Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   Hello,

   I was recently adopted by a cute kitten I named Jasper. I found him in my backyard one night, just skin and bones and barely 2.5 lbs. A month and a half later he's 6 pounds and pretty healthy. But, I haven't been owned by a cat in 13 years so I have a few questions. Sorry, they're all kind of long questions.

   1. Water - He rarely drinks water unless it's from my bedside glass, the bottom of the bathroom sink or tub, or from a bowl near the bottled water dispenser but only if I'm standing next to him (weird kitty) :). As soon as he hears the water dispenser pouring out he comes running. I feed him mostly canned food (Iams for kittens) so I think he's getting enough water. But, I'm worried that since I constantly catch him in the bathroom sink maybe he's not?

   2. Escaping - I live on a busy street and have seen many neighborhood cats run over so I've decided to make him an indoor cat. For three days in a row he's made a run for it every time I open the back door. It takes forever to catch him. He runs from me as soon as I get near him. Even the laser toy has no affect on him. Once I do catch him he practically attacks me when he realizes I'm taking him back in the house. He tore up my hand a few days ago. He's almost 4 months old and not neutered yet (next pay check!). Could this be the reason? Or is he just bored? I'd hate for him to be bored considering my house is litered w/ cat toys everywhere. My living situation doesn't allow for 2 cats otherwise I'd adopt a playmate for him.

   3. Food - Lately he's had a preference for the dry. I give him a can of wet before I leave for work and a can when I get home but I started leaving the dry out when I noticed that his appetite was increasing w/ his size. I'd prefer him on the wet (per his vets recommendations) but he now likes the dry. How long can wet food remain out in the open because I'm now throwing it out constantly. I don't want to throw it out if I don't have to since that stuff is not cheap.

   4. Dry Nursing - He loves my ear lobe. I thought it was cute at first but now it's required to calm him down late at night after he goes on a rampage around my room. Any way to get him to stop? I even sewed him a pillow w/ kitten bottle nipples (the project was my Halloween hangover cure! lol) hoping he'd suck on that instead but it didn't work. Nothing deters him away from my ears at night other than burying myself under my comforter. He eventually gets the hint. :)

   5. Worms - I just noticed recently that the first deworming treatment he received from his Vet didn't work. I've noticed those little rice-sized things hanging out of him. How many treatments does it take? I'll ask his Vet for another treatment when I take him back next week to get the snip-snip.

   6. Claws - Do those "soft paw" claw covers really work? I'm spending a lot of time applying bandages but I cannot even think about de-clawing.

   Thanks everyone and sorry for the millions of questions. I'm sure I'll have more later. :)

   ~Andrea and Jasper

   Posted 2 weeks ago by Andie #

2. 

   bump

   Posted 2 weeks ago by Dee #

3. 

   Someone will pick-up on this. I would but am at work. Later perhaps

   Posted 2 weeks ago by ailuromaniac #

4. 

   Hi and welcome Andie. I can't offer any help with these matter but I hope someone can. Jasper sounds like such a cutie. Hope to get to know him and you better.

   Posted 2 weeks ago by cricketsmama #

5. 

   ~~~~3. Food - Lately he's had a preference for the dry. I give him a can of wet before I leave for work and a can when I get home but I started leaving the dry out when I noticed that his appetite was increasing w/ his size. I'd prefer him on the wet (per his vets recommendations) but he now likes the dry. How long can wet food remain out in the open because I'm now throwing it out constantly. I don't want to throw it out if I don't have to since that stuff is not cheap.~~~~

   It would be best if he never did get dry. Wet food can be left out for quite a while though.

   Iams kitten wet food though is basically expensive junk. Much better foods out there than that (Iams dry is bad too). Also another thing to consider with Iams is Iams Cruelty: http://www.iamscruelty.com/

   Good alternatives to Iams would be By Nature Organics 95%'s, EVO 95%'s, nature's variety Instinct, Blue Wilderness, Felidae grainfree,...basically and low carb/no grain/no by-products wet food :)

   Posted 2 weeks ago by furryfriends50 #

6. 

   1) regarding water. When my cat is on wet food she does drink less water then eating dry. However, so cats might just like the running water, there are water fountain things you can buy for cats to encourage drinking. Here is a link to a one..but there are many on the market: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754468&ab=hp_ln_cat

   I also change the water daily with filtered refrigerated water (ya i know Sophie is spoiled) and she seems to like the water best, fresh out of the fridge. My cat also has two bowels of water in different parts of the room..I also put them far away from the litter and her food, I hear cats don't like to drink where they eat for some reason?

   6. Soft paws has worked for my friends...putting them on is a little tricky and it took a few days for the kitties to get use to them. Please do not declaw....it is a very controversial topic on this forum. Also try scuffing the kitty and hissing at it when it scratches you, as this is what mama cats do in nature to let kittens know they are hurt and don't like what they are doing. After you do this, leave the kitty alone and ignore it for a while and hopefully this will reduce some of that behaviour?

   Posted 2 weeks ago by iliketea #

7. 

   Hi Andie, welcome to TDK! Glad you've found us, this is a great site for help, advice and downright (mostly cat related) silliness!

   1 - all of my cats love water, regardless of diet, and often the grungiest (plant pot in garden) the better! Don't worry about this, but look for changes in behaviour patterns, suddenly drinking a lot more, less etc.

   4 - dry nursing, quite common amongst many TDK cats, look for a poster called Great Dane, who has to have "blankie" snuggle time with her Bob. Try and get Jasper onto something like a blanket, for your lobes' sake!!

   Look forward to hearing more about you and Jasper :o)

   Posted 2 weeks ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #

8. 

   Welcome! Re escaping: use a squirt bottle or a can of pennies that you shake at him when he goes to the door. This may lessen when he is neutered. Water: Many cats drink from odd places-my Patches likes the bathtub. I also give them filtered water from the fridge (and I wouldn't give them anything that I wouldn't drink!)Cats ancestors were desert animals so they get most of their water from wet food. I keep wet food out from 8:00PM until I get up in the morning without any of them getting sick from it. Let the vet guide you on the worms, since he is going anyways. He probably got reinfected when he ran outside.

   Posted 2 weeks ago by Sheba's Mom in Phx, AZ #

9. 

   Hi hope this helps
   Water; my cat will drink water from a bowl but she has to move it with her paw first. Every cat has it's peculure way of doing things, I have a friend and has cat want drink water from the spickit after he gave the cat water from bottled water. (sorry about my spelling)
   worms; it might not be worms but fleas( yes fleas can be like worms)

   Soft paws; if you use soft paws make sure you get the right size and cat claws shed like snake skin so when that happens the soft paw will have to be replaced.

   Food; There is a debate weather wet or dry, but dry food is better because it cleans the teeth better If your concerned about wet food going bad, try to judge the amount to feed. I'm not a vet but I watched a program on tv, Animal planit sat and for hairballs they said to use petroleum jelly, put some on front paw and they will clean their paw clean(I haven't tried that yet but going to, I feed my two cats butter)

   Escaping; forgot what site but you can research it oh net, but they make a cat fence you can put up that will not let cat escape.

   Posted 1 week ago by dmanga #

10. 

    What on earth are 'soft paws'??

    Posted 1 week ago by Skyron #

11. 

    Skyron..soft paws info http://www.softpaws.com/

    Posted 1 week ago by iliketea #

12. 

    Hi, Andie!

    1. RE: WATER - I second the idea of getting one of those water-fountain things for cats. Some cats just like running water. My Sgt. Tibbs comes running whenever anyone uses the bathroom, because he likes to drink from the bathroom faucet in the sink.

    2. RE: FOOD - Ah, the ongoing debate over wet vs. dry. My cats eat both. Sometimes they prefer dry, and sometimes they prefer wet. I leave dry food out at all times. In the morning, I give them each a 1/2 can of the small 3 oz cans of whatever flavor they're craving that particular week, and then another 1/2 can at night. Usually it's gone within a few hours, but you can leave it out for quite a while without it spoiling.

    3. RE: EARLOBE NURSING - Tibbs, who just turned a year old in August, did this, too. To me only, not my husband. (Maybe my ear tastes better, IDK!) Every night, sometimes multiple times a night. When he was really little he used to fall asleep with my earlobe in his mouth. As he got older he did it less and less, and hasn't done it since we got Serena the kitten in September. I don't know what to tell you because it didn't really bother me that much - I actually kind of enjoyed it because I felt like it was a bonding experience with him. I'm actually a little sad because he doesn't do it anymore. I guess my baby is growing up!

    Hope this helps!

    Posted 1 week ago by Beth_in_NJ #

13. 

    OMG!! That is the craziest thing I've ever seen! Do people really do that to their cats? Can the kitties still use their paws for scent-marking with those nails on?

    Posted 6 days ago by Skyron #

14. 

    Hi Skyron - they're a good alternative to de-clawing, a very contentious subject, which we're not allowed to discuss on TDK :o)

    Posted 6 days ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #

15. 

    I like that someone thought of an alternative to declawing, I just cant help but wonder if those claw-thingies inhibit a cat's behaviour in any way? Tiigger wouldn't be Tiigger if he couldn't climb his favourite tree every day . . .

    Posted 6 days ago by Skyron #

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