New kitten....questions & advice (merged)

Milford_Cubicle

A brief update on my kitty's war wound...it seems fine. She's frayed the end of one of the stitches a little bit, but apart from that it's clean, dry and healing well. I'm still hovering nearby with buster collar on standby, but fingers crossed we'll not need it

Milford_Cubicle

Biological washing powder is what you need.

Make a weakish solution up in a spray bottle for cleaning up and away you go

Aspiring

Peakma wrote: »

well the little ****!! did another sneaky one at 12.30 last night under my bed.Absolute nightmare,I was just about to take myself off to bed,and I'd been watching it all evening,and taken it to its litter tray several times.I smelt it straight away as it came out(our bedroom is off the living room)it looked at me,knew it had done wrong,and bolted outside.
I know you dont need all these details,but I'm venting! My partner was all ready in bed,and it totaly stank!Theres so little room beside our bed,and so many things shoved under there, I could only just reach it to clean it up.AAARRRGGGHHHH.
So today it has been cofined to the kitchen and outhouse,untill now the kids are home,its aloud in the living room too.
I have brought its litter tray back into the kitchen,and I'm hoping that will solve the problem.
I'm going to go spare if it doesn't!!:eek:

You have two cats? One litter tray? Could your kitten be stressed?

Biological washing powder is the way to clean the area that has been soiled. It kills proteins in the stain.

You really need more than one litter tray. The advice I've always been given is 1 more litter tray per number of cats. So, if you have two cats, you should ideally have 3 litter trays.

I hope I don't offend, but, you may want to either a) clear up the clutter under your bed so you could put a litter tray under it, or at least have easier access to cleaning any mishaps (then you could move the litter tray, bit by bit over time to a more suitable location); or b) shove even more clutter under there so that it makes a barrier and the kitten can't find a spot to pooh in.

Some cats don't like to be seen when they go to the toilet, that could be why your kitten is choosing a place where it can't be observed.

There is an excellent book you might be able to get at your library called "The Cat Detective" by Vicki someone which addresses behavioural issues in cats. If your vet has given kitty the all clear on the medical front, behaviour needs to be tackled next.

Also, there is a plug in thingy for cats (sorry, can't remember the name) but it gives off a calming scent which cats respond well too if they are stressed.

Ok, found a link for the book I was trying to remember

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cat-Detective-Vicky-Halls/dp/0553816454

MrsE_2

I know this doesn't help you, but might be good advice for others.

I buy pedigree kittens (I love persians & exotics), they don't sell them until 13 weeks, any pedigree cats aren't sold till 13 weeks.

Cats learn off their mothers, their mothers teach them all they need to know (about cleaning & hunting etc), if they leave the mothers early, it can cause social & cleanliness problems.

MrsE_2

Our new kitten Charlie (13 weeks) is scaring our resident Molly (8 months old). We've had Molly since she was 6 months old & shes only come out of her shell lately.
Shes a gentle timid soul.
The new kitten hisses when she goes to smell him & she backs off.
Shes VERY VERY interested though.

When we bought her only 2 months ago she was wrestling with one of the breeders other cats, having a great play.

Charlie was really playfull with his litter mates yesterday & is with us, no fear at all of us.

I know its early days, is it normal for a young cat to be scared of a kitten?

LittleTinker

Yes it is....they will settle down if you just leave them to it Mrs E

lowis

it will take time for them to get to know each other. imagine how you would feel if someone you didn't know suddenly came to live in YOUR house...you would be somewhat wary too

i adopted an old siamese in september last year and he and my existing cat are pretty much settled now after spending 2 weeks hissing at each other, but there are still facets of each others personality that befuddle the other. i think they are still working out who is alpha-cat too - i suspect that particular issue will never be resolved!

good luck...it should work out just fine, it is very rare for two cats to not eventually accept each other.

kiraroo

i would think that if she is nervous of people then she will bod quite quickly with your new kittens. I foster feral kittens and they always seem to prefer other cats over me! She's probably really interested because she wants to be his friend and he's probably hissing because she smells funny and he doesn't recongnise her. give them about a week and i bet they'll be great friends!

MrsE_2

Just back from the vets with the kitten, the vet loved him (the vets keeps Persians anyway, so he likes those kind of cats).

They are getting closer, were even eating out of the same bowl earlier.

lowis

Mrs E - forgot to say, my beautiful blue meezer boy, who had never scratched, hissed or been vicious in anyway, turned quite hissy and scratchy when his (now dead) sister came back from an 8 day stay at the vet. it wasn't her he was objecting to (they were litter-mates and incredibly close) it was all the new smells she had carried back in to the house with her.

i am sure your charlie and molly we be the best of friends