It's been a long time and I have ???'s - KITTENS

[December99]

Okay - I know this might seem soon to some but we think we have found the kitten we want!!! (some of you remember we lost our cat 2 weeks ago) We have been looking and looking and just trying to get some ideas. Well yesterday on our way to the DIS meet we stopped at animal shelter just to check it out. There had been a cat posted on the website that was available and was exactly what I wanted - 6 months old, spayed, male. Well we walk in and we go into the "kitten" or "newer older cats" room (same room). We look around and looking at us and climbing up wanting us to pet it is this ADORABLE white with yellow spotted kitten about 3-4 months old. He is soooooooo cute and his name is Cotton. We look around a bit and went into the other "older adult-type" cat room. Saw the cat that was on the site but he was older than they had posted (he was like 2-3 years and older than we wanted). So we went and asked if we could look at Cotton - of course have to fill all this paperwork out. They want him to be indoors - we didn't but we just fell in love with him - he took to us wonderfully and he and Britt just connected! So we went to the meet and we talked a bit on the way about an indoor cat.

Well I was out at WalMart today and we were in the cat isle. I called dh because they had a reasonably priced cat carrier (which we did not have one but would need one to bring something home from a shelter because they are a drive away from us) and I asked what the likelyhood of us getting this kitten would be and he said very high. Well now we have to go tomorrow and hope he isn't gone. Before we can bring him home they will spay him which is included in the fee.

Now some questions I have because it's been 11 years since we had a kitten and about 22 years since I had an indoor cat. Is there a way to try and train the cat to stay off the counters and off the kitchen table? An easy way - I mean I can think of ways but I just wanted some suggestions. I know they lose their teeth - do you know about what age or will he have already gone through that? We really do not want him declawed because our hope is he will catch mice - any ideas on how to not have them cutting up our furniture? We did get a climbing tower for in the basement and a scratch thing for up in the family room. He will only be allowed upstairs in the main part of the house when we are home and will be down in the basement the rest of the time. His bed and litterbox and food will be down there.

Any suggestions on those cat deoderizer things you can put in their litter to keep the smell down. We did get a lidded litterbox and we will be scooping but wondered if there were any other "tricks" to helping with the smell. Butter was outside and was alot like a dog - went to the bathroom alot outside (even waited until we got up in the morning and opened the garage door so he go out and do his duty - it was kinda funny).

Thanks for any suggestions you can lend us. One problem is he had ear mites - so we will probably be coming home with meds which is fine.

 

[mickeyfan1]

Chris, it sounds like you have a good plan already. Since he will be confined while you are not home, training him to stay off the counter and tables should be pretty easy with a squirt gun. Or smacking a newspaper with a flyswatter, just to make a startling noise. Show him his scrating posts a lot, till he gets the idea, all the kitties I have had would use them once they got the idea.

I hope you get this little kitty, Chris. He can help fill the hole in the hearts of your family.

Post a picture or two, ok?

 

[ByTheSea]

Congrats!

Squirt gun when you catch um..

and aluminum foil on whatever you don't want them to jump up on when you're not around to supervise worked great for us.

 

[MerryPoppins]

We like the newer crystal-type litter. Not the pearls because they track and roll! It's much better than the old clay litter or the clumping litter. It costs more, but it lasts about a month for one cat if you scoop and stir daily. It really helps keep the smell down. You can also add cat litter baking soda stuff that helps keep it fresh smelling.

Our cats have all had no front claws. I know many people think that is cruel, but we keep them inside and it's rough on the furniture and kids to have the front claws, in my opinion. Annie used to catch mice at our old house without those front claws. She could also climb by using the back claws.

I've heard of the foil on the counter trick. Squirt guns work pretty well, too. My kitty doesn't seem to want to be on the kitchen counters or the table, but he does like the bathroom sink. Best of luck to you. Hope your new baby is still waiting for you!

 

[Rajah]

Congrats, Chris I hope Cotton is still there for y'all.

First off, I'd highly recommend you go out and find the book "Think Like A Cat" by Pam Johnson-Bennett. The answers to all the questions you just posted are in there. I've found it to be an *excellent* resource and I really learned a lot about our cats from that book.

For the quick answers:

Some people have luck training cats to stay off counters and tables. I can't help you there, though, because we've been unsuccessful with our three

As for not destroying the furniture: Scratching posts, scratching posts, scratching posts. We have two in our bedroom, two in the living room, one in the gameroom, one in DH's office, and one on their cat ledge, and I plan to get one or two more for the dining room later. Basically, any time you see the cat starting to scratch on some furniture, get a scratching post that the cat will like (you'll have to learn what the cat's preference is) and set it up next to the furniture. That's why we ended up with two in the bedroom and two in the living room, but it's worked. As far as I know, our cats don't scratch on any furniture any more. We trained them by having more than enough surfaces for them to choose from (and they do use *every* one), and by giving them a treat in the beginning every time they used the scratching post instead of furniture. Please, please, *PLEASE* don't get your kitty declawed. If you're even going to consider it, IMHO, you shouldn't get a cat. Scratching is part of a cat's natural behavior and you're not going to change that. You just need to learn to provide enough surfaces that the cat likes, and start him *now* on clipping his nails about once every two weeks. Then you should have little to no trouble with scratching. Declawing is cruel and inhumane -- you're cutting off the cat's front "fingers" from the first joint down, and it tends to decrease a cat's confidence and hurts their balance, to name a couple of complications. There are other alternatives, but I just gave you the two best -- provide lots of scratching surfaces and train him to allow you to clip his nails.

For litter odor, I've heard the Arm & Hammer litter deodorizer helps a lot, but I can't use it because a fragrance in it sets off my asthma. We do occasionally use the Nature's Miracle deodorizer and that's helping. We also have a small air filter in the main litterbox room, and have no odor problems any more since we installed that. (it's a simple $20 Honeywell room purifier -- I honestly didn't expect it to work, but it's been fantastic)

As for the pros and cons of a covered box, I suggest reading Pam's book. Covered boxes will sometimes turn a cat away from the litterbox because of the odor, and we found that to be true with Skye, so we no longer use the cover on ours. Everyone has different experiences with covered boxes, ours was just negative.

You probly won't even notice when Cotton loses his teeth. I saw it happen on Blaze, but never saw it on Skye or Sienna, and I was watching. I think it happens in the 4-6 month range, so you're probably going to have Cotton's teeth change to his adult teeth after you get him.

Hope this helps!

 

[catsrule]

conCATulations, hope you get your new kitty. Why not get both? I have heard they don't like sticky paper, like contact paper either, and to put that around the edges of the counters to train them from going there. Simba and Cali just do whatever they please though, they have us trained. They also have catnip sprays to spray onto scatching posts to draw them there.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

Congrats on your kitten!

No idea here on how to keep them off the counters- we find Tallulah asleep in the sink every now and then. We all know who is really in charge around here Tried the water gun thing, but the problem is that she LIKES it. She's a bit odd like that

 

[robinb]

Congratulations!

We use a covered Booda box and Yesterday's News pelleted recycled newspaper litter. It's better than the clay stuff because the kitties don't inhale the clay litter dust into their lungs. It is harder to scoop, though. {shrug} I'm used to it by now.

My kitty Nikkei is also an indoor/outdoor kitty. I could not keep him in the house. We let him on the 3 season porch his first spring with us and that was that. He wanted out. He became a bolter and after 6 months I just gave up and we let him out. I know that will shorten his life, but so will his incessent yowling at the door when we don't let him out .

My "weapon" of choice in the kitty battles was an aluminum pop can with 3-5 pennies inside it and taped closed. When ever Nikkei was doing something I didn't want him to I would hurl the pop can in his direction (not hitting him). It would land near him with a loud "rattle-bang!". I have never seen a cat levitate before . We kept a couple of cans in every room. The hardest part was not to say anything because the cat was supposed to not know that it came from you and that it could, in fact, happen at any time even when you were not home.

Good luck! We need pictures .
(I'm so jealous! DH doesn't want another cat, but I do . )

 

[Mish19]

Both my cats are strictly indoor cats. You can use double stick tape on furniture you don't want them to scratch. Use a squirt gun to stop the scratching. Keep the cats nails trimmed every week, start now when he is a kitten so he will be used to you doing it (some cats like nail trimming). Touch his paws when you dont trim them so he will associate it with a good feeling too. Please don't declaw the cat, as long as you get him scratching post/trees, trim the nails and keep up on the positive reinforcement when he does use the scratching post I believe it should work out.
My cats use a covered box and an uncovered box with scoopable litter. It gets scooped atleast once a day and washed out once a week or once every two weeks. I use a wonderful odor neutralizer called Nok-Out.
Since he is a kitten you you mentioned you have two levels to your house it is best to have a litterbox on each floor. Kittens are just like babies and they tend to leave the litterbox box usage to the last minute. They will need to make a quick trip! He will also take some time to get used to his surroundings so not having to search for that box upstairs would help him out alot!
Now back to the covered box. The box I have had a removable filter on top of it, it is used to keep the house from smelling but it will also keep the bad odor in! I don't think the kitty will find they too enjoyable and you definitely want the cat to have a nice, clean place to do his business.
I rambled on quite a bit. I hope this has helped you out. Please feel free to PM me if you like.
Please enjoy your little kitten! Take lots of pictures because they won't be small and fuzzy for long

 

[Gail T AGAIN]

If I catch my cat on the counter I just give her that mother look with my eys and she jumps down. She kinda new from the start you DO NOT go on MY kitchen counters. Mt s the key word. LOL Cats/kittens climb no matter what that is their nature.

 

[2disneywego]

First, a "ditto" to what everybody else has said.

We got our 2 kittens when they were 7 weeks old, and started training them right away to stay off the tables and counters. Consistency is the key. Every single time you see them on a surface you don't want them on, either squirt them and say "NO!" or get up and get them off. We have no trouble with either one getting up on tables or counters.

Please, please do not declaw. Regular clipping and many scratching posts of varying materials are key. Each cat will want something different. Molly loves tall sisal vertical sisal posts, while Sam loves the vertical carpeted surface of the cat tree. Try not to get a material on the posts that matches your carpet or furniture. The only time my kittens scratch on anything is when I move furniture around, such as at Christmas. They don't like change very much.

We use a Littermaid uncovered box with Tidy Cats scoopable and have great results. I can vouch that the Arm & Hammer deodorizer really works. We ran out one week and we really noticed a difference.

I only noticed Molly losing one tooth, because it was lying on the kitchen floor and I stepped on it with my bare foot! Ouch!! The vet said that many times kittens will actually swallow their teeth as they fall out. It's not as big a deal as with puppies.

We did the same as you with our kittens. For the first 5 months we had them we confined them to our basement when we weren't home and let them have the run of the house the rest of the time. It kept them safe, since we "kitten-proofed" the basement and it created a safe haven for them. Whenever they get overwhelmed, they still go down to the basement for security.

If you can, I recommend that you leave his carrier out with his bedding in it, so he can go in and out of it whenever he wants. We did this for the kittens and they sleep in their quite a bit. It creates a lot less stress when we go to the vet as the carrier is their safety zone. I've never let anyone else but DH or I take them in or out of the carrier.

Sorry this is so long, hope it helps.

 

[December99]

Thanks so much for all the advice. This really really helps alot! DH has never had any pets, let alone a kitten, and this is going to be a HUGE learning phase for him. I didn't think about the second litter box....now to think of a place to put it.

We are getting one of those scratching posts that has the laying part on top so he has something lay on instead of the floor and carpet - I'm wondering if we shouldn't leave that upstairs and put something else down in the basement for him. Also I think we might have to begin with a baby gate on our stairs so he doesn't got to the "third level" where our bedrooms are - something I didn't think about at first. I'm sure his first week or two here will be all learning for him...and us!!!

Thanks again and as soon as we can bring him home - I'll get pics...he is a cutie - we just hope he's still available!!! If not, we'll find another one.

 

[luveeyore2]

I just had to post a warning about using a baby gate. When we first brought our baby Tiger home we tried putting up a gate so he wouldn't go upstairs but he just climbed up and over the thing! I guess it would depend on what type you used. Nothing like coming home and seeing the cat on the "wrong" side of the gate. But he's so cute so couldn't get mad.

 

[MerryPoppins]

We had a Houdini, too. Cricket could get over any gate or out of any cage. LOL! We wanted to contain him for a while to make sure the dogs were going to be gentle, but he wouldn't have any of it.

 

[Robinrs]

Congrats on the kitty, Chris!

Lots of great ideas here!

I adopted two cats from the Humane Society and they were very adamant about letting cats outdoors AND declawing. They were VERY ANTI these two things! My vet is also very anti outdoor. I have had cats for 25 years and have never let my cats stay outside. There are way too many risks! I remember reading that the average life span of an outdoor cat is 2 and an indoor is 18... not necessarily a fact with every cat but surely enough to make me keep mine close to me.

I also a Littermaid, which is essential with my four cats. The sweeping motion keeps the smell to a minimum. Make sure you get a flushable litter if you get one. They're pretty pricey but worth it!

Tell DoctorP that we'll make him a Cat Papa yet!

 

[Beast]

First, the squirt gun or the can with coins (never heard that one, good idea) work but don't get caught by the cat. The cat will think of it as "an act of God" kind of thing. If they know it's you doing it, they just think you went berzerk for a bit. Keep in mind, we aren't "humans" to them, we're just bigger versions of cats. Don't laugh, I'm serious.

When you bring the cat home, put him/her directly in the litter box he/she is likely to use first/most. As they start exploring from that point, they'll know more instintivly where the box is.

Cats don't scratch to sharpen their claws. (Sorry, it's true. After all, how sharp can claws get on textiles?) There are scent glands in their pads (on the face area, too) and they're marking territory. Making it "theirs". The clawing is an unfortunate byproduct. That's part of the reason why they "head butt" you when they're rubbing against you.

One last myth to shoot down. You know that bored, "I don't need you! I just allow you to live here" look they love to give us? It's actually a sign of contentment. If your cat is looking at you that way, it's a good sign. If you slowly blink your eyes at them, most cats will generally "blink" back at you.

Okay, go ahead. Pile on.

 

[nativetxn]

No kitten advice, but I wanted to say I think it's so great that you are adopting. I worry about all those kitties and puppies in the animal shelters and sounds like you just saved one.

Katholyn

 

[Beauty]

I have to definatly agree with Robin about indoors. I also saw the life expectancy on an indoor v/s outdoor cat and it was similar to what Robin said.

My babies are indoor entirely. They have complete run of the house. I have never had any problem with mine getting on the counters. I've never trained them not to but when I'm cooking they sometimes sit in the kitchen but most of the time they don't even come in there (does that say something about my cooking?) This includes the kitten that we rescued.

All of mine are fixed and declawed although a lot of places don't like you to declaw we can't risk it with my grandmother living with us. She has a history of blood clots and if anything touches her leg she gets blisters....so declawing was a must.

We do use regular litter and have 2 litter boxes. We change the litter every other day in both boxes. It has worked out wonderfully, although I have considered a Litter Maid in the past.....I can't find the filters for them around here though.

Good luck on your baby!! I wouldn't trade anything for mine.

 

[Beast]

How's the KITTEN?????????????????????????

 

[December99]

ROFL Beast....well - she's doing pretty well. We think she might have a URI so I'm taking her to the vet this afternoon. But other than that she's been doing pretty well. Hasn't been too spunky but think it might be that she's sick. She REALLY wants up on the 2nd floor (we've kept her in the basement to get use to us and her surroundings - litter box, food and water bowls, bed, etc.) but yesterday when I went home for lunch (shhhhh...don't let my dd know this) I let her in the kitchen and she really went for the outside deck door!!!! She wanted OUT! So this tells me that maybe she was an outside cat. We'll see.

This weekend we might "test" the waters with her venturing around the house. Unlike most weekends we have a very relaxing weekend with not much going so this would be the perfect one to let her explore.

I was very surprised to see her using the scratching pad Wednesday night. I just thought maybe it would take her a bit to find them and get use to them but she loved it. I guess it helps that it's packed with catnip !!!!