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ORIGINAL: LotusSong

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ORIGINAL: popeye1250

Another problem!
When I put kitten food in the dish for him my other cat Bubba goes over and starts eating it shit there he goes again!

How do I keep Bubba from eating the kittens food?
He has a dish full of food but he keeps going over to the kitten's dish!

Yet a another good reason for my idea.  Remember, I'm not talkingabout putting the kitten in isolation, this is why I use an open crate of  some size. They can see each other without getting into a tussel and YOU can get some piece of mimd during this time.  It only takes about a week to get things in order.

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ORIGINAL: DomKen

You need to get this kitten used to being handled. Put on a heavy long sleeved shirt and get a length of yarn or string. Go into whatever room the kitten hides in and close the door with the older cat outside. Talk quietly and don't look directly at the kitten. Sit down, on the floor preferably, and start tossing the string out and dragging it around and dangling it where the kitten can see it. It shouldn't take too long before the kitten is chasing the string. Do this for a bit so the kitten gets into it and finally drag the string in close to you. When the kitten is in close enough grab her with your free hand by the scruff of the neck, like you've seen a mother cat carry around kittens. She won't like it much and may make some rather anguished noises but hold on and put your other hand on her chest and support her weight with that hand. Now she is likely to scratch or try and bite you but a kitten isn't going to do you much damage unless she gets a finger in her jaws, so don't stick one anywhere near there. Pull her in to you body and let go off the back of her neck. Talk soothingly and pet her. Cats tend to like their ears and under their jaws to be scritched so that is something to try. If the kitten is a female scritching her at the base of the tale may be something she likes as well. You need to talk soothingly and quietly, don't raise your voice even if she does nip or scratch you, and hold her until she relaxes. If possible soothe her till she goes to sleep.

You need to keep doing that on a regular, daily, basis until she is well socialized and comes to you seeking affection or at least until she takes to rubbing up against you ankles to scent mark you. Otherwise you risk having a pet that will essentially be a feral cat.

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ORIGINAL: popeye1250

I guess the operative word really is "patience."
I can't wait to pat him!

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ORIGINAL: Alumbrado

I'm still recommending the sock over the head... once he tires out from bumping into things, the kitten should become quite docile.

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ORIGINAL: DomKen

And people wonder why their cats won't be handled and chores like trimming claws and giving medicine are so hard.

Cats need to be "socialized." Which is a fancy way of saying they ned to learn that people are not going to eat them and that coming close to people is a positive experience. To have this truly sink in and result in a good house cat the kitten needs to be handled by a person quite a lot from about 5 weeks old to about 2 or 3 months of age. With that oppotunity apparently lost in this case and the kitten acting like it is feral my approach is, while some may view it as negative, about the only choice you have to getting the kitten to a point where it will be willing to be handled which is essentiasl for grooming, trimming nails and trips to the vet.

As to the kitten remembering the whole thing as negative, That is why you spend much more time with the kitten stroking and scritching the kitten compared to how long it spends struggling. Being grabbed by the nape of the neck isn't painful for the kitten and does no harm if the not done for too long or grabbed too tightly. The whole point is for the kitten to learn that being handled is a pleasureable experience which no amount of patient waiting for the kitten to come to you won't do since the kitten isn't ever going to come to you and let itself be handled.

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ORIGINAL: Alumbrado

Geeezz.....

Am I the only one who understands how cats think? 

Hell, I'll even buy the sock... y'all are making this whole thing way too complicated.

Sock  +   Head   =  Amused and happy kitten.


How hard is that?.. it probably won't even do any permanent damage... or it  might even slow him down a bit.

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ORIGINAL: Real0ne

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ORIGINAL: DomKen

And people wonder why their cats won't be handled and chores like trimming claws and giving medicine are so hard.

Cats need to be "socialized." Which is a fancy way of saying they ned to learn that people are not going to eat them and that coming close to people is a positive experience. To have this truly sink in and result in a good house cat the kitten needs to be handled by a person quite a lot from about 5 weeks old to about 2 or 3 months of age. With that oppotunity apparently lost in this case and the kitten acting like it is feral my approach is, while some may view it as negative, about the only choice you have to getting the kitten to a point where it will be willing to be handled which is essentiasl for grooming, trimming nails and trips to the vet.

As to the kitten remembering the whole thing as negative, That is why you spend much more time with the kitten stroking and scritching the kitten compared to how long it spends struggling. Being grabbed by the nape of the neck isn't painful for the kitten and does no harm if the not done for too long or grabbed too tightly. The whole point is for the kitten to learn that being handled is a pleasureable experience which no amount of patient waiting for the kitten to come to you won't do since the kitten isn't ever going to come to you and let itself be handled.

fine but not by force as you have suggested.

i would have liked to see you do that with the cat i tamed from the wild.  she would have tore your face off.  that and it would be the last time you ever got near her.  when i was done i could do claw trimming whatever, however i was the only one in the world who could do it, unless of course someone else wanted to use force.