Well when I first got my kitty he was barely 4 weeks old, had no teeth, and could fit in my shirt pocket. A stray had gotten into the ceiling of the campus and had a litter up there.
Liter training him didn't take very long. Only about 3 weeks before it wasn't a problem anymore. At first he would use a corner of the room. To break him of this I would pick him up, sit him in the liter box, and wipe his rear with a wet paper towel. Can't remember where I read to do that but it worked very well. Within a 3 weeks he was totally liter trained.
As far as the declawing bit. I worked some long hours. A primary reason I accepted a cat rather than getting a puppy is cats are much better at amusing themselves (he had several perches and toys). I did not have the time to properly train him to use a scratching post. Hence... the claws went. I was not going to have my leather furniture ruined. I had him done all at once. Neutered and declawed at the same time when he was 6 months old.
He's 18 months old now.
Liter training him didn't take very long. Only about 3 weeks before it wasn't a problem anymore. At first he would use a corner of the room. To break him of this I would pick him up, sit him in the liter box, and wipe his rear with a wet paper towel. Can't remember where I read to do that but it worked very well. Within a 3 weeks he was totally liter trained.
As far as the declawing bit. I worked some long hours. A primary reason I accepted a cat rather than getting a puppy is cats are much better at amusing themselves (he had several perches and toys). I did not have the time to properly train him to use a scratching post. Hence... the claws went. I was not going to have my leather furniture ruined. I had him done all at once. Neutered and declawed at the same time when he was 6 months old.
He's 18 months old now.
yukichigai
Diamond Member
- Apr 23, 2003
- 6,404
- 0
- 76
Okay, here is all the relevant information I've learned over the years when it comes to cats.
1) Litterbox training: Getting a cat to use the litterbox is probably the easiest thing to do if you get a kitten, rather than an adult cat. It's feline instinct to bury or otherwise cover any of their "leavings", so as not to spook any potential prey in the area. Most times you merely have to show the kitten where the catbox is once and they'll instinctively use it every time. To be sure, I usually pick up the kitten, gently set it down on the surface of the catsand while still holding it, then very gently pull its paws through the sand. (It's easier to just move the whole cat, just make sure their paws are touching the sand when you do) It seems that once they feel that easy-to-dig surface they instinctively know that's a good place to do their business.
Now in the worst case you may have one or two "incidents" with a young cat where they pick an inappropriate place to go. (I once had a cat go in my shorts after I dropped them on the floor to change clothes) In that instance you should bap the cat on the head (a light, quick tap) say "no" and quickly take it to the catsand. Even with the most difficult kittens I've only had to do that, max, three times. Once usually does the job if it ever happens.
Spaying/Neutering: If you own a male cat you pretty much have to get him neutered unless you particularly enjoy having every vertical surface in your house constantly coated in cat pee. One of the absolutely strongest feline instincts for males is the instinct to mark their territory, even if there are no other competitors around. While there is a slim chance you can train a male cat not to spray without neutering him, the real risk lies in the fact that 99% of the time once the cat starts spraying, they continue to spray, even if you neuter them later. That isn't to say it's not possible to keep an unneutered male that generally doesn't spray, but if you don't neuter the cat you will, inevitably, have to clean cat pee off something every few months on average.
For female cats it really comes down to two things: will the cat be going outside, and can you put up with the constant bitching they will do when they're in heat? If the cat is going to be going outside, at all, you'll need to get them spayed; female cats in heat will do just about anything to get laid, and what's worse is that sometimes the howling, ass-raising and other indicators of heat don't necessarily start up right as heat kicks in. You could let the cat out for a leisurely stroll and watch her bolt for the hills, returning a few days later with a couple buns in the oven. The other consideration is that when a cat is in heat they get really, really annoying. Female cats in heat can stay up for as long as 18 hours straight, howling the entire time. If you're very, very lucky that may occur when you're not sleeping. More likely you'll get woken up by a female cat rubbing, rolling, and headbutting against you because she wants attention.
Declawing: Declawing is one of those issues that is hotly debated amongst cat owners, and pet people in general. Let's ignore the medical discussion for now and just assume that declawing can be done safely; with that assumption it comes down to whether or not the cat will be going outside at all, and I do mean at all. If you plan on letting the cat out ever, even in the backyard or just on a leash, do not declaw it. While it is nice to assume the illusion of safety, once a cat gets outside it needs something to defend itself with. It's true that the cat can use its back claws, but there are plenty of situations where having a cat declawed can spell the difference between life and death. (Or at least life and severe injury)
If you're going to keep the cat inside at all times it may be acceptable to declaw it, barring some medical concerns and stuff I'll get to in a bit. However, under no circumstances should you declaw a cat's rear paws. Rear claws are vital for a cat being able to move, well, like a cat, and in the case of having their front paws declawed they will be their only remaining form of defense.
Now as for declawing as a whole, in my opinion it's crap. Utter, complete and total crap, borderline animal cruelty, and the hallmark of a lazy pet owner. The biggest problem is that, despite what the vets who do it will say, there is absolutely no guarantee that having a cat declawed will not cause permanent damage, disfigurement, or outright disability in a cat. Think about it: you're removing about half of the front bone in each toe. Does that sound like a simple and consequence-free procedure? I will say that it is much more advanced and safe than it used to be in earlier times, but that is only if the newest methods (laser surgery) are used. Any of the other methods result in, conservatively, a 40% chance of the cat developing joint issues, athritis, or in a worst case scenario a number of conditions which will necessitate the amputation of the entire toe. I can't count the number of declawed cats I've seen who walk like their front paws are in constant pain because, well, their front paws are in constant pain. (Or at least hurt with every step)
If you want to get your cat declawed to "save your furniture" there are plenty of other methods which work fine. First and foremost, give the cat something better to claw. There are certain types of surfaces cats prefer to claw over things like furniture and the like, particularly dense-weave carpet. You can pick up carpet squares and floormats, which actually seem to work better than most "scratching boards" and the like that you get from pet stores. It may take a few baps on the head or squirts from the spray bottle to dissuade the cat from clawing other things, but once they understand that any of the carpet squares and floormats are fair game they'll stick to them fairly exclusively. You can also lessen any potential impact on your furnature and the like by trimming your cat's claws once every week or two. It's easiest if you start doing this when they're kittens, so they get used to it. All you need to do is take a pair of nail clippers and remove the very tip of each claw, just enough to dull it. My parents have 6 cats and it takes them (excepting Scipi, who's a neurotic mess) about 30 minutes every week to clip all the cats' claws, sometimes less. While it won't prevent them from clawing your carpet or that nice upholstered chair of yours it should stop them from being able to get any purchase in, say, leather furniture.
Anyway, if you do decide to get your cat declawed despite all the warnings I've given you, do not use any method other than laser surgery. I don't care if it costs three times as much and can only be done in a town 4 hours away, unless you particularly want a 40% chance of your cat being miserable for most of its adult life you need to get it done the right way. Laser surgery is more precise, leaves more of the toe intact, and heals up much faster. The incidence of arthritis and other complications is reasonably low, around 5% ~ 10%. (Still to high for my tastes) You owe it to your cat to do it properly.
4) Disciplining your cat: You didn't specifically ask, but I'll throw it in here because it will come up. There are a few methods I've found which work best for disciplining a cat. First and foremost, the "bap", or the head smack: just smack the cat, open palm with mostly the tips of your fingers, on the top of the head, or if they're being really bad on the nose. It's more of an attention grabber than anything else, and its most effective if you accompany it by shouting "no" (or hell, "whale vagina" for all the cat cares) at them as you do.
The most effective means of general discipline, however, is the spray bottle or squirt gun. Shooting a cat with a stream of water tends to get their attention real quick, and really gets the message across that whatever they were doing is very, very bad. In the rare instances when simple water isn't enough, you can mix in a drop or two of ammonia with the water. The ammonia contains much of the same foul-smelling nastiness that cat pee does; in effect, the cat will think you're so pissed off at it that you peed on it. I have never, ever known a cat who didn't react accordingly and change their behavior when spritzed with ammonia-scented water.
Finally, for spraying or s%$#ting on the carpet/etc., do like you would do for a dog: hit them, say no, and put their face in it. (Well, near it) At the very least you should get a few weeks of good potty behavior, if not months or years.
5) Other notes and things to expect: If you get a kitten, it will try to play-fight with you and bite you. It's cute, excessively so, but don't let it do it. Otherwise it'll get in the habit and keep doing it as an adult cat. Instead, "fight" with it by using a stuffed animal or even a hand puppet. So long as you make it clear that biting bare flesh isn't okay you're good.
Just because a cat is shorthair doesn't mean they won't have hairballs. It's rare, but it happens. This comes down to diet and vitamins more than anything. (Ares is a longhair and has almost no hairballs because he has a good diet) Your vet can recommend some products and suppliments that'll take care of the problem. Also, just about any special-diet food the vet will sell you directly can be bought at Wal-Mart or Petsmart if it comes down to it, usually for less. If your vet is pressuring you to buy only their brand of hairball-control food (or any special food for that matter) you should try to find the generic version elsewhere. And you should probably find a new vet, too.
During the first few months you own the kitten you should get it in the habit of being up during the day and asleep at night. Sleeping kittens are adorable, but you'll find that the adorableness is merely a cover for their evil, megalomaniacal plans to destroy your sleep cycle. ("Charging up" as one friend put it) You can let your kitten get in some cat naps, but by and large you should try to spend most of the daylight hours keeping it up, busy and active. After about, say, a week of that it should get in the habit of sleeping at night.
If the cat brings you a dead animal, (or worse, half-live) don't yell or anything. Cats are predators, and they aren't evil or mean for acting on that instinct. If anything you should say "good kitty" and give them a treat. If it drops it on your carpet, just casually pick it up and take it, with the cat, to the bathtub. (assuming you don't have a garage or something) Once the cat has realized that mice and other small rodents can't escape from the slick porcelain of a bathtub they'll do most of their actual killing in there, which will make any cleanup you have to do much easier.
That's about all the brilliant information I have, at least that I remember now. Enjoy your kitten. =^_^=
1) Litterbox training: Getting a cat to use the litterbox is probably the easiest thing to do if you get a kitten, rather than an adult cat. It's feline instinct to bury or otherwise cover any of their "leavings", so as not to spook any potential prey in the area. Most times you merely have to show the kitten where the catbox is once and they'll instinctively use it every time. To be sure, I usually pick up the kitten, gently set it down on the surface of the catsand while still holding it, then very gently pull its paws through the sand. (It's easier to just move the whole cat, just make sure their paws are touching the sand when you do) It seems that once they feel that easy-to-dig surface they instinctively know that's a good place to do their business.
Now in the worst case you may have one or two "incidents" with a young cat where they pick an inappropriate place to go. (I once had a cat go in my shorts after I dropped them on the floor to change clothes) In that instance you should bap the cat on the head (a light, quick tap) say "no" and quickly take it to the catsand. Even with the most difficult kittens I've only had to do that, max, three times. Once usually does the job if it ever happens.
Spaying/Neutering: If you own a male cat you pretty much have to get him neutered unless you particularly enjoy having every vertical surface in your house constantly coated in cat pee. One of the absolutely strongest feline instincts for males is the instinct to mark their territory, even if there are no other competitors around. While there is a slim chance you can train a male cat not to spray without neutering him, the real risk lies in the fact that 99% of the time once the cat starts spraying, they continue to spray, even if you neuter them later. That isn't to say it's not possible to keep an unneutered male that generally doesn't spray, but if you don't neuter the cat you will, inevitably, have to clean cat pee off something every few months on average.
For female cats it really comes down to two things: will the cat be going outside, and can you put up with the constant bitching they will do when they're in heat? If the cat is going to be going outside, at all, you'll need to get them spayed; female cats in heat will do just about anything to get laid, and what's worse is that sometimes the howling, ass-raising and other indicators of heat don't necessarily start up right as heat kicks in. You could let the cat out for a leisurely stroll and watch her bolt for the hills, returning a few days later with a couple buns in the oven. The other consideration is that when a cat is in heat they get really, really annoying. Female cats in heat can stay up for as long as 18 hours straight, howling the entire time. If you're very, very lucky that may occur when you're not sleeping. More likely you'll get woken up by a female cat rubbing, rolling, and headbutting against you because she wants attention.
Declawing: Declawing is one of those issues that is hotly debated amongst cat owners, and pet people in general. Let's ignore the medical discussion for now and just assume that declawing can be done safely; with that assumption it comes down to whether or not the cat will be going outside at all, and I do mean at all. If you plan on letting the cat out ever, even in the backyard or just on a leash, do not declaw it. While it is nice to assume the illusion of safety, once a cat gets outside it needs something to defend itself with. It's true that the cat can use its back claws, but there are plenty of situations where having a cat declawed can spell the difference between life and death. (Or at least life and severe injury)
If you're going to keep the cat inside at all times it may be acceptable to declaw it, barring some medical concerns and stuff I'll get to in a bit. However, under no circumstances should you declaw a cat's rear paws. Rear claws are vital for a cat being able to move, well, like a cat, and in the case of having their front paws declawed they will be their only remaining form of defense.
Now as for declawing as a whole, in my opinion it's crap. Utter, complete and total crap, borderline animal cruelty, and the hallmark of a lazy pet owner. The biggest problem is that, despite what the vets who do it will say, there is absolutely no guarantee that having a cat declawed will not cause permanent damage, disfigurement, or outright disability in a cat. Think about it: you're removing about half of the front bone in each toe. Does that sound like a simple and consequence-free procedure? I will say that it is much more advanced and safe than it used to be in earlier times, but that is only if the newest methods (laser surgery) are used. Any of the other methods result in, conservatively, a 40% chance of the cat developing joint issues, athritis, or in a worst case scenario a number of conditions which will necessitate the amputation of the entire toe. I can't count the number of declawed cats I've seen who walk like their front paws are in constant pain because, well, their front paws are in constant pain. (Or at least hurt with every step)
If you want to get your cat declawed to "save your furniture" there are plenty of other methods which work fine. First and foremost, give the cat something better to claw. There are certain types of surfaces cats prefer to claw over things like furniture and the like, particularly dense-weave carpet. You can pick up carpet squares and floormats, which actually seem to work better than most "scratching boards" and the like that you get from pet stores. It may take a few baps on the head or squirts from the spray bottle to dissuade the cat from clawing other things, but once they understand that any of the carpet squares and floormats are fair game they'll stick to them fairly exclusively. You can also lessen any potential impact on your furnature and the like by trimming your cat's claws once every week or two. It's easiest if you start doing this when they're kittens, so they get used to it. All you need to do is take a pair of nail clippers and remove the very tip of each claw, just enough to dull it. My parents have 6 cats and it takes them (excepting Scipi, who's a neurotic mess) about 30 minutes every week to clip all the cats' claws, sometimes less. While it won't prevent them from clawing your carpet or that nice upholstered chair of yours it should stop them from being able to get any purchase in, say, leather furniture.
Anyway, if you do decide to get your cat declawed despite all the warnings I've given you, do not use any method other than laser surgery. I don't care if it costs three times as much and can only be done in a town 4 hours away, unless you particularly want a 40% chance of your cat being miserable for most of its adult life you need to get it done the right way. Laser surgery is more precise, leaves more of the toe intact, and heals up much faster. The incidence of arthritis and other complications is reasonably low, around 5% ~ 10%. (Still to high for my tastes) You owe it to your cat to do it properly.
4) Disciplining your cat: You didn't specifically ask, but I'll throw it in here because it will come up. There are a few methods I've found which work best for disciplining a cat. First and foremost, the "bap", or the head smack: just smack the cat, open palm with mostly the tips of your fingers, on the top of the head, or if they're being really bad on the nose. It's more of an attention grabber than anything else, and its most effective if you accompany it by shouting "no" (or hell, "whale vagina" for all the cat cares) at them as you do.
The most effective means of general discipline, however, is the spray bottle or squirt gun. Shooting a cat with a stream of water tends to get their attention real quick, and really gets the message across that whatever they were doing is very, very bad. In the rare instances when simple water isn't enough, you can mix in a drop or two of ammonia with the water. The ammonia contains much of the same foul-smelling nastiness that cat pee does; in effect, the cat will think you're so pissed off at it that you peed on it. I have never, ever known a cat who didn't react accordingly and change their behavior when spritzed with ammonia-scented water.
Finally, for spraying or s%$#ting on the carpet/etc., do like you would do for a dog: hit them, say no, and put their face in it. (Well, near it) At the very least you should get a few weeks of good potty behavior, if not months or years.
5) Other notes and things to expect: If you get a kitten, it will try to play-fight with you and bite you. It's cute, excessively so, but don't let it do it. Otherwise it'll get in the habit and keep doing it as an adult cat. Instead, "fight" with it by using a stuffed animal or even a hand puppet. So long as you make it clear that biting bare flesh isn't okay you're good.
Just because a cat is shorthair doesn't mean they won't have hairballs. It's rare, but it happens. This comes down to diet and vitamins more than anything. (Ares is a longhair and has almost no hairballs because he has a good diet) Your vet can recommend some products and suppliments that'll take care of the problem. Also, just about any special-diet food the vet will sell you directly can be bought at Wal-Mart or Petsmart if it comes down to it, usually for less. If your vet is pressuring you to buy only their brand of hairball-control food (or any special food for that matter) you should try to find the generic version elsewhere. And you should probably find a new vet, too.
During the first few months you own the kitten you should get it in the habit of being up during the day and asleep at night. Sleeping kittens are adorable, but you'll find that the adorableness is merely a cover for their evil, megalomaniacal plans to destroy your sleep cycle. ("Charging up" as one friend put it) You can let your kitten get in some cat naps, but by and large you should try to spend most of the daylight hours keeping it up, busy and active. After about, say, a week of that it should get in the habit of sleeping at night.
If the cat brings you a dead animal, (or worse, half-live) don't yell or anything. Cats are predators, and they aren't evil or mean for acting on that instinct. If anything you should say "good kitty" and give them a treat. If it drops it on your carpet, just casually pick it up and take it, with the cat, to the bathtub. (assuming you don't have a garage or something) Once the cat has realized that mice and other small rodents can't escape from the slick porcelain of a bathtub they'll do most of their actual killing in there, which will make any cleanup you have to do much easier.
That's about all the brilliant information I have, at least that I remember now. Enjoy your kitten. =^_^=
RaistlinZ
Diamond Member
- Oct 15, 2001
- 7,470
- 9
- 91
alkemyst
No Lifer
- Feb 13, 2001
- 83,769
- 19
- 81
Originally posted by: RaistlinZ
Why does your cat look like he has an attitude problem?Especially in Pic 2.
Maybe knows he was gotten without running it through management first
Seriously though, anyone buying an animal...make sure it's ok with all parties involved. Also animals make the worst gifts if you are the one choosing it.
Actually looks like a smart ktty. That's the "I don't know if I can trust things here" look, the reason why it's more pronounced in Pic 2 might be the dog in the background?
Geekbabe
Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
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