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Barnyard Buddies:  normal kitty behavior??  |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4269 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4269 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 29 2008 : 04:40:34 AM
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My son found a tiny kitty about a month ago. Under his car about 2 in the morning, in a McDonalds parking lot. He was leaving work, and it was raining. So he brought it home. 
It has been a month and she is doing well and growing like a weed. But she has turned into a devil kitty 
She wants to play all the time, and the play is rough. Biting and scratching. She will not sit still for any petting, unless she is about to fall asleep.
I am not a big cat fan, so having her in the house is a surprise to all, but what were we going to do, with a little baby. All our other cats have been partly wild barn cats. Will she grow out of this stage and get nice?
Michele |
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Patsy
True Blue Farmgirl
592 Posts
Illinois
USA
592 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2008 : 05:49:25 AM
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Thank you for rescuing the fur baby. Get a squirt bottle filled with water and when the play gets too rough, squirt her. It won't hurt her but will interrupt the behavior. Also if she scratches the furniture, spray her then too. It won't take much, just a little bit.
When you get her spade, that should help alot too. Other than that, be glad she is healthy and happy. She may have come from a place where she had to be rough to survive.
I think that if a mortal ever heard the voice of God, it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. (F. Moore)
Patsy
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electricdunce
True Blue Farmgirl
2544 Posts
Karin
Belmont
ME
USA
2544 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2008 : 07:46:38 AM
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Another thought is to get her a playmate, two cats will be so much happier, and then she'll have someone to bounce around with and you'll be spared some of the bites and scratches. kittens are generally rambunctious. I have a cat who seemed quite unsnuggly as a kitten and so for a while instead of trying to pick her up I would just lean over when she was slumped on a bed, sofa, whatever and blow hot air on her tummy, just to get her used to a bit of closeness, and now I can pick her up and hold her for a bit and she'll come snuggle by me, though she won't sit on a lap. Some cats are snugglier than others, they are such great little critters though....
Karin
Farmgirl Sister #153
"Give me shelter from the storm" - Bob Dylan
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2008 : 07:51:59 AM
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We have had lots of kittens and playful behvior is quite common. Usually they are playing with eachother though. All of ours have gone through a teeth and claw stage. Yours may seem more pronounced if she was seperated from her mom and siblings too early. When they have another kitten biting back they quickly learn how much is too much.
I second the water spray bottle. A tiny spritz will make a difference. I also suggest you pick up some toys for her. They make one that kind of looks like a fishing pole with a little feather think at the end. This is nice because you can play with her but from a distance.
Also please consider having her spayed. This will calm her considerably. If spaying is expensive in you area you might was to check with your local farm supply store like TSC. Our TSC works with a local get and does this once a moth for only $10.00! You drop your pet off in the morning - they transport them to the vet and you pick it up in the afternoon.
Farmgirl Sister #17
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2008 : 09:10:49 AM
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Michele: Spaying will calm the cat down. Don't play rough with it if you don't want it to be wild. Good luck. I love cats, I have 7. Five are outside cats and were pretty wild at one time. Their calm now.
Marly |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4269 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4269 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2008 : 11:24:31 AM
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Thanks for all the helpful hints. I will have to find a spray bottle. I like that one.
I plan to have her spayed, but don't know how old she is. She fit into the palm of our hands when Jake found her, and now well she don't! So maybe at the most she is 2 months old??
We have a piece of dowel with chickens feathers tied on, and a stuffed toy, and some knotted up old socks for toys. She is also outside quite a bit. McFlurry is quite the little turd! We call her Flurry for short. She has provided us with loads of laughter, and I think we all have scratches! We have also probely played rough with her, as that was what she was doing from the start. And now she has gotten bigger and it is starting to hurt! She is starting to pester the dog more, not that she appreciates it. I do have a barn cat and at first I would not leave Flurry in the barn with her, cause it looked like the cat would attack Flurry and eat her. On the plus side, she did start to use her litter box right away, so that was good! I did have to rub her down alot to get her to go potty. Such fun.
Thanks Again
Michele |
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Farmtopia
True Blue Farmgirl
1465 Posts
Zan
New York
New York
USA
1465 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2008 : 4:56:38 PM
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Hey Michelle...I second the ideas here, but I will add something from those good ole days when I used to be a tech...
She needs boundaries for sure...because you found her so young..and with out a mama, who might keep her in line if she plays/bites/scratches too hard...this little cat probably will not know when "enough is enough."
Where I worked, this happened to two seperate clients; they found or were given some tiny foundling, fell in love, but then had a disaster as the cat grew older...ended up scratching and biting one couple, even when they slept.
I think the idea of getting a slightly OLDER or larger kitten to keep this little one in check, while letting it get all it's energy out, is a good idea. And the spray bottle will let her know when to stop if she is getting out of hand.
The generally humane accepted age to spay or neuter a kitten is roughly 5-6months old. There are places that might do it younger, but it's a hard surgery when they are that little.
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4745 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4745 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2008 : 6:18:12 PM
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Sounds like you got a little tiger on your hands there Michele! I've heard a number of cat people use the spray bottle with great success. Best of luck on taming your little wildcat!
Dawn in IL |
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Barnyard Buddies: normal kitty behavior?? |
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normal kitty behavior??
