I have a new kitten

**ladykemma2** · 02-27-2010, 09:04 AM

he came in through my front door.

the neighbor knocked on my door and said - "is this your cat?" i said no. he said "it's a nice kitten but look how skinny he is. it will be below freezing tonight and we don't know where he lives. i think the neighbors down the street moved out and left him." I said can you take him?" he said no, that he had three male cats already. so i took him.

he's a nice cat. he doesn't like outdoors.

he ate three cans of fancy feast and drank water all night.

anyway, he's mine now. i have two questions. he is a "good boy" at using the litter box but is it supposed to smell that strong? he is not spraying - i have been watching.

when to neuter? he is definitely a kitten, with huge feet and tail.

i found myself thinking - hmm he's rambunctious. needs toys. how much to budget for toys? then i discovered that my putting my necklace on was worth ten minutes of fun and that the phone cord became a toy. then there was the dropped pencil on the floor.

i got a piece of string and he likes that. he even brings me the string to play with him.

what else is free? tennis ball? ping pong ball?
suggestions?

how do i teach him not to jump on the kitchen counters?

he brings a new energy into this dull household, with my aging diabetic lady cat and the divorced bored me.

**ilovechocolate** · 02-27-2010, 09:13 AM

Bless you for taking in the kitty!

My cats like to play with pill bottles that they roll around on the floor. Also wadded up pieces of paper or tin foil. Plastic spoons are a favorite too.

Yes, male cats smell worse than females.

I read something about putting a shallow pan of water on the kitchen counter so that when they jump up on it, they get wet. Of course, you would have to make sure that whatever is in the range of splashing water is waterproof.

**Contrary Housewife** · 02-27-2010, 10:23 AM

I snap my fingers at the cat and then shoo them off, they have learned that the snapping means a smacking is coming if they don't move fast enough.

It may have been dehydrated, drinking so much, and that will make urine smell strong for a while.

Most cats like the ring that comes off the plastic milk/juice lid. I had a button made up years ago that said "Anything not nailed down is a cat toy. Anything the cat has to pry lose is a much better cat toy."

**jamie79** · 02-27-2010, 10:37 AM

a cat can be neutered at a young age. 8 weeks or so so take him to a vet to make sure he is not FLAIDS positive, get his shots and get him neutered. If you do this at once it will be some $$$ but then its done and you know he is healthy. If he ate that much I would think he has worms

**ladykemma2** · 02-27-2010, 10:40 AM

i think he ate so much becuase he hadn't eaten in a long time?

anyway, to the vet we go. deworming, flea check, feline leukemia, testicles, what else?

**madhen** · 02-27-2010, 10:57 AM

FeLV and FIV. Your vet will recommend anything necessary, if he/she is worth the diploma on the wall. Be careful with the string, and pick up anything small he can ingest. Kittens (and cats) are notorious for eating things that can kill them. There is a theory that string and rubberbands look like mouse intestines, which cause some cats to try to eat them, and both can cause major problems if ingested.

I know he is hungry, but you might want to watch how much you feed him all at once. If he was starving/dehydrated, you will want to start slow with him.

**2ndGenGranola** · 02-27-2010, 11:23 AM

Congrats!!

Our little boy can evacuate the homeschool room with one of his box visits. Every boy cat I have had has been stronger than the girls.

Our little cats woofed down the food when we got them. Once they knew they would get food when they were hungry, they backed off.

The kitten does need a vet visit. I wouldn't get him neutered too early, that can cause some problems. Your vet will tell you the best time.

My cats love the mice that you can stuff catnip into. They also like the laser dot. Both were fairly affordable.

**pinetree** · 02-27-2010, 12:02 PM

Congratulations on your new kitten!

My cats love boxes, paper sacks, the tops off of water bottles, they even play with walnuts in the shell. They love the catnip bubbles! We play with strings with them, but they are picked up when done playing. One of our little girls had to have surgery, they thought she ate a string, but it turned out to be a twisted intestine. We make sure now there is nothing like that they can eat, or swallow and get stuck.

Our last one we got was so starved the vet didnt know if she would make it. We fed her slowly at first, until she got stronger. I suggest you take him to the vet and see what they say. My vet does not like to fix them until they are 6 months old, says the death rate is higher if you do it young, but then he says that things are different now, but he still holds to the 6 months.

You will have to show us some pictures! Thanks for giving him a home.

**sabrelvssammy** · 02-27-2010, 12:12 PM

i sprinkle baking soda in my boxes... i use scoopable litter (my favorite being 'special kitty' from walmart)...i have tried others, name brands and i like this one best...(no dust, little tracking).... i scoop the boxes every morning and spread the litter out nice & even and then sprinkle with a dash of baking soda....not too much...just a dusting and it does make a difference....

congrats on your new baby...sounds like he found himself a good place to end up...bless both your little hearts....!

**frugalwarrior2** · 02-27-2010, 12:13 PM

Congrats on your kitty. He needs deworming. That's one reason he may be starving. They will medicate him twice to get rid of the eggs. It will be round worms and you can get them so don't let him kiss you and wash real good after changing the box. Are his eyes bright and shiny or dull??

He sounds like a real sweety and smart. Please get some blood test before you get too attached. (signed the owner of more than 30 strays over time).

I forgot to say, we accordian a piece of paper to make it look like a bowtie and tie a string around it. Drag it for chase and fly over head for him to bat at. Cats love cheap toys. Get a scratching post and put his paws on it to scratch and praise the heck out of him. Say pffffft every time he gets on the counter and stare at him. Water spray if he's really not getting it.

**shoiji** · 02-27-2010, 12:16 PM

I have asked my cat many times what they have been eating when I am cleaning out the litter box. Remember, the new food can also cause this to happen.

You can make many toys just from items around the house. Old sweaters can be cut up to make catnip toys. Empty toilet paper rolls, stuffed socks, supervised playing with ribbon and string. My cat likes the pompom balls and a cat nip ball made from a red sweater. Cats tend to like the color red. I have two long socks filled with strips of newspaper and catnip. The end is just tied in a knot. The one cat seems to like to really grab on and "kill" the prey. Makes her much nicer to the other one.

When they were younger I was able to train them with voice commands and blowing in their face or a water bottle. Although one would just sit there with her eyes closed when I squirtted the bottle.

Chewing on the phone cord is not a good idea since he may start chewing on any cord he finds. My one cat likes to freak me out by chewing on the paper attached to extension cords or just the extension cord. Why I do not know.

Hopefully your older cat will enjoy the new company. Make sure to spend quality time with the older cat.

**ladykemma2** · 02-27-2010, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by frugalwarrior2

Congrats on your kitty. He needs deworming. That's one reason he may be starving. They will medicate him twice to get rid of the eggs. It will be round worms and you can get them so don't let him kiss you and wash real good after changing the box. Are his eyes bright and shiny or dull??

He sounds like a real sweety and smart. Please get some blood test before you get too attached. (signed the owner of more than 30 strays over time).

I forgot to say, we accordian a piece of paper to make it look like a bowtie and tie a string around it. Drag it for chase and fly over head for him to bat at. Cats love cheap toys. Get a scratching post and put his paws on it to scratch and praise the heck out of him. Say pffffft every time he gets on the counter and stare at him. Water spray if he's really not getting it.

bright and shiny and alert and smart

**dcompton** · 02-27-2010, 02:56 PM

Thanks for rescuing him. It sounds like you got a sweetheart. What does he look like?

My cats liked to play with anything if I was part of the game. One thing I used, instead of string was a strip of fleece about 3/4 of an inch wide that I could drag for them to chase. It was just as much fun, but not very swallowable.

Also if you sew be very careful to account for pins and needles, and pick the thread picked up. We never had problems when we didn't know any better in my youth at home, but I knew a vet who testified that thread inside a kitty was a horror.