Kitten fun

[wicksta]

Originally Posted by Garp

A friend of ours's cat has had 4 of the cutest kittens imaginable. She's a bit of a street cat, and they have no idea who the father is but we're thinking he must be at least partially Siamese as the kittens are orange but with the cutest and bluest eyes ever.

All kittens eyes are normally blue or grey until they are about 3 months old.

[Garp]

Originally Posted by wicksta

All kittens eyes are normally blue or grey until they are about 3 months old.

Really? Hope these ones stay that colour

[Garp]

Given we have so many cat experts here, thought I'd outline our plan for kitten, see if it makes sense:

House is empty from around 6:45am-4:00pm. During that time we'll be barricading the kitten in the kitchen area as it's a hard floor surface, along with a litterbox, some toys and a radio, whilst (s)he's getting used to the place and learning that the litterbox is for it's use.

When we're around we'll be allowing the kitten free roam.
We're umming and ahhing about whether we should barricade it in the Kitchen at night to start with or not.

[Darrin]

Most cats naturally take to a litter box. They're very picky about being able to bury their waste. It's a leftover trait from the wild. Predators can track the cats by their waste, but if it's buried it minimizes the risk. So they WANT to bury it.

Barricading it in the kitchen might not be such a good idea. Cats are extremely good jumpers and having to disinfect the counters after kitty has used the litterbox then gone exploring all the horizontal surfaces becomes a pain rather quickly. The bathroom would be a better bet. Just make sure they have a soft place to lay down. And that all your towels are folded double over the shower stall so they don't become the kitten's bed.

But the best bet is teaching them to use the litter box right off the bat and not confining them at all. Establishing that food surfaces are taboo places to go through light discipline and reinforcement early on will save lots of trouble later on.

All of my cats have always known that the kitchen is off limits all together. All of our cats have always shed in large volumes and Tina has a distinct aversion to finding hair in her food. They also know that closets are off limits, but every once in a while their curiosity gets the better of them.


Cats are smarter than most people give them credit for. They will learn quite quickly what's acceptable and what's not. And once they've learned, they tend to not push the limits unlike dogs do. This especially applies to teaching them when they're young.

[Will]

I don't think there should be a need for any barricades. There may be one or two "accidents" but they learn quickly where the litter box is, and if they know where it is and they don't use it, it's because it needs changing!!

The sooner they feel comfortable with their environment the sooner they'll get used to being there and used to you, and the noises of the flat.

[leowyatt]

Originally Posted by Darrin

And once they've learned, they tend to not push the limits unlike dogs do.

Tell that to our 3, who we keep finding on the coffee table when we come down in a morning even though they know they shouldn't be there

[Will]

We never bothered to tell the cat where it can or can't sleep. It's part of the family, and if it wants to sleep on the table, it sleeps on the table - just as stubborn as it's owners

We have the litter in the utility room and it's food is in the kitchen, but she feeds when she's hungry, so she has a bowl full and just eats a little then goes off on her adventures - funnily she likes to eat when we eat which is cute. The cat has full control/access of the house. Though the kitchen surfaces hold nothing much of interest to her so she doesn't tend to venture there anyway - not that it would bother me frankly.

[leowyatt]

Originally Posted by Will

We never bothered to tell the cat where it can or can't sleep

That's not what I've heard

[mejinks]

Meh, am I the only one who came in here expecting something else? Maybe its my dirty mind... wow at those eyes, they must be from arrakis.

Have you thought about names yet? How about muad' dib or maybe cat5?

[lostkat]

Originally Posted by Will

if it wants to sleep on the table, it sleeps on the table

LIES!!! You lean the chairs against the table so the cat can't get on, because they can't jump you know

It's all been said already really. I can't really see the need in restricting her to 1 room whilst you're at work or in bed. S/he'll most likely sleep all day whilst you're at work. Flo does!

She had pretty much free reign of the house from the start and she had no problems at all. We keep the bathroom door shut because there are holes in the floorboards and she likes going underneath them and we lock her out of the spider room because she can't bloody leave them alone. Apart from that, she wanders around wherever she wants. She's never caused any problems and isn't even interested in jumping on kitchen worktops. However I did leave a pack of mince out once to defrost, which she killed on the lounge carpet

Oh, don't forget to get a scratching post or you may end up with scratched sofa/chairs etc.

With regards to litter trays, all you need to do is put kitty in the litter tray when s/he first arrives and s/he'll remember where it is and use it when the time is right. Their mummies teach them how to use the litter tray when they're babs.