So ... there's kittens and a feeding mother in the house. The kittens are more or less weaned, but I've still been leaving two bowls of biscuits in their room pretty much constantly, as Tansy Patch is still underweight and I know that, like all babies, they need to eat little and often. All of which is well and good, with no major problems.
The major problems comes in when Minstrel enters the picture. He and Tansy Patch have been getting more and more casual with each other, to the extent that he feels comfortable in strolling into the kitten room and stuffing his face with biscuits at any opportunity. As a result of which, Minstrel P. is starting to bulk up rather.
I can't feed him less, because he still has access to the kitten biscuits. I can't shut away the kitten biscuits because the kittens need them. I can't shut away the kittens because they're getting way too energetic to be locked into one room and I'm supposed to be socialising them anyway, which is hard if they're shut away.
I've tried playing with Minstrel more, but he only likes his one toy on a string and is not interested in anything else and as soon as I bring it out, there's a swarm of kittens and he walks away. I can play with him after the kittens are out away to sleep for the night, but I have sleeping problems and I'm inevitably utterly exhausted at that point...
So, does anyone have any suggestions? Or is it a hopeless case and I should just wait until the kittens no longer need constant biscuits?
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:01 pm
Because the kittens are needing their food, and you can't really put it anywhere he can't get (unless you can make some kind of box type surrounding with an entrance hole big enough for a kitten but too small for Minstrel), I'd just cut back on his food (because he's getting nutrients elsewhere, he doesn't really need a full serving of his regular stuff)
As well, you could try the correct and redirect kind of training when you see him going for the kitten food
I guess the cutting back might work, although there may be complaints about it! Even if he does immediately go find food elsewhere. smile
Correct and redirect doesn't really seem to work with him... he's so stubborn!
Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 11:40 pm
Im having this issue with tubby mc tubberson. D:< It doesnt matter he snarfs his food, he still eats Freyers. (Hes a bad mister). Including her wet foods.
I would do what Aki said and try to set boundaries with Minstrel P. Let him know its NOT acceptable to eat out of the kitten dishes. And so on.
Have you tried a Da Bird yet? Do they make it available in Australia? I would totally invest in one.
Also consider that if your feeding a kitten appropritate food, its high in nutrients to promote good health and development of the kittens, alot of which Minstrel P doesnt need.
Im having this issue with tubby mc tubberson. D:< It doesnt matter he snarfs his food, he still eats Freyers. (Hes a bad mister). Including her wet foods.
I would do what Aki said and try to set boundaries with Minstrel P. Let him know its NOT acceptable to eat out of the kitten dishes. And so on.
Have you tried a Da Bird yet? Do they make it available in Australia? I would totally invest in one.
Also consider that if your feeding a kitten appropritate food, its high in nutrients to promote good health and development of the kittens, alot of which Minstrel P doesnt need.
Well, we've got a gate across the kitten room's doorway. It's easily jumped, but we're trying to convince him that he shouldn't. It's not going incredibly well, but I think it's better than it was.
We don't have a Da Bird, I think we can get it in Australia (online), but money is a bit of an issue at the moment... What with the dog having to be sedated for a grass seed to be removed from her ear, which was a pretty hefty vet bill, and even though we have pet insurance that is going to take time... *sigh*... we did, however, buy him a $2 toy for his birthday that he is mind-blowingly obsessed with. We've been separating him from the others and doing some intensive playing for 15 minutes each night, and I think he's now playing with the kittens more than he was... not to mention some impressive crazy cat sessions. I'm currently in the process of trying to get some people in other parts of this country to try to chase down a couple of spares of his toy, as there are no more at the shop we went to. sad
What we have been doing is feeding them an all-ages grain free food. We were feeding the babies an exclusively kitten food, but they kept turning it down to go nick the other food from Tansy's bowl. So, a week or so ago, we just swapped them over completely. They seem to be thriving on it.
Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:50 am
Freddus
I know what Im sending you for xmas. emotion_awesome I think every kitty deserves a Da Bird.
And Ive been trying to feed my kittes seperate but hes a little piggy and inhales his food. D: And then hell proceed to eat Freyers. Im like "REALLY?! You already get an extra 1/4 cup daily!!!" :/ They all get fed the same thing though so Im not worried other than Freyja not getting enough. Or not getting her wet food dinner.
And thats good. I have to do that with Freyja. We put Loki in the bedroom and we have our "Mum and Me time" out in the the living room and we take our bath and play. Then we bring Loki out and e play with him.
I know what Im sending you for xmas. emotion_awesome I think every kitty deserves a Da Bird.
And Ive been trying to feed my kittes seperate but hes a little piggy and inhales his food. D: And then hell proceed to eat Freyers. Im like "REALLY?! You already get an extra 1/4 cup daily!!!" :/ They all get fed the same thing though so Im not worried other than Freyja not getting enough. Or not getting her wet food dinner.
And thats good. I have to do that with Freyja. We put Loki in the bedroom and we have our "Mum and Me time" out in the the living room and we take our bath and play. Then we bring Loki out and e play with him.
And they wear each other out. XD
How old are the kittens now?
We've had to resort to feeding the wet food separately, even though Minstrel stills sneaks in an stuffs his face with their biscuits. It's not actually him that's the problem with the wet food, it's that the kittens gobble down their food and then try to steal Minstrel's... or Blossom's! So the babies eat in the spare room, Bloss eats in the kitchen and Mins eats on the bathroom bench. Then Blossom gets to lick all the dishes clean. smile
Can you shut them in separate rooms to eat? So Freyja has longer to eat before Loki arrives? Or does she just eat slow enough that he'll polish it off either way?
It has just been Mins and I with our playing sessions, but last night Marie-Cris played with Tansy Patch in the hallway too, which was awesome. That kitty really needs some bonding time, she's been hiding away more and more. ;(
The kittens are ... I need to consult a calendar. Okay, 13 weeks old yesterday. There's a woman coming to see them tonight. It actually counds really promising, she sent us a message and said, word for word, "I'm interesting in adopting Foxglove and Patchouli". So not only has she seen a photo of them (probably on the Cat Rescue site, they've both got their own pages there), she actually went to the trouble of remembering their names! And it sounds like she wants them both! I'm really hoping that she's wanting them inside and she's a nice woman and all.... because so far it sounds perfect. We're going to introduce them in the spare room this time so they can't hide under the couch like they did for the last two visits!
Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:37 pm
Freddus
The kittens are ... I need to consult a calendar. Okay, 13 weeks old yesterday. There's a woman coming to see them tonight. It actually counds really promising, she sent us a message and said, word for word, "I'm interesting in adopting Foxglove and Patchouli". So not only has she seen a photo of them (probably on the Cat Rescue site, they've both got their own pages there), she actually went to the trouble of remembering their names! And it sounds like she wants them both! I'm really hoping that she's wanting them inside and she's a nice woman and all.... because so far it sounds perfect. We're going to introduce them in the spare room this time so they can't hide under the couch like they did for the last two visits!
I really hope it works out. Not only that they get a good home, but that they can go to one together.
The kittens are ... I need to consult a calendar. Okay, 13 weeks old yesterday. There's a woman coming to see them tonight. It actually counds really promising, she sent us a message and said, word for word, "I'm interesting in adopting Foxglove and Patchouli". So not only has she seen a photo of them (probably on the Cat Rescue site, they've both got their own pages there), she actually went to the trouble of remembering their names! And it sounds like she wants them both! I'm really hoping that she's wanting them inside and she's a nice woman and all.... because so far it sounds perfect. We're going to introduce them in the spare room this time so they can't hide under the couch like they did for the last two visits!
I really hope it works out. Not only that they get a good home, but that they can go to one together.
Me too! I'd much rather them go together. I shudder at the thought of either of these babies drifting around an empty house all by themselves. As it is, they all have a habit of waking up confused sometimes and meowing loudly until someone (be it cat, dog or human) comes to reassure them that they're not alone.
Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:03 pm
Freddus
~ Aki - Fairy ~
Freddus
The kittens are ... I need to consult a calendar. Okay, 13 weeks old yesterday. There's a woman coming to see them tonight. It actually counds really promising, she sent us a message and said, word for word, "I'm interesting in adopting Foxglove and Patchouli". So not only has she seen a photo of them (probably on the Cat Rescue site, they've both got their own pages there), she actually went to the trouble of remembering their names! And it sounds like she wants them both! I'm really hoping that she's wanting them inside and she's a nice woman and all.... because so far it sounds perfect. We're going to introduce them in the spare room this time so they can't hide under the couch like they did for the last two visits!
I really hope it works out. Not only that they get a good home, but that they can go to one together.
Me too! I'd much rather them go together. I shudder at the thought of either of these babies drifting around an empty house all by themselves. As it is, they all have a habit of waking up confused sometimes and meowing loudly until someone (be it cat, dog or human) comes to reassure them that they're not alone.
I can only imagine.. To go from a house with so many animals to being all alone would be hard, especially since it's hard enough on them being taken from their mom and littermates, generally.
Me too! I'd much rather them go together. I shudder at the thought of either of these babies drifting around an empty house all by themselves. As it is, they all have a habit of waking up confused sometimes and meowing loudly until someone (be it cat, dog or human) comes to reassure them that they're not alone.
I can only imagine.. To go from a house with so many animals to being all alone would be hard, especially since it's hard enough on them being taken from their mom and littermates, generally.
And if they've got their littermate to play with, there's less chance of either of them getting bored and destroying something. I do suppose I should admit to the lady that Foxglove's taken to climbing flyscreen....
Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:28 pm
Freddus
And if they've got their littermate to play with, there's less chance of either of them getting bored and destroying something. I do suppose I should admit to the lady that Foxglove's taken to climbing flyscreen....
That's definitely a big part of why it's good for kittens to have a friend. I'd only mention it if she seems serious about adopting them; no point telling her before she's gone past the point of no return emotionally, or you may just scare her off. And it's not an end-of-the-world naughty habit. Get her a good scratching post/tree, not too high of course, so that she can climb in a suitable place (Saphi often climbs up the posts of her big tree, even though she can jump to the platforms no problem - climbing's just more fun), teach her that climbing the screen is bad, and all will be well.
That's definitely a big part of why it's good for kittens to have a friend. I'd only mention it if she seems serious about adopting them; no point telling her before she's gone past the point of no return emotionally, or you may just scare her off. And it's not an end-of-the-world naughty habit. Get her a good scratching post/tree, not too high of course, so that she can climb in a suitable place (Saphi often climbs up the posts of her big tree, even though she can jump to the platforms no problem - climbing's just more fun), teach her that climbing the screen is bad, and all will be well.
Well, Foxglove and Patchouli have a new home lined up.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I'M GOING TO MISS THEM SO MUCH!! cryinggonk
It's pretty much everything I ever wished for in their home. There's at least two kids, that are used to an older cat (sadly deceased about three weeks ago), with a rather nice young mother. They don't own dogs, they'll keep the kittens as indoor cats.
Possibly most promising, she saw them on the rescue website and has been stalking (my word, not hers) them on Facebook. When she first messaged us, she asked for them by name, and she said (twice) that she'd actually only wanted one cat but didn't have the heart to split the two of them up, and also readily admitted that it'd be a better life for both of them to be together.
She's only had short haired cats, but was totally unfazed by the thought that they might be medium haired, just saying that she'd need to work out brushes. She also said that she'll put up photos of them in the cat rescue's facebook group, every now and then (I hope she meant that, I so want to see what they look like when they grow up!) And.... and ... she's perfect, they're perfect, but I'm going to be so sad when they go!
So, tomorrow, the rescue will organise a vet trip for them to be desexed/vaccinated/wormed/microchipped, and then we'll drop them at the vet and their new family will pick them up.
Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 7:14 am
Freddus
~ Aki - Fairy ~
That's definitely a big part of why it's good for kittens to have a friend. I'd only mention it if she seems serious about adopting them; no point telling her before she's gone past the point of no return emotionally, or you may just scare her off. And it's not an end-of-the-world naughty habit. Get her a good scratching post/tree, not too high of course, so that she can climb in a suitable place (Saphi often climbs up the posts of her big tree, even though she can jump to the platforms no problem - climbing's just more fun), teach her that climbing the screen is bad, and all will be well.
Well, Foxglove and Patchouli have a new home lined up.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I'M GOING TO MISS THEM SO MUCH!! cryinggonk
It's pretty much everything I ever wished for in their home. There's at least two kids, that are used to an older cat (sadly deceased about three weeks ago), with a rather nice young mother. They don't own dogs, they'll keep the kittens as indoor cats.
Possibly most promising, she saw them on the rescue website and has been stalking (my word, not hers) them on Facebook. When she first messaged us, she asked for them by name, and she said (twice) that she'd actually only wanted one cat but didn't have the heart to split the two of them up, and also readily admitted that it'd be a better life for both of them to be together.
She's only had short haired cats, but was totally unfazed by the thought that they might be medium haired, just saying that she'd need to work out brushes. She also said that she'll put up photos of them in the cat rescue's facebook group, every now and then (I hope she meant that, I so want to see what they look like when they grow up!) And.... and ... she's perfect, they're perfect, but I'm going to be so sad when they go!
So, tomorrow, the rescue will organise a vet trip for them to be desexed/vaccinated/wormed/microchipped, and then we'll drop them at the vet and their new family will pick them up.
That's great that you've found what sounds like a wonderful home for them. Hard to say goodbye, but just think about how much love and attention you can spoil everybody else with now. Make sure you take lots of pictures between now and when you take them to the vet.
That's great that you've found what sounds like a wonderful home for them. Hard to say goodbye, but just think about how much love and attention you can spoil everybody else with now. Make sure you take lots of pictures between now and when you take them to the vet.
There are already heaps of pictures, I'll definitely add more to it though! We've also started letting them into our bedroom at night, so we can spend more time with them. (Which is fun, but not necessarily conducive to lengthy sleep!
They'll both be happier in a two cat home, I think. Nightshade is an incredibly out-going little chap, but the other two I think need more room to open up. The current arrangement of three kittens, two cats and a dog is not what they need to be happy. And because it's better for them, it will make it a little easier.
