Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Cat health - Ask members * If your pet is vomiting-bleeding-diarrhea etc. Vet time!

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old June 29th, 2008, 03:19 PM
aeclinto's Avatar
aeclinto aeclinto is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 3
New kitten in the house reeking havoc

So my roommate got a kitten, about 4 months old. In the past two weeks, she's developed an eye infection and suffers repetitive diarhea. She keeps pooping under my futon, against the wall. Rarely does she use the litterbox. Before she had these problems, she just wasn't very bright about how to use the box. She'd throw most of it on the ground (which I realized my roommate was putting too much litter) and poop in that. When she does make it in the box, she even more rarely covers it.

On top of all of this, she's ultra hyper. I try to hold her as much as possible to get her used to the idea, but she bites and scratches a lot. I'm not used to this, because my two cats were ultra easy to raise. They didn't give me too much hell. My boy cat gets along with the new female kitten. They play a lot and bathe each other. My girl is just tolerant.

The deal is, despite advising my roommate otherwise, she is rarely home to provide the much needed attention to the kitten. So I feel like someone has to take care of it. My roommate brought her to the vet, got eye drops and medicine for the diarrhea, but it doesn't seem to be getting better. I'm sure in about two or three more days, she'll need to back to the vet.

I guess my question is, how do I deal with this annoying little thing? She's destroying my furniture and anything she plays with, pooping everywhere, and isn't open to being cared for by humans, yet still appears very needy for some sort of attention.

Last edited by aeclinto; June 29th, 2008 at 03:21 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old June 29th, 2008, 03:27 PM
14+kitties's Avatar
14+kitties 14+kitties is offline
150% PRO S/N
Starcastle Champion, V:force Champion, UFO Shoot Out Champion, Parachute Panic Champion, Mission To Mars Champion, Disc Dash Champion, Crazy Closet Champion, Railway Line Champion, Penguin Pass Champion
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: MYOB
Posts: 15,408
Has she been dewormed? What food is your roommate feeding her? That may account for the loose stools. Is her litter kept clean? Does she have her own box? Is it easy for her to get in and out of? Open or closed box (some kittens don't like the closed ones)? Where did your roommate get the kitten?

There are a million questions you can ask before you get to the bottom of why kitty isn't using box properly. Maybe mom never taught her.

Annoying kitten? I have never met an annoying kitten. One that isn't much into being held, yep. More than once. But annoying? Can you trim her claws so the scratches aren't as bad? She can be taught with time and patience how to not bite. I'm glad to hear that your male cat has accepted her. She has someone to play with her. Sounds to me like she is being a normal kitty.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me.

We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old June 29th, 2008, 04:30 PM
chico2's Avatar
chico2 chico2 is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Oakville Ontario
Posts: 26,591
No kitten is annoying,her pooping is hardly her fault,playing,scratching etc...is what kittens do,as I am sure you know.
I would take her back to the vet,more than likely has worms and her the food she gets,can certainly also contribute to her having runny poop.
If your room-mate does not take care of her and you think she's annoying,maybe she would be better off in another home.
It's a good thing your kitty likes her,maybe he can teach her a few things.
__________________
"The cruelest animal is the Human animal"
3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old June 29th, 2008, 04:58 PM
onster's Avatar
onster onster is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,842
If she has no parasites through a fecal test she may still have them (false negative) I would deworm the kitty anyway if this hasnt been done already.

If she has been dewormed and the vet finds no problems but she still has diarrhea this may very well be just a kitten thing she will outgrow. My kitten had horribly smelly, very loose poop from about 4 months (when we adopted him) to about 8/9 months. He just had an iffy digestive system as a baby.

If this is the case, things you can do to help:
  • Give her some plain low fat yoghurt (the probiotics may help her digestive system).
  • There is a product by purina available at the vets called FortiFlora:
    Quote:
    FortiFlora is a nutritional supplement that contains a probiotic, Enterococcus faecium SF68, for the dietary management of cats with diarrhea. This probiotic has been shown to be safe, stable, and effective in restoring normal intestinal health and balance.FortiFlora is recommended as a nutritional supplement to help with the following: Diarrhea associated with microflora imbalance Acute enteritis Diarrhea associated with stress, antibiotic therapy, and diet change Poor fecal quality in kittens To promote a strong immune system.
    - This really helped my cat right away
  • Try giving her 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of baby food squash with her food. The fibre helps firm up the poop.
  • Do not give her lots of treats or any table scraps, these will upset a sensitive digestive system. My cat would get horrible diarrhea whenever he got into something new as a kitten.
  • Possibly change her food? What are you feeding her now?

I dont think its her fault that she spilled litter on the floor since the box was overfilled? Also, kittens can be clumsy. As for her not using the box all the time, how many boxes do you have for 3 cats? My one cat will poop on the floor say if one of the boxes is not clean enough and the other is in use by my second cat .

Re: destroying your furniture, your going to have to put time into training her to use a scratching post. In the meantime, you can keep her nails short. When she tries to nip or scratch you stop play immediately or give her a toy to bite instead of your hands. In time she will understand this is not acceptable. In fact, having your other cat play with her is a great thing as I suspect she was taken from her mother too young - the older cat will probably teach her bite inhibition.

As for her not being cuddly/ too hyper this is a kitten thing. Only hold her for short periods of time, try to get her used to holding her paws a bit (so she will be more comfortable with you trimming them). My kitty was so squirmy as a kitten but I still held him and carried him a lot for very short periods of time. Right now he really does like to cuddle. On the other hand, this kitten may just turn out to be one those cats that dont like to be carried or cuddled - I have one of those too.

Finally, please be patient with her. There are ways to curb her destructive behaviour as u say but really she is just a baby. For sure she needs to learn not to bite/ scratch everything in site but this will take time. If you need any further advice on how to redirect her scratching/nipping please let us know and we'll try and help.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old June 29th, 2008, 10:49 PM
CyberKitten's Avatar
CyberKitten CyberKitten is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: New Brunswick - Nova Scotia
Posts: 4,852
There is no such entity on earth as an annoying kitten and to be honest, I am surprised someone who lives with a female kitten would even utter such a phrase. Yes, kittens do get into things and have problems but she is a normal, active kitten who it seems to me requires more attention (which you may be attempting to provide but perhaps not quite addressing the issues - your female seems to help her tho) and her own person needs also to be in the picture.

I too would require more info about how she does not urinate properly. This is a rather common complaint amg new kittens or cats and it is usually easily solved. There can be a plethora of reasons.

Firstly, cats of all ages loathe change and she is in a new place. The rule of thumb as you may know- since you have a cat - is one litter box plus one per cat. So you need ideally three litter boxes. Possibly, in the place he left, he had a certain type of litter and a type of box that is different than this one and like many cats, she is adverse to share. Can you blame him?

Also. cheap litter is useless- you need to find out what he likes and get that. NEVER place the litter near where he eats. What is he being few- do NOT buy any of the junk at grocery stores. espevcially for a kitten with problems like hers. Pumpkin in a can (not the real pumpkin) sometimes work but I hesitate to recommends that until you talk to your vet!

Think like a cat- he has been uprooted, has a whole new place to adjust to - and he has actually done well- settling with the new kitten. That is often a large hurdle so he is a good kitten and you are lucky. I would look for his good attributes and he likes to play, is lively and seems healthy - except for the diarrhea - which unchecked- can be serious- so I would be at the vet asap. Was he like this before being neutered? What kind )breed) of cat is he? Some are more energetic and need people all the time or else they are prone to trouble- like Siamese for example - they just like to have their peple nearby.

Inappropriate urination is often a litter or box issue but it also is often a medical problem. He may be hurting and his ONLY way to express it is to do it out of the box - with which he associated with pain. Hopefully he was not declawed and is still in pain and thus associates the box with the horrid declaw surgery. That happens very often in declawed cats. He is sending you a message and you need to figure it out - or you and your roommate. You are a family so you all have to share.

IF it is not medical, it may be psychological - the move, the placing of the boxes, the type of litter, a change in where the box was located- just all the changes in his life together, poor boy. He is an older kittie and is at the age where they LOVE to play and it's great he has a feline companion. You are fortunate there as well. Pl4ease help him and realize cats are NEVER annoying. They are only if you do not like them and I hate to hear you say it the way you wrote it. Maybe you are more compassionate than you sound but please help him - do not blame him for something he needs YOU and your roommate to help him with!! He is like a new baby in the home, hardly an annoyance! If he has not been neutered, urinating is extremely common - but at 4 months, it is most unlikely he has not been neutered unless someone has been very negligent (where did you get him?). Neutering a male kitten often stops this behaviour immediately but I would follow all the advice provided - but see a vet is number one!

Good luck and please keep us up to date. I am sure you did not mean to sound so uncaring and I hope you have his best interests at heart!
__________________
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats" Albert Schweitzer
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old June 30th, 2008, 11:31 PM
aeclinto's Avatar
aeclinto aeclinto is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 3
Sorry if I referred to her as annoying. The situation is bit more trying than the kitten really. The fact that my roommate is not around as much as she should for such a young kitten and I did not anticipate being this influential in her growth... that's more it. And the only reason why I'm not used to such an active kitten is because I rescued my cats; perhaps their street time caused them to not be as active and more shy than anything.

Thanks for the help. I appreciate it. I still try to hold her for some period of time through out the day.

She does have her own litterbox. My two cats share one, and they've never had any problems with it. I do think she was little off towards the idea of a closed box, and that contributed to her original issue with box use. Also, the boxes were right next to each other, and my boy started to use hers more... and I think that deterred her as well. So we put her box in a seperate room, as well as her food.. so my cats would stop eating that was well.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old June 30th, 2008, 11:47 PM
Jim Hall Jim Hall is offline
Kitty pimp
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: paterson new jersey
Posts: 4,788
well i agree with the annoying bit sorry but they are.. if they werent so damn cute .....

once the digedtive issue gets straightend out she will be fine

y'all probably know this best time for cuddles with a kit is just after he wakes up... and always wash your hands first so she knows the scent

now you got to get your rommie educated or you'll end up with another cat
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old July 1st, 2008, 07:04 AM
chico2's Avatar
chico2 chico2 is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Oakville Ontario
Posts: 26,591
aeclinto,than'ks for rescuing grown cats
As for the kitten,I realize your annoyance is more with your room-mate and I can understand that,the kitten was her idea.
Since you live together,she's also made the kitten your responsibility.
It seems you are doing everything right,so I hope the little guy will be ok
__________________
"The cruelest animal is the Human animal"
3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old July 1st, 2008, 04:20 PM
aeclinto's Avatar
aeclinto aeclinto is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 3
She's making it to the box now, so placement may have been THE issue. BTW, I'm sorry if I didn't make this clear. The kitten is a girl. She gets along along with both of my grown cats (male and female). My male plays with her, and I see what y'all meant by him teaching her better manners. Since her first week here, she doesn't bite nearly as hard. My female is only tolerant of her, but seems rather unamused by how playful the little girl kitten is. My female doesn't even like to play too much with her brother, but if she does play... it's with her brother.

Also I was told that it's best to clean my floors and futon cover with an orange-scented cleaner: does this actually deter cats from those areas? I don't mind them being on the futon. I just wanted to prevent any future use of those areas as a bathroom; although, the original issue appears to be diminishing a lot. When my boy was a kitten, he sprayed the futon and my bed... but it was the day I brought him home from getting neutered... I think he was just ultra pissed with me.

The little female kitten is not spayed yet. Frankly, the financial aspect is for my roommate to deal with, but I'll make sure to press the necessity for it. I convinced her to decline the wet food, at least until we're sure her bowl issues are stable. I don't even feed my cats wet food unless it's a holiday or their birthday. Also, she has been dewormed, checked for various kitten diseases, and other necessary check ups for kittens. Her eye infection appears to be completely gone too. As soon I make enough money, I'll surprise the little bugger with an actual scratching post. I understand we should be more than willing to spend that extra dollar, but we're just college students dealing with New Orleans summer restaurant business... and New Orleans without a festival is a sad time in money-making.

Jack: My roommate's FEMALE kitten
My baby boy, my pride and joy, Abel
My baby girl, sweet of candy, Cain

Last edited by aeclinto; July 1st, 2008 at 04:22 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old July 1st, 2008, 04:32 PM
sugarcatmom's Avatar
sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 5,357
Quote:
Originally Posted by aeclinto View Post
I convinced her to decline the wet food, at least until we're sure her bowl issues are stable. I don't even feed my cats wet food unless it's a holiday or their birthday.
I urge you to rethink the no wet food thing. To be frank, it's dry food that cats shouldn't be eating. Kibble is merely a convenience for humans, not something appropriate for obligate carnivores that need a meat-based, moisture rich diet. Plenty more info on that topic here: http://www.catinfo.org/
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb

“We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old July 1st, 2008, 10:09 PM
14+kitties's Avatar
14+kitties 14+kitties is offline
150% PRO S/N
Starcastle Champion, V:force Champion, UFO Shoot Out Champion, Parachute Panic Champion, Mission To Mars Champion, Disc Dash Champion, Crazy Closet Champion, Railway Line Champion, Penguin Pass Champion
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: MYOB
Posts: 15,408
I urge you to rethink the no wet food thing. To be frank, it's dry food that cats shouldn't be eating. Kibble is merely a convenience for humans, not something appropriate for obligate carnivores that need a meat-based, moisture rich diet.

I knew you would answer that one sugarcatmom! Thanks cause I was about to. I would rather eliminate all of the dry food and just feed wet if I could. If you are only feeding dry are you at least making sure she (and yours) have access to fresh water all the time? They need to be kept hydrated. Dry food won't help that.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me.

We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old July 2nd, 2008, 06:39 AM
chico2's Avatar
chico2 chico2 is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Oakville Ontario
Posts: 26,591
I was waiting for Sugar to appear too,alarm-bells went off when the OP said dry food only and I agree 100%
__________________
"The cruelest animal is the Human animal"
3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:43 PM.