Expert: Dear Tabbi - 3/1/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi my name is Jessica Joe and i am 13 yrs old and i have recently got 1 month old kitten i want to train it for going to the litter box and it does not have its mother with us .I would like to know how to train it and it is a she. We carry her around most of the day and we put her in cage and she cry's all night .I would like to know how to deal with this too

ANSWER: Jessica,

Your kitten is too young to be away from the mother. She need to be with her for at least 8 weeks. And from 8-12 week the mother teaches the kitten about life, including the litterbox.

She also needs another kitten! You should never get just one kitten. She is probably missing her littermates and her mom which is why she cries all night. A kitten needs another kitten for kitty play, to learn together, to snuggle with, and for company and companionship when it is alone. The kitten is scared and alone when she is in her cage at night.

A kitten taken from it mother too young may have emotional problems later one.

Cats will naturally learn to use the litterbox when they are ready. Also do not use clumping cat litter for a kitten, they can eat it and it will swell in their intestines and can cause a serious blockage. Use clay litter until it is too old to eat litter (they do it for curiosity).

I would sugguest getting another kitten from the litter. It will make your kitten a LOT happier and content.


Tabbi

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Tabbi
You see the thing is that my parents won't allow me to have another kitten and i carry it in my hands , in a towel all day.So what should i do. MY cat is grayish black and is a Persian kitten. I am the one who has to clean after it and take care of it and to have another kitten is double the work.
She has already pooped our lounge room and i am not ready to clean one more of it again.

ANSWER: Jessica,

You can put another litter box in your lounge room. Kittens don't go far to use a litter box so when they are young you should have more than one litter box.

If you carry the kitten all day, it misses you at night. Can you let it sleep with you or in your room?

A second kitten isn't THAT much extra work compared to the security and friendship your kitten will have.

Show this to your parents and see if they will possibly allow another kitten.

Tabbi

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I will take your suggestion about putting a litter box in the lounge room .Though what else can i do besides letting the cat sleep in my room because my parents are not going to let me keep it where i sleep. I have spoken to my parents about bringing  another kitten though does it have to be of the same sex, same breed because Persian cats are a little expensive at this stage. I would also like to know when it is ready for its shots and when it can have flea treatment.

Answer
Jessica,

No, it doesn't have to be the same breed or the same sex. It all depends on the personalities of the kittens. You should try to find one as close in age and temperament as yours. Gender doesn't matter.

There is flea treatment for kittens but don't buy over the counter flea medicine because it can kill a kitten if you don't get the correct doseage for it's weight and age. A vet can give you the correct amount for your kitten's.

Vaccines:
(your vet can tell you what HE recommends)

  9-10 weeks      FHV/FCV/FPV vaccine
         
  12-14 weeks     FHV/FCV/FPV vaccine
         FeLV vaccination
         Rabies vaccine
         
  6 months        FeLV vaccination
         

       16 months       FHV/FCV/FPV vaccine (repeated annually)
         FeLV vaccine (repeated annually)
         Rabies vaccine

FCV= feline calicivirus
FHV= feline herpes virus (formerly called feline rhinotracheitis virus)
FPV= feline panleukopenia virus = distemper
FeLV = feline leukemia virus

The FHV/FCV/FPV kitten shot also commonly includes a vaccine against Chlamydia, which is another respiratory disease.

I hope this helps.

Tabbi