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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 11:55:28 AM

soultoshare

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Popeye....about the sock in the litter box.......I've found all sorts of things in my cat's box....mice, the fake ones, other toys, the bathroom rug......yes, the WHOLE rug! The point is, if the kitten doesn't feel that there is enough dirt to cover everything to his satisfaction, he will use whatever is in reach to cover.....either that, or your feet smell really bad and that's his way of telling you!

I read the post about grabbing the kitten.....personally, I'd just continue in the manner you're using...it seems to be working, and if kitty thinks he's been traumatized, then he'll never accept you. One of my three was almost 2 before he accepted unasked for petting and rubbing, he wouldn't even sleep on the bed w/me like the other 2, then one day, he just hopped up next to me and flopped down, rolled over and gave me the look that said "YO!!! PET ME!". Cats have their own individuality, 2 of mine are brothers, and they are different than night and day. One is very lovable, and likes to be petted every opportunity, and Boo wants it when HE wants it.

As far as the food thing......I wouldn't worry too much about it....my 3 move from dish to dish all the time, but everyone gets all they want/need. I leep two dry food feeders out, and they get canned twice a day. The one regret I have is not getting them weaned off the canned food.....it's smelly and they make such a mess with it! So if Bubba and kitty like dry, just make sure they get a good dry fod...I like the Science Diet Oral care and the Hairball varieties.....they love both of them.

BTW, what IS kitty's name?
Keep us posted......but I'm betting that soon you'll end up with a lapful of kitty.

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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 12:52:17 PM

popeye1250

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I give them IAM's.
"Kitten chow" and "Origional" for Bubba with "Hairball Formula" once a week.
The Vet said dry is good for their teeth and gums and that it has everything that they need.
I give Bubba a can once a week or so for a "treat."
I don't have a name for him yet.
I just checked his litter box and he's *definately* using it!
The sand was piled up into a round mound.
Progress!

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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 1:06:58 PM

Real0ne

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quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

quote:

ORIGINAL: Real0ne

quote:

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.

I've done the same basic thing with a full grown feral Tom. Since they won't chase string without pouncing I resorted to a fishing rod cat toy and catnip but same idea. Any cat can be picked up by the scruff and they all go into that kitten being carried by mama pose so it isn't too hard to handle. With a full grown feral it was a lot harder to gain and keep physical control but all cats are suckers for having their sensual spots scritched so once I had him pressed up against me I was able to hold him and calm him down.

Of course you can't fully socialize a full grown feral cat so after a month or so I got a fairly aloof house guest rather than a good pet. I knew he wasn't long for the world since he had both FIV and feline leukemia, which is why the no kill shelter couldn't keep him, but being indoors he didn't spread either virus and he didn't starve once he got too sick to hunt.

But in this case we're not talking about a full grown feral but a 3 month old kitten that wasn't socialized properly by the mother cat's owner. I'm presently raising a new kitten myself, one that I had access to since birth and fully socialized, and she has been to the groomer and vet without significant upset and she was timid in my apartment for only a couple of days once I brought her home. My only issue with her is the pre dawn sprints she runs most days... well that and the prodigous amount of hair she sheds.

mine was a kitten too. however even tho i could pick the cat up like anyone would pick up the cat and play with it no one else could for years. If you tried the cat would try to make hamberger out of you. scruff of the neck or not LOL

Others tried and quickly dropped her. She was a one person cat for several years before others could touch her. i had a male siamese that when i was married my x wife couldnt even touch. Her brother spent an afternnon trying to befriend the animnal and when his hand got close enough the cat tore him up. he was shocked needless to say but not unwarned.

i have no idea how old the kitty was but what you and others say would not work on her. In fact any advancement that was not done extremely slow would not work as well as any advancement that was to close. maybe i had more difficult case there than the norm. this was a cat born in the wild.

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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 1:11:33 PM

nyrisa

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quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250

I just checked his litter box and he's *definately* using it!
The sand was piled up into a round mound.
Progress!

Now, Popeye, you may be guilty of assuming, here. Just because there is a round mound, how can you be SURE he is using the litter box for the intended purpose? Maybe he was just playing in the sand. I think more "indepth" investigation is warranted. Let us know what you uncover. *grins*

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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 2:20:52 PM

Real0ne

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quote:

ORIGINAL: nyrisa
I think more "indepth" investigation is warranted. Let us know what you uncover. *grins*

LMAO!

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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 2:27:06 PM

DomKen

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Remember to not use the clumping litter with your kitten. Kittens have been known to eat some of it and it clumps up in their digestive tract which can kill the kitten.

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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 2:35:06 PM

soultoshare

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Ken, that's interesting....our cats wouldn't use anything but that......when I moved in w/my roomie, she used the clay nugget stuff, my cat refused to use it,so I paid for the kitty litter and bought the sandy type......I've since tried to use the nugget kind when I run out of the other, and they won't touch it...my roomie said hers refused to use the other stuff after I left.....and my two were kittens with it.

As a side note......Walmart's clumping litter is $7 for a 25 or 30 lb bag, and I've found it works even better than the more expensive tidy-cat and other labels......the odor just isn't there....and due to space restrictions, I have one box for all 3 of them....Ijust scoop alot! But if anyone has any suggestions for something that will "grab" the sand off their feet when they exit, I'd love to know it...I've tried everything! That stuff is all over my bathroom!

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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 3:22:00 PM

Alumbrado

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Real0ne

quote:

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.

more simple than leave the animal to come to you on its its own? cats love those who do not do permanent damage. probably.

The cat? What kind of person would think I was talking about putting a sock over the cat's head?

I was talking about Popeye.. when he bumps into things the kitten will come out to see why, and get used to him.

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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 3:38:16 PM

nyrisa

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quote:

ORIGINAL: soultoshare

But if anyone has any suggestions for something that will "grab" the sand off their feet when they exit, I'd love to know it...I've tried everything! That stuff is all over my bathroom!

Have you tried setting those fake plastic grass welcome mats around the litter box? As the cat steps out, the little short bits of plastic "grass" should brush the litter from their paws, and trap it between the strands. Just shake the mats outside to rid them of the litter.

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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 7:34:13 PM

nyrisa

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The latest update on Popeye's blossoming relationship with his new kitty. Trust is building quickly on both sides. Looks like they are making great progress!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CsPaVEgdRsg&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=s-UZ6EETp8Y&mode=related&search=

< Message edited by nyrisa -- 7/30/2007 8:05:48 PM >

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A true lady takes off her dignity with her clothes and does her whorish best. At other times you can be as modest and dignified as your persona requires. Robert Heinlein

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RE: New Kitten Problem. - 7/30/2007 8:33:28 PM

shortNsweetBBW

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I lost my cat about a month ago, I have to say this was the best pet I have ever had and I was quite distressed over having to put him down. I decided right then and there that I was not going to have another pet, it was simply just too painful.

My best friend got a feral cat several years ago as a kitten, nobody could come near this cat however the cat bonded w/ her son and slept in his bedroom. I had seen the cat maybe two three times while spending enormous amounts of time over her house but never had I pet this beautiful cat, well, until last summer when I went to visit her as she had moved 3 hrs away. I was up late one night watching TV and on the laptop, out of the bedroom came this huge beautiful cat. To say that I was impressed, amazed is an understatement, the cat checked me out and snuggled up and wanted pets, I was able to pet this gorgeous creature and made friends w/ him. In all the years I had known my friend and been to her house I had barely been able to catch the cat in plain sight and now I have petted him on his terms.

Keep up the good work popeye.

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