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Feral kitten and litter box
Folks,
I am crossposting this to health+behavior and rescue. I posted an introduction about the feral kitten I'm suddenly responsible for on the rescue group, but I now have a specific question that I would welcome help with from either group. I will repost the introductory post at the end. My current issue is that the kitten feral, probably about 6 weeks old, doesn't know what a litter box is for. I've put him down in it after meals, but he doesn't do anything. Over night he left poop in one corner of his cage and pee in another. Neither was in the litter box. Is he not old enough to have good enough control yet to use the box? Or what? We're guessing he's six weeks old from a telephone conversation with a vet. We're taking him in for a checkup and parasite treatment in a day or three, depending on when there's an appointment available. His eyes are open (and a beautiful deep blue), he's teething (and one can feel the beginnings of his teeth when he closes his mouth on a finger or the like -- like the end of my nose, heh heh), and he chomps down on canned kitten food and sardines with vim and vigour when you put him next to the plate, but he loses interest when the plate's just on the floor of his cage with him. He's extremely friendly and seems almost desperate for holding and attention. He purrs and cries, but does not suckle inapropriately (i.e. I think he's fully weaned) and only occasionally kneads. He can be held in one hand, but overflows the palm a bit. He's still wobbly on his feet, and his head seems too big for his neck, but he's very interested in exploring his surroundings and likes to play with the edge of my nightgown or the sheet or my hands (I know -- I have to train him out of that) or with actual soft toys. He's got a round belly but is pretty boney otherwise. I think vet attention to parasites will improve that. He's a darling little guy, but I want to be able to leave for a conference at the end of the week. My mother is coming down to sit my older cats, and I've told her about the surprise kitten in the guestroom, but I don't know about leaving if the kitten isn't using its box. There's only so much one can/should ask from one's 80 year old mother! ;-) (She is a cat person, though.) Any suggestions? Thanks! Priscilla Here's the original post: This afternoon my stupid neighbors caught a feral kitten whose mother would probably have come back and gotten it if they'd left it alone. After it was caught, who knows if she would? And then they didn't want the kitten! One family said "no" to their daughter who wanted it for a pet and the other has a daughter who's allergic, so guess who's taking care of the kitten? On the upside, this is the most friendly feral kitten imaginable, and, yes, we're sure he's feral. It's a small street, and no-one has a cat with kittens. We're estimating its age at about 6 weeks. Its eyes are open and deep blue, it's got teeth barely coming in, and it laps up wet food now that it knows it's food. I had to put some on my finger and then smush it on his face before he got it and waded into the dish (yes, two forepaws firmly in the goop) and slurped some up. He loves to be held and petted, so all those instructions in how to socialize a feral can be tossed right out the window. The first chance my friend Melissa and I will have to get him to a vet for a check-up -- and probably worming and anti-flea treatment -- is Wednesday evening. For the time being he's in the big cat cage in my guest room with a towel-lined box, a pillow-case covered hot water bottle, a dish of food and one of water, a kitten-sized litter pan, and a stuffed animal (fox). I'll sleep in there with him to keep him company -- in the room, not in the cage! There are limits to my suckerdom. ;-) I'm keeping my three cats out of the room. He's black and white, more a leotard than a tuxedo, as I described him to someone this afternoon. White paws, splotches on chest & tummy, and one funny mark on his mouth. In the sun you can see the tiger markings under the black. Too cute for words. He fits into one hand and has tiny claws like needles. He very occasionally hisses but frequently cries if he's not getting petted or otherwise having attention paid to him. Melissa was petting him and found his "sweet spot" under his left ear. She had him totally blissed out. Wierdest feral I've met, but then he's very young. He seems quite healthy -- not emaciated, nice round tummy even before discovering wet kitty food -- curious, interested, playful. One eye is watering just a little bit, and I want to keep an eye on that, but aside from fleas he seems in very good shape. And we think he's a he. So far names being tried on are Sprocket, Freckle, Spock (he has pointy ears), and Sunshine Junior. If all goes well, he will become a part of Melissa's family, but even if it doesn't work out we are both determined he will be going to a good home. Heck, he's already socialized! ;-) |
#2
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I would put the kitten in the litterbox and take his paw and dig a little in
litter. It is going to take time and patience and you may have to do this several times until the kitten learns what the box is for. "Priscilla Ballou" wrote in message ... Folks, I am crossposting this to health+behavior and rescue. I posted an introduction about the feral kitten I'm suddenly responsible for on the rescue group, but I now have a specific question that I would welcome help with from either group. I will repost the introductory post at the end. My current issue is that the kitten feral, probably about 6 weeks old, doesn't know what a litter box is for. I've put him down in it after meals, but he doesn't do anything. Over night he left poop in one corner of his cage and pee in another. Neither was in the litter box. Is he not old enough to have good enough control yet to use the box? Or what? We're guessing he's six weeks old from a telephone conversation with a vet. We're taking him in for a checkup and parasite treatment in a day or three, depending on when there's an appointment available. His eyes are open (and a beautiful deep blue), he's teething (and one can feel the beginnings of his teeth when he closes his mouth on a finger or the like -- like the end of my nose, heh heh), and he chomps down on canned kitten food and sardines with vim and vigour when you put him next to the plate, but he loses interest when the plate's just on the floor of his cage with him. He's extremely friendly and seems almost desperate for holding and attention. He purrs and cries, but does not suckle inapropriately (i.e. I think he's fully weaned) and only occasionally kneads. He can be held in one hand, but overflows the palm a bit. He's still wobbly on his feet, and his head seems too big for his neck, but he's very interested in exploring his surroundings and likes to play with the edge of my nightgown or the sheet or my hands (I know -- I have to train him out of that) or with actual soft toys. He's got a round belly but is pretty boney otherwise. I think vet attention to parasites will improve that. He's a darling little guy, but I want to be able to leave for a conference at the end of the week. My mother is coming down to sit my older cats, and I've told her about the surprise kitten in the guestroom, but I don't know about leaving if the kitten isn't using its box. There's only so much one can/should ask from one's 80 year old mother! ;-) (She is a cat person, though.) Any suggestions? Thanks! Priscilla Here's the original post: This afternoon my stupid neighbors caught a feral kitten whose mother would probably have come back and gotten it if they'd left it alone. After it was caught, who knows if she would? And then they didn't want the kitten! One family said "no" to their daughter who wanted it for a pet and the other has a daughter who's allergic, so guess who's taking care of the kitten? On the upside, this is the most friendly feral kitten imaginable, and, yes, we're sure he's feral. It's a small street, and no-one has a cat with kittens. We're estimating its age at about 6 weeks. Its eyes are open and deep blue, it's got teeth barely coming in, and it laps up wet food now that it knows it's food. I had to put some on my finger and then smush it on his face before he got it and waded into the dish (yes, two forepaws firmly in the goop) and slurped some up. He loves to be held and petted, so all those instructions in how to socialize a feral can be tossed right out the window. The first chance my friend Melissa and I will have to get him to a vet for a check-up -- and probably worming and anti-flea treatment -- is Wednesday evening. For the time being he's in the big cat cage in my guest room with a towel-lined box, a pillow-case covered hot water bottle, a dish of food and one of water, a kitten-sized litter pan, and a stuffed animal (fox). I'll sleep in there with him to keep him company -- in the room, not in the cage! There are limits to my suckerdom. ;-) I'm keeping my three cats out of the room. He's black and white, more a leotard than a tuxedo, as I described him to someone this afternoon. White paws, splotches on chest & tummy, and one funny mark on his mouth. In the sun you can see the tiger markings under the black. Too cute for words. He fits into one hand and has tiny claws like needles. He very occasionally hisses but frequently cries if he's not getting petted or otherwise having attention paid to him. Melissa was petting him and found his "sweet spot" under his left ear. She had him totally blissed out. Wierdest feral I've met, but then he's very young. He seems quite healthy -- not emaciated, nice round tummy even before discovering wet kitty food -- curious, interested, playful. One eye is watering just a little bit, and I want to keep an eye on that, but aside from fleas he seems in very good shape. And we think he's a he. So far names being tried on are Sprocket, Freckle, Spock (he has pointy ears), and Sunshine Junior. If all goes well, he will become a part of Melissa's family, but even if it doesn't work out we are both determined he will be going to a good home. Heck, he's already socialized! ;-) |
#3
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I would put the kitten in the litterbox and take his paw and dig a little in
litter. It is going to take time and patience and you may have to do this several times until the kitten learns what the box is for. "Priscilla Ballou" wrote in message ... Folks, I am crossposting this to health+behavior and rescue. I posted an introduction about the feral kitten I'm suddenly responsible for on the rescue group, but I now have a specific question that I would welcome help with from either group. I will repost the introductory post at the end. My current issue is that the kitten feral, probably about 6 weeks old, doesn't know what a litter box is for. I've put him down in it after meals, but he doesn't do anything. Over night he left poop in one corner of his cage and pee in another. Neither was in the litter box. Is he not old enough to have good enough control yet to use the box? Or what? We're guessing he's six weeks old from a telephone conversation with a vet. We're taking him in for a checkup and parasite treatment in a day or three, depending on when there's an appointment available. His eyes are open (and a beautiful deep blue), he's teething (and one can feel the beginnings of his teeth when he closes his mouth on a finger or the like -- like the end of my nose, heh heh), and he chomps down on canned kitten food and sardines with vim and vigour when you put him next to the plate, but he loses interest when the plate's just on the floor of his cage with him. He's extremely friendly and seems almost desperate for holding and attention. He purrs and cries, but does not suckle inapropriately (i.e. I think he's fully weaned) and only occasionally kneads. He can be held in one hand, but overflows the palm a bit. He's still wobbly on his feet, and his head seems too big for his neck, but he's very interested in exploring his surroundings and likes to play with the edge of my nightgown or the sheet or my hands (I know -- I have to train him out of that) or with actual soft toys. He's got a round belly but is pretty boney otherwise. I think vet attention to parasites will improve that. He's a darling little guy, but I want to be able to leave for a conference at the end of the week. My mother is coming down to sit my older cats, and I've told her about the surprise kitten in the guestroom, but I don't know about leaving if the kitten isn't using its box. There's only so much one can/should ask from one's 80 year old mother! ;-) (She is a cat person, though.) Any suggestions? Thanks! Priscilla Here's the original post: This afternoon my stupid neighbors caught a feral kitten whose mother would probably have come back and gotten it if they'd left it alone. After it was caught, who knows if she would? And then they didn't want the kitten! One family said "no" to their daughter who wanted it for a pet and the other has a daughter who's allergic, so guess who's taking care of the kitten? On the upside, this is the most friendly feral kitten imaginable, and, yes, we're sure he's feral. It's a small street, and no-one has a cat with kittens. We're estimating its age at about 6 weeks. Its eyes are open and deep blue, it's got teeth barely coming in, and it laps up wet food now that it knows it's food. I had to put some on my finger and then smush it on his face before he got it and waded into the dish (yes, two forepaws firmly in the goop) and slurped some up. He loves to be held and petted, so all those instructions in how to socialize a feral can be tossed right out the window. The first chance my friend Melissa and I will have to get him to a vet for a check-up -- and probably worming and anti-flea treatment -- is Wednesday evening. For the time being he's in the big cat cage in my guest room with a towel-lined box, a pillow-case covered hot water bottle, a dish of food and one of water, a kitten-sized litter pan, and a stuffed animal (fox). I'll sleep in there with him to keep him company -- in the room, not in the cage! There are limits to my suckerdom. ;-) I'm keeping my three cats out of the room. He's black and white, more a leotard than a tuxedo, as I described him to someone this afternoon. White paws, splotches on chest & tummy, and one funny mark on his mouth. In the sun you can see the tiger markings under the black. Too cute for words. He fits into one hand and has tiny claws like needles. He very occasionally hisses but frequently cries if he's not getting petted or otherwise having attention paid to him. Melissa was petting him and found his "sweet spot" under his left ear. She had him totally blissed out. Wierdest feral I've met, but then he's very young. He seems quite healthy -- not emaciated, nice round tummy even before discovering wet kitty food -- curious, interested, playful. One eye is watering just a little bit, and I want to keep an eye on that, but aside from fleas he seems in very good shape. And we think he's a he. So far names being tried on are Sprocket, Freckle, Spock (he has pointy ears), and Sunshine Junior. If all goes well, he will become a part of Melissa's family, but even if it doesn't work out we are both determined he will be going to a good home. Heck, he's already socialized! ;-) |
#4
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Often cats that have lived exclusively outdoors all or most of their
lives have no idea what to do when presented with a litterbox with the expectation that they pee/poop in it. They are used to going in dirt and have no idea what litter is. Your best option, and one that I have used many times successfully, is to put dirt from outside in the litterbox. Putting one of the kittens poops in the box should help as well. Gradually add litter to/remove dirt from the box until it is changed over enough that you can dump the contents and use plain litter. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#5
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Often cats that have lived exclusively outdoors all or most of their
lives have no idea what to do when presented with a litterbox with the expectation that they pee/poop in it. They are used to going in dirt and have no idea what litter is. Your best option, and one that I have used many times successfully, is to put dirt from outside in the litterbox. Putting one of the kittens poops in the box should help as well. Gradually add litter to/remove dirt from the box until it is changed over enough that you can dump the contents and use plain litter. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
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#8
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Well I think the OP said this kitten was about 6 weeks old so they may get
used to a litterbox without the dirt trick. I have to wonder where the mother cat is though. 6 weeks seems kind of young to be taking this kitten away from the mother. wrote in message ... Often cats that have lived exclusively outdoors all or most of their lives have no idea what to do when presented with a litterbox with the expectation that they pee/poop in it. They are used to going in dirt and have no idea what litter is. Your best option, and one that I have used many times successfully, is to put dirt from outside in the litterbox. Putting one of the kittens poops in the box should help as well. Gradually add litter to/remove dirt from the box until it is changed over enough that you can dump the contents and use plain litter. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#9
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Well I think the OP said this kitten was about 6 weeks old so they may get
used to a litterbox without the dirt trick. I have to wonder where the mother cat is though. 6 weeks seems kind of young to be taking this kitten away from the mother. wrote in message ... Often cats that have lived exclusively outdoors all or most of their lives have no idea what to do when presented with a litterbox with the expectation that they pee/poop in it. They are used to going in dirt and have no idea what litter is. Your best option, and one that I have used many times successfully, is to put dirt from outside in the litterbox. Putting one of the kittens poops in the box should help as well. Gradually add litter to/remove dirt from the box until it is changed over enough that you can dump the contents and use plain litter. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#10
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"Cat Protector" wrote in message
news:95rYc.165271$sh.125185@fed1read06... Well I think the OP said this kitten was about 6 weeks old so they may get used to a litterbox without the dirt trick. I have to wonder where the mother cat is though. 6 weeks seems kind of young to be taking this kitten away from the mother. Go back and read her whole post again. She said what happened regarding the mother. Her neighbor trapped the kitten and the mother is a neighborhood stray/feral. Even though 6 weeks is young to take a kitten away from his mother, if the mother is indeed feral, it is better for the kitten to start becoming socialized now. Which, it seems you are having much success at! You may also want to try taking a damp cottonball to his behind after he eats, stroking him gently with it. Then, put him right in the litterbox. -- -Kelly kelly at farringtons dot net www.kelltek.com Check out www.snittens.com |
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