Behavior issues

[puss666]

Hi ,

I got my kitten yesterday and he's angry, puffing and arching everytime someone want to touch him -usually running in a house corner. He's about 4-5 weeks. I think he scared how to make him stop?

Do I need at that age to put him in his box -where he surely dont want to belong- or sleep with him?

How to teach him where he got to poop?

I have 2 dogs and the introduction hasn't been made yet - the worst is coming- how to make it ok?

For the food, I give him milk in a syringe, and noticed that he likes sausage, as I'm working during the day what food to leave him with?

Do I let doors of the house open for him to have a look around -on a mission to find him when I come back- or just keep him in my room for now?

Thank you

An anxious kitten owner

 

[gardenandcats]

Hes very young to be taken from his mother. usually 10 to 12 weeks is best. But you have him now. Keep him confined to one room for awhile with his litter box and fresh water and food. Do not feed him people food! A good quality kitten food dry and canned.I would not give him milk most kittens/cats don't tolerate mild..they make a kitten replacement formula for kittens get some of that..Is the kitten able to drink and eat on its own? Take it slow hes very young and scared just let him get used to you and the new house. Hold off and the dogs for awhile!
 

 

[Ms. Freya]

Hi puss666,

 Welcome to TCS! 4-5 weeks is really quite young (although he looks a bit older then that from your picture) and moving into a new home is always stressful for cats. I would start by having him, his food and litter alone in one room for a few days. This will let him calm down and get used to the sites and sounds of the house. Also, don't approach him right away - he's going to need time to adjust, so if you want to spend time with him, go into his room and sit with him reading or chatting quietly - he'll come out when he feels safe.

This article: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/bringing-home-a-new-cat  has some good suggestions to help him settle in.

At his age, he should be eating kitten food. If he likes sausages, you should have no trouble getting him to eat canned kitten food. If you work during the day, one thing I found worked when we raised our foster kittens was a meal of wet in the morning and evening and a bowl of dry kitten food down during the day. Kittens eat a lot and need a lot of nutrients to grow. You don't mention what kind of milk, but he shouldn't get cows milk at all - cats cannot digest it properly and it upsets their stomachs. If he's having trouble with solid food, you can get KMR (Kitten Milk replacer) at the local pet store, but it sounds like he'll be able to manage wet food at the very least.

For litter training, some cats figure it out on their own, but what you can do to help is get a litter tray with low sides that he can get in an out of easily (we used a disposable cookie sheet). Put him in the litter box and gently move his paws to scratch at the litter. Instinct often kicks in at this point and he'll figure out what to do. I would hold off on this until he calms down and is comfortable letting you handle him, though.  

As for introductions to the dogs, I would keep them away and leave him to himself until he settles in. Introductions are more likely to go well fi he's had a chance to get over his initial stress. For when that time comes, though, here are some tips on introducing them: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-dogs

Good luck!

I'm sure some of our other members will be along soon with more suggestions.

 

[puss666]

Oh Thank you very much Mrs Freya!

He had a good night and was less stressed this morning, he let himself touched but still open his mouth from time to time (no sounds coming out)

I'll try to vary his food tho. But I'm in Cameroon and the food you mentioned isn't available here.
Usually what people do they using cow milk and put little bread pieces in it.

I rather have him in my room, here in Africa ppl have big houses , a kitten could easily get lost.

Great advice for the litter I'll do that soon as I get home

He found his place to sleep at the top corner of the bag you see on the pic -hollow part- where he feels ok.

For the dogs I'll definitely wait !

Thx again

 

[vball91]

As Ms. Freya mentioned, cow's milk is not so good for cats. Can you get goat's milk? That would be better for cats. What your kitten needs though is meat. Cats are carnivores that need meat to survive. Eggs are also good. Cats cannot survive on cow's milk and bread. Kittens especially need a steady supply of calcium for their growing bones. If you cannot get any commercial cat foods there, we can make some suggestions. What can you get easily? Any fresh meat and organs? Any eggs?

 

[puss666]

Hi vball91

I can surely get meat and eggs (you mean boiled egg?)
He's still going on sausage and he likes that.

But now I think he got a problem he's scratching himself too much , do I need to get an anti-parasite? Kitten get a shower sometimes?

Thx

 

[ldg]

It may be parasites, but it may also be a reaction to something in the sausages. Sausages really are not healthy for him.

He needs uncooked (raw) meat like chicken, and a denser source of calcium, like dried egg shells, powdered. He MAY be able to eat the bones of chicken wings or chicken feet if you cut them up for him, and he'll certainly be able to manage that when he's older, but for right now, just plain meat with a good sized pinch of eggshell powder (if finely ground) for every ounce of meat (approximately 30g) along with some of the liver, eggs, and a little bit of canned sardines (if you can find those? Or fresh, small, oily fish) will provide him what he needs to grow into a healthy adult cat. :nod: These need to be fed in the proper percentages, and we can help you. :rub:

(Cats may survive on bread and milk, but ONLY if they are also able to hunt for food. This is not a diet that will prevent malnutrition!)

We had a member in India face the same problem, only his cat was already suffering from malnourishment with missing patches of fur. Cats in the wild survive off of only other, small animals. We can provide an equivalent for them, basically "modeling" the prey they would normally eat. Here is the thread. Please read all the way through it. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/249455/please-help-my-kitten-has-a-strange-skin-problem

I realize some of the alternatives available to this person in India may not be available to you there, but the amounts of what to feed him are spelled out quite carefully - and you can see the amazing difference in his cat from receiving proper nutrition. :heart2:

 

[ldg]

...and if you want to ask specific questions about how to properly create his diet after reading through the other thread, you can start a thread asking for help figuring out the right diet, ingredients, and amounts with resources you have available to you there in this forum: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food

You may find these sites helpful right now:

http://rawfedcats.org/

http://catcentric.org/ - This site has a sample menu (on the left-hand side), though it's geared toward adult cats that are eating bone-in meals.

 

[puss666]

Thx LDG

 

[puss666]

It was all going so well and my little cat met my dogs and they got along with no problem for 4 days. But tonight my little cat is dead...my father accidentally walked on his head (fatal wound) while he was heading to the bathroom my cat was in his way and it was dark. I'm still a little shocked. Don't know what to say. I loved him.

 

[onyxnine]

 Sorry for the loss of your kitty

. 

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear this. 

It's not the first time I've heard of something along this line happening.  They are small, quick and quiet.  And they can get into dangerous places you wouldn't expect.  

 

[cheylink]

Wow! So sorry for the little one............Cant imagine something like this happening................

 

[puss666]

Thank you all for the kind words, I am still wondering how something like that happened i owned kitties before thats a first!!! and before I Head to job this morning we played for a very long time more than usual. May be it was the way of saying good bye. ah life...