My first kitten, How do I show him I love him Options

[Zazzles]

Hi cat lovers i have never had a pet before but I've just got one and could do with some tips on how to care for my baby I have a new kitten he is 12 weeks old and i had him for one week he dose'nt like us as he is always running away from us what would I do??? I have to say he dose love my bed and jumps on it in the middle of the night and hugs my feet but when I move he runs away. He also does'nt Eat all that much (I feed him dry food and I've been putting water to soften it up a bit for him. So if u could give me some tips on how to care for my little zazzles it would help thankz

[ChocolateDots]

Congratulations on you new addition. Don't approach or reach for him, let him come to you. One way is to sit on the floor and play with teasers or other toys. He may not have been handled much when young and will take a while to get used to you.

You should also confine him a bit, so he's not got a whole house to content with while settling in.

Adding water to dry food causes bacteria to grow, you're better off leaving it dry and feeding him some tinned food a few times a day.

[Zazzles]

U for ur reply He dose not like the toys I got him at all he has been coming up to me so I'm happy he is starting to trust me but now I have a new problem he has bright red blood in his poo and it's runnie what do I do could it be nothing or should I take him to the vet just to be on the safe side hope for some advice back thanks

[ChocolateDots]

Some dry foods can cause blood in stool, I'd watch him and if no better then take him
back to the vet

Has he been properly wormed too?

[Zazzles]

Yes he has been wormed and has had all the shots I got him from claws and paws rescue and I would think that would do all that I changed his food today so I hope that helps and I just wanted to thank you chocolatedots you are so helpful and I'm very grateful

[kennyc]

I just got my new kitten last Thursday. I confined him to one room and just sat there and played with his toys and he came running to me.
Now he sleeps on my bed under my covers and i just let him come to me, just sit there and let him explor.

[Zazzles]

Well I have to say zazzles is now feeling at home with us he is coming to us and is not running away every time we walk by and he loves sleeping on my hip when I'm asleep he is eating well and has no blood in his poo so all in all he is a happy kitty I must say he hates bath time but what can u do he is an indoor kitty so he won't need many

[lynh]

Hi, congratulations on becoming a pet owner, and I'm very pleased that it doesn't seem to have taken long for Zazzles to feel at home. Once they know who mum or dad (or both) is, and who provides the food, and where the warmest place is to sleep, it doesn't take a smart cat too long to come around. He's been de-sexed I assume?

I would feed him a mixture of dry and wet, and the wet should include a little raw meat - beef, kangaroo, chicken are all worth trying him on. Bones must always be raw. Many cats love raw chicken necks or wings.

I'm glad you are going to keep him indoors. If you ever change your mind about that, sent a post to get opinions, as these days it's pretty dangerous, especially if you live in a built up area, city or large town. And you won't need to bath him too often, 99% of cats do a brilliant job of keeping themselves clean. You'll probably find he loves a nice brush - it's a good way to bond with him, plus gets rid of loose fur, and knots if he is a long hair.

Fusses to Zazzles - post a picture if you can.

"Happiness is being owned by a cat".

"Dogs have owners, cats have slaves".

[Zazzles]

Hi lynh should I desex him I didnt think it would be a problem as he is an indoor kitty please don't tell me he is going to start humping my leg like a dog haha please get back to me thanks

[ChocolateDots]

Won't hump your leg probably but will spray very strong urine all around the house.

He's old enough now to be desexed, so long as he weighs 1kg. Kittens recover so quick too, bounce out the carrier like nothing has happened.

[kittenmitten]

If he is entire he will almost certainly start exhibiting undesirable Tom cat behavior before he is 1 year old - he will yell his head off to let ladies know he us available he will mark his territory with very string stud stink and will almost certainly want to get out. Not to mention health risks if he does and gets into a fight. All things considered would not hesitate in getting him neutered if it were me. It is a very simple surgery fir theboys. They bounce back quickly from it and he will stay a nice sooky boy content to be at hone and nit a possible aggressive stinky boy desperatebti escape. IMHO unless you are a registered breeder there is no need to have any household pet as other than a Spey or neuter. - all of my pets are desexed and the entires have a 2-3 litter limit on them remaining entire

[lynh]

Hi, yes, do get him desexed - he'll make a much nicer pet and if he ever manages to sneak out of the house he won't be fathering any unwanted litters, and is much more likely to return home for his dinner, rather than going out and chasing "tail".

Is he ruling the house yet?

[Zazzles]

Oh yes he is king of the house and my bed my hubby hates it he can't even hug me without getting hissed at like I said he loves to sleep on my hip by the way dose anyone know how much it costs to have him desexed and zazzles has a bad habit of pooing in my room and peeing on my bed and he is or should I say was trained to go in the litter box I even put the litter box in my room in hopes he will remember to go in it if u have any tips PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!

[lynh]

The cost of de-sexing can depend upon where you live. If you only have one vet available to you easily, it is likely to be fairly expensive, even for a male. If you live in an area where there are a few vets, phone around for the best price. Males are usually less expensive than females, but I honestly can't tell you. 7 years ago when I had FEMALES desexed the cheapest quote was $120 (the most expensive $250), but I'm sure prices have gone up quite a lot since then. Luckily it turned out that the cheapest quote was also with the best vet!!!

If you have financial difficulties, sometimes the RSPCA and rescues may have de-sexing vouchers to help you out, but you'll have to phone around to find out - the RSPCA themselves may have the best price, if you happen to live close to one of their main branches with vet facilities.

If Zazzles was using the litter bowl OK before, but isn't now, I think perhaps de-sexing him MIGHT help, although he is still very young for it to be affecting him - he may be jealous of your hubby and is registering his indignation, or he may have had a big fright using his bowl so is now going where he feels safe.

Always make sure his litter bowl is VERY clean and scooped out regularly in case he doesn't like dirty bowls, get him a second one so he can pee and poo in separate bowls as he might prefer to do that, and failing that get a divorce!! :(

Just kidding......though he could be jealous - don't punish him, but perhaps start putting him on his litter immediately after meals so he might get the idea of where he is supposed to go, and you may like to try using Feliway diffusers or put a few drops of Rescue Remedy in his water bowl or a couple of drops behind his ears to calm him down.

This problem may take a while to sort out, so be patient - fellow forum members may have better ideas to put forward as well.

[kittenmitten]

at this age, unlikely to be male behaviour, more likely stress related, in which case back to basics, and he will soon be back to normal. Desexing will probably be about $150, although far cheaper than any bills you will get when he gets out and gets into fights, which he will inevitably do if you leave him entire

[Zazzles]

I have been taking him to the litter box after he feeds and he dose go it's just when I'm asleep that is the problem u see my hubby goes to work about 4 and wakes zazz up and I think that's when he poos in my room I've asked my man to take zazzles to the box but he will not go and runs back into our room I clean his box the second he poos coz I don't like the smell I just don't know what to do I mean I tryed to have the box in my room and he just won't go in it. I will however be getting him desexed my hubby dose not like the idear of it thou it must be a guy thing hehehe anyway thanks hope to hear back

P.S what is rescue remedy???

[lynh]

Hi again,

Sorry, I should have explained. Rescue Remedy is a "natural remedy" - you can buy it from most pharmacies I think, and I could be wrong but I think it is made from various flowers (Bach flower perhaps - I can't remember and I don't have any to hand to check). It's actually sold to treat stressed out humans, but a few drops in a cat's water bowl or rubbed behind their ears can calm them down.

If you manage to purchase some, you may need to Google the product to see how much to use for a cat. I really can't remember, but it's not all that much so works out fairly economical. It is certainly much more economical than Feliway - neither is guaranteed to work, but at least not too much money gets wasted if the Rescue Remedy doesn't work!!

I believe that when you wash your bedding, or any other area that has been soiled by a cat that you need to use "biological" detergent, whatever that is, because it gets rid of the odours that attract animals back to the same spot over and over. You'll need to Google this too, because (touch wood!!), I've never had this issue.

Best of luck. Zazzles sounds lovely, and his name is really cute too.

[catsmyth]

So cute! You should post a pic of the kitty!

My advice with kittens is probably to give them space at first. Each cat has its own personality, so give him/her attention when she looks like she needs it! One of my cats, Cindy was really anti-social at first, but like people, they grow up and get over it at some point. Not sure if it's true for all cats though.

Good luck!