I NEED ADVICE ON MY BRAND NEW KITTY !!!

Hello, Cat Mom for nearly 40 years here --

First, double-check with a quick call to your vet and describe this behavior. Sometimes a medical problem is causing it. Sometimes this behavior indicates a vitamin deficiency of a dental/gum problems. If given the OK on his health, then:

1. Get him some interactive toys to play with instead! Kittens have a LOT of energy and curiosity -- and need several play sessions a day for mental stimulation and physical development.

- those plastic "track ball" circles -- they love to try to get at the ping-pong ball inside of the track. He can entertain himself with this one.

- our kittens and adult cats always enjoyed catnip-scented stuffed creatures suspended on a string -- sort of like a fishing pole. They also make these with feathers on the end.

- get a regular mid-sized box and turn it on its side....cats love boxes to hide in!

- catnip scented soft balls or tiny stuffed creatures with catnip scent that he can bat around

- get one of those kitty laser pointers. Turn the lights low and have fun as he chases wherever you point the laser. Be careful NOT to point it toward his eyes.

- rotate these toys often and play with your kitten as much as you can. They get bored easily and you need toys to engage all of his senses, from the sense of smell to sight to hearing.

2. Get those covers for cords that encase them in a plastic tube of sorts or get those velcro wraps to gather them together and get them up off the floor.

3. Unplug the cords, then coat them with something like liquid soap. Let dry, then plus cords back in. Do NOT use something like Tabasco sauce; he could burn his tongue or mouth.

4. Cover the cords with electrical tape.

5. There are kits sold in hardware stores or places like Home Depot to help you keep the cords away from them.

6. Try all of these things to keep him away from them; he can get seriously burned or electrocuted if you don't break this habit!

Good Luck!

Hi Tinkrbl44...we met several times on the Friskies promotion thread! Just wanted to say that Sammycat1 is considered a "resident expert" on cats around here! She's given you some great advice. I don't have much to add, but I wanted to congratulate you on becoming the "Mom" of a kitten - they are such wonderful creatures! One thing you can count on, this little baby will keep you laughing, and has apparently already stolen your heart!

As far as feeding, there are feeding guidelines on the 3 oz cans of Fancy Feast, and they do have some varieties especially for kittens, since their nutritional needs are different from adult cats. Those feeding guidelines, in addition to being so tiny you can hardly read them, are for just feeding wet food I would think. So adding dry would change the equation. It might be a good idea just to check with your vet to see what they recommend in a combination of wet and dry. I know I read on one website that kittens should be slightly chubby in their tummies and you should never be able to easily feel their ribs. (And chubby kitten tummies are so sweet!)

DO be sure and follow Sammycat's advice about the electrical cords. Mine never bothered them when they were babies, but they are so dangerous. That's the very first thing you need to take care of.

Have fun with this new member of your family and come back and update us on how things are going!

Thanks Kittymom !!!

Speaking of the Friskies website (which had something like 269,000 votes ........ ) they are announcing the winner of the Videos we voted for Sept 18th on their website.

I voted for Charlie peeing on the potty ..... repeatedly !

On 9/13/2014 Tinkrbl44 said:

Thanks Kittymom !!!

Speaking of the Friskies website (which had something like 269,000 votes ........ ) they are announcing the winner of the Videos we voted for Sept 18th on their website.

I voted for Charlie peeing on the potty ..... repeatedly !

Hi Tinkrbl

Sammy gave you excellent suggestions---

I will add that I've have seen covers that you can purchase to place over electrical cords. If you have a Home Depot or Lowes try those or online ....

http://www.cabletiesandmore.com/american/catalog/chewsafe-cord-cover-clear-pack-length-pla-512.php?g...

Chewsafe™ cord cover is the ideal product designed to protect your pet from dangerous electrical household cords.

Chewsafe™ cord covers are specially infused with a citrus scent that deters most household pets from biting or chewing cords. Product is slit for easy insertion of cords and can be cut to length desired. Its heavy gauge protects even persistent chewers.

There is one called CRITTER CORD

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=critter+cord&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=3480764012&ref=p...

The Critter Cord is available for protection against chewing of the Hound Heater cord or any cords in your home. Infused with a special scent dogs hate, the Critter Cord should deter your pet from nibbling on the cord.

Other styles too---

https://www.google.com/search?q=electrical+cord+covers&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USff...

When ours were kittens last year we just gave them as much canned as they would eat 3x a day. I didn't feed them dry food. I'd probably start by giving 1/3 of a can at each meal time and if he's still hungry give him a little more. Obviously as he gets bigger he will eat more food.

On 9/13/2014 Tinkrbl44 said:

Thanks Kittymom !!!

Speaking of the Friskies website (which had something like 269,000 votes ........ ) they are announcing the winner of the Videos we voted for Sept 18th on their website.

I voted for Charlie peeing on the potty ..... repeatedly !

Me, too!!! Sure would save me money on kitty litter! With two cats, one of which has fluid treatments 3X a week for kidney disease and drinks a lot of water, I go through oodles of litter!

Concerning dog/cat compatibility:

I would suggest that you buy a large wire crate to keep your kitty in while you are not able to supervise him. A wire crate can be a safe haven for your kitty and will come in handy when you need to contain him; during an emergency, after spay/neuter surgery, etc.

I've introduced dogs and cats by putting the cat in a wire crate and allowing the dog to observe and sniff the cat while I supervised. I kept the cat in a separate bedroom while not in the crate and allowed the two to sniff each other under the door.

You can also place some old t-shirts or a small towel in each of your pets beds and then swap them out so each pet will get used to each others scent.

I also suggest that you leash train your cat. Buy a small dog harness (or any type of harness that doesn't have the break-open safety clasp) and allow you cat to walk around with the harness on. Then attach the leash and allow the cat to walk with it.

I usually place the cat a few feet away from me and then hold a treat in my hand. Then the cat will walk towards me with the harness and leash on.

You can hold your cat on a leash and someone else can hold your dog on a leash and they can meet up and sniff each other. If either pet gets aggressive, you can pull that one away.

Leash training your cat will make him easier to travel with, go on plane flights with, etc.

Give treats to the dog and cat when they are in each others presence. That helps them know that when they are together, it is treat time -- a happy time.

Hope this helps. And congratulations on your new kitty. Cats are one of the most wonderful pets anyone could ever have. May you enjoy many years of wonderful companionship.

Oh and dog and cat compatibility. We kept the kittens in a separate room with the door closed when we weren't home ( obviously with a litter box) until we were sure that they were safe with the dogs. We trained the dog to ""leave it"" anytime she was going too far with the kittens. Sometimes that meant the dog had to spend time in the house on the leash until she learned to leave the kittens alone. But she was a puppy ( german shepherd) and had never been around cats before. She was never threatening to them but she also didn't understand how to interact with them. She had to learn the ways of cats. We also always made sure there were places the cats could get up and away from the dogs if they wanted to be left alone. So we left the bedroom door gated and they could go in there or they could go on their cat trees in the living room. Our german shepherd loves cats even neighborhood ones that come in our yard. It took awhile for her to learn that chasing and barking wasn't going to get the cats to play with her like her littermates did.