HELP! Calling all "cat people" out there...

Get a covered litter box. You might also want to get some scratching pads rather than a scratching post (the ones sold by Cat Claws are great; you can find their website online). Most cats can be trained just by taking them and putting them in the litter box the first time. Seven weeks is pretty young; it might take kitty just a little longer to learn where to go.

Don't be surprised if the kitty doesn't use the bed. In fact, it might very well want to sleep with you. You can also make a bed for the cat by taking an old blanket and putting on the back of a chair. My cat has no less than six sleeping spots in the house.

I vote no on de-clawing. There are other options.

Boxes with newspaper are the best and cheapest cat beds to be found. That and anywhere it becomes an inconvenience to you

Introduce slowly. The specifics I'll leave to others.

For the love of god, do not declaw. You are not just 'taking off their nails'. The vet has to go in, and usually with a scalpel, chops off the bone which is the base of the nail bed. Imagine someone slicing through your nail bed to the bone. And heaven forbid they miss some of it, which happens because you don't want to go to town when removing that bone. Urgh. It makes me tense every time a cat comes in for declaw.

Other that that, good on ya for doing this And for doing your homework to boot.

threedogpeople said:

OK, covered litter box.

What kind of litter is best? In order of importance for me: no odor, convenience (low messiness), price and availability.

The current owner has been using (cracks me up) an upright log as a scratching post.

Oh, I'm out of my element here......

Click to expand...

I've tried a log too (a nice red cedar one--smelled great). My cat ignored it. I haven't found a cat yet that doesn't like the catnip-filled scratching pads. There's some photos of Lucky the blind cat enjoying the ones I sent him in one of the threads in Writing About Animals.

Some of the more expensive litter is better because it's less dusty. However, I just use the cheap stuff that Public sells. For a small kitty you don't have to use a whole (small) bag at a time; you can use half, then dump it out and fill it with the remainder of the bag. You can get a "pooper scooper" to just take out the "cat gifts", but I always found that more trouble than it was worth. I just empty the box and refill it.

Fenika said:

That and anywhere it becomes an inconvenience to you .

Click to expand...

Yes, or anywhere you don't want cat hair. That's why having an old blanket around might help. If the kitty decides to make a bed out of the back of your stuffed chair, you can put the blanket there.

With a dog give kitty a safe room where the dog doesn't go. I would make it Mark's room since it's going to be Mark's kitty. This way kitty knows where it can go and doesn't completely freak out.

Don't declaw!

cats love a box to play with. Shoe boxes are great because they can lay down in them and have the feeling of being in an eclosed space.

Take a sheet of paper and crumple it up into a ball and roll it in front of the cat. That's pretty much the only toy you'll ever need. I've had 6 cats. Only two now. But of all 6, their favorite 'toys' was the crumpled up paper ball.

If you get them new toys, beds, etc....the best way to get them interested in them, is to sprinkle a little catnip on it before giving it to them.

You will now have to change your name to "threedogsandacat". ;-)

DWSTXS said:

If you get them new toys, beds, etc....the best way to get them interested in them, is to sprinkle a little catnip on it before giving it to them.

Click to expand...

Yep.

You can buy small bags of dried catnip.

Oh, and one BIG WORD OF WARNING (that you probably already know from having dogs).

Do not use any of the off-brand products sold in pet stores for fleas, mites, or anything else before talking to your vet. Some of the stuff sold in stores is actually dangerous (and no, I'm not just being a silly cat lover). The major brand stuff is probably okay.

7 weeks is kind of young to leave the mother. Usually kittens stay with mom until their 8 weeks old. Teething might be a problem.

No on declawing. It is sheer torture for the cat and many develop crippling pain.

We use the cheap store brand clay litter. We found our cats did not like any of the perfumed or fancy litters. Be careful with clumping litters, some have been known to burn kitties paws.

Expect accidents.

Stores sell disposable litter boxes that all you have to do is pull the paper off and you're set to go. When the box gets dirty just throw it away. We have six cats and they make our lives easier.

Try and avoid plain cat food tuna. it is usually very high in mercury. Also don't make it a habit to feed the cat dry food. Many brands are loaded with sugar and can cause urinary tract infections. Occasional dry food is okay. The crunch helps clean tartar off their teeth.

Be careful with the introduction to the dog unless the dog is already used to cats. Make sure the kitten has a safe place away from the. Depending on what breed the dog is it could see the kitten as prey.

Be very careful with kitten running under your feet. They'll be under your feet and run between your legs in the blink of an eye.

We use Petco cardboard cat scratcher. It has a little catnip in it and our cats love them.

Good luck.

alleycat said:

Oh, and one BIG WORD OF WARNING (that you probably already know from having dogs).

Do not use any of the off-brand products sold in pet stores for fleas, mites, or anything else before talking to your vet. Some of the stuff sold in stores is actually dangerous (and no, I'm not just being a silly cat lover). The major brand stuff is probably okay.

Click to expand...

QFT.

Even the major brands have caused serious health problems.

Groomers who are used to working with cats are usually a good bet.

If you see someone named "3Danes" on here sometime, that's my pretend "little sister" in real life. She doesn't post often.

And, yes, she actually does have three Great Danes. The things are as big as a small cow.

I don't know how much merit this truly has but our vet actually told us to stay away from wet food that involved seafood. So we always jut gave him the chicken or beef stuff. He lived to be 23...but who knows?

Yes, you need to intro your kitty to your dog--carefully. Talk to them--and introduce each other.

When we did this it did NOT go well. (The cat was older and so was the stray dog we'd taken in.) The dog wanted to play and the cat lashed out and clawed the dog's ear!

But they soon became fast friends. And when the stray went to doggie heaven, our cat went and slept inside the dog house. (He'd never done that before.)

And I echo everyone's sentiments--no declawing! There's no need, truly.

Have fun!!

alleycat said:

Oh, and one BIG WORD OF WARNING (that you probably already know from having dogs).

Do not use any of the off-brand products sold in pet stores for fleas, mites, or anything else before talking to your vet.

Click to expand...

Thirded, as a vet student. These products have the occasional reaction with out pets and it is NOT NICE. And it happens far too often. Kinda ironic that they are sold on shelves.

As for the dry food, don't buy the crap brands and you should be fine. High sugar only gets into the (lower) kidneys if there is a TON of it, or if there's a diabetes/kidney issue. Minerals can cause stones, but again, don't buy crap You can do your own homework here, and learn to avoid brands that say 'primary ingredient meat!' only to have rice, rice bran, grain grain grain listed immediately after (they split it to keep it from the top of the list).

No to declawing - cruel and unnecessary.

If you want to give her scraps do NOT giver her anything that has onion in it - or that has been cooked with onion. Onion makes cats anaemic. I found that out too late..

What colour is the kitten? Have you chosen a name yet? I am not nosey - just suffering from cat deprivation - my last moggy was killed when he was 15 months old. :-(((

Shakesbear said:

What colour is the kitten? Have you chosen a name yet? I am not nosey - just suffering from cat deprivation - my last moggy was killed when he was 15 months old. :-(((

Click to expand...

Click my profile and see a picture of my Anna when she was younger.

Sorry about your own cat, by the way. I lost my first cat that I'd had for 15 years. I had to take two days off work to deal with it (I thought I was going to have to take her in to be put to sleep; she ended up dying on her own in the comfort of her own house).

Now they can call me a silly cat lover.

I looked up the list of things that shouldn't be given to cats. Here's one such list:

- Alcoholic beverages [ETA: Save that for when you find cat puke on the living room carpet, then drink it yourself. -alleycat]
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol

Everything seems to be covered here but what kind of dogs do you have?
I learned the hard way that there are some dog breeds that aren't likely to be friends with cats, they would prefer to kill them.

As the owner/slave of multiple cats, most of whom are rescues, let's see what I can do here.

1--NO on declawing. NO. I have a cat whose declawing procedure was botched and he still limps 8 years later. When the kitty gets bigger, you can take her to a groomer to 'dull' her claws--an infinitely better alternative. We use scratching pads and a scratching post--we made one that was nothing more than a scrap 2 by 4 with carpet scraps rolled around it.

2) We use the Tidy Cat brand of litter. It works much better for us than the more expensive brands, which is important in an establishment with fourteen cats and two dogs. One little kitten (or cat) isn't going to make that much of a smell. Just be sure to scoop the box daily and when you're first training her, congratulate her when she goes to the box with a treat or much petting and love. She'll learn quicker.

3) Everyone wants to give a kitten a bowl of milk. If you do, make sure that it's kitten milk and not milk out of the fridge unless you want a very unhappy, sick kitten. The kitten milk is cheap (like 40 cents a box), keeps in the fridge, and won't make the kitten sick. Plus, she'll love it and it'll help her develop properly.

4) I have horrible cat allergies. The best way to keep your allergies from making you suffer is to first, bathe the kitten. I bathe all my cats, like clockwork, every two weeks. It keeps the dander down. Yes, they hate it but if you teach a kitten that bathing is normal, by the time they're adults they get resigned to it. Trust me--it's worth it.

And the kitten probably will want to sleep with you. She'll be lonely. Don't be surprised in the middle of the night to hear little mews of distress and find her climbing up your bedspread. As for cat beds? Well, a cat will sleep wherever it darn well wants to sleep. If you're lucky, it'll be the cat bed but usually it'll be on whatever you don't want it to sleep on. White kitten? yep-your black pants will be her favorite place.

have fun and good luck!

Thanks alleycat. It is hard when a furry person leaves us - and when you live alone, as I do, the house feels empty but haunted.

Some cats will turn and face a dog - my Spuddy cat used to do that to a neighbours dog that was at least three times his size. Dog left him alone after a while. When they have to share the same home I think it is really important to show the dog that s/he is still loved. Supervise short meetings between them to see how they react.

When you first bring the kitty home, keep her in closed room and spend lots of time with her. She'll get used to you and will be less likely to hide and/or freak out. This also allows the dog and cat time to sniff each other out a bit under the door. In a week or so, you can let her venture out into the rest of the house, if she's ready.

My vet says a mix of dry food and wet food is best, so my cat eats dry Iams Indoor cat food, which I leave out all the time (she doesn't overeat, so I can do this. I used to have a cat that did overeat, so we had to measure out her food carefully every day). She also gets a half can of Fancy Feast wet food every day.

Tidy Cats Scoop Small Spaces (for multiple cats) is the absolute BEST litter, but also the most expensive. However, I think it's well worth the price (even if you only have one cat). With a dog, you definitely want a covered box, as others have said. When the cat comes home, rub her paws in her litter box, so she'll know what it is.

My cat is declawed. She was a feral cat that had been severely abused, so she was terrified of people (rightfully so!). Because of that, the shelter (which was a no-kill shelter) thought the chances of her being adopted would be greater if she were declawed. I took one look at her trembling in her cage and automatically loved her, so I would have adopted her even if she had her claws.

Would I have chosen to have her declawed? No. But since she came to me that way, I feel no guilt in confessing that it is kind of nice not having to worry about her tearing up my furniture. She's perfectly healthy, and walks, jumps, and plays just fine. However, she does bite on occasion (hard enough to break the skin). I think this is mostly due to the abuse she suffered in the past; she gets overstimulated at times and panics, I think. It may also be a side-effect of being declawed though; she can't scratch, so she bites.

She's still terrified of people, and I've had her five years. Most of my friends and family have never even seen her, because she hides. She's very loving with me, though, constantly following me around and sitting on me or my books. Having a cat is very rewarding, and I'm glad you're getting one!

Smish