questions questions questions!

[michelle]

I have a few questions about Sasha and the kittens (Tag and Turtle):

here goes (ready?)

1. Sasha gets pretty rough with the kittens sometimes. They are almost 5 weeks old. She will push them over with her paws, pin them down, and bite them. She'll bite, their heads, backs, throats...anywhere she can get to. We don't like this, and it's worrying. is this normal?

2. After Sasha had the babies, she picked up a strange habit. when she eats, instead of sticking her face in the bowl like before, she will pull some food out of the bowl with her paw, drop it on the ground, then eat it from there. does anyone else's cat do this, and should we be concerned?

3. Tag and Turtle just love the canned food we give them, but after they eat a little of it, they turn straight around and head for some Mommy Milk. any suggestions?

4. I just got a new bed (my old one was just too small to fit me and the cats...or just me) and we've rearranged my room. I've heard that a new arrangement of furniture, and new items can irritate a cat, and they just plain won't like it. Is this true?

5. (last one!) During the day, Sasha is an angel, sleeping on the couch all day. At night, when I clean her litter box, feed and water her again, and get ready to put her to bed (we have to keep her upstairs because she comes down and sits in the doorways yowling...we don't know how to fix that one either)...where was I? oh, yes, when I go to put her to bed, she often becomes...uh, hyper, and very energetic. she will crouch down low, then jump at us, scratching, biting, etc. we don't know if she's just playing, or freaked out. what's going on?

sorry, I've probably succeeded in boring you to death, but we are pretty new at this whole adopting an older cat, then having her have babies. we just need a little guidance.

 

[alexnell]

1. My foster cat flips her kittens over to wash them and will be very firm and persistent if they fight her about it. But I've never seen her bite them. Do the kittens have fleas? Maybe she's nipping the fleas off of them.

2. My cats do this sometimes. I haven't figured out why. It hasn't hurt them so far. Makes a mess though.

3. The foster kittens are still mooching off Nora and they're over 8 weeeks old. They'll nurse for as long as mom will let them. In addition to providing food, it's a bonding/comforting/emotional thing. If Sasha is ok with it, might as well let them.

4. The cats might fuss for a while, may even go out of the box a couple times to protest, but they'll eventually adapt. About the new bed--no matter how big it is, it won't be big enough. Cats expand to fit any sleeping surface.

It's a natural law.

5. Cats are nocturnal. They are most active at night. Mine usually turn into furry whirlwinds at 10 pm and stay that way til 6am. Scratching and biting seems extreme, though. Maybe playing with her for a while before bed will tire her out, but I'm not sure. Hmmm.

Don't worry, your not boring anyone. Asking questions is a good thing. Go ahead and ask any more that you have too. We're here to help each other.

 

[sandie]

Lets see....

1.As long as mom is not hurting them it is normal. She is just telling her babies she is the boss. If you watch them closley you may even see stuff we would do to our own children.

2. The food...hehe she is just doing it because she has to share with her children. This way she can eat the food she pushed out for herself. It is very natural and nothing to worry about.

3. This is perfectly normal. The kittens not only nurse on mom for the food, but it also gives them great comfort. They can do this beyond 12 weeks old. Once mom has had enough, she usually tells them off.

4. You know, cats hate any kind of change. Moving furniture is quite mild compared to moving all together. They will sometimes put up a little fuss or just accept it and explore new stuff. You will definatley notice if there is a protest.

5. Oh yes...cats are definatley nocturnal. HEHE, kittens are a riot at night too. Some cats when they get older adjust to their humans schedule, but not the case most of the time. Alexnell has the right idea...play with them before bedtime. Then get used to the sounds of thunder as the cats run and play at night.

If it werent for questions like these, we would never learn a thing. Post away!!

 

[michelle]

Thank you so much! I was a little worried that my cat is some kind of skitzo cat, since we don't know where she was before we adopted her. thanks!

 

[michelle]

just a little note...
I decided to see how Sasha would put up with my new bed, so I picked her up and set her on it. after convincing her that the pillow is mine, not hers, she was fine. sure enough, she has been sprawled accross it all morning...smack dab in the middle of it. yay.