New here, new cat vocals

[SueAndHerZoo]

Hi there.
You would think I would know these answers but I'm not too proud to admit that I need help and feedback. I am the supervisor at our local humane society and am often asked to foster the very sick kittens. Not surprisingly, I have recently become a failed foster so as much as I know about the medical treatments and care of shelter cats, I haven't actually had one as part of my household in over 20 years. Things are MUCH different now than when I used to own cats. Back then you picked them up free on a street corner, you didn't always spay and vaccinate, and you let them go outdoors when they wanted to. WOW - things have changed (for the better).

I've just about resolved the eye issues as best I can (combination of herpes, scarring, and a congenital defect in one of them where she will probably never have good vision) and the battle with ringworm is 99% conquered, but the latest fecal exam showed giardia so Panacur begins today. But it's the kitten behavior that I'm confused about and want to do everything as "right" as possible. She was a lone, very cold and sick kitten found outdoors by a good samaritan. So she hasn't really been around any other kittens (or at least not for the majority of her life) and she is very attached to me. I spend as much cuddle time and play time with her as possible, and she has free roam of three different bedrooms to break up the boredom, but I won't give her free roam of the house until I am 100% sure my dogs will not hurt her. She is very vocal. I think she is meowing and chirping a lot to say "hey, I know you're out there, let me out of this room!" and I do whenever possible (I have a dog crate set up in the living room where she can play and observe while we are all watching TV in the evening) but she's even crying a lot in there regardless of how many toys, chewies, treats, etc. she has with her. I know she wants to run free down here but I can't let that happen yet.

I'm sure I'm not alone with this but I can't stand hearing her chirp and meow - I always feel like I need to immediately jump into action and do something about it. Am I ruining her? LOL Should I learn to tolerate a little meowing and let her know I can't always jump to meet her demands? Or do I continue to be at her beckon call each time she vocalizes in the hopes that this is temporary? I don't want to "spoil" her and turn her into an impossible adult, but I don't want to ignore her vocals if she's trying to tell me something. I guess I will get to know the different cries at some point but I can't stand hearing any animal cry out, which is probably why I have two very spoiled dogs.

Sorry this was so long, if you're still here - thanks for reading my mini-novel.
Sue

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. How young is this kitten and how long have you had her? If she is still fairly young, and with all that she has been through so far, me - being the sucker that I am - would probably cater to her. She is probably looking for cuddling and closeness. Is there a way to see if she will stay with you on the couch during TV time? Or, perhaps, let her do a bit of roaming in that room if you can block the dogs from the area for just a little while?

The farther she gets her health issues behind her, the longer she is in your home, and the more she matures will all likely lead to her being a little more independent and little less needy.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Hi. How young is this kitten and how long have you had her? If she is still fairly young, and with all that she has been through so far, me - being the sucker that I am - would probably cater to her. She is probably looking for cuddling and closeness. Is there a way to see if she will stay with you on the couch during TV time? Or, perhaps, let her do a bit of roaming in that room if you can block the dogs from the area for just a little while?

The farther she gets her health issues behind her, the longer she is in your home, and the more she matures will all likely lead to her being a little more independent and little less needy.

Thank you for your reply! I believe I brought her into my home at the end of October (so I've had her two months now) and according to her weight, we estimated her to be about 6 weeks old. When I took her for a vet visit a week later he examined her mouth and teeth and determined that she was 4 months old - she was drastically underweight. She's catching up, but I'm still trying to eradicate giardia so she's still not gaining as much as I'd like.

Yes, for the first 5 or 6 weeks of being here she spent a lot of time snuggling and cuddling with me on the recliner during TV time but for the past week or two, she's not content with that - she's forcibly trying to jump down and play with the dogs. I have debated containing them and letting her free roam for a while but I'm afraid that once I give her a taste of that she will never again be content to be confined to the three bedrooms. Also, until she is totally clear of her ringworm and giardia, no free-roaming where the dogs live.

I am totally a sucker and as a result I am never sitting still. I bought a "around the neck" pouch to carry her on my chest when I'm doing chores, and a sweatshirt with a cat carrier built in, but that doesn't pacify her anymore so I am constantly with her in one of the bedrooms or moving her from there to the living room dog crate. I can't handle hearing an animal whine or cry - thus, I am at their command and get frustrated at their demands which I am the one responsible for creating.
Sue

 

[FeebysOwner]

Sounds like she is ready to 'rock-n-roll' and doing well - too bad the ringworm/giardia isn't resolved! Keep doing what you are doing, maybe occasionally just give her a pet on the head and tell her everything is OK and then let her be - just so she starts to get the idea that not every time she whines will she get her way. And, apparently, that will mean suffering through some noisy sessions.

I just can't advocate for totally ignoring her given her circumstances. It isn't her fault that she has had illnesses to deal with the preclude her from being able to be the kitten she should be able to be. But, I do think that once she can get around and do normal 'kitten things', you will see the whining stop!

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Thanks again. I like that idea - I will continue to respond to her "cat calls" but I will not go overboard each time I go to her. I like the idea of just a quick chat, quick cuddle, and back to amusing yourself for a while. I'm not sure if she will ever have total free roam of the house in the near future because one of my dogs is 160 pounds and even though I've been introducing them gradually and slowly over the past two months, someone his size could hurt her accidentally. He is a Saint Dane (life span is normally 7 years) but this guy is 8.5 right now and doing fairly well. But with big dogs, once they start to near the end, it usually happens pretty quickly. I'm obviously in no hurry to lose him but I will definitely feel better about the cat being loose when he's no longer with us. In the meantime I will continue to have packages arriving daily with new cat toys and accessories. They certainly are fun to shop for!

The other option I'm considering is bringing home another cat from the shelter so that she would always have a playmate and companion when I can't be here. But obviously that has to wait until the ringworm and Giardia are clear.... which hopefully will be within a week or two.
Sue

 

[FeebysOwner]

He is a Saint Dane (life span is normally 7 years) but this guy is 8.5 right now and doing fairly well. But with big dogs, once they start to near the end, it usually happens pretty quickly. I'm obviously in no hurry to lose him but I will definitely feel better about the cat being loose when he's no longer with us.

Once she gets a bit bigger/older - make sure she has cat trees/shelves to run to - she will be faster than your dog and will have some place to go that he can't! That is a better option that will allow you to hope for as many more days with your old guy as is possible!

The other option I'm considering is bringing home another cat from the shelter so that she would always have a playmate and companion when I can't be here. But obviously that has to wait until the ringworm and Giardia are clear.... which hopefully will be within a week or two

Are you prepared for TWO of these little things running around like crazy?!?!

 

[di and bob]

A companion would be a great idea, she would have someone to give her attention to when you can't. I would just get her ringworm and other conditions cleared up as fast as you can so she can have a little freedom. Once she can roam and interact the constant whining will quit. Huge dogs have interacted well with cats, cats are fast and agile and dodge most clumsy dogs. she is young and wants FREEDOM, so acknowledging her pain of confinement and paying a little extra attention to her when you can will go a long way.....PS I trained a cat killing hunting dog ( she was used to killing hunted game) to be best friends with a cat by keeping the dog constantly on a leash for several months and reprimanding her when she lunged at the kitten and giving her treats when she didn't react. it took a while but they did become friends and slept together. you might keep your dogs on a leash for a while when they are first introduced and see how it goes.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Once she gets a bit bigger/older - make sure she has cat trees/shelves to run to - she will be faster than your dog and will have some place to go that he can't! That is a better option that will allow you to hope for as many more days with your old guy as is possible!

Are you prepared for TWO of these little things running around like crazy?!?!

Hah! I have so much cat furniture, toys, accessories, etc. for this one tiny cat that it seems sinful not to bring in another cat to enjoy all this stuff! I've been on Amazon daily, not to mention all the stuff I bring home from the shelter when we have excess. We just assembled her 6 foot tall cat tree and I will get a couple more trees and cubbies for the living area before I let her roam free - great idea. But I still have some PTSD from watching a cat of mine get killed by a dog decades ago. The cat lived in the downstairs (different house) and the dog lived upstairs, and never the two met, until a visitor left the door open accidentally (unbeknown to me until it was too late). The dog saw the opportunity to venture downstairs, must have caught the cat off guard, and had her cornered. Before I could grab his collar he had her in his mouth, shook her hard, and it was over. OMG - such a horrible memory. I've already informed my husband that his "big dog" days are over - if it's more dog than I can comfortably control or restrain, it's not welcome here.

And yes, I would love two of these monsters jumping around the house - I've warned him that I may just become the crazy cat lady we all claim not to be.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

A companion would be a great idea, she would have someone to give her attention to when you can't. I would just get her ringworm and other conditions cleared up as fast as you can so she can have a little freedom. Once she can roam and interact the constant whining will quit. Huge dogs have interacted well with cats, cats are fast and agile and dodge most clumsy dogs. she is young and wants FREEDOM, so acknowledging her pain of confinement and paying a little extra attention to her when you can will go a long way.....PS I trained a cat killing hunting dog ( she was used to killing hunted game) to be best friends with a cat by keeping the dog constantly on a leash for several months and reprimanding her when she lunged at the kitten and giving her treats when she didn't react. it took a while but they did become friends and slept together. you might keep your dogs on a leash for a while when they are first introduced and see how it goes.

Thank you for the ideas and support (and encouragement). I have read about trying to let her roam while the dog is on a leash, and I am willing to do that, BUT.... the cat is very interested in the dog and constantly wants to get to him. So even if the dog is at my feet on a short leash, my fear is that as soon as the cat runs over and taps him on the nose, he will take a bite before anyone can react. I can't risk putting this cat in danger, even though I do let them be nose to nose (while I'm holding her) and I have put her on his back when he's on the couch, and now he gets up and walks away. I'm sure that's a good sign, but I'm not sure how a prey-driven dog will react when a small cat darts across the room. I hope I'll know when it's OK to try, but it's going to be nerve-wracking!

Maybe I should let the dog into one of the cat rooms I've created (yes, I gutted a spare bedroom (25 years worth of clutter) and turned it exclusively into a cat room with trees, toys, food, litter, Litter Genie, beds, etc. It also has a cat playpen in it for any new fosters or sick kitttens I take in. So if I let him get used to her movements in there maybe that would be safer - she can dart up the tree. I'm just scared to death of a dog ever cornering a cat again.
Sue

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

You might be surprised at how gentle a big dog can be with a little kitten. As a child, one of my friends and her sister found a pair of abandoned 5 week old kittens on their property. They brought them home and their big Rottweiler kind of adopted them. He would lick them, sleep with them, and didn't even bark or growl when they would occasionally steal a nugget or two of his kibble while he was eating.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

You might be surprised at how gentle a big dog can be with a little kitten. As a child, one of my friends and her sister found a pair of abandoned 5 week old kittens on their property. They brought them home and their big Rottweiler kind of adopted them. He would lick them, sleep with them, and didn't even bark or growl when they would occasionally steal a nugget or two of his kibble while he was eating.

That's what I'm hoping for, and when I brought home a tiny puppy 3 years ago, the giant dog was so patient and gentle with him . . . it was a beautiful site. I'm probably worried too much, but the fact that he could hurt her in a second and I could lose her just terrifies me. But I think you're probably right - she's been here two months and he has seen that she is a member of the family, NOT a rodent of some sort. Thanks for the reassurance.
Sue