Halp! 11 Week Kitty

[sephir]

You can buy a collar for something like $10 that will supposedly deflea/prevent fleas from going near your cat. I remember putting it on my cats (it was a bit bulky) but it did the trick. Ive never had fleas on any of my 3 cats.

As for letting them outdoors, Id suggest it unless your neighbors let their dogs run free. If they are on leashes you should be fine, but watch the cat when its outside until they are about a year or so old.

[Kael]

They sometimes let them run free. Pretty close knit neighborhood so most everyone knows whose dog is whose so no one minds. I think I'm actually the one of 3 people with cats. the others never leave their houses lol

We'll see though. Can at least do it for a short time every now and again, shouldn't be much harm in it so long as I make sure none of the dogs are loose at the time.

[Circe]

Weighing back in on the kitty stuffs...

First of all, they are adorable! I, too, love the names.

I would not let the cats outside for several reasons, the biggest being that cats that live exclusively indoors generally have a life span of over 10 years longer than those that are outside cats or split time outside. Cats that go outside risk accident, attack from other animals, exposure to more parasite vectors and of course the lovely assholes who hate cats and kill them for no logical reason other than they hate cats. A lot of people feel that indoor only cats are somehow missing out on life. Please realize this....the majority of animals are not self aware as humans are and as such do not miss something they have no knowledge of. If a cat never goes outdoors they won't miss it. What they will miss is being hit by a car or attacked by a dog/local badass feral cat/pick your varmint or picking up fleas or contracting feline AIDs or leukemia from another cat's bite, etc. People will argue that if a cat is observed it will learn to stay in the yard. I would say that unless the cat is on a leash there is always the chance the cat will decide to explore or get startled and run off...it's up to you if you want to take that chance of course, but don't kid yourself that there isn't a chance it could happen.

Fleas on a kitten can be taken care of by checking with your vet and getting a product that is safe for young kittens of their weight. Flea collars on a kitten carry the risk of overdose of the flea medication as does over the counter flea medication for cats. One good thing to do for very small kittens is to get a flea SPRAY that is safe for nursing cats. Spray some on a washcloth you dont want to keep then stroke the kittens with the cloth. DO NOT saturate the cloth....small amounts are best. Make sure to clean the bedding with hot water and any loose blankets or pillows they use. That should take care of it as long as you treat for the fleas that are on them. It's important to clean the bedding cause that's where the flea eggs are....yuk.

Have fun with the babies and I hope this helps!

[Kael]

Thanks for the advice Circe.


Do you know the names of some Sprays? I saw a few of them at the store, but since I'm not familiar with the brands I wasn't sure if they may have been too strong or had sketchy chemicals in it.

[Circe]

Frontline and Advantage sprays are the best if you can get them.

[Eticket]

Frontline and Advantage are good choices. Just avoid Hartz at all costs. While the concerns about their products are most likely overblown its still a risk that isn't worth taking.

[Kael]

We had a thunderstorm this morning, it was freaking them out. I woke up to mewling, so I got up cleaned out their bowls and gave them something to eat then coaxed them into playing with their toy mice to get their minds off the thunder.

I'll post pictures later on. :D

[Kael]

New pictures!

[Norellicus]

A;SLKFJ;SOIENR.SGLKJ;J SO CUTE.

[Vandalhart]

You could always put them on a leash and let them explore the backyard while you walk beside them. We used to tether our cat up outside so he wouldn't get hurt.

Especially after he had his leg broken by a car one time.

[Ivve]

If you're going to go with a leash, start doing it right now or if you haven't taken them outside yet, start from the first time they go out. I would also suggest a harness rather than a plain collar in case they try to dart; it's easy to pull out of a collar -- or at least the safer breakaway kinds my cats have.

My cat became an indoor cat after we moved and he's never been able to adjust to a leash and harness. He just flops down and looks at me angrily any time we try to go out. If I tie him to something and go away for a while he'll eventually get up and sniff around a little, but he has some kind of issue with walking while wearing any gear.

[Norellicus]

If you're going to go with a leash, start doing it right now or if you haven't taken them outside yet, start from the first time they go out. I would also suggest a harness rather than a plain collar in case they try to dart; it's easy to pull out of a collar -- or at least the safer breakaway kinds my cats have.

My cat became an indoor cat after we moved and he's never been able to adjust to a leash and harness. He just flops down and looks at me angrily any time we try to go out. If I tie him to something and go away for a while he'll eventually get up and sniff around a little, but he has some kind of issue with walking while wearing any gear.

Flickr: The The World's Heaviest Harness Pool

Seems you're not alone, lol

[Yuri-G]

LOL @ "if a cat is observed it will learn to stay in the yard"

whoever said that has clearly never owned a cat. any rules that are enforced by your presence will only be obeyed in your presence (like my cat who won't jump up on the counter unless he thinks I'm sleeping).

[Cesaria]

Soooooo cute! I can take or leave babies but show me kitten pictures and I do tend to turn into a pile of girlie mush.

And LOL at cats obeying rules... although somehow the rule has evolved in our house that the cat gets a sofa to herself and the humans are relegated to the lesser chair.

[Brill Weave]

I would very seriously reconsider if you're thinking about letting them outside. It's just not a good idea. Big thing to remember is that everytime you let them outside, they might not come back. Hence my kitten is an indoor kitten. I'm going to have to post some pictures here so we can turn this into the kitten picture thread damn it!

[sephir]

Soooooo cute! I can take or leave babies but show me kitten pictures and I do tend to turn into a pile of girlie mush.

And LOL at cats obeying rules... although somehow the rule has evolved in our house that the cat gets a sofa to herself and the humans are relegated to the lesser chair.

My house is similar except for me its the bed. One of my cats always goes on the larger side and as I roll around in my sleep she moves until I end up being pushed out of my own bed!

[Shiroikage]

I would very seriously reconsider if you're thinking about letting them outside. It's just not a good idea. Big thing to remember is that everytime you let them outside, they might not come back. Hence my kitten is an indoor kitten. I'm going to have to post some pictures here so we can turn this into the kitten picture thread damn it!

I think this is a derail everyone can agree with.

[Kohan]

New pictures!

This reminds me strongly of my own cat when he was small, particularly because of the wooden floor and upholstery. Thus, I have decided to share the wealth and provide some pics of my kitty from '03.

Spoiler: show

http://i29.tinypic.com/30m4j7o.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/16m7uz9.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/23j21cy.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/9sf1ba.jpg

Also, here's one from '05:

http://i26.tinypic.com/282g58x.jpg

Bonus picture of one of my friends during Christmas of '05, realizing what's clearly the best use for a gigantic meat stick:

Spoiler: show

http://i29.tinypic.com/2qn8qig.jpg

You didn't expect anything more mature than this, did you?

[Brill Weave]

Sorry for the necro, but I know we have someone here who works with animals. So I noticed today that my kitten, Meatball, has not lost one of his milk teeth. He's lost all of them. Literally all the milk teeth are gone.

He isn't sluggish at all and is still running around like a maniac. He's been drinking a bit more water since I'm assuming his gums hurt. I gave him some wet cat food today just to make sure he's eating. Is this common? I know kittens lose their baby teeth but I've never heard of a kitten losing all of them at the same time. Should I be taking him to the vet?

[Khamsin]

Sorry for the necro, but I know we have someone here who works with animals. So I noticed today that my kitten, Meatball, has not lost one of his milk teeth. He's lost all of them. Literally all the milk teeth are gone.

He isn't sluggish at all and is still running around like a maniac. He's been drinking a bit more water since I'm assuming his gums hurt. I gave him some wet cat food today just to make sure he's eating. Is this common? I know kittens lose their baby teeth but I've never heard of a kitten losing all of them at the same time. Should I be taking him to the vet?

There's already a thread for this:

http://www.bluegartr.com/forum/79115...th-issues.html

..just kidding. But I did adjust the thread title in this thread. Hope you get a good answer.