First Time Cat Owner Advice

Cats hate to be bathed. Check out YouTube for hilarious videos of cats being bathed. I don't bathe mine at all, but would if they couldn't clean feces off themselves.

I had some kittens that kept getting fleas, and were too small to give flea killer to. So I bathed them in warm water with a bit of Head N'Shoulders dandruff shampoo, and the fleas died and speckled the water like black pepper.

Very very gently, massage into fur over protests and needle-teeth and pin-claws.

When they got big enough to really put up a fight, they could take flea killer.

JoelH said:

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..
 

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10 times more than I was expected. Well, price of meds may add up, but still that charge is absolutely insane!

Costs less (plane and vet included) to came to my country in Europe for a consultation ...

Still, the number of consultations one cat guardian would apply may be higher here exactly because is cheap service. But no, the vets do not invite people - mine said one time there is no need for a consultation, because we will be stressing the cat for no reason.

I am not saying all are like this (there are exceptions), but there is a reasonable chance to find one like mine.

She just did it again.
Settle her up for bed, one last run to the litter tray.
Not quite as runny now as earlier, I saw it as she was covering it up and was happy that it looks like she's not sick.
I was happy till she starting stomping in it again, covering herself in it and getting it once again all over the freshly washed tiles.

Because it's late and I don't want her catching cold I thought it best to just use wet wipes on her now, leave her in her bed in the bathroom and I'll go and give her yet another bath first thing in the morning when the sun's up. Clean her bed, mop the tiles, change her litter and hope she stops this new dirty habbit..

It's like having a human baby sometimes.
I hope she'll develop some natural aversion to stepping on it soon.

Goodbye good night sleep, gonna have to get up a full hour earlier now tomorrow to get her sorted!

Don't be afraid to shop for a vet.

In my little village of La Habra, there's 10 animal hospitals.

The constant battle of the TV stand continues.

Orange peel has become a toy for her, she'll paw it around and chase it.
Citrus spray is a mild inconvenience.
Tin foil is just another surface to her.
I blocked off access with old pillows and boxes and she manages to burrow through them undeterred.
We even thought we were clever and covered all entrances with cling film sellotaped firmly in place and sprayed thoroughly in citrus spray and she still claws her way through.
Nothing short of iron bars will keep her away.
The word 'no' is a tease to her.
I've been pulling her out from there and placing her in her jail cell of a cat cage everytime following a stern 'no'. She cries as she's detained for 10 minutes and within two minutes of being let out she darts back behind the TV knowing the penalty of the cage that immediately follows. Over and over and over again.
She must've spent most the evening in her cage, sitting, waiting her next adventure behind the TV.

Her toys are only a distraction for her filling the time in between her trips to all the live cables and blinking lights.

Cat prison will have to continue.
Does anyone have any advice?
I'm still a bit of time away from getting a cat tree, which isn't guaranteed to keep her away from the TV either..

Her determination is incredible.

Sounds like this has become a game for her. She is getting the attention she wants. When a child swears and is told not to say "that"-they say it even more. It is all about being noticed. If she can't get hurt let her be and see what happens. Get her to focus on something else. Put a paper bag on the floor and throw a ball in it a few times. You should be able to outsmart her. Good luck.

Try some double-faced cello tape or carpet tape. Cats don't like the stickiness. Sorry to say, but cats are very persistent. Mingo has just chewed all the weights out of my new shower curtain in spite of my best efforts.

She has been a bit better today, only going behind the TV around 4 or 5 times. I think the cage punishment is working.

She has found other distractions today.

Distractions like watching the washing machine spin

The excitement of watching clothes spin has tired her out

omg how dare you post something so cute you're causing me actual pain 

That's great! She will lose interest in it eventually. She is so cute!

What a little cutie! 

After a week or so she has pretty much lost interest in going behind the TV. For now at least. I think the cage is a good deterrent.
She's gotten a bit bigger now so one of her new fun places to hang out is the kitchen table and other places we would like to keep clean.
But she's fitting in well I think, she's still just as clingy but she's a bit calmer.

Still struggling with her litter box though.
She made one horrific mess the other day and threw the entire contents of it everywhere. Took ages to clean. I hope she'll stop that carry on soon.
I'll have to mcguiver her litter box with cardboard to give it deeper edges.

We were also feeding her a bit too much I found out. She has an insane appetite and there's no filling her! She eats wet and dry food now which is good news too. So her diet is right where she needs it.

Work is a bit busier now for us so unfortunately we are having to leave her home alone for longer spells which is never easy. But she has been fine in the evening when we are both home. I was greeted in the door this evening by her taking a seat on my head, chasing her tail in circles as I walked around taking off my coat etc. So I don't think she's too upset by being left alone.

I'm still having her sleep on her own too, she's still too excited to let us sleep. Plus she seems to use the toilet during the middle of the night. And with her hygiene problems there I don't want her paws on my bed. So I feel bad for her but she's quite used to sleeping alone now. There's really no way right now until she starts being cleaner with her litter and sleeps for longer durations of time.

I thought I'd update anyway, she's doing very well. No real problems at all, still gets overly excited at times and I've taken the advice of ignoring her when she's getting rough and it works. She's not long crawling back up on my lap for a roll around and a nap.
I really only feel bad for her being alone for hours most days but that's the real world unfortunately. But there's no signs of stress from her being alone so I'm sure she'll get more and more used to it as time goes by.

Kittens are so active and burn many calories so they do have hearty appetites.  They usually cannot be fed too much when they are still growing. Glad to hear things are better!

Yes, you should feed her as much as she wants.

I'm still technically feeding her more than suggested but she's a hungry girl.

I give her her breakfast before I go to work and leave her with a bowl of dry food for the day to nibble at.. she just runs to it and eats it and ignores me leaving. Makes it easier for me to go but I'm always amazed at how much she eats.

She needs it--she's growing. It will slow down the older she gets.

She'll literally eat ten times what her recommend amount of food suggests like!


Biggest issue right now, and I'm just in home and I've let her out of the bathroom.

You keep her in the bathroom? You say.
For a good reason.
She keeps on getting poop everywhere. Nearly every time.. she stomps on it and gets it everywhere.

So first thing I had to clean the pawprints all over the bathroom, then I used baby wipes on her filthy paws.

Is this normal behaviour for a kitten?

It's not like she's doing it as a protest, she is going in the right place. She just has no idea of it being dirty and stands in it like she would anything else.
I'm kinda scared to get scratched by her now knowing what's on her paws...