Help With The Kitten

[Gracie]

KiKi is a very sweet kitten. Quiet, too. I gave her the walk in closet for her very own room to feel safe in, and she likes it but she loves my recliner more, lol. When I hold her in my lap or up on my shoulder, she immediately begins to purr. She seems content for now. And like I said...she is very quiet. I had to drive about 3 miles to get home after getting her and she mewed once. Since she has been here...she has mewed twice.
HOwever...she is freaking out with Karma, my dog. Karma is very timid herself...easy going...mellow. So the cat hitching up and hissing does not bother her much. She knows what kitty claws can do from being around Pretties, so she just looks away so her face is no where near those claws. But I wonder....how long will it take..if ever...for KiKi to not be afraid of Karma? She did actually walk by Karma twice...but all stiff and hunched up..and hissing. But at least she DID walk by. Beats her hiding in a corner.

Anyway....eventually KiKi is going to be an outside/inside cat. She can come and go as she pleases. But right now..she is just way too itty bitty. An owl would get her or a raccoon. So..since I am not a cat person and this is all new to me too..especially with a 7 week old kitten...I have some questions maybe some cat people can help me out with:

1. Will she eventually get used to the dogs?
2. Will she eventually want to go outside on her own?
3. Will she potty outside if I take her litter box away after she IS old enough to go outside to do her thang?
4. Sometimes she even hisses at ME...so I have to approach her quietly and sing a little Dee Dee Dee De deeeee deeeeee in a high pitched voice then waggle my finger gently otherwise she will nail me again with those tiny little spears of hers and hiss like a crazy cat. Will she get over that too?

I ask cuz if she is going to continue to be fearful of the dogs...I might give her to my roomie or take her back where I got her.

 

[Mr. H.]

KiKi is a very sweet kitten. Quiet, too. I gave her the walk in closet for her very own room to feel safe in, and she likes it but she loves my recliner more, lol. When I hold her in my lap or up on my shoulder, she immediately begins to purr. She seems content for now. And like I said...she is very quiet. I had to drive about 3 miles to get home after getting her and she mewed once. Since she has been here...she has mewed twice.
HOwever...she is freaking out with Karma, my dog. Karma is very timid herself...easy going...mellow. So the cat hitching up and hissing does not bother her much. She knows what kitty claws can do from being around Pretties, so she just looks away so her face is no where near those claws. But I wonder....how long will it take..if ever...for KiKi to not be afraid of Karma? She did actually walk by Karma twice...but all stiff and hunched up..and hissing. But at least she DID walk by. Beats her hiding in a corner.

Anyway....eventually KiKi is going to be an outside/inside cat. She can come and go as she pleases. But right now..she is just way too itty bitty. An owl would get her or a raccoon. So..since I am not a cat person and this is all new to me too..especially with a 7 week old kitten...I have some questions maybe some cat people can help me out with:

1. Will she eventually get used to the dogs?
2. Will she eventually want to go outside on her own?
3. Will she potty outside if I take her litter box away after she IS old enough to go outside to do her thang?
4. Sometimes she even hisses at ME...so I have to approach her quietly and sing a little Dee Dee Dee De deeeee deeeeee in a high pitched voice then waggle my finger gently otherwise she will nail me again with those tiny little spears of hers and hiss like a crazy cat. Will she get over that too?

I ask cuz if she is going to continue to be fearful of the dogs...I might give her to my roomie or take her back where I got her.

1. Yup
2. Yup
3. Nope
4. Yup

 

[Vigilante]

Damn Gracie, if your worried about an owl now, DON'T EVER let her out where you live. It's a fallacy that cats must go out, I have some that are 18-20 years old that have never left the house, and even with an open door refuse to leave! How old is the kitten? Some took to my dog almost immediately, others want no part of her. All are different, but I did find that if you give them TREATS together, they do seem to get along much better.

 

[Gracie]

She is only 7 weeks. Its DARK out there. And scarey. Lots and lots of raccoons too. She can go outside if she wants..but not yet. I want her to get at least 6 inches tall, lol. Right now...she is about 4 inches.
I hate litter boxes. maybe I will take her out tomorrow to the sand section of the yard so she doesn't get all used to the litter box.

 

[Vigilante]

Give Kiki back to your roommate to return!...Please.

 

[bodecea]

KiKi is a very sweet kitten. Quiet, too. I gave her the walk in closet for her very own room to feel safe in, and she likes it but she loves my recliner more, lol. When I hold her in my lap or up on my shoulder, she immediately begins to purr. She seems content for now. And like I said...she is very quiet. I had to drive about 3 miles to get home after getting her and she mewed once. Since she has been here...she has mewed twice.
HOwever...she is freaking out with Karma, my dog. Karma is very timid herself...easy going...mellow. So the cat hitching up and hissing does not bother her much. She knows what kitty claws can do from being around Pretties, so she just looks away so her face is no where near those claws. But I wonder....how long will it take..if ever...for KiKi to not be afraid of Karma? She did actually walk by Karma twice...but all stiff and hunched up..and hissing. But at least she DID walk by. Beats her hiding in a corner.

Anyway....eventually KiKi is going to be an outside/inside cat. She can come and go as she pleases. But right now..she is just way too itty bitty. An owl would get her or a raccoon. So..since I am not a cat person and this is all new to me too..especially with a 7 week old kitten...I have some questions maybe some cat people can help me out with:

1. Will she eventually get used to the dogs?
2. Will she eventually want to go outside on her own?
3. Will she potty outside if I take her litter box away after she IS old enough to go outside to do her thang?
4. Sometimes she even hisses at ME...so I have to approach her quietly and sing a little Dee Dee Dee De deeeee deeeeee in a high pitched voice then waggle my finger gently otherwise she will nail me again with those tiny little spears of hers and hiss like a crazy cat. Will she get over that too?

I ask cuz if she is going to continue to be fearful of the dogs...I might give her to my roomie or take her back where I got her.

Cats allowed outdoors never live as long as strictly indoor cats. You might want to reconsider that one.

 

[Gracie]

Fatty lived to 23 and he was an indoor/outdoor cat. Pretties..well...she was 12 when she decided to stop eating when Gracie died.
I'm just not sure what to do right now because it has been a very long LONG time since I have had a kitten. Pretties came to me at 6 months old. Fatty was 4 years old. So kitten stuff is unknown to me.

 

[Gracie]

Give Kiki back to your roommate to return!...Please.

Why??

 

[Vigilante]

Give Kiki back to your roommate to return!...Please.

Why??

You apparently live in an area where a cat is the PREY for other animals. That's just heartless to let one out when those conditions are present.

 

[Gracie]

But I am not letting her out. She is too small.

On other news....karma was sleeping and KiKi sniffed her feet. When karma rolled over, the arched back and hissing commenced but karma just laid there real quiet. KiKi went back to sniffing. She is a good little kitten..but dayum. It has been 40 years or so since I had a wee kitten. Puppies? no problem. Kittens? deer in headlights.

 

[Gracie]

I will see how the next few days go. If I think I am going to be a rotten kitten owner...I will take her back. The roomie wants an indoor/outdoor cat too so she may not suit.

 

[Vigilante]

But I am not letting her out. She is too small.

On other news....karma was sleeping and KiKi sniffed her feet. When karma rolled over, the arched back and hissing commenced but karma just laid there real quiet. KiKi went back to sniffing. She is a good little kitten..but dayum. It has been 40 years or so since I had a wee kitten. Puppies? no problem. Kittens? deer in headlights.

Do graphics help you to decide if the FULL GROWN cat should be let out in your area?

 

[Vigilante]

I will see how the next few days go. If I think I am going to be a rotten kitten owner...I will take her back. The roomie wants an indoor/outdoor cat too so she may not suit.

Pick up a stray cat in your area if you must let it out, at least that cat will have some sense of what is dangerous if it's been out for awhile!

 

[Gracie]

I am taking her back to the person I got her from tomorrow. Kittens are just not my thang. I would prefer someone adopt her that is familiar with them. So...tomorrow...she goes back home.

 

[Gracie]

She is semi wild, I think. She was in my lap...and I was just browsing the net reading about kittens and BAM! She jumped up, hissed and spit and nailed me. For 7 weeks old, those tiny claws and teeth did a number on me and I have no clue why. So...no. She goes back.

 

[Gracie]

Oh. Duh. She is playing. Damn I feel stupid. I gave her one of karma's smaller plush toys and she is hissing at it, attacking it, hopping around all arch backed, clawing and biting it, running back to her closet room, running back to attack the toy, chasing a string I tied to the dresser...then she mewed at me and when I put my hand down there..tentatively...she grabbed it but this time did not bite. Then she let go and ran back to her house, then peeked at me from the door, then did her arch hissy thingy.

Sigh. Maybe I am too dumb to have a kitten.

 

[Ropey]

3. Will she potty outside if I take her litter box away after she IS old enough to go outside to do her thang?

I'd put the litter box right next to an outside door. Then when the kitten is old enough to venture outside you can put the litter box by the outside door. It always worked for me and then I took the box away.

Congrats on your new baby.

 

[Gracie]

I tried to take her back but hubby said a resounding NO when I told him I was. So...I gave her the library room all for herself for night night time. Beats having the damn closet. And bigger.
She really is a good kitty. So easy to please. Not vocal. Happy playing with karmas toys. During the day..she will be in my room and have access to the back yard..which she is slowly exploring but only if I am with her. At night..I get my closet back where all hubbys snacks are kept, lol....and kitty gets the library room with a window and screen to look out from. I introduced her to Ramiro and he said she was just too cute. So....I think this MIGHT work out. And yes Ropey, I will do that! She has two litter boxes now...one in the library, one in my closet for day time. Eventually, both boxes will go by the door. And someday, she might be able to actually get outside on her own after she figures out the doggy doors and is strong enough to push the flap open, lol.

 

[Gracie]

After her ownership and before, lol.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

There are easy answers:

First, clip her claws. Its easy and if you start doing it now, she'll become used to it. We do our cats about once a month. If you want, I'll write out complete instructions. Most important is to be very careful and clip off only the very tip. As you get into the routine of clipping them, you'll find they grow more slowly and some don't get the sharp hook on the end.

Provide her with her own scratching things. These can be cheap or expensive. Watch for goodies on sale or go for coupons. Encourage her to use her own belongings by rubbing them with meat and/or catnip. Use a squirt bottle with water only to discourage scratching or going where you don't want her to. Don't get carried away with the water bottle - its quite an assault for a baby her age.

Second, build a cat run. This can be as cheap or expensive as you want. I've done it both ways. Just make sure there's a roof on it and a way for you to get in to rake up the poo and dispose of it. I'll write more instructions on this as well.

She'll learn to get along with the dog. Try to remember that she's been on this planet for less than two months and everything is new and scary. She went from having a warm, secure mommy and sibs and a known world to everything being huge and smelling like, OMG, a dog. She is having to learn so much right now -- just give her some time, comfort her, hold her and tell her its gonna be okay if she just gives you the same time and consideration you are giving her. Expect it to take a while, don't push her, let them come face to face. The fact that your dog is ho-hum about it is very helpful.

She really needs to feel secure. Just give her some time.