New Kitty Owner & A Few Questions!

[Melanie1010]

Hi Everyone!

So I am the proud new owner of a little kitten! Her name is Nova and she is eight weeks old (roughly) Her momma and her 7 kittens where brought indoors by a nice family who heard them under their deck and gave them a warm place to stay!

We picked her up today and being a first time cat owner I have a few questions! Her set up currently is confined to one room, a spare bedroom since we have a resident dog who is also a rescue that lived with 3 cats. He is pretty interested in her so we will be keeping them apart until she is a bit bigger and can fend for herself.

In her room, I have set up the litter box (using the same litter as her previous home) and have put out a couple of stracthing posts. There are a few toys too. On the other side of the room I have her carrier with some blankies and her food/water. I think I have everything in there she needs to be comfortable.

Now being a first time owner, I did only take one kitten. She has been crying alot (about 4 hours now) and I am not too sure what to do. Do I just let her work it out and its normal? I have her vet visit for shots booked, but her last visit she got a clean bill of health and first shots. I know she is missing mom and siblings (I wish I could of taken two, but being that its my first cat, I was a bit unsure about two). Is it normal for them to cry? If so, how long should I expect it to last? Is there anything I can do to ease the transition of being with her littermates to being alone or just let her be while she gets her bearings?

Thanks for any advice

[catlover2]

It's important that you handle her as much as possible. Play with her and cuddle her a lot. Yes it's normal for her to cry, and yes she misses her litter mates, so you'll have to be their substitute. If you don't want her in your bedroom at night, just before you go to bed, tire her out with play--- drag around a cord to get her to chase it, and then when she's tired try the old "hot water bottle trick" in her carrier, so she has something warm to snuggle against. You've set up everything well. If she's longhair (or even if she isn't), get her used to being brushed gently on a regular basis. And handle her feet several times a week, squeezing her toes gently to extend the claws (this is practice for when you will have to clip her claws). Also get her used to having you look into her mouth and clean her ears. All this is good practice for when she has to go to a vet or if you want to clean her teeth or ears. I would not clip her claws for a few months....she may need them if the dog is gets too rough with her.

You say your dog is used to cats, so I would let you dog visit Nova under your supervision (with a leash on) and see how she reacts. She probably just wants to sniff her and check her out and may want to play with Nova. I would supervise them together for a month until you are completely confident that your dog accepts and is gentle with Nova.

Have fun! nothing like a new kitty! thank you for rescuing this little girl & do get her spayed.

[diandpat]

Hi Melanie, welcome to the board. Congrats on adopting this little kitten...you're in for quite a ride

I too am a new kitty Mum...adopted a almost 2yr old male and 8 mth old female from the SPCA in October. Did not have to go through the young kitten stage with them but have learned an awful lot in the last five months and would not change a minute of it!

Sounds like you have a wonderful set up for Nova and hope that the doggy intros go well when the time comes. We have two older dogs who could not care less about the new arrivals

There are many kitty experts on this board who will be around soon with more helpful advice for you regarding the crying but I am pretty sure they are going to suggest, if it is still possible, to adopt one of the kitty siblings. Don't know if it will help with the crying but they will keep each other company.

Also, the others will probably need to see pictures of these furkids...it is not in the rules but it might as well be...

Good luck and hope your new wee one has stopped crying by now

[kungfuMao]

Hi Melanie

on getting a kitten! We recently became kitten owners also and it's been soooo fun and interesting. Any chance you can get one of her littermates to keep Nova company?

Enjoy this time of irresistible cuteness!!

[Melanie1010]

Thanks for the advice catlover2 and diandpat! I have been on this forum for a while now, mostly reading posts and learning. I have been considering a kitten for quite some time. I would of prefered to pick her up on Friday so I would have a whole weekend before going back to work, but the family wanted them to stay as long as possible.

She is hiding under a bed right now, but what I did was throw a shirt of mine under there for her. I left her alone a bit and went back to check on her and shes curled up in it and seems to be quieter. I have had many dogs, but no cats so I have nooo idea what the actual experience will be like! I have done alot of reading and research, but it never fully prepares you And not to worry, she will be spayed as soon as its possible. My co-workers cat went into heat 3 days before her spay and she said it was terrible to listen to so there will be not heats here! The soonest the vet will spay her she will be done!

We got lots of toys for her, includes a dangley one, I will see if shes brave enough to come out before bed time to play. Right now she is hiding up against the wall under the bed. I will try the hot water bottle trick tonight, I will tuck it under the shirt she has taken to, maybe that will help!

I will keep her in her room during the day while I am at work and probably at night for now and interact with her in there. Nitro sleeps in my room so I cant really bring her in there until I know 100% they can interact safely. Once I know she will scratch her posts and emery things I have gotten her, I will let her have roam of the house during the day as Nitro is kept in the basement. I dont forsee that happening for quite some time, so I want her to be as comfy as possible in her room. I will give her some time to adjust before introducing her to Nitro, he can smell her through the door and get used to her noises and vice versa. Once she is a little bigger, and settled, I will introduce them. I dont want to stress her out too much. Unfortunately all the littermates are adopted.

Any advice is appreciated to make her transition smoother

[Melanie1010]

Here is a picture Its from the family, I will try to take more as she gets a bit braver and comes out!

[diandpat]

OMG such cuteness!!!! Love the little smudges on her sweet little face Something tells me she is going to get away with everything. Hope she comes out of hiding soon

[hazelrunpack]

She's certainly a cutie, Melanie! Congrats on your new addition!

[growler~GateKeeper]

Oh goodness she is stunning absolutely adorable

When you/your family goes in to interact with Nova be sure to be talking to her - doesn't matter what it's about, tone of voice is more important, it will get her more used to the sounds of you & your family members.

Laying/sitting on the floor reading aloud from a book is also a good way to get her used to you, don't react right away to her coming out from under the bed but let her come over, sniff you etc, this will help build her confidence & show her this big person is not scary to approach.

If you have a string toy in hand at the time you can slowly drag it along the floor to get her to interact with you while she is feeling confident.

[lindapalm]

I don't know if your interested in two because this is your first time with a kitten, but in my opinion two kitties are easier than one. They keep each other company and are less afraid of everything, and less demanding on you.

[Melanie1010]

Thanks everyone, she is pretty cute!

Right now I will be sticking with one, for a few reasons one being the overall cost. I insure my dog and I have insurance already set up for Nova, and the cost of insuring three is a bit out of the budget. I dont ever want to scarifice vet care because of finances and one dog and one cat is really what fits for us right now. Maybe down the road I will think of another, but right now I want to make sure I can provide the best food, care and everything to my dog and kitty. Being that I am also responsible for her two next sets of shots and the spay, its hard for me to have two at this time.

My biggest concern was making the transition as easy as possible for her. Growler, thanks for the advice once she is a bit more settled I will try playing with her and her danley toy I got her. I put a sweater of mine under the bed and she was curled up on it. I will put a hot water bottle under there tonight too and see if that helps! I appreciate all the advice There is so much conflicting advice on the internet, its much nicer to hear suggestions from cat servants! LOL

[growler~GateKeeper]

Make sure you wrap the hot water bottle in a towel first then in your shirt

[TeriM]

Congrats on your adorable new addition. You've got some great advice from the others but I would also add to try not to keep the dog away for to long once the kitten begins to settle. The younger the kitten is the more likely for her to be accepting of the dog, you can always keep them apart if you are not around to supervise.

Good luck .

[catlover2]

Melanie, Nova is absolutely adooorable! I just love her face markings.....so cute! Thanks for sharing the photo.

[kungfuMao]

She is soooo cute!! Thanks for sharing!!

[Mia101]

accimate her to baths or she will be a psycho about them later!

Congrats - you will love having a kitty. She IS gorgeous.

Be prepared for the shredding of your furniture and other things, including panty-hose if you war them. I had a cat that would wait for my mom to dress, hide behind a wall, then attack her pantyhose and ruin them, ahahahahahaha

Many suggest spraying with a water bottle to stop the shredding.

I think de-clawing is cruel, but I have a declawed cat and it is wonderful (her prior owner did this, not me).

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Mia101

accimate her to baths or she will be a psycho about them later!

Most cats will never need a bath, and in fact shouldn't be bathed.

[14+kitties]

Originally Posted by Mia101

accimate her to baths or she will be a psycho about them later!

Congrats - you will love having a kitty. She IS gorgeous.

Be prepared for the shredding of your furniture and other things, including panty-hose if you war them. I had a cat that would wait for my mom to dress, hide behind a wall, then attack her pantyhose and ruin them, ahahahahahaha

Many suggest spraying with a water bottle to stop the shredding.

I think de-clawing is cruel, but I have a declawed cat and it is wonderful (her prior owner did this, not me).

As SCM said, unless she's got a bad case of diarrhea then she doesn't need them.
Why should she be prepared for the shredding of furniture or anything else? If a cat is trained properly using a scratching post and redirecting when using furniture then this should not even be an issue. Also, keeping her claws trimmed properly helps.
Please do not even consider declawing. It is a cruel, barbaric practice which can lead to other issues. These include biting and eliminating in inappropriate places.

I did this thread a while back. There is a ton of info in there with sites that I am sure will help you with your sweetie. Good luck!!
Oh, I have a Tuxedo male who has the white half moustache that could almost perfectly match your little one's black one.
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=68501

[BrownEyedGirl]

Congrats on your new kitty. No advice from me just wanted to say how adorable she is.

[Tundra_Queen]

She is so cute! It looks like someone tapped her on the nose with a wet paintbrush. *S*

Debbie