so do GCM AP their cats?

I just got a kitten, she is SO cute, a calico, and SO tiny, even though she is 6 wks they said she was the runt. Anyway I think that she is a HN baby. she wants to sit on my sholder all the time (ok, so all the time today, since I just got her this morning ) anyway I just wanted to chime in on the pet board to let you know that I have joined your ranks

she has a litter box that she has accually used twice already, even though she was an outside cat previously. I gave her a bath, which she hated, but she smelled like cigerattes. I got the dry kitten food but also some of the cans and have been mixing it together, she is eating like crazy, or least it seem like she is eating a lot for such a small thing, she likes the canned stuff best. My 3yo is already chasing her around, I feel bad for her. Anyway, is their anything else that I need to know????

[boonpnutsmom]

Welcome....Keep her nails trimmed, that is the best thing I can offer for now. We got Noel at Christmas time last year, and she like your little one was attached to me all the time. Now she comes by to say hi but she is more sedate and will be a year old next month, that is a teenager (15) in our years so she is entering the sleeping stage now.

[domesticzookeeper]

Here is a great list of articles by a holistic vet, Jean Hovfe, and her partner, an animal behaviorist. Covers just about everything:

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library

Good luck with the new kitty

[efuego]

Yay! Welcome to kitten parenting I agree with keeping her nails trimed, then they are used to having it done, I can do my cat with one hand now. He is so calm. A couple other suggestions are to get the kitten a scratching post of some sort. or a floor scratch 'box'. It is called Super Scratch. I suggest that, because it will save your carpets and furniture. Every time you see your kitty using it, praise her. Our cat never touches our furniture or carpet. Also, it would be great if you had a safe space for her to get away from the chaos. Either up high where the little ones can't reach her or a seperate room. We had to do that for our cat when he was a kitten, cause we had a puppy that wanted to play with him all the time

Lastly, it is possible to train a cat. It is difficult but possible. We got Good Cat, it is a book on training your cat, and it worked wonders. They suggest never using your cats name when disciplining. Just say NO! Also, something that we did that worked well was using a small spray bottle with water. Set on mist. Anytime our cat would jump on the table or do something wrong we would spray him. (NEVER spray in the face, cats are susceptible to respiratory infections) I don't know how AP that is, but it worked for us. Now we never have to use it.

Give the little kitten all the attention you can now, so when it is older it will actually like being around people

That is all I can think of now, I love the little kitten stage

Oh, she sounds SO precious!!! We demand photos!

One word about kids and very small kittens ... do keep a VERY close eye on them so that your little one doesn't accidentally squeeze her too hard or put her anyplace where she could be hurt (like the washer, dryer or dishwasher). Also, if you have a recliner, be very cautious about sitting down in it too quickly, as kitties sometimes crawl underneath them. These are all places tiny kittens can go and get injured before anyone knows they are there!

I definitely second getting a scratching post ASAP. Both of my kitties who had them as kittens use them ALL the time and never touch the furniture. My oldest kitty, who didn't have one till he was an adult, NEVER uses it and much prefers the furniture. My kitties seem to like the kind covered with the sisal rope best.

[UltraMother]

A better solutoin to bathing a stinky cat is to use kitty wipes (at the pet store). They still don't like it much, but it's not as hard on their nerves (and yours) as an actual bath. If fleas are a problem in your area (and most kittens have them), buy a flea comb and comb them out. Much cheaper than flea dips and treatments, and cats love the grooming.

And feel free to share any pics...

[SouthPaw]

My advice is, make sure you NEVER play with or tease the kitten with your hands to get them to paw at you. My friend did this and her cat is SO obnoxious and thinks he can just come up and swipe at you to get attention So always use a kitty toy for playing paw games.

Also, get kitten used to being held, restrained, having her ears/tail/paws played with, etc. when she is young. I can grab my cat, turn him upside down, play with his paws, etc. because I did this... it makes them so much more manageable when they get older, especially since some cats do grow out of the wanting-to-be-petted-all-the-time mindset and would really just prefer to be left alone One of mine still loves getting petted, one kind of grew out of it, but both will let me pick them up & handle them.

And yes, you can train cats. My cat knows how to sit, come, and he used to target my hand with his nose but I decided i really didn't need that behavior so we haven't worked on it in forever. I clicker trained him.

Make sure you get her spayed when she is old enough. Even female cats will start "marking" their territory when they get older.

Have fun!!! I miss the kitten phase!!

[TestifyToLove]

My best and only advice is to make the appointment to get her fixed between 5 and 6 months, the sooner the better. Make while she is still little and NEVER let her go into heat. I made the mistake of waiting with a cat once and it was horrid. I had to give her away eventually because even when I cleaned up all her spray in the house, she could still smell it and would spray again. It was either re-home her someplace that she had never marked or re-home me which was not an option. She did better in the new home. But, I understand she never really lost her desire to spray the walls.

Since then, I get cats fixed before they reach sexual maturity and get it over and done with. Our current cat is so much better, having been taken in at 5.5 months and before her first heat.