Daily Kitten Chat Forum » General Chat

1. 

   Hey everyone, i'm new to the site and to the kitten world. My last cat i got when she was almost fully grown (found her in the street when i was visiting my father. no one claimed her so i took her home with me).

   we had to put her down last November because she got cancer in her longs and was basically smothering to death it was so bad. so yesterday i finally felt up to getting a new pet.

   we do currently have another cat, but that one is my mothers and i really wanted one for my own.

   Damon is...i want to say three weeks old (i need to check that though, because i'm not too sure. i DO know he's only weeks old and not months). and since i've never had a kitten this small, i was hopping you guys could help me with some questions i have (the vet is closed until Tuesday -.-;;)

   i know the reason he cries when i am not there is because he's used to being with his litter mates, and i had set up a big Tupperware box up with a litter box, blanket and the shirt i had worn that day in my room. he still would cry, and the little demon was able to jump out of it. hence why i'm up with early.

   i tried letting him sleep with me, but he seems so active, i'm afraid he's going to jump off my bed and hurt himself.

   i know a lot of people were saying you need to start a routine for the kittens to help them adjust, but i work really erratic hours at work. some days i work until past 11pm and other days i need to leave at 5am to get to work.

   any ideas how i can help Damon feel comfortable on his own? we need to wait for the vet visit before letting him around the other cat, and i'm really worried that Scamp (mom's black cat) will be mean to the kitten or teach it bad habits -- like not covering it's poop. something the kitten dose now, but our adult cat dose not -.-;;

   Posted 3 years ago by Thirdo #

2. 

   I would get Damon one of his littermates as a playmate. It sounds like more work, but it's actually less! When kittens have friends around, they occupy themselves by playing and learning to hunt/fight. Then when you're around, they'll want to see you, but won't be as needy. Kittens groom each other and take care of each other so you have less work. Good luck!

   Posted 3 years ago by FosterMom #

3. 

   lol, one vet bill is all i can afford right now, so a second kitten is pretty much out of the picture for now.

   and i wanted to correct this now -- Damon is 6-8 weeks, not 3 weeks like i thought. no idea why i thought he was so young -.-;;

   Posted 3 years ago by Thirdo #

4. 

   Cats make their own schedules, then they fit you into it. Don't worry about your erratic work schedule, just make sure you give him lots of quality time when you are with him.

   At 6-8 weeks old, unless you sleep on the top bunk, he isn't likely to hurt himself jumping off your bed. He might hurt the bed trying to claw his way by up, though. Can you put something beside the bed that he can use as a stair? Anything stable that's about half the height of the bed would work: ottoman, step stool, etc. If you don't have something the right height, you can stack newspapers - just be sure to security tape them together so they don't slide when Damon jumps on them.

   There are lots of websites that explain how to introduce a new cat to the resident cat. I know there are others on TDK who have those links. They may never be best friends, but 99% of multi-cat households are cozy.

   When you have some pictures of the little squirt, we would love to see him.

   Posted 3 years ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

5. 

   thanks so much for the advice -- i'll also move all the stuff he could knock over when jumping off my bed. and i'm heading out to get him a scratching post later today, i'll pick something up to put by the bed if i can't find anything at home.

   i actually already have pictures of him (taken with my cell phone so i could text it to friends) i just haven't found how to upload them onto the site yet...i should figure it out soon though. i not completely computer dumb, lol

   Posted 3 years ago by Thirdo #

6. 

   Welcome, Thirdo!!!! I wish you the best of luck with your little one! I haven't had a kitten in YEARS! I tend to adopt older cats....my avatar is my Gizmo. I would love to see pics of Damon :) You will get loads of good advice on this site!

   Posted 3 years ago by katthays #

7. 

   welcome thirdo! when youre home play with damon so he becomes tired. and then when you get ready to go to bed then hes tired and he will ((hopefully)) sleep through the night. you could also try stacking boxes next to your bed so damon can go up and down. thats what i did for binx and it worked fine. as for introducing scamp and damon try swaping rooms. if scamp is allowed free roam of the house then put him wherever you keep damon. theyll each get a sniff of each other without fear of somebody being hurt in the process. but do it slowly. as for your pics of damon you have to download them to your comp first and THEN you can put one up as your avatar. good luck =^.^=

   Posted 3 years ago by Binx.baby #

8. 

   Welcome to TDK, Thirdo! Introducing cats takes patience, and letting them get familiar with each other's smell as described aboce is an important first stage. After doing that a few times you can try letting them see each other but with Demon in a carrier witha grate, so they can sniff and see, but not hurt each other.. IF that goes well, you can try no barrier, but close supervision. There may be hissing and a few swats, but if claws come out you need to back off and give them more time... patience is important in this process...

   Posted 3 years ago by nawlins catmom #

9. 

   Thanks for all the advice guys -- I'll try introducing them when my mom and i are home at the same time (so that one person can watch each cat). but first i'm waiting for the vets to open again so they can take a look at Damon -- just to make sure he's really as healthy as he seems.

   i'm really REALLY hopping they get along -- Scamp used to sleep with my cat Amber all the time...after she had fallen asleep and didn't know he was there, lol. so i THINK he would welcome the company.

   oh! one thing, which i will be asking my vet, but will ask here first, is that Scamp is declawed -- should i worry about the kitten hurting him with his claws?

   i'm having issues getting the pictures from my phone to my computer -- and he wont stay still for my to take one with the camera. i'll try tomorrow when he's sleeping, and i'm wide awake, lol

   Posted 3 years ago by Thirdo #

10. 

    It should not be a problem - but another reason to watch them carefully for a while... Older cats usually discipline the kits by hisses, and holding them down with their paw on their head or neck... no claws needed. For a while at least, Scamp will have the size/weight advantage over Demon...

    Posted 3 years ago by nawlins catmom #

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