Poor little Walker needs to stay at Classy Cats for a bit. He has contacted ring worm and it is very contagious. Its not harmful unless left untreated and very common with kittens. Treatment is oral pills and a topical ointment. I’m glad they are taking care of him. I was never very good at giving a cat a pill.
They kept Monroe for a few extra days to see if she developed ringworm also. But she didn’t. That was surprising to me since they spent all of their time together for the past two weeks.
Monroe still has her stitches from being spayed and I was supposed to keep her quite. I moved all the tall kitty trees to the exersize room, but that didn’t stop her from going crazy when I tried to leave her alone in the kitty sanctuary or in the kennel. I finally took my laptop into the sanctuary and worked from there. She was happy to simply cuddle with me.
The next day she was quieter and we were back to my hourly visits in the sanctuary. So that evening I let her out into the living room to play. She became very rambunctious and I was worried she might hurt the stitches, but eventually she settled down to cuddle on the couch with me.
She was being a very good girl, staying mainly in the living room and leaving the kitchen alone. The first time she was in the kitchen, she got a squirt from the water bottle when she tried to explore the refrigerator. Smart girl remembered and was in no hurry to see if she got squirted again.
Interestingly enough, she didn’t even get hit with the water, just saw it comming at her and she said — I’m outta here!
The first night, I fell asleep on the couch and she had free run of the house. She survived! So I decided why keep her pinned up in the kitty sanctuary. She runs back in there whenever she gets scared or wants to hide. So the next day, the office was open to her. She loves the windows in the office. I haven’t got a video of it, but she chases the cars as they drive by, running from one end of the window seat to the other.
Over the past few days, Monroe has settled into a routine. We have a few issues we are working on, such as the difference between people food and kitty food. Another issue is that she has developed the idea that my hands and feet are play toys. If you are having problems with your kitty biting your hands and feed, here are a few tips:
- Redirect to toys. I say a sharp “No” and stop any playing with her for a few minutes. If this happens when I’m sleeping, I say a sharp “No” and put her on the floor.
- Redirect to a scratching post. She also started scratching at the top of my chair. That area now has double sided tape. Kitties will not walk over or scratch double sided tape. However, we also have scratching pads near the play area with cat nip to attract her to the allowable scatching areas.
- Everytime she becomes too aggressive, I stop playing with her for 5 to 10 minutes. She is a very affectionate kitty and misses the attention. So she adjusts her behavior to a more acceptable level and will even cuddle in my lap as a “I’m sorry. I forgot.”
- When using your voice, don’t shout. Keep your voice calm, but firm. You want her to learn the meaning of the word “No”. At the same time, reward good behavior with pets and the same calm voice saying words like “good girl” in a soft, pleasing tone.
- Make sure kitty gets plenty of play sessions to burn off the excess energy, at least 10 – 15 minutes 3 to 4 times a day.
The basis of these tips is to reward good behavior and to NOT reward bad behavior without adding undue stress that will increase the bad behavior. Kittens, like children, need consistency in their behavior rules. They will learn if you are calm and consistent.
I’ll let you know how successful I am!