Conference misery::feline_v1

    Hi Becca,
    
    Your babies sound like real cuties!  Good Luck with them.
    Remember to post all the stories of their antics as they
    grow.  You might want to check out the following notes -
    they probably have a bunch of info for new kitten owners.
    If those notes don't answer your questions, ask away !!
    
    3552, 3623, 3756, 3817, 3830
    
    Good Luck,
    
    E.T.

    Hi,
    
    Also maybe check out 3876 !!  Jack listed a BUNCH of baby notes
    that are throughout the file - thanks Jack !!
    
    Happy Reading - E.T.

I'll just add:

1) riding in the car.  Please keep your kittens in a cage or carrier when
in the car.  They can adjust to the traveling with a little practice, but
they will never understand that they shouldn't just step outside a window
or get under the brake pedal if it seems interesting.  They and you will
be safer if the cats are properly restrained.

2) leash training.  First get them used to the harness.  Put it on them
and leave it for several minutes and then up to several hours at a time...
then just let them drag the leash around until they are used to that...then
start walking with them.  They will be much more easily trained as young
kittens than older cats, so now is a good time to start.  Be patient.  If
the kitten stops - you stop and wait until the kitten decides to move.
Once they figure out it is great to be outside - the leash will be very
attractive to them.

3) If you are planning on letting the kittens outside walking on a leash,
I'd recommend the FeLV vaccine to protect against strays you may encounter.

4) move the water dish away from food and litter.  Use bottled water if
your water has lots of chlorine in it.  Keep the water fresh.  That will
encourage them to drink..and yes, they do need to drink water.

    These kittens are indeed cute.  Excessively cute.  
    But, like the cat I grew up with, who is still with my parents, these
    kittens ALWAYS walk in front of my feet when they're heading where I
    am going, especially at feeding time when I'm carrying their food.  Twice
    I've accidentally kicked them and one even limped a bit.  I always walk
    slowly around them, but sometimes they just slip past me and into my
    path.  What can I do-- why don't they learn?

    Re - .4  Mine are 3 and 1 yr olds, and they still get under my
    feet!  Especially going downstairs to the basement.  I just
    have to be careful and aware of where all four are, as they
    follow me everywhere! (some feat!)
    
    Your babies sound so cute!  Ditto on using a cat carrier.  We
    (when I was 7) traveled from CA to MA with a cat in a carrier, 
    3 kids and 2 parents.  Kitty was trained to a leash, and did fine!
    Yes on the shots, and the harness training described was exactly
    what I have done.
    
    Good luck!
    
    L-             
    

You need to learn the "kitten shuffle" - when working in the kitchen, my
kittens always got under foot...I developed the habit of not picking up
my feet very much at all when they were around...that way, I never stepped
ON anyone - sometimes I "kicked" someone away accidentally, but I didn't
step on them.  I also taught them "get out of the way" while picking the
cat up under the tummy with my foot and moving her/him to the right side,
out of my path.  Now, all I have to do is say it - and they all scatter
to the right side of the main traffic patterns in the house...I guess I
never used the left foot when training them because they all definitely
fade right.    

    I use a carrier, but they seem so worn out by all the vibration of the
    road noise.  
    
    	btw, their names are Double (double-pawed) and Snuzzy (after my
    childhood cat that ran away).  It's so hard to tell them apart, though. 
    Thank you all so much for the information.
    
    --Becca
    

    If there is a lot of moisture in their food (and it
    sounds like there is) you may never see them drink from their
    water dishes.  But it's still important to have water available.
    

    As they grow and their personalities become more established you'll
    have no trouble telling them apart.  Especially if only one is double
    pawed.
    
    re: kitten shuffle - well that doesn't always work when some of
    them are 12.5 lbs :-)  Bob regularly trips me.  I can't get from
    one end of the kitchen to the other between Bob, Mao, Dundee, Bonnie
    and isis criss-crossing back and forth across the kitchen floor.
    I try to explain that this just slows down the food preparation 
    process but do they listen?  Of course not!   Its in their contract!
    
    re: leashes - Don't be surprized if your kittens fall over and do the
    "oh my God, i'm paralyzed" routine when you put their harnesses on.
    Just ignore them (except maybe to laugh) and they'll figure it out
    soon enough. Other favorite reactions include: trying to get under
    the harness and trying to back out of it (Flame's favorite).
    
    Enjoy.
      Nancy DC

    Good Luck with your new kitties...
    
    Re:  Travel:  I had an indoor kitty when I was younger and since
    he was 3 months old we started to take him for rides in the car.
    Short rides at first..until he got use to it and off we went just
    about every night.  He really looked forward to going for his ride..
    He use to either lay in the back window or on top of the front seat
    leaning on anyones neck he could find.  We did this so we could take 
    him on vacation to Maine with us every summer.
            
    Re:  Water:  As a previous noter stated...if you are giving him
    soggy wet food..I'm sure they are getting enough water.  Of course
    if you have spoiled brats like mine...you will learn their water
    habits and you will abide!  My female (Poco) only drinks out of
    glasses..my male (Tamba) just loves the toilet water or water
    dripping out of the faucet and Barkley (my stray) is not fussy
    at all and he will eat/drink whatever you put down.
    
    RE:  Tripping:  Get use to it..no matter how old they are some of
    them just like to hang around your ankles and others are trained
    to do this...just to intimidate you.
                                                  
    Boy do they have me trained!  Good luck and I'm sure your kitties
    have found a wonderful home.
    
    Sandy (Tamba, Poco, and Barkley)
    
                                        
    
    
    

    RE: water
    
    When Nippa decides she wants to eat canned SD, I hardly notice her
    drinking out of her water bowl (but she always has to have some of 
    whatever I'm drinking, regardless  ;*).  But she has decided she wants 
    to eat junk food for awhile (too many pizza parties), ie meow mix or
    cat chow and I notice she drinks a ton of water.  I have to re-fill her 
    bowl twice daily.  Your best bet is to keep lots of fresh water
    available, and if your two are as fussy as Nippa (and many of the other
    felines in this file) they'll probably request bottled water. ;*)
    
    
    RE: riding in the car.
    
    I used to go to my parents summer place all the time, and I couldn't
    think of leaving my precious baby alone all weekend.......so I would
    bring her.  ASide from the fact that she hates the carrier (I have her
    on a leash instead, and bring the carrier just incase), I found that
    she was losing lots of weight and was becoming harder to catch.  All
    the traveling stressed her out (not to mention all the fur she shed).
    So she and I came to a mutual agreement that she won't have to travel
    unless absolutly necessary (and by plush limo only) and I won't put her
    in the carrier unless she misbehaves (but she is on a leash at all
    times).
    
    michele & nippa
    
    
    
    

    It is very rare that I see my two boys drinking from their bowls,
    however I always let them have plenty of water, which is changed
    with every feed.
    
    The replies about travelling in the car reminded me of a recent
    event though. The last time the boys went in the carrier was to
    go to the vets for their shots (at about 12 weeks) and they were
    rattling around inside this BIG carrier on the way to town, but,
    as they are going for the 'snip' next month I thought I would try
    them in the basket again, just to see if it was still O.K. now the
    basket is bulgeing at the sides and is not nearly big enough to
    hold these two muscle men, it's strange that you never realise how 
    quick they have grown untill it's too late!
    
    Note that it is illegal to carry an 'loose' cat in a car in the
    U.K., so this may also be true for some states in the U.S.
    
    
    Martyn.
    
    
    

    >Note that it is illegal to carry an 'loose' cat in a car in the
    >U.K., so this may also be true for some states in the U.S.
    
    What an excellent law!

there IS such a law in California...and your insurance may not pay up if
you have an accident and they can possibly blame it on your distraction,
etc.  ALWAYS a good idea to keep the kitten in the carrier.

    I'm Not looking to start trouble, but simply FYI I read in either Cat
    or Dog Fancy years ago not to worry about your animals if you were
    involved in an accident and the animal hits the windshield.  Seems
    animal skulls have twice the thickness of human skulls, therefore they
    won't sustane brain damage as quickly as a human.
    
    Personaly, If it AIN'T in a cage, it's NOT going in MY car!!
    Kids belong restrained, whether they have two or FOUR legs!!
    
    Lyn
    

    regarding .15, that would explain why my sister's sheepdog could
    run full tilt into a door and it would only cause him to pause
    momentarily.  He'd shake his head and go on like nothing happened.
    (He was a little short on brains)
    
    karen