New kittens - not feeling it - Page 3

annespan · ‎02-11-2012

Hey Demanda, i am so sorry to hear about Samantha -- who I have a hunch is watching over you and the new kitties during this sometimes trying transition.

For years we rescued FIV+ cats, most between 3 and 5 YO. Sadly our time with each of them was as brief as it was wonderful. In 2015 I could not face going thru this again as we had lost 3 of them to lymphoma over less than 3 difficult years. We adopted Kimba, a 1 YO momma and her baby Jilly. And for the first couple months, I felt exactly as you do!

Fast forward a bit and Kimba and I bonded HARD. ISTG she knew just when to rein Jilly in, she did a great job of managing her baby and the silly humans, bless her! Sadly Kimba was felled by anemia aobut a year later and I was devastated. I tried to be more patient with Jilly and soon she became the love of my life.

All this waxing aside, if you opt to adopt adult or senior cat/s instead, you will be doing a great service to a population of cats who are too often overlooked. And I have no doubt the baby kitties will be swiftly re-adopted!

Best of luck to you all, please keep us posted.

lolakimono · ‎03-29-2012

@demanda

PickyCindy · ‎10-17-2010

Exactly why I don't get a kitten again when I lose a cat. Since I'm older now I just don't have the inclination anymore to put up with a rambuctious kitten and now will only take an older cat past his kitten years.

donniesmom · ‎12-31-2011

demanda--it's possible that it was too soon after the loss of Samantha but give it some time. The same thing happened to me. I lost my beloved dog Rocky and 2 months later we got Brandon. Well, it seemed we just didn't bond. He drove me crazy every chance he could plus he instantly took to my ex! He was always full of energy (German Shepherd) and would constantly bite me. This went on for a while until he out grew his puppy stage. I think a part of me was trying to replace Rocky but Brandon had his own personality. Well let me tell you in time I grew to love him as much if not more. He was my best friend for 12 1/2years. He was with me though good times and bad. When the end came it was me who cradled him while he passed. I'm tearing up as I write this because even though its been 13 years since I lost him I miss him every day. Sorry to be taking a trip down memory lane LOL but I just want you to know that in time you will grow to love the kitties. They will mellow out in time. I have a 17yr old cat named Chance and I can see time is not his friend. He's getting older & sleeps most of the time but he's my little old man! Enjoy every day you have with them. One day you'll look back and laugh. Best of luck to you!

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

@x Hedge wrote:
I'm currently raising my second litter of kittens.
Absolutely everything is brand new to them. They'll settle down with time.
A few things will help both you and them:

Groom them daily. Grooming helps establish bonding for both parties. I start my morning coffee, and groom cats while I'm waiting for it to brew. Doesn't take long.

Play with them 10-20 min x 3 every day.
(longer is better of course)
I have a 3×4' "play rug". Wherever I set it down & unroll it, that is the play area.

I work dried catnip into the threads of the rug. They learn to stick close to it. It's their rug, so it's ok if they scratch at it. I also rub catnip into fabric toys and scratching posts.

Do you stop at the scratching post frequently, and scratch?
I model that, they watch, they get it.

Their things smell of catnip, mine don't.

Like grooming, focused play is a bonding activity. This is when you'll get to learn all their little peculiar characteristics that makes them endearing individuals.

My last thought concerns Samantha.
Are you letting her memory cast an impossible shadow over the new kitts?

By all means, love her, and miss her.
But don't let yourself be disappointed that they just aren't her, or place that impossible expectation on them.

Years ago, I made that mistake with a new dog, not even realizing I was doing that. I always felt upset and disappointed, until I realized I hadn't gotten to know him at all. I only felt he wasn't the one I'd lost.

@x Hedge

@demanda

Some very important and useful information and tips here. I’d like to highlight them all!

If it were me, I’d try some of these (and others) before I made up my mind about how I feel about the new kitties.

Again, good luck.🍀

Goldenmoher · ‎12-17-2012

@demanda, I have been where you are now. I lost my nearly 17 year old kitty in May of last year. I also have a dog and was considering gettiting another for a playmate for my guy. A neighbor for a tiny abandoned kitten and, after not able to care for her, asked if I would consider taking her. I love kitties and took her. She is sweet, but very different from the cat I’d lost who was so easy to care for. After a month or so, I thought well, I may never bond with her. As the weeks passed however, she did slow down and did interacted more with the dog which helped a lot. She’s now 1.5 years and we are best buddies and she has settled into our routine. She makes me laugh every day, and I am so glad I was chosen to raise her.

Lyn08 · ‎03-12-2010

@demanda - I got my cat (2 1/2 years old now) when she was a little kitten. She drove me batty, too, because she got into everything. The main problem I had with her is that she was (still is) a chewer. I had to cover all the cords in my apartment. She also chewed and clawed my curtains (I still have a problem with her using her nails from time to time on my curtains). She's settled down quite a bit now and is not as active as she had been.

One thing I learned is that kittens especially need to work off all that energy. They need to "hunt and kill" a toy (like a wand toy), which will tire them out. Then they will eat and sleep. You need to do this with the kittens for 10-15 minutes twice a day before feeding them.