After years of being a dog person, I got my first cat since I was a kid three and a half weeks ago. He's a beautiful Ragdoll kitten (Marzipan)--now 11 1/2 weeks old. I got him from a breeder who is also a vet. He's had his first two series of shots (intranasal--more about that below) and will get his final series when he's neutered at about 5 to 6 months of age.
I'm hoping that you all can offer some advice on the following:
1. He still has slightly runny eyes/nose and he sneezes several times a day. The breeder warned me to expect this, as the intranasal immunizations tend to cause it. It was supposed to go away after a week or two. I wrote to her and asked about it after a week and she said to hold out for another couple of weeks and see if it clears. It does seem to be getting a bit better, but he still needs his face washed daily (which he hates). She said that as long as he's eating and eliminating and growing, it's not really a big deal. I'm inclined to believe her since she's a vet, he hasn't been exposed to other animals except at the cattery, and I met most of her cats and they all seemed healthy, but I'd like to hear what others think. There's some very scary stuff online about cat viruses that basically never go away and compromise a cat's immune system for his whole life. It just makes me really nervous.
2. Any advice for the door dash? He thinks it is the best possible fun to bolt out the door and go tearing down the hallway of my building like a cat on fire. He's never encountered stairs and he doesn't seem interested in attempting to go down them as he runs past on the way to the far end of the hallway, but I am worried that he'll decide to try and someone will have propped open the back door and he'll bold into traffic (I live in Chicago). Or, that a neighbor will let one of the dogs on our floor out, who will mistake Marzipan for a chew toy. This morning he managed to get out and ran up and down twice before stopping to rest (it's a long hallway). I was able to lure him back in by calling him sweetly and I gave him treats for coming when I called. But, I'd really like to figure out a way to PREVENT the dash . . . anyone successful with that?
3. Electrical cords. I've plugged up all unused outlets with baby babyproof plugs, tried to tie down and consolidate as many cords as possible, and sprayed everything with bitter apple to make them unappealing. He tends to like to play with them in areas that wouldn't be affected by sticking them in conduit (like where they come out of the machines). I guess I just need to be reassured that other cats have expressed some interest in cords and lived to tell the tale.
Finally, just a few non-scary questions . . . Marzipan has never kitty massaged. I've never met a cat that didn't--it always seemed like one of those ubiquitous cat things, like purring. He does purr. Could it be that he doesn't need to kitty massage because he was weaned properly (all my childhood cats were strays that found us, so no idea what their early childhood was like)? Or is this something that develops later than 11 weeks?
Has anyone had luck with a harness and leash for outdoor activities? Ragdolls (and city cats, frankly) can't be let outside alone, but he has really enjoyed going outside with me.
Can anyone give me a timeframe for when the nightly play attacks stop?
Thank you--sorry to send such a long post!
Astrid
