Fished a kitten out of our pool last Monday. Need some advice.

fionasmom

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Given that all of this is temporary and not the new addition to your house, you might be able to keep expanding the gate upward for the time being with the wood/cardboard/plexiglass you have been using. Some people temporarily install screen doors but I get it that you may not want to do that.

I am currently in the situation of introducing a young male (neutered) to an older male and we are opening and closing doors as well.
 
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Alldara

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I'm not sure. She may just be the runt. Our pool is above ground, she climbed a trellis to get up (we assume?) Which makes me wonder if she was abandoned. We live in an area with coyotes so sadly a lot of cats and kittens get picked off and with her being so little.

How long is it safe to leave the wet food out? I'm getting lots of opinions online. The first few days I left it out all night and all day just because she was SO small but lately I've been doing 1-2 hours at most.

Edit: I can definitely feel divots between each rib and vertebrae so she's definitely underweight.
I leave mine out "too long" for these grazers. Usually 4 or so hours.

Edit: I will add, I feed them at night before I go to bed and have no idea when they eat the food. It's wet and it's left out. I have no run in to any issue with this and am feeding commercial canned food, not a raw diet.
 

Meowmee

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You need to get a another litter box for luna and keep jiji in a room by herself for now. Don’t let her around your dog, it is too risky and she is escaping. It looks like she could walk through those bars too. Kittens can climb over everything at that age.
 
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robertskitty

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Just another quick update. Installed a new MUCH taller baby gate today. Jiji hasn't got a chance to clear it for a good bit. Still waiting to see if Luna will jump in and out okay.

In other news harness training is well underway. She didn't love it at first but after a few hours she settled in. (Here in Oklahoma I feel like harness training is a requirement. Generally our cats will need to be evacuated for tornado risks at least once in their lives and just in case that displacement lasts more than a few hours it's important the cats can safely explore.)

Enjoy some pictures!
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Meowmee

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Just another quick update. Installed a new MUCH taller baby gate today. Jiji hasn't got a chance to clear it for a good bit. Still waiting to see if Luna will jump in and out okay.

In other news harness training is well underway. She didn't love it at first but after a few hours she settled in. (Here in Oklahoma I feel like harness training is a requirement. Generally our cats will need to be evacuated for tornado risks at least once in their lives and just in case that displacement lasts more than a few hours it's important the cats can safely explore.)

Enjoy some pictures!
View attachment 427163View attachment 427164View attachment 427165
Aww so cute, love the harness 😻
 

fionasmom

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You are really smart to do this safety training in case you ever need it. She looks adorable and so happy to have a home.
 
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robertskitty

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Harness training continues but I had to post this picture. First time falling asleep in my arms 💜💜💜

She has her second round of kitten shots today and will be doing some socializing before and after. I had several appointments today that all got cancelled so hers is my only one left.

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robertskitty

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Question time! Jiji, or as we lovingly call her "the certifiable issue" is now able to vertically jump over 45" to clear the new baby gate. (I spent 45$ and it kept her contained less than 2 weeks) :gaah:

Thankfully at the moment she kind of 'forgets' she can do that and will just jump at the gate but not really get the whole way up, unless it is meal time in which case she is over it in a heartbeat. My question is, is 12 weeks old too young to have the run of the house? I still see her as that tiny little thing I fished out of the pool. I've already 'kitten proofed' as if there is such a thing. Outside just closing the whole door to the room, which we do at night and when we are not home, I am out of ideas on how to contain this little jumping bean.

Also, a random question. She tends to be much more cuddly and affectionate when she is in her harness. I know they make harnesses for dogs that make them feel safe. Is there a chance she feels the same way in hers or is it more likely it restricts movement just enough she can't ping pong off the walls so she decides a cuddle is a good section choice? As thanks, please enjoy the attached picture of my cuddle bug.
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Sarthur2

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She is not too young to have the run of the house, especially if you’ve kitten proofed it.

She should not wear her harness in the house on a regular basis as it can restrict her movement or catch on something.

Any chance you can return that $45 gate? I never advise buying tents or gates because kittens outgrown them so fast!
 

Alldara

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R robertskitty the harness could for sure be helpful with anxiety for her. Magnus loves wearing his too. He won't take it off when we bring him in something. You can get her a Thunder-jacket if you like or stick with her harness.

You can out her in a room with a closed door at night and when you go out. Either with you, or in another room, with litter and water (and dare I add - some food/food enrichment).

12 weeks is fine when supervised. That's how you'll be able to tell when she can have the run of the house because she'll stop getting in to things. Best for after play so she's not too rambunctious.
Magnus is 2 and he's only just gotten the run of the home a few months ago. Calcifer also has run of the home since 7 months. So it's cat dependant as well as your ability to cat-proof to your specific cat. Nobel had run of the house at 15 weeks, but it was an apartment and storage area had a door.
 

fionasmom

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Thundershirts are a little closer fitting than the cute harness that she has on in the picture, so less likely to catch on something. I wonder if she would like a surgical recovery suit which is light weight and form fitting. I would not leave anything on all the time, but I do remember that you said she has to be harness and leash trained in case of tornados.
 
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