kitten litter training and behavior
 

hi everyone,

i recently was given a kitten and then purchased a kitten as a companion as the kitten i was given seems to have... a disorder?

here is the back story. a friend of mines cat had kittens. she is an inside cat. when the kittens were between 4 and 5 weeks old, she killed 4 of the 7. the mother cat, not the friend. she gave me a kitten as i am familiar with raising young animals and am college educated in the veterinarian field. the kitten did great for 2 days. i noticed the kitten refused to use its litterbox. this was 2 months ago. it is a male kitten. i purchased a kitten from a shelter that was 9 weeks old hoping to get the kitten i was given on track with the litter box. what i got was a 7 week old kitten who would attack a 9 week old kitten. i have them separated now.

here is what my monster of a kitten does and has done from the age of 5.5 weeks to present. he will begin meowing very loudly. not a scream but just a VERY loud meow. he will back up while twisting his head side to side and push his hind end up whatever wall or counter or piece of furniture he is near. once he is holding his weight on his front paws he will spray urine or defecate which always falls back onto him but also on my furniture and walls. all the while meowing loudly. he gets along well with my dogs but not any of the smaller dogs he has come in contact with. i have great danes, and while the kitten isnt exactly social with the dogs, he doesnt try to kill them. the kitten i purchased gets attacked and i have had to take him to the vet twice as my younger trouble maker leaves no question he is trying to do severe harm to her. the kitten has also attacked my neighbors yorkie in the same manner and a great dane puppy.

the other 2 kittens from my friends litter that survived were rehomed, but the kittens were taken to shelters due to their odd behavior. (one was attacking children).

this is NOT a feral kitten. it came from a home where the mother was the only pet. ive got plenty of experience with canines, but not much with felines. ive had the kitten to the vet and its up to date on all shots, has no physical problems, and is in perfect health. my vet laughed at me when i told him about this and suggested that the kitten may have severe neurological problems. any help, suggestions, or ideas would be appreciated.

Did you at any point try to help the kitten along by wiping it's genitals gently with a damp, rough cloth? That is what the mother cat would do (with her tongue) if things were normal. It does not sound like much was "normal" in this case.
The kitten sounds, from what you describe, like a kitten who does not know what it is supposed to be doing re toileting.
As for the other issues - please ask your friend to have her inside cat fixed as well as the, I'm assuming here seeing as immaculate conception only happened once to my knowledge, inside male she has. If this is what is happening when the cat has kittens she doesn't need more. The kitten's behaviour is in no way normal. Mother cats do kill their young at times to either protect them from a perceived danger (weird I know) or if they know there is something wrong with the kittens. Male cats will kill the kittens if they want at the mother because she is in heat again. Is your friend sure it was the female that killed the kittens? I would keep a very close eye on this kitten. A small kitten can do quite a lot of damage. A large cat can do a whole lot more. Maybe the kitten could be put on prozac.


***Edit*** I am wishing only the best for this little kitten. It sure didn't ask for the life it's had so far. :(

[QUOTE=14+kitties;1042097]Did you at any point try to help the kitten along by wiping it's genitals gently with a damp, rough cloth? That is what the mother cat would do (with her tongue) if things were normal. It does not sound like much was "normal" in this case.
The kitten sounds, from what you describe, like a kitten who does not know what it is supposed to be doing re toileting.
As for the other issues - please ask your friend to have her inside cat fixed as well as the, I'm assuming here seeing as immaculate conception only happened once to my knowledge, inside male she has. If this is what is happening when the cat has kittens she doesn't need more. The kitten's behaviour is in no way normal. Mother cats do kill their young at times to either protect them from a perceived danger (weird I know) or if they know there is something wrong with the kittens. Male cats will kill the kittens if they want at the mother because she is in heat again. Is your friend sure it was the female that killed the kittens? I would keep a very close eye on this kitten. A small kitten can do quite a lot of damage. A large cat can do a whole lot more. Maybe the kitten could be put on prozac.[/QUOTE]

Yeah that kitten need to be seen by animal behaviorist , I would if the mother cat has some kind of infection that cause it so strange and the kitten has the infection too. I would made sure the kitten has nothing that can be pass onto the other animals.

I agree with 14+kitties, I would try Prozac or Fluoxetine,maybe he would only need it for awhile. Once he straightens out, you might be able to take him off it.

[QUOTE=lindapalm;1042109]I agree with 14+kitties, I would try Prozac or Fluoxetine,maybe he would only need it for awhile. Once he straightens out, you might be able to take him off it.[/QUOTE]

I hate the idea of giving pets Prozac. You'll have no idea what kind of side effects it will have on your pets.

thanks for the responses. my friend bred her cat with a cat belonging to a friend of hers. her reasons are her business and none of my business regardless of how irresponsible i feel it is to breed non-purebred unregistered pets. she is certain it was the mother who killed the kittens. her female is fixed now, thankfully.

i did not stimulate the kittens anus or genitals to help induce bladder or colon release. he had no problems defecating or urinating, though he did so on the floor and refused a litter box (i tried dirt, scented and unscented cat litter, sand, and all natural corncob litter- with and without adding his feces). as a lifetime student of veterinarian medicine, genetics, husbandry, behavior, evolution, biology, and nutrition i had the idea to change foods, add vitamin drops, have the kitten checked for colon polyps and/or injury, etc. he checks out good on everything. his behavior towards small breed dogs, other cats(but not his reflection), and every small animal he can see (a squirrel outside will send him into a screaming fit of rage bashing himself against the window) leads me to believe it MUST be a psychological problem, cerebral injury or developmental problem, or a combination of the two.

im considering sending him to a friend of mine to live for a short time who is an animal behaviorist and who specializes in both canines and felines. im worried that changing environments again may change his behavior for the poorer. im not a fan of sertraline hydrochloride or fluoxetine as both are serotonin inhibitors. in young mammals this can cause reduced size as development is slowed and can cause increased bone mass and/or osteogenesis imperfecta like disorders and symptoms. in my opinion, with the kittens observed and perceived behavior, i would think lithium would be a better fit if i were to consider treating a mental disorder. wouldnt you agree?

[QUOTE=albion.danes;1042117]refused a litter box (i tried dirt, scented and unscented cat litter, sand, and all natural corncob litter- with and without adding his feces).[/QUOTE]

Have you tried [URL="http://www.preciouscat.com/product/cat-attract/"]Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract[/URL] litter? What sort of litter box(es) do you have (ie covered/uncovered, large or small, etc) and where are they located? Have you tried a shallow baking pan or something similar to make it easier for a kitten to get in and out of?

Sorry, I have no advice on your kitten's other issues except maybe time and patience will help. I wish you luck!

i used cat attract brand litter. but i havent used a spray, and at this time wsince the kitten gets upside down on a wall before it goes, litter isnt the problem i dont think. i have a litter pan which is about 3.5" tall and i have tried it with and without the cover, in every room except the bedrooms, under a table, in a calm quiet corner, etc. even in a secluded room with the kitten for 3 days. its as simple as the cat must be upside down with its rear up a surface before it will urinate or deficate all the while swinging its head side to side, meowing.

this is my last post in the forum as i no longer have any cats. the problem kitten killed the new kitten (they were in a large crate/kennel while i was doing yard work). irresponsible of me, i know that now. the kitten has been shipped to a friend who specializes in feline behavior. after 24 hours she relayed to me she has never seen anything like it. hopefully something good will come of this.

thanks for all the responses and advice.

[QUOTE=albion.danes;1042420]the problem kitten killed the new kitten [/QUOTE]

Oh wow, that is so terribly tragic. I'm sorry you had to deal with this. I wonder if your friend can contact one of the veterinary schools like Cornell or TAMU for some input. I would think an MRI might worthwhile at this point. Perhaps they can learn something from this sad situation that can be applied to other cats and kittens exhibiting similarly bizarre behaviour.