Just some questions

[newkittymom06]

Hello. My name is ashley, and my kittens name is Oscar. We have had him for 5 weeks and 2 days. Oscar is our first cat.

Sorry its alot but i don't know this stuff and its

I just have a few questionsl that im wondering. First, he loves people food. He espically likes any type of meat. i.e ( roast beef, brisket, ham, turkey, pepperoini). Is that harmful for him?
He always llikes to climb on the bathroom sink and also likes to get on the toilet, and on the ledge of the bathtub. Thats not the problem though i don't want him to be on the coffee table? How can I teach him not to get on the table.

How should we discpline him? Also, how can i get him to like and want to be petted?
And my last question is he loves to sleep in our waterbed is that okay?
Thank you and I hope someone can help me

 

[tarasgirl06]

Welcome Oscar and Ashley!

Hope you'll love it here at TheCatSite and hope all of your kitten-care questions will be answered to your satisfaction! Well, most kinds of meat would be okay in small amounts as treats, except for things like pepperoni, which is too spicy for cats. Anything containing onion, chocolate or cocoa is NOT good for cats, by the way. Aspirin or Tylenol should NEVER be given to cats, either, by the way. To be sure and safe, a veterinarian is the best one to ask. High quality kitten food (such as Nutro Max Kitten, Pro Plan for kittens, or other premium KITTEN food, fed as per instructions on the can, for the first year, is the best, plus fresh water in a clean dish. Cow's milk can cause diarrhea so don't give him milk -- Cat-Sip or Laphappy, or other milk specifically for cats, may be all right, but he doesn't need it.

As for discipline, NEVER HIT A CAT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!! but a firm, "NO!" and something like hitting a rolled-up paper with your hand, or a squirt from a squirt bottle filled with plain water, is a good way to let him know what is off limits.

You'll want to get him a good scratching post tall enough so that he can stretch out full length as an ADULT cat to scratch on it (in other words, 3 feet tall or more, not one of those tiny ones you'll have to discard in a couple of months when he's too big for it!) and probably some of the corrugated cardboard scratching pads that have catnip in them. He needs his claws!!! And scratching is a normal and natural behavior for cats! so providing him with good, durable, size-appropriate scratching post and pad is a MUST. Be careful to be with him if he likes to climb on anything containing water -- be there to rescue him should he fall! I personally wouldn't let him climb on the toilet or tub unless the seat was down, or I was in the tub.

The waterbed is safe for him to climb on, but his claws might damage it, so I'd probably keep that room closed to him, or if possible, get rid of the waterbed and get a bed without water in it.

Hope that's not too much info! The kitten care forum may be something you want to visit, too...good luck and THANKS FOR ADOPTING AND LOVING OSCAR!

Oh, and about petting -- let him come to you, which if you're patient and relaxed, he will -- and go easy on him at first. Kittens can be kind of wild when they're full of energy! Seeking affection on his own terms means he'll learn to anticipate it, and love it. Brushing and combing with good cat-specific comb and brush also helps him to love being touched, and of course, it is necessary to groom him, and helps keep fur off your furniture and clothes!

 

[newkittymom06]

Thank you so much.

I like it so far. You've been very helpful,

 

[tarasgirl06]

SURE AM GLAD. Always happy to be of help to cats and cat lovers!

 

[newkittymom06]

How do i know what "breed" my cat is?

 

[tarasgirl06]

...well, if that's important to you -- which it never is to me, as every cat is gorgeous and unique and loved by me! -- a photo might help, or if you don't have the means to post one (read Stickies at top of each page of posts for TheCatSite's rules on posting photos), maybe you could describe how he looks to me? Like, coat color(s), eye color(s), coat length (shorthair, longhair, medium?), pattern(s) if any (striped, spotted, two color, three color, pointed like Siamese, one color, ???)

 

[newkittymom06]

how do i load a pics of here?

 

[captiva]

Welcome to TCS! Oscar sounds adorable. " People food" really is not what you should feed him as Tarasgirl pointed out and she gave some good advice about discipline, too. I get an empty Coke can and put a few coins in it and then put duct tape over the hole and keep it on the counter to shake it loudly and give a stern "NO!" Make sure you give him pets and kisses when he does the right thing to reward him.

I will send you a note about how we get pictures on here.

 

[mooficat]

Hello and a warm welcome from Spain

Well I think your questions have been answered already. Every cat-owner has different way of training cats. When my cats jump somewhere that is out of bounds, I say a loud no

and clap my hands at the same time. So once you decide what you want to do, its best to start now as Oscar is still a kitty and he will learn real quick. As Captiva has said lots of TLC

when Oscar is good also reinforces his positive behaviour, this will also help with your quest for him to be a "lap-cat". There is proof that if kittens are socialised with adults as early as possible they will be more open to petting etc, so again this is the time to start with Oscar. Take your time with him, as you already know, you cant force a cat to do anything they dont want to.

Well good luck, it takes some time and patience but as you know its all worth it in the end.

Once you get settled and got the hang of photos, please do post some of Oscar

he sounds a real peach

We love photos here

Enjoy the forums !

 

[coolcat]

Hi and Welcome to TCS!!!

See you on the forums!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hi New Mom!

The "Sticky's" at the top of each page of posts on this forum will help you to upload pictures. Unless you have dialup like I do, it should be fairly easy. Good luck! and look forward to seeing some!

 

[flisssweetpea]

Hi there

we're so happy to welcome you and Oscar to TCS. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay with us - we're one great big family and you'll find loads of friends here. If I can help at all while you're finding your way around TCS just click on my username and send me a Personal Message - I'll do what I can to answer your questions

You've had some great advice there. I can't wait to see piccies of the little guy. If you're still having problems with uploading them, just drop me a Private Message and I'll do what I can to help