First cat (kitten!) She doesn’t have a name just yet.

[Swttea]

We adopted a kitten a week ago, so she should now be 9 weeks. We had our first vet visit today, first round of vaccines. No leukemia or HIV, and somehow also no worms or parasites (she was adopted off facebook, a momma cat accidentally got pregnant), and they hadn’t ever been dewormed. Her check up went great!

I’ve never had a cat before. Just dogs. Big dogs! Her 2.5lb self and my 85lb dog are getting along very well (never unsupervised!)

I have several questions! Besides being adorable, what would you describe her coloring as? She has lots of different color patches and stripes and white. She’s got a patch of color on her belly that looks so strange!

What about coat length?

She came to me with fleas. I bathed her with dawn (that wasn’t pleasant for either of us) and hand been trying to comb her where she scratches. I applied Frontline to my dog, and today the vet directed me to give them both Capstar for some relief. I have advantage multi from the vet that I will apply to kitten tomorrow or the next day (i didn’t want to do it on top of vaccines and capstar). I am currently washing all of our bedding in hot water and bleach, and have been vacuuming. I am going to vacuum the couches. Most of my house is laminate, besides my rug in the living room. I have food grade DE but have not yet put it down. Should I get anything else? My vet said she uses raid spray on the house (keeps animals away for several hours) I am nervous about using something like that.

Last question, for now! Her poops were firm when she arrived but they’re getting softer by the day. They also smell h o r r i b l e. Even if I cover and remove the poop as soon as she’s out of the box, it lingers for ages. I had to give her foot a bath last night because she stepped in it and it was pretty mushy. She was eating Meow Mix, which I know is terrible and immediately bought Whole Earth Farms Kitten. That was a week ago and I am still feeding 1/2 and 1/2, I have been changing it over very slowly. I also give her a can of wet food daily, split between several meals (a spoonful each time), Purina One kitten. So, is she still adjusting to the new food? Should I give it more time so harden up, or might this not be working for her?

 

[Swttea]

Also, these are the names in the running... if anyone wants input / suggestions

Winnie
Jupiter (we liked it at first, but it feels weird to say and we’re thinking we want a two syllable name)
Poppy

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on being first time cat parents.
She is pawitively precious. As is her doggie sibling.

Besides being adorable, what would you describe her coloring as? She has lots of different color patches and stripes and white. She’s got a patch of color on her belly that looks so strange!

What about coat length?

Maybe post in the Describing Cats - What Does My Cat Look Like? to get replies on that question.

She came to me with fleas. I bathed her with dawn (that wasn’t pleasant for either of us) and hand been trying to comb her where she scratches. I applied Frontline to my dog, and today the vet directed me to give them both Capstar for some relief. I have advantage multi from the vet that I will apply to kitten tomorrow or the next day (i didn’t want to do it on top of vaccines and capstar). I am currently washing all of our bedding in hot water and bleach, and have been vacuuming. I am going to vacuum the couches. Most of my house is laminate, besides my rug in the living room. I have food grade DE but have not yet put it down. Should I get anything else? My vet said she uses raid spray on the house (keeps animals away for several hours) I am nervous about using something like that.

Since she's so little, I'd be very careful with both bleach, food grade DE, etc.

TCS has this article that might be helpful: How To Treat Fleas In Young Kittens

You could also post in Grooming & General Cat Care for more replies on the flea situation.

Last question, for now! Her poops were firm when she arrived but they’re getting softer by the day. They also smell h o r r i b l e.

Did the vet give her a dewormer? That can cause looser stools, I think. As can worms, though you said the vet said she didn't have any.

Since you're a new cat parent, I'll post the links to some more TCS articles you might find helpful:

First-time Cat Owner's Guide | TheCatSite
9 Tips That Will Help Your Kitten Adapt To A New Apartment | TheCatSite
Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips | TheCatSite

How To Choose The Right Food For Your Cat | TheCatSite
Choosing The Right Food For Your Cat - Part 2 | TheCatSite

Oh, and about a name, I like both Winnie and Poppy.

 

[danteshuman]

Hi, she is a (tabby) calico & adorable!

Since she is being raised with dogs, she should do well with them. Just give her cat trees and ban the dogs from the place where she eats (?on the counter) & where she uses the litter box (it can make her nervous to use her boxes & dogs sometimes eat cat poop )

About the fleas. When we got the minions (3 kittens that were 4 weeks old) we took them to the vet. The vet told us to put only one drop of Cheristin on each kitten (with vet approval!) by 11 weeks we were giving them two drops each but again follow your vet’s advice. So if she still has fleas I would call your vet about flea medication or the one drop method. Dawn doesn’t kill fleas more than baby shampoo does. Suds up the kitten (in a nice 85F room) & hold the kitten still all soaped up for 5 minutes to kill the fleas. Wash her bedding every week & vacuum daily.

With her name I personally think cats come with a name. So just get to know her & keep trying out names until you find one that fits.

Kittens should stay with their mom & siblings until they are 12 weeks old. Even at 12 weeks it is best to adopt kittens in pairs if you don’t already have a resident cat. So getting her a kitten buddy would be ideal. She might have left her bff behind where you. Adopted her. Nick & Jackie we’re bff when we got them at 1 month old. At 18 months old they are still bff. Plus they love to rough house/wrestle while their sister watches. In fact my hyper boy Jackie (white/grey) needs a day or two with his brother (Nick, black) or he gets extra troublesome/destructive. When we miss a weekend, both boys start getting extra aggressive with their humans or Nick starts attacking his sister (the fluffy one)

Take lots of pictures & videos. They grow up so fast!

 

[Swttea]

She was already separated from everyone when I got her I would have preferred she stayed longer, but the lady I got her from had gotten her without asking her husband first and had to give her away. I am not sure MY husband will let me get another one! So far she seems to be adjusting very well that’s also probably why she’s taken to my pup so quickly. She loves to cuddle in her tail.

For dewormer, no. The vet said if there was something not showing up on the fecal test the advantage multi should handle it, unless it’s tapeworms which she did not see and I have not saw in any of her poops. The soft poop started shortly after introducing the new foods. Just not sure how long I should wait and see if she’ll adjust to it!

She’s got a super cat tree already! I have bought her so many things already.

 

[danteshuman]

Sounds like she is staying!

Some cats bond dogs closely with their doggy family members, they think they are a dog. Some cats even make barking noises.

As for loose stools, try giving her a little bit of gerber rice cereal (or some overcooked & mushed up white rice) blended into her wet food. You can always give her baby food in Turkey/chicken/ham as long as it is onion & garlic free. Baby food 1/2 & 1/2 with water or unflavored pedialite can work as a good way to hydrate sick kitties. Dog bone broth or fancy feast broths works to. Cats can’t eat onion or garlic so you just have to read the ingredients.

I’m sad to hear about her rough start. The poor dear! It is a relief to hear she at least has found a responsible & loving new family! Since she was yanked from her family (who knows when) I would suggest you make a new family rule that everyone MUST follow: toys not hands!!! Kittens who lose their families to early often play yo rough with their humans or fo not feel the need to moderate how hard they claw/bite. There is nothing like a sibling biting the kitten to hard to teach The kitten that it hurts when they bite! So your goal is to teach your kitten that humans are poor fur less creatures that are easily harmed, with paper thin skin! How? You must over-react to the slightest hint of claw or teeth by hissing/a firm no/or my preferred high pitch wailing ooooooowwwwwwww then ignoring your baby girl for 5 minutes. You just keep doing it every time. ...., I may have done to good a job training Jackie because he ‘attacks’ my legs when I’m in the toilet but is so gently with his claws that he doesn’t hurt me or scratch me. I still correct him (so he doesn’t get in the habit of attacking humans.) But Jackie is a very hyper stubborn kitty. I finally gave up and just started keeping some wand toys next to the toilet. because Jackie misses his brother I wrestle with him by putting my hand under a thick blanket (but I have to let him win or he sulks ) When the boys are together they play hard (& Jackie usually looses.) BTW cats can learn tricks & walk on a harness. So clicker training her might win over your husband. Cats are food motivated & dogs want to please you (& get the treat/praise!) I taught all 3 kittens high 10 or ‘up’ by 11 weeks old ...., if I had clicker trained them I would have gotten them to do a high 5 instead of up

About her name. You can look up names that mean something. Cami/Camille was named that because she has a warrior spirit. My mom liked how that sounded So priestess of the warrior it is. Nick was named after St. Nicholas (the Patton saint of reformed thieves) because he stole my heart. Jackie well he responded to anything ending in an ie sound. It was a tie between Jaimie or Jackie. I like to think my acrobatic twerp is named after Jackie Chen besides Jack looks kinda feminine. At first glance everyone thinks he is a girl. In the past I have named cats after movies or book charters. I named Sarah after the Old Little Princess movie Because she was orphaned at 10 days old. With her name came the promise that she was no longer lost & had found her forever home, never to be lost again.

 

[tabbytom]

Swttea and new kitty, on behalf of The Catsite community, a warm

to both of you.

So glad that you’ve joined this wonderful site and you are in the right place for all things cat and this site is loaded with tons of rich resources and you’ll find friendly and helpful cats around and many of our cats are very knowledgeable in cat related stuffs.

Thank you for adopting this pretty cute kitty and for giving her a warm and fur-ever loving home and a safe sanctuary to live out her life

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Enjoy your stay and see ya around

 

[Mamanyt1953]

WELCOME to both you and little Whatsherface! Yep, she's a little tabbico (calico coloring with tabby markings), and she's adorable!

Whatever you name her, she's going to light up your life! And drive you a little nuts...think of a puppy that can climb...

 

[Swttea]

Thank you everyone!!

About the biting, I got my dog (Missy, by the way) as a 12 week old puppy but she had noooooo manners with play biting. So i’ve been down that road with puppy teeth anyway Much the same advice. Remove play & redirect. So far we haven’t had to do this with kitten. Only a few times has she bitten a little too hard and only when we scratch her belly. It’s hard to tell if she enjoys that or think it’s okay or hates it. She’ll pretty much immediately grab your hand with all paws and chomp but also protest if you try to move it away. So we don’t touch her belly unless she’s sleepy lol. Otherwise biting is rare for now and what starts as a bite often turns into a lick. I will definitely redirect to toys and move away if she starts doing it more. I don’t play with her with hands much either, I try to always have a toy unless i’m scratching on something to get her attention.

Harness and walks are something we want to do! I don’t think i’ll ever be comfy letting her outside on her own even if she “learns” to stay in the fenced back. I am just a worry wort. So a harness would be great. A co worker gave us a kitten one but she is still too small for it. Tricks sound fun too! She so far isn’t very interest in treats i’ve gotten. She loves her wet food though.

 

[danteshuman]

The belly attacks sound like play. Often a cat will lay on their side and the other cat will ‘attack’ the cat lying down. Tail twitches indicate kitty is getting over stimulated. Stretching out on their back, showing you their belly is a TRAP! Might I suggest a large & small kickeroo for her to bite & bunny kick? (Not sure what size will fit her.) or an d sock stuffed with socks?

When it comes to harness training her, try baby food or other treats (she gets a lick off the spoon when she hears a click.) Jackson Galaxy did a video on clicker training. You can try little soup or freeze dried cut up salmon bits as a treat.

If I wasn’t renting I would do the purfect fence that adds a fence topper do your cat can’t escape your yard. Even though the harness is to small, you can still train her to start wearing her harness. You put it on, take it off & give her a treat. Then put it on her, distract her with toys or treats, then take the harness off & give her treats. The first trick you might want to teach her is to come when you call her. I have an escape artist. I just walk calmly & follow him for a few minutes. Then I pick him up and cuddle him (instead of ringing his neck) and put him back in his harness. I rarely take him straight in & never punish him because I want to be able to catch him. He is currently learning to stay in his fenceless ‘yard’ by not crossing the curb. He is getting it, he just gets so over excited in the hunt that he forgets. I trained my previous cat to stay in the backyard with supervision so it is possible!

Oh and expect her to teeth just like a puppy! Chew sticks, silvervine sticks & even jumbo straws (just replace frequently... they can gnaw through the straw.) Some people even collect the baby teeth. I bought the kittens the teething cat toys but they didn’t want them.

 

[minish]

Rabbit harness (or ferret I guess) can fit kittens. As chewtoy I used sisal rope (small snake size, wiggled to be grabbed). Minish is 5 now she still grabs the hangings from her sisal post when she wants to bite and play hard.
Scratching is also better shaped as soon as possible. Minish was about 10 weeks old when we found her. There were stay over guests in the house. When she jumped into slippers everyone was cheering up on how adorable. The habit stuck, she still uses my slippers for scratching although she has tons of posts around.
Occasional diarrhea is OK she's getting used to different foods. Probiotics or Greek yoghurt is great for cats as well as us for digestive system you can give small amounts if she likes it.
Wonderful times wait ahead, good luck and have fun all the way!

 

[neely]

Welcome to TCS! I'm glad you joined the forum. Thank you for adopting and giving your new kitten her forever home. The pic of your kitty cuddling up with Missy is absolutely adorable. I love it when cats and dogs become best friends. If you ever want to post pics of Missy please feel free to do it in this forum: Other Pets & Animals
Regarding a name, I like your first choice of Winnie. Please keep us posted about your final decision and also post pics as your girl grows up.

 

[aliceneko]

Aw, she is so beautiful! I think Poppy would be a really sweet choice for her.

 

[Elphaba09]

I like Poppy, too!

I don’t play with her with hands much either, I try to always have a toy unless i’m scratching on something to get her attention.

Make sure you touch her paws often and get her used to that so trimming her nails will be easier.

 

[tabbysia]

Beautiful little kitty, but if her poop is soft and smells that bad, it sounds like coccidia, an intestinal parasite. The past three kittens that I have adopted over the years (one from a shelter and two from foster homes) have come home with it. It is very contagious and pretty common with animals in a group setting. It doesn't always show up in a fecal test because it sheds in the stool intermittedly.

 

[minish]

Make sure you touch her paws often and get her used to that so trimming her nails will be easier.

paws, teeth and gums, ears, soft brushing will make her handle and care much easier when she discovers "personal space".
All of this should be done during resting time, i.e. right before she goes to sleep so that she doesnt regard them as invitations for rough play.

 

[Swttea]

Hi everyone!!
I hope you like pictures...
I am happy to announce.. her name is WINNIE!
We're doing well. I finally got all of her things I'd ordered delivered from Chewy. With Covid, it took a really long time to get here. She was getting packages nearly daily. She loves her new cove bed, and hammock post!

Now I felt pretty guilty buying kitty all these things and not my pup... so she is now the owner of a new bed

...I think she liked it?

Missy & Winnie seem to be getting along very well. Winnie likes to cuddle up in her tail. The guest room in my house in reality is Missys room... she has her own bed and everything But if Missy goes in there, Winnie usually follows her and sits on the bed with her. Sometimes they'll play up there. I was watching them from a distance not wanting to interrupt yesterday and caught this...

I have a question. At what point would you let a kitten have free roam of the house? At this point, I don't trust her not to get into trouble while we are asleep lol. So we have been locking us all in the bedroom at night. It's getting a bit cramped with 2 animals, 2 people, cat towers, food bowls, water bowls! Winnie usually runs around like a crazy kitten for a bit, then pounces on our feet under the covers, then cuddles between us to go to sleep. She'll either stay there or go to her cat tree. I often wake up to this look as she is ready for me to get up and feed her

The belly attacks sound like play. Often a cat will lay on their side and the other cat will ‘attack’ the cat lying down. Tail twitches indicate kitty is getting over stimulated. Stretching out on their back, showing you their belly is a TRAP! Might I suggest a large & small kickeroo for her to bite & bunny kick? (Not sure what size will fit her.) or an d sock stuffed with socks?

When it comes to harness training her, try baby food or other treats (she gets a lick off the spoon when she hears a click.) Jackson Galaxy did a video on clicker training. You can try little soup or freeze dried cut up salmon bits as a treat.

If I wasn’t renting I would do the purfect fence that adds a fence topper do your cat can’t escape your yard. Even though the harness is to small, you can still train her to start wearing her harness. You put it on, take it off & give her a treat. Then put it on her, distract her with toys or treats, then take the harness off & give her treats. The first trick you might want to teach her is to come when you call her. I have an escape artist. I just walk calmly & follow him for a few minutes. Then I pick him up and cuddle him (instead of ringing his neck) and put him back in his harness. I rarely take him straight in & never punish him because I want to be able to catch him. He is currently learning to stay in his fenceless ‘yard’ by not crossing the curb. He is getting it, he just gets so over excited in the hunt that he forgets. I trained my previous cat to stay in the backyard with supervision so it is possible!

Oh and expect her to teeth just like a puppy! Chew sticks, silvervine sticks & even jumbo straws (just replace frequently... they can gnaw through the straw.) Some people even collect the baby teeth. I bought the kittens the teething cat toys but they didn’t want them.

kickeroo looks very cute!! I will certainly get one. The Purfect Fence looks really interesting, that might be something to look into someday. We just bought our house last year, and it is the first time we have a fenced yard..well, most of it. The back fence seems unsuitable, it is more of a short brick wall, with trees, and "livestock" fencing entrangled. The side fencing is typical privacy fence, but for some reason, one side is... not very privacy. There is a gap at after each panel, like ... I don't know.. they wanted to save on wood or something lol. I'd have to fix that, too.

I would love to teach her to come. So far, I have NOT found a sound/anything that makes her come to me! The best I get is, when I am gone for a bit and come back I'll say "where are youuu?" and she'll come running shortly after but I think that is more because I came back lol. Clapping, meowing, tongue clicking.. nothing haves her come to me at the moment.

I collected my puppys baby teeth. I have them somewhere.

Rabbit harness (or ferret I guess) can fit kittens. As chewtoy I used sisal rope (small snake size, wiggled to be grabbed). Minish is 5 now she still grabs the hangings from her sisal post when she wants to bite and play hard.
Scratching is also better shaped as soon as possible. Minish was about 10 weeks old when we found her. There were stay over guests in the house. When she jumped into slippers everyone was cheering up on how adorable. The habit stuck, she still uses my slippers for scratching although she has tons of posts around.
Occasional diarrhea is OK she's getting used to different foods. Probiotics or Greek yoghurt is great for cats as well as us for digestive system you can give small amounts if she likes it.
Wonderful times wait ahead, good luck and have fun all the way!

She already wants to play with husbands shoes. We've been putting them up! My drapes are another story, not sure how to deter that. She was climbing the ones in the kitchen today, that go infront of my sliding door.

Beautiful little kitty, but if her poop is soft and smells that bad, it sounds like coccidia, an intestinal parasite. The past three kittens that I have adopted over the years (one from a shelter and two from foster homes) have come home with it. It is very contagious and pretty common with animals in a group setting. It doesn't always show up in a fecal test because it sheds in the stool intermittedly.

I'm happy to announce her poops are back to normal! They still STINK, but now it doesn't linger SO much. And they're back to dark, hard-ish, and formed, no more soft stool.

 

[Swttea]

Is there a way to edit post I'm not aware of?
I have a fewww more photos I wanted to share...

Climbing my fireplace...

 

[Haily Archer]

she looks alot like my cat my cat is an october baby and her name is jinx i think a name that would suit your little kitty would be Clover. what do you think and here is a picture of my kitty

 

[danteshuman]

Has far as training a cat to come .... try training her to come to a specific place.... & the right bribe works! Jackie loves to escape out of the front door when he visits Nana and goes running. After trying to walk behind him for 20 minutes with my walker (recovering thank goodness) I just couldn’t keep chasing him. I tried treats didn’t work. So I opened a can of wet food (with the threat of his siblings getting it) & the little stinker walks right to the door & inside! A week ago I decided to train Jackie to get on his cat tree to get his harness in/out. We come in & I was going to feed him dinner (took the harness off in the kitchen) & he prances over your hus cat tree & waits for his treat. 2 weeks of daily treats & one off day proved that he had learned it. Coming yo you could mean inside. Treats, toys, pets or even a bath. However coming to a specific place just means a positive reward .... it might help your reluctant kitty. You could even train your cat to come to a chair or bench by the door.... so your cat doesn’t feel like they are giving up outside time for treats. (If you have an escape artist like mine )

I love the picture of Winnie laying up against Missy’s stomach! (2nd one down.) That looks like something to frame!

Oh & it was sweet of you to get Missy a new bed! It looks like she loves it!