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pinksmurff - 14 May 2006 02:48 GMT
My kitten is about 13 weeks.. she is always biting.. do kittens teeth like
babies??  what can i do to make her stop biting so much??? and she has alot
of catnip toys. can too much be harmful??she also eats whenever she wants and
she's gettin big fast.. Is that bad??

Signature

ashley

Anna - 14 May 2006 04:08 GMT
>My kitten is about 13 weeks.. she is always biting.. do kittens teeth like
>babies??  what can i do to make her stop biting so much??? and she has alot
>of catnip toys. can too much be harmful??she also eats whenever she wants and
>she's gettin big fast.. Is that bad??

Her baby teeth will start falling out at about 12 to 16 weeks old.  Don't let
her bite your hands as if they're toys or she may grow up and continue to do
this is an adult; use toys instead when she starts biting.  Make sure there
is nothing on the toys that can come off and that she can swallow such as
eyes, tails, etc.  If there is, remove them.  No, the catnip toys aren't
harmful.  As she is only 13 weeks old, she should be eating her kitten food
whenever she wants.  Kittens grow extremely fast so that is why she seems
like she is getting big fast.   No, it is not bad,  it means she is growing
which is good; she will be full grown when she is a year old.  Feed her the
kitten food until she is a year old, then switch to adult.
pinksmurff - 14 May 2006 17:52 GMT
i havent noticed any of her teeth fallin out yet.. i dont let her bite me..
my boyfriend lets her bite him. another question i have is that she is mine
and my boyfriends cat, so sometimes she goes and stays at his house.. is that
bad for her in any way?? its a wierd question but i cant word it right. im
sure you know what im talkin about. i feed her alley cat. is that a bad
choice of food? i will remove anything on her toys that can come off.. o and
she also will sneak to my dogs food and eat his food. is that bad?? Is
feeding her human food bad? I was feeding my nephew the other day (baby food)
and she kept licking the rag.. is baby food bad for her?? sorry im askin so
many questions, i just dont wanna harm her in any way.. i love my kitty..
thank you for all your help.
ashley*

>>My kitten is about 13 weeks.. she is always biting.. do kittens teeth like
>>babies??  what can i do to make her stop biting so much??? and she has alot
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>which is good; she will be full grown when she is a year old.  Feed her the
>kitten food until she is a year old, then switch to adult.

Signature

ashley

Anna - 15 May 2006 00:08 GMT
>bad for her in any way?? its a wierd question but i cant word it right. im

No but when she gets older she may  not want to go in the car anymore to
travel to his house; some get scared of it.  

>sure you know what im talkin about. i feed her alley cat. is that a bad

That is not a good choice of food; it's not high quality at all.  Get Iams
Kitten food or Purina Kitten Chow or any other higher quality kitten food.
The cheaper the food is that you feed her, the more you have to give her.
With a top quality food, less is needed to provide good results.  Also, she
will have more medical problems in the future if fed poor quality food.  A
better food makes a healthier cat.

>choice of food? i will remove anything on her toys that can come off.. o and
>she also will sneak to my dogs food and eat his food. is that bad?? Is

If she's just sneaking over there once in awhile, that is not bad.  If you
get he a better food, she may stop doing this.  Also, make sure her bowl
isn't empty so that she doesn't have to sneak over and eat his.

>feeding her human food bad? I was feeding my nephew the other day (baby food)
>and she kept licking the rag.. is baby food bad for her?? sorry im askin so

Human treats should be kept to a minimum so she doesn't get fat in the future.
Baby food is an okay treat as long as it doesn't have onion powder in it.

Here is a list of questions regarding pet food and nutrition that may help
you (by Animal Nutritionists):

http://www.petdiets.com/default.asp?Menu=FAQs&PageName=/faqs/default.asp

Also, call your vet if you have any questions about your kitten's health.
Don't forget to get her spayed by 5 1/2 months old at the latest.
RichC - 15 May 2006 03:15 GMT
> Baby food is an okay treat as long as it doesn't have onion powder in it.

What's wrong with onion powder?
Matthew aka NMR - 15 May 2006 03:21 GMT
>> Baby food is an okay treat as long as it doesn't have onion powder in it.
>
> What's wrong with onion powder?

Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate can cause anemia
in cats if consumed
Yes, onions can be toxic to dogs and cats. In dogs, onions can cause a fatal
anemia and it does not matter if the onions are raw or cooked. A small
amount of onion can harm a small dog - the larger the dog the larger the
amount it takes to make a dog sick. Cats too can get very sick and even die
from consuming onions. For that reason, pet owners should be careful that
their animals don't eat onions

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/protect_your_pet_from_common_household_dangers/
pinksmurff - 15 May 2006 14:40 GMT
WOW!! thank you very much. i never would have thought that onions could be
fatal.

>>> Baby food is an okay treat as long as it doesn't have onion powder in it.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
>http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/protect_your_pet_from_common_household_dangers/

Signature

*ashley*

pinksmurff - 15 May 2006 14:39 GMT
ok thanks.. i will get her new food today.. her bowl is NEVER!! empty. its
always at least 1/4 full.. what wet food do you suggest?? i got her whiskas
before..thank you very much. i will look at thost questions..
*ashley

>>bad for her in any way?? its a wierd question but i cant word it right. im
>
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
>Also, call your vet if you have any questions about your kitten's health.
>Don't forget to get her spayed by 5 1/2 months old at the latest.

Signature

*ashley*

Matthew aka NMR - 15 May 2006 15:03 GMT
Ashley  that right there everyone has their opinion on experts and everyday
folks.  Best thing to do is name brand kitten food or cat food.  Take each
one look at the label and compare.  Some of the off brands even are
compatible.  The cats at our shelters don't always get name brand but we
make sure they get nutrional value some how some way even if we have to give
them kitty vitamins( which is always done and under the guidance of a vet )

Some reading for you since you got a new kitten  this is a gentleman's sit
Named Phil who hangs out in rec.pets.cats.health+behav  most informed non
vet that I have dealt with http://www.maxshouse.com/Database_toc.htm

also

http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/general-care.shtml

> ok thanks.. i will get her new food today.. her bowl is NEVER!! empty. its
> always at least 1/4 full.. what wet food do you suggest?? i got her
[quoted text clipped - 42 lines]
>>Also, call your vet if you have any questions about your kitten's health.
>>Don't forget to get her spayed by 5 1/2 months old at the latest.
Beth - 14 May 2006 09:04 GMT
> My kitten is about 13 weeks.. she is always biting.. do kittens teeth like
> babies??  what can i do to make her stop biting so much??? and she has
> alot
> of catnip toys. can too much be harmful??she also eats whenever she wants
> and
> she's gettin big fast.. Is that bad??

I agree...DO NOT LET HER BITE YOUR HANDS NOW!!  I made that mistake and had
to retrain my cat to not bite/scratch at me as if I were a toy when she got
older.  She's two now and while she doesn't "attack" like she used to, I
still get bit and scratched when we're playing sometimes...and I have some
scars to prove it:)  It may seem cute now and it doesn't hurt when they're
little, but when they're adults, it hurts like hell! :)  You don't want to
have to retrain her.  Break the habit now while it's easy to get away and
just don't let her do it.
Beth
pinksmurff - 14 May 2006 17:56 GMT
O IT HURTS NOW!! i wouldnt wanna see it when shes older.. i got some scars
too.. i love her tho..  thank you very much for your advide..  if you dont
mind me asking  how did you  *retrain* her?
*ashley

>> My kitten is about 13 weeks.. she is always biting.. do kittens teeth like
>> babies??  what can i do to make her stop biting so much??? and she has
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>just don't let her do it.
>Beth

Signature

ashley

Beth - 15 May 2006 04:44 GMT
>O IT HURTS NOW!! i wouldnt wanna see it when shes older.. i got some scars
> too.. i love her tho..  thank you very much for your advide..  if you dont
> mind me asking  how did you  *retrain* her?
> *ashley

Well, I actually came on here and asked for advice and then I used it:)
Step one: Become aware of her behavior when she's ready to "attack."  If she
isn't in attack mode now, then you're lucky:)  Mine will do one of two
things.  She will be in a playing mood and will hunch down, put her ears
back, and have one paw up.  That tells me that she'll attack if I try to pet
her.  Or, she flops over on her back so I'll rub her belly.  After a minute
or two of some good belly rubbing, she tenses up and latches on with her
teeth.  So, just get used to whatever her behavior is before she does her
biting/scratching/attacking.  Step 2: As simple as it sounds, learn to move
more quickly.    I used to absent mindedly pet my cat.  Bad idea.  Now, the
only time I do that is when she's come to me and is sleepy and just wants
some love.  When she's playful, keep an eye on her.  If she does attack,
remember that she thinks she's playing.  She wants attention.  I think that
yelling no at the cat counts as attention,  as it seems to have no effect.
When you get out of her way, ignore her.  Get up and move away.  Let her
come back to you and make sure she's calmed down before you pet her.  The
ignoring has worked for me.  Water bottles and saying no...those do nothing.
The cat wanted attention and by George she was going to get it!  So, when I
took it away, she changed her behavior.  And step 3:  When she does actually
get you, cry/meow.  If you don't sound insane, you aren't doing it right:)
I thought it was a crazy thing to do, until I tried it.  It took a few
times, and I even did it when she had only tried and missed when I was first
making an effort to stop being clawed up.  The noise signals to her that she
hurt you.  She doesn't know otherwise.  When I first did it, she had
scratched/bit me.  She latched on like a piranha and did that kangaroo thing
with her feet. When I made the noise, she froze, looked at me, licked the
spot she had bit/scratched, rubbed her head on my hand and left.  It freaked
her out.  She now knows it hurts!  She rarely gets skin now, but if she
does, I still make the noise and she stops.  Granted, mine was a little far
gone to completely retrain.  But, when she does manage to actually
bite/scratch me now, she doesn't do it as hard and I don't bleed nearly as
often as I used to!  Usually, I only get a red mark that is gone in a little
while. I know this is long, but I hope it helps!  Good luck with your
furbaby!

Beth
csmit41@kc.rr.com - 14 May 2006 14:42 GMT
To address the weight issue, it's difficult to answer having not seen your
kitten. Best thing for your kitten is Kitten Chow or another high calorie
kitten food. Kittens need kibble AND wet food to make sure they get enough
calories and a varied diet. I used to put a bowl of kibble out with a couple
of tablespoons of wet food mixed in. It made the kibble tasty and they would
get enough moisture along with enough calories. If you are concerned about
weight gain just go to the vet, usually having a cat simply checked out is a
reasonable cost. Only a vet could answer your weight question since he's the
medical expert and he can examine your kitten.

When my kittens would teethe, I would make sure to play with them everyday
with toys that were soft yet firm so they could gnaw on the toys and have
fun at the same time. Yes, they teethe similarly to babies. I imagine it
would be painful whenever any animal had teeth cutting in through their
gums. If you want to get good chewing toys, don't just look in the cat toys,
try out the dog toy section as well. There are smaller toys available that
are good for cats too. Just remember that kittens' mouths are pretty small.
Smaller rope toys in the dog section are appropriate. And to add some
comfort, you can put a couple of toys in the freezer to make them cool and
it will help soothe their gums when they gnaw on them.

As for overdosing on catnip... no, catnip is not toxic to cats. They don't
overdose and become ill. What will happen if they are "overexposed" is the
catnip won't affect them as much... they become immune to it to some degree.
Catnip toys will eventually lose their potency and it is normal for a cat to
not react as strongly to a toy that once drove them nuts. I prefer catnip
toys that have refillable pockets to them so you can put fresh catnip inside
whenever the potency dissipates. I have read several webpages about catnip
and asked my vet. What seems best is to buy little tubs of catnip and keep
it fesh longer by putting it in the freezer or refrigerator and only using
catnip every once in awhile like a special treat, not as an every day thing.
This ensures that your cat will react to the catnip every time it is
introduced and not become "immune" to it.

Plus, not every cat reacts to catnip the same way, some eventually stop
reacting to catnip at all and that's normal. Many cats never react to
catnip. That's normal.

Also, if you ever simply give your cat some catnip straight from a
container, it's normal for them to eat it.

There are many many websites to investigate for tips and hints about cats
and rearing them. Go surfing :)
Good luck with your kitten!

> My kitten is about 13 weeks.. she is always biting.. do kittens teeth like
> babies??  what can i do to make her stop biting so much??? and she has
> alot
> of catnip toys. can too much be harmful??she also eats whenever she wants
> and
> she's gettin big fast.. Is that bad??
pinksmurff - 14 May 2006 18:01 GMT
she gets so naughty when she plays with her catnip toys.. she climbs
everything.. when i gave her wet food, she got diareeha.. like i said before
in another reply to someone that she always eats my dogs food, which we mix
with wet food.. so should i start mixing it again?? what kind of toy do you
suggest putting in the freezer?? i will take your advice definately.. thank
you so much
*ashley

>To address the weight issue, it's difficult to answer having not seen your
>kitten. Best thing for your kitten is Kitten Chow or another high calorie
[quoted text clipped - 47 lines]
>> and
>> she's gettin big fast.. Is that bad??

Signature

*ashley*

 
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