My new 3 month old kitten...

diane and cally

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I just adopted a 3 month old kitten from an animal shelter a week ago. Her name is Cally. She is a great cat,but, she keeps going after my Meyers parrot,Quaker parrot,Canary and Guinea Pig.

I just recently moved into my own apartment. I was living with my parents and their 5 cats. None of their cats went after my pets. In fact,they were afraid of my birds and Guinea Pig. Except for the Canary. My parrots chased the cats with their wings flapping,and my Guinea Pig went squealing after them.

Cally has her front claws right now,and I am really worried that she will injure or kill one of my pets. I have tried spraying her with water,and it didn't work for very long. She ran away a few feet,then came back. What can I do? Will she out grow this and get used to having other pets around?
 

krazy kat2

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I am not trying to be mean to you, so please don't be offended. It is wonderful that you have a variety of pets, but all of these animals are natural prey for cats. Until your kitty can be trusted with the other pets, I would recommend separating them when you are not there to supervise. I noticed that you said she still has her front claws. I hope this does not mean that you are planning on having her declawed. If you are, please reconsider. I cannot give you the link, but I am sure someone will post it. Please read it. This can cause severe behavioral problems and is EXTREMELY painful. You obviously care about your pets, or you wouldn't be asking for help. Welcome to TCS.
 

hissy

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This is just a kitten and she sees these little animals as prey in her eyes. This is a normal reaction for her and she should not be punished for following her instincts (not that you said you have punished her) I would keep the animals seperated until they have a chance to get to know each other, and this can be done. You can also clip the front claws of this kitty, or provide her with a rope or sisal or wood scratching post which will also serve to blunt her claws. Here is a one link on declawing, which is really a bad thing to do to a kitty, because it is not just the removal of the claws but also the knuckles and can lead to other unwanted behaviour for the cat afterwards. Somewhere, i have a picture of one of my cats in with my guinea pigs laying asleep. It can be done, but it takes time to get them used to it.Please feel free to use the PM (private messaging) feature of this board or the email function to contact me about how to go about it. Here is one of the links, it is not for the weak at heart........Educate, don't amputate
 

safron

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Some cats if you get them young enough will not learn the prey kill response, but it sounds like your kitten has already learned that.

If you continue to leave your birds around the kitten she will kill them. I have a canary that I keep in a closed bedroom. The cats are never allowed in. If you only have a 1 bedroom apt., keep them in your bedroom with the door shut. Birds are also at a risk from dogs and cats that go outside. Dogs and cats that go outside carry in mites, etc.

Even if you get your kitten declawed, she will still be able to kill your birds. You need to move the birds into a room where they are safe. I'm sure that they are feeling some stress from the new move and the threats of the kitten.

BTW what kind of canary do you have?

-safron
 

debra myers

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Diane - Welcome to our fur family of friends! I sure hope that your situation resolves itself. I have no great advice for you!
 
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