New cat - a few questions please!

joshtbh

Hi all,

I've just become the proud owner of a 4 month old Maine Coon kitten.

I have some questions though :

1) She doesnt seem to be drinking, I've seen her take at most two "licks" of her water bowl, i've tried changing the type of bowl. Is this normal? It's her first full day in the house today

2) I havn't witnessed her go to the loo but I did hear her going nuts in her litter tray seemingly trying to dig up the plastic lining I put in the tray. I've now tried just litter in the tray with no lining to see if she prefers it, has anyone else's cat taken objection to a litter tray lining?

3) She keeps prying behind the TV and where all the wires are near the Xbox, how can I stop her going near them when I finally have to leave her alone?

4) She meowed for 15-20 mins last night when we left her on her own to go to sleep, it felt horrible leaving her on her own but thought it's best to get her into our pattern asap. Is this normal too, and do you think the meowing will stop at bedtime?

thank you in advance cat owners! :beer:

BitterAndTwisted

joshtbh wrote: »

Hi all,

I've just become the proud owner of a 4 month old Maine Coon kitten.

I have some questions though :

1) She doesn't seem to be drinking, I've seen her take at most two "licks" of her water bowl, I've tried changing the type of bowl. Is this normal? It's her first full day in the house today. As cats were originally desert animals they have a very, very low thirst-drive. In your situation I would put kitten's drinking-water in a different room to the food-bowl. Also, offering at least one meal as wet-food a day can be beneficial

2) I haven't witnessed her go to the loo but I did hear her going nuts in her litter tray seemingly trying to dig up the plastic lining I put in the tray. I've now tried just litter in the tray with no lining to see if she prefers it, has anyone else's cat taken objection to a litter tray lining? The best plan is to offer kitten exactly the same litter-tray type and cat-litter as kitten had at home with mum.

3) She keeps prying behind the TV and where all the wires are near the Xbox, how can I stop her going near them when I finally have to leave her alone? You can try making behind the TV less attractive but cats have minds of their own and will sleep, play or investigate anything and anywhere they see fit as soon as your back is turned.

4) She meowed for 15-20 mins last night when we left her on her own to go to sleep, it felt horrible leaving her on her own but thought it's best to get her into our pattern asap. Is this normal too, and do you think the meowing will stop at bedtime? Kitten hasn't slept alone in its entire life so making the transition to sleeping alone will be frightening to kitten but it will get used to it eventually if you don't give in and give it attention when crying.

thank you in advance cat owners! :beer:

Maine Coons are lovely cats so I hope this is the beginning of a lovely and lively new relationship. Any chance of a picture?

joshtbh

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Maine Coons are lovely cats so I hope this is the beginning of a lovely and lively new relationship. Any chance of a picture?

Thanks very much for your comments, I'm especially pleased about the ignoring the crying at night as I felt bloody awful. God help me if I have a baby in future. I'm feeding her a pack of Whiskas one at morning and one at night as recommended by the breeder just as you mentioned. I think i'll ring the breeder and ask how the litter tray was arranged.

Is there a chance she could electricute herself on the wires if she manages to chew them?

Meet Poppy:

butler_helen

she's soooo cute! Our cat has a fascination with behind the TV too- I think it's possibly because it's warm.

I doubt she'd eat through the wires - unless their fish lined?

XH

BitterAndTwisted

Oh Poppy's lovely, just lovely!

I wouldn't be as concerned about wire-chewing as I would be about behind the TV being an attractive place to toilet. Please make sure the litter-tray is in a private place. Pusscats need privacy and security when littering.

Fire_Fox

joshtbh wrote: »

Hi all,

I've just become the proud owner of a 4 month old Maine Coon kitten.

I have some questions though :

1) She doesnt seem to be drinking, I've seen her take at most two "licks" of her water bowl, i've tried changing the type of bowl. Is this normal? It's her first full day in the house today

2) I havn't witnessed her go to the loo but I did hear her going nuts in her litter tray seemingly trying to dig up the plastic lining I put in the tray. I've now tried just litter in the tray with no lining to see if she prefers it, has anyone else's cat taken objection to a litter tray lining?

3) She keeps prying behind the TV and where all the wires are near the Xbox, how can I stop her going near them when I finally have to leave her alone?

4) She meowed for 15-20 mins last night when we left her on her own to go to sleep, it felt horrible leaving her on her own but thought it's best to get her into our pattern asap. Is this normal too, and do you think the meowing will stop at bedtime?

thank you in advance cat owners! :beer:

Many cats don't drink much, if you are feeding dry food this can be a problem. A water bowl is best placed well away from food bowls or litter trays; many cats will drink from moving water (pet fountain) when they won't from a still source.

If you use a deep layer of clumping litter you won't need a lining as the 'doings' won't reach the bottom of the tray. Does your kitten have the same brand of litter that she had in her previous home?

Cats tend to come alive at night, does your cat have plenty of solo play toys to keep her busy? Noah loves his Bergan Turbo Tracks (Purrsinourhearts shop) and also free stuff like tin foil balls and biros!! :j You can also use a puppy Kong or SlimCat ball to feed overnight and keep the kitten stimulated at the same time.

Petal_3

Hi there

She's a cutie!

When my pixie bob arrived he used to go behind the TV all time time - that was his preferred place to "go"! We put a load of empty cardboard boxes and things all around the TV until he learned where the proper place was (he also used to go behind the sofa alot). I think that you do need to keep an eye on chewing cables etc - especially with kittens (my 3 all do it!) They chew the usb ends and dongles whilst they are plugged into the computer and I'm using it! The pixie bob cried at night too - so we let him sleep in our bed for a few nights until we couldn't take being woken by a wet nose in awkward places at 4am! Now that we have 3 kittens they all sleep together.

I'm surprised that a breeder would recommend Whiskas - if you read more about it lots of cat owners don't reckon it's up to much?

Personally, I'm feeding raw - mine are all thriving on it and it seems really economical too.

Good Luck!

joshtbh

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Many cats don't drink much, if you are feeding dry food this can be a problem. A water bowl is best placed well away from food bowls or litter trays; many cats will drink from moving water (pet fountain) when they won't from a still source.

If you use a deep layer of clumping litter you won't need a lining as the 'doings' won't reach the bottom of the tray. Does your kitten have the same brand of litter that she had in her previous home?

Cats tend to come alive at night, does your cat have plenty of solo play toys to keep her busy? Noah loves his Bergan Turbo Tracks (Purrsinourhearts shop) and also free stuff like tin foil balls and biros!! :j You can also use a puppy Kong or SlimCat ball to feed overnight and keep the kitten stimulated at the same time.

Thanks fire fox. She doesn't have any toys actually, I think i'll get a Slim Cat ball as you suggest, which Puppy Kong would be best do you think? A squeaky one perhaps?

Do you leave a light on for your cat at night?

joshtbh

Petal wrote: »

Hi there

She's a cutie!

When my pixie bob arrived he used to go behind the TV all time time - that was his preferred place to "go"! We put a load of empty cardboard boxes and things all around the TV until he learned where the proper place was (he also used to go behind the sofa alot). I think that you do need to keep an eye on chewing cables etc - especially with kittens (my 3 all do it!) They chew the usb ends and dongles whilst they are plugged into the computer and I'm using it! The pixie bob cried at night too - so we let him sleep in our bed for a few nights until we couldn't take being woken by a wet nose in awkward places at 4am! Now that we have 3 kittens they all sleep together.

I'm surprised that a breeder would recommend Whiskas - if you read more about it lots of cat owners don't reckon it's up to much?

Personally, I'm feeding raw - mine are all thriving on it and it seems really economical too.

Good Luck!

Hi Petal - thanks for that. I should explain more, we feed it Royal Canin 31 Maine Coon biscuits for her to graze on, but a Whiskas pouch once in the morning and once at night. Perhaps I should experiment with different brands.

emlou2009

what a gorgeous baby girl!

i wouldnt worry too much about the drinking, i've found that my cats fed on wet food havent drunk much, but my 6 month old is fed on dry goes through a bowl a day, so if yours is eating wet food twice a day she is probably getting most of the moisture she needs from her food

i wouldnt worry too much about keeping her out of the wires when you're out, as she will most likely go to sleep when you're out and come alive again when you come back in - thats what mine have all always done same for at night. mine hasnt adjusted to the clock change last week and goes to sleep on his step outside our bedroom door an hour before we go to bed now, and stays there the whole night :rotfl: we feel like we're getting told off for staying up late!!

poppysocks1

Hi

Poppy is gorgeous - my cat is also called Poppy! re the miaowing at night, best not to give in. We gave in and 5 years on its 3 in a bed, i.e. me, my partner and Poppy, its a right pain and although she is gorgeous sharing the bed is rather annoying and all sleeping in a row just look so ridiculous!