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@Nicknack wrote:I finally got a kitten! There was the sweetest little gray and white one that I just loved. He seemed to like to be held and appeared to be very playful with the other kittens, too. I brought him home yesterday. When I brought him home and put him in his safe room he hid when I was getting his food and water. Per everything I've read, they say he needs his own room for a while before he explores the rest of the house. I have him in my office. I couldn't find him after he hid, and it was getting late. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep until I knew where he was and that he was okay.
I thought he was probably behind my desk, but it's so heavy that I can't budge it even an inch. I ended up taking the drawer out completely, and there he was behind the drawer. I put him in his carrier and got some cardboard and taped it to the back of my desk so he can't go back there again. When I took him out of his carrier he immediately hid behind one of Frankie's beds. (Frankie is my French Bulldog). I went to bed feeling like a failure.
This morning when I got up he was exploring the room and had used his litter box. I sat down on the floor, and he rubbed all around me and climbed into my lap. He was just very scared yesterday being away from his litter mates for the first time. I think he might have some persian in him, but he seems to have a medium length coat instead of a long coat. I don't think he's eaten anything, and I know it's important for a cat to eat every day. He has sniffed his water but I haven't seen him drink it. I hope he eats soon.
Frankie doesn't seem to know he's here. I am going to rub his coat with a towel and rub the towel on my furniture for her to smell his scent. Someone here suggested I do that. I'm sorry I wrote a book! I'll post more pictures of Henry with Frankie after I introduce them. Here he is. Ignore my awful looking legs. I took many pictures of him this morning, and only had two that were worth keeping.
Look at those eye's...he is a very handsome boy! Enjoy him!
@feline groovy wrote:
Hooray and congrats - so happy for you! Frankie and Henry, too!!
He is intensely and ridiculously adorable; love the little soul patch on his chin.
Some thoughts:
Henry might be part Exotic instead of Persian. Both breeds have the rounder eyes and face. His actual breed is called "Domestic Medium Hair" (DMH), and his color is "white with brown tabby" or "brown tabby with white".
All tabbies have that cute 'M' on their foreheads, BTW.
His name (love it) comes from Germany and means "rules his household" - purrfect for a kitty, LOL.
You can now introduce your family as something like 'my kids Frankie and Henry' - aww. Eldest first, of course. ;-)
Their individual coloring contrasts nicely, but their faces alone: indescribably cute!!
'Tidying up' around his food and the litter box is instinctive. In the wild, cats try to cover up and/or bury stuff to lessen the scent and not attract cats/other predators to the area.
Trimming his nails will be easy as they're light-colored and translucent, so you'll be able to see the pink 'quick' and clip above it. Just push down on his knuckles with your non-dominate hand to extend the claws.
Handling an animal's hands and feet when they're babies is recommended, so they'll feel less stressed as an adult.
BTW, it was me who recommended transferring their scents with a damp towel; the dampness helps spread the scents better.
Just rub Frankie down with one, then do the same with Henry. Henry will then smell more 'familiar' to Frankie and will be more accepted by her. It's also helpful that Frankie is a female, as she would naturally be maternal and might think of him as her baby.
But if not, then as a bratty little brother who she'll have to tolerate, LOL.
Don't worry too much if she sometimes gives him 'warnings' not to push his luck, LOL.
He has to learn where the boundaries are with her - and with his human. ;-)
They'll likely 'play-fight' eventually, which will be even more comedy and entertainment for you on a daily basis.
Please remember that you're a terrific mom to Frankie and have great natural instincts, plus you've been a cat guardian before. So apply the patience and compassion you have with your pets to yourself.
You're doing great so far, and everything will come together when it's meant to.
Thank you for the very informative post @feline groovy. I love the meaning of his name! I used to know that the M meant tabby. I used to have a red tabby Persian that was just wonderful. I had forgotten about the meaning of the M though.
My friend came over and spent several hours. We trimmed Henry's nails, and he really resisted. They were so long it makes me wonder if they were ever trimmed before. I'll start touching his paws frequently to get him used to it before I try again. His nails feel SO much better now.
I still haven't done that with the towels, but I'll do it tonight. Henry is asleep now as he's had a very long day. I put Frankie on the porch and let Henry come out of his room on his own and explore the house. He kept going back to his room for a minute since it's his safe place. The book that I bought about kitten care said that he would do that. He did come into the living room though and look around.
Finally we brought Frankie in on a leash, and she sat on the couch with my friend while I sat on the floor near Henry. They didn't look at each other at first. When they finally did Frankie wanted to get down. I think she would have chased him. I'll probably let them meet like this a couple more times and let Henry get used to the house before I let Frankie off her leash. I do think they'll end up being great friends. Frankie is 5 1/2 but she's still very playful, although Henry may drive her crazy!
@noodleann wrote:
@Nicknack wrote:
@Venezia wrote:@NickNack- The scratching round his food bowl is perfectly normal. The kitty is just "saving" his food for later. All of our adult cats do it, when they've had enough but haven't finished it.
Also, please do let the vet trim Henry's claws the first time so you know how short to clip them. If you cut too close to the cuticle, the claw will bleed and it hurts the cat (just as it would a person whose nails are clipped too short). The earlier you start, the sooner the cat will get used to it. Of my four cats, the only one whose claws I can't clip is Bella who was nearly two, when I adopted her. She goes beserk (no idea what happened to her previously). However, I take her to the vet tech and she's perfectly fine. Go figure!
My other three cats just sit in my lap and let me clip away!
@Venezia That's good to know that the scratching around the food bowl is normal. I was afraid he didn't like his food, although it's what he's been eating.
I think my friend will be able to show me how much to clip off the tip of his nail. She trims her cat's nails regularly. If she isn't able to show me I'll probably just let her do them and get the Vet to show me how. I did buy some Styptic powder in case they were ever trimmed too short, although I would always be extremely careful not to do that.
If you tear up a piece of paper into little 1"x1" pieces and scatter them right around the food dish, next time Henry will probably flick them onto the food. What he's doing is what his ancient feline bloodline has taught him to do, and that's cover his food so others (presumably predators or food thiefs) won't smell it. They cover their little box productions for the same reason, to reduce the odors that would help another predator track them. At least this is what I've read.
In terms of petting, it's smart to confine yourself to mainly the head and heck and under the chin, and limit full-body petting (down the back) until you know how much stimulation Henry can handle. A switching tail is a surefire sign that it's a bit much, even if he's purring. I've had a couple of cats who bit on the third stroke, so they were head pets only.
I must say, @NickNackI have never seen anyone prepare so thoroughly and carefully for the arrival of an animal. In my life, the beast generally just appear, needing food and medical care, and we work it all out as we go along. Henry is one lucky boy!
Edited to add I see feline groovy covered the why of his food dish behavior, but I'll leave it.
Please feel free to start a new thread when you have new pix to post of Henry/Frankie. It's always fun to see a fresh "Grandpuglet Daisy" thread here, and I keep an eye out for them. Would love to see the same with your dynamic duo.
@noodleann Thank you. I know I've been a bit obsessive about the introductions and care of Henry. I used to just let everyone meet immediately and never had a problem. I adopted a dog once years ago that chased my cats relentlessly. I did everything wrong and never could make it work. I've never forgiven myself for that and am determined it will never happen again.
I forgot to say that I bought a tall 32" scratching post for Henry. Today he jumped on it and climbed almost to the top of it. @feline groovy did you recommend the Tower of Tracks Ball interactive toy to me? I think it was either you or @Tinkrbl44. I'll post a picture of it. I'm thinking you recommended it. Thank you if you did. He loves it! He plays and plays with it. I've gotten him so many toys but have only put three or four out for him so far, and he seems to love everything. This is the Tower of Tracks toy that he loves so much.
@Nicknack wrote:
@feline groovy wrote:
Hooray and congrats - so happy for you! Frankie and Henry, too!!
He is intensely and ridiculously adorable; love the little soul patch on his chin.
Some thoughts:
Henry might be part Exotic instead of Persian. Both breeds have the rounder eyes and face. His actual breed is called "Domestic Medium Hair" (DMH), and his color is "white with brown tabby" or "brown tabby with white".
All tabbies have that cute 'M' on their foreheads, BTW.
His name (love it) comes from Germany and means "rules his household" - purrfect for a kitty, LOL.
You can now introduce your family as something like 'my kids Frankie and Henry' - aww. Eldest first, of course. ;-)
Their individual coloring contrasts nicely, but their faces alone: indescribably cute!!
'Tidying up' around his food and the litter box is instinctive. In the wild, cats try to cover up and/or bury stuff to lessen the scent and not attract cats/other predators to the area.
Trimming his nails will be easy as they're light-colored and translucent, so you'll be able to see the pink 'quick' and clip above it. Just push down on his knuckles with your non-dominate hand to extend the claws.
Handling an animal's hands and feet when they're babies is recommended, so they'll feel less stressed as an adult.
BTW, it was me who recommended transferring their scents with a damp towel; the dampness helps spread the scents better.
Just rub Frankie down with one, then do the same with Henry. Henry will then smell more 'familiar' to Frankie and will be more accepted by her. It's also helpful that Frankie is a female, as she would naturally be maternal and might think of him as her baby.
But if not, then as a bratty little brother who she'll have to tolerate, LOL.
Don't worry too much if she sometimes gives him 'warnings' not to push his luck, LOL.
He has to learn where the boundaries are with her - and with his human. ;-)
They'll likely 'play-fight' eventually, which will be even more comedy and entertainment for you on a daily basis.
Please remember that you're a terrific mom to Frankie and have great natural instincts, plus you've been a cat guardian before. So apply the patience and compassion you have with your pets to yourself.
You're doing great so far, and everything will come together when it's meant to.
Thank you for the very informative post @feline groovy. I love the meaning of his name! I used to know that the M meant tabby. I used to have a red tabby Persian that was just wonderful. I had forgotten about the meaning of the M though.
My friend came over and spent several hours. We trimmed Henry's nails, and he really resisted. They were so long it makes me wonder if they were ever trimmed before. I'll start touching his paws frequently to get him used to it before I try again. His nails feel SO much better now.
I still haven't done that with the towels, but I'll do it tonight. Henry is asleep now as he's had a very long day. I put Frankie on the porch and let Henry come out of his room on his own and explore the house. He kept going back to his room for a minute since it's his safe place. The book that I bought about kitten care said that he would do that. He did come into the living room though and look around.
Finally we brought Frankie in on a leash, and she sat on the couch with my friend while I sat on the floor near Henry. They didn't look at each other at first. When they finally did Frankie wanted to get down. I think she would have chased him. I'll probably let them meet like this a couple more times and let Henry get used to the house before I let Frankie off her leash. I do think they'll end up being great friends. Frankie is 5 1/2 but she's still very playful, although Henry may drive her crazy!
Excellent.
Good to hear the ends of his claws are shorter and blunt - helps both you and him.
Yep, as he grows he'll still need his safe places, but they'll include ones that only he can access: high places he can jump to and small places that he can squeeze into.
Kitties don't have a collarbone, which makes that easy for them.
You'll also find out - like Jackson Galaxy says - if he's a "tree dweller" or a "bush dweller", based on where he likes to hang out. As in, does he like to regally 'survey his kingdom' from places up high, or secretively from lower spots where he thinks he's invisible LOL.
Frankie sounds like she wants to play and run around with Henry. So funny that they refused to make eye contact at first, like giving each other the side eye LOL.
I bet she's happy to have an animal companion, and is exhibiting completely normal canine behavior in wanting to chase him. Just as Henry will feline-wise with stalking her and wanting to pounce.
BTW, whenever Frankie or Henry exposes their (kissable!) bellies to each other, it's a healthy submissive posture and shows respect and trust.
It definitely sounds like they will be great siblings, friends, play buddies, and nap buddies, and extra fun when they both get the 'zoomies' at the same time LOL. They'll just tire each other out, which will be cool for Mama NickNack.
No worries here: even though Frankie has the weight advantage, Henry has the advantage of claws and the ability to escape to places she can't.
Plus Frankie's a puppy at heart, so her energy level will likely match his most of the time. 8)
@feline groovy wrote:
@Nicknack wrote:
@feline groovy wrote:
Hooray and congrats - so happy for you! Frankie and Henry, too!!
He is intensely and ridiculously adorable; love the little soul patch on his chin.
Some thoughts:
Henry might be part Exotic instead of Persian. Both breeds have the rounder eyes and face. His actual breed is called "Domestic Medium Hair" (DMH), and his color is "white with brown tabby" or "brown tabby with white".
All tabbies have that cute 'M' on their foreheads, BTW.
His name (love it) comes from Germany and means "rules his household" - purrfect for a kitty, LOL.
You can now introduce your family as something like 'my kids Frankie and Henry' - aww. Eldest first, of course. ;-)
Their individual coloring contrasts nicely, but their faces alone: indescribably cute!!
'Tidying up' around his food and the litter box is instinctive. In the wild, cats try to cover up and/or bury stuff to lessen the scent and not attract cats/other predators to the area.
Trimming his nails will be easy as they're light-colored and translucent, so you'll be able to see the pink 'quick' and clip above it. Just push down on his knuckles with your non-dominate hand to extend the claws.
Handling an animal's hands and feet when they're babies is recommended, so they'll feel less stressed as an adult.
BTW, it was me who recommended transferring their scents with a damp towel; the dampness helps spread the scents better.
Just rub Frankie down with one, then do the same with Henry. Henry will then smell more 'familiar' to Frankie and will be more accepted by her. It's also helpful that Frankie is a female, as she would naturally be maternal and might think of him as her baby.
But if not, then as a bratty little brother who she'll have to tolerate, LOL.
Don't worry too much if she sometimes gives him 'warnings' not to push his luck, LOL.
He has to learn where the boundaries are with her - and with his human. ;-)
They'll likely 'play-fight' eventually, which will be even more comedy and entertainment for you on a daily basis.
Please remember that you're a terrific mom to Frankie and have great natural instincts, plus you've been a cat guardian before. So apply the patience and compassion you have with your pets to yourself.
You're doing great so far, and everything will come together when it's meant to.
Thank you for the very informative post @feline groovy. I love the meaning of his name! I used to know that the M meant tabby. I used to have a red tabby Persian that was just wonderful. I had forgotten about the meaning of the M though.
My friend came over and spent several hours. We trimmed Henry's nails, and he really resisted. They were so long it makes me wonder if they were ever trimmed before. I'll start touching his paws frequently to get him used to it before I try again. His nails feel SO much better now.
I still haven't done that with the towels, but I'll do it tonight. Henry is asleep now as he's had a very long day. I put Frankie on the porch and let Henry come out of his room on his own and explore the house. He kept going back to his room for a minute since it's his safe place. The book that I bought about kitten care said that he would do that. He did come into the living room though and look around.
Finally we brought Frankie in on a leash, and she sat on the couch with my friend while I sat on the floor near Henry. They didn't look at each other at first. When they finally did Frankie wanted to get down. I think she would have chased him. I'll probably let them meet like this a couple more times and let Henry get used to the house before I let Frankie off her leash. I do think they'll end up being great friends. Frankie is 5 1/2 but she's still very playful, although Henry may drive her crazy!
Excellent.
Good to hear the ends of his claws are shorter and blunt - helps both you and him.
Yep, as he grows he'll still need his safe places, but they'll include ones that only he can access: high places he can jump to and small places that he can squeeze into.
Kitties don't have a collarbone, which makes that easy for them.
You'll also find out - like Jackson Galaxy says - if he's a "tree dweller" or a "bush dweller", based on where he likes to hang out. As in, does he like to regally 'survey his kingdom' from places up high, or secretively from lower spots where he thinks he's invisible LOL.
Frankie sounds like she wants to play and run around with Henry. So funny that they refused to make eye contact at first, like giving each other the side eye LOL.
I bet she's happy to have an animal companion, and is exhibiting completely normal canine behavior in wanting to chase him. Just as Henry will feline-wise with stalking her and wanting to pounce.
BTW, whenever Frankie or Henry exposes their (kissable!) bellies to each other, it's a healthy submissive posture and shows respect and trust.
It definitely sounds like they will be great siblings, friends, play buddies, and nap buddies, and extra fun when they both get the 'zoomies' at the same time LOL. They'll just tire each other out, which will be cool for Mama NickNack.
No worries here: even though Frankie has the weight advantage, Henry has the advantage of claws and the ability to escape to places she can't.
Plus Frankie's a puppy at heart, so her energy level will likely match his most of the time. 8)
That's good to know @feline groovy. I didn't realize that. I know they'll be fine with each other. I just would rather Frankie not chase her when they first meet without the leash. That may be impossible.
@Nicknack wrote:I put Frankie on a leash today and opened Henry's door so he could get out. Frankie and I sat on the couch for a while, and at one point Henry put his face pretty close to her, and they looked at each other. I gave Frankie treats for being good and not trying to get down and chase him. Then Frankie and I sat on the floor while Henry explored the house. They look at each other, and Frankie would like to get loose, but I don't trust her not to chase him yet. We'll keep doing this for several more days probably, and then I'll take the leash off and see what happens.
Henry has a baby gate that's always been installed at the door to his room. I can leave it closed, and he can get through the rungs and back into his room if he needs to get away from Frankie after I take the leash off. That's good, too, so that Frankie can't get to his food or litter box.
I remember the getting acquainted phase ... lol. Just keep in mind that chasing WILL happen, no matter what. Still happens on a daily basis at my house. It seems to be one of their favorite games.
When you think Henry has a good sense of the house and all its nooks and crannies, he'll actually be okay. If Frankie's chasing becomes annoying, Henry will either just jump up to a high object or run behind something Frankie can't follow him to .... chasing over.
I just have to say .... I'm really SO happy for you. Adopting a kitten and giving him a Forever Home is such a special time .... and before you know it, Frankie will just adore her little brother. 
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