OK, I'm getting a kitten & need advice

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
I can't take the mice anymore. I've tried everything--baits, poison, exterminators, ultrasonic devices from Sharper Image, attempting to caulk every single hole in my 140 YO house, & every stinking morning I wake up to a plethora of mouse droppings. Not a great thing when you're sleeping on the couch either--I have these nightmares of one crawling into my mouth while I'm asleep. :eek:

So I have some questions. First off, there's a small space in my kitchen I'll be gating off & placing her food, litterbox & bed, at least until she gets used to the house & the dogs & is ready to roam around on her own. I'll leave a space in the gate for her to get through, I just want to make sure she has a place to go where the dogs can't get to her. The kitchen, of course, is where the most mice activity is. Do I need to worry about the mice hurting the kitten? I would be mortified........

On the nights when I do sleep upstairs in my bed, can I let her sleep with me? It's awfully far from the kitchen & the litter box. But I don't want to leave a poor little baby alone all night in a strange place.

Is there anything else I need other than kitten food, a litter box, litter, a small bed & a few toys?

Am I missing anything? Any other advice would be much appreciated......
 
My advice - get a male cat and get him neutered at the recommended time - 4 or 6 months of age, I forget which. A neutered male has the best dispostion, IMO. Get him used to you clipping his toenails from the get-go, and you won't have to get him declawed. Get a scratching post. And, YES, let him sleep with you!

One more thing to add - I am a firm believer in keeping cats indoors! Just let them have access to windows, because cats love to look outside, and can be very content as housecats.
 
Laura,

How do you think your dogs will get along with a kitten? My DD just got one and is trying to make it work with her 7 year old lab.
 
Hi,
I've had many cats, all my life!
When we adopted our most recent cat, the agency recommended putting the cat in "solitary confinement" for about a week. It's less stressfull and you can be sure they will litter-train. Of course you will visit on a regular basis. You slowly, a few hours at a time let them out to explore. Have you thought about adopting a slightly older kitten? This way you can have a better idea of their personality. The reason I suggest this is, there is a such thing as a "scardy cat". I've had a few that would just run and hide whenever a dog was around. I had one even bore a hole in the bottom of my box-spring in order to hide from a dog. I also have had cats that hold their own very well around dogs, and obviously you need one like that. I'm sure others may not have had this experience, but in my personal experience, EVERY male cat I have had would "spray" for territory if dogs were present, even after they were fixed. I would recommend a female if possible. Good luck!

Sally
 
Vegetarians....please consider don't read)

LauraMax,

My worry for you is how to encourage/ensure "mousing" behavior. Hopefully, following poster will address this.

Our sweet kitty (just over 1 year old) goes inside and outside. She does catch quite a few mice and moles, leaving them near the door. She also just "plays" with some. Eventually they get away or perish of injuries, but it seems that out kitty's intent is often just to play with them as though they are a toy. Sometimes we take her "toy" away. The only advice we have recieved to encourage her to be more aggressive is "don't feed her." However, there is too much "Mommy" in me for that, plus critters could give her worms.

Just thought I should help prepare you for what might happen. HTH

bhappy
 
>On the nights when I do sleep upstairs in my bed, can I let
>her sleep with me? It's awfully far from the kitchen & the
>litter box. But I don't want to leave a poor little baby
>alone all night in a strange place.

Cats are very good about finding litter boxes when they need them (I had a BLIND cat who was able to find the litter box in my parents' BASEMENT when I took her to visit---and I had planned to set up a box in the spare room just for her). And most kitties love to snuggle in bed!

>Is there anything else I need other than kitten food, a litter
>box, litter, a small bed & a few toys?

A scratching post (you can get a corrugated-cardboard one at Walmart that most cats love: it lies on the floor. Even nicer is a corrugated-cardboard "Alpine scratcher" that has an angle to it. Or if you're really generous, a cat tree with some scratching areas. Cats NEED to scratch, and if you don't offer them something suitable (tall or long enough--many small scratching posts are too short) they will find what they can). They even have round scratchers with a corrugated circle in the center, and a track ball around the outside, that is both scratching post and toy.

A toenail trimmer (human kind) is great for trimming kitty's claws (just taking off the very sharp ends, which prevent her from scratching unintentionally, but won't keep her from mousing, if she ends up being a mouser).

(I certainly hope you aren't thinking of declawing.)

A bit of catnip, just to have fun watching her go nutty (as well as for health benefits) (unless s/he is too young for it: they don't get interested in it until after a certain age, and even then, about 20% of cats have no interest in it).

A brush. Maybe a can of plain pumpkin (to help prevent hairballs: the fiber keeps the hair moving on its way out). Kitties also like cat grass, but it makes them throw up, so you might not go for that.
 
> The only advice we have recieved to encourage her to be more
>aggressive is "don't feed her."

That's bad advice. A cat is either a mouser or not a mouser. Whether you feed a mouser or not (unless you overfeed to the point of obesity), s/he will chase and kill (or just mangle) mice. If you withhold food from a non-mouser, it won't make them a better mouser (unless you starve them, and it's their only way to survive).

LauraMax:
I would also suggest an older cat if you want mousing to take place soon. In fact, I know the perfect cat, if you only lived closer! He's an orange tom cat, very friendly, likes other animals (cats especially, but also dogs) and is a fantastic mouser. He's currently at my local shelter, and they've put him to work mousing because he does such a good job of it.
 
Laura, wise choice and one you won't regret! Don't worry about whether or not the cat can sleep with you. He'll let YOU know where he prefers to sleep--lol!

I agree with the poster who recommended a male cat for their disposition. My male is a real snuggler, and yes, he loves to curl up against me at night:+ . I would actually recommend 2 cats. They're much easier to care for than dogs.

When I brought home my 8 week old kittens I already had 2 dachshunds. Needless to say, the dogs were not very happy about that. One of my dogs probably would've killed them had he been able to get to them. I didn't let the cats around the dogs without supervision until they were able to fend for themselves. All in all, it took about 6 months before the dogs warmed up to them.

To encourage peace in the valley, I gradually introduced the kittens to the dogs. I would hold them while sitting on the couch and let the dogs sniff them and gradually increased exposure over a period of weeks. The process was frightening at first. I was sure the one dog, Siegfried, would NEVER warm up to them, but within 6 months he was curling up for naps with them and they became great companions.

http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL738/4202192/8877999/122449746.jpg

If you want a cat for the purposes of catching mice you will have to stop using poisons. If your cat were to catch a mouse that had just ingested poison, it could kill the cat as well.

Good luck. I think you're going to love having a kitty around the house:)
 
I gotta tell you, if your dogs aren't helping with the mouse problem, I'm not sure if the cat will be any better. Another not-so-positive-note, cats like to bring their humans "presents" and those gifts are whatever they killed the night before. My friend had an outdoor cat, and every other day she would find a chipmunk or two next to the patio door! So don't be surprised if you are greeted with a surprise every once and awhile from your new family member.

We kept our cat in a separate room for about a week or so after we found him (he was sooo tiny), and would let him out around our dog. Now, I swear he thinks he's a dog. Maybe I've blocked it out, but I don't remember there ever being a problem. And when we got another dog later on, they all adapted pretty well.

I've had nothing but male cats and I've gotten them neutered the moment they turned six months, and none of them ever sprayed. And please don't get it declawed...it's kinda cruel and I think it affects them psychologically. JMHO
 
Laura~
I can also recommend having 2 kitties. We just adopted 2 kittens from our shelter. I like that they have each other to play with if we are not home. It is just as easy to care for two cats. Think about it!

You have gotten great advice here! Good luck!
Jenn
 
I also agree with catnip posts for scatching, and not-declawing. Your vet can train you how to hold a cat to submission (it sounds cruel, but is not at all) so you can trim the end off the claw. if you get the hook off, they can do little damage. Also, cats are nocturnal, so even if you take him/her to bed, they will not be there for too long. The best hunting time is in the middle of the night....

Sally
 
Well, for clipping claws, when they're little, you can make a temporary strait jacket out of a towel and hold them down that way. (Sort of like a papoose.) You really need to handle their paws a lot, though, otherwise they won't let you NEAR them when they're bigger.

BTW, I've owned 5 cats since living in this house. Of them, one male and two females were GREAT mousers. (The male died from a cat disease picked up at the shelter. Very traumatizing for all of us as he was an awesome cat. His name was Cosmo, how about that??) Anyway, my other two males are either lackadaisical or downright scared of critters, so you can't really go by male/female for mousing. The males do tend to have a friendlier disposition, for the most part. I also have a friend who is very into cats who has always claimed that black & white cats have a friendlier disposition in general. That's been true in my (very small) experience.

Oh, and as you'll soon discover, the cat will tell YOU where s/he wants to sleep, so no worries. As long as you keep an eye on them when very small, cats are incredibly independent creatures. A million times easier than dogs, that's for sure!!

Good luck! I love cats!
Marie
 
If your kitten will remain indoors, get declawed and neatured or spayed. Science Diet is the best for kittens. My angelbabies (cats) were in a flat (one room) with all their stuff for about 3 weeks after I bought them home from the Humane Society. They suffered from severe URI's and were on strong meds.
Love your baby!! Yes, you will get "love" gifts like dead mice but your kitten will literally get rid of the others.
Show your kitten everything like the litter box and food at least once, sometimes that's all it takes. Let her roam and get to know the other pets on her time.
Get rid of the toxic chemicals too.
Well, I've had cats all my life. Seville and Madrid are my kids.
Have fun!! Cats like to climb Christmas Trees too.

Hope this was worthy of your time.


Jennifer in MI
 
PLEASE DON'T GET IT DECLAWED!!!

And you should get them neutered or spayed either way, but ESPECIALLY if it's going to be an outdoor cat. (No need to create a lot of unwanted little kittens).
 
There are far more cats in need of homes than there are people willing to adopt them. If we were no longer permitted to declaw a house cat there would be even fewer people willing to take them home. Some people simply cannot afford the destruction that is possible, even probable, as a result of their claws, and keeping them trimmed is not a fail safe method for avoiding damage to clothing, furniture, draperies, woodwork, etc.

An indoor cat does not need it's claws. Declawing a kitten when they are spayed or neutered is a common and accepted practice. My cat was declawed and he is healthy, vibrant, energetic, playful, and a real snuggler, and no, he is not in need of kitty psychotherapy as a result of the trauma--lol! He recovered quickly and suffered no ill effects. I can assure you he is much loved and very well cared for.

This is a topic that people can be quite passionate about so I think it's best to let everyone make up their own mind. If declawing a cat makes the difference between a loving home and euthanasia, I say get the declaw. It sure as hell beats the alternative.

Just for the record, my declawed, indoor kitty is an excellent mouser! All he needs to get a mouse is his teeth;)
 
Thanks all, very good advice. Two kittens--you guys are killing me! LOL! I already have 2 dogs in my teeny tiny house. My dogs are extremely good natured & I have no worries about them not getting along. Cosmo is pretty much immobile at this point, & frankly I'm really looking forward to seeing how my pug, Max, reacts to the cat. I got Max when Cosmo was 10, & of course she's always been toothless, so Max has never really had another animal to play with. I think being a small dog once the kitty gets used to him I might have hours of entertainment watching them play together.

I had definitely planned on getting the kitty de-clawed (and nuetered, of course), mostly b/c of the dogs & especially b/c of Max (pugs have such big eyes & it seems like he'd be so exposed!). I'd never heard de-clawing was a bad thing--why should I not do it? Give me a good enough reason & I'll start manicuring both Max & the cat.

The cat will most definitely be an indoor cat. There are way too many strays living in my neighborhood & I can't tell you how many times I've been woken by the sounds of nasty cat fights.

Kathryn, I considered an older cat but I have this tremendous fear of cat pee. It's the main reason I'm not really a cat person. Cats seem so tempermental & I know sometimes they spray when their living arrangements change. And once a cat pees somewhere that's it, the smell is impossible to get out. Truthfully the very thought of a litter box makes me shudder but I'm biting the bullet on this & hoping I can live with it. I'd love to hear more input from you on this.
 
> Your vet can train you how to hold a cat to
>submission (it sounds cruel, but is not at all) so you can
>trim the end off the claw.
People actually have to learn this? I just put my cats on my lap (and the ones at the shelter as well) and trim away. Some take a bit more "tough love" than others, but I don't think I've had to use any "submission" position (which I think cats would find most distastful, LOL!--unless holding them snug in a cross-legged lap with your arms around them is what you're talking about).
 
> I also have
>a friend who is very into cats who has always claimed that
>black & white cats have a friendlier disposition in general.
>That's been true in my (very small) experience.

From my experience at the shelter (where I've met several hundred cats), I have to say that I've never met a not-nice orange male.
 
>If your kitten will remain indoors, get declawed and neatured
>or spayed.

Yes to neutering and spayiing.

A HUMUNGOUS NO! to declawing. It's barbaric, and humans should be able to come up with less selfish, more humane ways of dealing with behaviors they don't like. In most other civilized countries (like Europe in general) declawiing is illegal. As it should be here.

If someone has more concern about their sofa than their cats, maybe they should get a pet that doesn't have claws.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top