New kitty advice

[sam_gordon]

I've heard of people doing that. My clumsy girl would probably fall in!

We're on our 4th cat. We've never tried and figured it should be done when they're kittens. I tried to find a clip from "Meet the Parents", but couldn't.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Get a second cat. 2 cats, 1/2 as much work, 2 dogs, twice as much work.
If you have two cats they will play together and will not destroy furniture etc. If you only have 1 cat it will get bored. Note that cats are nocturnal, so unless you are willing to stay up all night and keep him/her entertained, the damage is most likely going to happen while you are asleep.

 

[Imzadi]

I sort figured that but since she was a spitfire yesterday I was a bit concerned. She must have slept good last night though cause I didn’t hear her at all

She was probably a spitfire as she was in a new environment and excited. Once she realized she was in her forever home and was safe, she was able to sleep soundly and peacefully.

My kitten had been in shelters for two months straight. She was found after the hurricane down in N. Carolina and stayed in a shelter there for 1 month. As they didn't have the funding to handle all the incoming pets after the hurricane, she was shipped to the local shelter here, which gets generous funding. But, due to NY state laws, she couldn't be spayed until 30 days after being 6 months old. No one wanted to adopt her before then and take on the fees themselves to spay her once she reaches the right age. She also had various medical problems due to having survived a hurricane. So she sat for another month until the shelter spayed her and payed for all her meds and treatments.

I got her right after. When she realized she had found her human and was in her forever home, she celebrated. She played HARD for a good, solid 5 hours. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have let her as I forgot she could have popped her stitches. But, she was SO happy to be free and out of that cage at 7 months old. It was her happiest day.

After that, she semi calmed down.

Just be on the watch for when kittens get zoomies! Which are sudden burst of energy and they run all over the place.

 

[Imzadi]

One other question when can you usually give a new kitten the run of the house. When we have to go away we have the spare ready I’m set up for her.
Thanks again

You will have to keep an eye on her constantly for the first several months, even after you think you have kitten proofed every thing.

At first, she only has access to certain things at a low height.

As she grows and has a growth spurt, she will suddenly be able to reach higher things. Then you have to kitten proof for that height.

I once watched as my kitten sat directly underneath a stainless steel trash can. She looked up and suddenly realized she could reach the top of the can, NOT by jumping, but by standing on her tip toes, and reaching up with her front paws and doing a pull up. I didn't know cats could do that. Neither did she. She was so proud of herself when she pulled herself up and over the top of the can.

Now, months later, as she is even bigger, she's able to jump and climb in ways she couldn't before. Plus she's smarter with more experience of how to get into things. There is basically no place she can't reach. EVERYTHING has to be cat proofed. Every surface, every item, every side she can climb up or knock over to gain access to what's inside.

Three nights ago, I was altering the length of a pair of pants. I knew enough to not leave the little box of pins lying around. I set it in a bigger box along with the scissors and sharp seam ripper, in which I could close both of those boxes AND she wouldn't be able to knock the bigger box off the table, scattering the pins or stabbing herself. But, I was distracted for a moment and didn't close either box, and went to the bathroom. As I was rounding the corner of the hallway, I heard her scrounging and knew she was in the bigger box. Luckily, I was able to shoo her way before she had scattered the pins, but more importantly, before she may have ingested one.

It's a constant watch with her. And I live in a small space. She will teach YOU what she can and will get into.

 

[Imzadi]

Get a second cat. 2 cats, 1/2 as much work,

I fear that is not true. I have a chronic illness which means I have bouts of extremely low energy. And there are days which I work doubles and need all the rest and sleep I can get before getting up at an ungodly hour to work the next day. I barely have the energy to take care of myself. One morning, I realized I forgot to feed her night portion. She's young and polite enough to wait for when ever I feed her. (We have no set feeding schedule as my work hours are so different each day/week.)

I have had the hardest time with this cat. I KNEW better than to get a kitten, I should have gotten an older cat, which I was originally planning on, since I had cats before. But when the cat distribution network gives you a cat, sometimes you do not have a choice. Many shelters here will not even adopt out young cats under 3 years old, unless they are in pairs. But, I didn't like any of the other kittens when I found this one. And this particular shelter didn't have that rule.

I was planning on getting her a companion within the next few months. But with her so active and into EVERYTHING, I have actually thought of taking her back to the shelter as she is sometimes too much for me at this point in my life with my illness. And she NEEDS to play. (They ask everyone to give them the first chance to take the cats back if we can't keep tjem for any reason. They are a no-kill shelter.) It's actually not fair to her, as she is young and could use another cat her age to play with.

Yet, I fear getting her a companion will be way too much work. Someone once said, "Having two cats is actually twice the mayhem," and I think he's right. Every step of the way, I've had to teach her what is acceptable behavior, certain tricks, what not to get into. What I need to remove or move as she will get into it anyway.

The idea of bringing in a second cat, whom I also have to spend time "training", after this first cat finally somewhat knowing what to stay away from, just seems too much work. And the new cat may un-train what this cat currently knows not to do if she sees the other cat getting into stuff. Getting a much older cat may be better for me, but may not be much of a companion for her, if the cat is too old to play with her.

 

[barkley]

I said I was going to do this too with my cat. I was going to teach her to like car rides! Yeah, she's a tortie and it didn't go well. I lost every battle of wills early. About 14 years later and I know not to challenge her majesty!

our girl is half tordie/half calico-talk about attitude! she's pretty good about not getting on tables and counters but the minute the bed is devoid of people she's settled in (under the comforter/on top of the blanket) for her daytime sleep, her evening 'naps' are on the recliner footrest of whichever one is currently in use and afternoons she takes up residence in whichever of the 2 below footstools Santa gifted her and her late mama cat last christmas that is in a sunbeam.

for your viewing pleasure I present- 'me-oink' and 'moo-moo kitty'....