Conference misery::feline_v1

    Hi Lisa-Marie
    
    Well congratulations on your new kitten you will be getting soon.
    As far as shots...I strongly recommend that you ask the person/shelter
    that you are getting the kitten from which shots (if any) the
    kitten has already had.   Based on the answer I suggest you bring
    the kitten to the vet for other shots that are needed.   Yes cats
    do need yearly shots as well and your vet will know which ones.
    
    About food....I feed my guys regular wet food you buy at a supermarket
    but I also give them "good" hard food.  We buy Hill Science Diet...and
    all my guys are crazy about it.   I'm sure you will get many opinions
    and suggestions.
    
    Good luck...and don't foget to introduce him in this file.  We love
    hearing good terror kitten stories!!!!
    
    Sandy

    Other great dry (hard) foods are Iams, Nutro Max Cat, Bil-Jac, Nutrix,
    ANF (Tami Ami).  Iams and Science Diet are probably the most popular. 
    What I usually do for variety is buy two to three different types and
    mix it all together in large bowls placed strategically throughout the
    house.  I buy a dry supermarket brand and keep it handy for a treat alone
    or mixed with the good dry food.  Usually Crave or Alpo dry.
    
    The only premium canned food my cats prefer over all others is Science
    Diet.  I feed that and supermarket canned foods such as Friskies, Alpo,
    Whiskas (Kal Kan), and occasionally 9 Lives.  Fancy Feast and Amore
    also go over big.
    
    Variety is a key factor especially for health reasons.  Feeding a
    variety ensures that the cat is getting all the essential vitamins,
    minerals and amino acids necessary to promote optimum health.  Avoid
    foods too rich in dyes which could cause both food allergies and poor
    coat.  The great thing about the premium foods is that it helps keep
    the coat glossy and luxurious.
    
    Good luck with your new kitten!  And the strays/mutts ARE special.  I
    have three and one purebred and the stray mutts are adorable, grateful,
    mush-cats!
    
    
    --Roberta
    

    Hi Lisa-Marie,
    
    I remember how excited I was to get my cat, Heather.  Your new
    kitten will bring you such joy.  I debated with myself if I should 
    get a kitten.  I had wanted one for such a long time.  It had been
    years since I'd had a cat.  I got her from my Mom's friend, Rosemary.
    Rosemary is a wonderful animal lover!  She has so many.  I knew I
    would get a good, healthy kitten.  I took her away from her litter
    when she was nine weeks old.
    
    Of course she went right to the vet to get a check up.  I had her
    declawed in front, and her first series of shots.  We knew that she
    would be an indoor cat, and we didn't want our furniture scratched,
    or see the kitten hanging from the drapes!  From what I remember, she 
    has had an upper respiratory shot, rabies shot, tested for feline 
    leukemia, received leukemia shots (two in first vaccination series),
    and we had her spaid.  She has come through everything with flying
    colors, but she did have a small reaction to the second leukemia shot
    while we were at the vet.  These shots are needed once a year.  There
    is also a new vaccination administered through the nose, and this 
    vaccination is for an illness of the immune system.  Heather hasn't had
    this one yet.  She really isn't at high risk for it, and I don't think
    she would take it up the nose!
    
    I went crazy in the pet food supermart before bringing Heather home.
    She is my spoiled baby!  
    
    While Heather was still with her mother, I went to visit twice before
    bringing her home.  I felt the same way about feeding her.  I wanted
    to give her the good stuff!  One day while I was there, two little
    neighborhood girls brought Rosemary some Iams samples of cat food.
    They had just been to the pet store.  Rosemary opened the bag of food,
    and all of a sudden you saw six little kittens, and thier Mom running
    for food.  Rosemary had a BIG bowl for the kittens to eat out of, and
    when she put the Iams in there you wouldn't believe it.  There were six
    kittens standing in the bowl, and walking on top of one another to get 
    the Iams.  This proved to me they liked it!  
    
    I buy Heather Iams kitten food, and she also gets Iams moist food.
    You can't buy Iams in the grocery store.  Sometimes, I will buy her
    the moist in the grocery store, and I buy her treats!
    
    If you have any other questions, you can send me vaxmail at CANYON::
    WARKMEISTER.  I also subscribe to Cat Fancy magazine.  I'm so excited
    for you!  I'd love to get another kitten myself.  Even though the
    amount of money spent at the vet is a lot, your kitty's health is the
    most important thing.  Don't forget love too!  
    
    Julie  +  Heather

    Just in case your wondering, Heather is a little over a year now!
    
    Julie

Thanks for the info everyone!

I'm definately going to pick up a kitten soon.  Most likely this weekend.  My
mother's friend's cat had a litter and there is this adorable golden tiger 
female kitty.  Mom's asked her to hold it for me look at until the weekend (they
are in RI).  I can't wait.  I'm tempted to take a drive tonight.

There's a place on my way home that sells Iams pet food (that's what I feed my
dog).  I think I'll stop tonight and pick up a few items.  (No, I'm not one to 
be patient).

I'll be sure to introduce the kitty when I get her/him.


							Lisa-Marie

    I'd get a scratching post as well, then you won't have to deal
    with the problem of scratched furniture or declawing.  Be sure the post
    is tall enough for an adult cat and heavy and stable enough so it
    won't tip over when a 15 pound baby scratches on it.
    

    Congratulations on the impending adoption of a kitten.
    
    Looking forward to hearing all about him/her - what you picked out for
    their name and all the wonderful antics.
    
    Marilyn, Otis and Tiffany
    

    I would also like to congratulate you on your choice to adopt a kitten. 
    As a kitten/cat lover/owner for many years, I know that you will have
    lots of fun with your new baby.
    
    Re: .3 - You said that when you first took your kitten for shots that
    one of the shots it received was an upper respiratory shot.  Is this
    supposed to help prevent them from getting upper respiratory
    infections?  I have never heard of this one, and my seven month old
    kittens have had upper respiratory infections off and on ever since I
    first got them (8 weeks old).

    Re: .8
    
    Sweetie and Little Bit get boosters of a vaccine against respiratory
    infection every six months, because Holly is a carrier.  However, I
    think there are several kinds of resp. infections?  Best to consult your vet....
    

    Re .8:
    
    The 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 shots that your kitten gets from the vet are to
    protect him from the upper respiratory illnesses.  The 3-in-1 provides
    protection against Panleukopenia, Calicivirus, and Rhinotracheitis. 
    The 4-in-1 protects against those plus Pnuemonitis (Chlamydia).  If
    your kitten has gotten shots from the vet, then it has probably gotten
    these shots whether you were aware of it or not.
    
    If you kitten has not gotten any vaccinations, you need to have that
    done.  You will have to take them in when they are not suffering from
    any upper respiratory problems as the shots could aggravate that if
    given in the modified live form.  It is best to wait until the kitten
    is completely healthy before vaccinating it.
    
    Jo

    Thanks for the responses.  Both of my kittens have had their shots -
    distemper (3 in 1 or 4 in 1?), rabies, and FELV, but I didn't know that
    the 3 in 1 or 4 in 1 shot included upper respiratory infections.  I'll
    check with my vet to be sure of exactly what they got and if there is
    an additional one that they could get.

Well, I did pick up a new kitten this weekend.  We named her Tasha.  She's a
golden/yellow tiger with white boots and a white spot around her nose and mouth.
Approx 8 weeks old and weighs 1.5 lbs.  I didn't think cats ever came that 
small!

We took her to the vet who gave her a clean bill of health, showed me how to 
clip her nails and gave her the first of a set of shots.  However, Tasha seemed
to have a reaction to the shot.  She didn't want to be bothered and slept for 
most of the day.  Is this normal?  


BTW, the kitten and the puppy get along great.  After some initial hissing,
they were playfully chasing each other around the house, sleeping together,
and licking each other (the kitty didn't appreciate getting her face washed
by the dog because she had to immediately re-wash it herself, but the dog
enjoyed the kitten cleaning her ears and purring into them).  

Thanks for all the helpful answers that I got to my initial questions!


								Lisa-Marie

    Hi Lisa,
    
    I just brought home two kittens a few weeks back and they reacted the
    same way to the shots.  They became very listless for an entire day,
    and all they wanted to do was sleep.  At first I was concerned, but my
    vet assured me this was normal.  On top of it all, mine had fleas and
    earmites, and the flea spray the vet treated them with caused my
    smallest one, Bear, to foam at the mouth!  It was so pathetic...my
    heart went out to her.  (By the way, she was 1.8 pounds, and like you,
    I was amazed at how tiny she was...small enough to sit on my shoulder).
    
    Anyway, have fun with them, and don't worry about their reaction.
    
    Nancy

    The kinds of reactions you need to worry about after your cat gets a
    vaccination are salivating, restlessness, diarrhea or urination that is
    uncontrolled, seizures, and vomiting.  If your cat exhibits any of
    these symptoms after a vaccination, get them back to the vet
    immediately.
    
    Jo

    Hi Lisa,
    
    Fancy meeting you here!! I usually see you in "another" conference!
    
    So glad to hear that everything is going well w/ your new babies!
    What a lucky puppy & kitten! Good luck w/ everything, and keep us 
    posted!!
    
    Bonnie

Hi Bonnie!  Yes, I've noticed that there are alot of familiar faces in 
this notefile!

Tasha and Heidi are doing fine.  They love to play with each other.  And are a
real riot to watch (especially when they both want to play with the same toy
at the same time).  Unfortunately, they make so much noise, that I have have to
separate them at night so "Mommie" and "Daddy" can get some sleep!

Now, another question:  Is there a way to train a cat not to do/scratch 
something?  Tasha loves to climb up the back of the couch (even though she 
can make it in one leap), and the same goes for curtains.  She also would 
rather climb down the back of the couch rather than jump.  We also have a 
large screen TV and I'm afraid she'll try to scratch at the 
very-expensive-to_replace screen as well.  I keep her nails clipped (I had the 
vet show me how), and she has various scratching posts (which she uses often).
I'm not really sure I'd like to have her declawed (it sounds kind of cruel)
unless I was absolutely forced into it.  BTW, I would like Tasha to remain
an indoor cat.


								Lisa-Marie

    Lisa, fill a spray bottle with water, and when your cat climbs the
    drapes, tell her NO and then give her a squirt from the bottle until
    she gets off.  Then praise her for getting off the drapes and distract
    her with a toy.  To make this training go faster and be more consistent
    to the cat, do not allow her access to the drapes or couch while you
    are not there to train her.  If she gets away with it while you aren't
    there, she will just do all her damage while you are away.
    
    Also, if she is a very young kitten, she is still very claw oriented. 
    Be sure to praise her everytime she uses her post, to reinforce that
    behavior.  I have found with my kittens that they outgrow the desire to
    climb things and prefer jumping as they get older and steadier on their
    feet.  Climbing takes too much time, besides, the water God always gets
    mad at them for climbing things. ;^)
    
    Jo

I went to a pet store during lunch today, and they had these plastic devices
about 4 inches in diameter that can be used to train cats/dogs to keep
off furniture (or other places they shouldn't be).

They are rubberband-triggered, and snap when the animal touches them,
sort of like a mouse trap but they just make a loud noise).  They are circular,
and white with a black pawprint and red circle and slash (meaning "no critters
allowed over here").

Has anyone seen, heard of, or used these things before?  They were sold in bags
of about four, for about $12-$13, so I didn't want to try them without a
second opinion.

My first opinion is that it would be too easy for the cats to avoid them (either
by chance or by experience) (the pet store owner suggested hiding them under
a piece of cloth or something).

Oh, about the spray bottle/water gun deterrent method:  Hemi just didn't get
it.  Bill kept spraying her, saying "down!" and she just sat there wondering
"what's going on?  what are you doing?".

He finally felt sorry for the poor wet kitty and dried her off!!

Jill

    The spray bottle works 95% of the time...but I also have a little
    girl (Poco) that loves water.  If you squirt her...she sits there
    and blinks her eyes as the water gets to her and then she lays down 
    so you can wet her belly.   She's strange...she loves to be with
    me in the garden while I'm watering...she keeps running under the
    water spray.
    
    I have never seen or used those plastic devices...but my guess is
    a smart cat will learn how to work around them!
    
    Sandy

>    I have never seen or used those plastic devices...but my guess is
>    a smart cat will learn how to work around them!
    
actually, they have positive reviews from two people who have used them...
they startle the animal so fast that the cat simply avoids the area from
then on.  Mind you, this was not an issue concerning FOOD or other important
stuff, simply a chair....I do agree that they wouldn't probably work for
long in keeping cats off counter tops where they can smell food.  A bright
cat doesn't give up that easy...believe me, I know.

    Roberta, I asked my Vet about mixing grocery-store food and the premium
    food, such as Science Diet, and she said using the grocery-store food
    cancels out the good benefits of using the premium cat food.  The
    government has no regulations for what is put into store-bought food so
    one can't be really sure their animal is getting a good diet..who knows
    what was put into the can?  But the premium foods have more real
    nutrition and good ingredients and that's why they are much more
    healthful for cats.
    
    Colleen