The Official HTF Cat Thread (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

When bringing a kitten home, it's best to confine it to a bedroom or bathroom for at least a week, perhaps a month depending on the situation. It lets them acclimate to the major life change, and have safety of a small space to explore. Put a blanket, cat bed, scratching post, couple toys. Spend time with them in the room, playing and petting and letting them acclimate to you. (That room will likely remain a 'home base' or 'safe space' for the cat the rest of his or her life.)

After they're comfortable with you and the space, open the room and let them start exploring. But you can return them to the room at night to sleep for the first few weeks or month.

 

[DaveF]

Now you need to buy scratching posts and cat condos! Cats love, and need, vertical space to play and enjoy and feel safe.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Every kitten is different. What you just described is very typical. The fear induced be being removed from her home and put into a strange place is normal. The hiding is normal. I don't think I'd worry about blocking all hiding spaces. If i had a new cat dong that I'd just make sure that a couple times a day I found her and talked to her while leaving her in her spot.

The increasing confidence is normal and she realizes this is home and you're not so bad after all. A kitten does change the routine of a household. You have invited someone into your home to live with you. Whether that be homo sapiens or feline, things change. If you remain patient you will find the change is for the better.

She's going to find nooks and crannies in your heart you didn't know you had and ooze into them. Soon you'll wonder how you ever lived without her.

Spoken like an experienced cat lover!

 

[Elizabeth S]

When bringing a kitten home, it's best to confine it to a bedroom or bathroom for at least a week, perhaps a month depending on the situation. It lets them acclimate to the major life change, and have safety of a small space to explore. Put a blanket, cat bed, scratching post, couple toys. Spend time with them in the room, playing and petting and letting them acclimate to you. (That room will likely remain a 'home base' or 'safe space' for the cat the rest of his or her life.)

After they're comfortable with you and the space, open the room and let them start exploring. But you can return them to the room at night to sleep for the first few weeks or month.

I had read up on that and that was the original plan. I had made a barrier to keep her in "her area" but she could climb better than I thought to get over a barrier and under the kitchen cart. Then, she darted away after that. I wasn't well prepared.

Now you need to buy scratching posts and cat condos! Cats love, and need, vertical space to play and enjoy and feel safe.

She does already have a cat tree with scratching posts. I purchased this about 18 months ago but only put it together the day I got her. Again, did not realize she could already climb so well. After no initial interest, she now races up to the highest tier (about 68") and tries to touch the ceiling. She doesn't stay up there long.

This morning about 4:00 a.m., she got all jumpy on the bed so I had to shut her outside the bedroom for a bit. She cried a little, then stopped. She is vicious when she wants to be fed -- her new thing is clawing and hanging on to the leg of my jeans. She's an angel when she gets all pooped out running around and falls asleep next to me on the couch. She likes having her forehead rubbed and she's asleep very fast.

Every kitten is different. What you just described is very typical. The fear induced be being removed from her home and put into a strange place is normal. The hiding is normal. I don't think I'd worry about blocking all hiding spaces. If i had a new cat dong that I'd just make sure that a couple times a day I found her and talked to her while leaving her in her spot.

The increasing confidence is normal and she realizes this is home and you're not so bad after all. A kitten does change the routine of a household. You have invited someone into your home to live with you. Whether that be homo sapiens or feline, things change. If you remain patient you will find the change is for the better.

She's going to find nooks and crannies in your heart you didn't know you had and ooze into them. Soon you'll wonder how you ever lived without her.

I will let her have the safe spaces under the couch and under the bed. Wanted to block behind the headboard and cabinet because she could possibly get stuck in there.

My friend had thought I would instantly bond with Kuri and my "motherly instinct" would kick in. She's adorable, but I don't feel that way. I have no "motherly" feelings toward human babies, but thought this would be different. But I don't feel it. I sometimes dread going home to her because I miss being alone. I don't know if my feelings will change. I feel selfish and coldhearted.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Elizabeth: I'm the outsider in this thread. I don't have a cat. I'm a dog guy (the other members just sorta tolerate me poking my head in here from time to time).

Don't sweat it.

If it doesn't work out for you...that's okay. Not everyone was meant to have a pet. You are giving it a try--which is commendable. You are doing everything right. And if after a while, you're not happy with things...you can re-think them.

Just take it slow and give it time. And take all the pressure off yourself. You'll figure it out.

 

[Stan]

Cats will sleep any place in your home that makes them feel comfortable, or safe, or that gives them a good vantage point. This includes on your sofa, on your floor, stretched out on top of a hard wooden desk, on your bed, under the bed, and under a heavy comforter, right next to you.

If you are afraid that you will roll over on, or wake, the cat during the night, just evict her from the room. She may do a bunch of pitiful meowing at the door at first to try to restore her preferred sleeping arrangement, but she will get used to it.

With regards to her jumping on the table, you need to train this behavior out of her now, while she is still a kitten. Once she has grown up with the idea that she can get away with this, it will be harder to stop it. One thing you can do when you see her on the table, going after food, is to pick her up gently and place her on the floor. In time, she may learn that the behavior is unprofitable. Another is to get a water pistol (a regular one, not a "super soaker") and to use it on her when she cannot see you doing it. (The idea is for her to associate the punishment with the deed, rather than with you.)

Definitely agree with you about training the "jumping on the table" behavior out of her now. This applies to cats and dogs. Once they learn this or something similar like lounging on the couch, you're stuck with it for life.

The water pistol is very helpful and harmless to the animal. Not guaranteed, almost always works with cats, but my dog loves it, it's play-time and she always knows it's me, no hiding it, but pretty easy to catch the cat by surprise.

 

[Malcolm R]

Like any youngster, human or pet, they'll be full of energy while they're young. As she settles in and matures, she'll calm down.

You're her whole world now, she'll make you the center of it for a while.

It'll be a period of adjustment for you both. Eventually, like most cats, she'll probably mostly sleep and ignore you, and you'll be begging for her attention and longing for the days when she was energetic and playful.

 

[Johnny Angell]

It's being suggested that as the kitten matures she will slow down and be less frenetic. This is true. So here's something to consider. Return the kitten and adopts and adult cat. I see two advantages to this: 1) When you adopt and adult you pretty much know what you're getting. 2) You are doing a very good thing because you are adopting an adult and shelters often have trouble getting adults adopted because everyone wants kittens.

If this makes ay sense to you, think about doing it soon and not 6 months from now. This is important because returning the kitten while it's still a kitten gives it a better chance to be adopted. Wait until it's an adult (and the perception in may peoples minds is that this starts by 6 months) means it will have a harder time getting adopted.

If the shelter has a room where they let a lot of the adults roam together go in and sit on the floor and see who's interested in your and who you are interested in.

Another thing to consider is to have two cats. That will take some of the pressure of you to provide companionship.

Finally, you are expressing doubts you are a pet person and not everyone is. If you make the decision you are not, return the kitten to the shelter, ideally while it's still a kitten.

 

[Stan]

It's being suggested that as the kitten matures she will slow down and be less frenetic. This is true. So here's something to consider. Return the kitten and adopts and adult cat. I see two advantages to this: 1) When you adopt and adult you pretty much know what you're getting. 2) You are doing a very good thing because you are adopting an adult and shelters often have trouble getting adults adopted because everyone wants kittens.

If this makes ay sense to you, think about doing it soon and not 6 months from now. This is important because returning the kitten while it's still a kitten gives it a better chance to be adopted. Wait until it's an adult (and the perception in may peoples minds is that this starts by 6 months) means it will have a harder time getting adopted.

If the shelter has a room where they let a lot of the adults roam together go in and sit on the floor and see who's interested in your and who you are interested in.

Another thing to consider is to have two cats. That will take some of the pressure of you to provide companionship.

Finally, you are expressing doubts you are a pet person and not everyone is. If you make the decision you are not, return the kitten to the shelter, ideally while it's still a kitten.

I wish I had adopted an older cat. You'd know more about what you're getting, especially their size.

I bought the Siamese brother & sister who grew up to be enormous, in the 16 lb. region. I've always preferred smaller ones, maybe in the 6-8 lb. range. Friends have four cats, all in that size range, absolutely wonderful to be around. Not that their size affects their personality, I just wish I'd gotten smaller animals.

Had an Italian Greyhound who topped out at 15 lbs., actually kind of big for the breed, yet both my cats outweighed her. Of course, no where near my black lab, who is about 75 lbs. Six years old and still a puppy, something nobody told me to expect. I've seen female labs in the 40-50 lb. area, which is kind of what I was expecting, but nope. She's in perfect shape, not being overfed, so it's just genetics.

One good piece of news, related to the tumor on my remaining cat that I mentioned a while back. This sounds kind of gross, but remembered reading how lambs and bulls are castrated, so foolishly tried it on the tumor my cat had. It turned out well, I just say foolish because it could have turned out badly and I didn't really know what I was doing, but it worked.

Anyhow, never bothered her, no pain, no bleeding, it just shriveled up and eventually fell off. Maybe a tiny scar that her fur will cover up but I saved over $600 in vet bills and didn't put her through the horrible stress of driving to/from the vet, anesthesia, staying overnight in strange surroundings, etc. She's 18 years old and has never left the house in over 13 years, just the stress of the first visit was awful for her, the second one would have been much worse.

 

[Johnny Angell]

If my memory serves, bulls are castrated by a device that is squeezed like a pair of pliers. I don't know if it removes the testicles or just cuts of their blood supply. Are you saying you had a device like that to squeeze the tumor and it caused no pain?

 

[Malcolm R]

I think he's referring to "banding", where a tight rubber band is applied around the base, cutting off the blood flow. Then the testicle just shrivels up and falls off.

 

[Sam Posten]

I'm confused, are you saying you performed surgery on your own cat?

 

[Stan]

I think he's referring to "banding", where a tight rubber band is applied around the base, cutting off the blood flow. Then the testicle just shrivels up and falls off.

That is precisely what I did. No pain, didn't bother her at all. I don't think it would be considered surgery, it's not like I cut it off with a scalpel, then grabbed a needle and thread to sew her up. And had there been any problem like bleeding, infection or pain, would have taken her into the vet.

Overall it was much easier on her than the vet trip would have been, which was extremely traumatic to her when this first appeared. As an example, she just about flipped out in the crate trying to get out, peed on the vet's table, then peed and pooped in the crate on the way home. She was very stressed out.

 

[DaveF]

"All this gear and not a single cat toy?!?!?!"

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Punkin puss sez dose boxes iz mine.

 

[Todd Erwin]

Domino quite often gives me that look and tone like "What did you bring me?" whenever I come home with shopping bags in my hand.

 

[Sam Posten]

Oh shit did I leave the stove on?

 

[David Willow]

"All this gear and not a single cat toy?!?!?!"
View attachment 32052

Ooohhh.. A new cardboard tower for me to play on.....

 

[Stan]

Ooohhh.. A new cardboard tower for me to play on.....

So true. No need to buy those expensive carpeted towers, cats invent their own playthings. My cat loves grocery sacks and boxes, crawling under a blanket, etc. They amuse themselves, not necessary to buy a pricey pet-store creation that may sit unused until you admit failure and put it out in a yard sale

 

[DaveF]

As a Moderator, I try to remain vigilant in making sure posts are in the correct forum. I'm making an exception here and posting a movie trailer. I think you'll agree this is an appropriate thread