# Needing advice about a new member...



## abradshaw71

You have done such a great thing. I, too, adopted a kitten that had been left on the side of the freeway with her siblings and mama. People are stupid. I'll leave it at that.

First off, don't give it milk. That's sort of a misnomer about cats. It will cause diarrhea. Kitten chow will give her the protein he needs or any type of kitten kibble. Just follow the portion amount on the bag. It sounds like he just needs some dry food to get his diarrhea cleared up. Kittens are a bit like puppies in that you need to show them where to "go". So, if you're using a litter box, you'll need to put him in it every once in a while. They potty train a whole lot faster than puppies.  Some litter boxes come with covers, so you may want to give that a try to keep the litter contained. They usually have a plastic door to them, so you may want to remove the door so he doesn't get confused and it's easily accessible for him.

Kittens need to be entertained a bit, too. A laser pen is fun for them to chase, just don't shine it in their eyes. Even a piece of string dragged along the floor is entertaining for them. 

How great that your dogs are taking care of him.  Have fun.


----------



## Nott

Thank you!! He has been eating some dry food mixed with some wet and warm water. He understands that he goes in his litter box, but I think he smelled where my sisters dog tried peed on the dog bed and he squatted there but that was my fault I closed the door to the bathroom where his litter box was. My DH seems to think that 4 pets is a ridiculous amount of animals (even though we can easily take care of all of them) and he still isn't too sure about keeping him... Will the runny poos clear up fast? Dh only gave him a little milk while I was gone to work yesterday because he said the cat wouldn't drink water... He honestly doesn't really like cats so I'm proud of him for tolerating the kittens antics. The dogs think he is interesting. I think they are still trying to understand how something could be so small. My Border collie/ australian shepherd seems to think its her new baby and has been keeping a very close eye on him, grooming him, and sleeping with him. I'm not too sure what to name him yet either. And I don't want to just keep calling him "the kitten" so anyone have an ideas for unique male cat names? My dogs names are Barley (after the irish band Barley juice and because her breath smelled AWFUL as a pup like whisky breath), Toby (my DH picked that one), and Scout (named after to kill a mockingbird Scout Finch). Thanks again abradshaw71 !!!


----------



## Heart O'Gold

He is so cute! I'm so glad you were there to rescue him!  The above advice is great. I have only had on cat and she was 4 months old when we got her, so she was litter trained etc. Go with the kitten chow if he'll eat it, they usually love it. If not try some canned foods. Make sure he has access to water. And if he'll use it a covered litter box will help with the mess. I'm not an expert, but I think a relationship with a cat is all about trust. It sounds like he is super comfortable with and trusts everyone in his home already and shows this by rolling over to let you pet his tummy (Prim does this, too!). She is also really vocal. We think it's adorable (unless we're sleeping-which doesn't happen now that she's older). If he gets a lot of play time during the day he should sleep well at night. I hope you keep him ! Let us know if you do and what you name him.  Good luck!


----------



## Nott

Heart O'Gold 
Thank you. The crying is bothersome but its good to know he may grow out of it. (fingers crossed) I'd appreciate a little help with the name picking if you have any suggestions.


----------



## CAROLINA MOM

Oh he's so adorable, thank for stopping and taking this little guy.

Sorry I can't give you any advice or helpful tips. I don't have any cats.

I like them but my DH doesn't......


----------



## Jenagro

It was fate that this little guy was thrown your way - I hope it works out for you to keep him You've gotten a lot of great advice so far.

It sounds like he's an outgoing personality so far since he's immediately comfortable with you, and I think this bodes well for him being a personable cat as he gets older. I think outgoing kittens that grow up with accepting dogs tend to form a dog-like character and want to be with their people and dogs.

When you stopped at the vet's did they do a full exam? You want to be sure that he's not bringing fleas into the house. Little guys this age don't have full immunity yet, so are susceptible to parasites like fleas and earmites (he can pass the fleas to the dogs, but the earmites tend to be species specific). He is also susceptible to common kitty viruses, and stress can cause a latent virus to pop up. These are not contagious to the dogs, but be on the lookout for upper respiratory congestion and conjunctivitis.

He will need a series of vaccines just like puppies would, ending with rabies at 4 months. Ask your vet about the 1 year rabies vaccine for cats, as it is a safer vaccine than the 3-year vaccine. Also ask about testing for feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). 

The diarrhea may be due to intestinal parasites, such as roundworms. If he was thrown from a car, chances are the momma cat wasn't dewormed or even vaccinated appropriately. I would agree with the others to avoid milk. In general, canned food is a more appropriate food for cats than kibble due to its higher moisture and protein content (cats don't tend to drink as much as dogs), but if you go with kibble use a kitten formula until he is neutered. I do half kibble, half canned with my 2 cats.

IMO cats tend to prefer open litter boxes because they feel safer having an escape route if confronted - some cats can feel trapped in the enclosed type. You want to do everything to make the litter box appealing from the get go. It'll only be a week or two before he can jump over the lip of a taller-sided box.

Hope that helps! He's super cute! He looks like a "Kevin" to me? Or "Sampson"?
Good luck!


----------



## EddieWouldGo

You rock! Thanks for taking this little cutie in - how exciting that your dogs love him! I was a 'cat person' before we got Eddie - our four-legged family consists of two felines and Eddie... we've had both cats since they were kittens. You are lucky to have found a kitten with such a sweet personality. 

The good news is that cats are way easier to raise than dogs. They basically take care of themselves. You don't have to teach him any commands, he won't chew you favorite shoes, and you don't have to take him out in the middle of the night to pee  He does need a litter box (get one that's covered to lessen the smell), put him in there once you have it ready and let him sniff around. He will instinctively know what to do in there.

To stop his diarrhea, don't feed him for 24 hours, then give him boiled white fish (he won't eat much to start) with some of the water from the pot mashed in, then once his stomach feels better and depending on how old he is give him wet food for kittens or dry mixed with a bit of wet. Eventually switch to dry.

Good luck! <3


----------



## EddieWouldGo

And yes, no milk for cats - if anything cream mixed with water is better... 

"Sometimes a cat that can’t tolerate milk may have no problem with other forms of dairy, like yogurt, cheese, butter, or ice cream. That’s because different forms of dairy food contain varying amounts of lactose. There are two reasons for that. Foods like yogurt and ice cream are often diluted with other things, such as water or added fats. They may also be cultured, meaning microorganisms have digested part of the lactose. So if you want to give a sensitive feline a bit of dairy, the chances of an intolerance reaction are less with cheeses, yogurts, and other cultured dairy".


----------



## abradshaw71

Some name suggestions: Mack, Max, Jake, Benson, Hanson or Harry.


----------



## Jennifer1

Great job with the rescue!

Some cats prefer covered litter boxes and some don't. My litterbox is actually a 30gal utility crate with a hole cut out at cat height. Cheap and easy to make. It has really tall sides so no litter gets kicked out even without being covered.

Cats as a general rule don't drink a lot of water. I dont think I've ever seen my guys drink. They get most of their water from food. I feed my guys strictly a canned diet, after having a diabetic cat for 11yrs I'll never go back to dry food for cats.

If you do feed dry, add a little water to it.

Sure is a cutie!


----------



## EddieWouldGo

Sorry, me again... 
A word about litter boxes... cats are super clean animals and they won't do their business in dirty places, so make sure you remember to scoop his poop and change the box regularly or he will find a place in your house that's clean to do what he needs to...


----------



## ZeppGold

I also have three dogs and one cat. (And a granddog that we have taken in for awhile.) The cat was a year old when I got him, so I don't know much about kittens. Thank you for rescuing him. I think you will enjoy watching the interaction between the dogs and the kitten. He will slow down as he gets older too. It took us a year to come up with a name for our cat. We just called him the cat or kitty cat. We finally named him Koshka which is Russian for cat.


----------



## ktkins7

If you want to give milk they have a special milk for kittens at the pet stores (like Petco) that is specifically for kittens. 

As others mentioned make sure to have a covered litter box and keep it pretty clean. You don't need to change the litter every day butyou should scoop it every day. Clumping litter is easier because the pee forms into clumps. 

My brother and his girlfriend recently got a kitten and named him Rocky. Our cats that have passed on were Patches, Oogies (my brother named her when he was about 5), and Kally. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Heart O'Gold

I would check with your vet about the diarrhea, maybe he needs to be wormed. As far as names, I always struggle coming up with good ones. Maybe since he came to you on a rainy day Stormy or Nimbus might be good. It really is nice to have a cat, they bring a calm comfort when they snuggle with you.


----------



## ArchersMom

He looks like maybe a Phoenix? I grew up with several cats and almost all of them we had from 8 week old kittens. Thistle is my first kitten of my very own and he was a stray when I found him almost 3 years ago. He had terrible diarrhea the first week or so. Even after he was dewormed from the first visit he pooped on my bed twice because he couldn't hold it after waking up, poor guy. We went back into the vet and he got some amoxicillin. Part of it might be switching foods, but he may need antibiotics or just deworming. 
Litter box training is incredibly quick and easy though. Just show him where it is a few times and he should pick it up within a week. Do try and make sure the dogs can't get in to bother him and that the dogs aren't eating toxic cat litter. Cats really like their privacy when they use "the box." We've had cats that would exit if you walked into the same room.

Thank you so much for taking in this little kitty! They're such sweet little creatures and so many people treat them like garbage because they say "they don't like cats." They are awesome and my Thistle kitty has changed my fiance's opinion about them.


----------



## Jennifer1

Here is a good website about litterbox issues (and how to avoid them.)

She also has a section about diet.

The Litter Box From Your Cat's Point of View by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM :: Litter box management, types of cat litter, feline house soiling, inappropriate elimination


----------



## goldy1

You are so good to take this sweet little doll in. You won't be sorry. You will be repaid a thousandfold with good karma. 

I've had many cats over the years. This little fellow seems more social than most which is nice. I had one like that - we loved him so much. 

I like Jenagro's name idea "Kevin".


----------



## mylissyk

Thank you for saving him!

Name him Gandolf, he is both Gandolf the Grey and Gandolf the White.


----------



## Nott

He is an amazingly friendly kitten. He runs up to be petted and he comes and jumps on my leg. We are kinda hoping the dogs rub off on him. Our 3 dogs were all blessed with wonderful friendly and happy go lucky attitudes. He has used the box everytime but once. And it seems like he talks a lot which is unusual. He talks while he's even using the box! They gave us a wormer and we used it. Not sure if its that or the food switch that messed him up. Sure isn't slowing him down though! He loves coming up and rubbing his face on mine and he will tap me with his paw when he wants petted.


----------



## Nott

We ( and by we I mean me) are thinkinng the name Stinson after Barney in How I Met Your Mother due to the fact that he does anything for pets and lovins. 

Also do cats have an obsession with walking on keyboards? Because he loves it. Its taking me forever to type anything because I keep having to erase what he writes.


----------



## Shellbug

Ohhhh the cat forum. Lol. It's like a dog forum and a parenting forum. We are all idiots not doing it right ?
I am a cat momma. I have 3 seniors. Sammy (named after Samuel L Jackson) is 18, daisy is 16 and Sebastian is 15
Just feed a dry food. Cats don't need it watered down. Since cats use a box IN the house, I'm not a canned food feeder except rare occasions for a treat. I have always used an inexpensive indoor cat formula and as you see they do well on it lol. Start with a large litter pan. By large I mean surface area. But shallow. As he grows you can get bigger boxes. I scoop the box 2 times a day. Morning and night. There is never a smell in my home. I won't allow it ! 
Cats are fun! They own you. You don't own them. I hope you keep the kitty. It's a fun journey to take. Here is daisy and Thor. She hates him lol









Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Shellbug

Here is Sammy. All my animals are obsessed with the tub :-/ 






this is my 32 lb cat Sebastian. And of course Thor is photo hog! 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## wjane

I had cats - 5 at a time at one point - my daughter brought a few home. They all lived to be 18-20 years. I don't have any now - burnt out I think. He sure is cute. I would check with the vet about the diarrhea and also it looks like he might have a little conjunctivitis in one of his eyes. That was very good of you to take him in. Good luck with the little guy.


----------



## Nott

thank you for sharing! I'm putting some warm water in his dry food and the littlest bit of wet to make sure he will eat it all. He seems sooooo small. We also like the names Nigel and Loki. And of course we are thinking of the Kevin possibility  That one cracked me up


----------



## Nott

Well I talked to the DH and we decided to go with Kevin! Much appreciated guys!!


----------



## Jenagro

Yay, Kevin!!! 

It's funny you mention the keyboard thing. One of my cats intentionally walks on the keyboard to wake up the computer from sleep mode, then stares at it in amazement. He does this throughout the day, and has renamed files in the process. Cats can be so much fun! Enjoy him!!

This is the first time I've tried to upload a pic, so not sure if I'm doing it right. This is my young kitty, Obi, with my WHV boy, Fletcher. Best buds!


----------



## abradshaw71

It sounds like Kevin has moved in and isn't planning on leaving any time soon.  I've heard that when a cat rubs it's head against yours that they are claiming you as their own. So, it sounds like Kevin now officially owns you.  Enjoy every minute of his kitten antics. I think they grow even faster than puppies do.


----------



## Nott

Oh we are enjoying him. +H687524kl
i9\8m=ahaha. = 

That was Kevin, he says thanks for the welcomes.  He seems to hang around me the most.  Its adorable. He does cry an awful lot when we put him in the spare bedroom at night. He really wants to be near us but I'm not too sure he is big enough to sleep with us just yet. I'd hate to accidentally roll over on him.


----------



## PrincessDaisy

Get a cardboard box a bit larger than a small heating pad. Put the heating pad in a large zip bag. Place in the bottom of the box with several folded towels on top. Add an old fashioned wind up, folding travel clock to the box. When you hold/cuddle/pet Gato Neuvo, hold him in a small hand towel so his scent gets on it. Rub him with it. At bed time, wind the clock, turn the heating pad on the lowest setting, place the hand towel and clock in the box, along with cat. Tell him "stay" and pet him until he purrs. Then leave the room. He will get the idea in a night or three. He will not, however, understand or obey the "stay" command, he is a cat, afterall. But you will feel better for the effort.

Thanks for rescuing.


Max


Edited to add;
Kroger sells Kitty Cat brand sifting cat pan liners. They are 10 layers of perferated plastic with a solid sheet on the bottom of the stack. Place the whole stack of 11 sheets in the bottom of the litter box, solid on on the bottom. Put clumping litter on top. When you want to clean the box, just lift up the top sheet. Dirty litter and poop is lifted out, and clean litter sifts through back into the litter box. Put in a new stack when you have one perferated one and the solid one left. Lift those two out. Be sure to press the new stack into the bottom of the litter box firmly. Lift the last perferated sheet from the old stack, and dump the litter on the solid sheet into the box on top of the new stack.


----------



## Jessie'sGirl

We have four cats, Callie and Jasmine( the girls) we got as kittens and the boys Jasper( a stray) and George ( my son left him here 6 yrs ago) came as adults. With so many cats, we clean the litter box twice a day as well. We feed them primarily dry with some Fancy feast as treats . And yes, cats love to walk across your keyboard when you're trying to do something on your computer. They also like to snuggle with you and see an empty lap as a place to nap. I read somewhere that cats see people as furniture. It's very true.


----------



## tobysmommy

What a sweet little guy he is! Bless you for rescuing him.


----------



## EddieWouldGo

Nott said:


> Also do cats have an obsession with walking on keyboards? Because he loves it. Its taking me forever to type anything because I keep having to erase what he writes.


Yes, if I walk away from my mac without shutting it one of the cats will be sleeping on it...

They also love paper, ANY paper, and cardboard boxes... :


----------



## Brave

And cats LOVE to mess with you when your busy!!! I could be waiting all day long for my kitties to pay attention to me. Nothing! The minute I start doing something like studying, or reading - they are all over me! My little torti particularly likes to pin my book down when I read. Such a minx!!!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Nott

Kevin is a trip~! We have never had a cat before. My DH doesn't like cats but it seems Kevin has decided to warm up to him and he can't help but smile when little Kevin pushes against him for pets. Kevin is enjoying the dogs but sometimes they play too rough and I worry he will get hurt. They are all 30+ times his size. He is a very sweet cat. I am shocked about how fast he learned where his box was (Furnace closest) and he seems to understand that that is where he goes potty. He hasn't had an accidents (except for pottying on the dog bed but we sort of understood that one because my sisters dog marks it so it had some smells). He seems to be adjusting well and he is very cuddly and sweet  We are enjoying him. How fast do kittens grow? We are hoping he starts sprouting up soon so he can play with our pups without us worrying too much about him.  Thank you all for the advice!


----------



## Nott

My year old Border Collie/ Australian Shepherd loves him  makes me smile!


----------



## Annerose95

CAN I HAVE KEVIN ???!

Omg he's literally the cutest little thing I've ever seen. I'm seriously disgusted at how people are heartless for dropping an animal on the road. 
We need more people like you ! I've always owned cats in my life, I was born with 2 cats and growing up I had like 5 cats at the same time, all the time. It's the first time in years I only have 3 at the moment, as 2 passed away from a kidney disease and a genetic disease respectively. My oldest cat lived up to 19 years old hehehe! Cats are, in my opinion, awesome. My youngest cat opens doors at night, it's scary haha. 
You'll see that having a cat is easier than owning a dog, as you don't have to train as hard as with a dog. Can't wait for more photos of Kevin :3


Anne x


----------



## Ruby13

Kevin is precious, and lucky!

And don't feel bad. We have 4 full time dogs and 2 full time cats, along with temporary rescues waiting for homes. 

My cats go in and out - both are rescues. Jack is a huge black cat from Canada, he immigrated with my husband, and Willow was a rescue I found on a median in the middle of a busy highway in the pouring rain when she was about Kevin's age. Willow loves to have her tummy rubbed! (Jack will only allow you to pet his head!)

My biggest problem with cats and dogs inside is keeping the dogs out of the litter box. My big dogs don't pay too much attention to it, but the little ones think it's a buffet just for them. I scoop...ALOT!!!


----------



## Gwen_Dandridge

Name suggestions: Endurance


----------



## Nott

Oh my goodness. Hahaha the litter box munchies have been a HUGE problem for two of mine. Scout doesn't want anything to do with it but Barley and Toby keep going and stealing little snacks every now and again. I got one with a door but its so tall i took the door off so Kevin had an easier time getting in. He is so so lovable. My brothers love him! They are 16 and 14 and they played with him for hours  He is such a good cat. We are blessed once again.


----------



## Always51

He has such beautiful markings!! Kevin's a great name, just ask my DH..lol....cats are so easy compared to dogs..


----------



## Nott

Thanks to everyone for the great advice! Kevin is a great addition to our family and he has been settling in nicely.  We are enjoying him. Here are a few more recent pictures. He is very handsome. His body is white except for his tail which is entirely grey and his head which has grey spots. My husband loves him. Kevin crawls in his lap when he is watching tv or playing video games and I can tell it has swayed his cold anti-feline heart.


----------



## ZeppGold

Kevin is very cute. I think you will enjoy the addition of a cat with the dogs. I am sure they will be great friends.


----------



## abradshaw71

Looks like Kevin has moved right in and has won everyone over. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Annerose95

His marking is so gorgeous !



Anne x


----------



## tikiandme

Looks like Kevin's got it made. Lucky Boy!!


----------



## Bwilson

Congrats on the kitten. You can give them a bath if they have fleas u can use dawn dish liquid. Depending on how long they were with mother and how much they know on self cleaning you may have to use a wet wipe on them and their bum to teach them self cleaning. Touching a cat's stomach is normal for me and cats I have owned.


----------



## CAROLINA MOM

Kevin's markings are beautiful.

Sounds like he's got your hubby wrapped around his paws, too cute.


----------



## OutWest

Nott said:


> Thanks to everyone for the great advice! Kevin is a great addition to our family and he has been settling in nicely.  We are enjoying him. Here are a few more recent pictures. He is very handsome. His body is white except for his tail which is entirely grey and his head which has grey spots. My husband loves him. Kevin crawls in his lap when he is watching tv or playing video games and I can tell it has swayed his cold anti-feline heart.


I'm just catching up on posts and threads and saw this... I'm so glad you decided to keep him. My cat-disliking daddy saved an abandoned litter once and quickly became "kitten papa" so I'm not surprised your DH has been won over! 

He sure is a cutie--it's great that the dogs love him.


----------

