw litter everywhere trying to bury it. Including the litter that she had just dirtied. I watched as she stomped ankle deep in it and i was just so glad I had previously set up the corner of the tiled bathroom for her litter box spot.
I closed the door to quarantine the area.
I cleaned up what I could and had no choice but to either leave her in it or to give her her first bath, which I thought I'd avoid as it's mostly unnecessary with cats but I thought for both our sakes we should clean this mess up asap..

I filled the sink with warm but not too warm water, had a towel ready and lifted her up into the sink. At first she actually seemed interested in the water but then after 20 seconds had enough and tried to break free.
I decided to not go over board especially as it was her first time in the water and just got the problem areas, her paws, legs, belly and backside. I didn't use any soaps, I would think water should be enough and don't want to damage her furr or skin or have her lick up old shampoo.
Then I towel dried her as gently as I could which for some reason she hated more than the water.
Then she groomed herself, was allowed back into the rest of the house and thankfully she didn't look too annoyed with me and gave me a few headbutts and went about her business as usual again. I wonder if she was feeling dirty herself and was relieved to be clean again.

Question, how often would you recommend changing the litter?
The litter bag says it'll last a month but that seems a bit much. The current litter has been in there about 2 weeks and I scoop it as soon as she drops one so it's never lying in it for more than a few minutes unless I'm not home.
I'm using an absorbent non clumping non toxic crystal litter that I get cheap in a pound shop/ discount store that's holding up well though it's a little discoloured at the bottom of the box now.
I just wonder if I changed the whole lot of it would she be less inclined to use it as it wouldn't smell like her anymore?
Also do people encourage or discourage baths? I don't see the problem with them so long as the cat doesn't mind it and I don't scrub her too much
My 1.8 liters bag of silicate is said to last for a month. I attempted to do what they say on the label: to  make a 5-5 cm level high layer of silicate and to let it for a month, replacing what I removed time by time.

Very bad result! The litter started to smell, the cat was very.. un happy trying to reach the bottom and smelling that bad anyway.

So I came back to thin layers of 1 cm and replace time by time. One bag lasts for about two weeks and does not smell that bad.

You may try to put a backing paper on the bottom of the box to prevent smell to enter into the box walls. I never did it, but some say ii si an effective method.

===

Concerning the Dhiareaa - make sure no toxic is around. Present kitty to vet as soon as possible. Better safe than sorry.
 
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joelh

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Cheers for the advice on the tree, might pay a visit to a hardware place and could use plastic pipes wrapped in course yarn or something like that.

I tried shallow litter and she just throws that everywhere, she digs a deep hole to the bottom before she does anything. Part of the reason why I have the box in the bathroom and there alone is because she gets the litter everywhere and the bathroom is easy to sweep up. She just mews when she needs to go and I'll open all the doors and she'll mosey off and do her business.

Backing paper, might give it a try. Initially I had a plastic tray liner that she would dig her claws in and try wrap up the whole litter box with. So that had to go because it was only distressing her I think.

I won't get too concerned about the one diarrhoea today. But if it keeps up over the weekend she'll go to the vet on Monday. I'm not exactly spoiled for choice with vets where I live so they make up any price they want. Like literally will cost hundreds just for a half an hour of their time. And I'm strapped for cash right now so I can't afford to be taking too many precautions unfortunately.. pet insurance will be something I'll get for her as soon as I have some financial breathing room again .
 

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Hang in there, JoelH! She will eventually grow up!

The diarrhea is probably caused by the change in her food. Don't try to change her too fast. I wouldn't take her to vet just yet. You can add a probiotic, Fortaflora, to her food to stop the loose stools. It's available at most pet stores. You can also add pumpkin, a teaspoonful, to her food. Use plain pumpkin. You can also get powdered pumpkin at pet stores.

I don't use the type of litter that you are using, but I never empty out the litter pans. Most people here on TCS do, but I don't. I use Fresh Step, which I don't know whether is available to you, and just refill as it gets low. It's a clumping litter, so it's easy to take out the soiled litter. Cats like clean litter. As someone said, if they are outdoors, they use a clean place every  time they go. If her litter is deep enough, she won't throw it around so much, and if she does, you can get a high-sided box or make one. Plastic storage bins make nice litter boxes. Cut a U-shaped hole in one end so the cat can go in and out easily and add litter.
 

solomonar

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Why not making a contract with a shelter vet?  Well, in my country vets (good vets) area really cheap and compassionate.

Plastic pipes  are difficult to work with, with regard to covering in hemp or something. I am not saying is not possible, is just difficult, that's why I reccomanded cardboard tubes.

One small correction to my rows above: I mean 1.6 kg not liters (volume is 3,8 liters). Sorry for that
 
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joelh

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I was thinking the same about the change in food. The food she is on now is for 2months to a year, so it's a bit different to the new born kibble she had before. It's a lot more varied and I'm sure her system is getting used to the new food. I'm hoping that this more varied kibble will transition her into wet food too. I'll have a look out for some pumpkin.

A new litter box will probably my be needed in a few months anyway as she gets bigger as this one is pretty small. It's kinda funny when she orientated herself the wrong way and starts scratching the tiles to try bury it. She's getting a little calmer about burying it but she still makes a huge fuss about it which is what causes her to step in it. I hope she'll grow out of stepping in it, I know my dog never really did even after 11 year but at least he doesnt climb up on the couch!

I'll continue to give her baths if she keeps dirtying herself for now.

I wish it was the same here.
There's two viable vets where I live and both seem to match each others prices.
For example, the other year my dog pulled something in his back and was in a lot of pain. We had to stretcher him to the vet and for a few anti inflammatories and a look we were charged something like €500..
There are very few shelters here too, most are barely running and are constantly out fund raising so I don't know if I'll get much joy from them but I'll try get in contact with a few and see if they'll be reasonable. To be honest I'd love if they were better funded, I'd love to work for one.

I'll try source some materials and see what can be done. If and when I do get something I'll let ya know!
 

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I have a big bag of catnip but I read that you're not supposed to give them any till they're a lot older.

I'm just very confused. I knew she was extra energetic and adventurous and very clingy. Much more than anything I read up on. And I read a lot, article after article, so much so my news app on my phone is bringing up almost entirely just cat articles now instead of news!

I'm completely shocked by her tonight. It's crazy to think that she is the same cat who wouldn't let me sleep last night because she was so intent on sleeping on my face. Her behaviour is so erratic it's like someone snuck her some bath salts when I wasn't looking!
Kittens are quite wild. But they're awfully cute!

My cat (as an adult even) has play aggression issues. Play with her as much as possible, but don't give her a reaction when she bites or hisses at you. Yes, you will need long sleeves. Mine will bite me for about ten seconds, realize he's not getting attention for it and then walk off howling with disappointment.

She could just be overstimulated. Either way, ignoring her when she's acting like that will give you some result. You may find she just goes to sleep or runs off to play on her own.
 

imaginewizard

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Then I towel dried her as gently as I could which for some reason she hated more than the water.
Question, how often would you recommend changing the litter?
Also do people encourage or discourage baths? I don't see the problem with them so long as the cat doesn't mind it and I don't scrub her too much
Ha, River is the same - he doesn't like his baths but if he sees me standing guard over the edge of the bath he knows he's not getting out so he kind of has to go with it, but dying him is always a trouble - I dunno how people do cat burritos but he always gets out of the towel. 

Okay so here's my litter routine - I use Catsan non-clumping absorbant litter, I think. I scoop out the poo everyday, and refresh the litter in the tray every week (to coincide with when the rubbish is taken by the truck). I use litter linens so every week I just scoop up the linen and plop it into a rubbish bag (ideally wouldn't need to put the bag into another bag, but River manages to puncture the linen when he's digging so).. Ime, wouldn't worry about the smell - I think once your cat settles on the spot, and the type and smell of litter, if it's the same time it should be fine - she'll associate the litter's smell with the place as much as her own scent. The only thing is when you change to a different type of litter you have to phase through. 

Okay so as I understand, cats don't need baths, as they are factitious cleaners, and giving them baths causes them trauma and can compromise their fur/skin, so for that reason you shouldn't unless you need to i.e. they've gotten themselves dirty or, as in your case, soiled themselves. That being said, if the cat is very young, it is also a good time to normalise them to baths, which'll reduce trauma if you need to bath them later. 
 
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