Ah the joys of kittenhood! :lol3:
I think the recommendaiton for the book Kittens for Dummies is a GREAT idea! :bigthumb:
Some things to know:
They will begin teething around 4 months old. You'll need things for them to chew on, and there is nothing better than plastic bendy straws. LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of them. :lol3:
The best way to "teach" cats things: Praise them profusely and frequently for good behavior (playing with the right things, scratching on the right stuff, using the litter box, etc.). They do learn the meaning of the word "no," but when they're doing something you don't want (like biting your ankle, for instance), blow a short, sharp puff of air directly in the face (startles them), say "no," and redirect them to a toy. Praise them to high heaven for playing with the toy. If they don't redirect, walk away and ignore them completely. They learn they get praise for good behavior, they learn they get ignored for bad behavior. This is the most effective method. :nod:
They are very much like little children in this regard, and praise goes a long way, because just like people, they need to know what's GOOD - almost more than they need to know what's bad.
They're also probably big enough already to be spayed/neutered. Many vets will not perform surgery on small kitties just because they've never done it. The latest they should be spayed/neutere is when they start to teethe (again, around four months).
I think the recommendaiton for the book Kittens for Dummies is a GREAT idea! :bigthumb:
Some things to know:
They will begin teething around 4 months old. You'll need things for them to chew on, and there is nothing better than plastic bendy straws. LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of them. :lol3:
The best way to "teach" cats things: Praise them profusely and frequently for good behavior (playing with the right things, scratching on the right stuff, using the litter box, etc.). They do learn the meaning of the word "no," but when they're doing something you don't want (like biting your ankle, for instance), blow a short, sharp puff of air directly in the face (startles them), say "no," and redirect them to a toy. Praise them to high heaven for playing with the toy. If they don't redirect, walk away and ignore them completely. They learn they get praise for good behavior, they learn they get ignored for bad behavior. This is the most effective method. :nod:
They are very much like little children in this regard, and praise goes a long way, because just like people, they need to know what's GOOD - almost more than they need to know what's bad.
They're also probably big enough already to be spayed/neutered. Many vets will not perform surgery on small kitties just because they've never done it. The latest they should be spayed/neutere is when they start to teethe (again, around four months).
