Posted on 07/25/2004 6:02:18 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows
I seem to have adopted a stray kitten as an indoor cat. I've never had a cat in my life! (I do have a Jack Russell Terrier.) What do I do now?!
Introducing a kitten to a full grown dog usually works pretty well. Going the other way is not-so-good. I have a +70lb lab and a 10lb cat, and they are best buds.
Have fun.
1. Take to the vet for a tune-up (shots)
2.Get catnip
3.Enjoy
First, what does your doggy think of it?
She keeps trying to wash its face.
(Sorry for the slow responses - one arm is full of kitten.)
Vet is a given - Monday AM.
I have six cats. My husband calls me the cat woman. If there are any cat questions I can't answer, I know whom to ask. fire away.
I keep my cats indoors, they are all neutered or spayed, and declawed. It was either declaw them or not take them in. Since five of them were strays, declawing them seems to be the nicest way. Otherwise I couldn't have kept them. They are all loyal and each one has its own special personality. Kirby is all white and about 9 years old. Ollie is a blotched tabby and about 9. Stinky is bronze Egyptian Mau and is about 7. Jasmine is Siamese and about 5. Squirt is gray and white and about 5. Sammy is a kitty we adopted in 2002 in LA, he was found in a garage and was about 1 1/2 weeks old. He is all black and is now about 18 lbs. Fed him a bottle his first few weeks. ...he thinks I am his real mother.
Do not get the cat fixed and immediately get 10 more. Then close the curtains, doors and windows and have all groceries delivered. Do not......I repeat DO NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE for the next 30 or 40 years.
I believe Jack Russells were bred to hunt rabbitts. How about gluing a cotton ball on the kittens tail and observe what happens. Please report back to us.
We have a Weim and from what I had read on the web they are known to kill cats. But our Weim and cat get along just fine.
A cat has the capacity to escape from a dog. They can just jump up on something.
You'll probably have to watch, at first though, to make sure the Jack Russell is tolerant of the kitten.
Get a litter box and a big bag of good quality litter.
Put some newspapers under the litter box so your floor
is protected from flying litter grains.
Get a bag of good quality kitten chow. They don't eat a
whole lot, so spring for a good one. Put a little water
on it as kittens have a harder time chewing dry food for
a while. Kitten chow until it is a year old.
Get it a little bed of its own or YOU will be rooted out
of your own bed.
Get it a little viking outfit so it can be a ZOT viking
kitty on FR.
Our cats are older and will eat just about anything, but
we still keep them adult dry food in one of those big old
automatic feeders where they can eat when they get ready
and we don't have to think of it every day.
You will soon have to share your chicken and hamburgers, so
don't kid yourself.
Litterbox, food, etc. - one Walmart trip away.
Introduce dog to cat - how, please?
New cat in your house? Move!
Ha, that's what I was going to post. You're as warped as I am. LOL.
Get a $3 toy called a Cat Dancer. You can pick on up at Pet Smart or online from Pet Smart.
This is every cat's favorite toy.
you will get different opinions on declawing. i won't do it ever again. years ago i declawed 2 kitties that i had. all 4 of my current buds have their claws and i even have a waterbed. no problems.
there is a spray that you can buy to spray on your furniture (it is expensive) that is a hormone of some type that keeps them from scratching or spraying. i never realized until recently that scratching is actually a form of marking their territory, too.
They hang out on my rear deck. Sometimes one or the other of them will disappear for days at a time. They always come back though, acting like nothing is out of the ordinary.
Get the Tom's fixed and they will stick around. Get the females fixed and you won't wind up with more cats than you know what to do with.
You have all the advice you need. For the first few months, kittens LOVE to play with toys and chase things. Tie (anything) to the end of a 3' string and cast/troll it across the floor. Good exercise for both of you.
Or if you have a laserpointer, (careful here!!!) let the kitty chase the dot of light around the room. Just don't let the laser shine into the kitty's eyes.
We've had several cats, and have 3 in-house now. We've always de-clawed. I kinda like my furniture and draperies.
Ping!
Dogs have Masters,
Cats have Attendants
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