new cat or kitten advice (merged)

jess1974

aaaaaaahhhhhh i want one..........

braken2000

I have just got a kitten too. Must be the season.

How often should you feed a 7 week kitten? also
She keeps trying to bite me and my flatmate and is extremely hyperactive, I have built her a scratch post (£10 for the materials, it is huge!). She does not like it. How can I stop her biting etc.

HELP!

Secret1234

I know, the last batch were all totally white so went like hot cakes, i hope these are all just as wanted, i personally think they are adorable, they've just started opening their eyes

- don't think my OH could cope if i kept anymore

justmarried06

Oh jen what fabulous markings on the Mum!! If the kits that have tabby are like her then they'll definitely go like hotcakes - or should that be hotkits??!!

I'll join you on the freaky cat lady front as well!

JM xx

Secret1234

Try and encourage her to chew on toys, we were told to use drinking straws, they chase them and when they get hold of it they tend to start chewing on that instead. Mine do it when they are playing and whilst its ok now, those teeth get bigger so you have to discourage it.

We used to gently hold the kittens paws up against the scratching post and praise them when they use it, keep trying over and over again, gets boring but will help save furniture. Also try sprinkling catnip on it, all my cats love the stuff send them into some sort of drugged up trance! Really fun to watch.

Just remember play loads and they'll soon tire! Don't really have to bother with toys, ours love the plastic plug covers and balls of paper.

As for feeding, little and often and have biscuits available. Half a pouch about 4/5 times a day should be ok

Enjoy it cos they grow up so quickly, they are such good fun when they are little, if not a bit mischievious!!!

Secret1234

I know she's gorgeous, the other stray that lives in our porch is just like her too, would love to keep them all but they hate my 2 cats

One of the kittens is marked just like her, 3 others have darker colours, the random one is black and white!!

Here's the kitten from her last lot that we just had to keep, the whole litter were identical!

justmarried06

I think I'm falling in love!!!

JM x

nealallen

I must say, I've gone all gooey lokin at your pic of those licklens

As for the feeds, take all the others away and allow the small one to get a feed. The others will moan but so be it. Mums milk is the best for him at that age.

Let us know how they all get on, and more pic's please.

keelykat

Aww they are the most adorable kittens and what a gorgeous mom cat too!

We had to feed our two kittens-as we found out not long after that they'd been taken away from their mom too soon. But it wasn't long before the vets advised us to feed them boiled rice and fish, in little bits...as the kitten food was too rich for their tummies to start with. they got the runs, and sickness, poor things. (they also had fleas, and problems with their ears).

Good luck, esp with the smallest one....we had the little one who turned out to be a very gorgeous black and white cat, who decided she'd be the boss! (sadly we lost her just over a year ago now).

Keely.

fenwoman

braken2000 wrote: »

I have just got a kitten too. Must be the season.

How often should you feed a 7 week kitten? also
She keeps trying to bite me and my flatmate and is extremely hyperactive, I have built her a scratch post (£10 for the materials, it is huge!). She does not like it. How can I stop her biting etc.

HELP!

if you have got a 7 week old kitten I could cry for the poor little thing. Kittens should NOT leave their mothers until they are at least 10 weeks old. Biting and scratching is how kittens play. Ideally you would have got 2 kittens so that they can play with each other. As it is , you took one away from the mother far too young without any idea what to expect and seem surprised when it does what kittens do (bite, scratch and be hyper).
I now have 14 cats, all rescue, all from people who got cute kittens who bit, scratched, peed and pooped, were hyper, scratched the furniture, got fleas, needed worming etc. I brought the latest 2 home this evening. No more than 18 months old, brother and sister, not neutered, she has had 2 litters of kittens to her brother. Both got the runs bad. Luckily both taken in my a young couple who got them wormed and flea treated at the vet, but could not keep them. At one fell swoop, these 2 unwanted will cost me a minimum of £200 at the vet next week for vaccinations and neutering. I suspect she is pregnant again in the early stages and if she is, she will still be spayed.
I have no doubt at all, that before the end of the year I will have more as people take on kittens too young and have problems or get fed up with looking after them. No wonder I'm always flipping broke.