I'm going to pick up a kitten in a week or 2. Any tips from people who raise cats from infancy?
She'll be weaned, around 8 weeks.
I know a few things, like 'feed infants 5 times a day' and 'let them have peace and quiet on their first hour in the house', but what else?
"expect satan"
shit everywhere
Make sure you get their nails trimmed at some point. They can hurt.
You should buy feather toys to stimulate her hunting instincts, and toys to play with when nobody's around. You could buy this and use it when you're not around.
[video=youtube;DmhYgCaXlrU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmhYgCaXlrU[/video]
Also, expect your cat to sharpen her claws at everything. If she does, gently stop her, and say "No." Cats don't like it when they're rough.
Reinforce good behaviors through treats.
[editline]29th May 2014[/editline]
Oh, and [B]NEVER EVER FUCKING DECLAW[/B]. I cannot stress this enough, it hurts the cat and makes it awkward for him/her to walk.
Yes feeding is important. Don't worry too much about getting nails trimmed, though yes they tend to have claws out 24/7 so handling them can be tough. Hopefully shes past the age where you can let her go do business by herself and you wont need to stimulate her.
Keep areas safe from falling hazards, like boxes and the like. She will most likely explore and attempt to climb eventually, so when shes of that age, try to train her to stay off countertops. Expect lots of meowing, despite any amount of attention. Keep her warm and nourished and things will be pretty simple from there. enjoy cat.
edit: on the subject of toys, no laser pointers either. apparently it stresses animals out when they cant obtain the light, which is pretty understandable.
cat thread post pictures of your cats
Got my kitten on christmas
[img]http://i.imgur.com/wjzUbmQ.jpg[/img]
This is what she looks like now
[img]http://i.imgur.com/WF3oD5O.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=slayer20;44946072]Make sure you get their nails trimmed at some point. They can hurt.[/QUOTE]
We just leave our cats with theirs untrimmed.
Then theres this pretty cool game I like to play with one of them. It's called "grab the tip of her tail without getting your hand slashed"
If you win, you get to play again. If you lose, you better go get the first aid kit.
I'd post pictures, but atm I have none.
Be sure to have a litterbox in an easy-to-access location. If your house is two-story, buy two litterbox and place one upstairs and one downstairs.
You can also spray lemon juice or use something the cat doesn't like the smell of on the furniture, and the cat will avoid it haha.
Also, instead of just feeding them cat food, also supplement things like raw meat or chicken gizzards as a treat.
Plus also, laser pointers. Just make sure it looks like they caught it. :v:
Laser Pointers are also a stimulating-the-hunter-instinct toy; you should get it like GamerChick mentioned. It's REALLY fun, as long as it's not aimed at a human [sp]like my dad does to me v.v[/sp]
[QUOTE=Swog;44946137]Be sure to have a litterbox in an easy-to-access location. If your house is two-story, buy two litterbox and place one upstairs and one downstairs.[/QUOTE]
Or a rug.
My one eyed cat took a MASSIVE SHIT inside and then flipped the rug to "cover it". Then I uncovered it thinking it was just one of his shenanigans and stepped on the damn thing by accident.
That thing smelled like death. Or worse than death.
Fuckin' Joe... Didn't even meow to go take a shit outside or anything...
Laser pointers are cool. We never declaw. Our furniture is apparently protected by the hand of God since no claw-sharpening can dent it. I clipped my previous cat's nails.
That seems about right. We never give our cats any human food though.
Oh and they will be litterbox trained.
[QUOTE=Rocâ„¢;44946175]Or a rug.
My one eyed cat took a MASSIVE SHIT inside and then flipped the rug to "cover it". Then I uncovered it thinking it was just one of his shenanigans and stepped on the damn thing by accident.
That thing smelled like death. Or worse than death.
Fuckin' Joe... Didn't even meow to go take a shit outside or anything...[/QUOTE]
Problem is, how are you going to clean the rug? The litterbox doesn't make anything smell as long as you use the proper cat litter. On the other hand, it'd stink if it was on a rug.
[QUOTE=GamerChick;44946146]You can also spray lemon juice or use something the cat doesn't like the smell of on the furniture, and the cat will avoid it haha.
Also, instead of just feeding them cat food, also supplement things like raw meat or chicken gizzards as a treat.
Plus also, laser pointers. Just make sure it looks like they caught it. :v:[/QUOTE]
Why haven't I bought one yet....
Also, those silver paper rolls?
Grab a sheet and mold it into a ball. Makes a lot of noise when rolling around on the floor and since its all shiny and noisy, cats will traverse outer space itself if it means they might catch it.
[editline]30th May 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=Swog;44946196]Problem is, how are you going to clean the rug? The litterbox doesn't make anything smell as long as you use the proper cat litter. On the other hand, it'd stink if it was on a rug.[/QUOTE]
Was kind of a joke, but still, we can't have a litterbox inside either. I guess we feed them some pretty good food to make manure that whenever they take a shit, it smells fucking awful.
That plus some of them don't cover their shit.
btw, its ok to give them human food right? like scraps and stuff?...
We can't feed all of those bastards with just cat food, we'd go broke in a couple of months.
[QUOTE=slayer20;44946128]cat thread post pictures of your cats
[/QUOTE]
What breed is that cat? I don't think I've ever seen a cat with a tail that bushy even when they're chasing each other around the house.
Here's one of my cats :smile:
[thumb]https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/t1.0-9/216359_1668878610454_2154096_n.jpg[/thumb]
If it starts purring, don't lay it on your chest. That kneading [i]hurts like a fucking bitch[/i]
Cats like it when you stroke them right behind the ears.
This may vary from cat to cat, but my newest cat got so attached to me she [I]fucking pissed on my bed to mark territory[/I]...so you have been warned
[editline]May[/editline]
Also, cats don't like being cornered. If they want you to pet them, they'll come looking for you. Not the other way around.
Learn cat body language. Unlike dogs, cats are kinda more tricky to understand
Cats don't like being put on travel carriers. They can also sense when you're planning to take them to the vet. So prepare snacks in advance.
If it's white and grey then run for your life
[QUOTE=Rocâ„¢;44946204]Why haven't I bought one yet....
Was kind of a joke, but still, we can't have a litterbox inside either. I guess we feed them some pretty good food to make manure that whenever they take a shit, it smells fucking awful.[/QUOTE]
That might mean they're unhealthy.
[QUOTE=Rocâ„¢;44946204]
btw, its ok to give them human food right? like scraps and stuff?...
We can't feed all of those bastards with just cat food, we'd go broke in a couple of months.[/QUOTE]
My cats has never had any problems eating leftovers from what I remember, we don't feed them too spicy food though.
[QUOTE=PaperBurrito;44946417]That might mean they're unhealthy.[/QUOTE]
Or just copying their awesome master <3 <3 <3 <3...
Maybe. Joe never shat on the rug before, and the other cat that usually takes the smelliest of craps is kind of messed up in the system. Used to shit all over the yard.
[editline]30th May 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=laarg;44946482]My cats has never had any problems eating leftovers from what I remember, we don't feed them too spicy food though.[/QUOTE]
Then it should be ok. We don't make spicy food anyway, and they always eat everything we give them :D
Seriously though.
Kittens shit 100 times their own weight.
My Ex had like 2 at one time and her kitchen was a fucking mess.
They were adorable though, absolutely tiny things.
Just prepare to spend alot of time taking out litter trays.
The simplest and best toy for cats is a length of rope/string that you can whirl around them and make them chase. I played with one with my kitten regularly since last Christmas and now she's like a ballistic missile when I start up.
Also, stroke the head at first, not the body, behind the ears is good, and so is gently just under the cheeks, but not under the mouth.
Its okay to pick up cats, but if they struggle at all, put them down.
[QUOTE=Griffster26;44946358]Cats like it when you stroke them right behind the ears.[/QUOTE]
Refer to this diagram.
[IMG]http://i.huffpost.com/gen/949741/original.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE=Swog;44946626]Refer to this diagram.
[IMG]http://i.huffpost.com/gen/949741/original.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
I like touching the "Nope" part of their back very lightly and making them scrunch up their fur. They don't ever do anything about it and just look annoyed :v:
[QUOTE=Swog;44946626]Refer to this diagram.
[IMG]http://i.huffpost.com/gen/949741/original.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
I have an extremely calm cat that considers "nope", "f**k you" and "not bad" under awesome instead, he's about 5-6 years old now and it took ages for him to open up being timid (he still gets chased by the fucking kitten) but now if he sees any opportunity for cuddles he goes for it and he likes a tummy rub.
[QUOTE=absolalone111;44946066]shit everywhere[/QUOTE]
Why would you do that is it to assert your dominance or something?
If the kitten claws you / bites you, get it to stop. It's cute now, but it most certainly will not when it's a full grown cat. Same goes with chewing on cables and other things.
This is probably more relevant when the cat is older, but if it goes places you don't want it to go to, scratches your furniture, etc. there's a very nice product called sticky paws which cats hate to touch, if you're broke you can use tinfoil as well. Just attach them to say a counter top so the cat won't want to go up there.
Getting a second kitten is pretty awesome to do for your cat, as they'll be able to keep each-other occupied when you're not around.
Cats don't respond to punishment directly from you very well, if it jumps up onto the dinner table, don't push it off. Spraying with water mixed with a tiny bit of vinegar mixed in is a much better option.
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