Introduction and small problem... :)

Hi all!

We recently picked up a new kitten one month ago from our local Humane Society and we love him to death. I was especially pleased to have a cat again as for the 9 years I've been with my wife she has been allergic to animals and we haven't been able to own pets. She just recently found a combination of meds/lifestyle that has allowed us to allow our little guy into our home.

When we took "Billy" home we quickly found out that he had upper respiratory illness. It was off to the vet and than amoxicillin for 10 days which happily cured him. The weirdest thing that he does now which I can't find any information on is lie down in his litter box. Now he doesn't do it all the time but today he's done it at least 4 or 5 times. I'd say he probably does it about 3 to 4 times a week on average. I keep the litter box very clean but don't know how to deter him from doing this. I admit we found it comical to see him lying in there the first time but now it's just a bit disgusting to be honest. My question is on how do I stop him from doing this? I don't dare use the spray bottle on him because I'm worried that he'll take the litter box as a bad place and maybe stop going in it all together.

One other small problem is the biting. He doesn't bite all the time but he does bite my wife on the face on occasion...it's never a violent bit but nonetheless a bite on the face. He also seems to think that my hand is one of his play toys at times and wants to fight with me. I use to do this years ago with my cats but have read that it's not good to do this and would like him to stop it. He's still a very lovable cat but does have a bit of "loner" in him no doubt.

Well that's my intro. and I'm very happy to have stumbled apon this great site! I look forward to reading your stories and learning more about my cat with your replies.

Take care

Laying in the litter pan is pretty much normal for kittens. I buy a covered litter pan and place soft bedding inside, and they make the transition easily enough.

About biting, that too is normal for younger cats/kittens. Your wife can start using bag balm on her face, or add lemon oil to her hand lotion and that will stop the biting. Don't play the tempting game of moving your hands and feet under the blanket so the kitty can attack you, because that usually translates into them attacking fingers and toes that aren't under the blanket.

Just, Hi and Welcome to TCS!!!!

How wonderful that you can now have a kitty! We were in the same situation, allergy wise. I had allergies to cats for years and I was always a cat lover at heart but because I couldn't have any I put kitties out my my brain for many years. I won't go into the details but basically with some food changes my allergies are so very much better and my family can now have cats....we now have three! A dream come true! So....as far as the biting, I have one biter who had a huge problem as a kitten (he'd wake us up every morning with face biting....Not fun.) and, although I am not an expert, for us it was a matter of making sure hands and feet were not for play...only toys, blowing in the face, hissing, and ignoring when he bit and I think the biggest thing was patience and his growing up and maturing. He is one of those "testy" sorts and you definitely have to know and respect his body language but the problem is sooo much better so I am guessing your kitten will "grow up." I'm not necessarily recommending this as a family does have to do what is best for them...but I do know that when we got our other kitties, our kitty with the biting problem was so happy to be able to wrestle and play with other kitties that that helped the problem immensly. We got our second kitty when Marcellus (the biter) was 6 months old, the new kitty being 6 months old too...they became best of buds. And the biting decreased dramatically. Come to think of it, we just got our third kitty a month ago (he's 5 months old) (the other two are 20 months old now) and the biting problem is decreased even more. In fact, Marcellus hasn't bitten at all since we got our newest addition...our new kitty wears him out with all the wrestling and kitty games. No guarantees...but more kitties is sure a lot of fun and I know my kitties, all three get their "ya yas" out with each other rather than us. Wishing you all the best with your new kitty....what a special gift for cat loving allergy sufferers.

I think it is so great to read when a man is a cat lover , everyone here always thinks a man is not a man without a dog at his side , which is silly of course. My female will lie down in the litter once in while, since I clean the litter twice a day I don't worry about it. As for the biting problem , I would say when the kitten does this , say no!! in a loud voice(don't scream), and also get lots of toys for him . I am so glad that your wife is better. I don't know if this is related, but aren't they sphynx cats good for people with allergies? Maybe you can get one of these for your new kitty as a playmate? Congrats again on the new cat!!